Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Time on a Chain ❯ Chapter 13

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

Disclaimer I don't own anything Yugioh. I do own Willow, but don't tell her that she'll kill me.

Chapter 14

Willow pulled in under a bridge. It wasn't the best of places to park but they were mostly hidden
behind an abandoned cite trailer.

"Everybody sleep now." Willow let it be known that she intended to be obeyed.

Surprisingly enough everybody slept. Seto found that he was worn out, Mokuba was a little shocky and
Joey just beat. Willow watched to make sure that they were all asleep, when she was sure they were,
she pulled off her boot.

Her foot was bleeding sluggishly. She changed her sock. She'd stuffed a clean pair in a pocket for
some reason she couldn't explain. She shoved the pain down until it surrendered to her will. {they don't
call me Iron Will for nothing}

She dug out her cell and called Roland, the boys were so out of it that they never even stirred.

"Talk to me"

"Roland, there is a mole on my side too. I'm sure of it. I'll maintain contact with you. But we're not
coming in until there is a safe house for us. Find one!" Willow hung up on Roland and called her
people.

"Ofukuro, there's a mole on our side."

"Stop calling me that. I know there's a mole. We'll find him. It's just a matter of time."

"We're not coming in until you do. I'll keep in touch."

"You have a safe place to stay? Battosai, keep them safe."

"I will. Find that fuckin' mole. I want him."

"I don't envy him if you get him. You sound stone cold. How's your temper?"

"Stone cold. Yeah, that describes me. I've always been cold. Start to warm up a little and see what
happens. I'm gonna need retraining when this mess is done. They're getting under my skin."

"Let them. You don't need retraining. You need to warm up a little."

"I can't afford it. Feelings get in the way of efficiency. I screw up because I get distracted and someone
is dead."

Willow snapped her phone shut. {I do need retraining. I'm getting attached.}

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Willow looked at the boys and decided that Joey had done the best he could under the circumstances.

Mokuba had slicked his bangs back and tied Joey's bandana around his head, the rest of his hair was
clubbed back left to dangle down his back. He was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, his vest was
his favorite and fairly well worn, he looked so different from the open-faced boy Willow had gotten
used to. He'd assumed a sullen put-upon expression that made him look like a street wise ferret.

Joey had also slicked his hair back, with his hair slicked flat he looked like a punk, sneering and vicious.
His old clothes were worn and faded, out at the knees and elbows. But his attitude said ‘ Leader of the
pack.'

Willow was pleased in a cool sort of way with what Joey had done to her. He'd cut the front of her hair
into a sloppy, ragged bang. It looked like she'd just chopped off random hunks as they got in her eyes,
the back was braided tightly and stuffed down the back of her sweater. He'd also demonstrated how to
look through the curtain of hair. It was a good trick and she was glad to know it. She could watch out
now without anyone knowing where or at whom she was looking. Her clothes had been too new
looking so Joey had aged them by rubbing her pants against a concrete bridge pillar and stretching the
sweater into shapelessness.

She didn't need to assume a fake expression. Her cold, almost feral expression made her look
unapproachable at best down right crazy at worst.

Seto was going to be the hardest to deal with. He needed clothes in the worst way. All he had was a
pair of sweat pants.

Joey worked more street punk magic. He went to a second hand store and came back with a pair of
jeans, a jacket and a shirt. He also had a pair of boots. When he was done with Seto even Mokuba
had to look twice.

Starting with worn combat boots Joey had turned an elegant, slender, youthful CEO into a burnt out,
drugged up, crack addicted whore.

Joey had slicked Seto's hair back but left strands to dangle greasily over his eyes. The shirt was tight
and short showing most of his stomach, jeans so tight they wouldn't quite button advertized the fact that
he was for sale. His hip bones and collar bones stuck out and his ribs showed. He looked like he hadn't
had a decent meal in months. The jacket Joey had bought was a ripped jean jacket that was just a bit
too big, emphasizing how thin he was and how tight the rest of his clothes were.

"Seto! Look over there!" Joey slugged Seto on the cheek bone.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?" Seto touched his stinging cheek.

"I made ya look like a ho' so people won't see you. But ya might get offers ya don't wanna take. With
that bruise ya can say you're outta commission. Sorry, but I had to." Joey took Seto's hand away from
his face.

Willow watched dispassionately. She hadn't flinched when Joey slugged Seto she knew Joey wouldn't
harm Seto. Mokuba was the only one who reacted badly. Glaring at Joey he'd fussed over Seto until
Seto made him quit.

"Mokuba stop it. I'm ok. It doesn't hurt that much. If it will keep you and Joey safe I'd take a lot
worse."

Willow turned and looked at the SUV, it looked a little more the worse for wear after she and Joey had
gotten done with it. They had thrown rocks at it and bashed in the driver's door, actually Joey had
kicked it in.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They spent the next three days living in the SUV. Sitting in the vehicle for hour after hour had quickly
started wearing on the boy's nerves. Willow couldn't have cared less. She was dry, warm, and well
fed. What more could you want? Evidently quite a lot.

"I'm so bored I could scream. Can't we get some manga?" Mokuba whined hoping Seto would make
Willow give in.

"No, we can't. Street kids can't afford stuff like that." Joey turned Mokuba down flat. Then he relented
just a little. "Sorry, Little Buddy. Tell you what though, I'll play rock, paper, scissors with you."

"Nooooo! I'm bored! Can't I go to an arcade? Just for a while?"

"Shut up." Willows cold voice dropped into Mokuba's whining like ice cubes down their spines. "We
can't go to an arcade. I don't trust our disguises. They're good but staying out of sight is better." She
turned to Seto. "Entertain him. Keep him quiet or I'll spank him and give him something else to think
about."

Seto clenched his hands into fists. Joey just sighed. Threatening Mokuba wasn't a good idea on the
best of days.

"You lay your hands on my little brother and I'll . . . " Seto started in a throaty snarl.

"You couldn't anything, not even if I was unconscious." Willow was tired of both Seto and Mokuba.
Mokuba whined about being bored and Seto snapped and snarled over everything.

The last phone call to Roland had really put the cap on things. Seto's house was a total loss. It had
been a five-alarm fire. Every fire station in the area had sent all their engines. The firemen had managed
to save much of the contents but the house itself was burned to the ground. Gennie and six others were
dead. Roland had also said it would be two days before he could guarantee a safe house.

Willow knew who the mole on Seto's side had been, but there was more than one mole on her side
and she couldn't do anything about them she had to wait for Ofukuro to do something. Which she
would but it would take time and Willow wasn't lighting anywhere until she was sure it was safe to do
so.

Joey spent most of the time he wasn't sleeping, driving. Willow could drive, but she drove like she did
everything, with an intensity that made the others nervous. Seto drove like he owned the road and
attracted way too much attention. Mokuba was too young to drive, even thought he could. So the boys
were getting on each others nerves and Willow was about to tie both Seto and Mokuba up just to keep
them from fighting for a while.

The SUV stank. Four slightly washed bodies confined in it's cramped quarters, mixed with the smells of
quick stop noodles, hamburger grease and stale whatever else, made it smell, bad.

It didn't help that everyone needed a shower in the worst way. Joey had come to the rescue again.
Buying a tub of baby wipes, he'd proven that they helped a great deal, but nothing stop gap worked
forever. Willow jerked on her braid, a habit she'd developed recently.

"Everybody shut up. Go to sleep. I'm sleeping this time. Joey, you stay awake, keep an eye out."

Willow was tired, four days with only three hours sleep a night was starting to get to her a little and she
didn't see that it was necessary. With Joey on guard she should get more sleep, lack of sleep could
interfere with her efficiency.

She settled in the back luggage compartment. Seto and Mokuba took the back seat Seto on his back
with Mokuba curled up on him. Joey kicked the driver's seat back as far as it would go and curled up
under one of the two blankets they had. Seto and Mokuba had the other.

"Don't touch her!" Joey's cry came too late. Seto had started to shake Willow. At his first touch she
came up with a knife in her hand, ready to kill, and nearly gutted Seto before she realized who it was.

"Damnit! Don't touch me! You got a suicide wish, go jump off a bridge. Son-of-a-bitch!" Willow
slowed her frantic heart beat. "The mess we're in, I'm on a hair trigger and you just tripped it."

Mokuba gave Willow a wide-eyed look and whispered. "What just happened?"

Joey turned around from the driver's seat. "Ya just got a taste a' gang nerves. She nearly gutted Seto
because he touched her without warnin'. Don't touch me either. You'll get a face full a' knuckles."

Willow called Okufuro again.

"Any news?"

"No and no safe house either. Roland just called. Somehow the bad guys found out where he was
planning on stashing you and they just wiped it off the map."

"Fuckin' hell."

"I know. I know you keep; your phone turned off so no one can trace it, call me at . . . "

"No. I'll call when I call. If we set up a schedule, they'll find out and be ready with a trace."

"Shit! You think of everything, don't you?"

"I try."

Willow felt like throwing the phone. She restrained herself, snarling at Joey instead.

"Get driving. We can't light anywhere. They just wiped the safe house out."

"Crap. We can't stay in this SUV much longer. We're gonna kill each other. It's too crowded. I know
why you want to keep moving but its gettn' hard on me and I love drivin'"

Joey looked around.

"Come over here." Joey took Willow aside.

"Willow, we got to let them get out and walk around more. They're drivin' themselves and us nuts.
They don't know how to entertain themselves inside their own heads."

"I guess you're right. I'm not use to dealing with teenagers. Most of my jobs have been wet work. The
last guard job I had it was a high-ranking Chinese Diplomat. He was cooperative, not like those two.
They seem to go out of their way to cause difficulties."

Willow watched Seto as he stalked back and forth in the parking lot they'd stopped in. Mokuba was
even worse, running around like a maniac. She knew that being confined in the SUV was hard on them
but they seemed to forget that their lives depended on not drawing notice.

"Wet work? Damnit, what kind of . . . Never mind. Forget it. Sorry" Joey knew better than to ask the
question he'd been about to ask. Willow's icy glower had driven that fact home hard.

Willow had to practically drag Mokuba into the SUV, Seto wasn't much better. But he at least
understood why.

"Big Brother, I'm . . . "

Willow reached over the seat and dragged Mokuba into her lap. Fending Seto off with one hand she
slapped Mokuba with the other.

"Seto, that's enough. I've had it. If you interfere I'll show you why they call me Shinigami." Seto
looked death square in the face and decided to wait and see what she was up to. He didn't believe she
would do him any harm but he wasn't sure why.

Willow turned her death glare on Mokuba. "You are making a difficult situation even more difficult. I
don't care if you are bored. Better bored than dead. If you don't quit whining I'm gonna give you
something to whine about. I'll whip your ass till it's rosy and if Seto interferes I'll whip him too. Do.
You. Understand. Me." At each word of the last sentence she gave Mokuba a shake.

"You are the worst case of arrested development I have ever seen. Grow up."

Seto hated to see Willow shaking Mokuba but he finally realized that if they continued to act like they
where it was going to cause more trouble with both Willow and Joey. They'd been patient with them
but their nerves were just as strained.

Mokuba nearly knocked them all on their heels. "Ok. No more whining. I'm sorry. I'm so centered on
keeping Seto from worrying too much that I guess I went overboard. I'll quit being a pest."

Willow tugged on her braid, so that was what was up. Mokuba spent most of his time trying to get Seto
to entertain him so he'd forget about the mess they were in.

Seto looked at Mokuba with an arrested expression on his face. He'd always wondered why a fifteen-
year-old acted the way Mokuba did. Mokuba had been trying to get him to lighten up and have fun for
years. In the process he'd held back, using his young appearance and actions to try to pull Seto into the
main stream of life. It hadn't worked but Mokuba had forgotten how not to try. In the process he'd left
his own maturity behind or rather concealed it too well. Now he was junking his mask and growing up
before Seto's very eyes.

"I always wondered what the hell was going on. You can do stuff with computers as well as Seto. You
quit taking on Seto's problems, he's a big boy. Worry about your own problems for a while. You've
got an ulcer, for Pete's sake."

Joey pointed his finger at both Seto and Mokuba. "I don't want any more spoiled rich boy shit out a'
either one a' ya. Seto, get over it. You've got to quit lettin' Willow handle all the details. You're smart.
Quit being so helpless. And Mokuba, lighten up. You're not stupid, come up with something. We're
goin' down fast. This SUV stinks. We've put . . . no. . . I've put more than 500 miles on this thing in
less than four days. That's drivin' eighteen hours a day in city traffic. I'm wearin' out. Willow drives like
a cop. And Seto you drive like you're the only one on the road. You both attract too much attention."

Willow nodded. "I've been watching the way you drive. Next time you need a break I'll take over."

"No, you'll take over now. My eyes are givin' me fits and I need to rest them. I'm gonna crash for at
least three hours. Now that Mokuba'll be quiet." Joey turned a nasty look on Mokuba. "Won't ya?"

For the next eighteen hours they kept on the move continuously; Joey, Willow and Seto taking two
hour turns at driving. Joey said that his eyes were rested, now that he was only driving two hours at a
time, but Willow noticed that he was using a lot of eye drops.

Mokuba turned out to be a good passenger now that he'd quit trying to distract Seto. Willow turned
the finances over to him, she gave Seto the lap top and told him to keep track of where they were on
the city map. Joey was simply put leader, he knew how to hide in the city. She was enforcer, if anyone
had a problem she would take care of it.

"Mokuba, how much money do we have left?"

Willow and Joey were both worried about money. They had started out with over two thousand dollars
but the SUV guzzled gas like a bitch, as Joey had pointed out earlier. And gas was expensive.

"About a thousand dollars, I didn't bother counting the chicken change. We need to hit an ATM soon.
I've got everything in my backpack and I'm keeping it with me all the time. Even if I'm only going to be
out of the SUV for a minute. If I don't have it on me someone else needs to keep their hand on it."

Willow turned around in the front passenger seat, Mokuba gave her a challenging look. "What? So I'm
paranoid. I've got my phone, an MP3 player, a lap top and some other stuff in here. We need my
phone and the money, the rest of the stuff is hockable. Joey knows how to sell it. Don't you?"

"Yeah, I can sell everything you mentioned. Not for what they're worth, but every little bit helps."

Seto shook his head in wonder, here he'd been worried that Mokuba wouldn't be able to take care of
himself if something happened to ‘Big Brother' and he was handling the situation as well as or better
than he was. He couldn't seem to get his balance.

"Willow, pull up here at this quick stop. We need gas, I gotta go and it has an ATM." Joey opened the
door as soon as Willow pulled in. Running in to the quick stop he entered the rest room, locking the
door with a sharp click.

"Hey, ya gotta buy somethin' to use the john." The clerk was enured to street kids and tourists just
using the facilities and leaving again but she kept trying.

Mokuba shouldered the backpack, he'd even stuffed the two blankets they had into it.

Willow wandered up and down the aisles, she wanted a protean bar and she was going to get several.
Mokuba stayed near her and looked for anything that he could stuff into the pack for later. They wound
up taking almost twenty dollars worth of energy, protean and granola bars to the checkout.

Seto was nervous so he decided to try to walk off some of his nervous energy. That was a real mistake.

"Hey, Pretty Boy. Got time for me?" The heavy set man was between Seto and the store, blocking the
path with a sly grin on his face. He palmed his crotch suggestively.

"Sorry, outta commission." Seto pointed to his cheek. "A guy got a little rough."

"Oh, ain't that too bad. Your mouth don't look outta whack. Blow me." The john reached out and
grabbed Seto by the arm. Seto froze, glaring at ‘John'. "OOOoooo! I'm scared. Little whore has a
dirty look."

"Let me go. I said no." Seto tried to jerk his arm out of the john's hand. All he succeeded in doing was
turning them around so that his back was to the shop.

"Don't fight me. I'll smack ya and then I'll still get what I want." The john twisted Seto's arm, trying to
push him to his knees.

"Hands off my bitch." Joey's voice was coldly enraged. He snatched Seto out of the bigger man's
hands like a doll. Giving Seto a shake, he pushed him to his knees and wrapped his left arm around his
shoulders, a sharp clicking in Seto's ear caused him to turn his head. Both the john's and Seto's eyes
dilated at the switchblade in Joeys' hand.

Joey bent down slightly and smiled over Seto's head. "Mouth is mine. You can't have him. He's not
ready. Gotta protect my investment ya know." Seto couldn't see Joey's smile but the john could and he
turned pale.

"Ok! Hey, sorry. Didn't mean to trespass or nothin'." The john started to sidle around Joey and a still
kneeling Seto. Joey grabbed Seto by the chin and, forcing his head back against his chest, kissed him,
then jerked on his hair hard enough to make him cry out. The john who'd watched Joey and watched
Joey watching him turned and hurried away.

"Fuck, Seto, what part of stay close didn't you understand? Do you really want to wind up giving some
sleeze a blow?" Joey was so mad he wanted to smack Seto.

Seto didn't even touch his bruised lip. All he could think of was how stupid he'd been. He was used to
going where he wanted to when he wanted to Willow and Joey had both told him not to wander too far
from the group and now he had a real feeling for the consequences of getting separated from the others.
Safety in numbers wasn't just a saying it was survival for street kids and he now realized that they were
in essence on the streets until further notice. He was off his turf and on Joey's.

Willow walked up on the oddest scene she ever hoped to see; Seto Kaiba on his knees in front of Joey
Wheeler, with Wheelers arm around his shoulders, right hand holding a knife. Seto had his head back
staring into Joeys eyes, Joey was looking back, but anyone who thought they looked romantic was
doomed to disappointment. Seto had clutched Joey's arm with both hands and as she walked up he
flung Joey's arm away, scrambled to his feet, leaned over and threw up.

"Wheeler, you want to tell me something before I break your arm?" Willow knew something bad had
happened by the look on Joey's face. Mokuba ran up just as she spoke, one look at Seto and Mokuba
jumped to the right conclusion.

"Seto, what kind of trouble did Joey rescue you from? You should have stayed with us. You can't just
wander off like that."

Joey gave Willow and Mokuba a quick run down of what happened ending with, "And if any of you get
too far from the group again. I'm taking off my belt and giving it to you good. I'm boss of this group
and don't forget it. Willow that means you too. I know you can take care of yourself but you don't look
like it and we don't need the attention that you going Shinigami all over someone will draw."

Willow just nodded then she turned to Seto and Mokuba. "I'm pairing us off. I'm with Seto and Joey's
with Mokuba. . . ."

"No! I'm with Mokuba, he's my brother." Seto had wiped his mouth and gotten himself under control
again.

"Yeah and you look like it. You two as a pair will cause us more trouble than we can handle, even in
the circles we're gonna be hangin' in." Joey understood exactly what Willow was doing. She was
putting one experienced and one innocent in each pair. She also knew that pairing him and Seto was
begging constant fighting, Seto wouldn't listen to Joey, but he would to Willow. And Joey knew why, it
was for the same reason Mokuba would listen to Joey, because he knew Joey would smack him silly if
he didn't.

"Ok, I don't like it, but you're right. Wheeler, no funny stuff or I'll cut it off." Seto's eyes stabbed Joey
like daggers.

"Wrong. When we're in sight of others there's gonna be a lot of funny stuff. On all our parts. I'll tell ya
how to act and that's how you'll act. Belt threat is still in effect. If any of you do anything to queer our
act, I'll treat ya just like any boss would treat a gang member that got out of line. I intend for all of us to
come out the other end of this in one piece." Joey stared straight at Seto willing him to submit.
"Everyone got that. I'm street wise so I'm Ichi-sama. Willow's Na-san."

"Oh Seto by the way ya kiss like a carp. Don't make me have to do that again. I didn't like it."

"Yeah? Well, you kiss like a goon. All slobber and too hard. I wasn't thrilled either." Seto rubbed his
lips with the back of his hand.

Mokuba started back to the SUV and stumbled to a halt about as quickly as he'd turned. His invective
was both imaginative and virulent.

The SUV was blocked in by a police car. One officer was peering in the passenger side window the
other was in the car, tapping on the key board of the onboard computer.

"We're fucked. Damnit, what now?" Seto knew that they couldn't return to the SUV even if the police
don't tow it.

Joey looked around, poked Willow and gestured toward the back of the quick shop. Leading them all
away from the SUV he looked around again and decided on down the alley.

A few minutes later they were holed up in a culvert. Joey checked though the backpack as Willow kept
a look out. Finding that Mokuba's paranoia had saved everything they had he sighed.

"Well, at least we have two blankets. We didn't lose anything thanks to Mokuba. But we're on foot
from now on. We'll just establish a territory and stake it out. From now on we're a real tribe, no
pretending, it's as real and as serious as a heart attack."

Willow watched as Joey, the street punk, took over completely. "What do I do? If I'm Na-san what is
that?"

"It means that you are second in command and my enforcer. If I tell you to slap someone, you smack
them. I'll do all the heavy stuff. If we get caught, I take back. Everyone else runs like hell. I decide
where and when we eat, sleep, even pee. No one argues with me. And I meant what I said about
taking a belt to anyone who screws up. If you don't like it take off on your own. You won't make it a
day. Willow, I mean even you. You may be able to take me but do you know how to survive in a city?"

Willow looked Joey right in the eye. "I can survive in the shadows but I haven't a clue about cities. I
submit to your rule, I'll obey you as best I can and thanks for taking us on. You could have just taken
off on your own, you know. If you tell me to kill someone you better really mean it because they're
dead on the spot."

"Mokuba, you're my pet. You don't get more than two feet from me. If I snap my fingers, you come to
me, put your arms around my waist and hide your face. You keep that pack on your back and the chest
strap fastened unless you're getting something out or puttin something in and don't open it at all unless
both Willow and I are around close. Got it?" At Mokuba's nod he sighed. "I'm sorry kid, but unless
you're a pet, you're expected to put out and that ain't happenin' only over my dead body. So don't
screw up or I'll have to hit ya."

Willow turned to Joey, a savage, wild look on her face. "I guess Seto and I are . . . partners. I'm not
puttin' out, not even for this. If we can't fake it . . . "

"I don't care what you really do, just make it look real. If you don't want to put out that's between you
and Seto."

Seto clenched his teeth. "I don't want to make you mad but I'd rather not try to have sex on a public
street. If we need to make it look like we are that's ok but I'll keep it in my pants if it's all the same to
you. Mokuba, what the hell are you laughing at?"

Mokuba couldn't help himself, he was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. Finally calming down,
much to the relief of everyone, he spluttered, "Seto I don't see what your problem is. Damnit, I'm a
fucking sex slave, you got the only girl in the bunch and you're all pissy. Trade with me." Turning to
Willow he gave her a sexy leer. "I'll be good to ya, little girl. I'll give ya candy. "

Willow sorted through several replies and was saved from any by Seto smacking Mokuba on the back
of the head. "She's mine, you little pervert. Joey you watch him. He's grown up entirely too fast for
me."

"Well now that that's settled, let's head out. We can't stay here. We need to find a place with more
people around." Joey herded them all out of the culvert and onto the street.

They spent the rest of the day wandering around looking for territory. Joey kept Mokuba close to him
and made sure that he understood exactly how he was supposed to act. Joey also kept and eye on
Seto and Willow nagging them until they picked up the mannerisms they should have.

Seto kept Willow on his right side, pressed against him, he could just feel the curve of her breast against
his ribs. {Damnit I can't do this.} She had gotten out a shirt to replace her sweater. It was a tight, short,
tank top, covered with her loose jacket, she could hide her weapons somewhere on her body. As he
put his arms around her, he could feel the bulges here and there. She'd batted his hands when he got in
the way of a draw. So he was very careful where he put them. She didn't seem to mind if he got
personal with her and she certainly didn't mind touching him wherever their illusion demanded.

"Joey? You remember that little cul-de-saq just outside the gate of the park? The one that looks like an
alley and isn't?" Mokuba had his arm around Joey's waist, he'd been firmly put on Joey's left and told
that if he got in the way of Joey's right hand he'd get a smack

"Hey, I forgot all about that. Yeah. That's where we're headed now. We'll probably have to kick
someone out. It's prime real-estate." Joey didn't look too concerned about the prospect of fighting for
turf.

"Willow, you just watch my back. It's one of those things. I got to fight for turf unless more than one
guy jumps my shit. If they gang up, you handle the over flow. Seto, you get your back to the wall and
stay there, put Mokuba behind you and don't let anyone get to him. He's just as much an asset as that
pack is."

Joey led the way into the cul-de-saq. It was really a small oval room about fourteen feet in diameter.
There was a grate near the back with a seat like depression behind it. This was not only prime real-
estate it was a life saver. The narrow entry way made it easily defensible and the grate was a source of
heat. The depression made a great bed.

The eight kids in there didn't want to give it up.

"Who's Ichi-sama here? I challenge you for the turf."

Joey waited until the Ichi showed his face.

Then he snarled softly. The boy he was facing paled and froze. "Oh shit. Katsuya! You just get out?
Man we thought . . ." the boy gulped and shut his mouth as Joey sniffed sharply, got right in the face of
the frozen boy and sniffed again then he glided around behind his back and murmured in a voice full of
ice and needles.

"Who told ya you could use my given name? I don't remember doing that. Do you remember me doing
that?"

"Sorry, Ka . . . Jonouchi, I didn't mean nothin'" The boy started to sweat, fine tremors shook his
fingers.

"I smell somethin' . . . want to know what I smell?"

"Jonouchi-dono. Oh, man. You don't smell nothin'. Nothin' at all."

Joey exploded into action. He wrapped his left arm around the boy's neck, drew his blade with his
right, and holding it like a dagger pressed the blade against the other Ichi's abdomen.

"Oh, yeah. I do smell somethin'. I smell a traitor. Stinks, ya know? Kinda rotten. Like an old fish."
Joey leaned away from the other boy forcing him to bend over backwards opening his belly, making
him more vulnerable.

The other Ichi got big eyed. He started to tremble all over. "I'm sorry man. Shit happens. They were
gonna send me to Juvie."

Willow moved so fast that one moment she was standing behind Joey looking around, the next she was
in the face of the bigger enforcer. She pinned him with a look that promised a slow and miserable death
for disobedience, stuck her knife in his face and snarled "Do it! I like blood." Willow waited for the
other enforcer to do something. But he was enforcer only because he was big, so he just stood there
and shook.

Joey looked the rest of the gang over. He looked malevolent, his laughing chocolate eyes had turned
copper-penny and instead of a goofy grin his lips were pulled back from his teeth in a grimace of fury.

"He's a dead man. I ain't fightin' no traitor. He turned me in and I spent two years in hell for it. You all
leave now or I'll gut him."

The other gang started gathering up their stuff getting ready to leave. One of the kids started to pick up
a blanket that was in the depression. It was a good blanket and clean.

"Leave that." At the other boy's objection. Willow just appeared in his personal space, reached out
and pulled the blanked from his suddenly nerveless hand.

Joey agreed with Willow. "Leave it, call it tribute and get out before I lose my temper."

As they scrabbled to get out the narrow entrance Seto over heard, "Who is that psycho?"

"Shut up! Don't let him hear you. That's the Fist. He's deadly. Bom-bom turned him in about two
years ago and he just disappeared."

"What'd they do to him?"

"Don' know, but it couldn't a been good."

Seto knew and wondered at Joey's strength. He'd made a remarkable recovery from the abuse his
father had heaped on him, but this mess was going to set him back a lot.

His attention was shifted by Joey poking him.

"Hey, Seto, come on. We gotta set up and settle in. Get Mokuba and that pack over here."

Willow watched all three boys as they quickly set up their space. They'd been on the run for a week
now and every time Willow called Okufuro she admitted that they still hadn't found the mole. Willow
decided that when this job was over she was going to have some words to say to the higher ups about
moles and inefficience. Maybe with a few knives involved.

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Mokuba watched Seto and Willow. Seto was having trouble every time Willow touched him he either
flinched or pulled away. Willow acted like Seto's touches didn't exist, except when she was being
watched, then she acted like she coulden't live without them. If the signals they were giving each other
were any more mixed Mokuba thought his head might explode.

His relationship with Joey was going to drive Seto crazy. Mokuba thought the persona of a sex toy
would be embarrassing, but Joey was careful not to do anything to frighten or disgust him. He'd
carefully explained exactly what was expected of him and Joey's casual kisses and caresses were
carefully orchestrated to make the most show with the least actual action.

They wouldn't have to sleep in alleys and doorways, but taking turns, two sleeping and two keeping
watch, they were going to get just enough sleep.

Food wouldn't be a problem, at least for a little while, the bill exchange machine in the arcade could be
convinced to change big bills into smaller so it wasn't so suspicious for them to buy food.

But things were beginning to tell on everyone. The simple luxury of being clean was the worst, warm
and dry weren't a problem but clean was beginning to be. They all needed showers, they were filthy in
the way only someone living on the streets could be.

Willow wondered at Seto's passivity watching as he let Joey take over. She had no problem with it, in
fact it was nice that for the first time in her life she had someone to help her. She didn't have to try to
save them and deal with an alien environment at the same time. She was familiar with cities, of course,
but only as a place to be until she was sent on assignment again. Assignments which usually included
infiltrating a location, removing the target (killing someone), then fighting her way out. She had so much
blood on her hands that sometimes even she was amazed

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The next morning she used a pay phone several blocks away from their doss to call Roland.

"Roland, what the hell went on. Why were the police so interested in the SUV?"

"Some shithead reported it stolen when it wasn't found in the ruins."

"Well isn't that just peachy. We're on foot now and hiding out."

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to find a safe house but with that damn mole on your side I can't do much. We
lost another house."

"Fuck! That's it, I don't have a side. That's three safe houses in less than two weeks plus seven dead.
Don't tell Onna no Baka anything else. She can't seem to find the mole I'll just have to do without her."

"Are you sure you want to do this? You're way outside your sanctions already."

"I don't have sanctions. I'm a fucking free agent. I get my training from them and my equipment. But do
you really believe that they can make me do anything I really don't want to?"

"No, but I'd really like to know what threat you have over them that makes them knuckle under to you
like that."

"Death."

Willow snapped the phone shut and turned to a wide-eyed Joey.

"We're really on our own for a while. We're going to have to rely on your street smarts entirely. I
know you can do it but I don't understand what's wrong with Seto. Do you?"

"Yeah, I do. He's completely out of his element. He's not use to bein' out a control. I need to talk to
him." Joey knew that if Seto didn't get his feet under himself he would be useless and they couldn't
afford to try to carry dead weight.

"Seto I know you feel funny right now but you got to get it together. You've been doin' fairly good but
ya gotta get more aggressive."

"Joey, I know I'm dead weight but I don't know what to do. I've never been in any situation nearly like
this one. I don't know where to start."

Joey just looked at Seto for a minute. He looked so odd in the slutty clothing and greasy hair. He also
looked scared.

"Hey, Seto, I'm the expert here. If I was in a board meetin', I'd expect you to know what was goin' on
and how to control the situation. But here, I'm the one who knows how to get things done. I know you
don't like takin' orders from me but ya gotta. I'm doin' the best I can to keep us alive. We gotta keep
our heads down but we also gotta get some money. "

"Can't you sell the lap top and what ever else Mokuba has?"

Seto was well aware that the money was going fast. He didn't know how much they could get for the
electronic equipment they had to sell but he was sure it was only going to be a fraction of what they
were really worth.

"Yeah, I'm gonna take care of that in about an hour but at most I'm gonna be able to bet another five
hundred dollars for the lot. It's hot."

Joey watched as Seto grimaced. The lap top alone was worth fifteen hundred used.

"We can't live out here much longer. I'd like to know what Roland is doing about a safe house. When
we run out of money and things to sell what are we going to do?"

Joey rubbed the back of his head and then told Seto something that left him gasping for breath.

"I hate the idea but, I got one thing to sell that we'll never run out of."

Seto grabbed Joey by the shirt and slammed him against the alley wall, pinning him there with an arm
against his chest.

"Never. Not a chance in hell, not only no, but hell no. We'll starve before any one of us sells our
bodies. If you ever say something like that agin, I don't care if you are Ichi-sama, I'll flatten you. You
understand me?"

Joey shrugged Seto's arm off and looked at him with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, I understand ya and ya know I'm glad. I hate the idea of sellin' myself but if I gotta, I gotta.
One of the responsibilities of bein' Ichi-sama is seein' that everyone eats."

Willow took that opportunity to put in her little bit.

"I still have my resources to fall back on." At Seto and Joey's look she shook her head. "And I don't
mean following Joey's example. If my resources fail me." Suddenly her smile reminded the boys of
Bakura. "Let's just say I doubt they'll fail."

Seto and Joey both exploded and Mokuba added in, "We can manage for a while on what we've got
and after that. I'll beg. I look younger than I am and I can do the puppy-dog eyes thing. They'll give me
enough I think."

All three of the older teens turned to Mokuba with identical looks. Looks that said why didn't I think of
that.

Joey frowned in thought. "It could work. If we all scrounge for change we could keep in eats but I
don't like it much. We take the chance of attracting too much attention."

Seto leaned against the alley wall almost exactly where he'd pinned Joey and thought rubbing his chin in
a characteristic gesture.

"Hhmmm. If Willow and Mokuba do the begging I can stay out of sight somewhere close and keep the
money as they get it. That keeps me out of sight and I'm the most recognizable of us all even dressed
like this. If you just drift around in the crowd near Mokuba you can get to him before he has trouble
and I don't think Wills is going to have much trouble from anyone. All she has to do is give them one of
those high BTU glowers of hers and they'll back off. Anyone have any suggestions or objections."

Seto was finally getting his second wind and starting to apply his keen business sense to this situation.

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Whee! ‘Nother chapter done. Sorry about the last chapter. It won't post correctly. I have my doubts
about this one. MM keeps eating my format.