disclaimer- I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. This is stir of the moment kinda thing Just came up.

this is a repost with spelling corrections. some aditions as well

More or less a retalitory response to many of the KaibaXMaiXJounouchi triangles. I actually despise the KaibaXMai pairing (JounouchiXMai is so much better) but reading a few of triangles where Jounouchi is pictured as weakling I got some insentive to write a contrary opinion. So I thought I'd give it a shot. Mentioned Kaiba XMai and MaiXJounouchi but no actual exchange.

Failure

The staring contest between the two continued. Neither one said a word. The two men, a blond and brunette sat a cross from each other, neither one moving forward, neither one breaking eye contact. If anyone were to come in, they would perhaps mistake the situation for a game of sorts. But no one would enter. The door that was leading into this room of the compound was locked, the shorter of the two made sure of it. He wouldn't have talked with his adversary anywhere else, knowing his temper and reputaion as well as his own. Any brawl between the two for others to see would lead to nothing good. After several minutes, the blond reached underneath the table and pulled out a bottle. "Sake?"

Kaiba Seto was somewhat surprised. This couldn't be the loudmouth teen he had known back in high school. He seemed a bit more calm, more well dressed, and seemed to start to develop a sense of manners. 'He changed' the thought to himself. Different words escaped his lips though. "I thought you said you hate what it does to people."

The blond did a quick touble take. 'There's only one person I told that to' he thought. "I do." he responded, tossing the bottle aside without further comment. It shattered on the floor, the contents spilling and splattering across the room. Kaiba seemed shocked for a minute. The other was unconcerned. "What do you want Kaiba-sama?"

'A formal greeting'. The CEO had considered the other was playing a game with him. However there was no sarcasm in his voice. "Talk." He couldn't mistake the tone at which the words have left the blond's mouth. Emotionless. Much like his own was.

"I came to ask to you to come back."

For a moment or so, Jounouchi felt giddy. For once in his life Kaiba Seto was blunt. Not that it mattered though. "Which one of them put you up to this? Did my sister come beg you or what?"

"No. This has nothing to do with Shizuka."

"Good! I taught her better to come crawling to the likes of you."

Kaiba could not stand the tone the other was speaking in. "Damn it Jounouchi! This is about you. Your friends want to you to come back. That's your life . Not this facade."

"They still have each other." Jounouchi could sense Kaiba was hiding something. 'I should have known he'd beat around the bush.' He had no intentions of bringing up the true reason why the CEO had shown. Not that he wasn't surprised kaiba had found him. The man could always get his way if he put his mind to it hard enough. Well, almost.

Kaiba was impatient. He knew the baka knew the real but he himself wouldn't budge. And it looks like Jounouchi wouldn't either. That left him to break the ice. All thanks to his promise to her.

Kaiba Seto looked at his fiancee. The nightmares wouldn't stop. Ever since Jounouchi's friends had turned her away that horrible experience of the day at the gameshop had never left her mind. Jounouchi was the one who always ran to her aid when she was in danger. Perhaps he could be the answer.

"I'll get him to come back Mai. I promise."

If the idiot hadn't run off he wouldn't be here now. And his soon to be wife probably wouldn't be suffering either. He took a breath. Jounouchi's face still showed no emotion. Not even the slightest interest. "They know! They all know about us. After you left and they found out, they turned away from her. All of them."

He took a few breaths before contuing. "The whole ordeal's caused her to have nightmares about it."

Jounouchi's stone cold expression seemed to face from his face. "So this about her. Isn't it?"

"She said herself you always tried to help her. Don't tell me that one decision forced to forget that, because it didn't. I can still see it on your face."

Jounouchi laughed slightly. "You're right. On both counts. But I'm not comming back."

Kaiba balled his fist before slamming it on the table. " Why damn it. What would it take to get you return. Should it I break up with her? End it? Why can't you just deal with the fact that she choose me and not you, baka?"

Jounouchi narrowed his eyes. "I was betrayed Kaiba. Twice. What would you do?" The CEO noticed the change in the form of address as well as the tone. He managed to bring out some emotion from the bonkotsu. Perhaps there was a chance yet. "It's not as much as who she choose as to how she went about it."

Jounouchi stared at Mai in disbelief. "I can't keep doing this Jou. I love him." Kujaku Mai turned away from the younger blond. I'm sorry but it's over."

"Over? It was never there to begin with." Mai took note to the sarcasm in his first word.

"You knew?"

"Yes." The word was enough. She heard the shuffling of feet followed by the sound of a door bieng opened.

"I'm sorry." She felt she couldn't find the strength say anything else.

"It's fine." He didn't look at her. He stepped through the door, casting one last glance in her direction. "I guess I really am a fool."

"I put my neck on the line on the line for her, because she needed my help, never asking for aything back. She couldn't even be honest with me." The solemn look from face was gone. "You probably got a good laugh from it as well. didn't you. Always wondered why you went me. I was easy, you coward. It's someone like me who has nothing that you enjoy stepping on."

"Is that what you think I am. Just some blood sucking leach who enjoys causing misery?" He reached over, slapping Jounouchi across the face. "It's real, you bastard. What we feel for each other is real. You of all people know the mess that is my life, even if you caught just a glimpse of it then. You'd know why I first turned her down."

Jounouchi didn't even budge. "How does it feel Kaiba-sama?"

"How does what feel?"

"Failure."

The brunette didn't respond. Instead he flipped his breiefcase onto the table. "Fine then. A duel. I win, you come back."

"No" the word slowly rolled of the blond's lips. "I'm not coming back. Ever. I'm done with that life and I'm done with you." With that he stood up, ready to leave.

He heard laughter. "What's wrong bonkotsu? Afraid you haven't got what it takes. That I'll humiliate you like a-" Kaiba didn't get a chance to finish the sentence as he found himself sprawled on his back, the table pinning him to the ground, and the chair still under his back. A revolver was pointed at his head. He had lost. He knew it."

"Don't let our paths cross again Kaiba-san. You'll live to regret it." With that Jounouchi turned on his heels and walked away towards the door. He took a glance back before stepping through. Kaiba was once again on his feet. Reaching into his inside pocket, Jounouchi pulled out a card. He tossed it to the now standing CEO. "Tell Kujaku she can have this back. I should have known it meant nothing."

just so you know the Italics are flashbacks and the normal, the present

like i said more of retalitory fic than anything else. I have JC ROSE (i do not mean to offend )to thank for putting this into my head