Affinity

by The Real Chys Lattes

Over one year after Jounouchi Katsuya began to work for Kaiba Seto, one year after the two of them fell into and out of a love/hate relationship, a ghost from the past returns to haunt them; an obligation to keep a promise meant for lovers. (This was written for the A Dragon's Lair writing group and is a repost with minor edits.)

Title: Affinity 1/1

This is a D. L. A. A. Challenge fic.

Author: Chys Lattes

Pairing(s): Seto + Jounouchi (Yugi + Otogi, Bakura x Malik)

Betas: Ryoko C. and Sano. (THANK YOU BOTH!)

Disclaimer: Yugioh doesn't belong to me. Nor does the White Cockatoo Resort have anything to do with myself.

Affinity 1/1

It was Ryou Bakura's twentieth birthday, and Katsuya Jounouchi still hadn't gone to the mall to get him a gift. Admittedly, the blond duelist didn't know his white haired friend all that well and though he'd been acquainted with him for several years he still wasn't certain what he should purchase for him. He would have to head into town later, once his shift was over, and allow himself an hour or two to browse in the mall until something extraordinary came to him. Eventually, the right idea would always hit him at the last moment; it just took him a little longer than it would most other people to come up with it.

Setting his thoughts of Bakura's present aside, he stood from his seat on the edge of his bed and walked over to the small vanity against the wall. His bedroom was plain, devoid of any real decoration that hadn't been provided by the Kaiba family when he'd received the room and though it was elegant, it seemed dull to Katsuya. Every time he awoke to find himself there staring up at the strange white ceiling, he puzzled over the fact that he was still here, that nothing in his life had changed since then. Of course, he'd become older, wiser, a little more capable of taking care of his life, but aside from that he was still in Domino, still working his ass off just to get by, and still dueling in more than one way on an every day basis. Nothing aside from his place of residence had really changed in his last few years.

Employed by the Kaiba family as a bodyguard, he was given housing in their manor and had been living there ever since he graduated from high school. His father hadn't been happy with that arrangement, seeing as Katsuya was contributing quite a bit to their rent, but there was nothing that his old man could do about it. Being at the Kaiba manor was better than staying home, in Katsuya's opinion. His father, more than half of the time inebriated, was a source of constant frustration in Katsuya's life. Kaiba wasn't much better, with his constant verbal abuse and the condescending way he treated the blond, but in a way he was so much more tolerable. Katsuya supposed he had traded one migraine for another, but at least this one was merely a throbbing headache in comparison, something he could get used to and possibly ignore.

Soon after moving in, the two of them had found themselves falling for one another, having spent so much time near each other on a daily basis. Of course, their attitude towards one another from their school years hadn't changed much. It had formulated into something of an "I love you but I hate your guts; so just kiss me or I'll kick your ass!" correspondence. At least, that had been Kaiba's comments on the issue, just less than a year before this day. It was Kaiba's fault, and Katsuya firmly stood by the fact that the brown haired one started it all. They would argue first and then fight, forget the topic of disconcert, make-up for their arguments and then they would usually make-out on Kaiba's couch. Or on the floor, whatever was convenient.

And what had come of it? Katsuya supposed he had to give the other man credit for always finishing what he started. The end of their almost romantic relationship hadn't scared the bodyguard away from his job though he had seriously considered renting a decent apartment a block from the Black Crown, the games shop that his friend Otogi Ryuuji owned. In the end, he gave in to his desires to stay and to be near his charge, even if the other man was a headache just waiting to pound at his skull.

Katsuya scowled at the bare walls, hating the thoughts they invoked. His scowl faded to a frown when he set eyes upon a picture frame housing a photograph of his younger sister, Shizuka Jounouchi, which graced the surface of the vanity table next to an assortment of personal items; it was all that made the room seem to be inhabited. Katsuya fumbled with his tie when he stood before the tall mirror, he stared hotly at his reflection as he adjusted the annoying piece of clothing. He stood back on his left heel and sighed, letting the piece of cloth drape over his shoulders limply. His still tired hands rested on either side of his cheeks before he ran them through his hair. He looked into the mirror and glared at his reflection venomously.

Would Kaiba care if he wore the damned tie today anyway? He really didn't see why it was necessary, but the CEO of Kaiba Corporation demanded that even the lowest of his male employees be dressed in a suit and tie, as if in preparation for a grand occasion popping out of the woodwork of everyday life. Frustrated, Katsuya attempted to slip the knot into place, his efforts wasted when he looked down to realize he had been doing it wrong, yet again.

A year of dressing up to go to work and he still didn't have the hang of it. He mused to himself that this situation was quite pathetic indeed. Having slid the belt of black cloth from around his neck, he tossed it on the bed behind him and picked up his hairbrush, then slicked back his hair so that it only looked mildly tousled. He searched and shuffled through the vanity's drawers for a moment, only to pause and stare after he pulled out a leather bound bundle. He slipped on his shoulder holster, making certain that the safety was on before he once again slid his gun into its resting place.

His clothing; blue suit-pants, his white sleeved shirt buttoned almost to the collar, and though he'd only just dressed they appeared broken in for the day, ruffled. For a moment, he fit his own definition of sexy as the warm glow of the morning sunlight landed on his golden hair and pale skin through a graceful part in the dark blue curtains. Somehow the imagery in his mirror captured the perfect ambiance; he let the silence of the room sustain it. He didn't truly believe in narcissism, but he enjoyed his own appearance. It wasn't his fault that he was so damn handsome that half of the Kaiba Manor's staff would habitually stop in their tracks to just watch him pass in the hallways as he made his rounds.

He smiled to himself for a moment, enjoying the attractive manifestation of his youthful face through the shadows in the vanity mirror. How his face looked, the way in which his cheekbones appeared when he smiled, how his hair fell over his eyes just so as he slowly glanced up into the mirror, it was the one part of himself he almost enjoyed. It never left him and no one could steal it from him. Like proof of his existence, it was always there when he searched for it.

He slowly sighed, feeling the pent up anxiety leave him, calming his overworked mind a bit. Once he felt settled again, he then let the old anger cloud his eyes once more, giving him more of a fearsome, dark visage. He slipped on his jacket as he headed out the door. Tie be damned, he had work to do.

- Later that morning at the Kaiba Mansion. -

Mokuba Kaiba sat at his desk in his bedroom, crunching numbers on his laptop. Busy working, the black haired teenager didn't notice when Katsuya stepped quietly into the room to check in on him. Seeing him busily typing away, once or twice checking his papers before turning back to his computer's monitor, Katsuya cast his gaze over the room, past the tall closed windows with their parted red curtains, the queen sized bed in the corner, various posters depicting images of several sports stars and duel monsters tacked to the walls in no seeming pattern of importance, a small fireplace currently closed off by glass and grate, unused and dark. Mokuba still sat at his desk, working obsessively and still oblivious to his presence. Katsuya assumed that the teen vice president had to work pretty hard now and then; he was almost as old as his brother was when he'd assumed control of Kaiba Corporation, so of course he was working just as hard today as his elder brother had back then. Spying no threats in here, with nothing out of place and nothing constructive to do, Katsuya turned and left the room, sliding the door closed softly behind him.

The last room to check before he started his round again, the master bedroom where Seto Kaiba was probably busy with something work related as well, Katsuya groaned but faithfully continued down the hall towards the last checkpoint. He had actually checked this room earlier that day; it was always the first thing he was to do when he started his rounds but no one had been there to greet him as he began his security checks.

Usually during his second round for the day, Kaiba would be in his room, secluded from the rest of the world either to read up on his emails on his portable laptop or to take some time to himself for a few minutes and just get away from the noisy world, provided he was at home. This was his little escape from the real world when he so desired it. His room was soundproof, or so the kitchen staff had confided in him, so that he would not be disturbed. Katsuya often wondered; if this was during Kaiba's private time, why in the holy hell did he personally schedule a security check on his list of 'daily duties'?

Oftentimes, Katsuya thought it was just so that the jackass could get in his dose of verbal abuse on his blond subordinate. God forbid they go a day without exchanging verbal blows, but no matter what had ever been said between them, Kaiba had never taken it down to a professional level; at least, Katsuya had never pissed the CEO off enough to actually fire him for one of their verbal bouts. If anything, the brown haired man had seemed to have been enjoying each and every one of their clashes from the start of their relationship.

Katsuya still didn't know how to define it. One moment, they would be calling each other the worst of names and at one another's throats ready to strike for the kill, and the next… they're all friendly, as if the last exchange had never happened. Katsuya didn't know how it started, what words had prompted the first time and how exactly Kaiba had managed to smooth it over to begin with. Katsuya was surprised to see it happen in the first place- Kaiba, making an effort to put things to peace between them, especially after how he had wronged Katsuya in the first place. The effect of this effort was only temporary, as time had shown them over and over again. He didn't really care anymore, how it played through, but he looked forward to it as the highlight of his mornings. It was something to get his adrenaline pumping before he headed out on his second watch outside the manor.

Walking briskly down the hall, Katsuya came to his employer's bedroom door. He knocked three times, waited, knocked twice more on the wooden door, and then entered the room on his own. Shoving the door closed behind him he stepped into the room and noticed Kaiba was sitting on his bed, his laptop in a familiar place near his pillow, open to an internet browser window. Guiding the mouse across the screen with his right hand, Kaiba leaned back and looked into Katsuya's eyes as he stalked nearer the bed.

Katsuya, having taken a quick look around the room and noticing nothing amiss, turned to stare down at his employer. The first sentence out of the young man's mouth surprised him. "How old are you, Jounouchi?"

Stumbling over his words, Katsuya replied, "Uh… uhm, I'm twenty, why?" the other was quiet for a moment as if contemplating something important. His hand moved over the mouse-pad and he opened a file on his desktop before he returned his attention to his bodyguard.

"No, no. I meant in dog years." Kaiba turned back to his computer with a smirk on his face. The arrogant bastard was already starting in on him. He knew just what to do to leave Katsuya seething.

Katsuya furiously crossed his arms over his chest, turning to the side to glare quietly out the tall picture window. He cast a sideways glance at his employer, noticing his sleek black turtleneck and surprisingly worn looking blue jeans clinging to slender legs that draped over the side of the bed, his feet clothed in a pair of soft off-white socks; he surmised that the other wasn't going to appear in the office today. "Quit it with the dog jokes, moneybags. They're getting old."

"And so are you. It's quite obvious to me that the saying, 'old dogs can't learn new tricks' does have some gravity." The brown haired man continued to smirk. Katsuya hated that smirk, wished he could wipe it off of his smug, ugly- gorgeous face. What the hell was the man referring to anyway? Flashing those perfect white teeth in a knowing smile, Kaiba only worked to enrage the blond standing before him.

He could feel a battle brewing yet he suddenly lost the urge to fight. Something about the oddly familiar, almost soft look flashing in his employer's deep blue eyes unnerved him today. Other times he could ignore it, but whenever he felt the blood rush to his cheeks afterwards, he couldn't stand to face him. Seto Kaiba had that effect on him, strangely enough. That's why their encounters now-a-days, were often short and mostly following a tight schedule.

Looking back for only a second, meeting Kaiba's gaze, he felt his fingertips pressing tight, his nails biting into his sleeves. He knew working here he was taking his risks, he had known it a year past and he knew it now just as strongly; he felt the same now as he did so long ago. That look the other wore, even if for a brief instant, it was the one he'd once had when Seto had said he'd 'liked him.' And he'd implied it in a very seductive way, catching a younger, more eager Katsuya off guard. Seto had drawn him in and he should have known that he was entering the two of them into a very intimate but dangerous situation, one that could never last seeing as they were no longer so close. They constantly hurt and despised one another.

Deciding not to get into it now, Katsuya spun and opened the door, ready to step out into the hallway. He didn't want to bury himself in the old memories of a relationship that didn't quite blossom the way he'd assumed it would. It was better to let the anger take hold of him; let his role be determined by the weight already on his shoulders. As Seto's bodyguard he was to protect him. That much, at least, he could do. He couldn't distance himself from the other no matter how badly he'd wanted to in the past; he just kept coming back to him out of sick, twisted longing, need, desire… he couldn't tell exactly why. It seemed to be the nature of their relationship; he could never get over it and could never get enough of him, he had pushed him away only to pull him in close.

Though he still harbored feelings of an intense emotion he didn't want to name for fear of the pain it could breed, he loathed the other man for having dumped him, hated thinking of the incident at all. He didn't want to revisit it, especially since tomorrow would have been their one-year anniversary. This was a day that, in another world, would have been for celebrating. Apparently, the other man hadn't even remembered this. Katsuya couldn't fault him for it- Kaiba had a habit of completely forgetting what he didn't want to keep in his world once he was done with it.

Kaiba's voice sounded behind him in amused tone once he'd stepped outside. "Oh, yes, and Jounouchi? Next time you show up for work, wear the proper attire. I like to keep a leash on my dogs, if you get my drift."

Katsuya slammed the door behind him.

- That night, at Bakura's residence. -

"But don't you remember?" Bakura asked Katsuya, confusion written plainly on his pale white face. "We made the promise last year. It was just the four of us, and Kaiba and Malik were here as well. We made an oath that we would all be there and you know what that means to me, to Yugi… well, to all of us." He took a seat on his couch, still clutching the unwrapped present that Katsuya had given him moments before, a small lavender box with a tiny golden ribbon gracing its lid, hiding a diamond and white gold pendant-watch within. They had been sitting around his table not moments before, enjoying his birthday treats and enticing him to open presents when out of the blue, Otogi had happened to bring up a promise that they all had made to one another just a year ago on this very day. When Katsuya heard the words coming from Otogi's lips, he almost choked on his cake.

Otogi had smiled, leaned back in his chair, cup of raspberry punch in one hand the other busy habitually twirling a lock of his raven hair as he said, "You know, it's almost time to keep that promise. You know the one!" This had started a round of excited chatter among him and the two other party-goers and none of them had noticed when Katsuya had fallen silent.

They had migrated to the living room to watch a video that Bakura had just received as a gift. Bakura had nudged him, asked him why he was so quiet when Katsuya pretended he didn't remember the promise. Was there anything to do to get out of it? Racking his brain, he couldn't come up with anything valid. Katsuya frowned down at the white haired man and sighed. He didn't want to remember, that's why he'd blocked it out of his mind. He had made the promise, and so had Kaiba, right here in this room for that matter, exactly one year ago. He had intentionally forgotten his promise to his friends so that he wouldn't feel guilt, shame or pain when the time finally came, which it inevitably had. He made his way across the room and took a seat beside Bakura.

"It wouldn't be right to break a group promise like that, Jounouchi. Something I like to stress so that we always keep our integrity; we'll keep our promises and remain true to each other and ourselves. Even if you aren't together anymore, you both did promise to go on this trip with us." Yugi stated as he looked up at his best friend through the lightning rods he normally called bangs. How did he seem to know his best friend was having second thoughts permeating through his troubled mind? He was sitting on Katsuya's right-hand side and staring intently at his taller friend while absentmindedly holding a plate topped with ice cream which was slowly dripping off the side onto his leather clad lap. Katsuya used one finger to lift the edge of the plate in his friend's hand as he looked down at him, smiling knowingly.

"Aw! Shit." Yugi cursed when he noticed what he'd been doing, all traces of his once serious expression evaporated into shock and embarrassment at his accident. Katsuya and Bakura laughed aloud, followed by a string of snickers from Otogi when the black haired man had finally come up behind their seats on the couch and noticed Yugi's little slip-up. Having lightened the mood with his friend's unexpected antics, Katsuya shook his head in defeat. There was no way around it, now. He would have to ask Kaiba himself. He couldn't break a promise now, could he?

Otogi vanished into the kitchen once more to retrieve a dishrag for Yugi to clean-up with. Otogi returned and helped Yugi mop up the sticky white mess in his lap, smiling down into his boyfriend's wide, violet eyes as he did so. Apparently Yugi liked lots of vanilla, perhaps a little too much.

Bakura sat silently staring at his friends as they cleaned the mess. Katsuya stared at the two of them as well, wondering for a second over the true nature of his friend's romantic relationship. Were they really happy? Katsuya often watched how they interacted with one another and it was so foreign, he wondered how their blissful union could be true. Did they ever fight like he and Seto often did? Otogi was too caring, Katsuya realized this once he'd gotten used to him and learned to predict him better. He doted on his little lover all the time. Yugi didn't seem the type to start fights, but then, he does have a darker half to contend with, and often times in the past, had been forced to fight for his life and the lives of those he cared for, winning each and every single time. The darker half of him, Katsuya wondered, what was living with that like?

On that same thought; as Yugi has a darker half, so does the quiet natured Bakura. They both kept their precious pendants, the millennium puzzle and ring that each house an ancient Egyptian magic, and two spirits of the same origin as the items that housed them. Katsuya couldn't fathom how that must be for them, to have multiple minds in their heads. He could barely get along smoothly with the single one he possessed! It certainly hadn't helped him any during the anticlimax of his so called relationship. He sometimes mused over the thought that if he'd just been thinking more into the situation perhaps he could have said something to mend their broken trust? He never did find out what set Kaiba off in the beginning of their end.

"Wasn't it just a few days after we made the promise that you and Kaiba announced to us that the two of you were 'officially dating'? …Jounouchi?" Bakura asked, raising his eyes to meet Katsuya's; his voice dropping a bit when he must have realized it was a sore subject by the sudden darkness surely entering his taller friend's detached stare. Of course, they would bring that up in relation to the prospective trip, like shoving a failure in his face, over and over again.

"Yeah… Yeah, Bakura, that's right." Katsuya said in a hushed tone, as if speaking only to himself. He still had a lot of planning to do if they were going to go on their couple's trip, like they promised. He was going, no matter Kaiba's unknown answer; he at least, would not be blamed for breaking their bond. He wondered, should he successfully convince his once loved employer to come with them, would his Seto finally give in and open up to him once more? Would he allow him in behind his defenses, if only to keep the promise, even if only for one day?

- Later that night, at the Kaiba mansion. -

Katsuya leaned his head against the office door. He didn't let his mind wander for long; he firmly grasped the knob and turned. "…Kaiba?"

"Jounouchi. What is it now, dog breath?" Kaiba was seated at his desk, writing.

Katsuya stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind him. "It's time…."

"Excuse me?" Kaiba looked over his right shoulder, one eyebrow raised in a questioning glance.

"It's time to keep your promise." Katsuya looked down through his bangs, staring into Kaiba's confused eyes.

"I don't recall any sort of promise." Kaiba turned back to his writing, clearly ignoring the intruder in favor of working once more.

"You and I both made this promise, Seto," Katsuya reaffirmed confidently. He only ever called him by his first name when they were in more intimate moments.

The pale brunet ignored him pointedly.

"You can't back out! You can't break the oath, Seto!" Katsuya shouted angrily down at the other man's back. He grabbed hold of the back of the chair, tugging on it to get his attention. Kaiba turned in his seat to knock Katsuya's hands away, an agitated frown on his face. The blond took a step back, surprised that he'd been struck.

"That promise… was made during a lapse of sanity on my part. I am sorry that you seem to be obsessed with it, but seeing as I am thinking logically now, I will not allow it or you to sway me. Please leave." Kaiba rested his arm on the back of the chair as he stared his employee down.

Katsuya refused to move. He had thought that the promise, or a reminder of it, would have at least allowed the two of them to spend some time together like they used to. Upon receiving no response, Kaiba growled under his breath and stood from his seat. He seemed to be using his superior height to intimidate his headstrong bodyguard as he advanced, towering and leaning far too closely over the blond. "Get out of my room, you have been dismissed."

Anger flared over Katsuya's features, reflected in Kaiba's looming eyes "T'ch. It wouldn't be the first time." Katsuya narrowed his eyes and spun, feeling his hair slap Kaiba's face. He briskly headed for the door. Before he opened it he added, "I suppose nothing you say really matters. You break promises; you take back your oaths… hell! All of that and you say you love me then you take that back too! What the fuck, you know? I guess I should be used to it by now. Next time there's a fucking blood-thirsty madman at your door, I'll teach him the secret knock." He knew there was no hope of salvaging it, but facing that knowledge didn't improve his morbid outlook on the situation.

Katsuya felt the strong hands when they swiftly shoved him painfully face-first into the wooden door and a body that crushed him flat against its firmness. Kaiba growled into his ear menacingly as he held him in place. He spoke low and quickly into his ear so that should anyone else have been near, only Katsuya would hear: "You even think of lapsing in your duties to myself and my brother and I swear I will do more than fire you so fucking fast-"

"Big brother!" The frantic tone came from the other side of the doorway. Mokuba was in the hallway, presumably worried about the violent noise coming from his brother's room. The doorknob tried to turn on its own as Mokuba attempted to get in. He couldn't push the door open for the heavy weight applied to the opposite side. "Big brother, are you ok!?"

"I'm fine, Mokuba." Kaiba pulled away and Katsuya regained the breath he'd been holding in. Kaiba hadn't been physically violent with him in years, and only when they'd been mutually fighting, neither truly injuring the other. Not turning around, he opened the door and hurried out of the room, straightening up his coat as he did so. He didn't look back and didn't offer any explanation to the confusion evident on the face of the younger Kaiba brother.

Let Seto sort out his own messes, the ruffled blond mused. As far as Katsuya was concerned their discussion, amongst other things, was finally over.

- Days later, at the White Cockatoo Resort, North Australia. -

Katsuya picked up his bags from the back of the rented van, wondering at how light they felt in his hands. He thought he had packed more than this for their trip to Australia. He had only packed and brought two bags so it was clear that he'd gotten everything he'd brought with them from the airport's luggage claim. He didn't think he needed too much; they were only staying for ten days and eleven nights. Unless someone got into his stuff at the airport, which he highly doubted, he should have all of his possessions intact. Yugi snagged his own bags from the back of the van and hurried to the front door of their rented chalet. He stood on his toes and stared through the glass of the wide window as he waited for Otogi to catch up with him and unlock the door.

Once inside, the five of them claimed their rooms. Yugi and Otogi took the biggest one, since they had financed the excursion for the group. Katsuya thought that it was only fair that he take the smallest of the three bedrooms and seeing as there was no one here to share it with him he would actually have more personal space than anyone else staying there. He knew he would need it too, this was supposed to have been a couple's trip, not two couples and a fifth wheel. He was feeling a bit left out of the adventure. Yugi and Otogi had done their best to keep him entertained so that he wouldn't feel as if he were out of place, but whenever the two of them would share a private moment, maybe a kiss or an embrace, the blond had to look away. He wondered if there was something odd in the air making his eyes water and hoped he wasn't going to be having freak allergy attacks throughout this trip. He wasn't going to cry over Kaiba.

Having placed his possessions in his room, which was decorated with pictures of some of the scenery they had passed on the drive in, Katsuya headed out into the corridor adjoining the bedrooms. Yugi and Otogi were walking back into the main room, chatting about the beautiful and strange sights they had seen on the drive to the resort.

"Did you see that giant ant hill? I didn't think they could get that big!" Yugi pronounced, waving his arms over his head as if to prove his point. Otogi smiled down at his boyfriend and replied, "Yeah, but then, there are a lot of things taller than you," Which earned him a smack on the arm from a mockingly glaring Yugi. They disappeared through the doorway.

Malik and Bakura had enthusiastically claimed the room on the far left of the long hall, a cozy little thing where they could have some private time, which Malik claimed that the two of them severely needed and deserved because he had missed his love's birthday party due to a cancelled flight. He had stated several times on the long flight over to Cairns, Australia, that he wanted to make it up to him.

Katsuya shook his head and snickered when the two of them, locked in a heated kiss, slid into their room, tossed their heavy bags on the floor, and slammed the door behind them. Katsuya doubted he would be seeing from them again for quite a while. Theirs was a relationship of lust and passion, or so he supposed from watching them together often enough. There was never a moment when they would just sit and talk, just be friends like Otogi and Yugi commonly did. They were always in each other's faces or laps, touching, arguing, bantering or reassuring. They were often gone from one another, Malik off to visit his family in Egypt, Bakura now going off to school at Domino University… he supposed they couldn't get enough of each other when they were finally reunited.

He hated to envy their closeness; even after the two of them seemed to fight to the death they made-up to one another and usually vanished into a bedroom for a few hours of 'together time'. Katsuya and Kaiba never did that, their relationship had never made it to that level of intimacy, though they had been engaged. They would kiss and make out often enough, but even more-so, they would fight; and it was not just good natured bantering on their part, it was an all out brawl in its worst scenario.

Katsuya found it odd that he couldn't tell which of the two minds of Bakura was in control when they (or rather he) were involved with Malik. He wondered if it weren't both, and if during Bakura's more bawdy behavior perhaps that was his darkness in control? However; there was no question of Malik and his darkness, a manifestation of his hatred, which had completely disappeared long ago after Kaiba's Battle City tournament. He had to admit, darkness or no, Bakura and Malik had grown on him over the years. He considered them to be his friends, even if he didn't know them as well as he knew his best friends from Domino, Hiroto Honda, or even Yugi Motou.

With Yugi… he knew instinctively that the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle had faded to the background in favor of Yugi's growing relationship with the self-proclaimed dice master, Otogi Ryuuji. Katsuya was seeing less and less of the dark Yugi as time progressed; of course, they hadn't been in any major conflicts during which the darkness would have to resurface, but that shouldn't have stopped him from making a casual appearance. He knew that it shouldn't have worried him, but he had grown to think of the other part of Yugi as a friend as well, as a separate entity from his short, spike-haired friend. But more and more, it was Otogi that was comforting the diminutive man. Katsuya broke from his thoughts when he realized he had stopped short of entering the main room and was standing still, staring at a bare wall in the hallway.

He snorted and shook his head, breaking out into a soft laugh as he continued to walk down the corridor and into the other room. This was a vacation! Even if he was going to be all alone, romantically speaking, he was determined to have some fun. He resolved that in the end, he needed to learn to relax. He stretched and plopped down for a nap on the sofa across from Otogi and Yugi who were cuddled on the loveseat, browsing over the resort's brochures.

"THIS IS A WHAT?" Yugi jumped in the air, his scream causing a very startled Katsuya to jump as well, only to painfully hit his head on the wooden arm of the sofa.

Otogi attempted to calm his little lover's outbursts, tugging him back down into his lap as Katsuya clumsily stood up, holding a hand to his own throbbing head. "Ah… he-heh! Didn't I tell you, Yugi? We got such good rates because this is a nudist's resort…." Otogi waggled his brow down at his boyfriend.

Katsuya fell back on to the couch and covered his face with his hands, moaning. No wonder Otogi had hurried in alone to verify their registrations and get their keys! He had this planned from the start! The room fell silent as the two of them absorbed this information. Silent that is, until the three occupants heard a distinct, rhythmic bumping sound which was coming from somewhere across the hall. They looked up into each other's curious eyes and all began to grin. "Well, perhaps that won't be a problem for Malik and Bakura. They intend to be naked throughout the majority of this trip," Katsuya smirked at his own joke. As sat up he rubbed the back of his head. It seemed that things would get interesting for this trip after all.

- At the Kaiba Mansion -

Seto looked up from his book when a man entered his private study. About to have fallen into the familiar pattern of telling the mutt off, Seto bit his tongue. The intruder hadn't knocked; the footfalls were unfamiliar. Realizing he'd ordered an inspection at this hour, Seto nodded to his bodyguard that all was well. The man took his leave to finish his rounds.

Usually this was Jounouchi's watch, but his replacement for the next two weeks was taking his rounds instead. Somehow… this knowledge left Seto to feel empty inside. It was too quiet. He missed the clash, the fights, the harsh, hurried words always passed between them. He missed feeling the rising heat as he hovered over the red-faced blond, intimidating him into submission.

Seto had wondered if, when Jounouchi left this time without saying a word, he had finally decided it was over between the two of them. All he had done was inform the head of staff that he was taking his leave for the next few weeks and promptly headed out, two bags in hand. Off to keep his promise to his friends, Jounouchi was gone from the picture.

Seto had his plane ticket and the reservation information he'd received from Otogi still filed away in his desk. He hadn't wanted to go… at least, not like this. It would have been their one-year anniversary, but Seto sat stoically staring out the window as he watched Jounouchi walk away. Maybe the blond had forgotten that. Of all the days to up and disappear, it had to be this one. Even if they weren't officially together anymore, their relationship still had meaning to him.

Yes, he'd broken it off in the first place. That was his right, he'd started it. He had been the one to make the first move, securing his place in Jounouchi's heart once he was certain that his bodyguard returned the feelings. From the looks of adoration he had once given him, he could tell that their relationship had morphed into something more. But he had to let him go. He couldn't stand that his puppy was still here, still wagging his tail at every little command. Jounouchi would probably die for him, he was that loyal.

Jounouchi had held on for a long time, even staying on with his position as his bodyguard though it wasn't in his best interests if he truly didn't want anything more to do with the brunet. Seto could have sworn he'd agreed it was over, long ago, so… Why would he bother if he didn't care? So Seto antagonized him, drove him nuts. It was his privilege, or so he believed. He had only taken what they had had before, and tried to keep it entertaining… minus the more intimate make-out sessions he'd come to fondly enjoy. Most of the time when they fought, it was over petty little differences; things that they would forget within the week. Jounouchi hadn't worn his tie. He hated the tie. Seto used to like grabbing him by the tie, a good leash to lead his puppy to the couch for a little fun in between shifts.

But this was about more than the damn dress code! This was about commitment. Something that Jounouchi seemed to show, but would never admit to. Seto had told him, over and over, that though he hated his guts on a day-to-day basis, he loved him.

He truly did. Whether out of shyness or plain dumb ignorance, or perhaps it was something else, Jounouchi had never vocally returned the sentiment. The closest he had come to admitting his love was when he'd accepted Seto's proposal and they'd secretly become engaged. Yet even that engagement hadn't lasted long and it wasn't enough just to say 'yes'. Seto needed to know he was being truthful. Clichéd as it may sound he needed a confession of 's why Seto had had to put it to an end. He had to be certain that Jounouchi wasn't just playing him for a fool.

Jounouchi had shown he could be loyal, he had stayed instead of turning tail and running away, but that wasn't enough at this point in their relationship. Seto needed reassurance, and somehow in all of their time together, he hadn't received much of that from his blond boyfriend. The need to keep the promise had opened something in Seto's mind. Maybe he'd wanted to be with him… maybe then, if they could have just mended that last broken piece, could they have been more?

Yugi and the others were always harping on him about being true to himself, but this time he knew he was. It was Jounouchi who wasn't falling into place, who had never confessed. He had talked about Seto loving him, but that was different; that was Seto.

He hated seeming so fragile, but that was how he felt deep inside. He needed to know that he wasn't being used. He had been so careful and had thought he was so certain when entering into this relationship. When Jounouchi had applied for a job over a year ago, Seto had jumped at the blatant opportunity and seduced him. Though he had put up a great front before all of Jounouchi's friends, he as always had kept what he was really thinking hidden. Most of their fighting was real, but all of their friendship was as well.

Jounouchi had wanted him to go on that trip. Maybe it was just to keep a promise, maybe it was something more. The pleading look in his nervous eyes as he confronted Seto was almost enough to convince him that the other still felt at least something strong for him, that he wanted to be with him sincerely. But was that 'something' enough to finally get the blond to say it himself?

Seto shook his head, setting his book aside. He would never know just by sitting around the house feeling alone.

-Back at the resort. –

Malik and Bakura had eventually emerged from their new love-nest. The two of them, upon receiving the news, stood dumbfounded before the others as they prepared some tea in the kitchen. "You mean we have to be naked?" Malik asked. He crossed his arms, all too aware of the fact that people would see the sacred scars on his back if he were to run around the resort in the nude.

"Yes," Katsuya affirmed. He picked up a tea cup and passed it to Otogi, who had just finished heating the water on the stove.

Bakura frowned and looked up into Katsuya's eyes. "Really, you mean naked as in nude?" He didn't seem too happy with the arrangement. Katsuya could all too easily agree with him on that issue.

Yugi decided to answer him this time, "Yes. That's what it means."

Malik smiled and stared across the island that separated him and Bakura from Otogi and Katsuya. Yugi was sitting at the end of the island, setting up the tea tray. Malik leaned forward into a barstool, resting his weight on his arms, "Just for clarification…"

"Oh shut up! You get the idea! We don't have enough money with us to move to one of the five 'clothed' cabins provided they're not inhabited at the moment, so this is what we have to do: Pretend to be nudists for ten days. At least, we have to when we are in public at this resort and at functions relating to the resort." Otogi stated confidently. He would know; he was the one looking into it in the first place. "If you want to spend your ten days ten miles from here, that's your decision, and I am not paying for it. I bought these rooms, so this is what we're doing, together. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think I left it in the shadow realm," Bakura sighed and stole one of the stools from under Malik's arm. He climbed onto it and rested his elbows on the brown counter top.

"Well, let's make the most of it!" Yugi brightened up. "I want to see the cities, I really wanna see whatever a wallaby is, and I want to take a picture of a kangaroo!"

Katsuya and Otogi snickered at Yugi's zealous outburst. Katsuya decided to clue him in and said, "Yugi, a wallaby actually is a kangaroo. Maybe it's one a bit more your size, though."

"Oh." Yugi blinked. Otogi poured him a cup of orange tea. Then it registered what else his tall friend had said. "Wait! That was another height joke!" Yugi playfully bashed Katsuya on his right arm. "I am not that short you guys! I've grown three inches in the last year alone!"

"Yeah, but that's hair, Yugi. You're still shorter than Mokuba," Otogi pointed out, hiding his tight lipped smirk behind a well placed teacup. Yugi's eyes narrowed, so he must have decided to let the subject drop. "So, what do we want to do today?"

"You mean, out there, naked as the day we were born?" Malik asked, still looking a bit apprehensive at the thought.

"How about swimming? I saw a nice pool as we came in… you can be naked in a pool, right?" Yugi suggested thoughtfully.

The others seemed to be contemplating the thought seriously. "Man, if we were just going swimming, we could have done that at Otogi's place," Malik said, referring to the black haired man's outdoor swimming pool at his private residence. "Besides, water and I don't get along too well. I'm more of a stroll-through-the-burning-hot-desert type."

"Come on, cheer up, there's a lot more we can do- and we've never all gone skinny dipping together before, now have we?" Otogi asked, apparently trying to keep everyone's spirits up. By the doomed look on Malik's face as an indication, it wasn't helping.

"Australia is famous for nude beaches," Bakura spoke up, "There's even one out there somewhere called 'Obelisk'. Kaiba might have liked that one, eh?"

"Hm. Well, Kaiba's not here. So let's forget about it," Katsuya stated defensively. He didn't know why just mentioning the other man had suddenly put him on edge.

"Why didn't he want to come anyway?" Yugi just had to ask, looking up into Katsuya's face, seemingly all innocence. He knew it was a touchy subject!

"He and I aren't getting along lately, and ah, you know. He claimed he didn't remember and maybe he really didn't. He forgot our one-year anniversary as well," Katsuya said.

"That sleaze!" Otogi slammed his fist on the counter top, actually provoking Bakura to flinch.

"It's not like that!" Katsuya tried to smooth over the bad vibes in the room, but Otogi seemed to be ignoring him in wanting to blame the pompous CEO for messing up their trip and breaking their oath. "He's just so damn busy, you know?"

"You're defending him because…?" Bakura skeptically raised his eyebrows at the blond.

"I…I… shit, Bakura. I still feel for him, you know?" Katsuya said slowly, "He's the one who ended it, and I don't even know why. Can we just let it go for right now? I wanted to forget about him and have some fun, even if I have to be naked while doing so." Malik grimaced at Katsuya's words, while Bakura seemed to smile at the double meaning that could be applied there.

"Oh, truly?" Bakura asked in a whisper over the island separating him and Katsuya, a wicked gleam in what was usually an innocent looking eye.

"You can do better than him anyway, Jounouchi," Malik said, ignoring his boyfriend's suddenly too lustful stare in Katsuya's direction. He claimed a stool beside his boyfriend and leaned into the other's shoulder, resting his head on it. He looked sideways up at Katsuya. "You need to find someone you can be with, someone who will respect you. You need someone who will love you and only you!" His eyes darted to Bakura, who sighed, defeated. It seemed Malik wouldn't let him hit on Katsuya today. Bakura turned his head just slightly and planted a quick kiss on his lover's cheek.

"He told me he respected me." He eyed Bakura warily. Katsuya didn't know why he was still defending Kaiba, but it didn't really matter now, did it? Otogi set a cup of tea in front of him. It smelled strongly of cinnamon.

"And what happened on the next day after that?" Bakura prompted. Otogi looked over at the white haired man curiously while sipping his fragrant tea.

Katsuya hung his head as if giving up, "He went right back to calling me dog names… I know. I can do better, right?"

"We're here for you, Jou!" Yugi tried to cheer him up and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Now, let's go get naked. I want to go for a swim!"

.

.

After a lot of arguing and another bout of complaining, Bakura finally managed to get Malik out of his clothes again. This time they intended to leave their room, buck naked.

"I know why they call this place 'White Cockatoo'." Bakura said as Otogi ushered the two of them out to the pool area. Yugi and Katsuya were close behind them, carrying a basket of towels. Katsuya wore his around his waist, and apparently Malik hadn't thought of doing this too.

"Why?" Malik responded, looking about to see if he could see any white birds. He wrapped his arms around his chest self-consciously. Several nude children ran by them, pushing past Otogi and almost knocking him over while they padded on the tile flooring toward the gated pool area. Glaring daggers at the unsupervised children, Otogi retained what dignity a naked guy could have, clenched his fists, and smiled with gritted teeth.

"I see a white cock or two. Over there." Bakura pointed toward the pool with an extended thumb, a wide grin on his face.

Katsuya believed that the white haired one was enjoying this too much.

"You idiot!" Malik shoved him in the shoulder as they walked together toward the pool.

"And there's more over there!" Bakura motioned behind him toward Otogi and Yugi, whose face had turned as red in his blush as his violet eyes sometimes looked. Bakura, upon seeing Katsuya wearing his towel, knitted his brows together. "You know, there's a dress code here." He pointed a bit extravagantly down at the towel. "That's not a part of it, Jounouchi. I know you think you're such hot stuff with that golden hair and six pack of yours, but come on, at least feel free to share it with the world, babe!" Katsuya gasped when Bakura seductively winked his way, shaking his hips suggestively. If asked which of the two minds was in control at that moment, Katsuya would have definitely stated the darker half. He couldn't imagine, though he had seen it with his own eyes, witnessing the mild mannered artisan behave in such a way, especially while naked.

"I thought you only called me 'babe'!" Malik mockingly whined, seeming to get into the fun of the situation, if only for a moment. He playfully jabbed his boyfriend in the chest.

"Oh, leave him alone. He'll take it off when he gets in the pool," Otogi intervened, barking his comment a bit harshly in Bakura's direction. He still sounded miffed about being run over by the speeding children.

"Ah, we're out here anyway so let's just have some fun," Katsuya slipped off his towel and tossed it in Bakura's face as he stepped up to the edge of the pool.

.

.

That evening, Otogi had dressed with the others and then had gone out alone to purchase some supplies for their cabin. While the tea and milk the resort had provided was nice on it's own, they couldn't live off of it alone for the next ten days. Yugi had wanted to go with him but decided against it, opting instead to keep Katsuya company. The two lovebirds had vanished into their room once more, so Yugi and Katsuya had curled up on their own cushions of the large couch with cups of hot tea in the main room to watch the big screen television.

Although Yugi was amazed at the enormous size of the device, Katsuya was used to it by now; he'd spent enough time at Kaiba's house, watching his television with its many foreign channels during his breaks. There wasn't anything good on, so they settled for watching a soap opera. After a while, though, they got tired of it and Katsuya turned the television to mute.

Katsuya stared at the screen and cocked his head to the side. "Oh, but Lance, I want you so much! Let's kiss and hug and fuck like rabid porno star bunnies!" Yugi made a sour face at Katsuya's commentary on the boring soap.

Yugi decided to try to add words to the proceeding events on the big screen as well, "Heh, I get it. Hmm… 'No, Kim, I think I am in love with Angela! You're just not the one for me'- Oh, wait they're kissing… ok… then, 'When will you pick me up from work later, hun? We can have a quickie in the van while the kids are at soccer!'"

Katsuya tapped his index finger twice on Yugi's frowning temple. "You're no good at this, Yug. You gotta think of something better than that. It's not funny."

"Damn it. So I saw you and Shizuka were doing this one time before, it looked so easy," Yugi sighed, "I guess I can't come up with anything. And I'm not as dramatic as her," he added as he covered his face with his left palm.

"It'll come to you eventually." Katsuya told him. "She and I have had a lot of practice; we used to do it when we were little, too."

The two of them, startled, hastily looked toward the hallway when they heard Malik screaming loud and heatedly. A moment of pregnant silence passed and then Katsuya winced when he heard a deep moaning floating to them from down the hall. "The two of them never quit! I can't stand being near them anymore!"

"You get used to it after a while... I hope," Yugi's frown deepened. He took a sip from his Darjeeling tea and sighed.

Katsuya wondered what had him so down all of a sudden. "You miss Otogi already, Yug?" Katsuya asked.

Yugi looked up at Katsuya and nodded assertively. "Yeah, it's like I gotta be around him or everything's just… off center, ya know? It's a link, kind of like with the other one of me. It would just feel strange if he weren't around now."

"I think I understand," Katsuya said. "So, how exactly do you do it, huh? You're so close to him it's like you were meant to be together. With Otogi, I mean. Now, I never imagined you'd get with him, actually. I figured you and Bakura or even you and Anzu, back before you announced you were gay."

"Hm, yeah, we just love each other, and that's enough for me. He and I work through our differences step by step, I suppose." Yugi paused to take another drink. "I noticed you've been thinking about us, and how we get along. You're comparing yourself and Kaiba to Otogi and me, Malik and Bakura, too. Am I right?" Katsuya nodded, and wondered how Yugi always knew what he was thinking. Did it have something to do with the old puzzle he always wore on that little chain around his neck? "Well, it's just love, I suppose. I don't know how to explain it. If you want what's best for him, you love him. So, of course, there's many different levels to it and lots of different kinds of love.

"I love him as a friend, but Bakura and I aren't that close. We haven't ever been close really, but we are friends, don't get me wrong. I know him better than I know most other people, but we aren't pen-pals if you know what I mean. Anyways, I couldn't imagine it when you said you and Kaiba were involved! I just about had a fit!" Yugi brushed his yellow bangs from in front of his eyes when he sadly looked away. He was probably remembering the day he came out to his friends and family.

Once he told everyone he was involved with Otogi, his grandfather had silently supported him and approved, while his mother immediately got on the phone long-distance to tell her husband. His father, who was always away on a business trip whenever Katsuya was around to notice, hadn't taken the news that well. As far as Katsuya knew, he had stopped calling home after that.

Katsuya said, "Yeah… me too. It… it seemed like one thing piled on top of another, and it all just came falling down on top of me, while everything else kind of left me hanging. Why the hell did he break it up between us? I know we weren't the perfect couple and we were always fighting, but it really pissed me off. We HAD something, didn't we?" Katsuya slammed his hand down on the remote, hitting the power button. The whine of the television, which hadn't been noticeable before, faded to silence with the darkening of the screen.

.

.

A few days had passed and Otogi had managed to get them booked on several exciting tours for clothed persons. Malik and Katsuya were relieved that they wouldn't have to go on some kind of 'wild safari' in the nude. Yugi was on his thirteenth disposable camera, and he still hadn't gotten a picture of a kangaroo yet. This fact, unfortunately enough for those within earshot, he continued to repeat to the group until Otogi finally gave up.

"Darling, they don't just hop down the intersection in the middle of the city. You're just going to have to wait till we can take a look in the wild outback, or would you rather we take a tour to the local Zoo? You still have a few cameras left, right?" Otogi had explained to him while stuffing into his pocket the paper map with which he'd been navigating them through the city. They were walking to the beach at the edge of one of the local cities, a crowded place where people were always trying to knock them over, or so it felt that way to Katsuya. Even though Japan had a great population, they weren't all centered in Domino city, so he wasn't used to the massive crowds that seemed commonplace here.

Enjoying everything that had happened up to that point, Katsuya was content that yes, indeed, he had needed and deserved this vacation. He felt even more vindicated when he finally reclined onto a warm beach blanket, watching as the half naked women and men casually strolled by. Somehow, the sun was even stronger here than it had ever been in Domino. It warmed him, in and out, relaxing away the tension he'd been feeling. He would have fallen asleep right on the spot… if some stranger's kid hadn't dumped a pail of moist sand over his head, laughing evilly as she ran away.

.

.

Katsuya was the first person in the shower when they got back to the chalet. He kicked at his sandy clothing lying all over the bathroom's tiled floor as he mopped his hair with a towel. Entering his room, he stood in front of the mirror on the tiny vanity desk, only to drop the towel in shock at what he saw reflected in its polished surface, or more to the point, who he saw staring back at him through the mirror.

Spinning around, mouth agape, Katsuya shouted, "Kaiba!?"

"You left without telling me, mutt. That goes against company policy." Kaiba stated as he sat, legs crossed at the knee, arms resting on either side of the edge of Katsuya's queen sized bed. He was wearing his brown trench, a white and blue striped short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of slightly faded black jeans. Katsuya was with him the day he'd bought those jeans.

Katsuya glared, "And you flew across the ocean to tell me that? Ever heard of a telephone?"

Ignoring Katsuya's glare, Kaiba continued, "And to have finally found you in a nudist's resort? Not exactly where I had imagined you spending a vacation, Jounouchi."

"You're here." Katsuya accused. He didn't want a confrontation, not here, not now. Why was this happening to him? "Why, didn't you remember our promise? Why go through all that just to show up here now? You said it was a lapse of sanity-"

Kaiba interrupted him, raising a hand for silence, "That's what I said, and I regret saying it. I was… harsh."

Katsuya had to shut his mouth before he shoved his foot in it. Kaiba was actually being civil. They must be selling snowboards in hell now. "Y-you what?"

"I am sorry, Katsuya." Kaiba said, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the sheets.

"What do you want now?" Katsuya was wary. He hadn't heard that name from those lips in a long time. "You know you called me Katsuya? I thought we were no longer on a first name basis."

"Who ever said that?" Silence echoed between them. Kaiba's eyes began to wander up and down Katsuya's body. The blond realized he'd just left the shower, and had left his clothes in there on the floor.

And Kaiba was checking him out! Katsuya felt a sudden heat in his cheeks. Kaiba had never been alone with him in the nude before.

"You're a pervert!" Katsuya quickly fumbled with a drawer where he knew he'd stored his beige pants. If he would have just looked into the mirror, he would have noticed Kaiba didn't seem to mind the view from behind him as he speedily dressed.

Kaiba crossed his arms when Katsuya finally turned around, only half naked.

"We can be mature here, it's no worse than seeing you in the shower after gym class, you know." Kaiba's dark blue eyes didn't stop roaming over Katsuya's form. The attention was beginning to make the blond nervous.

"Sure it is, you've kissed me, and you were staring at my ass. Correction, you're still staring," Katsuya listed, back against the wooden desk of the vanity. He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling, resting the back of his palms on the edge of the table. Why couldn't Kaiba have left well enough alone? He just had to come here and harass him. And yet, Katsuya didn't feel alone anymore. In a house with four other people, why was it he had been feeling so lonely? He didn't want to think of an answer to that question. It hurt too much.

His blood was pumping in his veins, he was slowly breathing harder, he knew they were going to fight, just knew it in every cell of his body. Kaiba's face didn't give away any of his emotions, and Katsuya couldn't tell what the brunet could conceivably be thinking as he stood from his seat and advanced toward Katsuya.

"I did some thinking," Kaiba started to say. He stood right over Katsuya and looked down into his brown eyes. Katsuya looked away. He didn't like that he could feel the other's warm breath against his cheek. "And I've made some conclusions. I need some answers from you, and I want them now."

"I've got nothing to say to you, Kaiba," Katsuya growled out, turning his head back to stare up into blue eyes defiantly. "And you made it clear you didn't want to hear from me either."

"Don't you want to know why?" Kaiba suddenly asked. He leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on the vanity, trapping Katsuya between his arms, not touching but still enclosing. The small card-shaped locket Kaiba always wore dangled down and tapped at the center of Katsuya's bare chest.

"Why?" Katsuya swallowed, though his mouth was almost dry. "Why what?"

"I know you haven't a clue. You still have yet to figure this out, haven't you Katsuya? Why exactly it was that I had to break up our engagement?" A small, sad smile on Kaiba's lips was all Katsuya could see.

"You bastard," Katsuya raised his arms between them to shove him away. Kaiba took advantage of the movement to grab a hold of the blond and restrain him, wrapping his arms around his body and holding him close, still. "You couldn't just fucking tell me already! Why the wait, you fucking shit! You put me through hell for this? I believed you, I trusted you… fuck, I actually loved you!" Kaiba's eyes widened. Katsuya pushed against Kaiba's hold, trying to break free, the anger was clearly written on his face. "I hate you so fucking much."

Kaiba tried to calm him down. "That was it. That was it, Katsuya. How come it comes to you so easily now, but when I needed it, it wasn't there?" He slowly shook his head at the other man.

Katsuya stopped trying to struggle. He anxiously looked at Kaiba and exhaled slowly. He was going to get his answers.

"What are you referring to, Kaiba? What is it that's so god damn important?"

Kaiba leaned forward and gently rested his head against Katsuya's frowning temple, releasing his iron grip on him. "You never said you loved me, Katsuya. I didn't know if you were using me or if you were true to me. I didn't know. How was I to know what was never said?"

Katsuya was startled. "That's why? That's it? That's all?" He could almost cry, he was so strangely relieved. So it really was something he'd done, or rather, hadn't done. He raised his now freed arms to enfold Kaiba's neck, pulling him down into a firm hug. "You, Seto, are a complete and total idiot." He turned his head to the side and placed a warm kiss on Seto's lips. He felt Seto's tongue tickle the underside of his upper lip. Katsuya deepened the kiss, wanting to feel something hot and familiar, something he hadn't felt in the greater part of a year. The dizzying moment lasted for quite a while, and it seemed that neither of the two of them wanted to pull away.

Someone cleared his throat. The two parted with a small smacking sound and stared at the intruder; Otogi was standing in the doorway, a knowing smirk on his lips. "I take it this means you've kissed and made up now?"

"Hello, big brother! How was your trip?" Mokuba asked as Kaiba and Katsuya entered the mansion for the first time since arriving back in Domino.

Katsuya answered, slipping his arm around his lover's waist, "Next year, we're going on a cruise for our honeymoon."

- End -

Author's Note: The place described in this story, 'The White Cockatoo Resort' really exists. I haven't seen it myself seeing as I haven't been to Australia, and I'm no nudist, so I've just played with the concept for the sake of the story. (Just to clarify that this isn't from a cross-over of any kind.)

This story is complete as-is and will not be continued.

This is a very old story of mine which conforms to a challenge premise for the A Dragon's Lair writing group, resposted here with minor edits.

Affinity 1/1 – Chys Lattes – Sept. 12th, 2004.