Quick Disclaimer:

You guessed it. I don't own Yu-gi-oh or any of the characters. I have written this piece as a polite response to the criticisms that a few people have that I'm busy critiquing on all the time, but I've never put up anything that I wrote. So, for my few critics out there (and you know who you are), I decided to give it a shot.

Thanks!

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Moving Forward

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Kaiba Seto's fingers flicked over the keys of his laptop-typing in his typical, rhythmic way while staring fixedly at the screen. As CEO and major shareholder of Kaiba Corp, he had a ton of things to do and not a lot of time to do them in. Deadlines are serious because they have the word "dead" in them. He shifted his weight in the chair and rested his elbow on the mahogany desk. Sometimes, just sometimes, he almost wished that his life had been a bit more like Jounouchi's.

Seto's eyes darted, for just a fraction of a second, to the lone figure sitting on the couch at the far side of the room. Katsuya Jounouchi, his "Mutt," was sitting on the white, overstuffed Victorian couch studying his English textbook. The eighteen year old was cramming for a test. Books from Seto's own library were piled carelessly onto the glass coffee table without rhyme or reason. He could hear Jounouchi murmur to himself, "Let's see… This preposition stuff is hard. Sheesh… You can be "in" a car. But you are "on" a bus. And, next, you are "at" the airport. Japanese is way easier than this." He closed the book for a second, mumbling with his eyes closed so that he could remember it all, then sighed "bakana" under his breath. Yes, he felt "foolish." Seto smirked to himself. He was actually writing an email to a colleague in English. It was the easiest way to deal with Americans.

Another sigh from Jounouchi and Seto looked up again out of curiosity. What would it be this time? He hated to admit it, but it was kind of fun now, and much more than he'd care to admit. But, instead of watching his mutt study, their eyes met for a second. Jounouchi shrugged and looked down.

"I'm taking a break."

Seto had gone back to his typing, but more slowly this time. His eyebrows knit together. Something felt….wrong. Maybe, Mutt really did need help with studying. Okay, well, he could help him with a rule or two and get back to the real work he had to do. Crap! What a pain Jounouchi could be sometimes! It's not like he, himself, had a lot of free time these days. It's just typical. Typical. Create more work for me, why don't you?

"Eh?" Seto said looking up, distracted by his own thoughts again.

"I asked about dinner."

"Oh, I'm not hungry right now. Later. I'll eat later on."

Seto could feel the heavy silence that followed. Keyboard taps continued their monotonous rhythm but slower still. Definitely wrong, Seto thought and found himself frowning. The words he wrote slipped through his mind like sand.

The dark blond sitting across from him scowled and carelessly tossed a book onto the glass table. It sounded with a hollow ring. Jounouchi grabbed his green coat impatiently and shoved his arms in the sleeves. At the door, he crammed his feet into his shoes.

"I'm going," he mumbled, "and don't wait up."

Before he could say anything, Mutt had practically stormed out the door without shutting it. The glass door had come dangerously close to hitting the wall before swinging closed.

Seto sat at the desk with his head in his hands. Why now? This is just one more problem. He didn't need this and Jounouchi should have been more patient and…well… more patient! School work was one thing, but this was business. It was the real world and had real consequences if he slacked off for even a day. Dumb Mutt should have figured that part out at least.

"Teme," Seto hissed malevolently. He was wearing his favorite long sleeved black shirt and jeans. And he was so annoyed with himself-and Mutt-that he forgot to put on his white, sleeveless coat as he strode out the door.

That guy is such an ass. Teme. Teme. Teme!

They had had these kinds of "non-arguments" before. So, Seto knew how things were going to play out. First, Jounouchi went just about everywhere on foot. And the first place he'd go looking for Mutt would be the park. It was his favorite place, and it was the place of refuge when things got bad. They would probably both sit by the lake. And Mutt would complain bitterly about what he did or what he had failed to do. He'd be angry at Mutt for being angry at him in the first place. Then, for some reason that Seto never understood about himself, he'd begrudgingly apologize. And he'd mean it, too, because it just felt right. And then, later that evening, they'd both… Seto shook the idea out of his head. It was too early to think of that.

He walked on.

Seto could see the dark blond hair in the distance. His green coat, his white shirt, and…well… the skin tight faded jeans that looked like they were painted on. Nice bod… Hmmm… Seto shook the thought out of his head again. But, not everything about Jounouchi was perfect. Even at this distance, Mutt had the gait of someone who was in a gang-walking with heavy footsteps, his head down but glancing to the side, hair in his face, and hands in his coat pockets. He paused for a second and seemed to be making his mind up. He's heading back to the house, Seto thought with a slight, self-satisfied smile.

Hell! He forgot. Now, he was going to have to apologize to Jounouchi somehow. He totally sucked at apologies and sounding sincere seemed so…weak. So, what do I say? Whatever it was that I did, I'm sorry? He rolled his eyes and started to head back when he noticed it.

Mutt didn't turn around. He didn't stop at the park, either. He walked right on and opened the door to a candle and incense shop one street over. Seto waited at some distance and kept an eye on the shop. From time to time, he pulled out his mobile phone and pretended to make a call. He followed the blond to another store that sold food. And, then, there was the flower shop.

What, in all the seven hells, was going on? Seto found rage building within him. It was like an itch in his heart that he couldn't scratch. None of this made sense. Candles? Flowers? He doesn't have the money to blow. Seto felt sicker with each step. He watched with fury as Mutt turned down another street. He needed to see how it would end, but didn't want to.

The sun was setting now—casting a golden mix into the darkening blue. Kaiba followed Mutt, who was carrying two small shopping bags and the flowers. They entered the heavy iron gates to the graveyard.

This is one creepy date, Seto mused to himself, his fists clenched tight to where his knuckles were white. Well, maybe, they were just meeting here and would go someplace afterwards. Go someplace else... His soul was a sandstorm.

"Yeah, I'll catch them together, and then I'll end this. This day never happened."

Jounouchi stopped in front of a grave that Seto still saw in his nightmares. It really didn't even register at first, as though his mind couldn't accept where he was. "Kaiba Gozaburo" was carved in sharp, crisp Japanese characters on the tall grey gravestone. Seto shook his head "no" and found himself backing away involuntarily. Face turning red, he ducked to the side and leaned against the gravestone of some stranger so as not to be seen.

It doesn't mean anything. I'm fine. This doesn't hurt.

He allowed himself to slide to the ground. He sat there, head down, and cursed himself. He cursed Jounouchi, too. This place was private! And Mutt had no right to be here. He should have asked to come. And the answer would have been "NO" …a "no" as loud as a scream, but…

Baka! Baka! Baka!

Jounouchi stood before the grave peacefully with his arms at his sides. He put down the two bags and stared at the stone slab sadly.

"Ummm… I guess you don't know who I am, exactly. My name is Katsuya Jounouchi." He took a breath before starting again. "And I am… I am…" he said quietly.

Seto caught his words and, as angry as he was, he found a trace of a smile on his lips.

Go on. Say it. I bet you can't, though.

"Ummm…. I am Katsuya Jounouchi at any rate."

I knew you couldn't do it. Idiot.

"And Seto is…. Set-o is… Well…" His hazel eyes seemed far away for a second. "It's been six months. Ummm…I mean… Today is our six month anniversary."

What? Oh, Mutt, you are exactly the type of person who'd remember something stupid like that! Why remember these things?

"And I know that Seto would never bring me here—to meet you. So, I decided to come on my own. I found out where you were in the library."

And invade my privacy. And dredge up old memories. And invade my soul, too, why don't you? Yeah, let's remember that fantastic childhood that I had.

"So, I guess the thing I want to say to you is…"

Wonderful, just wonderful… Now, you are going to be my knight in shining armor. Don't bother to slay the dragon. He's already dead. Sure! Go ahead and rage at the tombstone. Defend my honor. Tell him what a horrible father he was. How he crammed my head full of useless information and beat me.

Staring calmly at the darkening stone in front of him, Jounouchi said, "I want to say 'domo arigato gozaimasu' to you." He bowed slowly.

What? Thank you? Seto's jaw dropped and his fists were clinched so tightly that he was shaking. What the hell are you saying? He was horrible to me. And my life, and Mokuba's, was a living hell with that man. Suddenly, Seto had the desire to blow up another island.

"You see, I wanted to thank you for adopting Seto. For bringing him here so that I could meet him," Jounouchi said while opening one of the bags and laying the Rengyou (Forsythia) flowers on the grave. "I wanted to thank you for giving him money and food. Ya know, I know what it's like to come home to an empty pantry. Being hungry doesn't feel very good."

That's right… You said that to me once.

The blond opened one of the bags and took out a small container of udon and placed it before the grave.

"Thank you for giving him a safe place to live, too. He never had to join a gang to protect himself." Jounouchi thought a moment before saying, "He didn't have to work two jobs to pay off his old man's debts, either." The blond shrugged but didn't seem angry.

"You gave him a home, you gave him a life, and you gave him your name."

Jounouchi bent down and opened the second bag. It had incense. He took the sticks out, placed them into a vase shaped holder, and lit them with a match.

He laughed for a second, glancing backward. "Do you know that Seto used to have green hair?"

Still crouched down, Seto ran his fingers through his hair and pushed a strand behind his ear. He'd forgotten that short phase in his life. And he was glad that was over. No more green.

"You know, when we first met and dueled each other, we really hated each other."

Seto flinched.

Jounouchi continued with a short laugh. "It's not like we ever used honorifics or polite language with anybody, either. We had that in common. But, it was "teme" (you rude bastard) at first. Later, it became "omae" -but it felt like he was of higher status to me when he called me "you."

Yeah, it was like that in the beginning. Now, though…

"Still, when it comes to "you," Seto loves 'the formal.' But, someday… I'd like…um… it to be "anata." His face felt hot and his ears were warm.

Seto looked down at the earth and up to the inky black sky closing in on him. The pinpoints of light looked watery and he rubbed his left eye with the back of his hand.

The incense glowed with a dim red light in the twilight. Jounouchi thought they looked like fireflies, and he felt lonely.

Jounouchi placed his hands together in prayer. Seto had to strain a bit to watch him-forgetting to breathe for a second.

"I'm here today to let you know that I will protect Kaiba Seto until my last day in this world. I will be his. And, whether we are together or not, I will watch over him."

Great, now we're married! Don't I get a say in all this?

Seto folded his arms on his knees and buried his face to shut everything out. Married? Him? But, in his heart… It didn't feel so bad, really… even if he didn't get to say "I do."

Wait a minute, he just said "whether we are together or not"… Surely, he's not going to…leave me?

Suddenly, Seto saw himself as he was before—continuing on his own. The house was big…really big. Mokuba, his little brother, and work were all he had besides a passion to show his rivals how good he actually was. Was that, really, enough? It was certainly all that Gozaburo bastard ever wanted for him.

"Oh, Jou," Seto sighed. Usually, he had the habit of crossing his arms. But, he looked down to discover that he was hugging himself.

Jounouchi let his hands fall to his sides again. It was dark, now, and it was time to go.

"Just one more thing."

Seto leaned back to hear.

"What I want… What I want from Seto is..."

Seto suddenly felt his heart race for an entirely different reason. He forgot to breathe again and felt faint. There's such a thing as too much truth! Dead or living, he didn't want Kaiba Gozaburo to hear…well…things about him like…that he took a ragged breath each time Jounouchi sunk his teeth into his shoulder. Seto shook the image out of his head. Clearly, he'd have to stop Jou and his mouth. He was forming the words to say in his head when Jounouchi spoke again.

"What I want from Seto is," he said much louder than he intended, "for him to forgive you. It's impossible to move forward when your heart is chained to the past." He pointed a finger at his mental image of Gozaburo hovering just in front of the gravestone.

The blond looked up at the sky and sighed, "That's all I have to say."

Jounouchi looked like a man defeated. He stood there for another second longer before picking up the empty bags.

"What am I doing? I'm arguing with a grave," the bitterness in his voice echoed back at him. "I'm gonna go now. I'm tired of this."

Go? Where? Hell, I've got to stop him!

Stretching his arms, Jounouchi said to no one on particular, "I'm gonna make spaghetti tonight. Maybe, I can convince Mokuba to eat some with me. Seto's busy." Then, he laughed a bit and said sarcastically, "I've really gotta stop talking to myself."

Jounouchi walked toward the gates, and tried not to notice the tall figure standing in the shadows. Being a former gang banger certainly had its advantages. And knowing when you are being followed is one of them.

With a flood of relief, Seto watched his better half leave the graveyard. He closed his eyes and thanked Buddha. Moving silently from his position, Seto looked at the grave. Even in the dark, he could see the incense smoke rising up in thin ribbons.

"Forgive you? Not now, old man. Rot in your grave," Seto growled and stormed off.

-TEN YEARS LATER-

The long, thin image of Kaiba Seto appeared at the entrance to the neatly tended graveyard. His face was fuller now, and he had started graying prematurely at the temples-casting a soft, silver glow through his hair. He walked with his typical "I know where I'm going" stride but with his shadow leading the way. Behind him jogged an elf examining a card called "Blue Eyes White Dragon." The small figure had on a yellow Hanshin Tigers baseball cap and an oversized backpack with Kaiba Corp written on it in large, English letters.

The child grabbed Seto's pinkie finger on the right hand, which was his way, and grinned up with a mouth full of baby teeth. His hair was blond and his eyes were hazel. His jaw had the same square shape that the other Russian orphans had, too.

"And then…and then…he pushed me off the slide!"

"Really? Well…"

Seto found himself scanning the grave markers. He knew the way even though it had been a long time.

"'Tousan," he whined while holding on, "school is hard! They want me to learn hiragana and a million, billion kanji by the time I'm really old…like 12." He waved his arms in the air in exasperation. "Hey,'Tousan!"

Seto nodded absentmindedly. He stopped in his tracks in front of an ornate grave with a dark grey tombstone. "Kaiba Gozaburo" was written in five kanji on the stone.

"Otousan, I can't do it! 'Nu' and 'me' look the same."

Seto looked down at his son and instantly regretted not going on the "back to school" clothes shopping trip with Jou. Rinji was dressed in a white shirt with baggy blue jeans and a green jacket.

Seto caught himself laughing and looked away.

Rinji followed his father's eyes to the tomb stone. It didn't interest him.

"Can we go now? Papa's making spaghetti for dinner! Oishii!" He rubbed his tummy happily.

Seto thought about it for a second, bent down, and whispered, "I'll race you home!"

In a flash, Rinji took off toward the gates with the kind of glee that only a seven year old racing his father can understand.

Seto hesitated, glanced out of the corner of his eye at the grave and muttered, "We're even now."

In hanakotoba (Japanese flower language), forsythia symbolizes "hope."

Thanks for reading!