This is my first attempt at a puppyshipping fanfiction in quite a while. They are my OTP and it bothers me that I've never actually written anything about them that I'm content with. Maybe it'll change with this. Please let me know of any errors you see, and don't hold back on the criticism about keeping them in-character. I'm striving to do that to the best of my ability. Anyway, puppyshippers, enjoy!

"Tsuikyū"

001

It was first thing in the morning and Katsuya Jounouchi stood at his locker, gathering his books. Luck slipped from his grasp as easily as his notebook. The mess of lined pages and months of unfinished worksheets and homework scattered across the floor. This, Seto Kaiba took as a cue to move in. With his head held high, he swept past the others in the hall approaching the unwary blond. As he passed by, he cunningly made it a point to step firmly on the papers that littered the floor, digging the heel of his boot into them as he did so.

"Hey! Watch where you're stepping, moneybags."

Seto paused in his tracks and turned around. "Did I hear something? I must be going mad. For a second I thought dogs could talk."

The blond's head snapped up and shot a blazing glare at the brunet. "Bite me," he snarled.

"I believe you've mistaken me for one of your own kind," Seto replied in an innocent tone. "I ought to be the one worried about being bitten."

"That's it." Katsuya got to his feet in a flash and held out his fist, threateningly.

Seto laughed scornfully. "Put down your paws, puppy dog. You're wasting your time."

"You really piss me off. You know that, Kaiba? One of these days, I swear…"

The brunet straightened up and all traces of amusement left his face. "One of these days, what?"

Just as Katsuya was about to respond, Yuugi and Anzu approached. "Don't do it, Jou," Yuugi said with a sigh. "He's not worth it."

"You can't afford what happened last time," Anzu added, softly.

"Screw last time!" Katsuya snapped. "He caught me off guard. I can take him on now, just watch!"

"They're right, you know," Seto threw in, smugly. "But I would be more than pleased to take you down again."

As Katsuya was about to strike, Yuugi and Anzu grabbed his arms. His luck returned as the first bell for class rang. "I'll get you later, Kaiba, you just wait."

And with another glare, Katsuya stomped off to class as Yuugi and Anzu picked up the remainder of papers on the floor.

"Hmph," Seto huffed, turning and starting toward class as well.

The relationship between Katsuya and Seto was very unusual.

Their arguments and quarrels had become almost routine. Each morning they would exchange words laced in sarcasm and detestation. Occasionally it would break out into a physical brawl, one in which Seto always prevailed. The brunet surpassed the blond in height, strength and wits. Usually such an overall weak opponent would quickly bore and tire the multi-billionaire CEO, but there was something, something that Seto could not quite comprehend, that kept him amused.

Amused.

Katsuya Jounouchi amused Seto Kaiba. Even that didn't feel like the correct way to describe it. Not to Seto, at least. Sure, it started out as mere amusement, but now it seemed to fuel a sort of fire inside of him. During their fights, he had begun to pay attention to smaller things. He noticed the way Katsuya's tawny eyes flickered with hateful sparks as he delivered a less-than-intelligent response. He noticed the pauses between his insult and Katsuya's retort, when he would clench his fists at his sides and instinctively lean forward in an always futile attempt to assert what little dominance he thought he had. He noticed the small grunts he made while throwing quite ineffective punches. He noticed the shape of Katsuya's body, more lean than muscular, the exact body type that couldn't afford to throw around physical threats as often as he did.

Being that Seto had a huge, valuable reputation, he never spilled to a soul the thoughts that crossed his mind about Jounouchi Katsuya. He never dared to speak the amusement the blond brought him, the compelling urge to fuck with every last nerve the boy had. It started as a way to pass the time, to assert his own superiority and of course, fluff his own ego. It was now something much bigger. Seto was a very dedicated businessman who did not have very much else to his life beside his job and his little brother. However, it stood that he was a teenager and like any other teenage boy, he had a penchant for excitement, satisfaction and pursuit. While these proclivities rose and fell in intensity, with each increasing day he felt it more and more difficult to control himself and what he wanted. What he wanted remained the same: Jounouchi Katsuya.

Success.

The one thing that Seto Kaiba strived most for. In his mind, success equaled happiness. So far in his life, he had succeeded at virtually everything. This, in turn, gave him what he wanted, it kept him fulfilled. But now, now there was something he desired that couldn't be guaranteed as his. This brought up a significant concern. The answer was clear, however. Seto took grasp of it and decided to finally put it to use.

What Seto Kaiba wants, Seto Kaiba will obtain. Nothing yet in this life had been too far off to reach for him; this wasn't going to be any different.

On his way to school the next morning, Seto spotted his target walking with a brown, worn-out backpack slung over his shoulder. Feeling more in the mood to fuck with Katsuya than usual, Seto stepped on the accelerator and aimed for the course of a lengthy puddle of mud. As his tires skidded across the water, it splashed upwards, covering Katsuya in mud and dirt in one fell swoop. Jerking the steering wheel to the right, his tires squealed and he turned his car around. He rolled down his window, smirking at his victim. "Oh, didn't see you there. The look suits you, though." A smirk, and then he turned back around and took off once again, closing his window. He laughed to himself, knowing there would certainly be a showdown later that day.

When he arrived to school, it was near empty. He'd made a habit of coming early, and enjoyed the bit of silence. As he spun the combination to his locker, he heard the front doors open and was no longer alone. His guest was Jounouchi Katsuya and it seemed the showdown was not too far off, after all. The ends of his yellow hair dripped and a large spot of muddy water soiled the front of his white shirt. He was livid. "Listen to me, Kaiba, and listen good," he said, advancing toward Seto.

Seto smirked and stood tall as always, not fazed at all by the other boy's fury. He turned back to his locker and opened it, sighing. "I'm busy right now, mutt. Can't I ignore you some other time?"

Angered even more, Katsuya marched up to Seto and slammed the locker door shut. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Problem? I have no problem."

"Well, you're about to!" Katsuya clenched his fist and lunged toward the CEO, aiming straight for the jaw. His effort was foiled as he found himself blocked by Seto's palm.

"Nice try, puppy dog, but to be honest I'm not in the mood for your little antics this morning," he lied with nonchalance. He was very much in the mood.

Katsuya released a low growl and tried with his other fist. Unfortunately, his attempt was to no avail. With his free hand, Seto grabbed Katsuya's other fist and turned the blond around forcing his back against the lockers. He moved closer to Katsuya who tried to force himself free of the other's grasp but failed again. "Just what are you trying to do, mutt?" he snarled, his hot breath enveloping Katsuya's face. His stare seemed somewhat playful yet infuriated as he looked down on his prey. "I suggest you give up, because you will not win. Try me, I dare you." The blond continued to struggle until he became tired. Seto felt the other boy's strength become limp and he let go. "Smart choice." Turning on his heel, Seto walked away leaving an air of egotism and pride to haunt Katsuya.

Silently commending himself, Seto sat haughtily in class ignoring the lesson and devising a plan. He was very pleased with how the day's first encounter went, and was beginning to decide that he was in the mood to shake things up a bit. It was quite obvious to him that he was going nowhere in his hidden conquest to achieve his objective. He realized that he knew almost nothing about Katsuya, at least not about his personal life. This was a problem, one needing to be solved. Luckily, Seto had heaps of money on his side, something to make his task incredibly simple.

His next and final encounter for the day with the blond certainly did not disappoint. Though there was a lack of privacy in comparison to their earlier tête-à-tête, the presence of Jounouchi's friends made up for just that. Public humiliation was a nice change. Seto smirked at his own impeccable timing.

"I pummeled him, alright. Yeah, I got him good," Katsuya proudly bragged, punching his opposite palm for effect. He showed visual confusion when the look on Honda and Yuugi's faces weren't a look of praise at all. In fact, they almost looked scared.

"Uh, Jou…" Honda said, pointing behind Katsuya.

The blonde turned to see the tall form of Seto Kaiba standing directly in front of him. "Got him good, eh?" Seto said, smirking.

A look of alarm passed across Katsuya's face, disappearing just as quickly. He decided to keep his act up. "Hell yeah, what, you want a rematch? Sorry but you missed your change, I won fair and squa--"

Katsuya's words were cut short by Seto's lightning quick agility. He reached out and grasped the cloth of Jounouchi's collar in his fist and lifted the shorter boy until their faces were level. "Allow me to make one thing clear," he muttered, giving the blond the most frightening expression he could manage. "I do not appreciate when you rob me of my well-deserved victory," he hissed.

"Hey! Put Jounouchi down!" Yuugi shouted.

"Nah, Yuugi, I got this," Jounouchi replied.

Seto smirked, finding the perfect response once again. "Oh come on, Jounouchi. I understand why you'd like to fool me, but don't fool yourself. It always is your friends who win your battles."

And with that, he dropped the blond. Jou staggered to his feet. Before he could manage a retaliation, Seto had already turned and left.

"You asshole!" Jou shouted, shaking his fist. "You just wait 'til next time!"

Seto smirked, proud of his newest achievement. Still, he couldn't help but face the fact that he was quickly growing bored with the useless banter they shared. It was simply going nowhere, and needed to be taken to the next level.

He sauntered outside of the school and approached his limousine parked at the curb, drawing unnecessary attention from the students. It wasn't often that Seto had his chauffer called to pick him up from school, though he decided the occasion called for it. The grandeur of it all always succeeded in flummoxing everyone.

When the door closed, the limousine took off. Seto pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number only used on rare occasions.

"Yes, I'm looking for information on Jounouchi Katsuya..."