Bad Water (title subject to change)
Summary: Jounouchi travels to the Great Dismal Swamp to spend the summer before his senior year with some family he hasn't seen in a while. Turns out he might be seeing more than just his family down in the bayou… Seto x Katsu; rated for YAOI in later chapters
~A Prologue, -.-.-.-.-
Jounouchi Katsuya kicked his dangling feet back and forth while he stared out over the expanse of the marshland, watching the morning sun paint the sky orange, pink, and gold. The sunrise was reflected off the murky waters, and everything around him was cast in a fuzzy glow. There were no roads here. No sidewalks, no arcade, no malls or billboards. The wilderness here was preserved and untamed. Jou breathed in the putrid, pungent smell of the bog, felt the hardness of the wooden porch beneath his palms, and he smiled broadly. He couldn't help it; he felt more at home here than he ever had in Brooklyn or Domino City.
What better way to spend his final summer break than with his relatives on the bayou? He would see enough of his friends when school started back and he returned to Japan. For the next three months, Jounouchi was going to enjoy his time on the Great Dismal.
A warm breeze picked up and sent Katsuya's hair a fluster, bringing the smell of the swamp back to the forefront of his mind. It was bad right now, but he'd get used to it. In a couple more weeks it would smell like a nice pond rather than a septic tank.
Behind him, he could hear the wood of the small house creak and groan in the wind. The tiny dwelling was no more the size of an average garage, but with two floors. Katsuya stood up and stretched before he made his way inside, letting the breeze sift through his hair like invisible fingers. The ridiculous smile was still stuck on his face. He was finally somewhere that he could relax and enjoy the time he had—with himself, and with family that actually liked him.
In Japan, Katsuya had always been taught about the dojos, the samurai, and general Asian history. But in all actuality, he'd been much more interested in the history of the country where he was born. Jounouchi was fascinated with the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad, and everything else America had to offer from that time period. Here, at his aunt's stilt-legged swamp cabin, that time period still existed.
In his studies, Jou had learned that hundreds of escaped slaves had taken refuge in the Great Swamp during the late 1600s in order to avoid capture. This house had been a main stop for food and shelter. There was a secret room built beneath the house known as the "safe room" where escapees had once been hidden. Jou loved to hear the slave stories passed down through his aunt Jamie about how the little wooden residence had been a key part of the Underground Railroad. (He'd only been to visit his cousins three times in his life, and the first time was when he was very little. Little Katsuya had asked where the railroad tracks were, because he knew that trains couldn't run underground without any tracks. Jamie had laughed and told him they'd been covered up by the floorboards; he knew better now, of course.)
He also liked to hang out in that old room because it was…eerie, with an almost tribal feel to it. You could hear the squishy, flowing sounds of the water in the marsh from down there. During the wee hours of the night, Jamie would say you can sometimes hear whispers down there—the quiet plea of escaped slaves who had died in the marsh, still searching for shelter. Katsuya had never heard any whispering, but it was still quite the atmospheric experience.
Jou was the type of person who could only tolerate 'atmospheric' for so long, though. He just happened to be a very action-oriented guy, and so he spent most of his days on the swamp in the airboat, skimming the lake waters and fishing or hunting for alligators. Uncle Tim would take him to the backwaters where the large, scaly reptiles liked to hide. Jou always wanted to hear the story about how Tim lost three fingers to Ol' Blackie (Tim wasn't the one who'd lost three fingers, though; it was actually Jou's great-great-great granddad who'd had the fight with that monster of a lizard). "And they say he's still lurkin' down there," Tim would say, his voice low, "waitin' fer some boy ta be dumb enough ter put his hands in th' water…"
He couldn't wait to get started; he'd only stayed on the marsh one night and already he wanted to do everything. But that would all come in time. Today, he was going to greet his cousins, Jack and Merrigold, who had been staying at a friend's house when Jounouchi arrived. They were coming home soon to a special surprise.
As the screen door banged shut behind him, the smell of a southern breakfast hit Katsuya's nose full force, making his mouth water violently. The delectable scent drew him into the kitchen as though he were in a trance. Bacon, sausage, and fried ham filled several plates on the table, with mounds fluffy, buttery biscuits and towers of pancakes, topped off with eggs, fried and scrambled, all smothered in creamy, white, country pepper-gravy. Two pitchers, one filled with freshly squeezed orange juice and the other with cold milk, were in the middle of the table.
It was enough food to feed an army, Jou thought. That army consisted of three very hungry men.
There was a kind of warmth in his cousins' house, too, that no amount of modernity could ever hope to replicate. Jamie didn't use appliances like microwaves or eat the greasy foods from the restaurants in town. Everything she cooked was homemade and delicious, not to mention healthy. Jou had never eaten so well in his life.
"Where's Tim?" Katsuya asked as he took a seat at the table. He was starved, and he'd just eaten the leftovers from dinner last night when he had arrived at eight. Tim was usually at the table before anybody else.
"He's gone ta pick up the kids. Should be back anytime, I reckon," she replied. Katsuya grinned at the accent. He couldn't get enough of hearing that; it sounded lovely, especially when Jamie spoke. Jou's aunt loved to sing, and she could do it better than the best. "So how's yer dad? I forgot to ask 'bout him last night after we got stared on yer sister."
Katsuya shrugged and tried to hide the sneer he felt forming on his lips. "He's okay. You know how it is, though. I stay outta his way, he stays outta mine. He still…" Katsuya trailed off and didn't bother finishing the sentence.
Jamie simply nodded, busying herself with mixing more pancake batter. She understood why Jou's father was the way he was because she was also a Jounouchi, and she knew the kind of family they came from. Jamie had the same long, beautiful, sun-bleached hair that Katsuya had, as natural and healthy as her cooking. Her eyes, however, were a deep, forest green that often absorbed light more than reflected it, making her expression sometimes difficult to read. The Jounouchi's were all fairly nice looking.
"…And yer momma?" she asked after the long stretch of silence. Katsuya shrugged again.
"Don't talk ta her much, ya know? She lives umpteen hundred miles away, and whenever Serenity visits, she don't come wit her."
"Ah. How are yer friends then?"
At this, Katsuya brightened and began to chatter aimlessly about high school in Japan and his best friends Hiroto, Yugi, and Anzu. Jamie smiled and was glad that this change of subject had uplifted the blonde teen's mood.
Even though he was pretty sure she didn't have a clue where he was going with the conversation, Katsuya babbled on anyway, telling his aunt about how some of his friends had left. Ryou had flown back to England with his father, Malik had moved back to Egypt, and Otogi had restationed his Dice Monsters company to another district in Japan. It really seemed as though their large group of tight knit friends was noticeably shrinking.
Jou went on to explain how a few of their friends were still around, though. Like Mai Valentine, who had graduated and gone to beauty school, and Seto Kaiba, who…
"…Katsuya? You okay, hun?"
"Huh? Yeah. I just dazed out, I guess. Where was I?"
"Mai, and your other friends," Jamie said, skipping over the last name he mentioned on purpose. She could ask Katsuya about whoever that was later. If her hunch was correct, they wouldn't have to make small talk much longer anyway.
"Oh, yeah. So then there's Rebecca, and Rex Raptor, and Weevil…"
Just then, the screen door opened and banged shut again, and three pairs of feet pattered into the kitchen.
A female's voice was saying, "But daddy—I told ya I don' like him, and I mean it! I don' want nothin' to do with that deadbeat. Lousy boy… Richie's nothin' but a no good, lyin', son of a—JOEY!!!"
"Jou's hewa!?" a tinier voice squealed, "Yaaay!! JouJou!" Katsuya suddenly found himself surrounded and being hugged enthusiastically by his two favorite (and only) cousins.
"Jeez! Calm down, everybody. You guys act like you haven't seen me in ages!"
Merrigold giggled. "Ain't heard ya in ages, either, mister New York City."
"Hey—need I remind ya that I do not live there anymore, and hopefully neva will again?"
"I know you live in Japan, Joey. I'ze just commentin' on your accent." The blonde girl—whose appearance strikingly resembled Jou's but with boobs—smiled victoriously, as if their first words had been some sort of silent covert battle and she had won. "Hey, how's Honda? He still single? I could use a good man righ' now. Daddy keeps tryin' to hook me up with the neighbor's boy, but I ain't havin' it! He's a stupid lout with nothin' but neckin' on his mind!"
"Merri," Tim said in a reprimanding tone, but with a small smile tugging at his lips, "Now you be nice to Richie, ya hear? He really does care a lot about ya."
"I don't care. He's lousy, an' I don' like him."
Jamie sighed, "Okay, honey, that's enough. Why don't you all sit down so we can say grace 'afore all this food gets cold, hmm?"
Giving thanks was another ritual Jounouchi was completely un-used to. He smiled at the memory of the last blessing he'd sat at, the only one he'd ever given himself. He'd been extremely nervous as he gave thanks to a God he neither praised nor worshipped. But it was a humbling experience, and he felt good about it afterwards. That was already two years ago…
"All-righty then. Who wants to give the blessin'?" Tim asked.
"Me me, daddy, me me!" Jack shouted. Tim picked the little boy up and sat him down next to Katsuya. Jack had only been two years old the last time Jou had seen him and he'd been for the most part a quiet, close-mouthed kid compared to the exuberant toddler sitting next to him. Tim shook his head and started to say something, but Merrigold quickly interrupted him.
"I think Katsuya should say it," she said with only a very slight hint of sarcasm in her voice. Jou frowned slightly. He heard the mockery in her tone loud and clear, and apparently so did Jamie.
"Merri, you start actin' your age or I swear I'll drag you outside and tan your behind. Do I make myself clear?"
Merrigold sighed, running her fingers back through her blonde hair. She looked a lot like her mother, too. "Yes, momma. I hear'd ya."
"Tim?" Jamie continued, "Would you do us the honor?"
After the blessing, the Stiltner family and Jounouchi all dug in to breakfast. Just as Jou predicted, he, Tim, and Jack all ate like horses while Merrigold and Jamie picked at their food quietly and politely, only occasionally throwing in a comment. Most of those comments turned out to be questions about Jou's life in Japan, all of which he answered between mouthfuls of food.
After breakfast, Merrigold asked him if he'd like to see how the town had changed since his last visit. "Sure," he said. He hadn't been thinking or he would've been a bit more discreet about his answer; Jack suddenly started wailing.
"I wanna play with JouJou Momma! Waaahaha!"
"Jack David Preston Stiltner," Jamie said, her tone foreboding, "If Katsuya wants to play with Merri first, I'm sure he'll be back soon enough to play with you, too, so you hush that cryin' right now." The little boy sniffled, and looked towards Jou before he decided to stop. His curly blond hair swiveled with the turn of his head.
"Will you pwease?" he asked cutely. How could Jou say no to that?
"'Course I will, Jack. We'll be back before ya know it, all right?"
The boy's face visibly brightened. "Okay!"
How long had it been since Katsuya had sat at a table and eaten with a family that didn't argue every five minutes? How long had it been since he'd heard a child's laughter, or a mother's caring tone? God knew his mother didn't care that much.
He smiled at his relatives with a sincere warmth in his heart that, before, could only be awakened by the love of his sister. Now, he felt it spread throughout his entire body, numbing him with happiness. The smile was quickly contagious, and soon his cousins, aunt, and uncle were all smiling back at him.
And then they were all laughing even though no one had said a word.
It felt so good to be home.
-.-.-.-.-
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. Or its characters. Or the show as a concept. I also do not own the Great Dismal Swamp, and any information used for this fic regarding said swamp was researched via Wikipedia or Google. Since disclaimers at the beginning of every chapter annoy me, this will be the only one used for the entire fic. I can tell you right here that I won't own Yugioh or the Great Dismal ten chapters later, either (if I manage ten more chapters……)
I do, however, own five little plastic ducks that I got out of a 50 cent machine. ^^;;
A/N: Okay, so what did you think of that queer idea up there? Unique, ne? I'm strangely proud of this, for some reason… I don't know about you guys, but I like to read fanfiction with original ideas, not the same cliché plotline written by ten different fangirls. Hell, I got so bored with the KaiJou fics I was reading, I came out of my long hiatus and wrote this little number just to have something different thrown out there.
The only bad part about coming out of a hiatus is the possibility of going right back into one. I will DEFINITELY need the help of you reviewers to keep this fic going. I know most of the responsibility to get the chapters out lies with me, but it couldn't hurt to encourage me a bit. I'm open to ANY ideas for this story, and since this is an extreme AU, I know you've got some (though I won't guarantee I'll use them). I adore feedback, so feed back!
And just in case any of you missed the blatant reference when Jou's mind wandered while on the subject of Kaiba, I'll say it right here: there will be puppyshipping. I don't think I'll center the story around Seto and Katsuya's romance, although it will play a key part in the plotline. Wait till you see how I plan to get our favorite CEO into the picture… *grins*
Warning! THERE WILL BE YAOI in this story (in case you skipped over that last paragraph). And YAOI = one sexy boy kissing/petting/effing another sexy boy (in case you didn't know).
I think that's about it. Most A/Ns following this one should be considerably shorter (I hope). -^^- In the mean time, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and happy fanficcing elsewhere!
'Till next chapter,
~;~Shaku
