A little
fluff dedicated to-what?(Felidae glares at various readers gaping at her) No, I'm
not dead or anything, I just got stuck in a different site.(Cleares
throath)
As I was saying,
this here one-shot is dedicated to my most trusted reviewer over at , Kat.
I know it's a little early putting up a Valentine Day's ficlet, but since I'm
usually always running late…
Hope you enjoy, and please remember to review.
Ja ne!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, all characters belong to Takahashi, the song is courtesy of Lobo. Don't sue.
Summary: Valentine fic without the usual romantic hassle, since there is no need for it. At least in Jou's opinion.
Reviews: Let it rain on me, let it rain down on me…
Delivery in B-minor
"Okay,
minna-san, as you all know, our annual Valentine Day's Festival is up in three
weeks!"
The girls
giggled, the boys groaned.
Unerringly,
the teacher continued:
"Now, the school
forum decided on something different than usual. Instead of crafting or buying
a present or writing a song or poem for your koi, aibou, or whatever, you are
asked to reveal one of your lesser known talents. There is no need for the
presents and surprises to be even remotely romantic, just original,
since you are to use them to surprise a random classmate, who's name you're
going to pull from this-Valentine's cask!"
She held up
a large box wrapped in shiny metallic gift paper, adorned with hearts, and
smiled brightly.
This time,
the groan was collective.
Jou felt
like crying.
A lesser
know talent?
Yeah,
right, as if he had any worth showing, let alone impress the classmate he
picked.
He could
dance(streetdance and waltz, thought he didn't intend to tell anyone about the
latter), duel(duh!), do a backflip(he cringed, imaginating the reaction he
would most likely get), cook(okonomyaki and white miso soup), draw("Hey Jou! Is
that a horse or did you REBD collide with a train?") and that's that.
Except..except….
The
faintest spark of hope shone in the blond's amber eyes.
Slamming
the door closed behind him, Jou rushed up the stairs to his room and started
searching through his dresser, cupboard, wardrobe, ect, without success.
Exhausted
and disappointed, Jou finally slumped on his futon and sighed miserably,
thinking:
'I probably
threw it out long ago-or my old man sold it to pay the bills.'
That's when
his eyes fell on the large, rectangle shadow on top of his wardrobe.
Grinning
widely, Jou rose from where he lay to retrieve his forgotten treasure.
The
'Valentine Day Festival' had been a success so far.
Anzu had
knitted a scarf for Yugi(she had tried for a sweater, but there had not been
enough time), Honda had some Capoiera moves in store for Ryou, who in turn
juggled knives for Otogi(although everybody had the distinct feeling, Bakura
was doing the juggling, and moved as far away from the stage as possible).
The dice
master prooved to be a rather good cook, at least according to Jou, who ate the
whole triple-layer-banana-cream-chocolate cake Otogi had made for him in one
go.
Yugi was
quiet the acrobat, Honda had to admit, but the duelist extraordinaire didn't
think it too funny, when the brunet opted to rent him out to the circus.
And who
would have thought, Kaiba would make for a good King Lear? Anzu was very
touched by the way the CEO delivered the insane monarch's final monologue, and
she wasn't the only one, seeing how the audience sniffled and weeped quietly.
Slowly, the
festival came to an end, and the only one, who hadn't received anything yet,
was Kaiba.
The other
students whispered behind his back, casting him sidelong, mostly pityful
glances.
Which
unnerved the tall brunet to no end.
And then
Jou appeared on the stage.
Carrying a
chair in one hand, a small, brown suitcase in the other and an ominous black
coffin on his back, Jou grabbed the microphone and announced:
"Check,
check-sorry, minna-san for runnin' late, it took me a while t' get my stuff
together."
He took
place on the chair, readjusted the micro, then turned the brown box towards the
audience, revealing it as pignose.
Upon
opening the large black cask, everybody present gasped at the sight of the
accustic guitar Jou withdrew and connected with the enhancer.
It was old
and battered, but beautifully polished and well-kempt.
Letting his
fingers glide experimentally over the strings, Jou cleared his throath and
declared:
"I-uhh,
picked Kaiba's name, and this song's dedicated to him. Hope ya like it."
Without any
further addo, his soft tenor floated through the ballroom, accompanied by the
notes dripping like pearls from the strings.
When I
saw you standing there
I about
fell off my chair
And when
you moved your mouth to speak
I felt
the blood go to my feet
Now it
took time for me to know
What you
tried so not to show
And
something in my soul just cried
I see
the want in your blue eyes
Baby
I'd love
you to want me
The way
that I want you
The way
that it should be
Mmhmhh
baby
You'd
love me to want you
The way that
I want to
If you'd
only let it be
You told
yourself years ago
You
never let your feelings show
The
obligation that you made
For the
title that they gave
Baby
I'd love
you to want me
The way
that I want you
The way
that it should be
Mmhmhh
baby
You'd
love me to want you
The way
that I want to
If you'd
only let it be
Now it
took time for me to know
What you
tried so not to show
But
something in my soul just cried
I see
the want in your blue eyes
Baby
I'd love
you to want me
The way
that I want you
The way
that it should be
Mmhmhh
baby
You'd
love me to want you
The way
that I want to
If you'd
only let it be
Oohhoho-oo
baby
I'd love
you to want me
The way
that I want you
The way
that it should be
Mmhmhh
baby
You'd
love me to want you
The way that
I want to
If you'd
only let it be
Jou let the
song fade out, then packed his belongings and left without another word.
It was
then, that the audience finally woke from it's awed daze and started roaring in
applause.
He had
waited, until every last student had left.
Only then
he dared to come out of his hiding place in the janitor's closet and walk
through the empty halls.
As he
passed the lockers, the sound of clapping drew his attention.
Kaiba
stepped out of the shadows, still applauding, a semi-mocking grin on his face.
"Honto de,
inu, I must admit, that was not bad. Although it makes one wonder-were you just
declaring your undying love for me out there?"Jou gave
the CEO a look that read 'who the hell let you out of the asylum'.
Then the
blond shook his head and, giving an amused chuckle, replied:
"Just how
conceited can one get?"
Amber bore
into azure, as he continued:
"I picked
this song because it fit you best and it's one of the few I can sing and play
without messin' up. As for the meanin' behind it-take it any way you want."
Shifting
the weight on his shoulders, Jou patted the brunet's cheek in a rather
patronizing manner and stated:
"For
somebody who claims to know everythin', you know quiet little, moneybags."
With that, he was on his way, humming the song as he did, leaving Kaiba standing there, wondering.
The blond's voice kept playing in the CEO's head for days to come.
Fin
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Well, I'll be tuning out again-see ya in the funny pages!