A/N: Thank you for reading. Just a quick thank you to Opera Goose and pipes for reading this ahead of time and giving me some tips on how I might improve it. Enjoy~

For all his money and power, he couldn't find a way to get out of this. Not only was the teacher stubborn, but the school refused to be bribed, insisting that he be treated like a normal student. If he had chosen a private school, he doubted the result would be much different. There students with money would be nothing special; here the district just insisted on being ethical in their treatment of others. It should have been commendable, but all Seto Kaiba could do at this juncture in time was fume.

He liked to swim. He had a private pool and swam laps daily. But swimming in public involved sharing more of his secrets than he comfortably could. No amount of makeup would make his scars go away, and even if it could, the water would just wash it off immediately.

That is how he found himself waiting in a bathroom stall until after everyone else had left. Sure, the top-of-the-line, Olympic-grade wetsuit was a clever solution; no one would think twice about the fact that a rich student like Seto Kaiba would have and prefer one. Still, getting into it, and showering, before entering the pool was a challenge.

Finally the mass shuffling of feet indicated the students were lining up for class. Once quiet, he snuck out of the bathroom stall. The coast seemed clear, but he was going to do a quick look-through of the area before taking any chances. Once he was satisfied that he was alone, he grabbed his soaps, hung up the wetsuit and a towel, stripped, and began to wash himself hurriedly.

Jounouchi shuffled down the empty hallway towards the locker room. He was late, but he didn't particularly care; he planned to skip this class anyway. He always did when it came to swimming. While he wanted to say it was a fear of water, or even a dislike of the activity, the reality was that were he to swim, he probably would find himself homeless or in foster care, neither option seeming to be worth the grade to him. Perhaps the scars could be explained away, but the fresh belt marks? The cigarette burns? The glass he occasionally could not get out of his back? His reputation as a trouble maker would only go so far, and even that was dwindling as his friendship with Yugi strengthened.

Swinging open the door to the locker room, he was surprised to smell soap and hear water running. Whatever, he didn't care if someone saw him, as long as they didn't tell the teachers where he was. He looked up to see who he was dealing with and his eyes caught Seto Kaiba's biting glare. Failing to be intimidated, Jounouchi locked his eyes with the other, refusing to look away first.

Kaiba broke the silence first. "What are you doing here, mutt?"

Jounouchi growled under his breath. "Quit with the dog jokes already Kaiba."

The brief confrontation allowed both to look away without losing the staring contest. Jou finally had a chance to take in what he was seeing: Kaiba was standing awkwardly, his hands behind his back as though he was hiding something. A few scars reached over Kaiba's shoulders, marring his well-defined chest. They appeared to have been made by some sort of whip-like instrument, possibly a riding crop, due to the way the scars fanned out at the end. If Jou had to guess, he'd assume that Seto's back was similarly marred. Afterall, he had a similar issue.

Jou's eyes widened and his head involuntarily bowed in understanding. The expression quickly changed to horror as he caught Kaiba's murderous glare. Normally he would not be intimidated by the other boy, but the venom in his eyes somehow managed to increase nearly threefold in the last several seconds. The other grit his teeth angrily at Jou, as though he was too mad to speak. When sound finally escaped his mouth, it was near a hiss, the phrase clipped and careful.

"Explain yourself, mutt."

The name shocked Jou from his stupor, and incited his anger in return. "Who are you calling a mutt?" he challenged. "It seems someone didn't want you either."

"I'm calling you a mutt because you are," Kaiba responded, outwardly ignoring the jab. "Answer my question."

"Jeeze, don't get your panties in a bunch moneybags," Jou quipped. "Oh wait, you're not wearing any."

Kaiba growled and opened his mouth for a comeback only for Jou to start talking again.

"I'm skipping," he rolled his eyes. "I think that much is obvious."

Kaiba just scoffed. "Can you even afford to fail a class as easy as gym?" he questioned.

"You're late, you should talk."

"At least I intend to be there," Kaiba growled. "That's more than I can say for you."

Jounouchi growled back, "You wouldn't know the first thing about why I skip, so don't play all high and mighty with me." He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"And why is that?" Kaiba taunted. "Afraid of water? I thought dogs loved to swim."

"QUIT with the dog jokes, Kaiba," Jou argued, not answering the other's question.

Kaiba likewise ignored that comment. "What possibly could be more important than attending the only class you are guaranteed to pass if you just show up?" Kaiba taunted, growing bolder, as though he wasn't standing naked before he other with his secrets revealed across his skin.

"It's not your business Kaiba," Jou responded irritably. He really should have said nothing.

But Kaiba had made it his business, and he'd be damned if he backed down now. He smirked. "Are you sure?"

Jou looked at him confused. "Am I sure it's not your business?" he asked. "Of course it's not."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Are you sure I don't understand," he bitterly replied. "You said that someone didn't want me either."

Before he could bluster away the accusation, Jou's face paled, giving Kaiba all the information he needed. The water was all that could be heard before Jou broke the silence.

"Yeah, whatever." He turned his face away from the other. "It's not like I have money for..." he gestured to the wetsuit that sat on the wall behind Kaiba, "that."

Kaiba continued to glare at Jou, though he knew he had lost the argument. He wasn't so hypocritical as to tell Jou to go anyway. Slowly the glare turned to a softer gaze and he nodded once. Jou finally broke the silence with a, likely unnecessary, "Anyway, don't tell 'em where I am," before turning away.

Kaiba exhaled the word, "Fine," to Jou's back, turning off the water and toweling off in order to put on the wetsuit. "But none of my secrets get out either," he threatened. Without waiting for an answer, he stalked off, leaving Jou alone in the locker room.