/sigh/ Reposted because the link wasn't working.

Disclaimer: Yuugiou belongs to Kazuki Takahashi, who is not me. In other words, I don't own Yuugiou.

Important, please read! Ah, now that I have your attention, please note that this fanfic takes place after the end of the Yuugiou anime series. This means you should have knowledge of all that has happened during the Yuugiou anime, at least. I will not be responsible for any spoilers, manga or anime. I would have preferred to base it on the manga, but I doubt many have read it. Also, I prefer the original over the dub, so expect differences and stuff like that.

This story is canon based through and through, but this only applies to events and facts. Last of all, this is BL/boy love/shonen ai/yaoi/slash. If you don't like that sort of thing, don't read this fanfic.

(Read the manga… especially if you're one of those people who thought this, "What if it had been Kaiba who saved Jounouchi during the part where he nearly drowned in Battle City?") This is a little teaser. Anyone actually curious enough to look it up, check chapter 199 (or somewhere around there) of the manga. You won't be disappointed.

A KaiJou story by Miso Soup Productions (formerly known as "Misori Chan")
Beautiful
Prologue - Sleepless Nights
On the radio: "Now Three" by Vienna Teng

-:i:-

It was the night before school started again and the last day of Winter Break. Tomorrow would be the start of the last quarter of the school year, which meant graduation was quickly approaching. Tomorrow, Jounouchi would finally see Yuugi again. After the departure of the Other Yuugi at the start of the break, the only other time he had seen his friend was during New Years, when everyone had gathered together at the game shop to celebrate. After that, he had hardly heard from Yuugi, and he had guessed that it was because he needed time alone to become used to being apart from the Other Yuugi.

Jounouchi would probably never understand how deep their bond had been, but he understood that the Other Yuugi had been someone very important to his friend. Still, he wished they had spent more time together. Even Honda and Anzu had been busy during the break visiting relatives amongst other things, leaving him without much to do in his spare time. Because of that he had used whatever "spare time" he had to do more odd jobs, along with his job as a paper boy. The only pro to that was he had earned extra money, which turned out to be more than enough to pay the bills and his school fees (1). He even had some left over that he could use to buy new Duel Monsters cards, or even better, some new clothes.

Well, none of that really mattered at the moment. It was getting late and if he wanted to be awake enough the next morning to meet up with the gang and make it to the bus, he needed to be in bed soon. There was no reason for him to be depressed over such little things since he'd be able to see his friends again tomorrow. More importantly, he needed to end his thoughts there or else it would only lead to even more bothersome thoughts, and he had enough to deal with already. He honestly didn't need to build up any more weight for himself. Yes, he'd deal with those other problems later; For now, he needed to rest and catch up on his sleep.

A crash just outside his room snapped him out of his half awake state. Jounouchi exhaled softly. He had been so close to falling asleep too.

Scrambling out of bed as fast as possible, he raced to his bedroom door and yanked it open. The sight that met him was revolting but pitiful at the same time, and it pulled at his heart. "Tou-san…" (2) His father was drunk again, he knew, but it still ate him up inside to see him passed out on their apartment floor, unaware of anything wrong. He walked over slowly to his father's side and knelt down, gently placing a hand on the man's forehead. Sighing in relief at the feel of warm skin, he began to pick up his father and help him to his room. Throughout the entire ordeal, Jounouchi could only think of one thing. He was glad that his father wasn't sick or dead.

Once he had brought his father safely to his room, Jounouchi retreated to his own room to once again try to fall asleep. Despite knowing that it would be much harder to fall asleep now, he still forced himself to try. When asleep, he wouldn't have to worry about anything and could just succumb to his dreams, and that was a good enough reason for him to desire sleep. For a good hour, Jounouchi simply stared at his ceiling. He just couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried, or perhaps he had been trying too hard. What was worse was that he had developed a headache during the hour.

Becoming even more frustrated when he couldn't even close his eyes to rest, Jounouchi sat up straight on his bed and made his way to his window. For a while he just stood there, not really doing anything in particular. Then, he moved closer to the window, leaning forward a little.

Jounouchi raised a hand up to touch the glass, just barely brushing it. After a few seconds, he pressed his hand fully against the glass. It was so cold against his skin and he wanted more. Standing even closer to the window, Jounouchi pressed his head against the glass, instantly feeling a wave of coolness block out his headache. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel more of the wonderful sensation. Minutes later, his headache disappeared. Satisfied and feeling much better, he opened his eyes to admire the scenery before him.

Although he lived in an apartment complex, the window in his room had a pretty decent—if not nice—view of the entire city and that was one thing he was truly grateful for. During nights such as these, it really helped to relax him. Deciding that just looking at the city wasn't enough, he slid his window open and was greeted with a breath of fresh air. Jounouchi inhaled deeply with a smile and gazed into the distance. A breeze entered his room, brushing his hair with ghostly touches. Continuing to appreciate the outside with half lidded eyes, he sensed that sleep was just within his grasp…

Funny, he could see the Kaiba Corp building from his window.

"Kaiba!" Jounouchi shouted, only to clasp his hands tightly over his mouth. Listening intently for any movements from the room next to his, Jounouchi mentally berated himself for his sudden outburst. Upon hearing nothing, he slowly removed his hands and let out a sigh of relief. Jounouchi's eyes once again settled on the Kaiba Corp building.

Kaiba Seto was a strange person, and that was all Jounouchi could honestly say about him. Since the incident with Dartz, Kaiba had grown closer to Jounouchi and his group of friends. They weren't really the best of buddies, but they certainly were more tolerant and understanding towards each other. Even though Kaiba didn't really spend much time with them, he was still considered to be a friend. Kaiba's friendship with them was an odd and fragile one, but Jounouchi thought it was a pleasant change.

"Kaiba…" Jounouchi whispered.

It was ironic how all his thoughts always led to Kaiba in the end, one way or another. Some time ago he had accepted the fact that he was a little bit obsessed with Kaiba. Nonetheless, it didn't mean that he still didn't get pissed off every time that stuck up jerk entered his mind, since Kaiba would always be Kaiba. Him and his stupid comments. His stupid corporation. His stupid hair. Just thinking about Kaiba made Jounouchi want to throw his duel disk at the bastard's face. Then again, it would be such a waste of a good duel disk. He had to admit though; Kaiba did have a brilliant mind, even if he had issues and only thought of Mokuba and Kaiba Corp.

Jounouchi stuck out his tongue childishly at the window. "Kaiba is such an asshole."

Turning away from the window in a huff, he crossed his arms and glared at his door. He didn't want to think about Kaiba anymore. Thinking about Kaiba always made him feel slightly uneasy, and there was always a strange ache in his chest accompanying that feeling of uneasiness. Glancing down at the floor, Jounouchi ran a hand through his hair. He sighed. It looked like it was going to be another sleepless night.

-:i:-

To Be Continued…

(1) Public education in Japan isn't free. Er… public schools in Japan are like private schools in the U.S.
(2) Tou-san: A way to say dad.

Next time…
Chapter One: A Tender Daydream

A/N: Well, the title is a hint, just like all my chapter titles will be. BTW, guys, this is a musical fanfic. Each chapter will center on a song. For more info, check out my fandom LJ (link is in my profile). Also, Yuugiou is a Japanese anime, so the school system will be based on Japanese schools. If you visit my fandom LJ, there will be an entry about Japanese schools and how they work, for this will be the only part where I use footnotes to explain the school systems.

On another note, this is an experimental fic. This is my first really long KaiJou fanfic (not a one-shot or that 3 chapter thing I did a LONG time ago). I am enjoying it and I hope you will too. Reviews are very much appreciated.