Title: Eight Point Star
Fandom : YuGiOh
Pairing : (possible) Seto/Jonouchi
Incomplete, weird story I've been kicking around for like a year.
Started as an HP fic, but I like it in YGO better. Possible future Shonen-ai/Yaoi content
Disclaimer- ::ahem:: I own nothing but a couple of Metal Gear action figures, who
decline to appear in this fic, and a couple bootleg CDs. The insurance company and
hospital are already out for my blood, so go ahead and try to sue me. I'm declaring
bankruptcy anyway. Sigmund Freud was not harmed in the making of this fic.
'Dude'- thoughts
"Dude."- Words
=Dude= -Singing
~Dude~ -Flashback
/Dude/- Yami thoughts
\Dude\- Hikari thoughs
Dude- Tv sounds
Dude- Radio sounds
*Dude * -Phone sounds
#Dude#- Intoxicated, imagine slurring
'He's really not so bad' Jonouchi thought, his fingers picking out a slow arpeggio on
his beat up old guitar. 'He's actually a pretty cool guy, when he's sober. He's just
been through a lot. I mean, it could be worse. He could beat me all the time, or rape me,
or sell me on the black market, rather than just being a mean drunk.' Jou shuddered
'Yeah, he could be a lot worse.'
Absently his hands traced a tune he knew as well as his own heartbeat.
One of the first he'd ever learned, the intro to House Of The Rising Sun.
He sat in the slowly fading sunlight, hands moving deftly over well-worn
strings he'd soon have to replace. His mind wandered back to a dark room in New York,
13 yr old hands awkwardly learning, shaping to work stiff new strings on a big, clumsy guitar.
He smiled softly, remembering, as his fingers slid and plucked, tune seamlessly changing to that of an old favorite, his voice quietly rising, humming, preparing to sing the words.
He was proud of his voice, soft but clear, warm, and mellow.
He'd been told, on those rare occasions he allowed someone to hear him sing, that he sounded like Freddy Mercury, or maybe Robert Plant, you could hear the emotion behind his words.
His voice rose slightly, words rising soft and clear on the on the cool air, sadness painting
them, making them real, reflecting the sharp pain from his heart and body.
He smiled sadly as he sang-
=So=
=So you think you can tell=
=Heaven from Hell=
=Blue Skies from Pain=
=Can you tell a Green Field=
=From a cold Steel Rail=
=A smile from a veil=
=Do you think you can tell=
=Did they get you to Trade=
=Your Heroes for Ghosts=
=Hot Ashes for Trees=
=Hot air for a Cool Breeze=
=Cold Comfort for Change=
=Did you exchange=
=A walk on part in the War=
=For a lead Role=
=In a Cage=
=How I Wish=
=How I Wish you were Here=
=We're just Two lost Souls swimming in a fish bowl=
=Year after year=
=Running over the same old ground=
=What have We Found=
=Same old Fears=
=Wish You Were Here=
Seto Kaiba stopped dead in his tracks.
He didn't know what he'd expected when he finally gave in to Mokuba's demand
that he take a break from work and get some fresh air, but he most definitely had not
expected to have his heart stopped, ripped out, and torn to pieces by a few soft, half-heard guitar notes and English lyrics carried by a sad, lonely voice that flowed into his brain like hot, sweet lemon-honey tea liberally laced with cheap American whiskey.
Not pausing to think, he impulsively followed the soft tendrils of song through a
Decorative row of fir trees, across a clearing, and up to the top of a small hill, where he stopped at the base of a childrens watchtower, surveying the scene before him.
There was a small, clear pond below, reflecting the darkening sky.
Earlier there had probably been ducks, maybe geese, basking on the surface, relishing the late summer sun.
Now the shore was occupied only by sleeping flowers, and a solitary guitar player,
plucking and strumming out his lonely song.
The lyrics had ended, and now he was simply picking out random notes, somehow
managing to string them together into a patter which tugged the brunette's heartstrings.
Eventually he set the guitar aside and lay back to watch the stars come out. Seto heard his
Voice, quietly muttering something about heading back soon, but he seemed in no hurry
to leave.
Kaiba sat back against the base of the tower, noticing with interest the way the twilight colored the soft blonde locks with hints of gold and red, playing off the water, the grass,
and the guitar strings in tiny eight-point stars.
He found himself wishing he had a camera, if only to record the serenity of the moment,
the puppy actually being quiet without being rendered unconscious. This was far too
intriguing to pass by, and he had no worries about being seen- the hill would block
Jonouchi's view nearly until he reached the top, and by the time he got there, Kaiba
could be long gone.
And the boy seemed so sad, solemn, almost lost. Seto could not help but wonder.
He'd never known the boy could play, let alone sing, and he did so heartbreakingly well.
The brunette wondered if any of his friends had ever seen him this way, what else there
was about the young man that he didn't know, that maybe nobody knew.
The thought was saddening, as he realized for all his taunts and insults, he really knew
nothing about the young man he was currently stalking.
It was truly sobering.
He lost himself in thought until that amazing voice softly broke into his daydreams once
again. He leaned forward to listen.
=Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner=
=Sometimes I feel like I'm all alone=
=At least I have her love=
=The city she loves me=
=Lonely as I am, together we cry=
Jonouchi sighed, strumming his song.
He knew it referred to Los Angeles, where he'd never been, but he loved it anyway.
And not like anyone around here understood the lyrics, anyway.
Heh, just one more way he was different. Much as he'd grown to love Japanese music,
Dir En Grey and Shakkazombie couldn't compare to the sounds of his native language,
sung by people who spoke it.
Listening to Kyo sing in English could make him cry, in the right mood.
He looked up to the sky, feeling, not for the first time, totally alone.
He was not surprised to feel a warm tear slowly trace down his cheek.
He stood to leave, casing his guitar and carrying it, gripping loosely.
Seto Kaiba was far more surprised to feel a moist droplet linger on his face, before it dropped to dampen the leg of his trousers.
He looked down at the tiny dark spot in the dim light, disbelieving.
He spoke and understood English well, one of the many business lessons he'd learned
from his adoptive father, his mentor, and he knew the sadness of the words Jonouchi
sang.
Suddenly he realized the silence, and saw with a shock that Jonouchi was nearing.
Panicked, he looked for a way to leave without being seen.
Jonouchi walked slowly up the hill, thinking quietly.
He smiled as he passed the watchtower, stopping to look at it, almost lovingly.
He'd played here when he was young, ridden his bike down the hill.
He was seized with a sudden urge to climb up the tower, slide down the fireman's pole,
but his dad would be home by now, and might worry. He didn't often mind Jou's
nocturnal wanderings, and long as he was home by a reasonable time.
He sighed, and headed home.
Seto Kaiba was never so relieved as watching Jonouchi's back, walking slowly down the
hill toward the basketball court, the opposite side from the break of trees. He'd been
astounded, captivated by the look in the blonde's eyes, and for a moment he was sure
he'd be discovered. Now he frowned in confusion as he poked the fireman's pole,
wondering, for the first time ever, how it worked.
Sighing, he picked up his mobile phone, dialing home.
* Brrrring! *
"Moshi Moshi. Kaiba Residence"
"Mokuba, please"
"One Moment please, sir"
"….."
"Moshi Moshi?"
"Mokuba?"
"Yes, Big Brother"
"::ahem:: Er, I'm standing on a platform in the park. It's a long story. There's a kind of pole, and, er…"
"::Sigh:: You hold at the top with both hands, wrap your legs around, and slide."
"Er, thank you"
Kaiba moved to comply with his younger brother's instructions, cursing his decision to use the equipment as a hiding place. Next time he'd simply pretend to be a hedgehog.
"Heh, that works much better, doesn't it? "
"Big Brother, how do you get yourself into these situations?"
"It's a gift"
" … ::Sigh:: Just be home soon. I ordered pizza"
"Hawaiian?"
"You know it."
"Be home in 10. And Mokuba?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you"
* click *
Kaiba smiled, and started home.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The end, for now.
The park is shamelessly stolen from one near my house.
I learned to ride my bike on the basketball court side of that hill, and hit the only tree on
it in the process. First song belongs to Pink Floyd, second to Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Singers belong to their respective labels, estates, whatever. Characters belong to Kazuki
Takahashi. Seto liking Hawaiian Pizza stolen from Misura.
Oh, and thank you to my amazing lovely beta readers, Jack and Sarah! Jack does it cuz he's just so cool and I like him, and I can blackmail him if he doesn't. Sarah's just a very cool person, and knows the series and pairing well, besides, she's good at it. Thank you, dudes! This would suck even more without you!
If I forgot anyone, I don't care. Read and review.
Flames are appreciated, and will be laughed at before being donated to Jav's Flaming Pit of Fiery Death, into which we will some day throw Anzu.
May it burn forever.