Chapter 4 - Down Stream

Sunday:

I was still in disbelief when I pressed the button on the intercom. and awaited the answer. A few hours earlier, I had gotten a message from Kaiba: "Since you clearly don't have a way with the ladies, come hang out at my place later."

I almost fell out of the bed in surprise, when I read it. After yesterday, the mere thought of seeing Kaiba again, made my heart race. But why did he even bother? Until just a week ago, I had been sure that Seto Kaiba hated me more than anything else. And that I felt the same way about him…

An absent voice sounded in the intercom. and I jumped in surprise. "Yes?" It was Kaiba. Again I felt my heart speed up.

"It… It's Jounouchi…" I stammered. There was no answer, but the gate opened without a sound. As I walked up the driveway, I kept speculating: Why did he invite me? (Why did I come?) I reached the door and raised my hand to nock. It opened.

"So you came…" I looked up and met the ice-blue gaze. My knees were trembling. Kaiba smirked at me, and my face turned red.

"Of course I came! You invited me didn't you?" I growled. He nodded thoughtfully (Like I was making a point in a discussion.)

"I did…" He stepped aside, and I walked in. It was dark in the hall. I had to stop and wait for my eyes to adjust, after coming in from the bright daylight. Standing there, I suddenly started wondering: What were we going to do? I mean it was Kaiba… How do you hang out with Seto Kaiba? I felt an arm behind my shoulders. "This way." His deep voice said beside me. Then he let me through the many rooms of his mansion. For some reason everything seemed deferent from when I was there the last time. Maybe it was just because I was with him. We ended up in a small room (When I say small, I mean about the size of a baseball court.) It was painted in a dark blue color, and furnished with big, purple sofas. My eyes immediately jumped to the big screen TV, which covered most of the back wall. For a moment, I forgot who I was standing next to.

"Holy mother of… That's unbelievable! That thing must be more than 100 inches!" He chuckled. When I looked at him I was sure that I saw a short smile sweep across his face. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and quickly turned away before he noticed it.

"So… You wanna watch a movie?" The way he said it, so casually, made my heart skip a beat.

"Uhm… Yeahr, sure." I said, staring at the floor to hide the increasing blush on my face. Kaiba quickly swept across the room and opened a large cabinet.

"Choose…" He said and looked at me. I couldn't move a muscle. The cabinet was stocked with DVD's, probably every movie ever made, but I didn't really notice it. Kaiba was watching me with such a weird look in his eyes. It made my heart beat totally out of control. I started regretting coming here. Being with him shouldn't make me feel like this! I stared back, unable to say or do anything. After a cobble of minutes like that he sighed and grabbed a box. "At least sit down!" His tone was demanding. I bumped down in the nearest sofa and watched him while he fumbled with the machine.

"What are we watching?" I said when he finished and the movie started.

"Don't know…" He sat down in the other end of the couch. It turned out to be some kind of romantic comedy. (To think that Kaiba had something like that in his home…) I pretended to follow the movie, but I didn't really pay much attention. Every now and then, I snuck a peek at him. One time I was sure that he turned his head away from me when I looked. Like he was watching me. (This was probably the weirdest way to "hang out", in the world) After half an hour, I gave up and turned away from the screen. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at me.

"So…" I didn't really know what to say. "Why did you invite me here?" I asked, with a voice sounding colder than I mend it to. He shrug his shoulders.

"I was bored…" He seemed so indifferent, it pissed me off.

"And you thought of me as a way of entertainment?" I growled. He didn't seem to notice my tone.

"Something like that." He just said, and pretended to watch the movie. My anger rose and I stood.

"You can't just expect me to come running every time you call me!" Kaiba looked at me and smirked

"Well you did come, didn't you?" I froze. Yes I did come, and I still didn't know why. He stretched and in a lazy voice he then added: "After all, that is what dogs do. 'Mutt'" I exploded. Up until now, I had believed Kaiba had changed. Now I could see that he was exactly the same as always. I don't know why, but for some reason he had decided to play with my feelings.

"You… You…" I didn't know what to say. I wanted to yell at him. Tell him how he had hurt me, what a jerk he was. But I couldn't. I even felt the tears rising in my eyes. He looked at me, and for the first time since I arrived, he seemed to really notice me.

"What's the matter?" He said, like he had just entered the room. (Like he didn't know what just happened.) I took a step backwards and turned, to leave. He grabbed my arm. "Jou, what's the problem?" I tried to pull my arm out of his grip, but it was too tight.

"You are!" I yelled and pulled harder. "Let go of me 'money-bags'!" He did and I tumbled backwards.

"I didn't…"

"Shut up!" I screamed. Then I ran out of the room. Later I wondered how I got to the door without getting lost, but I was so upset at that time that I didn't even think about it. I just stormed through the rooms and corridors, not even noticing if I knocked something over. I was angry at Kaiba. So angry! And I was sad. Now I realized how happy it had made me, to be friends with him. And all along he was just pretending..?

I ran as far as I could. I didn't know where I was going, other than away from him. I ended up at the beach. The sun was just setting, and there weren't any people around. I sat down, leaned against a wall and closed my eyes. This past week had been like an emotional rollercoaster. I kept seeing his face in front of me. The tears were running down my cheeks. Why? Why had he done this to me? No one could push my buttons like he could. I sighed.

My head was spinning. I thought to myself: "Is it a dream?"