Man it took a long time for this chapter didn't it. Sorry. Next chapter won't take so long. ^^ Well, don't own Yugioh or its characters and I hope you enjoy. Oh and yes, I love Pursuit of Happiness too. Anyways, on to the story! (I'll try and make the next chapter longer).

Amnesiac Dreams

VI. The Truth Behind Smiles

Jounouchi emerged out of the private dressing rooms an agonizing two and a half hours later. Currently, he sat in a lone chair seated beside the counter. He was dressed in a white buttoned up dress shirt with a navy cashmere sweater vest pulled over it. He stared down at his pants and sighed heavily. He was tired, "Trying on clothes sucks." He muttered to himself. It was no fun that was sure. Erio and the salesman from Hell, were busy chatting over something back in the rooms and he was allowed to wait out here. His legs were clothed in dark blue straight-leg slacks and he was wearng .

His eyes drifted up into the mirror directly across from him and he frowned deeply. There was nothing wrong with the clothes, they were fine and Erio assured that both Shizuka and his mother would approve of them. "So why don't I?" He questioned as he stared at himself. He thought about the conversation he and Erio had, as short as it was, there were some very chilling things said. 'So my Father and myself are just a bunch of street dogs? I am an unbecoming thing… And Erio seems to have made it his.. Mission to 'groom' me into some kinda gentleman like himself?' The blond leaned forward and pouted. 'It's a good thing that I don't remember myself. -Because Erio doesn't have a tolerance for rule-breakers. So, he would've hated me before I got shot in the face.' Jounouchi could feel anger bubbling its way to the surface but he shook it away. 'But what does it matter? I can't go back for whatever reason they don't want me to know. An' I can't say anything, its obvious how much mom loves him an' even Shizuka cares 'bout him.'

Causing a scene just because he doesn't want to be turned into a respectable gent? They would think he was crazy, anyone would. "If I really was such a thing before… Maybe it is for the best that I just stay quiet and let'em do whatever." He pulled on the collar of the vest, he didn't like the layered look though. It would have to take some getting used to. A moment later Erio had emerged and after paying and taking the bags, they headed out towards the mall.


"Honda, what's the matter?" Otogi asked as he sipped on his soda. "You've been quiet ever since we left Jounouchi's place. I enjoyed it at first but it's getting pretty annoying."

The brunet picked at his fries and shrugged. "Ha ha. Funny." He shook his head. "I dunno. I mean, Shizuka is sweet and I know she'll do her best to make sure Jounouchi feels comfortable. She's so nice and kind and beautiful, it'll be easy to make anyone happy..." Otogi rolled his eyes but remained quiet. "But Don't you think that guy is a little high-strung? I just have this bad feeling that Jounouchi isn't going to like it there." He popped a fry into his mouth and continued to stare down at his plate of food.

Otogi gave him an understanding smile. "Yeah he is a little... Uh, tense. They're a little weird. I mean they do like everything together." He chuckled. "It's pretty creepy if you ask me."

Honda gave him a pecular glare, "What do you mean?" The black-haired teen smirked and sat his drink down on the table. He leaned over as did the brunet. "So what do you mean, creepy?" He repeated.


"We'll have to find a good time to get you a haircut, Jounouchi." He said in casual conversation as they searched for Mina and Shizuka.

Jounouchi gave him a somewhat confused look. "A haircut?"

The man nodded and turned around to face him. The two stopped in their tracks in response. Erio reached out and ran his hands through the blond locks and nodded once again. "Yes. It's much too long and we need to style it in a more proper manner. This scattered mess is definitely not appealing." He explained and made to turn and continue walking. "I also need to find a speech trainer, for you. Now come on, the girls are waiting."

Jounouchi put down his bags and ran his hand through his own locks. He shook the negative feelings away. His hair wasn't necessarily neat but he didn't see any real problem with it and his 'speech' wasn't so bad, was it? "Katsuya!" Shizuka rushed out from a nearby clothing store with their mother approaching behind her at a much more patient pace. She ran up and gave him a hug and then inspected his clothes. "Hey you guys are done already?" She asked in surprise and gave her brother a bright smile. 'Already? It took forever!' He stated mentally. He nodded. "Well, I love what you're wearing!" She commented. "See, I told you Erio would find you some great stuff."

Jounouchi smiled and shook his head in the positive. 'I was hopin' of all people she woulda thought it was way too… I dunno. It's obviously NOT my type of dress…' He felt like he was stranger living in someone else's life… Oh wait. He was, wasn't he? "Indeed. You look like a whole new person. Kastuya, dear, you're so handsome." Their mother gushed as she caressed his face gently.

Erio and Mina exchanged a small kiss and affectionate smile. He wrapped his arm around her waist, "It looks like you two found some things as well." He noted their bags.

The two femmes nodded and took turns in describing a few of their splurges. Erio and a reluctant Jounouchi, showed off some of his other clothes too. There were more vests, some sweaters, more dress-shirts, pleated khakis, patterned trousers just to name a few. "Is it alright if Katsuya and I run to the food court real quick? I want to grab a smoothie from The Juice Bar." Shizuka asked after a while of them walking idly.

"Oh that's fine, sweetie. We were just heading to the car, meet us down there alright?" Mina replied and Shizuka nodded. Erio took the bags from Jounouchi and the group split up.

"Come on, big brother." She chimed happily. The two made it to the food court and stood in the long line leading to the counter of 'The Juice Bar'. "Wait until you try it, Katsuya. The smoothies here are delicious." She insisted.

"Sounds great." He replied in smile. The blond scanned the whole of the court, the smell of various foods being cooked and served filled his nostrils and made him wish he could try them all. To be honest, he was still starving; that late breakfast hadn't been quite filling to begin with and it'd already been about three or four hours since then. He hoped they were planning on eating some time soon. As he looked around, his eyes just by chance happened upon two very familiar people. His eyes went wide and he couldn't help but smile somewhat - for real. He turned around and bit his lip nervously, "Hey, sis… I'mma go an' use the restroom, I'll be back." He said stepping out of line.

"We-Well okay, uhm I'll just order something for you then!" She called and he nodded distracted. He headed towards the restrooms just in case she was watching him and after a moment or so, he stepped out and searched for the two he'd seen. His whole body shivered in some strange sense of excitement. "I knew it was them!" He exclaimed to himself as he could see the Kaiba brothers getting ready to leave the court. He rushed up to them before as they picked up their things.

Mokuba noticed him first, as he was nearing. "Seto, look…" He pointed at the blond with a mixed expression drawn on his face.

"Hey, guys!" Jounouchi called anxious, suddenly feeling really embarrassed as they each stared at him somewhat dazed.

Kaiba smirked as he gave the blond a once-over, "What are you wearing?" He sneered in amusement.

The blond stared down at his clothes and back up at him. "What? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He asked tugging on the hem of his vest.

"You look absolutely ridiculous." Kaiba answered him with a roll of his eyes.

"I do..?" Jounouchi glared and clenched his fist. "Hey… my- my family says I look good in this." He defended. "What's wrong with it?" 'Why does he say I look ridiculous? Wait… Isn't that sort of what I was thinking before? No… It doesn't matter. These are good clothes an' you just don't insult something like that!'

Mokuba stepped between them and gave his brother a warning glare. Kaiba acknowledged it and scoffed. The younger offered an apologetic smile at the blond, "Jounouchi, I think was Seto means is… It's a little strange to see you wearing something like that. I mean, there's nothing particularly wrong with sweater vests or you know… Slacks…"

Kaiba smirked. "And don't forget the burgundy dress shoes." He interjected in a tone that relayed sheer amusement.

"Seto." Mokuba chided. "It's just y'know, you are more of the laid back, jeans and t-shirt sort. That's all." He explained as best he could. It was quiet for a moment but it allowed the blond to take it in and calm somewhat.

"Oh. I get it." He looked over himself and nodded. 'Yeah. I was wonderin' the moment I was listenin' to classical music what type of person I was… Other than a former street dog as Erio put it. I guess I was right about not being the dressy type.' "I thought it was a little uncomfortable. But my sister and mom really like it and from what I hear…" He mumbled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It's an improvement from what I used to -"

"What do you mean, improvement?" Mokuba cut in, somewhat concerned. Kaiba eyed him carefully but remained silent.

"Oh well, y'know, they kinda said I wasn't much of a proper 'gent' or something and my mom's boyfriend'll help me learn to be one and stuff." He enlightened with a smile. But Kaiba could see the blond was forcing it to hide his uncertainties and perhaps even misgivings of his new family's idea. "So they-"

"Jounouchi, I don't understand. What do you mean by proper gent?" Mokuba asked worriedly.

The blond laughed nervous. "Uhm, I'm not really sure exactly myself. I know they got me this whole new wardrobe an' I'mma be getting a haircut an'… well, probably some speakin' lessons an'…" He could see the discomforted look on the small face and he waved his hands in front of him. "I mean, it sounds great. Y'know, like startin' over and stuff." He smiled wider. "A lotta fun."

Mokuba's frown was sad and hurt, "Jounouchi… It sounds like they want to chan-"

"Mokuba." Kaiba put a hand on the young boy's shoulder, "That's enough."

"But Seto…"

Kaiba glowered at the teen before him and seemed to be rather pissed. "Here's some money, why don't you go and grab you a sundae from the Ice Cream Shoppe? I need to talk with the Mutt for a minute." He handed the boy some cash but didn't take his eyes off of the other. 'Mutt?' Jounouchi could feel his skin heating up, why, though he wasn't sure. 'Is it because he referred to me as mutt? It's just like when Erio said I was a street dog…' "Now tell me what part of this you define as 'fun'." He started.

"Huh?" Jounouchi asked confused.

"You said it would be fun. What will be? Was the shopping trip fun?" Kaiba asked folding his arms across his chest as the blond stared down at himself and stuttered for a viable answer. "Hn, I'm noting that as a no. I wonder how enjoyable a haircut will be. What kind of cut do you plan on anyway- or are you getting a say so in that even?"

"Well, I… I - I what are you sayin'?" Jounouchi asked in a panic of sorts as the brunet seemed to be staring into his scattered emotions.

Kaiba didn't know much about the other's mother and her live-in boyfriend. But he could discern the type on appearance alone. Mina Kawaii was obviously the type of woman that did the housework and believed in most traditional values as the boyfriend, Erio… Rowle, if Kaiba could recall correctly, held the 'man of the house' belief where he was in charge of providing for the family and keeping things together. It wasn't a bad trait and honestly, Kaiba didn't think anything of it but now… The brunet stepped forward, a glare deep in his features, "I'm saying, mutt, it sounds more like they're hell bent on keeping the old Jounouchi Katsuya in the dark and manipulating you into being their version of a 'perfect' son." The look on Jounouchi's face ranged to one in shock, then fear and then finally tempered anger.

"They're being my family. They've done nothing but support me since I got home." He stressed.

"Since this morning?" He questioned skeptically. "Don't you think it's a bit sudden? To come out here and play dress-up in clothes that definitely do not suit you?" He uttered casually. "It's too much too soon. What's wrong? They couldn't let you have some breathing space before throwing this all on you? You can't tell me you picked out this get-up yourself." He chastised.

"How do you know? Okay, from I was told, I was nothing but a street dog wit' no money and had a just as shameful father. I didn't have anything but raggedy clothes and a bad reputation! What makes you think I didn't pick these out- an' besides you said we aren't even friends so why do you even care?" He asked looking away. 'Hey listen here, Moneybags, I ain't a stupid mutt!' An angry shout resounded in his head as his began to spin. 'M-Moneybags? Where did that come from..? I'm sorry I didn't get that. I don't understand the barks of mangy dogs, mutt.' The blond brought a hand up to his head and tried to control his emotions. 'What is this? A memory?' He could hear bits and pieces of Kaiba's and his own voice, it sounded like an argument. His head began to hurt even more, why did he feel like… like crying?

Kaiba studied his exasperated form and put a hesitant hand on the other's shoulder, "I can't imagine what it feels like to forget who you are. But, mu… Jounouchi, if you continue to let them have their way with you, you're only going to get hurt." He stressed and his expression softened somewhat as the other dropped his hand from his face. "And I may not care about you, but I don't want to see you in pain or being taken advantage of." Before Kaiba could regret the action, he lifted the blond's face by the chin and the two locked gazes, "And Jounouchi, whether you believe it or not - you are being taken advantage of." He stated sternly.

Jounouchi said nothing, even as the other let him go. It was quiet for a moment and Mokuba returned with a chocolate-dipped cone. The blond stared at the floor hesitantly and bit his lip for a moment before asking a question that he was both anxious and afraid to hear the answer to. "…And what would the Jounouchi you know do… If he didn't like something?" His voice held a tone of curiosity.

At that moment they were interested by an approaching female. "Kastuya, I was looking for you!" Shizuka sighed heavily with both drinks in her hand. "I thought you went to the bathroom?" She questioned before noticing the Kaiba brothers. She smiled warmly. "Oh hello. I didn't know you two were at the mall. Here, big brother, your smoothie."

Jounouchi took the drink and nodded. "Thanks. Uhm, yeah, I already went and just happened to run into them on the way out. Sorry, I shoulda found you first."

She shrugged. "It's okay. But we really should be going, Erio and mom'll have a fit if we keep them waiting too long." She giggled. "It was good to see you two again.

"Uh, yeah, see ya, Shizuka." Mokuba waved.

Kaiba remained silent as she urged Jounouchi to move. As they passed, Kaiba took hold of the blond's arm and gave him a seemingly familiar smirk, "The Jounouchi that I know, would be annoyingly hardheaded and give whoever was pissing him off, a piece of his mind and wouldn't take no for an answer." He stated and released his hold on him. The brunet had turned his back on him so he didn't get to see the relieved smile across the other's lips.

"Seto. What do you think about Jounouchi?" Mokuba asked as they headed home.

Kaiba stared out the window as the car drove through Domino City. "What about him?" He asked dejectedly.

"You think he's gonna be okay? I mean, Shizuka seems nice enough but what about his mom and that guy. Jounouchi makes it sound like they're ashamed of him or something. Should we have just let him go like that?" He asked worriedly.

The brunet sighed heavily. "What are we supposed to do about it, Mokuba? That's what his friends are for." He replied. "Don't concern yourself with that idiot." He added.

"But Seto… Jounouchi is our friend too." Kaiba scoffed and refrained from commenting any further. Mokuba stared up at him in confusion. 'How can you think like that, Seto? After you spent all that time in the hospital with him, you even neglected work and school just to be with him and handle his affairs as well as all the stuff with his dad and… Why are you acting as if you don't care?'