PART TWO
It was study hall, and yet again, Jonouchi was struggling with his English notes. The mid-afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, bouncing softly off the empty desks. Where had everyone gone? Had he missed some announcement in home room...?
He heard a snap to his right, the door recoiling on its rollers. Kaiba strolled in, her long strides kicking her skirt up mid-thigh high. She turned towards Jonouchi and smirked, jumping up slightly to sit on the edge of his tabletop. Jonouchi had to quickly move his hands away before she sat on them.
"What're you doing?" She asked, her blue gaze half-hidden by long eyelashes. "I saw your notes yesterday in class. You look like someone who could use some tutoring in English, am I right?"
She smirked again before shoving one of Jonouchi's books away, knocking it off the table before crossing her legs across the desktop. It was like she was asking to get stared at. Jonouchi didn't think anyone could beat Anzu in the looks department, considering she danced nearly every day, but somehow Kaiba managed to. Her legs were toned, and he could tell that she wasn't even wearing any sort of hosiery like the other girls did to hide their skin blemishes.
"But if you're not interested, that's fine," Kaiba continued, "We could always do something else. Your choice. It'll be a while before everyone else comes back from lunch, anyways."
"It's true I could use help," Jonouchi admitted, less embarrassed than he thought he would be. "I appreciate the offer, but honestly I'd be more interested in just talking to you."
Kaiba blinked once before smirking slightly.
"Talking to you? About what exactly? I've never been asked to chat by you before?"
"I know," Jonouchi acknowledged apologetically, "It's not because I didn't want to. I just didn't think you'd be interested."
Looking at her face with a hopeful expression, Jonouchi could tell that Kaiba was amused. Her eyes lit up and she sat up straight before relaxing her legs, settling for just crossing them at the ankles.
"Say I'm interested, what are you going to talk to me about?" continued Kaiba in an amused tone. "Are you going to begin asking me questions like if I ever noticed you smelling my hair in class? Because I always did."
"Oh," Jonouchi was embarrassed by that.
He couldn't say he was surprised, though.
"Well, I think talking about the brand of shampoos you prefer would bore you. I'd rather know how you're doing."
"How am I doing?"
Kaiba laughed before flipping her hair over her shoulder and eyeing Jonouchi strangely.
"What exactly do you mean? I'm perfectly well. Do I look sick to you or something?"
Jonouchi wanted to say no, but in his mind's eye he recalled, briefly, her face during the Battle City tournament. The dark circles beneath her eyes, the harsher bite in her voice, and her sharp but hopelessly cold gaze. Those were not the features of a well person.
But Kaiba in high school had looked fine. Before she dueled Yugi and even after being raised by Gozaburo. Although Jonouchi later realized that it was all a facade and she had always been anything but well. Kaiba hadn't been fine in a long time.
"You look good," Jonouchi settled for a compliment. "But I'm not trying to small talk. I mean how are you doing-how's life? What are your plans? Are things going great or awful?"
"When did you become my guidance counselor?"
Kaiba tilted her head quizzically before laughing again.
"Jonouchi, this isn't how things go between us. Why are you asking such personal questions all of a sudden? Not only is it strange, but it's also kind of rude. We don't know each other like that."
Jonouchi was about to argue that they knew each other well enough. He knew he'd asked her more personal questions before. Right? Or had that been the wishful contents of his many dreams about her? Maybe they'd never had a substantial talk before. Not until his fateful duel against Marik. His vision was fuzzy for a moment, and he gave up trying to remember.
"Is it wrong of me to want to get to know you?" He queried. "What should I be doing instead?"
He felt like he knew the answer to the question before he even finished asking it, but he worked to keep it at bay. This scenario wasn't unfamiliar. He'd been with her in this classroom many times before; this had once been his masturbation fuel of choice. The knowledge stung him with shame, now. Had he really been so focused on that at one time that he hadn't felt just as strong a desire to have more with her?
"You usually don't talk much when we meet up in this room," Kaiba replied. "Don't you remember your own dreams?"
"I remember. I'm sick of that routine," Jonouchi replied unhappily, "It's really not a priority of mine anymore to create those stupid fantasies about you, and it never should have been."
He sighed and met her eyes, despite being fully aware that he wasn't looking at the real Kaiba. It was as close as he was going to get. He hadn't seen her in what felt like years now.
"I wasted so much of the time I had with you," he stated as if it would somehow reach the ears of the woman herself. "I was such an idiot. Even in my dreams, I can't pretend I can do it over again."
"So," offered Kaiba as she slid forward and set her chin in her hand, legs hanging off the edge next to Jonouchi's shoulder, seeming prepared to listen to more, "What would you like to do? What do you wish you could have done differently? And would it have really made a difference?"
"I wish I'd been smart enough to treat you as a person from day one, instead of an icon," Jonouchi answered with no difficulty. He had thought about this more than once. "I wish I had been mature or at least compassionate enough to understand you sooner. And it would have been nice if I hadn't been too much of a wuss to actually ask you out."
He grumbled quietly and leaned back in his seat, thinking.
"Would it have made a difference?" He mused. "I can't say. I do know that at least I wouldn't always be wondering. I hate the question "what if". Most often, "what if I hadn't run for the hills after I kissed her"?"
"Oh, you kissed me?" asked Kaiba, her mouth turning into a sincere, small smile. "I'm impressed. How on earth did you manage that?"
She snorted before rolling her eyes.
"You're not getting your real life mixed up with your dreams now, are you?"
"Not at all. I worked up the courage, believe it or not. I just wasn't brave enough to stay for the aftermath. I thought I could just approach you about it later, but…"
He trailed off, his mind flashing back to the image of Kaiba in that dragon jet, saluting in farewell before she disappeared. He hadn't seen her in person since.
"But you had somewhere to be," he finished.
His voice was so quiet he scarcely heard himself. He looked at the dream of Kaiba who sat on his desk, now listening intently. Her brow creased ever-so-slightly in concentration, just like he remembered. She was so close; he could touch her. But she wasn't real, and maybe he'd never see her again. He fought back a wave of sadness.
"Jonouchi, you could kiss me now," Kaiba offered gently. "I know it's not the same, but at least it's something. Do you want to?"
Oh god yes, he wanted to. Anything to feel less alone after everything he'd felt... and was continuing to feel even after Kaiba had left. They were so close; he could see the sharpness of her brilliant blue eyes. It made him feel dizzy. Jonouchi knew it wasn't real, but he still felt anxious and afraid all the same.
It wasn't Kaiba, really, but it was true that she was better than nothing. He felt the familiar ache he had in her presence for all of high school. He still hesitated, despite knowing his own intention, but he stood up as she sat up straight and cupped her face with his hands. He couldn't stop looking at her eyes, much as he wanted to kiss her before he woke up. They were so deep and brilliant; even when they had been glazed with exhaustion and mania, they were undeniably intelligent.
His fingers found their way into her hair, and he rested his forehead against hers with a sigh. What would he give for an opportunity to be intimate with her? Truly intimate, in ways his teenage self could never have distinguished. He felt her quick breaths tickle his face and smelled the practical chap stick he had never seen her apply but knew she maintained.
He could smell her hair. It wasn't the scent she'd used in high school; she'd switched sometime before the beginning of Battle City, and he'd noticed. He wondered what she'd think of that. She had always at least acted like she was irritated by his attentiveness.
The illusion was so complete that for a few brief seconds he could convince himself that he was really holding her, and she was waiting for him to finally make that contact. He did, still almost timid, as if she would fall away the moment their lips touched, but she didn't. When he confirmed that she was still there, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. The lip contact became deeper when she reciprocated back, and he tasted her chapstick as he had during their brief kiss on Alcatraz.
He didn't want to stop, but he felt his breath getting short. He debated for a moment whether he'd rather just suffocate than risk her slipping away, but his senses came back in time for him to break the kiss and inhale properly. He didn't stop holding her to his chest when he looked at her. She didn't complain about his staring, nor his index finger tracing the shape of her cheekbone and the bridge of her nose that he remembered so clearly.
"Why did you leave?" He asked in nearly a whisper.
He didn't know why he did-if she was just a projection from his subconscious, there wasn't much light she could shed.
"Why did you?" Kaiba asked back. "You left first."
Jonouchi didn't know what to say. His subconscious was targeting him. He had been painfully burdened with the fact that he hadn't stayed like he should have and was left to wonder ever since if it would have made a difference. He felt Kaiba shift, and somehow, she felt lighter, so he held on more tightly, eyes shut as he lost his sense of direction in the resulting darkness. He couldn't feel the floor beneath his feet, and pressure started to build against one of his shoulders.
He fought the sensation of coming to, but his brain homed in on the cramping in his neck and shoulder as if fighting to escape the emotional pain. He reluctantly opened his eyes, hoping against hope that he might still be in the dream. Instead, he was looking at a pillow that he was gripping tightly enough to tear the fibers in the linen case. His shoulder hurt from lying on his side the wrong way.
Initially, he closed his eyes and breathed, trying to force his mind away from the unbearable ache in his chest. That didn't work quickly enough, and he ended up yelling at the ceiling, chucking the pillow away as if it had wronged him. He regretted it immediately. He only felt colder inside and out without the feeling of it beside him.
Jonouchi usually rode his old Suzuki bike to get to work, the last gift he'd received from his father before he passed away. His father, an old veteran sailor with mechanical expertise he often used only when he was sober, had fixed it up after picking it up at a dump. Although it was beat up and looked like shit when Jonouchi first saw it, his father had gone through painstaking work to fix it; he rewired the lights, replaced the old engine, rebuilt the carburetor, and did a brand new paint job.
Now as Jonouchi pulled it out of his apartment's garage, he would feel a swell of pride in his chest. Yes, his dad had been useless through most of his life, but at least he'd given him this one nice thing. A reminder of what times were like before Shizuka had gotten sick and his mother decided to divorce. Before his father had fallen into depression and chose alcohol and gambling as his therapeutic drug of choice.
Jonouchi's father had only ever done enough to keep his green card.
It had been such a messy situation to grow up in, and Jonouchi tried thinking about it much until he got much older.
His mother had met his father at Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture. They'd married far too young, after his mother had become pregnant, although Jonouchi's mother had kept her surname. Jonouchi himself, despite having been later abandoned by his mother as a ten-year-old, carried his mother's family name. It was important to his mother that he grew into a respectable Japanese man who could be accepted into the culture but Jonouchi knew he'd failed those expectations a long time ago.
At least now, he was making some good money. His mother could at least be proud of that.
Setting up on his bike, Jonouchi kicked it to life and took off down his back street, passing by a cluster of white and beige apartment buildings. He grinned, going past a 7/11 before speeding through his neighborhood's main street and going up the road down two side lanes before ending up in front of the Black Clown.
Jonouchi had grown up in Danchi* housing projects but now he could afford a real modern apartment, with a decent stove that had two burners, a brand-new microwave, a decent washer unit, and a great unit bath. If it hadn't been for Kaiba's Battle City tournament, and the subsequent ruling that Marik be disqualified from placing, Jonouchi wouldn't have been able to leave his old neighborhood. His third-place prize money allowed him to invest in rebuilding Otgoi's old game shop, and it had ended up being the best decision Jonouchi had ever made in his life.
Walking his motorcycle, Jonouchi took it to the back of the store and locked it in the storage unit. Yugi always took the bus everywhere and Otogi lived within walking distance. Smiling, Jonouchi took out his keys, unlocking the doors and turning on the lights before he was greeted by three of his employees. College students from the local university, his morning shift staff. They'd go through the stock together, cleaning up the store and getting ready for customers before prepping the downstairs arcade area for opening at noon, when the stay at home moms began coming out with their young children looking for something to do.
Jonouchi was as hands on as his junior staff, and he often did a lot of the manual labor in the back. He had two girls on his shift, Haruna and Ayaka, who did the front store organizing, cashier work, and customer service. The lone boy, Jiharo, assisted Jonouchi directly in the back and took over some of the operations downstairs when the fun center was opened.
"Jonouchi-san, did you hear the news that Kaiba Corporation is doing a new software reboot for the Duel Disk system?"
Joichiro was an amateur duelist, not unlike Jonouchi when he was in high school. According to Otogi, the fact that both Jonouchi and Yugi worked there was the biggest reason why he'd applied. That, and store discounts on booster card packs.
"I was talking to a friend whose brother works at Kaiba Corp, and they said this software update is supposed to be the next biggest thing since Battle City," Joichiro continued as he stacked up boxes while Jonouchi fumbled with his inventory clipboard. "Industrial Illusions is supposedly making a ton of noise about it, too. Something about a new partnership with Kaiba Corp."
"Why do you care about Kaiba Corp so much?" Jonouchi laughed.
He had to hear this kind of thing every day. Kaiba Corp this and Kaiba Corp that. It didn't matter that the actual CEO was out of the country; Mokuba had been managing things by himself and although Jonouchi hadn't seen him in years, he still kept up from watching the news from time to time.
"It's just so cool, you know."
Chuckling, Jonouchi cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah? I think it's boring."
He walked off carrying two boxes against his chest, Joichiro following him to open the door and help assist with restocking some shelves in the store's showroom.
"Why do you hate Kaiba Corp so much," Joichiro asked. "Is it because of Kaiba Seto? Otogi said you had a thing for her."
Face heating up, Jonouchi turned and scowled before puffing his chest out.
"Otogi shouldn't be telling you guys rumors about me," Jonouchi scolded, "And how did that conversation even come up? He doesn't know much about Kaiba anyways, she never paid him any mind."
Joichiro's face paled before he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"I'm sorry, Jonouchi-san, I just get curious about Kaiba, you know? She's so cool. I want to work for her company when I get out of school. Making video games, software..."
That was all Joichiro talked about during the morning. How cool the Kaiba siblings were and what they were doing and how much he wanted to work for them. The girls weren't any better; they were always asking about Mokuba and if Yugi could pull some strings to meet him. They'd giggle over glamour magazines if they saw Kaiba in them and try wearing their hair and makeup like her... Or at least, that's what Jonouchi believed from all the conversations he'd keep over hearing. All his employees were such fans.
He didn't want to burst their bubble about Kaiba, though. It wasn't really his place to. Maybe he was feeling bitter about Kaiba having left without saying anything to him, or maybe he was just feeling especially sensitive because of his dream. Jonouchi didn't know. Honestly, he had no reason to really be angry at her anymore, he hadn't seen her face to face in seven years.
It still burned a little when he saw her face on posters. Promotional advertisements and gaming magazines, specifically. She was a living legend, despite having lost to Yugi during Battle City, and it appeared now that her fame was safely secured. The tournament was enough of a financial success that Domino City continued to revere her even after almost a decade of having been without her.
"You should think about that carefully," Jonouchi suggested, "Kaiba is infamous for firing people at the drop of a hat. She's a difficult person to work for especially if your job affects the reputation of her company."
"I will try my very best," Joichiro exclaimed. "I wouldn't do anything to upset her. I'm sure she's a great employer, why would you say things like that about her? Yugi-san says she's a great person, and Yugi-san is never wrong about people."
"Yugi is also hopelessly polite," Jonouchi scoffed.
That was just like Yugi, trying to give the shop newbie a good impression of his friends.
"Look, I'm not trying to say Kaiba's a terrible boss or even a bad person. I'm saying she's demanding, and a person can be mean without being bad. Don't plan your life based on unrealistic ideas about her."
He kind of wished he could say-no, scream-that at his younger self. Unfortunately, he was stuck with hindsight and no way to alter what had happened.
"Jonouchi-san, a CEO should be demanding."
Joichiro laughed before nodding his head, as if agreeing with himself.
"She's the head of an international corporation, she should be tough. She has to be tough. So many people are counting on her to do the right thing, and if she fails, so would this city..."
"You're not telling me anything I don't already know. She's been handling the company since she was a high schooler and she's doing fine.
"But I'm saying she can be temperamental. I've experienced it more than once," Jonouchi grumbled.
Of course, she could be forgiven due to circumstances most of those times, and they had all been temperamental teenagers to each other. But even now, she had a reputation for being the epitome of a 'work hard, play hard' type of boss. There were high rewards for being part of Kaiba Corporation, and even higher expectations. Much like the standards she imposed upon herself.
"I dunno, if you get really good at game design or whatever you decide to do, maybe you'll succeed," Jonouchi offered, realizing he was both being discouraging and banging his head into a wall. "It's all about determination."
"You're right it is!"
Joichiro smiled as he continued restocking shelves. He was so energetic. Jonouchi wondered if he was half as annoying when he was young, but he already knew the answer to that question.
They opened the store promptly at nine, and Jonouchi went to the back where his small office stood, away from the main floor and safely tucked out of range from Joichiro's attention. The kid was a hard worker, but he loved to gush like an otaku too much sometimes.
Jonouchi had been settled in his office for some time when he received a call from the extension at the front of the shop. Joichiro began talking before he could speak.
"There's a woman here who wants to see you!" He announced excitedly.
Jonouchi probably should have felt intrigued or excited before he felt suspicious.
"Who?" He asked, but clarification had been too much to hope for.
"Uh-"
Joichiro paused. Jonouchi had the feeling he was conferring with the unnamed woman. His feeling was confirmed when Joichiro spoke as if reciting. "It's someone you want to see!"
"Ugh," Jonouchi grumbled quietly, "Okay. She can come back."
He set the phone down and stood. He didn't frequently close his office door, because it wasn't difficult to avoid being interrupted most of the time and he felt it made him look like less of an asshole to the employees. That said, it was closed now because he was working on something important before Joichiro interrupted him anyway via phone.
Jonouchi shook his head at his own thoughts. When had he become an adult? His teenage self responded to interruptions or trouble focusing by giving up and doing something more exciting. Now here he was, willingly (gladly!) holding himself up in an office and demanding peace so he could process his daily portion of paperwork.
He peeked around the corner, his head swinging over the threshold of his office as he stared toward the front of the store. He was initially only vaguely curious, mostly annoyed, but his eyes widened when he saw that the woman who allegedly wanted to see him was Mai. She hadn't been wrong-so long as she was there, he did want to see her.
As usual, she was quite stunning to see. Aside from having perfectly managed hair and makeup and an outstanding figure, she was wearing a light rose pink silk blouse and nude pencil skirt with matching heels. Clearly, she was going for the classic sexy look this morning. She had combined those simple but undoubtedly expensive designs with a sand colored Burberry coat and matching pink print silk scarf he knew had cost a fortune because she deliberately mentioned it to him every time she wore it. Partly because she was proud to have bought it, and partly because he always made an exaggerated fuss about how he didn't care about fashion.
She greeted him with a glowing smile as usual. Jonouchi met her in the hallway outside his office and returned the hug she gave him. Her hair smelled freshly shampooed, which meant she had either just been to the stylist (to touch up her hair before her roots showed) or had showered just before coming by.
"Hey," he greeted, meeting her eyes.
They were convincingly crystal violet, but he'd always been aware that it was due to contacts. Not the flat, untextured cheapies that anime fans bought in costume shops, but expensive ones that gave away not a hint of her true eye color. The only reason he could confidently say they weren't real was because she had always been obviously completely Asian.
That said, she certainly knew how to wear her blonde hair and light eyes, so it didn't bother him like the kids in high school and their bleach kit hair combined with black eyebrows. The 'yanki' look had been so popular that at one-point Jonouchi had started dying his eyebrows darker in an attempt to look less foreign. It had almost worked but being the kind of menace he was back then had led to nicknames like foreign asshole being applied frequently, and his secret was out before he knew it.
"What brings you here this morning?"
"I wanted to see you, of course," laughed Mai as she flipped her hair. "Never seen this place before, it looks so upgraded from the last store. I mean, I never went inside, but I'd seen the place in passing. I know you talk about this store all the time, but I still can't believe you're a business owner."
She grinned before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and grabbing his closest arm.
"Show me your office," Mai instructed, "I want to talk to you in private."
Joichiro was staring, along with Haruna and Ayaka. They probably couldn't help it.
"Okay," Jonouchi replied too quickly, pulling Mai into the room by the hand to escape the staring of his employees.
She giggled at his enthusiasm. Luckily, he didn't manage to knock her over in the process. He made a sweeping gesture with his hand after shutting the door.
"Welcome to my office," he announced facetiously, "It's the size of my old living room and only has ten percent as many vermin nesting in it."
"I'm sure your old place wasn't so bad," laughed Mai. "Hmm, I can't believe you have an office! Jonouchi the businessman, doesn't that sound nice!"
Mai grabbed a seat in front of Jonouchi's desk, crossing her legs before twirling her hair.
"I wanted to talk to you, Jonouchi, because I've been thinking about us quite a bit... I think we're good together. We should stop flirting around each other and just date. What do you think?"
"Oh," Jonouchi blinked at her.
He realized he was going blank completely and it was probably either making her nervous or angry. In fairness, it was unwarranted. He shouldn't be surprised by this.
Mai had clearly been interested in him during Battle City, and since that tournament ended, they had become better friends. Jonouchi saw her almost as frequently as Yugi. They found excuses on any day, at any time of day, to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Mai had proven herself to be both supportive and dependably honest as a confidant and had a talent for saying the right thing the right way. He had to hand it to anyone who could tell him he was doing something wrong and make him feel good about it.
He knew, but had always avoided, dealing with the fact that she hadn't lost interest in him. Now that he was older, it didn't take blatant flirting to set off flags. He could identify the way her eyes sparkled when he looked at her, and how far out of her way she went for something as simple as a phone call with him. She always looked good, but when they went out together, she looked like a team of professionals had taken care of her appearance. Jonouchi had noticed.
But much as she'd said-he had always flirted around her. She'd eased off quite a bit since Battle City, but she still instigated playful banter. It was easy to do with her, but he'd never entertained the prospect of acting on it. When he thought about it, he didn't know why not. There wasn't anything wrong with Mai that he could think of, and in fact there were several things right about her that should have made him jump at the chance ages ago.
Maybe it was because he'd overlooked her during Battle City, and he knew it. Looking at her now, with her proposition before him, he couldn't explain why to himself. Mai was beautiful-more than that, positively stunning. And she was perfectly self-sufficient, something he had learned to prefer in women by this time. She was ambitious, self-assured, and had a great sense of fun and humor despite being older.
Kaiba had soaked up so much of his attention as a high schooler. He'd missed or determinedly overlooked anything outside of her, including (or especially) the opportunity to be with Mai. He certainly wasn't about to credit his teenage self with making good decisions regularly, so he had to conclude that he'd been wrong at the time.
He had been staring back at Mai with a vacant expression for several seconds, as if her suggestion had been somehow surprising or out of line, but at this point it only made sense. They'd been going out as romantically as possible while still remaining friends. Hell, he'd even slept over in her bed more than once on nights they stumbled back to her place from the bar together, leaning heavily on each other and happily slurring sentences back and forth.
Mai was a lot of fun. She wasn't shy about scolding him when he was out of line, but she didn't get her panties in a knot about things like wonderful, slovenly karaoke duets performed as obnoxiously as possible. Despite her love of fashion, she was quick to make jokes with him about exorbitant prices and underwear brands named after people when they went shopping together. She was always happy to goof off with him but was also capable of spending the occasional quiet evening chatting or sharing a corner booth in an unassuming coffee shop.
So, logically, why wasn't he dating Mai? And, better question-why hadn't he asked her out?
Jonouchi hadn't dated anyone, really. He'd fooled around after high school and had a few one-night stands with girls he'd met at bars and clubs... to Honda's ire, of course. He'd even had a regular hook up with a chick who worked at a hostess club and was unbelievably hot (and Russian!) but Jonouchi had never felt ready to commit to any one woman. It didn't seem right and Jonouchi didn't feel like it was sensible to feel that way.
He didn't owe Kaiba anything.
"I agree with you," Jonouchi replied after what felt like a long time, a grin slowly spreading over his face.
Mai's eyes lit up in a way that made him feel warm.
"Shit. I should have been the one to ask you, but at least now I know for sure you want to."
"Of course I do!" Mai exclaimed with a laugh that was as high pitched as it had always been, but now, as she wrapped her arms around him, it was willowy with relief.
Jonouchi returned the embrace, his fingers passing over her silk shirt and almost equally soft skin.
"I have an idea," Jonouchi suggested, still grinning broadly as he grasped her shoulders and met her eyes. "How about I give myself the rest of the morning off, and we go somewhere to celebrate?"
"You don't think I hit the salon today for nothing, do you?"
Jonouchi grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys, and after locking his office door behind them, he informed Joichiro that he was going for his lunch break early. Joichiro had a sort of excited, wide-eyed look that told him he found Jonouchi's love life more exciting than perhaps Jonouchi did.
He didn't have all day to spend and dipping out without warning to go on a date with his (new) girlfriend was an action of questionable responsibility. But he figured-what the hell? It wasn't every day he got a girlfriend.
They opted to walk to find a restaurant. Mai was positively glowing, even more than usual, and for the first time they walked together. It was nice. Jonouchi liked the feeling of having someone else to himself, especially someone he knew he cared about. That thought was enough to chase away his lingering doubts.
Yugi's grandfather was out of the hospital and as celebration, he'd invited everyone to his house to watch the American National Dueling Championships on the Dueling Network. Jonouchi had spent most of his afternoon assisting him, ordering three pizzas and picking them up from on his motorcycle before coming back to Yugi's to help clean up the house.
Ojii-san was getting old. He was in the hospital now more times than not, it seemed, and Yugi was fairly busy trying to take care of him. Sometimes Yugi would take him to work, and Ojii-san would sit by the side playing games by himself or with kids, telling stories about Egypt and all his other travels to whomever would listen.
He used a cane now and had a troubling heart condition. Jonouchi tried not to think too much about it, but he had an inkling that Kaiba's old Death T match was responsible for it. Yugi never spoke about the cause and Ojii-san seemed happy to let all of those unpleasant memories just sit undisturbed in the past.
Mai was on her way to the party. She'd fussed about pizza choices; Jonouchi liked to try the most extreme options available while Honda liked the Super Supreme. They'd ordered a Margherita for Mai, so she could share it with Anzu, and Jonouchi ordered the Super Korean for himself and Yugi. Yugi would happily eat anything placed in front of him, and for that reason, they always got along well during parties.
Even Ryou promised to stop by, which delighted Yugi. Otogi had to work the night shift at the Black Clown, but Jonouchi was alright with that. Even though he could tolerate Otogi, he still didn't really like him. Not after what had happened during high school. Jonouchi could get over it enough to work side by side with Otogi, but he still didn't like necessarily spending his free time with him. Despite custom, Jonouchi definitely had no desire to have drinks with the guy.
Honda had brought alcohol. Jonouchi sat on the floor against the couch in the living room, drinking a Sapporo beer while Yugi got his grandfather situated in the most comfortable chair in the room. Anzu was nibbling at a piece of pizza and everyone was now just waiting for Mai and Ryou to show up.
"So guys," Jonouchi started, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, "Mai came over to work today and we decided to start dating. So yeah, don't be surprised if she tries to kiss me or something tonight."
"What!"
Honda gasped, his eyes getting wide before his face broke out into a huge smile.
"Man, how did you score with her? I thought she would have given up on your dumb ass, after all the times you blew her off!"
"Be quiet Honda, I was going through some stuff," Jonouchi snapped as he tried to defend himself. "I always liked Mai, but straight out of high school wasn't the time for a real relationship."
Anzu seemed to have approved.
"I think it's great that you guys decided to get together now. I'm happy for you, Jonouchi."
"Thank you," Jonouchi stressed, "See, at least someone here knows how to congratulate me the right way."
Yugi began fiddling with the tv and Jonouchi became distracted when he saw the gigantic Kaiba Corporation Dueling Arena in California, the premier park Kaiba had been building while he had gone overseas. It was three times the size of the one in Domino City and looked almost like a football stadium. Honda whistled as Jonouchi gaped.
"Could you imagine playing there, Jonouchi?" asked Honda. "It's so huge."
"I wish I had the chance!"
He caught himself smiling before his phone buzzed. Looking at the screen, he realized it was Mai.
"Gotta go, save my seat!"
Jonouchi lifted himself up and cut through the kitchen, getting to the back door before opening it and smiling.
Mai was there, looking well-coiffed and pretty in a pastel purple sweater and a tan pencil skirt. Her pumps matched her sweater, and Jonouchi wondered if Mai was in denial about the seasons changing. It was beginning to switch into fall, but she seemed undaunted in her desire to wear light colors, pastels, and soft neutral browns. He couldn't fault her too hard for that, though, she always looked so glamorous.
"The show is about to start," Jonouchi said as he grabbed Mai's hand, "And I got the pizza you wanted, so no complaints tonight!"
He grinned when Mai smiled at him. Her hair was always so long and bouncy, and he had a hard time imagining how it looked black. Mai would have looked so much different, that was for sure. Leading her into Yugi's place, he sat next to her on the couch. Honda gave a dirty look, taking the spot Jonouchi had been on the floor.
"Before we begin our duel tonight," began their American host, "We want to take this time to talk to the Chief Executive Officer of Kaiba Corporation, the innovator and creator of this beautiful facility and the most stunning business woman the world has ever been introduced to; Seto Kaiba."
The camera moved to where Kaiba was seated, alone on a leather sofa, her face pleasant with an amused smile brightened by red lipstick. She was wearing a short white dress and jacket, and Jonouchi wondered if the look was inspired from the Battle City get up she used to wear. The design on the dress was futuristic, with triangle shapes that gave Kaiba the illusion of having wider hips than Jonouchi remembered, the jacket broad-shouldered with a gold-studded belt. The entire thing appeared to be leather. Just what Kaiba would like.
"I just wanted to say that your choice of dress tonight is outstanding," continued the announcer, "A gift from Tom Ford, correct?"
"Correct," Kaiba answered. "I often get pieces from designers."
"Good designers," the man corrected. "Women around the world want to look like you. How does it feel?"
Kaiba smirked before rolling her eyes.
"Any woman could look like me with the right style team behind her. Can we talk about the competition?"
Jonouchi could make out some strain in Kaiba's voice. It was barely noticeable, but he'd been around her enough times to know when she was feeling irritated with someone. Clearly, she didn't like being complimented so much. She wanted to discuss business.
"Of course!" the announcer apologized, "Let's get on track. Today is the 10th anniversary of your partnership with Industrial Illusions. According to many sources, this was the thing that got Kaiba Corporation on the map as the best game and software developer in the world."
"That's correct," Kaiba replied neutrally. "Pegasus Crawford believed in my company's work."
"Your work," the announcer corrected again. "You created the Solid Illusion software used for the first dueling platforms."
"I consider it a team effort," Kaiba replied evenly, "I didn't do it alone."
"You were just fifteen then! What a feat."
The announcer paused before smiling even wider.
"Rumor has it a brand-new software update is about to begin! What can we expect when that comes out?"
"We're still keeping that under wraps," Kaiba answered with a smirk, "It's not all finished quite yet. We are still working out some bugs, but it should be entertaining. It had high praise when introduced to test audiences here in the park."
So Joichiro wasn't just blowing smoke. There was a new software update. Jonouchi wondered what it would mean for his Duel Disk. The thing still worked perfectly, even after everything that had happened to it. The Kaiba Corporation updates weren't cheap, but they worked in keeping the images solid and he even noticed some upgrades, like his duel monsters becoming more responsive to him on an individual level. They seemed to recognize who he was and Jonouchi wondered if Kaiba's new program had something to do with that.
"Unfortunately though, I won't be here for the unveiling."
Kaiba was now really smiling, not faking her emotions like Jonouchi was used to seeing.
"I'm going back to Japan to be present for the unveiling at home in Domino City."
"Are you going to come back?"
"I don't plan on it," answered Kaiba with a grin. "I am ready to return home."
"To start a new tournament?" asked the announcer with excitement.
"We'll see."
Mai was tsking with her tongue, shifting on the couch before turning to look at Yugi.
"What do I have to do to get on tv and wear clothes like that?" Mai started, and she winked when Jonouchi looked at her. "She hasn't dueled in seven years, but she's always on television. I wouldn't be surprised if she owned the Dueling Network, because she's always on it giving an interview."
"You know Kaiba's the first Japanese National Champion," laughed Yugi lightly, "She's always going to be remembered as the player who made the game serious and took it to the highest levels of competition. It doesn't matter what the rest of us do, she'll always be the first."
Jonouchi turned his head and listened to Yugi as he said that. The first player to make it serious. Hadn't it always been serious? He didn't know what Yugi was talking about. Mai seemed a little put out by Yugi's answer, but she didn't try to refute him. Was there more to Kaiba- or hell, duel monsters- that he didn't know about?
"This is exciting news, though," Yugi continued. "Kaiba's coming back to Japan! I want to see her and find out how she's been doing. It's been so long since I've seen her, and I'm sure she's changed a little since Battle City. I hope she's been doing okay."
"I'm sure she's fine, Yugi, she's a filthy rich billionaire," cut in Honda with an exasperated sigh, "You're not going to try friending her again, are you?"
"Well, of course, Honda," answered Yugi. "Why wouldn't I? Kaiba-san has been there for me and I couldn't have won against Marik if she didn't help me with her card. I owe her my friendship. Besides, we've been through so much together and I think Kaiba would appreciate it."
Honda made a rude noise under his breath but didn't try to argue. Yugi had won the debate. Jonouchi knew there was no changing his mind. Kaiba would always be Yugi's friend in his mind, no matter what she did or how many years separated them. Too much happened for Yugi not to care about her, it seemed.
"What about you, Jonouchi?" Honda inquired with a smirk. "Are you going to start chasing after her again?"
Mai took immediate offense, and Jonouchi waved his hands around frantically to ease the tension.
"I haven't seen Kaiba face to face in years," Jonouchi reasoned. "I don't think her coming back is going to change anything. Besides, I already have a gorgeous girlfriend, so why would I care about Kaiba coming back? She's never been anything but a sore spot for me, anyways."
That wasn't completely true, but no one knew about his kiss with Kaiba after her duel against Yugi. He'd never share that with anyone. It was their secret, and Jonouchi didn't like the idea of people knowing about that moment.
The tournament began and Jonouchi felt his nerves calm down, Kaiba's stunning face no longer appearing on the tv. She didn't even look like she had aged much. Kaiba had always looked older than the other girls in their class. Jonouchi wasn't sure if it was because of her face or just the way she carried herself, but even now, she still looked young and ageless. Not a day past twenty.
The competition was exciting to watch. Everyone became immersed in the game, even Ojii-san, who started yelling at the screen. He always wanted the underdog to win, and Yugi was going on and on about strategies with Ryou in a rushed, animated voice until the game finally ended and the victor was declared. The young upstart had won, and Jonouchi could feel his chest lighten as the kid threw his hands in the air. He had to be only seventeen, and watching the match reminded him of himself.
Kaiba appeared back on the screen, and she awarded the trophy as an Industrial Illusions rep gave a quick speech. There were pictures and handshakes and then the show went back to the announcers, who were discussing the match.
"I need to get more gigs like that," marveled Mai. "Just watch duels all day and hand out trophies in Louis Vuitton heels. My kind of life."
"Mai, isn't that kind of what you do already?" asked Jonouchi in a teasing voice.
Mai hit him flirtatiously and Jonouchi smirked a little. Mai was a model, and she did mainly promotional work for the different gaming companies in the city. Industrial Illusions Japan was her biggest client, but she also did work for Sega, Sony, Nintendo, and Konami. Most of the work was regional, but sometimes work Mai did advertisements that became national campaigns, or sometimes even international. She was frequently in and out of Tokyo because of it, but Jonouchi always thought it was cool how popular she was.
"It's not the same," Mai signed as she picked at her manicured nails. "I still have to audition for my work, but I bet Kaiba gets called in to do things like this. She doesn't even have to compete against other women for attention."
"Mai, she's a National Champion," Yugi cut in again, his voice stressing the words 'champion', "They want a legendary competitor to hand out awards. I don't think they picked her out solely for looks."
Mai gave Yugi a hard glare and Jonouchi rose up his hands, hoping to alleviate the tension.
"I'm going to get more beers," he announced loudly. "I'll be back. Nobody takes my seat, Honda..."
He grinned at his best bud, who frowned from his place on the floor before managing around him and escaping into the kitchen. Jonouchi could still hear the tv bussing from the other room, but mostly it was quiet now. Mai was probably annoyed with Yugi now and he hoped she wouldn't be stuck in a mood while going home.
"Hey Jonouchi, I wanted to ask you a favor."
Hearing Yugi's voice, Jonouchi turned around and smiled.
"What's up, bud?"
Yugi smiled awkwardly before digging through some papers on his kitchen table, pulling out a fancy piece of stationary before handing it to Jonouchi.
"Industrial Illusions is hosting a party next week for their 10th anniversary partnership with Kaiba Corporation. I know you don't usually do these events on your own," said Yugi quietly, "But I wanted to ask if you could do it? I can't go, not with Ojii-san in his condition. Otogi-kun would do it, but he always has the late-night shift and I think you'd be a better fit, anyways. You're a great duelist, Jonouchi-kun, and a lot of people know that. You could make our company shine."
Jonouchi looked at the invitation, feeling the characters with his fingertips. The invite card looked expensive, and the address was engraved with an embossed monogram printed on it. Industrial Illusion's logo.
"Aren't you worried they'll be offended that you sent me in your place?" Jonouchi asked. "I don't want to piss anyone off."
"I don't think it'll be a problem, Jonouchi. Anzu can help you get an outfit, if you're afraid about dressing up!" teased Yugi.
Mai would be more than willing to get Jonouchi in a tux, but Jonouchi didn't want her paying for it. And Mai would try to. He didn't want to feel like he owed her anything.
"Okay, Yugi, I'll do it."
Jonouchi sighed as Yugi smiled and took the invitation card out of his hands.
"But you owe me one!"
Jonouchi scanned the room from the table that had been intended for Yugi. More than likely, if Yugi had attended, the table would be swarmed by now. As it was, Jonouchi had it to himself. It was alienating as Jonouchi watched the obvious cliques around him being formed. He wore nice clothes, because he wasn't a complete idiot, but many of the attendees were wearing things that would constitute entire paychecks or more for him. There was an obvious separation there, at least to Jonouchi.
He couldn't completely blend in. He saw bags in people's hands that he knew only in passing to cost upward of several thousand dollars. He'd been called stupid in his life more than once, but he thought anyone who would drop that kind of money on an unremarkable accessory had to be well under his intelligence.
The shitty part was the stark class difference left him by himself. Formal parties already had unnaturally high potential to be boring (at least in his humble opinion). The complete lack of socialization, except polite conversation from some people who passed him by, was making the whole thing a drag. He needed real stimulation, and quickly, and he was trying to scope out a group he could infiltrate-even if only to listen in.
He was spared the need or desire to follow through with the idea. Something caught his eye in the crowd, and he tried to follow it. It was a little difficult due to the mass of expensive dresses and tuxedos weaving in and out of his peripheral vision. Eventually, his gaze settled again on a slender pale figure in a long, black dress.
Obviously, there were more than one of those waltzing around, but Jonouchi was still trained subconsciously to find this particular form in any situation. He knew he'd recognized her correctly when he met her eyes, which had likewise settled on him. Shocked as he was, he still lost focus for enough time to really observe her figure.
She was wearing a full-length evening dress with a halter cut that both flattered her shape and contrasted her fair skin. He had to assume it was expensive, and he'd been friends with Anzu long enough to recognize chiffon. He had no reason whatsoever to remember what that material was, but for the first time it was relevant.
He'd been speaking keigo all night as a way of offering the world a compromise, but he stood when she approached the table out of genuine, polite respect. Already, Jonouchi was nervous. Unbearably so. He hadn't felt so nervous since... the last time he'd seen her. The difference was, now he was older. He could keep his racing pulse from showing on his face and eyes. He didn't shift anxiously or dodge her gaze. Instead, he maintained steady eye contact until she was close enough to speak to.
"Didn't expect you to be here of all places tonight," remarked Kaiba in an amused tone, "Jonouchi Katsuya, have you been finally moving up in the world?"