I didn't forget about you guys! Here's a very long and somewhat over due update.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jonouchi realized why there were so many signs directing the way to the Kaiba brothers' show when he was in the process of making his way there. While he was surrounded by people and noise, it was much harder to navigate or even see where he was going. The bright banners and signs hanging everywhere were much needed beacons in a sea of moving bodies all gathering towards the giant convention center.
He was allowed to enter the auditorium without issue. The VIP pass Mokuba had given him was apparently all he needed to avoid even waiting in line. He got to sit near the front, not as close as the reporters, but close enough that the stage was easy to see. At the moment, the auditorium was bright, and the stage was dark. People were filing in from side doors, and Jonouchi felt giddy with excitement, like a kid waiting for the biggest blockbuster of the year to start. He was just barely keeping himself seated, he was doing so much fidgeting.
He wondered if Kaiba was in his little hideaway office watching the display. It was more than likely. His little brother was running the show by himself for the first time, so he probably wanted to watch alone. And be on hand if something went wrong. He was most likely somewhere nearby, even if he was going to remain out of sight.
Once the auditorium was full, the lights over the seats dimmed, and the doors were shut. Jonouchi felt like he was waiting for a film to start, his stomach tingling with anticipation as the large flat screen above the stage lit up. It started playing commercials for company products that hadn't yet been released, and he noticed the reporters in front of him scribbling away in notebooks. Jonouchi wasn't overly interested in all the tech. He was more excited for the show itself, seeing Mokuba onstage doing...whatever he was planning. It was going to be good, that was all he really knew.
When the commercials ended, music began to play. He watched intently as the lights above the stage came on, and he saw Mokuba appear at one side as he walked out. He had a headset microphone, and looked like he was rather enjoying the applause that greeted him when he stepped onto the stage. Jonouchi rolled his eyes. He knew Mokuba was a show-off, of course. He'd always soaked up that kind of attention. Probably for the best, since Kaiba apparently wasn't so into entertaining the audience anymore. If he ever had been, really.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to Kaiba Corporation's Fifth Annual Concept and Technology Event Show! Tonight we will be previewing the newest developments in gaming that are second to none, and before we continue, I'd like to welcome my big brother, Kaiba Seto, our Chief Executive Officer, to the stage!"
The audience went even louder with screams and applause when Kaiba crossed the stage, dressed in his signature black leather pants, boots, and turtleneck with the metal arm bands and straps. It was almost something people came to expect, that he didn't usually wear suits, and he picked up the microphone to speak from Mokuba once the audience began to hush.
"I would just like to personally welcome all of you tonight and hope that Kaiba Corporation continues to exceed the standards, if not set the standards, for the gaming industry and the race for technological innovations as a whole. Thank you for supporting us, and please enjoy the show."
Jonouchi realized that Kaiba was simply extending courtesy that was expected at conventions of its size. Some CEOs were more personally involved, but Kaiba seemed perfectly content to make his announcement and leave the rest to Mokuba. Not that the kid seemed to mind. After the applause died down, Mokuba picked up again, and Kaiba disappeared from view. Jonouchi wasn't sure if he was standing on the darkened parts of the stage, or was hiding somewhere off to the side, watching.
"All right, let's get this show on the road by first showing what I know you all have been waiting for! The brand new Duel Disk System Silver Series will be available this coming holiday season, but first let's have a demonstration! Can I have two volunteers who would like to compete for this brand new Silver Series?"
There were hundreds of hands raised, and Mokuba picked out one girl who was escorted onto stage, giddy as all hell and nearly tripping over herself once she was there. Mokuba went to shake her hand, but she just hugged him, and waving at the crowd, it looked like she was about to pass out from excitement.
"Well, looks like it'll be girls vs. boys," announced Mokuba, grinning wickedly, "I hope no one here has a problem fighting against a woman. How about you, Jonouchi Katsuya? Fourth place winner of the first Battle City tournament and runner up at Duelist Kingdom, I know you don't have a problem with fighting against girls!"
Jonouchi's jaw dropped, and he froze in his seat, shocked. People around him were shifting around as if searching for him, but the seating area was so dark that it wasn't possible they'd be able to pick him out. Realizing that he was on the spot, and he'd probably wreck Mokuba's flow if he didn't cooperate, he stood. It irritated him that Mokuba had volunteered him without letting him know beforehand. Why him? He wasn't that great at dueling anymore, and he wasn't exactly famous, either.
Still, he stood, and one of the spotlights followed him as he approached the stage. He hoped the audience knew Mokuba was joking about him being okay fighting girl...
"So let's get these two warriors ready for battle!"
Mokuba took one of the new disks, helping the girl strap on the equipment before Kaiba walked on stage, handing Jonouchi his own. He looked down at Jonouchi's eyes briefly, smirking a little, before handing over his deck. Jonouchi appeared confused, but Kaiba flipped his first card, showing a Flame Swordsman, before revealing a Red Eyes Black dragon. Then, shuffling the cards together, he placed them in Jonouchi's hand.
"Good luck."
He disappeared into the darkness after that.
Jonouchi snorted, surprised by Kaiba's well wishes, but appreciative. Apparently he had a replica of his deck to use, so he wouldn't have to flounder with a new one. Now he felt a little bad for the random girl he was fighting. Maybe he wasn't the best, but he was top five, and that was nothing to look down on despite his lack of reputation.
He set his deck, and once it was in the proper holding place, the disk activated. The grooves between card zones lit up briefly, and a small digital screen outside of the card zones displayed his life points. It was obviously intended to be a short duel, since they only had two thousand to start. This could end in just a few turns. One turn, if he got the right hand, but that was unlikely. His deck had never been that perfect, especially compared to Kaiba's or Yugi's. Then again, he didn't have the same resources, either.
He let the girl go first. He knew it was best strategically to get first turn, but he could already tell she didn't know what she was doing. She drew cards as if she wasn't familiar with them, and read descriptions before setting them. She also failed to announce her moves, but Jonouchi didn't mention it. There was no need, and it was a bad idea to stop the opponent from making mistakes anyway.
She had gone on the defensive right off the bat, placing one card face-down with a single magic card to protect it. Likely, the monster was weak and had no effect, and she didn't know what to do with the spell or trap she'd set.
Jonouchi decided to blow her away, setting Magic Arm-Shield in his spell zone just in case before playing his Swamp Guardian. He announced every move along the way, placing his cards quickly to make it obvious that he understood what he was doing. Maybe he hadn't played in a while, but he wasn't going to look incompetent or rusty while he was in a stage duel.
While Kaiba was watching from the sidelines.
He'd seemingly made little headway, since he only had one monster on the field and hadn't reduced the girl's life points. Her spell card turned out to be Mooyan Curry, which gave her a meager life point increase, but Jonouchi was hardly concerned. With how obviously she didn't know the game, it wouldn't do her any good in the end.
For whatever reason, she didn't play another monster. Maybe she'd been put off by how realistic the battle animations were. The new Duel Disk was leaps and bounds above the last, in that Jonouchi had to remind himself that the monsters were only a trick of the senses. They moved like living creatures, had breath, and created wind when they struck. Jonouchi felt exhilarated by the experience, but his opponent was overwhelmed.
The monsters themselves showed the most improvement. Rather than sitting rather docilely during the opponent's turn or the standby phases, they paced, growled, or even lunged at each other. The Swamp Guardian Jonouchi had summoned grew impatient in the short time it took his opponent to finish her turn and started bashing his club against the ground agitatedly.
Jonouchi's next draw was the Red-Eyes Black Chick, and he smirked when he saw it. The duel was over now, but for the sake of the show, he'd have to complete his play anyway. He summoned the hatchling dragon, which stumbled around the stage clumsily and blew little sparks of flame, turning its big eyes on the audience as laughter sounded in the auditorium. It seemed pleased by the attention and started making quiet purrs and murmurs. Jonouchi actually paused his play to watch it when it looked at him with what seemed like recognition. He wondered if it was his imagination, or something that had been added with the Duel Disk upgrade.
He banished the Swamp Guardian and spoke, rousing the attention of the Red-Eyes that was yawning and tapping its tail lazily against the ground as if it was preparing to sleep.
"I sacrifice my Red-Eyes Black Chick to summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon," he announced. The baby dragon seemed to be at full attention now, and it extended its wings, sitting up proudly as it rather surprisingly went up in flames. Jonouchi was slightly alarmed, especially since he could feel the heat, but he was at enough of a distance that he wasn't in any danger. The flames only continued to grow until the fully-fledged Red-Eyes emerged, roaring ferociously and shaking itself to remove what few sparks remained on its scales. They gleamed in the light with vivid detail, the hard, black surface of its skin like liquid vinyl as it twisted and stretched.
After it settled, it turned its head, and Jonouchi was sure that it's recognition was intentional. Unlike the other monster he'd summoned, Red-Eyes seemed far more attentive to him. Like it was waiting for his next command.
"I attack with Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Jonouchi stated, and the dragon immediately turned on his opponent, looming over her as it blew smoke out its nostrils, "For twenty-four hundred points of damage."
The dragon inhaled a mighty breath, one that was for the first time audible, and unleashed its attack directly. The girl shrieked and attempted to shield herself, but cut off abruptly when she realized she wasn't being caused any physical harm. Jonouchi was rather glad he hadn't been on the receiving end of an attack. It had to be terrifying, now that everything was more lifelike, but it made the game so much more exciting...
Mokuba was cheering, and he went over and laid his closest hand on the girl's shoulder before turning to the audience.
"Now wasn't that an exciting preview of what everyone has to look forward to this coming season?" he asked, beaming as he spoke into the mic, "I would like to thank both our volunteers for dueling in front of our six million viewers today, and because of the great fighting spirit shown, you both will be given the new Duel Disk System Silver Series as our appreciation."
The duel had stopped, but only the girl's disk had turned off. Jonouchi's was still running, as the large Red Eyes Black Dragon turned its attention to the audience, preening itself shamelessly before snapping at an audience member.
"Now, don't be like that," chided Mokuba, wagging his finger, "We don't try to eat our guests."
"His fault for looking so edible," Jonouchi defended, and his Red-Eyes grumbled as if in agreement. Jonouchi grinned, rather pleased that his favorite duel monster was so much more like a real animal now than a projection. The only thing missing was touch.
The front-row reporter the dragon had snapped at looked rather alarmed, and Jonouchi saw the dragon's tail twitching excitedly like a cat that had spotted something to chase. He saw it lurch, like it was going to assail the man again, and realized he should probably do something before he got the Kaiba brothers bad press.
"But you really shouldn't be snapping at people who've come to see you," Jonouchi chided. Red-Eyes looked disappointed and sulked off, walking on all fours and standing behind him dejectedly as it whined. His dragon, whining like a scolded dog. He hadn't even been that stern. He turned to it, able to look it in the eyes since it had its head lowered. He was compelled to try petting it as consolation, but he remembered that it wasn't tangible.
"You can show off without trying to eat people, can't you?" He asked. The dragon seemed unconvinced, but after a few thoughtful smacks of its tail against the stage, it stood upright, wings unfurled, and it released a bellowing roar as flame erupted from its mouth. Jonouchi stumbled back and nearly fell on his ass in surprise when jets of flame flew over his head, but Red-Eyes didn't seem overly concerned by his reaction.
No, it completely disappeared in a great burst of light, lending to a grand applause as people stood up from their seats at the show they had just seen. There was nothing quite like it. The monsters acted real. Not only had the visuals improved, but there was an almost personalized quality to the cards now, and if that didn't make people who were unsure about playing duel monsters decide to give it a try, well... then they were completely hopeless.
"You both may pick up your duel disks at the end of the show," informed Mokuba, as he took the one from the girl back and Kaiba reappeared to collect the one from Jonouchi. His smirk hadn't disappeared, he was very pleased with the audience's reaction, and after he left to hide in the darkness, Jonouchi and the girl were escorted back to their seats.
"And now to show our newest products in software..."
Jonouchi sat while Mokuba continued the show, still recovering from his surprise at having a new Duel Disk on his hands. It almost made him wonder if it had been planned somehow. Mokuba forcibly volunteering him for the duel, and Kaiba providing him with a replica of his deck. He couldn't keep up with the two of them, honestly. If it had been planned, they'd probably never admit it. Not that he'd ask.
He watched as Mokuba wrapped up the show and left the stage while the lights came back on. There was no Q&A after a conference like that, so Jonouchi happily stood, stretching his legs while he waited for his turn to leave his seat. The audience was filing out through the side doors very slowly for the moment. He eventually shuffled out with the rest, hoping to find Kaiba and Mokuba outside somewhere. He didn't know if they'd have time to hang out today, but he wanted to talk to them. Thank them for the prize and congratulate them on a good show.
As he weaved through the crowd, trying to find the stage entrance, he heard his name and turned, thinking it might be one of the brothers. It was too drowned-out for his to tell who it was, only that they were male. Unfortunately, he discovered that the person seeking his attention was Kitamura, and felt a strong urge to run. It would be so easy to just disappear in the crowd.
But he stopped himself, and stood his ground while Kitamura approached. He was in business wear, probably because he'd been attending the press conference. Jonouchi had completely forgotten that Kitamura was going to be there, and cursed himself for it, but it didn't matter much at this point. He was going to have to deal with him eventually.
Somehow, his jaw wasn't broken. Jonouchi was disappointed. Either he was losing his touch, or Kitamura had enough room to pull out of the punch. It had still left a good bruise along his jaw, though, with dark spots from his knuckles. It had faded some since it had formed, most likely, but it wasn't going to be gone for a while.
"Jonouchi," Kitamura addressed him when he was within range enough that he didn't have to shout, "What are you doing here?"
That was his first question? Jonouchi had assumed that he'd be more curious about being punched squarely in the jaw. Perhaps he'd expected something like that to happen eventually, or assumed he could get retribution later. Jonouchi had no intentions to allow that to happen, and he met Kitamura's eyes as he replied.
"I was invited. What are you doing here? I doubt you were asked."
Kitamura paused, observing him. Jonouchi wondered at his expression. He seemed almost confused. Why? It wasn't as if he hadn't been rude to him before now.
"You haven't been answering your phone," he stated, and Jonouchi didn't reply. He simply stood, unresponsive, as if he was waiting for a punch line. He almost did laugh when it came. "I'd like to meet you after the convention is over."
"No way in hell," Jonouchi stated in English, keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground. He was so tempted to just skip off. He wanted to leave before he had to answer any more questions, because he knew they were only going to get more difficult, and that Kitamura was a manipulative bastard. He'd always known that, he supposed, but it only now really mattered to him. Or, maybe he was only now accepting it.
"Why not?" Kitamura appeared surprised, but Jonouchi had a feeling it was due more to his attitude than the words themselves.
"I don't have any reason to meet up with you. In fact, don't contact me ever again."
He turned, figuring that should be final enough. It wasn't as if Kitamura was oblivious to his own actions, and Jonouchi didn't need to explain himself, especially not in the middle of a large crowd. He slipped away, merging with the other con-goers quickly, and he wandered aimlessly for a little while. It took some time for it to sink in that he'd actually resisted, that he was ignoring the vibrating of the phone in his pocket with little conflict. He only checked it when he sat down, realizing he had no idea where he was going and thinking to text Mokuba.
There were a few messages from Kitamura, but two were actually from Mokuba, who was asking him to meet up for the after-party for the convention. Jonouchi groaned, smacking his forehead with his palm. He should have checked earlier. Mokuba had sent him a second text asking if he was there, and he replied quickly, hoping he wasn't too late.
He looked forward to the opportunity to see the brothers, of course, but he did have a lingering fear that Kitamura might be in attendance. Not that he should be, since he wasn't a business partner of theirs, and he doubted Kaiba had invited him.
Of course he wouldn't be there. Jonouchi forced himself to calm down, realizing that he'd been shaken by the confrontation. How could he not be? He felt nothing but the deepest hatred for Kitamura, of course, but even seeing him was jarring. It jostled his nerves unpleasantly, and he felt somehow insignificant in the man's presence.
Fuck that. He wasn't going to put up with it anymore. And this time, when he thought it, he actually believed it. When Mokuba replied telling him to move his ass if he wanted a ride, he quickly made his way to the parking lot, feeling light for once in a long while. Hopefully he wouldn't be asked about the bounce in his step.
When he got to the car, Mokuba was in the backseat, and Jonouchi happily took the passenger seat. Both the Kaiba brothers seemed to be in a pretty good mood, though they didn't have any reason not to be, really. They'd had a very successful show.
"Hey," Jonouchi grinned back at Mokuba when he got in, "You did great out there, Mokuba. Could have warned me I was gonna be volunteered, though."
"Ah, where's the fun in that?"
It wouldn't be as good if Jonouchi was expecting to be brought up to stage. Then everyone would get a little upset about that poor girl being chosen for the slaughter and they didn't need that sort of publicity. Besides, Jonouchi was a great duelist and made for a good show instead of having some amuetur up on center stage unsure of how to even use the cards well enough to showcase the duel disk properly. Jonouchi made a perfect test subject, whether he was aware of that or not.
Besides, it was Kaiba's idea to use him. Not Mokuba's.
"You can't tell me Jonouchi that you didn't enjoy the spotlight, if only a little," teased Mokuba, leaning forward enough to rest his arms on Jonouchi's seat, "Mai always liked doing promotional work. You should consider doing it again for us, too."
"Really?" Jonouchi's eyes brightened at the prospect. He could do something related to the game and, presumably, be paid for it. "That would be cool. I'm not as big a show-off as you are, but yeah. Being on stage was fun."
Especially with his Red-Eyes behaving like it did. It might have been fun to stick it on more audience members, though.
"I'd get to use my new Duel Disk, right?" He grinned as Kaiba left the parking lot, merging with the other traffic. Jonouchi hoped he wouldn't drive as impatiently as usual. It wasn't like it would get them anywhere any faster, since the traffic was so congested by people leaving the con.
"Yeah, of course!" Mokuba was too giddy, nearly bouncing in his seat as he glanced at Kaiba, whose face was unreadable. It was unclear if he was even paying attention to the conversation or not, "Mai was a good spokesperson, but she doesn't represent the average player as well as I think you would. You're not intimidating like she was, and I think you'd speak out to more people who might be afraid to try playing the game. Besides, you're also a better player than she is, and I think Nii-sama would admit to you being a pretty good looking poster boy, right?"
Kaiba said no such thing. He merely snorted, the only indication given that he was paying them any mind while driving.
"I dunno about being a 'poster boy'," Jonouchi rolled his eyes, sitting properly in his seat, "I think I'm a little too rough around the edges for that. Thanks though, I'd really like to take you up on that."
Despite Mokuba's little bit of teasing, Jonouchi was glowing from all the compliments. The last time he'd dueled, it had been a bit of an ego killer despite his good performance. This had been his first chance to play on the main stage again since then, and it was good to know he hadn't lost his touch.
It took quite a while to reach the hotel, at least compared to the actual distance. There was considerable traffic on the way there, and while Kaiba somehow managed to weave through it like a snake, it was still congested enough that the ride was frustratingly slow.
When they parked near the hotel and stepped out of the car, Jonouchi lingered with Kaiba while Mokuba bounced on ahead.
"Uh," he began quietly, standing close enough that he hoped only Kaiba was within earshot, "I'm sure you didn't, but... Kitamura wasn't on the guest list, right?"
"No."
"Good. I only ask because I ran into him at the convention," Jonouchi muttered, walking alongside Kaiba as they approached the hotel entrance. There weren't any party guests arriving yet. The Kaiba brothers probably intended to get preened up before it began. Jonouchi wasn't sure what he was going to do. He hadn't anticipated anything like this, and was wearing just a casual shirt and jeans. Maybe he could ask Mokuba if there were any nicer clothes he could put on.
"It's a public convention, so I'm not that surprised."
Kaiba followed behind Mokuba, quiet once they reached the elevator and not speaking as they reached the top floor and arrived at their suite. He needed to change, before the guests began to arrive, and he locked himself in his bedroom before anyone had a chance at interrupting him. He'd need his preening time.
Jonouchi had his attention on Mokuba, who hadn't run off quite so quickly. He kindly provided him with nicer clothes to wear for the party downstairs. He apparently had planned ahead, which made Jonouchi a little embarrassed, but he was grateful for it. He didn't even own dress shoes. Being able to borrow some in an emergency was nothing to complain about.
When he came downstairs with the brothers, a few guests were starting to wander toward the room where the party would be hosted. Some were alone, and some came as couples, either spouses or another person they wanted to bring who wasn't on the guest list. Jonouchi was fairly confident as they walked into the room that Kitamura wouldn't be showing up. It didn't sound like he was particularly well-liked, and Otogi wasn't coming, either.
He stood with Mokuba, figuring Kaiba would either want to mingle with guests or want to drink himself stupid in a corner. Jonouchi didn't really want to hide off as the party's wall flower like the last time. He could just follow Mokuba and listen in, he figured. He wouldn't be so bored, and he wouldn't mess up the kid's social networking if he tried keeping his big mouth shut.
Of course, straying away from Kaiba didn't stop Jonouchi's eyes from wandering to him. He was dressed smartly, wearing an expensive-looking black suit with a skinny tie. Somehow, the classy dress only made him look more attractive rather than stiff. Jonouchi couldn't much help staring across the room at him. He looked too good, honestly. It was driving him crazy. Kaiba looked sophisticated, his suit tailored perfectly to his slender form. It didn't reveal his muscle structure like his black sweater did, but somehow, the figure he cut in the sports jacket and dress pants was very appealing.
When Jonouchi turned back to Mokuba, he was alarmed to find that the little bastard had run off without so much as a word and disappeared into the crowd. He frowned, standing a little lost before deciding to hang around Kaiba after all. At least that way, he wouldn't look so out of place.
Kaiba was watching him intently as he approached, unmoving except for his sharp eyes. Jonouchi met them, not defiantly, but more with the concentration of someone as infatuated as he was. Like he could help it.
"Hey," he greeted excitedly, smiling despite himself, "What are you doing all the way over here alone?"
"Observing."
Unless someone approached him, he wasn't going out of his way to socialize, and Mokuba knew what he was doing. He could handle the questions and networking, he had put together the show anyways. Kaiba was just the visionary, he had thought up most of the products that were showcased, but Mokuba knew enough about all of it and took a place in the production team so he could speak on his own.
That was what Kaiba wanted, anyway. He wanted Mokuba to be independent, to have something to be proud of. His brother was more than just his younger sibling, he was a genius on his own and probably far better CEO material than Kaiba was, just by the fact that he enjoyed people. And because of that, they were more happy to follow him.
"This is Mokuba's show, and I'm not going to steal the limelight from him."
"I didn't think you would," Jonouchi replied, more concerned with whether or not Kaiba was planning to sit in the corner and get drunk again. Not that he should, since the party wasn't nearly as annoying as the last one, but Jonouchi didn't know what exactly set him off.
"I'm not sure how I didn't notice before, but you look ridiculously good in a suit."
Kaiba raised his eyes to look at Jonouchi, smirking a little but not getting embarrassed over the complement. He could appreciate the attention, and most people weren't so forward about letting him know what they thought of him. They just drooled all over like a dog staring at food.
"I try to look the part when I can help it," he replied.
"What part is that, exactly?" Jonouchi raised an eyebrow, pleased that Kaiba wasn't irritated by the compliment. "You don't look like the rest of them. You look more like some model working here for an undercover photo shoot and I just haven't noticed the cameras yet."
"Sometimes I think you say things like that just to flirt," Kaiba was glancing back and forth between Mokuba and Jonouchi, ensuring that his brother didn't need assistance, "You're just trying to flatter me, I'm not that good looking."
"What?" Jonouchi stared at Kaiba incredulously. "You can't believe that."
In the midst of all the compliments he received, and all the girls on the internet fawning all over him twenty-four seven, he had to know. At the very least, he looked in the mirror every day, so he must know what he looked like.
"My nose is too long for my face," muttered Kaiba, taking a drink from a server, "And my hair style is dated, but I'm too attached to it to do anything to change it."
"Your nose is perfectly fine, stupid," Jonouchi refuted, "And what do you mean, your hairstyle is 'dated'? People wear their hair like that all the time, you drama queen."
He was sorely tempted to try taking a drink as well, but he was still underage, and didn't want to get himself into any trouble.
"I won't get mad, Kaiba, because you know you're hot."
"Why are you discussing this right now?"
"Because it's fun," Jonouchi grinned, "And because I figured it might put enough cheer to keep you from drinking yourself silly."
"I'm not going to get trashed at my own party..."
Kaiba snorted, walking over to the sushi bar and taking a seat. Jonouchi wasn't shy about taking the one available right next to him, and waiting for the chef to come and take their orders, Kaiba just side glanced at him before speaking.
"Do you really think that? Or are you just trying to get into my pants again tonight? I wouldn't be offended if that was the case," he teased, getting a little bit in Jonouchi's face as he took his drink, "But you seem like the only person around here trying."
"What, I can't be sincere about my attempts at getting laid?" Jonouchi grinned, more than happy to have his flirting reciprocated. "Because I was thinking-"
He was interrupted when he heard a high pitched voice cutting through the conversation abruptly, and turned his head to see Kujaku Mai approaching. She was wearing a long, white evening gown with heels, and strategically placed jewelry. Mai was made up perfectly, as usual, but Jonouchi was more irritated to see her after being cut off.
He didn't appreciate being cock blocked.
"Jonouchi!" She called, her voice carrying over loud enough to turn a few heads. "I didn't expect to see you here. How have you been? Did things work out with that girl you were trying to see?"
Jonouchi choked on a glass of water, and tried to recover enough from his bewilderment to say something, hoping that Kaiba wouldn't think he was fooling around with some girl along with him and Kitamura, but Mai continued before he could reply.
"Oh, there you are, hiding from all of us!" Mai greeted, seeming happy to see Kaiba although he didn't look nearly as excited to see her. Jonouchi was a little flattered that she'd approached him first. Maybe their friendship was more important to her than her marriage plots. "You never call me anymore, you jerk! Here I thought we made a connection."
She was obviously teasing. Or at least Jonouchi thought so. He knew her well enough to tell, and her expressions said it all. He just hoped Kaiba would sense the same from her.
"I only went out to dinner with you Mai that one time as payment for a promotion. It wasn't anything else, so please stop insinuating more."
"Oh, you're no fun at all." Mai blew Kaiba off entirely. Jonouchi was astonished by her, really. It was as if rejection was something she never felt. Then again, she was on a mission most of the time, and seemed fairly indifferent to the men she was dating. Maybe to her, Kaiba was just another date that failed. Jonouchi couldn't fathom how she dealt with it, but maybe she was made of tougher stuff. He could barely deal with being rejected by Kaiba once, let alone dozens of times over...
"Mai, you got invited? I wasn't expecting to see you," Jonouchi asked, trying to divert her attention from Kaiba before she scared him off with forcing socializing.
"Of course I was invited, you dunce! I've done promotional work for Kaiba and his little brother," she flicked one of her cascading hair strands behind her shoulder, "Besides, it's a good place to meet rich men. I'm actually here with one, but you know how it is. If I stick to his side too much he'll think I belong to him."
"What," Jonouchi's brow furrowed. Apparently she didn't like being some man's arm candy. "Yeah, I should have figured as much? Who are you with?"
"A Japanese-American man," Mai smiled, clasping her hands excitedly, "His name is Kitamura. I haven't met him before, but he seems rather charming. A tad strange sometimes, but Americans are strange... Jonouchi, are you okay?"
Mai blinked at him attentively. Jonouchi was frozen in his seat, his expression a mix between shock and mild horror. He wasn't sure what to think. Kitamura was there with Mai? It was bad enough that the man had managed to get in without coming along attached to a long time friend...
"Mai, stay away from that guy," Jonouchi warned her, treating her sternly for what was the first time in their acquaintance, "He's as nasty as they come, and I'm sure the only reason he hooked up with you was to get in the party. He's been trying to get into Kaiba Corp's inner circle for months now."
"Are you serious?" Mai gasped in disbelief, turning her head as if searching the room for Kitamura. "That figures. He was way too excited about coming here and not over being around me."
She stalked off on a mission, and Jonouchi had a feeling that Kitamura would be getting an earful if and when Mai found him. At least she wasn't going to stick with him. He knew Mai was tough and smart, but if she was trying to get somewhere with Kitamura... he didn't know how much he should warn her about.
"I can't believe this," he groaned, covering his face with his hands as he slumped in his seat, "That asshole actually stalked me here..."
"If he shows up to bother you, just hide in my suite," Kaiba advised. "He can't go up there following you, security will pull him aside. Besides, if he gets bothersome, I can have him thrown out."
Kaiba wasn't going to deal with Kitamura if he wasn't going to behave himself. It wasn't that hard to have Isono discreetly kick a party goer out, he'd done it before and no one had noticed. It was just a pain, having to report where the man was located, and then have that individual steaming outside the hotel while the press asked over what had happened.
"I don't think he'll bother you anyway," added Kaiba, "Since you're sitting next to me."
The chef finally appeared and took Kaiba's order, returning quickly with a tray full of different sushi samplers. Kaiba seemed keen on eating the otoro, self-assured that nothing would happen, but Jonouchi didn't share the same confidence over the situation.
He was deeply concerned over Kitamura's attendance. He'd lost his appetite over it. If Kitamura was there, he'd find some way to make himself a nuisance. He wasn't an idiot, even if he acted stupid and pushy when he failed to get what he wanted from others. Jonouchi had enough experience with him to know he was manipulative, and he didn't stay successful in business by being stupid.
Maybe he'd be careful about approaching Kaiba, but Jonouchi wasn't sure if he'd find some way after the party, or if Kaiba would be with him the whole time. He certainly didn't seem very concerned about him. What if he chewed Kitamura out in public? Kitamura was vindictive enough to take that out on Jonouchi, and the last thing he wanted was his sex life being broadcasted around the room.
He picked at a piece of sushi, squeezing it between his chopsticks and trying to work his appetite back up. He wanted to eat, especially since good sushi wasn't usually available to him, but he simply couldn't put it into his mouth. It seemed wasteful, but he knew he could always eat later...
Jonouchi's eyes wandered the room. He had an eye out for Kitamura, but mostly he was just vacantly looking around. The crowd in attendance seemed very different from the party Sigfried had. Kaiba's guest list seemed less high society and more young, urban upstarts. It made Jonouchi feel less completely out of place, being among people closer to his own age and maybe even social background. Certainly, hiding in the corner was less appealing now than it had been before.
"These are the people you hang out with?" Jonouchi asked, resting his head on his hand. "They seem more interesting than Schroeder's friends."
"These people aren't European, for one. Two, I don't 'hang out' with any of my guests, but they are important to my company and most of them are either investors or scientists that have worked on my staff."
There were a few celebrities in attendance as well, but mostly the guest list for Kaiba Corporation included people who mattered. They weren't Domino City's best and first families, since the upper class never really rubbed Kaiba the right way since being around Gozaburo.
Kaiba had been upper middle class, before his parents died, and watching the rich who lived off the successes of past generations irritated him, especially when they looked down at him for being more 'common' in blood. Or at least, they assumed he was, since he was not Gozaburo's birth son.
It didn't help that Kaiba had noticeable European features inherited from his mother, either.
"I don't have a particular liking for the people Sigfried chose to surround himself with."
"There's hope for you yet, then," Jonouchi teased. He knew Kaiba didn't approve of Sigfried's social circle, of course. Otherwise, why sit in a corner drinking himself stupid at the first party?
"If you'll excuse me," Kaiba interrupted, getting up from his stool and adjusting his clothes, "I got something stuck between my teeth, I'll be right back."
"Are you being serious,"; Jonouchi didn't have a chance to finish. Kaiba strode out of the room, off to fix his appearance although it didn't look like he needed it. Jonouchi wondered somewhat amusedly why it was Mai annoyed Kaiba so much. They had a lot in common.
He sat, content to wait patiently and observe the people wandering the party until Kaiba returned. They weren't as alarmingly fake as the people that had been invited to Sigfried's event. They seemed slightly less rigid and more interested in talking to everyone, but Kaiba had said they were scientists. They probably were interested in networking instead of exchanging pedigrees with one another.
Jonouchi was broken from his observations when someone sat beside him rather suddenly. It made him jump, and usually he never really did when he was in any place with Kaiba. He felt safe knowing there was security everywhere, as opposed to being in his apartment, but apparently he got too comfortable.
Frowning when he saw that his visitor was Kitamura, Jonouchi immediately tensed up. He'd been hoping to avoid him altogether, but he supposed it wasn't easy for him to stay unnoticed due to his hair. In all likelihood, Kitamura had spotted him ages ago in the sea of brown and black and simply waited until he was alone.
"Jonouchi-"
"What are you doing here?" Jonouchi asked pointedly, glaring at him. He'd expected that Kitamura wouldn't be easy to shake, but he'd held out hope. He didn't want to be bothered with him, especially somewhere public, and where Kaiba might appear at any moment. "Go away before I-"
"Why are you avoiding me?" Kitamura hardly looked put off. Jonouchi was irritated by how unaffected he was. He knew it wasn't good that he was being so stubborn. It was probably because he wasn't taking him seriously. Jonouchi, by this time, had been through enough of that bullshit and had no intention of putting up with it any longer.
"Do you want a list of reasons?" He asked, his voice becoming tight from rage. "Let me see. You're a rapist, a terrible lover, and a manipulative prick. You used me repeatedly after taking advantage of me and I'm not going to keep coming back for it."
His eyes didn't stray from Kitamura's. He stared into the darkness, wondering vaguely if they really were black rather than just dark brown. Either way, they didn't betray whatever he might be thinking at the moment.
"I wasn't pretending when I said I never want to see or speak to you again. Stop following me around, and don't contact me. Ever."
Jonouchi turned away from him after that, facing forward as he finally took some sushi from his plate. He still wasn't hungry. He just didn't want to sit still while he was being stared at. Thinking amusedly that he was acting like Kaiba, he thought that whatever was bothering him would lose interest and go away if he just ignored it for long enough. It worked about as well for him as it usually did for Kaiba, too. Kitamura didn't leave, and kept his voice low when he spoke.
"Jonouchi, that isn't your decision."
Jonouchi stared at him for a good, long time. He didn't even know what to say to that. So, was this Kitamura when he wasn't bothering to be pleasant? He probably shouldn't be so surprised, since all his actions up to this point had been to that effect. He'd just never been confronted with any determination on Jonouchi's part before.
"What did you say asshole-"
He cut off when he realized Kaiba would probably be returning soon, and this issue was hardly about to be resolved. Jonouchi stood, heading for the doors that would lead him to the lobby. He knew Kitamura would follow. Better to find somewhere private if there was going to be a blowout. Like hell if he was going to let Kitamura be forceful with him anymore. But he could hardly get into that conversation in the middle of a crowded room, especially if Kaiba decided to come back from the bathroom finally.
Jonouchi quickly spotted something that looked like a board room entrance, and beelined for it with Kitamura in tow. He hoped he wouldn't get in trouble with security for waltzing in there without any heed for permission or clearance, but he didn't see anyone around to stop him.
When they were inside, he shut the door behind him and stood by it. He was hardly comfortable, even if he knew he could take Kitamura to the ground with no difficulty, and preferred to have his back to the wall... Close to the exit.
"Let's get something straight right now," he began, trying to keep his face schooled but unable to stop his lip from curling slightly, his eyebrows sinking dangerously over his eyes, "I have a fucking choice if I ever want to see you or not. And I don't, so fuck off already."
"You can't simply decide I'm not going to see you anymore," Kitamura insisted, leaning against the long table in the room. He looked more like he was discussing a contract than a relationship turned sour.
"Yes I can," Jonouchi snorted, but Kitamura cut him off before he could say anything else.
"We're dating," he pointed out, as if Jonouchi didn't know, and hadn't just said otherwise, "You can't cut it loose without my permission."
"You can't be fucking serious?" Jonouchi blinked, slightly baffled. Once again he wondered if Kitamura was a terrible person because he wanted to be, or because he was wired completely wrongly. Probably both.
"You're acting childish, Jonouchi. I've compensated you for your cooperation, certainly, and I've been nice to you as much as possible. There's no reason for you to act like this."
Jonouchi opened his mouth to speak again, even though he wasn't sure what to say first, but he didn't get a chance to say anything. It seemed Kitamura wasn't interested in giving him a word in edgewise.
"And contrary to what you believe, the sex wasn't bad. You're overly demanding and have never taken my preference into consideration."
"Your preference-"
"Furthermore, I know you were thinking about someone else," Kitamura stated. Jonouchi was a little surprised by his expression. He looked almost hurt. Was it possible for a sociopath to feel hurt? "It honestly wouldn't surprise me to find out that you were cheating on me, as well. No one I've ever been with has complained as much as you have, and I never put nearly so much effort into the others..."
"That's because you don't stick around after raping someone, you crazy ass dickbag!" Jonouchi snapped. He felt sick, and a burning compulsion to run back to the room where the party was taking place, where the normal people were and he could remember there was a real world that made sense. "You just fuck people and leave, and you did the same shit to me, repeatedly."
"I also paid you more than you were worth," Kitamura replied coolly. Jonouchi was taken aback, not so much by the insult but by the fact that Kitamura had said that. He'd never seen him trying to be scathing before. "I knew you were Jap trash and I felt bad for you. Evidently you haven't taken that into consideration."
"No shit," Jonouchi scoffed, "You and I both know that you only paid me and gave me presents because you wanted to make sure I didn't stop letting you fuck me. That isn't a relationship, pal. That's prostitution, and I'm not doing it anymore. Besides, if I'm that unworthy of your time now, why do you care if I dump you?"
He waited for a response, and was surprised when Kitamura didn't immediately reply. He seemed extremely uncomfortable, and stared rather deliberately at the floor, scowling. Jonouchi pressed himself against the door as realization dawned on him.
"Either you like me now," he accused, "Or you think you can make me compliant. Either way, I'm done with you."
Kitamura snorted, crossing his arms. Jonouchi felt rather horrified by the prospect of Kitamura having any feelings for him, though. That felt sick to him. Probably because it was. If that was how he treated someone he liked...
It was unlikely. He sincerely doubted Kitamura understood feelings like that, much less felt it for him. It was far more likely that he believed he could make Jonouchi a more ideal plaything. Not actual love.
"You were getting better before," Kitamura muttered, "I don't know what got you acting so irrationally all of a sudden."
"I'm more rebellious than you are manipulative," Jonouchi smirked slightly when Kitamura frowned, "And luckily for me, I had a friend talk some sense into me."
He had to remember to pat himself on the back later for finally listening to Kaiba's advice, or not doing anything stupid past the week before. Otherwise, who knew where he'd be... probably suffering from abused lover syndrome, letting Kitamura do whatever he wanted and forgetting that it was wrong.
"Jonouchi, you're acting completely unfair."
"No pal, pretty sure I'm not. Don't worry though, you'll probably be over it in a few hours."
He turned, opening the door and preparing to leave. He'd had more than his fair share of crazy for the evening, and had no intentions to endure it anymore. Then he stopped, remembering another important point, and he turned to look at Kitamura.
"Oh, and just some advice," he growled, his expression threatening. Kitamura hadn't known him in high school, but back in those days, no one wanted to see him like that. Not when he actually liked to hurt people for fun. "Stay away from Kujaku Mai."