Probably, Maybe (a Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction) by Seth's Kiss:
A/N: Heyo, everyone, tis me, KiSS-san, more commonly known on FFnet as Seth's Kiss, ayup! So, I wanted to do something different, and decided I wanted to write fics for my closest friends, and thus was born, the Gift Series! Woo! The fandoms will be super different from one another, but this will be the first out of...um, seven, I think? Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy! Bella Ciao!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters; it all belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. I do own everything else however (plot and ideas); it all stemmed from an idea, suggestions, and an eccentric imagination. I'd also like to apologize beforehand if any of the characters are O.O.C. I mean, I try as hard as I can to keep them in character, but I tend to allow my writing take over my imagination at times (true story T_T).
Warnings: Like most of my fics, this will be Rated M, mostly due to the fact that is the common rating of all my fics (I do write dark). A warning for Angst and Drowning/Almost Drowning. Any advice within your reviews is, as always, warmly welcomed. However, if this story isn't in any way to your liking, or if you sense something off, or if these themes or literally anything else doesn't appeal to you, either because it offends you or you are still underage, please, please, DON'T read. Kindly go back and browse for other fics. There are plenty of them, I assure you. Bella Ciao :3
Note: Before anything, let it be known that I am, somewhat, hazy on the details and finer points that constitute this particular moment in Yu Gi Oh, whether it is within the manga or the series. Provided this is fanfiction however, I do hope you won't mind if I take creative liberties, cheers.
Summary: Canon Divergent. Based off of Episode 78/Chapters 197 to 200. When Jounouchi is dragged down into the waters by the anchor, it's not his sister, Shizuka, who dives after him. No Character Death. Full Warnings inside. Hints of Kaiba x Jounouchi, and Mokuba x Shizuka - if you really, really squint. Gift Fic Series. Gift Fic For SerenaJones.
Everything was happening so fast, way too fast. No sooner than the duel ended, all went to hell.
The duel life point trackers both hit zero. The anchor dropped. The chains clanked deafeningly, as they rippled and were dragged, by the huge, behemoth of a weight, down and into the water. And Mutou Yugi and Jounouchi Katsuya were soon quick to follow, brutally and cruelly yanked along, before either of them could fully get a grip on their ugly situation, so out of their hands.
Out on the harbour, the others could only helplessly stand and stare in utter and absolute horror, as their two friends vanished somewhere beneath the unruly waves, crashing and rising up high, due to the impact of the giant-sized anchor.
And this, so happened to be the very first thing, poor Jounouchi Shizuka was ever exposed to, choosing to rid herself then and there of the bandages shielding her gaze.
Upon witnessing her brother disappear to the cruel, cold water, she screamed in sheer agony, collapsing in Kujaku Mai's arms as the latter held onto her gently, whispering softly in her ear, her voice shaking: "It's ok, sweetie. All's gonna be ok. Don't cry, Jou will be fine - you'll see."
Sweet nothings, meaningless reassurances and empty promises. Lost in her shock and grief, Shizuka was completely deaf to the young blonde woman, and kept on sobbing uncontrollably.
Alarm welling inside her, Mai looked around wildly, unsure what to do, hoping someone would know, would have an answer.
But she was quick to find everyone, in just as much in a state of panic and distress, as she was.
Honda Hiroto and Otogi Ryuuji had both lunged themselves off to the very edge of the harbour, desperately seeking, searching, scouring for any possibility to help out their submerged friends. They were shouting at each other, urgently, frantically trying to come with a solution. Anything. Should they dive after them? They would never match the speed at which Yugi and Katsuya were sinking. Rope? Scuba diving gear? A submarine? What the heck could they do? Was it all hopeless? Were they all completely powerless? Useless?
Were Yugi and Katsuya actually going to...die?
Kaiba Seto and his younger brother, Mokuba, had just saved Mazaki Anzu from the clutches of Marik's men, and she was frantically talking to someone over the phone - an emergency call? Mokuba was now dashing out across the harbour, running over to one of the life point trackers. "THE KEYS!"
Reaching them, he looked around with wide eyes, searching, before he gasped aloud, and then called out to Hiroto and Ryuuji: "I think Jounouchi managed to grab Yugi's key before falling! But he didn't grab his own key - it's still here!"
Shizuka heard that. And straight up became utterly inconsolable, dropping down to her knees and curling in on herself, with Mai fully, thankfully, all there for her, embracing her tightly. Mokuba was quick to squeak and splutter out apologies, but it was all curtly cut short when, out of the blue, Yugi abruptly breached the surface, gasping for air as he fought valiantly against the waves, fighting to stay afloat. But he clearly looked exhausted, his purple eyes half-lidded, his features drained, in spite of the urgency etched within his expression.
Just as he was about to pass out however, body shutting down, Hiroto and Ryuuji reached him, quick to seize what they could of him, before he could to go under again.
"Oi, Yugi! YUGI!"
"Forget it. He's unconscious. But at least, he's safe," said Ryuuji to Hiroto, before he glanced downwards, gravely "Jounouchi isn't."
"Wha-? How?! Yugi?!" exclaimed Anzu aloud, startled amazement to her concerned expression "Is he okay?!"
"Yeah, he's just out! It can only be Jounouchi. He had Yugi's key - he must have freed him," informed Ryuuji, before he and Hiroto swam back to the edge with the passed-out Yugi in tow.
"Anzu-san, did you get anything?" asked Mokuba with wide worried eyes, fidgeting nervously as he glanced up at Anzu, who in turn, glanced down at him and nodded once "Wait, really?!"
"Yeah, I'm on the phone with 110 right now – they said they're sending help over."
"Oh, thank God," breathed the younger Kaiba, though his concern did not recede in the slightest "They better hurry though. Jounouchi's still in danger."
Kaiba peered down at the unsteady waters, squinting against the sun's shine reflected across its surface, in hopes of seeing what was transpiring down, deep beneath. No such luck however, he couldn't see a thing, apart from the eventual bubbles appearing and popping out of existence.
"How long?"
"Hm, what?" inquired Anzu, as she immediately turned her attention to Kaiba with wide eyes, surprised he was addressing her, as well as confused as to what he was asking "What do you-?"
"How long, till they get here?" he elaborated curtly, prompting her to ask the dispatcher that was still on the line with her, before her features went deathly pale, and she began to tremble.
"...In ten minutes."
Expression eerily blank, Kaiba gave her and the others a long, hard look, watching them unravel and unfurl into utter and complete devastation and despair, knowing, certain, there was no hope. He then allowed his gaze to wander off to the side, an air of calculating thought to his features.
"Your friend will be dead by then," declared Kaiba flatly then, as he strode off, swiping the key from his young brother, much to the latter's confusion, whereas the others raged at his words.
Ignoring them entirely, Kaiba trekked the edge, heading over to the far right of the harbour, glancing down at the water every now and then.
He almost considered just dropping the key in. It struck him as mildly hilarious, given it would be making matters even more difficult for the blond boy. But while he was conniving and cold, shrew and straightforward, he was not that blatantly cruel. Well, he could be, if he wanted to, but there were limits to his cruelty. Doing something like this, was a bit much. Still, fun thought.
All of a sudden, there no longer any air bubbles surfacing, which could only mean one thing. Jounouchi had stopped breathing.
Without thinking twice, Kaiba began running.
The crane that had been threatening Anzu's life, was barely hanging on but a thread, leaning a bit too much too the side, dangerously close to crashing into the water, the massive nails pinning it to the ground, creaking with strident noise. As if on cue, the crane completely gave away then and there, dropping downwards towards the water.
Sprinting at the maximum of his speed, Kaiba made his way to crane, throwing his hand out to get up onto it. With barely seconds left to spare, he latched himself to one of the beams, hooking his arms and legs around it tightly, took a deep breath and let himself be dragged into the water. The very last thing he heard before diving deep down, were horrified gasps and his little brother, screaming his name.
"NII-SAMA!"
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If there was a thing Kaiba Seto didn't bother to advertise as much, it was that he was an excellent and skilled swimmer. Not only was able to regulate and accurately adjust holding his breath - with a little hack he knew of - he would also be able to get back to surface efficiently and easily. Provided that Jounouchi wasn't far too deep down.
He readjusted his grip, and let himself be plunged deeper, and deeper, along with the weight of the crane, gradually, but slowly catching up to where the blond boy was, sinking still at a steady, but alarmingly fast, pace. The current was moderate though, which ended up to his advantage. Right as the anchor was within his reach, Kaiba let go of the crane and grabbed onto Jounouchi. The latter was out cold, his eyes half-lidded, his lips parted, a sliver of agony across his features. Staring at him for a fleeting moment or so, Kaiba had a sinking feeling then. ...Was he too late?
Refusing to think that or waste any more time, he swiftly busied himself to free Jounouchi and, once he had succeeded, he was quick to hook his arm around him, before starting to swim up. The ascent was slow, given how down below they were, and due to there being two full-fledged young adults fighting to reach for the surface. Kaiba clenched his teeth, determined, resolute – he was going to get this idiot to the surface. To the surface, alive. He had to. Absolutely had to. Kaiba wasn't facing Yugi with a dead Jounouchi. No way in hell - he was going to get him out.
Which he eventually did, finally managing to throw his head out of the water, gasping for air. He heard voices call for him beyond his muffled ears, buzzing due to prior underwater pressure. But he ignored them, completely.
Turning to focus on Jounouchi, he made sure to tilt the blond boy's head backwards to avoid dropping into the water - like it hadn't been down there enough already - before seeking a pulse. There was none.
Letting out an irritated snarl, Kaiba directed himself to the nearest piece of land he could access. The breakwater, which was on the complete opposite side of harbour, but definitely, and oddly, much closer for him - he summarised he must have drifted somewhat as he sought to resurface. But nevermind that, he had more pressing matters. Like how Jounouchi's heart wasn't beating.
Upon reaching his destination, Kaiba was quick to hoist both of them up onto land and, without catching a single break - not yet - curtly, but carefully, laid the blond down on the sandy ground. He then hurriedly proceeded to gently pry the other's airways open with long, nimble fingers, and after checking there was nothing lodged in there, Kaiba began chest compressions on him.
Of the many and positively wretched things he had been made - forced - to be trained in by dear Gozaburo - the adoptive monster he had to call father - the Basic Survival Kit and First Aid, were two of things he never regretted learning. For, till this very day, not only had they served him well, they had never failed him. Not once. Today would be no different. He, once again, refuted such an inevitability. Jounouchi dying, was not happening.
As he robotically continued with the compressions, all while checking the blond boy's pulse every now and then, Kaiba smoothly engaged in a rapid-fire of mental maths, attempting to figure out how much time he - they - had.
Most people could hold their breath underwater on average between one to three whole minutes - unless one was professionally trained, over years, like Kaiba, to maintain it for a while longer. The brunet boy had no way of knowing Jounouchi's experience in that regard, nor if the latter... Well, actually, fully drowned.
Attempting to hold one's breath beyond one's capacity, especially when so deep underwater, was not only highly improbable, but also extremely dangerous. Dangerous, because our bodies fundamentally need both oxygen and carbon dioxide to survive, and should there be a balance of two in the bloodstream, it required regulation. Hence, that instinctive necessity to breathe in, even when in water. And, if a submerged person eventually breathed in water for about four to six minutes without eventual resurfacing and resuscitation, it would result in dire brain damage, and eventually, death.
To put it simply, overall, according to his calculations, Jounouchi currently had a twenty-five percent chance of survival - since he could approximate that the blond had been underwater for about three minutes. And a good portion of the survival part, heavily and solely relied on Kaiba right now. As in, basically, his life was in his hands. That, or his blood would be on his hands...
Speaking of which, the chest compressions were not doing, nor changing a single damn thing. Kaiba frowned, irked. Was he supposed to perform CPR? On Jounouchi Katsuya? Ew, so gross.
In retrospect, frankly, the idea of the other's death occurring simply because he wasn't feeling what was basic, didn't sit well with him either. There was no lost love between the two of them, but Kaiba didn't want Jounouchi to drop dead - of course, he would say so, just to maintain a constant streak in his I'm an apologetic jerk quota, that didn't mean he wanted it to happen. Who would he annoy and infuriate then, if not for the blond boy? Wait, why was that important?
Whatever. He could compromise. Once again, he would rather deal with a minor inconvenience and temporary discomfort, than go back to face his rival with the death of one of his best friends. Yeah, no - that would not fly at all.
With his mind set, Kaiba steeled himself, and then lowered his lips to Jounouchi's open mouth. And breathed in his own air within the other.
Jounouchi's pale lips were cold to the touch, but soft, and Kaiba will forever refuse admitting that he lingered a little longer than he was meant to, before he promptly yanked himself away, and then shifted back chest compressions again. And all the while, he mechanically recited over and over the steps to remain focused, to keep himself going, and to keep himself form spiralling. Which wasn't happening. Of course not. Him? Kaiba was fine, right as rain. He totally had this.
'To perform CPR on adults and older children, open the person's airways (nose, mouth and throat) and check they are clear, before proceeding. Preferably aim for five sets of thirty chest compressions to two breaths in about two minutes. Four to six minutes is a mostly common time frame for attempting resuscitation - after submersion - without the risk of prolonged brain damage. Even so, a rescuer would need to continue attempting resuscitation for at least that long before they would expect a result. Cease all activity if the person shows no signs of life...'
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Back at the edge of the harbour, the rest of the friend group kept their wide, unblinking gaze on the surface of the water, as they all sat there, huddled altogether, and waiting, with bated breath. Though silent, one question in their mind prevailed, yet none of them dared to voice it out loud. Would Jounouchi...?
All of a sudden, their still and stifling silence was broken by Hiroto, jumping to his feet and yelling excitedly: "Oh, OH, I see them! There! And Kaiba got Jounouchi out! He saved him!"
"My gosh, I can't believe it!" cried Shizuka in pure relief, shaking hands fluttering to her chest "Big brother's safe, oh, thank God!"
"That's Nii-sama for you, he's absolutely amazing!" boasted Mokuba proudly, grinning bright, and causing Hiroto to pause, frowning at the remark, not wanting to agree, before he shrugged.
"You know what, kid? For today, I'll up and admit that - let's go! A big, big hurray for Kaiba!"
"WOO!"
While Anzu, Shizuka, Hiroto and Mokuba all cheered, only Mai and Ryuuji were dead quiet, glancing at each with a sense of tight tension, unsure what to tell the others. Nor how to say it. Honestly, should they? It was going to be a matter of time before they found out eventually, right? That Jounouchi had been, down there, way too long. Much too long. It was just...too late.
As Anzu and Shizuka hugged, tears of happiness in their eyes as they laughed in naïve disbelief, Hiroto's excitement promptly shifted to confusion, as he finally picked up on the young CEO's movements, and the path he was swimming himself and Jounouchi in. In the opposite direction.
"Hey, what the-? Why is he-? Why's he swimming over there?! We're over here! Oi, KAIBA!"
"NII-SAMA!" called out Mokuba as loudly as he could, cupping his hand around his mouth.
"He can't hear you," spoke up Mai quietly, an unsteadiness to her tone "We're too far away. And the breakwater actually appears closer for them."
"Oh. Oh, yeah, makes sense," observed Hiroto as he squinted against the sun, before eventually nodding "But damn, that means we'll have to walk there. Better start jogging then. Come on, everyone."
The more oblivious and hopeful ones amid them nodded eagerly and were about to do just that, prompting Mai to snap her head towards Ryuuji in alarm. But the latter was already on his feet, waving up and down, making steady motions as he stood in front of them, blocking their path: "Wait, wait. Let's wait a lil' bit. Because- Because... Yugi-san isn't awake yet, is he? So, let's-"
"I agree with Otogi-san," jutted in Mai hastily, wrapping her arms around herself in spite of the warmth of the sun shining above "We should wait. 'Cause we, well- We just don't really know, you know?"
Those words and thoughts unsaid screeching piercingly around them, like nails on a chalkboard, as they now all, unanimously came to the same conclusion, at the same time. Their dear friend, wasn't safe. Not yet.
All the joy faded to nothing as fast as it had sprung to life, everyone currently in wordless gloom and doom, until Shizuka, tears of devastation staining her cheeks, whispered quietly, as though uttering it louder would make the dreadful eventuality come true: "Is my brother going to die?"
No one had it in them to lie to her. At the same time, no one of them dared to confirm her words.
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It had been about two full minutes now, and there had yet to be sign of life on Jounouchi's end. In total, that meant the blond boy hadn't received any oxygen intake for an overall five minutes. If he didn't respond to all of this in the exact next minute...Jounouchi would be as good as dead.
Subsequently, Kaiba was currently, having, somewhat of a crisis. Probably the worst of his life. Because he had, mostly, never failed, at anything. He was failing now. Greatly. Laughably so...
"BREATHE, DAMN IT!"
But Jounouchi did not, breathe. And Kaiba stilled, his hands shaking with nerves and exertion, his eyes blown-out wide, as he sluggishly, numbly pulled away, from the blond boy's...corpse. Kaiba shuddered, vile sickness permeating him from deep within an unsettled, queasy stomach. A familiar feeling. It wasn't disgust. It was defeat. He had failed. He had blood on his hands. Kaiba exhaled an erratic, shaky breath. So, now what?
He didn't dare to look at Jounouchi's body again, but a twitch on the latter's part drew his gaze. Kaiba stared. Great. Now, he was hallucinating, seeing things-
Hazel eyes snapped open, water gushing and gargling past his lips, and then Katsuya greedily gulped air, gasping like he had never breathed before, a coughing fit tearing through his lungs.
Kaiba's jaw dropped, too taken aback at first to do a thing but gawk, before eventually jumping forth to come to Jounouchi's aid.
"Whoa, whoa, easy. Slowly."
Heeding the words whispered his way, Jounouchi made a conscious effort to calm his irregular intake of oxygen, all while his heart was pounding, wild and rapid, in his ears. It was deafening.
Eventually, the blond boy slowly, steadily gathered his bearings, eyes blown wide and darting about, deep confusion etched within his features, barely registering Kaiba watching him warily.
"W-Wait. How-? Why-? Wha-? What happened? Aren't I supposed to be dead, or somethin'?"
Shaking the damp out of his hair, Jounouchi wiped at his face with a wet sleeve, before frowning as he grasped how redundant that question was. He wouldn't be dead if he was alive, would he? He then noted that the other boy hadn't spoken, leading him to glance at Kaiba, questioningly.
"You went in there, and after Yugi, without the intention of coming out of it alive?" deadpanned Kaiba, not even bothering to conceal the sheer disbelief in his voice "I knew you were reckless, albeit a bloody wild card, I didn't think you would be insane, on top of stupid."
"Oi, shut your face!" barked Jounouchi, reddening "Thought the key would free us both, is all. Gimme a break, damn it."
"Even though Marik went and clearly stated that they were different sets," pointed out the other, earning an annoyed glare from the blond boy.
"Figured he'd be lyin'," muttered Jounouchi with a pout and crossed arms, making Kaiba snort.
"You're absolutely incorrigible. I wonder how on earth Yugi puts up with someone like you."
All it took was one look, and Kaiba could instantly tell what the other was worrying about. And he was surprised with himself for it - even though he would definitely never voice it out loud. Then again, he made a habit to know what people were thinking - he simply chose to ignore it.
"Yugi's fine. Exhausted, but alive."
"Phew. That's just...great," breathed Jounouchi, immense relief palpable and radiating from his entire being, before utter confusion returned tenfold "So, okay, but how did I get out though?"
Kaiba scoffed at the query, rolling his eyes. But then he realized the other was genuinely asking, and then the brunet boy couldn't help the sarcasm seeping into his voice: "How do you think?"
Like he had just been given a trick question, Jounouchi crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, humming thoughtfully, his gaze flickering back and forth for a bit, between the water and Kaiba. Right when the CEO was beginning to consider some level of brain damage on the other's part, Katsuya froze, horrified mortification crossing his features: "...You saved me. Actually? You?"
"Your doubt is outstandingly offensive."
Jounouchi gawked. He had been sinking way too fast. And would have been way too low for anyone to humanly be able to get to him and rescue him. Was Kaiba actually a freaking a robot? A Superman? Nah, not Superman, Kaiba wasn't much of a decent guy. Well, still decent enough to bother saving him. His mind was reeling. This all sounded and seemed practically impossible. Like honestly, since when did Kaiba bother with anyone, but himself and his younger brother?
"Flies just may set up permanent residence, if you keep your mouth that wide open, Jounouchi," intoned Kaiba sarcastically all of a sudden, causing the blond boy to, first splutter, then growl.
"Still an asshole, I see."
"Always," smirked Kaiba, while he smoothly got up to his feet and brushed away at his clothes.
Upon noticing Friendship and Co. all drawing closer to where they were, the young CEO gave Jounouchi a curt nod and was just about to saunter away, when the blond boy called out to him.
"Oi, Kaiba. Say, how long were you underwater?"
"Not long, barely so," replied the brunet boy easily, in spite of being puzzled by the question, as well as its utter randomness, making him glance back and arch an eyebrow high at the other "Why?"
Oddly looking just as perplexed, and somewhat curious, Jounouchi maintained eye-contact with Kaiba, before he pointed at his own hazel eyes, tapping just under them: "Your eyes're all red."
It was due to saying it out loud that caused it to land for Katsuya, bewilderment in his expression and a tiny interesting fluttering sensation in his ribcage, upon seeing Kaiba look away and clear his throat, embarrassed.
Embarrassed? Kaiba? What, had hell frozen over today or something?
But before anything else could be uttered, at least two people of smaller height, came tunnelling towards Jounouchi, tackling the blond boy in a huge bear hug, and sending all of them crashing into a messy, tangled heap onto the sand.
"JOUNOUCHI-KUN!"
Kaiba watched on from the side-lines as Yugi - awake again since who knows when - held onto the blond boy with all his might, along with Jounouchi's younger sister, both seeming as though they no longer wanted to ever let him go. Afraid of what would happen should they dare to. Friendship and Co. appeared to want to join on the group hug, fidgeting where they all stood, but apparently opted to give the rest their space for now. It was all tears, laughter, and emotions. Lots of emotion.
Kaiba eventually looked away, getting vastly uncomfortable. He should leave. It was best. He had no reason to be here any longer. He could go, preferably now, before any of them noticed–
"Kaiba-kun, wait."
Crap.
Annoyed now, Kaiba turned on his heel to glare at Yugi, leading the latter to laugh nervously, apparently aware of the inconvenience he had just inadvertently caused for the young CEO, before his features softened, smiling gratefully: "Thank you, Kaiba-kun. Thank you so much."
Narrowing his blue eyes at his favourite rival, Kaiba clicked his tongue, annoyance at its peak: "Whatever. This changes nothing. Mokuba, we're leaving."
The younger Kaiba brother quickly nodded, about to hurry along with him, before he stopped in his steps, backtracking to jump and wrap his arms around Jounouchi, in the tightest of hugs: "I'm really, really glad you're okay, Jounouchi."
"Aw, thanks, twerp," chuckled the blond boy warmly, hugging back, with Yugi untangling from the hug to give them some space "Better run now though - your brother's waiting. And glaring."
"Will do," grinned Mokuba, before smiling shyly "Oh, and it was nice meeting you, Shizuka."
"It was nice meeting you too, Mokuba-kun," she replied sweetly, with a little blush and wave, before she turned her attention back to hugging her brother, happy tears shining within her eyes "Big Brother, you're okay."
"Hi there, Shizuka. Great to see you too, sis," whispered Katsuya, guilt seeping into his voice "I'm, uh... I- Sorry about all of this. That's this, is the very first thing you ever had to-"
"I- I'm just happy to see you again - actually, see you," whispered Shizuka with a happy sob, leading her older brother to simply melt, and gather her closer in his arms "Glad to have you. Here. Alive. I'm so grateful, but I- I didn't thank him."
Puzzled at first, Katsuya grasped his little sister was talking about Kaiba. And then, he realized. He hadn't thanked him either.
"Say, come over with me for a bit?"
She nodded enthusiastically, not ready to be apart from her brother just yet, taking his hand as the two of them got to their feet, with Jounouchi grinning at his friends: "Be right back, guys."
Friendship and Co. waved them off and went back discussing what they should all do next, whereas Katsuya and his sister both sprinted off together, still holding hands, as they made their way up to where a slick, black limo had been parked.
"Oi, Kaiba, wait up!"
Sighing, Kaiba paused from entering the vehicle, rolling his eyes and leaning upon the car door. He glanced at the chauffeur with an arched eyebrow, Roland, who merely shrugged and hid a smile, before the young CEO then leisurely turned towards both the nearing Jounouchi siblings.
"What."
"Kaiba," panted out Katsuya, breathless as he finally reached the brunet boy, before swallowing and glancing up sheepishly at him "Thanks. For saving me. I mean it. I guess I owe you one."
Remaining silent at first, Kaiba regarded the blond boy with an air of passive disinterest, making Jounouchi squirm uncomfortably, before a slow, amused grin touched the young CEO's lips: "You couldn't afford to. We both know that."
"I'm really tryin' here, bud," hissed Jounouchi through grit teeth, his eyebrow twitching with irritation, while Shizuka stifled a little giggle, and Mokuba snickered quietly, awfully amused "Oi, don't laugh, you two, come on."
Genuinely entertained by how flustered the blond was, the brunet boy chuckled softly then, eventually relenting: "You're welcome. See you at the Finals, Jounouchi."
Taken aback by Kaiba's tone and words, the other took a moment before speaking up, grinning: "Yeah, I'll definitely be there."
As Kaiba entered the limo's backseat, joining Mokuba, who was already inside, the young CEO drawled out with a straight face: "You'd better, Jounouchi - didn't save your life for you to bail out in the end after all, hm?"
Shoulders drooping at the unmistakable sarcasm in the brunet boy's voice, Jounouchi glared lightly, half-heartedly: "...Ya gonna go and be holdin' that one over my head a bit, won't chya?"
"Oh yes, I definitely will."
"Tch. Bastard."
But there was absolutely no spite in Katsuya's tone, leading a small smile touching Seto's lips. Jounouchi saw it, yet opted against pointing it out, merely huffing out in frustrated amusement, waving at the Kaiba brothers, and just about ready to walk away and back towards his friends - Shizuka already skipping off to meet up with them.
"Jounouchi."
The aforementioned promptly halted in his tracks, glancing back towards Kaiba, questioningly, honey hazel meeting glacial blue. The young CEO held the other's gaze, and something akin to softness seeped into the brunet's voice then: "Try not to die, would you."
And Katsuya could have sworn his stomach fluttered with butterflies. Clearing his throat and rubbing at the back of his neck, the blond boy flushed faintly, and spluttered out for a moment, before he collected himself, made a show of crossing his arms, and defiantly grinned wide: "Naaaaah, I won't go and make any promises, to be honest. Reckless, insane and stupid, innit."
"Still a punk, I see."
Throwing the young CEO's own words back at him, causing Kaiba to laugh, loud and heartily.
"Always."
The End.
A/N: And here we go! Serena-san, dear, wishing you a super, special awesome Birthday to you! May all your dreams, resolutions and more come true! I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this lil' fic, I really had such a blast writing it, tee hee X3
And also, like bruh I wish something similar to this or close to it, happened in the series? Please? They had an opportunity to do it, but they didn't, waaah! Le Sigh, long live fanfiction then hm?
Anyways, thank you SO much for giving this fic a moment of your time, hope you enjoyed it! Please go check out SerenaJones's stories! Until next time, take care and be safe! Bella Ciao!