Ghosts

by piper and kimi no vanilla

The past returns, and our heroes have some important decisions to make... Jou+Kai, YamiB+Ryou, Yuugi+Yami.

1. Once

ghosts.

a yuugiou rp by piper and kimi no vanilla.

BEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEEP!

Ugh.. That infuriating noise yet again. With it's shrieking, monotonous tone, Yami Yuugi felt like slight slivers of awareness seep into his veins. A low, rumbling sigh was emitted from an ivory fleshed throat and with one swift movement, he felt the stinging sensation of the chilled floor of his soul room conveniently slapped against his unaware cheek... Or.. Rather visa versa.

BEEEEEPP!

That confounded, damnable, hellish noise! How in Heaven's name and confines could anyone stand it..? Better yet, how could his little sleep through it? No matter, though. He put up with it.

BEEEEEPP~!

After a few seconds more of allowing his.. Ahem.. 'body' to lie half responsive on the surprisingly gritty stone ground, the multicolored teenager hefted himself up with a new burst of energy, freshly conformed from his sense of duty. He'd never complain to this minor annoyance.

Reaching out to his other half, he tried to ignore the background accompaniment.

//Aibou... Time to wake up.//

/....hunh?/

Mutou Yuugi blinked awake slowly, noticing all of a sudden that his alarm clock was blaring and his other was giving him mental nudges. /Oh, Yami... Good morning./ Yawning, he sat up and stretched vigorously, climbing out of bed with a certain noticeable reluctance. "Another Monday..." sighed the boy as he walked over to his closet and pulled out his school uniform.

And so it went. A pretty generic morning of hushed yawns, rushed breakfasts, and barely clasped pants. At one point sometime, Yami had question just exactly why Yuugi kept such an off schedule if it always caused him to end up more bedraggled then when he climbed from his bed.

All he got responded with was giddy laughter and he left it be as yet another one of those things he would never know about this person he shared bodies with.

Even now, as Yami sat back within the innards of his soul room, he felt the gentle poundings of happy exhaustion through their link as the youth ran--more like stumbled--on his way out the door and towards the school a few blocks ahead. It was 7:10.

//Would you like me to take over for you, aibou? Your school starts at 7:15 and you're tired.// Yami prodded lightly as the young one 'beneath' him gave another heaved breath. //I have longer legs.//

The last bit was added with hesitation. Hidden sensitivity with height was touched, no doubt, but the darker one merely thought it was a fact held in truth.

Yuugi shook his head. /It's all right, mou hitori no boku... I'm usually late anyway, now aren't I?/ The last was added with a smile as he reached the front gates of Domino High School, the tardy bell's harsh ring reaching his ears as he ducked through the door. He waved absently at the ladies working in the front office before dashing down the corridor toward his history class.

//Un.//

Once again Yami settled back. For a moment he was completely contented to strive out this school day as he had so many others.. He took this time to think.

Of course this was Jounouchi irony.

Within seconds it all came tumbling down as a decent amount of 134 lb. with blonde hair launched itself at his unsuspecting physical body as soon as Yuugi barely touched the floor over the doors threshold. Jou grabbed the small statured duelist in one of the biggest bear hugs yet to be rivaled with...

"Hey there, Yuug!"

With a futile squeak, Yami tumbled headfirst of his bed for the second time that day and he was very tempted to separate from Yuugi and give this blonde a well deserved noogie... Too bad a dozen or so students stared on at the scene. Grace was not his friend today.

Though, as he barely managed to observe through Yuugi's eyes before the odd attack, the classroom itself was no the epitome of order. Students sat upon desks, languid in posture, huddled in groups.. And even Jou's off-placed banter said the obvious. The room was teacher-less.

Yuugi laughed delightedly, smiling that guileless smile up at his friend. "Good morning, Jounouchi-kun! You're feeling cheerful today!"

Bakura Ryou, sitting nearby, glanced over at the pair with a small smile upon his lips. "Maybe it's because Kaiba-san's not here."

//Seto's not here?//

Eyes the color of rich honey fell back to the silver-haired boy with a sort of hated smile and Jou slightly released his grip upon Yuugi, head tossed upwards in agreement.

"Ha! Darn straight, Bakura," he added with a classic mock pout before smirking fanastically, sticking out his tongue in point. "You should see just how happy I'll be when he doesn't come at all! I still don't like that jer---HEY! OW!"

With the sounds of a wounded puppy, the blonde gingerly nursed his growing lump received from the looming Honda who, after wandering over from the grabby Anzu and her gathered group of other giddy school mates, gave his friend forewarning to the subject he had almost insulted. He made frantic head jerks to his point of focus.

"Oh, did the little puppy need scolding? Don't let me interrupt."

A smirk played around Kaiba Seto's lips, and cold blue eyes watched Jounouchi mockingly as the young man walked over to his desk, placing his briefcase on the floor before sitting down next to it.

"Um... good morning, Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said with a strained smile, while the rest of the group just glared.

Anzu walked over just in time to catch the sardonic words. "We don't appreciate your comments, Kaiba," she spat.

Again, Yami receded back into Yuugi's mind. He'd well and enjoyed this whole senerio before and he quiet frankly would have prefered washing dishes.

Immediately, Jounouchi was shaking with barely controlled anger as the dark haired duelist swept into the classroom like a silent cat and placed himself on a perch of satisfaction from the little enterance he had pulled. Face flushed, Jou jumped forward despite some slight sounds of protests from the other members of the group, gloved fist raised in bitter confronation as it too trembled with his fury.

"For your information, I wasn't getting scolded, Kaiba. After all, I'm not the one late after the bell, am I?" he spat angrily. Golden bangs were blown out with a slight huff of breath, and quickly he added, "And I'm not a puppy!!"

Kaiba leaned back leisurely in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded the other young man with that cold, smug expression. "Oh, the puppy dog's yapping at me," and the smirk twitched as he reached down to pull a notebook and pencil from his briefcase. "Maybe someone needs to put you on a leash."

"Kaiba!" Anzu stepped forward, scowling. Bakura watched with a "here we go again" expression as Yuugi stepped forward, putting his arms out in a placating gesture.

"Please, Kaiba-kun, Jounouchi-kun... Class hasn't even started yet! Can't you leave off for a while?"

"Why you---!!! I oughta--!!" A leash?! Of all the--! Despite Yuugi's desperate attempt for early morning peace, Jou's temper bested him and he rushed forward to grasp the taller boys collar with a furious glare, the honey colored irises now echoing with flames and only met with placid, unmoved eyes of ice.

But now a decent part of the class was staring once again and almost in unison, a chant rose up.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Jounouchi's eyes were turned on him, and Kaiba Seto... turned away. Glancing back up to the boy holding his weight halfway off the floor, Kaiba remarked conversationally:

"Well. Look who just walked in."

The history teacher walked over with a scowl on her face. "Jounouchi-kun!"

With an embarrassed gasp, an already flushed Jounouchi turned even a shade redder from mere headlight situation and immediately his position holding the slender CEO slightly upward from his seat was abandoned to standing up sheepishly, one hand behind his head, and Seto dropped back down into his chair with a light thunk ("Oof."). With his best apologetic smile, Jou glanced warily up to the stone faced woman.

"Ah.. er.. Good morning, sensei..?"

* * *

The rest of the class progressed in a similar manner. Kaiba, it seemed, was feeling bored, and thus various derogatory notes found their way onto Jounouchi's desk over the hour; naturally, the teacher didn't spot any of them until Katsuya tried to reply. A certain tension could be felt in their corner of the room after his detention was lengthened, first to half an hour, then to an hour. By all appearances, Kaiba Seto looked quite pleased at a job well done. Yuugi sighed.

/I get so tired of watching those two. What could Kaiba-kun possibly have against Jounouchi-kun, anyway? It can't just be that he thinks Jounouchi-kun's a bad duelist... It's much too vicious for that. I'd say it were out of character for Kaiba-kun, except that I see it every day! Oh, Yami, I just don't understand./

Yami, quite attentive now that class had started, had listened commentlessly through the small period, eyes half watching the silent war that raged behind him. He couldn't help but notice as yet another note fell onto the blonde's desk, who promptly glared at the smirking Kaiba as he leaned back carelessly in his seat, opened it, fumed, and then ate it. With exaggerated chomps in Seto's direction, Jounouchi then folded his arms and slumped down low.

"Damn," Yami heard him mutter. Yami himself resisted the urge to chuckle for fear of disturbing his quiet other, but was quickly given room to do so as a question swept his mind. He smiled.

//Look closer, aibou. They're not just tormenting each other out of spite. Do you remember when you were younger? Did any girls ever pick on you?//

A paper plane grazed past the pouting Jou's ear.

Yuugi blinked, confused. /But Yami, what does that have to do with.../ He trailed off suddenly, glancing over at the pair with slightly reddening cheeks. /Oh./

In short order the bell had rung, and students began to pack up their things. "Mr. Kaiba, I'd like to talk to you up here," said the teacher. "Everyone else is dismissed."

Yami once again stifled laughter and had he been in physical form he would have hugged his lighter half. Innocent certainly didn't mean naive, but it definitely made one endearing. Yami merely settled for sending the equaling sensation through Yuugi as the other rose to leave and cast Kaiba a now iffy glance.

Jounouchi's face, however, lighted up as soon as the precious words the teacher had spoken came to his ears. With an energetic jump, Jou snapped up with a smirk and pulled up his bag to his shoulder before zooming out.. not till giving Seto a well deserved raspberry as he went, tossing back golden bangs to flash a toothy grin at the handsome brunette.

Kaiba shot a cool glare toward the blonde before rising and walking over to the teacher's desk. Yuugi shoved books into his bag, listening surrepititiously as he folded up some papers and placed them inside his notebook.

"Kaiba, I don't appreciate your constant disruptions of my class," the teacher was lecturing, wagging a finger under Seto's nose. Kaiba looked down on the sensei with an expression as impassive as ever. "Just because you're rich and famous doesn't mean you have the right to disturb other students. Business calls are one thing, but if you don't stop pestering Jounouchi, you and I are going to go have a nice talk with the Principal. Understand?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Sensei... I don't appreciate threats."

"And I don't appreciate your goofing off in my class! You're on thin ice, young man..." The teacher scowled. "I've seen your permanent record. If you get expelled from this school, it'll be your last."

"Yuugi." Slightly startled, the young man turned to find that it was Bakura who had whispered in his ear. "C'mon, or we'll be late for art class..."

They walked out the door, still listening to the sounds of Kaiba and the teacher arguing.

Okay, so maybe zoom was too literal of a term. As the two (er, THREE) boys headed out the doorway to their next class, all the while casting curious glances back at the warring Kaiba and sensei, they ran almost face first into the huddling Jounouchi, who had stationed himself 'strategically' for earsdropping purposes. Instantly he withdrew from his position and whistled innocently as both Yuugi and Bakura gave him an incredulous look. He shrugged sweetly before giving a light puff of a sigh.

"Ah, yeah, yeah.. I know. I should've been.." He raised his hands flat in a surrendering smile before tilting his head to the side, quickly change the subject. "Hehhehe.. so, uh.. Off to art class?"

* * *

The passing of half an hour or so found the group mixing tubs of paint in the art room, preparing colors for a new mural. Anzu poured a bit of white into her blue and glanced toward her friends with a smile. "So, what's everyone doing after school?"

"Nothing much," piped up the previous blonde and he generously slapped a load of red into a small portion of the lightest yellow before swirling it with motoristic circles. Smirking lightly, he raised eyes of honey lightly. "But I might go see if I can find a costume for that masqure-whata galla on Friday."

He paused, pointing a dripping wet paintbrush towards the other to his left. "You know, Yuug, the one Pegasus is holding for all fellow high Duelists this weekend? Supposed to be a big thing, right?"

"Yeah!" Yuugi smiled. "I think it's going to be great! I just have to decide on a costume..."

"Yuugi..." Bakura looked troubled. "Are you sure that's wise? We haven't seen hide nor hair of Pegasus since you defeated him. Who knows whether or not he's planning something...?"

Yuugi shrugged, sobering. "You have a point, but... he's kept his word to me once, and I have a feeling I ought to go. I'm willing to take the risk."

Anzu hid her worries with a smile. "I'm sure you guys will be fine."

//Yuugi... You never told me you got an invitation from Pegasus..//

From the confines of his soul room, Yami had nearly been close to drifting off, the low and monotonous tones of blocked out children serving almost as an odd, humming like lullaby to the sleep-hungry pharaoh, though for the life of him he could not guess why he was so sleepy. Perhaps it had been yesterday's soccer game, where, when Yuugi suddenly grew tired in the middle of a play with his friends, Yami had taken over. Quite invigorating, actually, though he could never pas up a game anyway. Sad to say, his physical form hadn't exactly been up to in the purposely active department since the crew had left the Duelist Kingdom, what with the lack of running around to various places. He'd convince himself this was the only reason. Or he could have just been bored.

Yet, when the simple question Jounouchi had asked grazed past his ears, Yami shot up like a bullet from his spot upon the floor, golden bangs swishing uncharacteristically from their place. When Yuugi confirmed it, Yami couldn't help but be alarmed. True, his aibou could put up mental blocks to certain areas as he wished in his mind, but rarely did so.. What had he to hide? Yami found this sudden hole of knowledge disarming.

An impish smile was Yami's answer.

/Would you have let me go?/

Yuugi mixed paint and said nothing further.

* * *

With the end of school came the walk home, a reward at the end of the day that Yami tended to cherish almost as much as the rivaled Homework Time. These and scant others tended to be the scarce few times he could walk freely among people, friends, his aibou... Times he could actually give Jounouchi a well deserved noogie or Yuugi a knowing chuckle.. Or even, if they passed him in the parking lot, share 'friendly' quips with the ever so presenting Seto, though this was rare. He tended to disappear earlier then the school expect, most likely to pick Mokuba up from his school a few blocks down or maybe some unexpected business meeting with some short woman from Hong Kong. Frankly, Yami didn't care too much about that part, but it didn't stop Jounouchi from inspecting the lots from top to bottom.

Luckily for them, today the honey blonde duelist seemed much more placid today, and the group walked happily through the autumn's day. Leaves of various colors, shapes, and sizes littered the walkways and ended with a satisfying crunch beneath Yami's shoes as he walked silently sandwiched between Anzu and Jou, the brunette in question having taken her standard position beside the bundled up Yuugi.

"Well, I guess Kaiba's got more'va punishment from sensei then we thought. I didn't see him at lunch." It wasn't out of the blue for Jounouchi to state this. He would often share his frustrations with the rich CEO on their walks home.

"Yes... for someone who's so smart, Kaiba-san seems to have school troubles an awful lot." Bakura raised an eyebrow. "I wonder how many times he's been absent just this year alone...?"

"Oh well, everyone has their pet peeves." Yuugi grinned. "I guess Kaiba-kun's is school. I can relate."

He glanced toward Yami only slightly before returning his eyes to the sidewalk ahead. / You're... not mad at me, are you?/

Eyes the color of the fallen leaves raised as Yami was addressed and they fell quietly on Yuugi, who seemed a bit fidgity as he gazed down towards the cold, gray pathwalk.

//I'm not mad.. No.// Yami suddenly wished the other would look up so he could flash a reassuring smile.. But he didn't. //..Why would you keep something like that from me? What makes you think I would'nt have agreed you should go?//

"Yeah, well, I can't wait to see him expelled." Jounouchi was oblivious to the private conversation going and rubbed his hads together like a kid brought to a Thanksgiving feast.

"That's not very nice, Jounouchi-kun," interjected Bakura quietly. "I agree that Kaiba-san's a jerk, but he works hard, and he makes very good grades, I've heard. He deserves to graduate. And... you heard what the sensei said to him this morning." He frowned sadly.

Yuugi glanced toward his other again. /Well, it's just... You're always protecting me, Yami... You know that I appreciate it, and you. But because of that, I wasn't sure how you'd react to this party... Since it's Pegasus and all... I want to be there and see what's going on, and I just... didn't know if you'd be comfortable with that, all things considered,/ he finished, feeling very sheepish for some reason.

//I.. Well, I won't say that I wouldn't have had hesitations...// His lips pursed unconciously and he stared back silently into the beautiful shades of violet the glittered softly in the dim sun. //..But you are you're own person, I suppose.//

For a moment, Yami paused in his step and fell back from the staggering line of friends they had created suddenly falsely interested in his shoes. The other chattered on, as he did not stop completely nor was that far from them in stride, but it was enough. This was silly, he thought defiantly //I'm coming with you then.//

"Grades, shmades!" Jounouchi shook his head feverently, shaking his hair along with it as he glanced back to Bakura. "Let's see you say that when you're called a puppy dog every countless day or have to put up with that dumb smirk! I just wish he weren't so haughty!"

"I don't know." Bakura cocked his head in a questioning pose as he looked out toward some nearby trees. "I think perhaps that attitude is just Kaiba-san's way of keeping everyone at arm's length." A rueful smile. "Well, except for the puppy dog part."

Yuugi gave his other a bright smile. /Of course!/

At Bakura's words, Jounouchi grew increasingly silent, and soon, so did his aggreesiveness. For a moment longer he held a puzzling scowl, one hidden beneath confusion before he abbruptly turned left. Why would Seto only...?

"Ah.. Well, this is my stop. See ya'll later then." He was met with a chorus of 'bye's before he headed off down the road, hands stuffed in his pockets.

* * *

It took Yuugi all week to decide what he was going to wear to the masquerade ball. First he wanted to dress up like a Duel Monster, but he wasn't sure if this was supposed to be like a Halloween party or a formal occasion, so he decided he'd better tone down the costume aspect a bit... Eventually, much to Yami's chagrin, he decided he wanted to go as a pharaoh. At least he knew he'd have some help with authenticity.

Yami, however, was not as easily decided. Rather, instead, Yuugi spent half of the time trying to explain what exactly a masquerade was, let alone let Yami grasp the whole purpose. What he finally settled for was that this was yet another one of this new era's odd society games, and, as everyone knows, this former pharaoh was never one to succumb to a game.

The week had gone by rather quickly, a mindless charade of the usual with a sprinkle of barely contain excitement of the gala of festivities soon to come. Despite just have aqquire knowledge of what it actually was, Yami found Yuugi's uncontrollable glee quite contagious and no sooner had they reached Thursday had he pulled his aibou smnack face into helping design his costume.. Not that Yami had any objections. It was more time spent with his other, not to mention being able to truly show off his knowledge of his true land.

Needless to say, morning and afternoon came and went rather quickly that Friday, and all fell back to where he was, leaning back casually in one of the many old wooden chairs of the kitchen table, exchanging general chatter with Yuugi's grandfather as the young one still bustled about upstairs. Yami smiled from where he sat and reached out softly.

//Are you almost ready, aibou? Jounouchi and the others should be here soon.//

/Yeah, I'm coming down right now, Yami!/

A polished white shoe stepped onto the stairs.

Yuugi walked down the staircase carefully, jangling accents of golden jewelry swaying with his movements. He was dressed in formal masquerade style: his white tuxedo had been hastily embroidered around the cuffs and sleeve edges to suggest bracelets, while around his neck was a very real piece of ornamentation--a replica of an Egyptian collar, inlaid with silver-colored and turquoise stones. His dark red spikes had been slicked back to lay a little bit flatter, and upon his head he wore a thick circlet with a wadjet-eye in the center. In one hand he held the Pharaoh's crook and flail--attached to the crook was a classical masquerade eye-mask.

"How do I look?" he asked his other with a smile.

Yami couldn't help but taking a rather sharp breath when Yuugi appeared, almost gliding, down the stairs, dazzling violet eyes set upon himself as he seemed to dance to the melody of jingles that his ornamentation brought. This wasn't so good, however, for the spirit breathed in much to quickly for his own good, causing him to break in a horrible coughing fit. Quickly he lowered his head as he did so, hoping to the Heaven's Yuugi hadn't caught the vibrant, red blush that had happily danced it's way across Yami's own high cheek bones, half from embarrassment and another from.. from..

White.. Of course. Angelic.. Stupid Yami, you create your own irony!

"Ah.. hah.. You look wonderful, Yuugi... hah.." Quietly, he tried to calm his coughing with slow, deep breaths. Of course, he himself was no plain worn person himself, but he had taken little notice. Skin tight and jet black, his high leather pants clung to his every curve, quite matched with the white shirt overhung with the small, matching jacket that lay lined with white fir. Tall, half hidden boots lay accessories as well as the criss crossing of many brown, buckle heavy belts about his slender waist. Shining dimly in the light, a small silver necklace jangled about his neck and dark, gloved hands clasp a very real looking gunblade at his side. A black half mask covered the portion of his face. Anzu had suggested Squall.

It was a lucky thing for Yuugi that Yami suddenly had a bout of coughing, because he could feel his own cheeks grow hot as he looked upon the lithe, leather-clad form of his other. "Um, are you all right?" he asked, composing himself and hurrying the rest of the way downstairs to join Yami.

Someone was knocking on the back door.

Regain some sense of composure, the tall, tricolor haired boy glanced up as Yuugi came down to stand beside him, his small hand coming down lightly upon Yami's back to aide his small display of.. Whatever it was that was a display of... Still slightly flushed, he rose quickly as there came a vibrate knock at the door and with a hesitation of a small smile given to his aibou, Yami turned to open the small, kitchen door that lead to the back of the game shop.

"Boo~!" Smiling, the doorway revealed quite an impressive pair of blondes. One, slender as a young tree, was clad in that of a rather famous highway bandit, Zoro. Black upon black, silky material curved all about Jounouchi's form as did the flowing cape the floated like water around him. A small, silver parry sword lay clasped in black gloved hands and honey colored eyes sparkled from beneath a dark mask hiding a good portion of his upper face, not to mention the coy smile he sported. The first few buttons of his shirt lay open and exposed and smooth, flawless skin glimmered in the darkness.

Beside this man stood a cocky looking woman with tresses of golden waterfalls spilling gently about a costume twice as wicked as herself. Blood red, her outfit was that of a temptress, pouty lips and much top cleavage adding to the dramatic, medieval flair about her. The material of the cloth shimmered like velvet under the low light, an impressive sequined mask flared out like controlled flames.

"Hello, Mai.. Jounouchi!" Yami smiled.

"Jounouchi-kun... Mai-san! You look fantastic!" Yuugi greeted his friends with a smile and a wave, walking over toward them. "Are you all ready to go? I'm curious to see what Pegasus has in store for us..." The smile turned mischievious as he adjusted the Sennen Puzzle around his neck.

"Thanks, Yuug! You do too! You guys ready?" With a feverant nod, Yami turned to his lighter half and offered an arm before he shut the door, much to his own confusion as he wasn't precisely sure how to go about this whole formality thing. Things were different now, and quite odd, really. It didn't really help when Jou snickered slightly.

"Hey there, Yuugi.. Yami." Mai grinned wolfishly and quickly exchanged glances with Jou. "You'll never believe what we drove here in."

Yuugi glanced toward Yami's outstretched arm, and suddenly he could feel himself blushing all over again. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and entwined his own arm with Yami's, smiling almost shyly.

"What you drove here in?" He repeated Mai's words absently as he glanced over toward the lady duelist. "Well, if it's so unbelievable, let's go have a look." Yuugi grinned.

Yami nodded in a confirming fashion, hiding his odd delight in having his aibou so.. Physical close to him. What are you thinking, pharaoh? Silly thoughts. He suddenly felt very hot in the face again.

Quickly, the two blondes practically hopped and skipping as the two followed to the front of the Game shop, where, much to Yami's amazement sat a long, shinny black limo.

"Courtesy of Pegasus," Mai laughed. "Looks like he's not all bad after al.. He has money!"

"Wow." Yuugi blinked. "I'm surprised he'd go to such trouble..."

Without further adieu, they hopped in, and the night began.

The ball was held at a trendy hotel in north Domino, within a huge ballroom whose vaulted ceilings seemed to stretch for miles, and held countless crystal chandeliers. Though it was already full of people, the long refreshment table stretching down one side of the room was still being set by hotel staff, and the guests milled about making crowd noise: it appeared the host, Pegasus Crawford himself, had not yet arrived to begin the festivities.

Yuugi looked around in amazement as they walked inside. "There's so many people... And what a beautiful ballroom! This is going to be fantastic!" He smiled cheerfully.

"Man, is this place a suit fest or what?" Jounouchi whispered exasperate to Yami as the four descended down the long, open stairs that stretch out below, dappling in velvet carpeting. That is, not without a bit of an embarrassing entrance, boldly announced to the whole ballroom by a door man whose only job was to just that. Needless to say, he was quiet baffled as to who Yami was and after many an explanation, both light and dark were allowed in. With the general hustle and bustle of parties, the four finally began blending into the huge crowd.. That is, before Jounouchi firmly dragged Mai off to the refreshment stand, much to Yami's amusement.

The orchestra, quite an impressive one at that, was playing all sorts of slow, waltzing songs and for a moment the glitter and colors become acutely blurred. Yami was very aware of the fact his aibou still hung to him like a drapery.

"Presenting Kaiba, Seto!!"

Midnight made flesh.

He was dressed in clingy black leather, polished until it gleamed, and shimmering a liquid-blue where the dimmed lights of the many chandeliers reached as he strode slowly from the entrance hall into the ballroom. High boots, pants, and gloves; a black dress shirt; a black cape that rustled gracefully behind him--all this under metallic shoulder-guards in the shape of a Blue Eyes White Dragon curled about his shoulders, its wings resting on his back. Underneath the cloak could be seen the silver glint of a sword hilt, swaying as he moved. Those royal blue eyes, as icy-calm as ever, slowly surveyed the crowd from behind a feathered mask of deepest blue; and Kaiba Seto located Jounouchi Katsuya with a cold smile.

There was a soft clatter as the cup Jounouchi had been holding in his hand shattered upon the smooth, marble surface, a shiny ivory pallor. Body completely frozen where he stood as well has the outstretched hand still in the position of grasping the cup twitched ever so slightly, along with his left eyes as he gingerly raised them to meet the cold, icy blue gaze of the tall man who stood high and far above him. Uhh.. Leather..

"Jou..? Jounouchi...?? Oh, Jounouchi!?" With Mai's prodding voice, the honey color haired boy seemed to snap from his dazed position, the panic off it all crashing down as his cheeks were suddenly burning.. And he had know idea the Hell why. What first was a conspiratorial whisper soon became a frantic squeak.

"Oh my GOD, Mai, it's Seto... SETO!! HERE. What'shedoingherehe'snotsupposedtobeherewhytheHELLishehere?!?!?!?" With wide eyes, the female tired to discern what Jou had frantically mumbled out as he suddenly grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and shook her.  "He'snotsupposedtobehereitisn'tallowed---WHY THE HELL AM I BLUSHING?!"

As a vein twitched in within her temple, the blonde woman let out a heated sigh as Jou released her before tossed her punch in his face. She then threw his cloak over his head in the opposite direction. ".......-_-;... Get a hold of yourself, Jou."

Yuugi smiled cheerfully. "Gee, Kaiba-kun has a beautiful costume."

Kaiba maneuvered leisurely through the crowd until he reached the pair standing by the refreshment table. "Kujaku. Good evening." He nodded toward Mai courteously. "And Jounouchi..." A smirk was directed toward the blonde duelist, but somehow it was different from Kaiba's usual sneer... Somehow it seemed more... dangerous.

Kaiba leaned over into Jounouchi's face as he raised the young man's cape from where Mai had tossed it. "Such a... creative costume. I see we've both chosen to play swordsmen tonight..." With a flick of the wrist he returned Jounouchi's cloak to rights. Suddenly there was something pressed into Katsuya's hand as Kaiba continued, "Pity, though. I was going to help you spruce up your costume a little."

In Jounouchi's grasp was a leather dog collar and a short leash.

Oh sweet mother of... Suddenly, Jounouchi's throat felt dry as the dark cape was lifted from his eyesight, replaced by the cool blue he had stared into only moments before. A satisfied smirk, the soft feel of his palm pressed against Jou's own along with.. with..

"You're.. twisted.." Jou whispered huskily at Kaiba being so near, much to close for his comfort. Still a grand blush tainted his cheeks though he struggled to maintain his composure, yet Mai definitely didn't help with her foolish laughter as she quickly strode away. Soft, hot puffs of air tickled at his bare skin and the blonde truly fought to not give in. What sick game was Seto trying to play? "Really, Kaiba.... Twisted."

He shifted position and suddenly brown locks obscured the cold eyes from Jounouchi's sight, though the mocking smile remained, twitching slightly as if Kaiba fought to keep from laughing. "So I'm told." He shook his hair out of his face as he stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest and regarding Jounouchi with that same infuriating sneer.

"So, little puppy, what are you going to do about it?"

What was he trying to pull? Jounouchi couldn't help but wonder as he slowly regained his senses now that Seto had removed himself from Jou's personal space as well as the intoxicating aroma of the young CEO, though it still seemed to linger lightly under his nose. With a deathening scowl, the blonde defiantly glared daggers at Kaiba as he spoke.

"Nothing..." He growled heavily under his breath. ".....now." Honey colored eyes sparkled with a tint of contempt and danger before a trembling hand raised the black, silver studded collar and clasped it on before Jou took a cautious step back. He really was risking it but.. He smirked. So he'd play along in this demented game for just.. awhile. "You just better hope to God I don't have rabies."

Jounouchi was rewarded with an expression of surprise. Kaiba hid it quickly, but not quickly enough to escape the other young man's notice. Lips parted as if to say something, but he stood there stunned for a split second that felt like an eternity, wordless. Finally he let a vicious smile twist his face, regaining his composure as he turned to walk away with a single, cruel bark of a laugh. "It suits you, puppy dog."

As soon as Seto moved away, Jou suddenly feel uncoveable, terrible anger rise within his chest like a roaring furnace and, as if it were so deadly acid slowly shredding at his skin, he rouchly ripped the leather collar that had entrapped his pale neck so tightly. The metal chain that was attacted to it jangled in silent protest but was soon met with silence as the whole adornment was chucked out one of the many open windows of the large room. It's my own fault.. I shouldn't have taken that chance for.. him.

With an inaudible snort, Jounouchi silently nursed his injured pride and stormed into the crowd to pout respectably. It's what he did best...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ballroom, Yami was feeling a bit dejected himself. Shards of glittering gold cascaded over crimson eyes that stared outwardly into a sea of colors and arms lay tightly folded over a firm chest. Only moments before, Mai had come and gone, taking on Yuugi with her to dance.. Not that he had much of a say in the matter himself. Yami, therefore, stood alone against one of millions of tall, cold stone pillars that lay as a base to an arch exit way to one of a many amount of small, private balconies. Staring wistfully out into the chilled air, Yami pushed one of the small, sliding glass doors littered with gold adornment to step outside from the bustle of the talkative crowd and the humming of the orchestra.

He slowly shut his eyes as his pale skin came in contact with the crisp, night air and he leaned thoughtfully upon the stone rim.

A few balconies away, someone else stumbled past doors and out into the night.

Kaiba Seto ran a hand through his hair and looked up toward the stars, an evening breeze ruffling his clothing slightly. Seemingly alone now, he didn't bother to hide the bewildered expression on his face.

I... I thought he'd throw it in my face... yell at me... tackle me, maybe... I never expected him to...

Put it on.

Why would Jounouchi do such a thing? Had Kaiba ridiculed him past all caring for his dignity? --No, that wasn't right; the look in Katsuya's eyes as he'd reached up to put it on...

The smile.

Kaiba could feel the faint blush creeping across his face, and he scowled viciously, mostly at himself.

I don't understand... What did you think you were doing, Jounouchi...?

* * *

With heavy eyes, Yami buried his chilled face and skin in enfolded arms and stood there, like this, for just a few moments. Now.. Everything was so peaceful now. He didn't want to be here.

Tonight.. That peace will be shattered.. I know it. Pegasus with announce something to throw our whole lives upside down.. Just when it was starting to fit back into place.

Cherish the moment.

Yami let out one, last and long sigh before smiling into his warm arms. Believe it or not, he found this whole ensemble he was adorning quite hot and the autumn nip left him unaffected. With shut eyes, he listened patiently as the song ended and another song started up.. Hauntingly beautiful and quite sad, actually.

* * *

Jou watched as the slender figure of Seto Kaiba leaned outwards on the balcony through cleared glass. Admittedly, he was still quite infuriated. Of all ways to respond.. Yet.. The tense posture the taller man held intrigued him and Jounouchi bit the bullet for the second time that night. He opened the door and stepped out quietly onto the small portrusion of stone.

Kaiba whirled around.

"...Oh. It's you." With a frown he turned his back on Jounouchi again, leaning forward against the balcony.

He closed his eyes for just a moment. He would not sigh in front of Katsuya. He just would not.

"What do you want, Jounouchi?" he murmured.

Katsuya, however would, but more frustration then anything else. This wasnt' a game, now he knew.. And how Seto had reacted distuurbed him. Cautiously, he stepped forward and came beside the dark hair boy. Silence hung for a moment and Jou gingerly licked his dry lips.

"What do you want me to be?"

"Jounouchi..." He opened his eyes again to stare broodingly down toward the ground. "What are you talking about...? I just... What I want..."

He paused to give a short, bitter laugh. "I don't know what the hell I want, in case you hadn't figured it out by now."

Empty blue eyes glanced up toward Jounouchi, and his voice was very quiet as he said, "I concede. You won this one. Just get the gloating out of the way, would you?"

"Oh, no.. No you don't. I'm not letting you off that easy."

For a split second, Jounouchi took it upon himself to enjoy the utter look of confusion that filtered once again that night as those few choice words escape his lips. This, however, was soon replaced by a settling anger and, with brows furrowed, it looked as if he were about to insult Jou... But that not what he wanted the reaction to be. Biting back his own bitterer confusion, Jounouchi stepped forward and roughly caught Seto's thin, pale jawline in his own fingers, both index and thumb. He had no time to be gentle. He kept on being afraid that this WASN'T a game.. He couldn't handle that. Not yet.

"I told you.. I'd do something later."

Kaiba could feel himself tremble at the other's touch, and his roughness. What he most wanted at this moment was to slap Jounouchi's hand away, but somehow he was frozen to the spot, blue eyes locked on amber ones. He had no witty retort for Katsuya this time around. Lips slightly parted, he took a deep breath...

"You wanted me a puppy dog.. I did it. Now you don't and your sulking about it," his voice grew hot as he stood so near the other slender body, almost feeling the warm, body generated heat melting from the leather clad form. The deep breath, almost a sigh against Jou and the softly parted lips. It gave the blonde some odd satisfaction to know he had not moved, not to mention that Jou himself was causing this sudden.. paralization. He felt the leather of one of Seto's pant legs brush his thigh. Mm.. Leather.  He almost purred before planting a soft, chaste kiss upon those waiting lips. I want to clear up that confusion.

"I'm not..." came the whisper. "not... sulking--"

Then came the kiss.

Oh, God.

Time stopped.  He couldn't think.  And when the world started itself again, Kaiba Seto found his arms twined desperately around Jounouchi's neck, leaning forward to return a kiss that had become hard and deep and much, much less chaste.

Seto responded.

He responded.

Jounouchi was in panic. He had really expected this... Okay, maybe he did, but really! Kaiba Seto was kissing him back! Was he crazy, or did he just enjoy freaking Katsuya out? Of all the horribly ridiculous things.. This was most definitely not a game.

Not that the blonde had any complaints. This was.. Much to his own embarrassment.. His first kiss. Mental, he groaned at the bitter irony before Seto pulled him close upon his body, deepening the already urgent kiss. Almost without thought, Jounouchi gave himself to the strong arms that encircled him, pale, lithe hands snaking their way through the brunette's soft tresses. They were soft, like down, and Jou couldn't help but purr softly into the hot mouth he was sharing before trying to get even closer to the leather clad figure.

Horror would it be for anyone looking through that glass door.

Such as--

"Ahem."

They didn't notice the first time.

"Ahem."

Or the second.

"Gentlemen!"

With a start, half-lidded eyes came fully open and Kaiba broke away from Jounouchi, face effortlessly metamorphosing itself into the usual impassive, scornful mask in an instant's time. He glanced toward the door to find Kurosuke's neutral countenance observing their short tryst.

"Good evening, Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Jounouchi," the security officer greeted them with a curt nod. "Mr. Crawford would like to see you."

"Ah.." Jou coughed lightly, still trying to contain the flourishing red that had convientantly taken up habit in his face this evening. With a flick of the head to remove golden bangs from equally shimmering eyes, he straightened his cloths lightly. "... both of us..?"

Another nod. "All the finalists of the Duelist Kingdom tournament have been invited to this ball. But only those select few who made it into Mr. Crawford's castle shall be meeting personally with him to hear his announcement. Please follow me." Turning, he set off slowly into the crowd, without waiting for the pair to follow. Kaiba wordlessly walked after him.

With a silly little grin flashed to the now stone cold Seto, the highway bandit slowly regained some composure and lowered his cooling face, following both the CEO and Pegasus' lackey through the glass doors and out once again into the large and open ballroom area.

Within minutes, the rest of the party joined them, all in the same situation as various members of the millionaire's staff led them along to where Kurosuke stopped briefly to wait. Among these was Yami, leather jacket now slung over his shoulder rather then adorning him and countenance rather set solid, crimson gaze placed directly forward and never straying. It was rather akin to the look he held when he made a particularly difficult move in a duel.

Mai, who had been dancing with Yuugi all up to this point, was once again regaining her determined look dashed with her cocky grin, and as she shifted from one foot to another, it was obvious she was ready for whatever was thrown at her.

Yuugi glanced forward as Kurosuke continued on, leading them down a side hallway past a phalanx of black-suited security guards that glowered at the group. This hall was much plainer and more functional than the ornate ballroom, and it came to a dead end with several doors lining the walls, presumably leading to various meeting rooms. Kurosuke opened one of them and waved them inside.

"Please, have a seat and make yourselves comfortable. Mr. Crawford will be with you in a few moments."

He could feel Yami's tension, and it was beginning to rub off on him as Yuugi followed the group inside. The meeting room was functional yet stylish; a long table in the center of the room stretched toward floor-length windows that revealed a glittering view of the Domino City skyline. Walking over to the table, he took a seat beside Yami, glancing around with slight nervousness and saying nothing. Kaiba sat down a few seats away, resting his elbows on the table and his chin against entwined fingers, frowning thoughtfully.

Yami truly wanted to take his aibou by the hand and pull both of them from the confines of this room, out of this hallway--out of this place completely.

//......//

It wasn't that he was scared, per say. After millennia within the Shadow Realm, Yami had grown some immunity to easy given fear. No.. What he was feeling was something different. Something he hated to feel.

Dread?

Why was it that he felt that, whatever it was Pegasus planned on telling them, would ruin something.... Normalcy? Well, Yami's life never really had run on that kind of consistency, yet now, as he cast a half hidden glance at Yuugi through his own cascading waterfall of bangs, he couldn't help but feel the need for it. After all, he had lived his full life, well past when he should have.. But Yuugi.. Yuugi hadn't. Did he regret not being able to live in a moments peace without being carted off to odd dangerous situations?

Yami wanted normalcy for Yuugi, not for himself.

Jounouchi coughed suddenly from where he sat beside Mai. There was a clear distance between Seto's seat and his own.

The room was so silent that Yuugi could hear the tension now.

This isn't going to be good... I know it's not. But whatever Pegasus is up to this time, he promised himself, we will stop it.

And speak of the devil...

"Ahh! Good evening, everyone! I trust you've had a good time tonight?"

A door closed on the far corner of the room, and out stepped Pegasus J. Crawford from behind the pulled-back curtains of the floor window. He was dressed in a crisp black tuxedo with a small red corsage pinned at his throat, and in his hand he held an old-fashioned masquerade mask attached to a carefully-painted wooden handle. And as for his costume... A pair of white bunny ears, one flopped over slightly, were nestled atop the silver hair.

If it had been anyone else, Yuugi would have laughed.

"My dear guests," Pegasus continued with a smile, "it's wonderful to see you all gathered together again... And at my little soirée, no less! I'm honored that you have chosen to grace me with your presence. And without further adieu..."

He clapped twice, and Kurosuke walked silently over to the door his employer had walked out of, resting a hand on the knob.

"...I'm sure you are all," and the gracious smile widened, "very curious as to why I've invited you here, so I'll get straight to the point. As some of the best duelists in the world, you are now the first to hear that I have recently acquired a business partner." Kurosuke opened the door and motioned to someone on the other side. "I'm certain that with his expert guidance to assist me in production and marketing efforts, Duel Monsters will continue to be a vital, expanding property and a popular game for many, many years to come. It is my pleasure to present to you..." He swept a hand toward the door, and the assembled duelists turned to gaze upon-- "--Mr. Fujikawa Orisou!"

A middle-aged, unremarkable-looking man stepped out of the doorway, one hand stuffed in his suit pocket, the other raised in greeting. Yuugi blinked. Is this... it? This is all Pegasus wanted to show us?

Kaiba froze.

"Who the heck is he?" Mumbled Jou as all the tension he had gathered as Pegasus made his not so fancy introduction drained out from his muscles as the subject of such stepped into the room. Not that he minded, however, at least it wasn't some fire breathing monster or something to that accord. Flickering amber eyes, however, failed to notice as the man he had stood so intimately with only moments before seemed to turn to actual stone.

Not far away, Yami held the same incredulous thoughts, but still..

Something about this situation seemed off, and he choose not to let his gaurd down so quickly.

//It's too simple..//

Fujikawa approached the head of the table with a friendly smile. "So." His eyes rested on each member of the group one by one, acknowledging them. "Here at this table sit the best, of the best, of the best in all of Duel Monsters." When his eyes met Seto's, the ever-present-smile changed for just a split second--almost impossible to catch, and yet a very familiar kind of smirk indeed--the kind he gave Jounouchi every day. Kaiba swallowed once, keeping his mouth shut and his eyes trained on the elder man.

"It's truly an honor to make your acquaintance." He regarded the group as a whole again. "I, Fujikawa Orisou, promise to do my very best to see that the game you so love remains viable long into the future." He bowed humbly to the table. "Thank you very much for attending my little... coming-out party." With a hearty laugh and one last glance toward Seto, he turned and exited the way he had come.

Pegasus clapped his hands delightedly. "Isn't he a wonderful man? I'm very excited to have Mr. Fujikawa joining the Industrial Illusions team, and I hope you'll all support us in our expansion efforts. That's all, I'm afraid..." he said with a chuckle. "Thank you very much for coming! And I'm off to mingle now." With a smile and a wave, Pegasus too departed out the door. Kurosuke followed him out and shut it behind him.

Yuugi blinked.

"Well, that was anticlimactic."

Jounouchi and Mai nodded in perfect agreement, the female muttering something about a waste of her time."I don't get it.. All that just for... HIM? That ol' foogie..?"

Yami said nothing, but instead let his eyes wander across the table to the slender, darkly cloaked form that was Seto Kaiba. With dark bangs over hung in blue eyes, it was hard to discern just what he was feeling, let alone his expression. With narrowed eyes, Yami spoke.

"You know him, don't you, Seto?"

A bitter smile twisted the pale lips as Kaiba rose from his seat.

"His name's not Fujikawa Orisou. And more importantly, he's been dead for seven years."

Seto's gaze turned on the door that had just been closed, expression dangerous, eyes unreadable.

"I don't know what kind of sick game Pegasus thinks he's playing this time. But whoever that impostor is, he's not going to get away with impersonating Kaiba Gozaburo."

Yuugi's eyes widened as he turned to regard Seto. "Kaiba... Gozaburo...!?"

Jounouchi's amber eyes held heavy confusion as he gazed upwards towards the tall standing Kaiba. Obviously, the name did not have much effect on him--mostly due to the fact he didn't know who that was. Scrunching up his nose lightly, the blonde held an absolutely clueless face of child and glanced back at the closed door and the others.

"That guy's your dad..?"

Yami's jaw tightened unconciously.. //Of course. It's never that simple.........//

Kaiba never looked away from the door. Lips formed a thin line and the expression on his face was dark as he muttered, "Something like that."

Yuugi took a step toward him. "Kaiba-kun--"

But Kaiba had set off toward the door. Walking briskly over, he threw it open, shoving past protesting guards and into a dim hallway. Yuugi ran after him. "Kaiba-kun!"

Kaiba walked quickly down the corridor and ignored the young man next to him.

"Kaiba-kun," Yuugi tried again, expression worried, "what are you going to--"

"Yuugi." Kaiba cut him off with a glare. "You're always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong... Stay out of my business."

"I don't think so." Yuugi's gaze was challenging. "Kaiba-kun, if Pegasus is up to something- -and he obviously is--then it's as much my business as it is yours. Now what are you going to do?"

Kaiba scowled, looking away. "Find the bastard and make him tell me why he's impersonating Gozaburo."

"Don't you think that's a little hasty?"

"No." Kaiba offered nothing further, and Yuugi didn't ask. They walked together down the hall in silence.

//Yuugi!//

Yami didn't have much time to stop his convicted aibou as the young one jumped up and sprinted after Seto with equal speed, pushing himself past the already knocked over guards. There was a soft echoing of "Kaiba-kun!" as well as hurried foot steps, and the few guards struggled to regain their stance.

Immediately, Yami's protective complex blew over and with a determined gaze, he too jump from his chair and set off after the two, pushing aside the just standing up guards. They let a bit of an 'oof!' sound as one of Yami's strong hands cast them back, and his bangs became much displaced as he ran to catch up to the pair.

Jounouchi and Mai, however, sat in a sort of a daze till it settled in. With a suddenly flash of connection that the others had left them behind, Jou let out a futile "HEY! What about us??" before he moved too to get through to the rest of the party.

Mai did not make a move. Instead she made a general roll of her violet shaded eyes before raising herself from her chair and exiting out to the ballroom quietly.

"I wonder if that cute punch guy is still there.."

* * *

It seemed they were collecting a procession. Yuugi nearly had to run to keep pace with Seto's quick, long strides, but he could feel Yami growing closer and was sure that Jounouchi, at least, wouldn't be far behind. They passed a nondescript door labeled "Ballroom" and kept going, further down the hall, until they reached another innocuous doorway. How Kaiba knew where he was going Yuugi had no idea, but at this door he stopped, turning the handle and throwing it open. Blue eyes searched the room for any occupants as he stalked inside, black cape swirling around him.

This room, too, was gifted with a set of floor-length windows. His back to them as he looked out on Domino City, Fujikawa turned to greet the pair with a cold smile.

"Seto. You're a little later than I'd expected."

Heavy, black boots clacked upon cold, faux stone floors and soon Yami caught sight of the two other boys, staring silently into one of the halls many open doorways. A dim, eerie light emptied from within; the glittering of the millions of lights from the city below no doubt. Pursing his lips slightly, he slowly reached a calmer pace as he drew near Yuugi and soon he too stood beside the pair. Eyes narrowed once again, he glanced up at the motionless Seto. He unconsciously hovered protectively near his light.

Jounouchi was not as fortunate. He arrived only moments later, but his breath what quick and he failed to notice the statuesque type pose his friends had taken. Leaning lightly upon his knees, he mumbled "Why the heck are we running?"

Wordlessly, Yuugi nudged his blonde friend and pointed up to where the object of their attention stood.

Seto gave Fujikawa no room to speak further. Stepping forward, he hissed, "You and Pegasus had this all planned out, didn't you? Who the hell are you and what do you want with me!?"

Fujikawa raised an eyebrow, expression smug and catlike as he walked slowly down to meet the young man. "Language, Seto. I taught you better than that."

The young Kaiba's face was twisted with hatred as he glared at the elder man. "You," he spat, "are not Kaiba Gozaburo."

"Why, you're quite right, my boy." That smug, infuriating smile again. It was obvious where Seto had learned it from. "I'm Fujikawa Orisou."

One hand drew into a trembling fist at Kaiba's side, and he stalked closer to Fujikawa. "What do you want with me!?"

That smile never left the man's face.

Jounouchi, now pointed into the right direction, watched in silent awe as the two Kaibas rage a war of wits right before the other three. Well, it certainly was obvious, if this truly was Seto's father, where the brunette got his.. special.. humor from. Jou's lips drew closed in a line and he slowly took up place in the doorway where Seto had just left and was now watching with a wary eye as the CEO lost his temper.

A small, delicate hand slipped it's way to clasp one Yuugi's shoulders.

//Aibou.. We shouldn't be here.// Though he spoke truth, Yami too was not exactly turning away from this display of not-so normal family spats.

One small hand reached up to touch Yami's briefly, but Yuugi's reply was firm.

/I have a very bad feeling about this. I'm staying./

"What I want... Well, it's quite simple, really. Even a worthless little prick like you should be able to understand," he added casually, the smile suddenly acquiring a vicious edge. Seto stiffened, some of the anger draining out of his face, to be replaced by a multitude of warring emotions.

"I am here, my boy--" He leaned forward into Seto's face, and suddenly the smile disappeared, replaced by a dangerous expression-- "to take back what you stole from me."

For a second, the young Kaiba stood there trembling, feeling the old man's breath against his face, saying nothing. Finally he took a step back.

"I...didn't steal anything from you," he said, trying without success to hide his nervousness.

A spark of anger flashed within the golden depths of Jounouchi's eyes. Never had he ever heard anyone speak to Seto in such a way and live to tell the tale, and Jou failed to see what should stop him now. For some reason it infuriated him to see him so silent to this.. nervous even! Nervous?! No.. The Kaiba Seto Jounouchi knew didn't know nervous...

It didn't help when the CEO's feeble response drifted to his ears. With a trembling breath, more out of unknown anger then fear, Jounouchi stepped forward swiftly, giving neither Yuugi or Yami a chance to pull him back from the fire... Not that they could have, anyway. As were Jounouchi's way, he was blunt.

"Don't tell me your getting all nervous on us, Seto! Don't let him talk to you like that!"

Seto gave no verbal indication that he'd heard Jounouchi at all. Indeed, he didn't even look over toward the blonde boy, his eyes still locked on Fujikawa; but nevertheless, he shook his head as though to clear it, regaining a modicum of composure. "And anyway--" He glared at the older man. "I couldn't have stolen from you, since I've never met you before today, impostor."

"Such an impostor, am I?" Fujikawa's lips quirked in a cold smile once again, slowly, ever so slowly walking toward Kaiba. Seto, for his part, slowly stepped back, wide eyes still fixed on the man. "You took control of KaibaCorp..." The smile twitched. "Unlawfully. If you catch my drift."

Seto took one more step behind, and found himself against a wall. Fujikawa casually rested one hand against the wall next to the young Kaiba's head, and leaned forward again. "Now... Who else would know a thing like that, my boy?"

Seto swallowed once. "You... you have no idea what you're talking about. You're just trying to put me off my guard--"

And it's working, isn't it?" The free hand shot forward before Seto could stop it, and suddenly a sword was pointed at Kaiba's neck. Fujikawa smiled.

"Ah, it is real. I thought so. Nothing less than the best for my son, hm? At least you remembered that lesson. But you've forgotten my most important rule, I see..." The smile was mocking now. "Always keep other people at arm's length, so you can see what they're doing. You lost your cool, you let me get too close... and now where has that gotten you?" A disapproving shake of the head. "You always were a disappointing child."

Kaiba was trembling. His eyes had never left Fujikawa's face the entire time.

"Seto!" Jounouchi tensed up as the swish of metal came to the pale neck of the helpless brunette, this man hovering over him with a haughty grin.

"Hold on, Fujikawa!" Came Yami's deep, rumbling voice as both he and Jounouchi stepped forward when the older man drew Seto's own sword, the cool, flawless steel deadly glimmering in the low light. Warm, protective hands having left the soft shoulders of Yuugi, Yami now approached the two cautiously. "Let him go!"

His voice and posture meant business, but Jounouchi wonder just what kind of command Yami could manage with this guy. Fujikawa was obviously off his rocker..

Then again, there was the Sennen Puzzle...

Yuugi winced as the sword point pressed against Seto's throat. I knew something bad was going to happen... What're we gonna do...!?

Fujikawa chuckled as he glanced toward Yami.

"I don't think so, young man. Now, if you all will kindly step aside," and he turned his attention toward the young Kaiba again, "Seto, you and I are going to take a nice trip down to the office and look at some ownership papers."

Seto fumed. "You bastard... I'm not going anywhere with--"

"You're coming." Fujikawa's gaze was hard. "Because there are so many things I can do to you if you refuse."

Kaiba was silent.

"For instance..." A dark smile flitted across his face as he turned to regard Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Yami again. "I could tell these fine young people all about how you...inherited my company."

Step aside indeed! Of course he would not step aside! And neither would Jounouchi either, apparently.

Almost as soon as Fujikawa addressed him, Yami felt the presence of his fair haired friend rather keenly and soon he could feel the heated, anger puffs of air that was Jou's breath beside him. Not to mention the familiar young hand of his Yuugi upon his shoulder as he had done only moments before, a gentle support. So now he had all of them at his side... but what could they really do?

"All right. Maybe," murmured Seto, voice weary, "maybe I'll come with you. But there's one thing I wanna tell you first..."

Fujikawa raised an eyebrow. "Shoot."

A click. Something metallic pushed against the man's gut.

Seto cocked his head to one side and replied, "Learn to follow your own rules."

Yuugi watched with wide eyes, afraid to say or do anything that might disturb this tense moment.

"Put down the sword," Seto ordered.

Jounouchi practically cheered when the soft click, now so illuminated by the situation, echoed through the room, quite a lot more angelic then one would have thought. Connotation does depend on personal experience.

"Yeah! Now that's the Seto I love!" With a defiant grin, Jounouchi watch on along with the two awed Yuugis to see just how the cocky Fujikawa would respond now.

The longsword clattered to the ground as Fujikawa... laughed.

"First you push me out a window. Now you point a gun at me." The vicious smile returned to his face. "How many times do you have to kill me, hm? You damned traitor..."

Seto's eyes widened. Yuugi gasped in surprise.

"Kaiba-kun... you... He-he's lying, isn't he? He's the impostor, right!?"

"Kaiba...?" Jounouchi suddenly looked very pale. Yami was far to busy trying to calm Yuugi, who was beyond horrified, to state his own opinion, but for some reason.. He had no quip about it. This man tested his nerves just by speaking.

Yuugi expected him to deny it. He expected a vicious shake of the head, a scowl, a glare, a "How dare you!", an "I did no such thing!"

This he expected. What he got was a long silence in which the gun moved from stomach to head, and stunned, whispered words.

"How... the hell... could you possibly know that?"

Fujikawa smiled.

"Because I was there."

The room seem to quiet considerably. Fujikawa's -- or whoever he was -- last words hung in the air like some deathly force and the only sound was the slight rhythmic thumping of five hearts. The gun in Seto's hand was trembling...

Suddenly, the room -- the whole building -- was filled with a shrill, horrific ringing. It bounced and echoed off the walls like a bouncy ball, and with it can the dying of all the florescent lighting in the building, no replaced by a thin wave of red.

"EEEEE!! EEEEE!! EEEE!!!"

Yuugi gave a start, squinting in the glare of the red lights. "What's going on?! I think we'd better get out of here...!"

The sudden shock drew Kaiba's attention away for a split second, and Fujikawa reached up, knocking the gun out of Seto's hand. "I'll see you soon, Seto my boy!" he shouted as he bounded across the room and out the door, too quickly for the stunned group to stop him.

"Kaiba-kun..." Yuugi rushed over to him. "Kaiba-kun, we'd better go..."

Kaiba looked down at his hands and made no reply.

"Yuug's right. Let's get the hell outta here."

Jounouchi soon joined Yuugi where Kaiba stood and with a fierce glare gave him a good tug off into the right direction. Yami himself soon caught up with his aibou, helping him along softly and all four began to escape they way they came.

//Yuugi.. Combine with me. I'll take over.//

/Yeah, you're probably right.../ Yuugi closed his eyes, and a moment later, the group had one less member. /Be careful, mou hitori no boku.../

Kaiba allowed himself to be dragged off by Jounouchi, and followed the other two boys silently back down the hallway.

The preliminaries were hectic. Once the small party HAD managed their was out of the building, they were engulfed by a whole crowd of people in equal situations... The crowd watched on wide eyed as the building itself was slowly covered in an orange and yellow flame, licking up the hard curves up the building ever so slowly.

So the alarm hadn't been false, that was for sure. To his right, Yami could overhear one of the cooks claiming his employee had started it and it got out of control.. In the distance the wailing sounds of fire engines could be heard and there was no sign of either Fujikawa nor Pegasus....

The group stood in awkward silence, slightly apart from the chaos of crowd and police and firemen, and watched uneasily as the hotel was slowly consumed. The only break in the silence was a thought from Yuugi.

/Well... I guess we should all be... getting home. I, um... hope Mai got out all right.../

Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest and turned away, looking out into the night with a dark expression.

The crowd of people were slowly dispersing ever so gradually as police and firemen hurried them off to their limousines. This, of course, didn't necessarily single only them out, and soon both Kaiba and the other two boys were shooed from the scene as well. More over, they now stood with the remained of the masses away from the flaming building as valets drove in one by one with the cars of those many esteemed guests. Obviously they were.

Jounouchi, leaning against one of the many tall, green hedges that surrounded the lot and the private gardens within them, shivered slightly in bitter, nipping air of the night, sun-kissed bangs quietly examining Kaiba Seto who stood not very far away... He was much to confused to approach him.

Yami, on the other hand, had found a quiet spot on the rim of a grand granite fountain the split the entrance way into the now diminishing hotel. With shut eyes, he calmly slipped from the world around him into himself.. His soul room.

Now standing in his area of Yuugi's mind and he quickly pushed open his door to approach his light's. This door had no locks nor traps, and it itself lay wide open. Smiling softly, he gave a light knock as warning before he stepped in. Immediately, he was met with pastel colors and soft plushies.

//I'm sure Mai's fine, aibou.. Are you? You seemed really upset back there.//

Yuugi looked up from his seat amid assorted toys and puzzles, and gave his other a somewhat half-hearted smile. /I'm fine. Just a little confused. But poor Kaiba-kun.../ The boy shook his head, rising from his bedside perch. /He's had quite a night, hasn't he? I just.../

A pause.

/I just don't know what to believe here, I guess./

Yami couldn't help but let his soften ever so slightly, opening his arms in an offered embrace to the younger half. Through golden locks, he offered a reassuring smile.

//Come here, aibou..//

Yuugi's own countenance brightened a bit as he walked over to his other, snuggling into welcoming arms. /Yami... You always make me feel like everything will turn out okay./

* * *

Back in the real world, all of Kaiba Seto's senses were on alert after the night's events, and he could feel acutely the eyes boring into the back of his head. The young man turned to regard Jounouchi in silence, his expression unreadable.

Jounouchi throat dry.. He would have said something if he could... But his mouth could form no words, his brain not wanting to express. The only sound he could give was an audible sigh before he once again lowered his amber eyes to the pavement. This night.. Hadn't ended like he would have liked it to.

Too bad....

The shadows hid Kaiba's gaze, and indeed much of his black-cloaked form as he watched Katsuya quietly, tension stretching between them. After long moments, he turned his head away. The words were almost too quiet for Jounouchi to hear.

"You must think I'm a monster."

"..Seto.."

With a hurt face, Jounouchi turned quickly towards the dark hair business man, unfortunately staring at the back of his head. His heart, however, was truly strung on a wire as he stepped forward and walked till the point he was facing Kaiba eye to eyes.

"..I don't.. And even if I did," he whispered softly, raising a free hand to cup on of Seto's cheeks, tips just barely grazing the soft, feather billows of brown hair. "You would be a beautiful one.. A dragon. My Blue Eyes.."

Smiling.

Kaiba's heart pounded harder as he regarded Jounouchi, turmoil rising within eyes that widened instinctively, ever so slightly.

"Then you're a fool," he muttered, glancing away again.  But he did not move further, nor shy away from Katsuya's touch.

"So I am."

..With downcast eyes, Katsuya let his gentle hand slowly slip from the warm encompass of Seto's cheek, replacing it in a childish arm fold as he prepared to turn away. "A fool for trying, I guess."

And at that moment, a disturbing sound reached Jounouchi's ears: for Kaiba was laughing softly as he gazed down toward the ground.

"You didn't even believe him, did you?" he said hoarsely.  "But I did... I did... This is all fucking impossible because I...killed...him."

His shoulders continued to shake long after the faint sound of laughing had faded. Something wet suddenly soaked into the pavement below his face.

"God.. " Jounouchi shook his head with an gently sway and reached up to embraced Seto for all he was worth. So what if he was playing a constantly disappointing game.. But it still needed to be played. Kaiba wasn't allowed to cry. Pretty bastards aren't supposed to...

He knew he would be rebuffed but couldn't stand it. Slowly , Katsuya stretched a little higher -- Seto was taller then him -- and traced the glimmering, chilled trail of salt to gently parted lips with a hesitant tongue.

"Seto. Don't sulk."

Almost reluctantly, black-clad arms snaked around Jounouchi's body and Kaiba leaned into him, accepting the tentative explorations of the other's tongue without comment.

"I'm not sulking..." he whispered, feeling the warm feather-touch against his skin.  "...Katsuya."

And he laid his head against Jounouchi's shoulder and quietly sobbed.

* * *

The weekend, after such a confusing and horrible beginning, actually continued on fairly normal. The sun still rose and fell; the cloud were still fluffy as they lazily floated about the amber, autumn sky; the birds still sang in the crisp morning air..

All was serene, even for Katsuya, though in his heart he worried about Seto, the dark haired CEO, his Blue Eyes.. Ever since that night (for it was now Sunday evening) and they had parted their separate ways, he had not heard even a whisper from him.. Not that was entirely unusually. After all, Kaiba-kun was not exactly one for house calls before.. Yet didn't what happened warrant something? Katsuya had made it clear when the stone face Seto had stepped into his car that he was there to cry on if need be. And that was it.

Yami, on the other hand, was quiet undisturbed, really. True, the night of the gala did provoke some rather demented questions with equally twisted answers, but the pharaoh tried to push it all from his mind. Right now he was simply content to lie on the couch with Yuugi, telling him stories of Ancient Egypt when he ruled.. Of the grand pyramids he had built, the dangerous duels he had played, even stories of how he snuck away from the place as a servant just in order to admire his land through unregal eyes. His littler half, of course, hung to his every word like it was some fantastically real fairy tale, even when he had heard them all before. To be sure, the young one had his favorites.

It was what they were doing now this late Sunday eve... Waiting for Yuugi's grandfather to return from gathering a large new shipment of boosters that had just come in down town. With an exaggerated sigh, Yami ran idle fingers through Yuugi's own soft bangs before burying himself into the couch below. This sofa was deathly soft.

Yuugi clambered up onto the couch alongside his other, nuzzling his face sleepily into the crook of Yami's neck.

"Must've been fascinating to live back then..." he murmured, smiling.  "And you tell your stories so well too.  I almost feel like I've been there."

"Mmmm.. I try, aibou."

Yami couldn't help but sigh contentedly as Yuugi curled up beside him, small, child like hands pressed against his chest with unknown innocence. But, no.. That was wrong to think that, wasn't it? Regardless of how close he and Yuugi were -- wasn't he off limits?

Crimson eyes snapped open to gaze into the innocence of violets and still his hand lay curled up in the gentle, golden tendrils of Yuugi's bangs.

Off limits, Yami.

Yuugi looked up into his other's face with a sleepy smile.

"You know I love you, right, Yami?" he murmured.

Yami's eyes instantly flew from half closed to wide open, confusion littered on his face. No.. He couldn't have meant that literally.. Just as a friend to a friend. Yami instantly calmed himself once again, letting the tension surprise slowly drain from his body leaving a little bit of .. Disappointment. He let his litter half snuggle closer.

"Yes, aibou. Of course."

Yuugi's cheeks were very pink as he leaned forward. "Do you know how much?"

Moving upward, a small hand lightly traced his other's jawline as he planted a soft kiss on waiting lips.

Okay, tension back! TENSION BACK!

Not that Yami didn't like what he was receiving, but it completely caught him off guard. Almost literally fall from the couch to the floor, long arms stretched out to catch himself and unfortunately pulling him away from those plush lips. He quickly sat up.

"A-aibou.. You just.."

His gaze was met by an accepting smile.

"It's all right if you don't feel the same way. Just say so." He lay on the couch, head turned slightly to one side, hair a bit mussed, and shirt half-unbuttoned, delightfully rumpled as he looked up at his other with those glimmering amethyst eyes.

And Yami practically melted right then and there. The mighty pharaoh, the King of Egypt.. All his resolves died away with one look at the slender body laying outstretched for the taking upon the couch. Hair ruffled and bangs disheveled, a shimmer of smooth, flawless skin seen exposed in the half unbuttoned blouse. Yami couldn't help but moan at such a temptation and he shook his head vigorously ... leaning down to sprinkle soft kisses of resolve all about the outline of the delicate lotus flower, gently roaming hands sliding up the air-open flesh.

"Oh Ra, no, Yuugi! I do.. I do!"

Yuugi's smile widened delightedly, and he shivered with pleasure at the gentle touch exploring his body. Reaching around Yami's neck, he pulled his other back down onto the couch to return his kisses, small hands running through Yami's hair.

"I'm so glad... Yami..." he whispered.

Suddenly, Yami with drew, much to both person's displeasure, and shook back disheveled bangs, a small line of worry form upon his mouth. As they did, he looked down into amethyst eyes with a general sweetness and a lithe finger trailed down the form of his jaw.

"Yuugi... Aibou.. What about your grandfather? Anzu?"

Yuugi's expression sobered a bit, but the smile did not leave his face. He sat up, running a hand through his own hair.

"I know my grandpa. As long as I'm happy, I'm sure he will be happy. And Anzu..." His smile turned wistful as he looked away.

"I like Anzu very much, but I..." Amethyst eyes turned on Yami again.

"But I love you." His eyes were overbright now, and he reached up to wipe at them with the back of one hand, still smiling. "And it's taken me so long to work up the nerve to say so, and now you're making it hard," he added with a laugh.

"Am I?" Yami gave his light a wistfully smile before reaching over to cup his face in his hands once again. "Well.. Let me try and make it easy." He smirked as he dove in---

"YUUGI!" A familiar voice echoed through the walls of the small house atop the game shop. Immediately, Yami's head flew up.

//Sugoroku!//

Yuugi pulled Yami's chin over, giving him a peck on the nose and an impish smile.

/Later, I suppose./

Rising, he fixed his slightly rumpled clothing and headed downstairs. "Hello, Grandpa!" he called.

Yami smiled as his aibou rose and ran off with one last childlike grin.

//Late indeed..//

..... Yet it seemed there was no time for "later." As quickly as the weekend went, so did that evening and in seemingly seconds it was already once again time for school. And again Yami watched from a silent soul room as Yuugi went about his daily, rushed morning routine, stumbling and running into the small classroom of 1-B just before the ringing of the bell.

Much to most's surprise, again there was no teacher. Strange how such a woman so avid to rules didn't seem to much care for them herself.

Katsuya Jounouchi was one quite lucky for this because he rushed in right after Yuugi once the bell had rung. With a heaved sigh, the golden hair threw his small, gray bag onto the floor without much a care and plopped heavily into his seat. He didn't dare look around for any sign of Seto.

Late again. But still earlier than the teacher.

Kaiba Seto was holding a cellphone to one ear as he stepped into the classroom. "No, I don't care how much he's asking," Kaiba snapped into the reciever, "I want it done by the end of the week. You hear me?" He sat down in his seat and looked toward the ceiling with a scowl. "No. No, we're not going to hire out anybody else. I pay those damn beta testers enough as it is. All right, all right... Look, class is about to start, okay? Call me after school, we'll get something hashed out." Rolling his eyes, the young CEO put his cell away before digging through his briefcase for school supplies, his gaze conspicuously kept away from Jounouchi.

Ughhh..!

Jounouchi's gaze wasn't as trained as his mind. Helplessly, he found himself staring once again at Seto. Not that he didn't do that anyway.. Quite unusual, really, but all those times before.. It had been out of childish spite. Now.. Now..

Katsuya's cheeks began to redden ever so slightly and he sunk quietly into his seat without further word, hastily trying to rearrange his bangs as to where it would become apparent how very much he was staring out of the corner of his eyes. Suddenly he became very conscientious of all the little things he did before that weren't even thought of in the past. Did his classmates see him? Did they assume? The classic symptoms of what had happened. Ahhhh, l'amour .. Damn l'amour...

Look at meeeeeeeeee..

A note landed on Jounouchi's desk.

Kaiba's head was bowed over a folder as he marked something in pen, seemingly oblivious to whatever Katsuya might be doing... while in reality he waited with bated breath, watching from the corners of his eyes to see when the little paper was opened.

Katsuya, it read,

Meet me by the oak tree in the commons at lunchtime if you want to talk.

I'm sorry, but I don't know what to say to you in public right now.

Seto

Katsuya tried very hard to hid the fact his cheeks got hotter. With a small, hesitant glance over to the seemingly unaware Seto, he nodded his head just in the barest of all manners before refolding the note quickly and placing it in the back pocket of his pants.

A few seats away, Yuugi's mind was filled with a knowing chuckle, unmistakably Yami's.

Yuugi smiled. /I wonder what they're talking about...? It seems to be a change from the usual trash-talk, at least...

I think it's rather... nice./

* * *

As far as Seto was concerned, the next few hours of class zoomed by within seconds. The morning was a tense blur of anticipation, and he found he could hardly recall any of it now as he walked out to the school commons, holding a bottle of soda in one hand and an obento in the other. The oak tree he always sat under at lunchtime was a ways off from the rest of the commons, and the other students usually avoided it, because they knew who they would find there.

Reaching his spot, Kaiba sat down and placed the obento on the ground next to him, opening up the soda and taking an absent sip as he looked out toward the way he'd come from. Lunch hour had just started, and students were only beginning to file out into their customary places.

Jounouchi Katsuya had of course felt the similar thump of anticipation in his chest all that morning, yet unlike Seto, his time seemed to fall much slower than usual. All he could do was stare at the second hand until it reached that five...

No sooner had that bell chimed had Katsuya bounded out of the classroom, in a hurry to reach the common grounds where many students took their lunch period. The day was rather warm for autumn, less crisp and more of a sunny warmth. The amber-eyed boy quickly shed off his customary blue uniformed jacket.. not making to drastic of a difference since it was usually opened any how. Bare arms now exposed (Yami had rubbed off his sleeveless fashion sense off on the young boy), he hurried towards the tall, outstretched oak, a half eaten dumpling held beneath his teeth and a few books tucked beneath his arm.

His blush slowly returned as he reached to spot where Seto stood and tried to offer a smile through food.

Kaiba had already started on his obento by the time the other boy arrived. Onigiri half-raised to his lips, he lowered it again as Jounouchi ran up, regarding the  blonde with a neutral expression.

"...Katsuya. Hello." Moving his obento box, he shifted himself slightly, allowing Jounouchi room to take a seat beside him.

Mechanically, Jou did just that. Shuffling his stuff off to the side, he couldn't help but lower his eyes as he shoved the rest of the dumpling into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed quietly. Looking up again, he waited and rearranged strands of mussed, blonde bangs from his eyes.

Jounouchi wasn't one with words.

".... Seto-" Jou paused. He struggled with the suffix.

"Never bothered with a suffix for me before." Kaiba took another sip of his soda before putting his lunch away. "No reason to start now."

Silence stretched between them for a few awkward moments, neither really knowing how to start the conversation. Finally, Kaiba turned to look Jounouchi in the face, leaning his head against the bark of the old oak.

"...Thank you. For... for Friday."  Thanks, from Kaiba Seto, did not come lightly.

Katsuya was well aware. He couldn't help but feel the small breath of a breeze on his now hot cheeks and he laid his head too to rest upon the tree.

"It was nothing, really..--not that it meant nothing or anything like that! It did! But --er.. I just thought I ought to.."

Instantly Jounouchi quieted again. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! It meant everything. I should've said that.. But no. That would sound dumb, right? I wish I could just.... You never have to talk when you're doing that... I shouldn't have opened my big yap in the first place..

Those distant, royal-blue eyes watched Jounouchi flounder for words, and Kaiba smiled slightly, almost wistful.

"Silly. Like a puppy."

But neither the words, nor Seto's expression held malice. "I know what you mean, Katsuya," he said softly.

Jounouchi's eyes fluttered, almost in the slightest of amazement. He liked it when Seto called him Katsuya..

"You're.. not upset?"

"Why in the world..." Seto blinked before shaking his head slightly. "I'd ask the same of you. I thought you couldn't stand me..." Shifting, he sat up a bit, head turning slightly away from Jounouchi--though his eyes were on the ground, his gaze looked inward.

"Then again, I thought I couldn't stand you," he murmured.

Hesitantly, Katsuya scooted over the barest of inchs, words faltering him where he hoped actions could. After all, wasn't over reacting always his forte? He was no poet.. No arist. But if he could! Oh, if I could, Seto, I would write you a thousand poems and then a thousand more..! Just about the glittering blue of your eyes..! Or paint you in all your glory, a beauty far more prettier to look at in real life. I would... Would you let me?

"Seto.. I could never be mad--WOULD never be mad.. After that.." Quietly, a small hand slipped up to place itself tentively upon Seto's upper arm and suddenly Katsuya gained the most curious smile. "I.. like you. Sure, you can be a real jerk sometimes.. But I do. A lot. It's hard to hate someone when all you can think of is how much you'd rather be kissing them.."

Kaiba reached up to cover Jounouchi's hand with his own. He glanced down at their entwining fingers for a long moment in silence.

"I'm..." He sighed and started over. "I'm sorry... if I ever really hurt your feelings."

Royal blue eyes glanced up into amber once again, and he smirked. "But you're pretty when you're pissed off."

"Am I?" Katsuya suddenly whispered, voice low and husky as his hand began to intertwine further with that of Seto's. Eyes darkened to a rich amber, he smiled a sort of naughty grin and tried to heighten himself more so than he already was, drawing so near to the tensed figure of the young business man till he could feel the soft breath of his upon Jounouchi's own cheek. "Maybe we need to try and do that more often.. Except maybe visa versa."

Leaning forward with one swift movement, Katsuya snatched a quick kiss upon the soft regions of Kaiba's cheek, apt lips leaving the lightest of traces in dampnes before he suddenly stood, grabbing the small pile of books as he went. He winked, and turned to leave.

Such a tease.

"Try that on for size a bit.."

"Hey!" A hand reached out to wrench Jounouchi backwards by one sleeve before the boy could even get past the tree, and suddenly he found Seto's face next to his own, grinning.

"Cute, I'll give you that..." Running hands through Katsuya's soft hair, he pulled the other boy's face to his own, delivering a slow, hard kiss.

"...But I don't think you can beat me." Lips curled in a smile as he pulled back, letting go. "See you later, Katsuya."

Katsuya had let out the cutest of sighs as he was pulled unceremoniously to face the dark haired CEO. With slightly quirked lips, a pale pink against the lightest of tanned skins, he neither withheld his pleasure of being cajoled nor the fact that Seto's expert hands raked like a gently breeze through his disheveled mess of golden hair.... and he definitely didn't complain what followed.

As Seto pulled away from his little dish of torture with a faint good-bye note, a curious little smile appeared on Jounouchi's face.

"I don't think I'd want to be," he purred and leaned forward to capture yet another kiss. Rather a cat than a dog..  or a kitten to a puppy.

Obviously he no longer wished to leave.

"Jounouchi! Hey, Jounouchi...! Joun--"

Anzu's head popped around the tree just as Seto and Katsuya's lips met again.

"WHAT THE...!?"

Like a cat, too, Katsuya suddenly withdrew as if someone had slapped him in the face. With wide eyes and an exaggerated face, Jounouchi was far to uneager to face the doubtlessly horrified Anzu and instead feel back to 'hide' next to Kaiba's left side, burying himself into the warmth he found there. He used to much starch in his clothing.

"A-ha...ha.. Jounouchi!? Who's Jounouchi!? There's noooo Jounouchi here~! Just Seto Kaiba and uh.. Some random guy--er- -GIRL--me!! Yup! That's it! Just me, random girl!"

After her initial startled look, Anzu gave Jounouchi barely a glance. Her expression darkened as she walked over to Kaiba and slapped him soundly across the face.

"Kaiba," she demanded, looking up at the young man with disgust, "what did you do to him!?"

Startled, Seto reached up to gingerly finger his reddened cheek, and said nothing. His expression turned pensive after a moment as he glanced away.

"I didn't do anything," he stated tersely, shoving his hands in his pockets. "And if I had, I would be under no obligation to answer to you for it."

...at least I don't think I did anything. What the hell kind of question is that, anyway...?

He frowned.

"Anzu.."

Katsuya had watched wide-eyed in amazement as Anzu stepped forward and landed her flat hand solidly upon Seto's cheek. His grip tighten the slightest about his slender form and the blonde boy slowly raised incredulous eyes of amber to the man holding him, defiance filtering about his supposedly emotionless face of cold grace.

Katsuya clutched the crisp blue fabric of Seto's school uniform, an expression of both shy anger and proffered comfort to the anti-blithe person beside him. He lowered his eyes as he suddenly stood from the warm circulate and straightened in front of the infuriated girl.

"He didn't do anything to me. He and I.." Katsuya suddenly grew quiet, turning his head barely to glance questioningly at where Seto sat. He was met with an icy blue kiss of a gaze. He returned focus to Anzu... He sported an impish smile, hesitant as it be. "... He's pretty."

Anzu looked almost as startled as she had moments ago.

"What are you...  This isn't a dare?  A bet?"  Her glare turned on Kaiba again.  "Or your sick idea of a joke?  Because I'm not--"

"I'm sorry if you don't approve, Mazaki," Kaiba interrupted, lip curling with disgust as his eyes moved back toward her face, "but I don't think it's any of your business what Jounouchi and I get up to in our spare time."  His lips quirked with faint amusement as he added the last.

Anzu looked even more taken aback, blushing as she glanced back and forth between the pair.  "But...  you...  Just last week you were at each other's throats!  Jounouchi," she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, "what is going on here!?"

Katsuya fell a step backwards. His friend seemed so angry.. So upset. A faint tinge of a ashamed blush graced his cheeks. He knew he shouldn't be.. Why should he care? If he loved Seto then so be it!

Wait a minute.. love? Love?! Don't you think you're coming on a bit strong there, eh, Katsu..? You can't really be in love with him yet... Can you?

"I... Seto." Blindly he reached behind his back for some support, be it physical or verbally. He was in threat of tripping... Voice felt temporarily lost, his quirky smile had faded.

"Katsuya--" Jounouchi stumbled back and Kaiba reached over to steady him almost automatically, taking the groping hand in his own. His thumb stroked the other boy's palm absently as he glanced back toward Anzu.

"Jounouchi..." Anzu's expression had faded from anger, to confusion, with a touch of concern. They were silent for a moment.

"You know," said Kaiba, voice scornful, "I really don't give a shit what you think about me. But if you disown Katsuya because he's dating--" He stopped, seeming a bit flustered-- "because he's--...doing something you don't like, then you're twice the moron I ever thought you were." He finished with a classic Kaiba scowl, cheeks colored slightly with embarrassment at his verbal mishap.

Katsuya's blush deepened as he leaned against Seto's protective figure, once again revealing in the warmth provide from such cloth-barriered contact. Surely he shouldn't feel this was so quickly! It was crazy! It was.. mad.. But as Kaiba's words faltered, his spirits raised and did a double loop. Behind his back he intertwined his fingers into the other's slender ones.

I love you... don't I?

He laughed softy. Screw Anzu. He was going to tell Seto.. He had to. He couldn't believe it, but he had to tell him! Otherwise...

And the bell rang...

"God..." Anzu raised a hand to her mouth, looking as though she didn't know whether to be angry or mortified. "I--I didn't-- You--"

Shaking her head, she turned and ran off back toward the school.

Kaiba stood for a moment in silence before reluctantly letting go of Jounouchi's hand, kneeling down to retrieve his lunch.

"Well, I really don't feel like going back to class now," he mumbled, sighing.

Katsuya watch with a hurt expression as Anzu stumbled away. The look on her face just got worse.. It tore at his heart like a parasitic worm. Seto let him go and bending down to gather the few scant things he had brought out. Amber eyes, which had stared in deathly quiet at the air where Anzu had stood, feel to the ground. His voice was low at first.

"Take me with you."

Katsuya was met with an incredulous look.

"Please. Take me with you..? Where every you're going, I don't care. I just want to go with you."

His mind was on rewind and repeat like a broken answering machine. I love him. God. I LOVE HIM!

A smile spread over his face. "... Plus, it's been awhile since I didn't want to throttle you."

Taking Jounouchi's hand again, Kaiba smiled faintly.

"...I'm just going to go home. But you're welcome to come along."

Immediately, Jounouchi's mouth grew dry but his smile simply grew wider. "Oh? Really?" He snatched up his books, all the while holding tightly to the other's hand, followed by a wink. Katsuya always hid his emotions quickly. Embarrassing ones, any way...

"Shall we then? I want to see if I can make a dragon purr."

Kaiba gave the blonde a long, level glance as they walked, one eyebrow raised amusedly.

"That's not what I meant, puppy dog."

Katsuya couldn't help but chuckle softly as he lead the taller of the two along, though in all truth.. He hadn't the slightest where he was going, let alone where Seto's car was. Or WHAT it was..

Something black and shiny, I bet...

"Hmm... I know. I still want to try." He smiled playfully, pausing momentarily in step so that Seto came only inches from his own face. ".. You realize that nickname.. might become inappropriate soon. Anzu is fond of talking."

"Mm." They stopped not too far past the school gates, and Kaiba took his cellphone from his pocket, flipping it open and dialing. "Well, as stated previously, I don't give a shit. But I'll stop, if that's what you want."

One foot tapped impatiently on the sidewalk as he waited for someone on the other end to pick up. "Yeah, it's me," he said after a moment. "Yes. In front of the school. Yes, now," he said, tone turning exasperated. Turning off the phone, he shoved it back in his pocket, leaning against the school wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

Katsuya...

I don't understand any of this. But I feel so elated, so...

His eyes turned on the other young man again, a breeze ruffling Jounouchi's shaggy hair.

...Lucky.

The blonde boy watched silently as Seto removed his phone..

Wow... He has chauffeur...

Well, duh, Katsuya...!

Do you know what you're getting yourself into?

"Nah.. I kinda think it's.." Katsuya searched for the word as he leaned back upon the cold, crisscross wired fence. A soft breeze blew past his hair, fluttering through a half opened blouse. He tossed Seto a loving glance. "..cute."

The breeze too had touched the face of the young billionaire, the soft bangs of earthy color blown out of place just  for the slightest of moments... But he caught his eyes.

Yup! Definitely love him... Good lor--

"How are you single?" Katsuya suddenly blurted out genuinely, then backing to the horror of just how stupid of a question that was. The things he said sometime..

Kaiba blinked. Far from looking as though Jounouchi had asked a stupid question, he seemed genuinely at a loss for words.

"Well, I..." He took a deep breath, glancing away toward the ground and uncrossing his arms, fingers absently finding the holes in the chain-links of the fence.

"I... don't get involved with people. Normally."

Great. There's a shitload of questions just waiting to be asked...

Kaiba sighed quietly.

Katsuya smiled. Somehow he had discovered flattery. The cold metal touched the back of his neck and he shivered. Winter was taking hold quicker than he had excepted. Oh well.. He missed snow.

"So why the hell is a guy like me an exception?"

Kaiba laughed quietly, expression rueful. "I am about to sound unbelievably corny, but..."  His countenance sobered as he glanced up into Jounouchi's face again almost shyly.

"Would you believe me if I said I'd never felt this way about anyone before?"

A horn honked nearby as a sleek silver limo came into view down the road.

"Awwww! How cute!" came the squealish reply. Jounouchi couldn't resist making the small, fan girlish voice at Seto's confession. Yes, he knew he shouldn't be mocking him, but he was just playing after all!

You're endearing when you're sappy..

Despite the deathly glare he was suddenly shot, Katsuya decided to amend his childish fun with a gentle kiss upon the other's nose...

"..I believe you." The horn quickly broke through.

A light, but nonetheless obvious blush spread slowly across Seto's face. He took the opportunity to look toward his limo as it pulled up next to the curb.

"Well, here we are."

He opened the door for Jounouchi and they climbed inside.

* * *

With a miserable sniffle, the small, thin figure of a young teen huddled quietly within his bed. It had grown quiet again, and from underneath heavy bangs of gold, eyes of the deepest crimson were just about to close when... Ah. Knocking...

Whack, whack, whack!

Damn that noise.. it was almost as bad as the infernal beeping. Almost. It was equally repetitive, loud, and..

Yami shivered and drew the thin blanket closer to him.. So he hadn't come out from his soul room, let alone spoken much since Sunday night... Was that so wrong?

WHACK!

/Yami? Yami.../

Yuugi knocked on the door over and over, feeling almost frantic as he recieved no answer, verbal or otherwise.

/Please, Yami... what's the matter? Please come out...! I'm worried!/

He could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

/Yami... did... did I...?/

With yet another stuffy sniffle, roaming hands struggled weakly to disentangle himself from the confines of his blankets. As soon as the cool air touched his skin, however, Yami moaned and dove back in... Not as if his legs much wanted to work anyway.

What's wrong with me..? wondered the exhausted pharaoh sleepily as he finally settled on taking the entirety of his bedsheets with him. I'm not... Am I? No.. That's impossible!

Not that that helped. In fact, it probably made it harder for the weakened, thin body of the physical teenager to drag himself AND half the bed along with him as shivering hands struggled with mind locks. The dark room was suddenly filled with a warm light from the opposing room, now an open parallel, as well as the boy mirroring him in the doorway.

//Nn.. Aibou..?// Yami peeked out miserably from within the cave of cloth he had created, eyes overbright not of his own will. //What's --// //..wrong-nhu.//

/...Yami?/ Worried amethyst eyes looked in on the face of his other, and Yuugi walked over to the bed. Was it his imagination, or did the ancient spirit look rather...

/Yami.../ He couldn't help the slightly bemused smile that curled his lips. /Are you... sick?/

The ruffled Yami looked up bewildered. Sick? No! He.. he never got sick. He quickly shook his head as he stumbled back over to where his other half sat, tired head resting once again on the softness of the bed.

//Sick? The Phara-uo.. doesn't get sick-du..// This was followed by a dejected sniff. For a moment, he disappeared beneath the mountain of sheets.

Yuugi stuck a hand under the bedcovers and groped around until he found Yami's own. He tugged on it imploringly.

/Come on... Come out to the real world, and we'll get you some chicken soup and some medicine. I don't know if you'll get better just lying in here.../

Once again, dark red eyes appeared within view, shimmers of light echoing through the iris in deep glance. He pressed the soft hand that held his tenderly to his own burning cheek, despite the scowl sported on his face.

//Puh.. The real-uh.. world. That's probabulah what made me like this in the the first place..!// His face soften as he coughed in short fit of irritation. //Besides.. I doubt sihple chicken soup 'll get rid of dis.. //

Yuugi smiled gently. /But it might make you feel a little better. So,/ and the smile didn't move an inch as he continued with, /are you coming or do I have to tie you up and drag you?/

Evidently, as far as Yuugi was concerned, there wasn't going to be any argument.

Even in sickness, Yami gained a soft smirk as the gently hand he clasp was brought to his mouth and delivered the softness kiss.

//Mmm.. tied up.. Not a bad idea.// Eyes sparkled with mischief.

Yuugi laughed delightedly. /Stop that. You're giving me germs and bad ideas at the same time. Now c'mon, I want to get you properly taken care of.../

//So?// Yami purred, smiling at the small chuckle he had received. With a childish puppy dog pout, he offered argument. //You get to miss school for a bit.. Spend some more time with me..?//

/You're stalling./ Nevertheless, Yuugi's smile was still as bright as he leaned over to give his other a peck on the cheek. /Now, come on./ He tugged on Yami's hand urgently. /I mean it./

//Stalling..? Who's stallin-uh?// With a hopefully seductive smile, Yami gave a generous tug to the hand he held beneath his fingers, and after a few moments of rearranging and laughter, the darker half managed to pull his other beneath his cave of blankets, gently pinning the younger one down with agile hands. Wide-eyed and helpless, Yami grinned. //Newton's Law. Ever action has a reaction.. You pull, I pull back.//

So he did pay attention in school.. Sometimes.

Yuugi looked up at him with an indignant, but playful smile.

/You're incorrigible./ Reaching up, he wrapped his arms around Yami's neck and pulled his other down next to him, giving him a long kiss. /Fine, then... We can stay here for a little bit./

* * *

The ride there was fairly uneventful.

The novelty of riding in a small house on wheels was finally beginning to wear off, but Katsuya was still quite amused by the built in DVD player on the armrest. Though quite tempted to touch on of the millions of buttons on the small consol, the memory of a not to distant accident with a hidden compartment with extra batteries left the blonde boy quite wary, and instead he sat respectively close to the other person who shared the back seat (which in reality Jounouchi onsidered more of a large cushioned table), that being Seto. A small shiver of happiness shot up his spine at every slight graze of the man's hot breath to the left of his neck.

It had been all in respectable silence... That is, until Katsuya feigned a look up as the car slowly approached the towering, iron wrought gate. He could help but let out a gasp of awe as he finally saw what he was supposed to be seeing in the first place.

To Seto, of course, the sight of the four floors of the Kaiba mansion, majestic and vaguely Gothic in shape, was one he saw every day. No, his attention was not on the house, but on the awed blonde boy sitting next to him. Kaiba couldn't help but smile slightly at Jounouchi's wonder.

"Yes, it's a bit ostentatious, isn't it?" His gaze turned toward the front seat, where the glass separating driver and passengers rolled down slowly at the push of a button near his seat. "Matsuno, take us around to the back door," he ordered.

"Nn.." was pretty much the only thing the blonde could manage as he crawled slightly over the dark haired boys slender form to get a better view.. Not that the already obnoxiously large window need much further rearranging... Though this position did not seem hated by either one.

As instructed, the large limo swirled about the larger, left side of the mansion, glittering under the masses of large, ancient oak trees littered in golds and reds, Some bare. The back was, by far, not as impressive as the front, but still quite large all the same. With a foolishly cute tone, Jounouchi squirmed in the vicinity of Seto's lap.

"You live in a shopping mall..!"

"Mm. If you say so." Kaiba was having a hard time paying attention to anything except a warm, exquisite body worming its way onto his lap. Taking advantage of the moment, he wrapped his arms around Jounouchi's chest, resting his chin on the other boy's shoulder. He blew a lock of blonde hair off his nose with a contented smile.

I... could get used to this.

Katsuya held his breath as thin, strong arms moved about the solidity of his chest, coming to clasp tenderly at the lower part of his stomach. Back against the other's abdomen, the blonde melted. He pressed his own body back ever so slightly, conforming to that who held him so tenderly. A hand trailed up to touch the smooth skin of Seto's cheek, his voice low and sweet.

"... You are pretty..."

"...Glad you approve," murmured Kaiba, still smiling slightly. "Though I've got nothing on you." He leaned into Jounouchi's touch slightly, reveling in the warmth and softness of the other boy all over him.

The driver cleared his throat conspicuously. "Ah, sir... we're here."

Jounouchi found himself once again thrown from a sweeten comfort by another's interruption. With a silent sigh, the boy removed himself slowly from the embrace of the other, reaching to open the door... Yet eyes of amber seemed to twinkle.

Oh well... There's always later.

They climbed out and headed inside, the limo pulling away as they walked down a cobbled sidewalk to the ornate back door. Rather than digging through his pockets for a key, Kaiba placed his palm firmly against a security console next to the handle.

'Handprint verified,' said a pleasant female voice from a small speaker underneath the console. 'Kaiba Seto. Please enter.' The door swung open slowly of its own accord. Kaiba took hold of the handle and stepped aside, waving Jounouchi in.

The inside was even more impressive then the outside. Katsuya stared yet again in a state of awe as Kaiba led him down one of many halls. With widened eyes, he silently labeled everything: shiny, expensive, really expensive. Sure, Jounouchi had never exactly lived on the high rise but he wasn't exactly poor either. Despite all that, really this was the most impressive place he'd stepped into in quite awhile.

And it all belongs to him...

He watched silently at the back of Seto, the numbing blue of his jacket clashing brightly against the white wash walls.

How could someone so young.. so young.. own all of this?

Katsuya's mind seemed to refuse to process this information. The blonde reminded himself that it was inherited, but all the same.. Kaiba was a ruthless business man.

How can someone so young be ruthless? He corrected himself. How can someone so beautiful be ruthless?

How could someone so beautiful be willing to spend time with me...?

Strange the parallels that can be found in people's thoughts.

Kaiba sighed almost inaudibly as they walked down the short back hallway, passing a couple of doors before coming to a small tile-floored area that looked like a miniature kitchen. Along two walls ran a countertop with cabinet space, a microwave, fridge, and stove, and in the middle of the space was an island with more countertop and a few three-legged stools scattered around it. On each side of the little area, tile gave way to carpet and crisscrossing hallways once more--as they walked in, one continued on directly in front of them, and there was another in the far left-hand corner of the room. Kaiba walked over to the fridge and opened it, peering inside.

"Augh," he grumbled under his breath, "Mokuba, you drank all the tea again." Seto glanced over to his guest as he pulled out his consolation prize, a jug of orange juice, and proceeded to pour himself a glass. "Something to drink, Katsuya?"

As his hand was freed and they entered the "small" kitchen, Katsuya took perch upon on of the stools and watched on with easily swayed interest. The host's offer flew over him as he was suddenly vastly interested in the fact that the ceiling was way to high... Richly high.

"Your house is huge.. and I've only seen a third of it! Not even!"

Obviously, Jounouchi did not let things go so easily. Hopefully other's found this more endearing rather than thinking him slow... Hopefully.

Seeming to realize this, he blonde quickly lowered his eyes back to Seto again with a embarrassed smile.

"Ah.. I'm sorry--you must think I'm really dumb or something." He raised a hand to brush away a lock of hair. "It's just.. I mean, man, I knew you were rich but I never actually imagined it.. I kinda guessed you lived in some sorta 'business' efficient apartment or something."

Kaiba returned the jug to its place in the fridge before taking a seat beside Jounouchi, sipping thoughtfully at his glass of juice.

"Heh... To tell the truth, we don't really use the whole house. Mostly just this section that we're in right now... It's got this kitchen, and some bedrooms and things. Not much need for a place the size of a major hotel when it's just the two of us." He shrugged. "But it was inherited. Mokuba and I've lived here for years..."

Kaiba was silent for a second before clearing his throat. "But, are you sure you don't want something to drink? I'm going to go change out of my uniform in a second."

Inherited... Pushed from the window...

Two and two never fit correctly.

"Mm..." Katsuya snapped himself from mid-thought. Now was not the time to bother himself or Seto of those things.. Really, up till now, he had completely forgotten about the incident that almost stole his.. his Seto's life. Not that he could ever.

No, now was a time to reveal in the moment. After all, he was in Kaiba's house, sitting on Kaiba's chair, getting offered Kaiba's orange juice... Why should anything else matter but that, anyway? He glanced up, once again catching the gaze of cerulean blue. Perfect, pink lips were once again opened ever so slightly as they finished forming words that sent a coy smile to Jounouchi's own.

Yes, live in the moment...

"Oh? Can I help?"

That one caught Kaiba off-guard, a blush coloring his cheeks as he glanced away, expression suddenly closed-off once again. He finished the rest of his juice in one big gulp and rose, absently wiping his mouth with the back of one hand, looking toward the left-hand hallway.

"Ah... c'mon, I'll... show you my room."

Katsuya couldn't help but smile. He quickly stood from where he sat and walked over to join his pretty little companion, the small part of his hand curled up to cradle Seto's cheek as it burned a faint red.

"You're cute when you blush."

his made Seto blush further. He was just short of opening his mouth to reply when he realized he had absolutely no idea what to say.

I am Kaiba Seto, and for once I am without a witty comment. See what you do to me?

"...Shall we?" he said after a second, clearing his throat and heading toward the hall without further adieu.

"Hmmm.. I would've rather pushed you up against the wall and ravished you, but hey.. Whatever you want!"

Katsuya smirked softly through bangs of gold as a rather flustered Seto left his grasp. Inwardly, he was laughing hysterically.. Who ever thought he could.. HE could such an effect on a man he used to think never showed much else but contempt for him.

Taking this all in stride was to hard.. Katsuya would have preferred running...

I guess I'll... change in the bathroom. Why the hell did I bring him with me anyway...!?

...because I love having him around me... just hearing his voice...

Kaiba sighed faintly, missing Jounouchi's last raunchy comment in his preoccupation.

They traveled a good distance along the hall, passing several doors, before coming to a closed one on the right. Kaiba pulled a small key out of his pocket--this, unlike the back door, had no fancy security pad--and unlocked it before stepping inside. Without waiting for Jounouchi, he walked through the little alcove at the entrance and headed to the left part of the room.

Seto's bedroom was no less impressive than the rest of the house. The little alcove, hung with coats and umbrellas and other such things, opened into a long, spacious area decorated in white and denim blue. Along the wall to the right was a set of low, polished wooden drawers, their surface cluttered with all manner of clothing, books, papers, and electronic gadgets, curving around the corner and continuing all the way to the large bed near the far side of the room. On the opposite wall was a spacious closet and a door leading to the bathroom, its door slightly ajar as Seto changed inside. A few feet beyond the bed was a wall taken up largely by some very long patio windows leading out onto a balcony.

"I feel like I'm in a beach house or something'.." Katsuya mumbled softly as he pushed himself through the opened door, happily met with avid colors of white and blue. With a delicate lick of his lips, he found his eyes wander to where Seto had disappeared.

Hn.

For a few moments he wandered. It was so strange.. so odd to think that he, Jounouchi, was standing here in Seto's room. Had anyone claimed this only days earlier he would have gave them a pretty little outburst of 'what the..?' to contend with. Now.. Everything seemed to happen so quick. Kaiba had opened a door, if not a small one, of his life to Katsuya.. And as the blonde stared down at the small, ornate trinkets here and there, he couldn't help but feel.. Special somehow.

"Listen to you. You sound like a silly school girl," he chuckled softly to himself as he stared quietly back into a small mirror that lay hung over one of the many dressers. Looking at his reflection, the boy made a small face of disgust as he realize just how messy his hair was. Honestly, Seto must have been out of his mind! He could do better. Katsuya made a childish pout.

Without much thought (as that never was his style.. Ahem), Jounouchi turned upon a heel and head into the bathroom.. Seemingly forgetting what the dark haired beauty was doing in there (not that he'd have any qualms about seeing anything) in order to question Kaiba on exactly that.

"What are--"

Kaiba whirled around to meet Jounouchi's sight, black pants undone, shirt still in his hands, and scars exposed to the world.

Time froze for a second.

"K--Katsuya...!" Turning around again, hardly allowing himself to think, before he did anything else he zipped up his pants and pulled on his white tank top and dress shirt. His uniform lay in a pile on the floor, and he turned to pick it up without meeting Jounouchi's eyes.

Time did indeed freeze.

"Kaiba..?"

Despite feeble attempts to cover himself up, Katsuya had seen exactly what he shouldn't have--not meaning just exposed flesh. No, instead his eyes had been trained on something else.. Something much more. Dark gashes had littered about the smooth skin, he had saw.. Some dark red, healing from not to distant mutilation, others long since healed and bright white, like burning iron.

Katsuya slowly stepped forward and, despite protests on either part, placed soft hands upon either side of the slender figure before him. With a focus gaze, he slipped them under the white shirt, pushing up in one motion and taking the smooth fabric with it. Once again, the face of what he had seen earlier was unmasked. Small lips pursed.

"What's this from?"

Kaiba's gaze traveled down to the hands against his exposed flesh, and he could feel his heart pounding very hard as silence stretched between the pair for a long, agonizing moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was a murmur, expression hard to make out as he said:

"Just... me."

This was... more than just a door. And somehow this hurt him, tore at him in a way he least expected. The blonde's eyes never left one of the big gashes that lay receding down the fine line of a muscle, the dead color of it sickening him. A hand removed itself from where it lay and he tried to trace it, horrified.. instead it simple grazed the flesh below it.

Katsuya's voice was low, desperate.

"Why..?"

Kaiba did not answer for a very long time. There was a constricted feeling in his chest, not quite real, not quite painful, but uncomfortable; and somehow he could not bring himself to look up into Jounouchi's face.

"Don't know really... how to explain..." he mumbled, moving to sit down on the lid of the toilet, clothes piled in his lap as his eyes gazed toward the tile floor.

"I just..." His voice was a whisper now.

"Sometimes, when it hurts enough, I can forget... like I could... go away."

He shook his head slightly, as though that still didn't capture the gist of it, dark bangs obscuring his eyes with his head still bowed slightly.

A small hand, now grasping air, trembled lightly and fell, as did it's owner. Before Seto, on his knees, Katsuya reached out to him.. Trying to capture his eyes, trying to grassp sanity behind such an act. Hands were brought to capture hands and he held tight.

"I never knew." He kissed a fingertip. That's all he could think to say. For once, words crumbled like ashes when spoken. He would just have to rely on touch.

Seto tried to keep himself from trembling. He didn't think he was doing a very good job.

"Neither did anybody else..." he mumbled. "You weren't supposed to--to see--"

Shaking his head, he leaned forward and fairly collapsed into Jounouchi's arms, burying his face in the crook of the blonde's neck.

He shook his head again feebly, shuddering against the other boy. "You know... too fucking much about me..." The words were accompanied by a humorless quirk of the half-visible lips that almost resembled a smile.

"Hm." Katsuya forced a sweet, half-hearted smile at the boy's grim quip, holding the shivering figure beneath him tightly. He just wished that.. For God's sake, he could take this pain away from Seto. He didn't deserve it. No one did.

"I love you too."

His eyes snapped wide open at that.

Slowly disentangling himself from Jounouchi's embrace, Kaiba leaned back to where he was once more supporting his own weight, and gazed into Katsuya's face. Seto's expression was incredulous, as though looking at the other boy and seeing something he had missed every time before. He could find no words to express the wrenching of his heart--and so he settled for seizing the other boy's collar and dragging him into a hard kiss, still trembling slightly.

At the Kaiba house, they'd never been taught how to say 'I love you.'