DISCLAIMER: Okay, didn't we already establish this?
WARNINGS: Some mention of violence towards poor Jou. Some blood, not bad, though. Anzu haters, this will actually include some expression of non-hatred. BUT THERE WILL BE EXPRESSION OF ANNOYANCE!
SUMMARY: I think this will be funnier than last chapter. Lighter, definitely.
Chapter V:
~~~~JOU POV~~~~
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! I groaned and kicked off the sheets as my alarm clock startled the hell out of me. Bringing a fist down on the damned contraption, I think I hit it harder than I should have, because I heard a CRACK! "Anoo, whoops!"
Good. My clock didn't wake my "dad" up. Good. I could probably get some breakfast before heading for school. 'Man, I hope Yug' doesn't get detention today! I really wanted to duel! Duelin' Honda's no fun!' Grabbing my uniform from under my bed, I winced as my bending cracked a wound open. 'Shit. Now I've gotta patch myself up before I can change!' Quietly, I dragged my stuff into the bathroom. Damn. The wound was on my lower back. Better than higher up, yeah, but I still couldn't see it, 'cause our mirror was too high. Shit. Feeling my way over it with a wad of tissue, I swiped the blood off. Hm. Good, it wasn't too bad. If I could just keep that area still for a while, it'd be fine. Gingerly, I slipped my slacks on and brushed my teeth. After a quick comb of my hair, I lightly ran my finger over the injury. Dry. Good. I slipped my shirt on after applying some moisturizing ointment. (I learned it the hard way. Very dry wounds crack often. Yeah, if they're soggy, they can get infected, but I made sure to get antibiotic cream for them.)
Carefully I tiptoed into the kitchen. No sign of any unintelligent life. Good. I grabbed an apple and a cinnamon roll from the fridge, and began to munch. Mmm. Apple/cinnamon. Perfect breakfast combo. Finishing them up, (and licking my fingers clean, *slurp*) I grabbed my pack and hauled ass for school.
I chuckled as I thought of Yugi's weird behavior. Man, first the funky deal at the mall, then cussing Ryou out! I wondered what the hell was with him. Oh, well. I'd probably find out, soon enough. Hm. Kaiba had really seemed shaken. Yami didn't notice, but that was probably 'cause he was busy paying attention to Yugi. And probably 'cause he doesn't really like Kaiba.
Yes, I like Kaiba, thank you very much! Believe it or not, I DO pay attention to people, especially those I care about. I paid attention to Yugi, and that's how I first got a hint that he was doing something weird. I paid attention to Yami, and that's how I figured he wasn't paying attention to Kaiba. And I paid attention to Kaiba, so I realized that he was flustered. Probably 'cause Yami kissed him. GRRR! I KNOW the circumstances behind that, and STILL I can't help feeling a bit of jealousy. Shimatta! I WANTED TO BE THE FIRST!
Okay, I'm cool. I'm cool. No problem! Me be happy, happy Jonouchi! Hai, happy happy. Oh, Kami-sama! Okay, I'm now grossing myself out with my own perkiness. Yeah, I said perkiness. Baka sleep deprivation. It either makes me cranky or perky. Ugh. I'd rather be bitching out someone than walking around with a smile like Anzu's. YAAH! BAD MENTAL PICTURE! It wasn't that I disliked Anzu, it's just that I can sometimes feel a bit, oh, let's just call it ANNOYED!
Okay, Jonouchi Katsuya, SHUT THE HELL UP! Just shut up and walk to school. Yes, shut up. So, as I was saying...
I launched myself at my seat just as the bell rang. Whew! Nearly late again! But I made it, I'm cool! Yeah! Duhn-da-da-DA! Jou is IN THE HOUSE- anoo, I mean THE SCHOOL!
"Hey, Jonouchi, sorry I couldn't duel yesterday! Let's do it at lunch!" I smiled at my best buddy as he hopped over desks and people. Man, that kid's got energy out the wazoo!
"You bet, Yug'! I'm gonna stomp you so bad, you'll have negative points!"
He laughed. "We'll see!"
Kaiba looked up from his laptop and grinned. "Fat chance, Chihuahua! If I can't beat Yugi, there's no way in hell a pathetic loser like YOU could!"
"As Yug' said, we'll see!" I smirked at him, but he was already back at work. Grr. I would get his attention ONE way or another. But class wasn't really the best time to do so.
"Hi, Jou! Hi, Yugi!" Anzu. I smiled, and I WAS sincere, because she doesn't really piss me off a WHOLE lot, but I was wary.
'Do not do anything to piss off Queen of Happy-happy Friendship Land!' I thought. 'Las' thing you want is ta make her start ranting!'
Everyone took their seats as Kitayaki-sensei began to take roll. I leaned back in my chair. Whoops. Bad idea! I had forgotten that my seat was actually a chair and a desk, not a combined unit! The chair slid out from underneath me, and I cracked my head on the desk behind me. "Oof!"
Itai. Where the hell was I? Oh, yes, school. Where you learn, and then get a concussion that WIPES OUT WHAT YOU LEARN! Brilliant move, Jonouchi! ITAI!!! Oh, I thought I was going to pass out...
I awoke to the feel of something warm. A blanket? Naah, too firm. But the warmth was countered by something FREEZING COLD at the back of my head! Dizzily, I opened my eyes and squirmed.
"Hold still, damnit!" Oh, crap. I knew that voice!
"Kaiba!"
"I said, hold still! Do I need to send you to obedience school?"
I moved away, grabbing the ice pack. "I'll take this. Thank you, now I can handle it myself." I saw we were in the nurse's office, and I scooted away.
"What, no 'don't tell me what to do?'"
"It's implied! Now I said I can handle it, so why don't you just go back to class?" I was in some serious pain, and I didn't want Kaiba to give me even more of a headache. Instead, he glared smugly down his nose at me. Ooh, I wanted to just tear his nose OFF!
"Going to lick your wounds like the dog you are?"
"Aw, go to hell." The only thing I wanted was to lie down and go to sleep. But I couldn't do that with Kaiba taunting me.
"Why not? Not like it'd be anything new. But I'm a little hurt! You wouldn't even take the time to make a decent comeback? I thought we were NEMESES!"
"Okay. Now you're scarin' me. Quit talkin' like Pegasus!" I shuddered, and, with a quick glance at him, saw him look like he was about to puke. Instead, he growled.
"Don't even compare me to that freak, Mutt!"
"Mutt? Look who's talkin'! You're the one snarling!" I stood, but my aching head spun, and, in a spell of dizziness, I fell. Fell sitting. Fell into Kaiba's lap.
'Shit! I would love this, if he wouldn't beat the crap outta me for it!' Still feeling loopy, I couldn't think enough to move, though.
"Shimatta, baka! I'd think you would have sense enough to at LEAST sit still! That's it! Do I need to hold you down to keep you from hurting yourself?"
"What does it matter? A klonk on the head's not gonna kill me!"
"No, but it could really cause trouble! I've had concussions before, and let me tell you: If you don't sit still, you're just likely to fall, bash your head again, and MAKE IT WORSE! You're dumb enough as it is! You don't need any brain damage!"
Surprisingly, he was keeping his voice down. That, I was really grateful for, 'cause my head didn't need any shouting. And, he DID have a point. But hey, did he just diss me AGAIN?
But somehow I managed to ignore it. Every time he insulted me, it DID bug me, but I knew that he was right. The fact that I had fallen was proof that I was in no condition to do any serious moving. So I just let the "dumb" comment slide. But I was curious. "Ne, Seto?" I asked. Wait, did I just call him Seto? Oh, crap.
"Yeah?" If he noticed, he didn't seem to care.
"Why- why the hell are you bothering? You know you could just leave me in the care of the nurse. You could get back to class. You could have just brought me in and set me down."
He was quiet, for a few moments, and then replied, "I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that I can't stand to see poor, pathetic puppies in pain." Was he mocking me? His voice was serious, and when I looked at his face, he was gazing into thin air wistfully.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I was a bit more harsh than I'd expected.
"It means I don't like to see you hurt. Insulted, sure, because you're a riot when you're pissed. But you're not funny when you're hurt."
"Funny? FUNNY? What the hell am I, your jester?" I rose again, and was once more swamped with vertigo. He caught me as I fell back onto him, groaning in agony as my head tried to kill me.
"Jonouchi, stop it! The last thing you need is to fall again! Just sit! OSUWARI!"
Osuwari? How dare he? "I'm NOT YOUR DAMN DOG! Don't treat me like it!" Oh, shit. Oh, NOW how was I going to carry through with my plans?
He stiffened, and something seemed to completely change. Carefully, he turned, depositing me on the nurse's bed. Grabbing the ice pack, he painfully jammed it against my head. The sudden hit made me scream in pain, before I once again blacked out...
"Ohh," I moaned as I sat up, shivering. Oh, shit. The ice pack had melted and burst. Damnit! I was drenched, and freezing my ass off. But my head was better. I could sit up on my own now. I stripped my soaking jacket off, swearing at the morons who kept the school's AC on to "tundra."
The nurse came in, and she was holding a clipboard. "Jonouchi Katsuya?"
"Hai."
"Feeling any better, or do we need to get an ambulance?"
"I'll be fine."
"Good. I'll be calling your father-"
"NO!" He COULDN'T find out!
"Nani? Doushite, Jonouchi-san?"
"Because I'll be fine!" I tried to cover up. Shit. If I ratted my father out, he'd kill me!
"Well, it's our policy to call if any child is injured. So, if I could have his number..." She held her pen over the clipboard expectantly. Fortunately, I had a backup plan.
"331-5263."
"Thank you."
I breathed a sigh of relief as she left. Good. Now she would call the private line at the Mutou household. Mr. Mutou would get it, and he would cover for me. Phew. That's another upside of being best friends with the most generous guy on Earth. His family was also real cool about that, so I had already arranged for Yugi's grandpa to pose as my dad in just such a situation.
But thinking about Yugi made me realize that, recently, he HASN'T been that generous. He told me EVERYTHING about what he did at the mall, and I was totally shocked. First Yami, then Bakura, then Kaiba? And, from what I could tell, he got Ryou into trouble yesterday, without even a second thought! What the hell was with my buddy, anyway? He even blackmailed me! I was sort of hurt, when he threatened to tell Kaiba about the leash I'd bought. He didn't need to, I wasn't going to tell, anyway! It kinda hurt, the fact that he didn't trust me to keep my mouth shut.
Thinking about the leash made me blush. Yugi had figured it out immediately, as did Yami. Damn. Oh, well. Yami wouldn't tell, and Yugi knew that his blackmail would be spoiled if HE did. Man, only two more days, Kaiba's birthday was on Thursday. Oy. If I messed this up, I would never live it down. I'd have to move to Siberia or something. And there was so much that could go wrong. I could start stammering like a damned baka, or I could end up blurting it out like a baka. Or I could screw it up without myself doing anything dumb. How was I to even know if Kaiba was gay? He probably wasn't straight, 'cause he's never had any girlfriends, but that was probably 'cause he's been too busy. Hell, for all I knew, he was probably totally non-sexual! And my ass was riding on the sliver of a chance of him being gay. Damn. I sure like to take risks, ne?
Leaning into the bed, I gently felt my head. Good, there wasn't much of a bump. Maybe after a nap, I'd be able to get up and moving. I curled up, comfortable, and dozed off...
"No, I don' want anchovies on that, but thanks," I murmured as the person behind me in line shook me. "Hey, hol' your horses, will ya? I'm tryin' to get a pizza here!"
"No, you're not, Puppy. You're trying to get some consciousness." Wha-?
"What the hell? I- I- aahhhhh," I snapped out of my pizza dream and yawned, stretching. Oh, crap. Did my back's wound crack again? Shit.
"Wake up, Puppy. It's 3:45." I bolted straight up in the bed.
"Oh, ****!"
"Huh? Are you okay?"
I looked at Kaiba. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Your friends were here earlier, but Anzu and Yugi had to work, Honda had to pick his bike up, and Ryou had to do some shopping. I promised to see you home safely."
My eyes grew wide as he spoke. "Nani? Doushite?"
He shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to let you try it on your own. You slammed your head pretty damn hard, and I didn't want to see you faint while walking home."
I blushed, and hung my head abashedly. Knowing myself, I probably WOULD end up fainting.
"Look, do you want a ride? By the way you reacted to the time, I'd say you're later than you should be, and you won't get very far if you try to walk."
"I couldn't. Kaiba, I really appreciate it, but I jus' couldn't."
"I couldn't let you walk home. I- I would feel personally responsible for you getting more hurt. I don't want that. So listen. You ARE going to let me give you a ride. And besides, it's hot today. A concussion plus heat could really hurt you. So don't be stupid. Are you coming?"
The very idea of Kaiba giving me a ride sounded good, but if my dad found out that I'm associating with rich people, he'd kill me. I couldn't have him drive me home.
"Or, maybe, I could take you somewhere you could get a ride from."
That was an idea. Maybe he could take me to the Kame Game Shop. Yugi could get me on the bus. Then, oh, the idea of facing my father with half of my usable brain actually usable, oy. Itai. I held my hand to my head.
"Are you okay? Maybe you should go to the hospital-"
"NO!" My own shout made my head throb even more. Double itai!
"Well, then let's go!"
"No!" Every sound, flash of light, every sensation made my world spin. I groaned and fell backwards-
into Kaiba's arms. "Jonouchi, that's it! You need medical care! I'm taking you to see a doctor!"
"No!" I squirmed and flailed, but he was far stronger than I. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and raised a hand to my neck. My eyes grew wide as I felt him press behind my ear gently. I let my eyes fall closed, and he kept lightly rubbing behind my ear. Pressure pointing, but not knocking me out. Man, it DID feel good. He kept at it for several seconds, before releasing me.
"Jonouchi, I don't mean I'm going to take you to the hospital. I don't know why, but you're reluctant to go there. Instead, I'm going to take you to see the Kaiba family physician. Privately employed, and I promise he'll keep it totally confidential, or I'll fire him and have him blacklisted. Now, are you going to come calmly?" The more he spoke, the better of an idea it sounded. Carefully, I nodded. He lifted me in his strong arms, and I felt surprisingly secure. Safe, a word I hadn't used referring to myself in years. I yawned, settling against his chest. Oh, Kami-sama, how I hoped that, someday, Kaiba Seto would hold me like that, without me needing to be carried. How I hoped that he would be as gentle with me without me injured. How I hoped to be held forever...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke: I made myself hungry with that breakfast description! ^____^ Anyone know how to e-mail food? Oh, by the way, "osuwari" is "sit," but ONLY for a dog. And the phone number? 331-KAME. As in, the Kame (turtle) Game Shop. Did you like? Oh, and I update rarely, and have at least a couple of chapters per update, because I'm relying on Meta to post it. Hm. This wasn't too funny, either. Got more mushy. DAMN ME THE BAKA MORBID FLUFFBRAIN!!! Oy. But if I ever make anyone seem OOC (except, DUH, Yugi), without intentionally doing so, PLEASE tell me. Okay, people?
WARNINGS: Some mention of violence towards poor Jou. Some blood, not bad, though. Anzu haters, this will actually include some expression of non-hatred. BUT THERE WILL BE EXPRESSION OF ANNOYANCE!
SUMMARY: I think this will be funnier than last chapter. Lighter, definitely.
Chapter V:
~~~~JOU POV~~~~
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! I groaned and kicked off the sheets as my alarm clock startled the hell out of me. Bringing a fist down on the damned contraption, I think I hit it harder than I should have, because I heard a CRACK! "Anoo, whoops!"
Good. My clock didn't wake my "dad" up. Good. I could probably get some breakfast before heading for school. 'Man, I hope Yug' doesn't get detention today! I really wanted to duel! Duelin' Honda's no fun!' Grabbing my uniform from under my bed, I winced as my bending cracked a wound open. 'Shit. Now I've gotta patch myself up before I can change!' Quietly, I dragged my stuff into the bathroom. Damn. The wound was on my lower back. Better than higher up, yeah, but I still couldn't see it, 'cause our mirror was too high. Shit. Feeling my way over it with a wad of tissue, I swiped the blood off. Hm. Good, it wasn't too bad. If I could just keep that area still for a while, it'd be fine. Gingerly, I slipped my slacks on and brushed my teeth. After a quick comb of my hair, I lightly ran my finger over the injury. Dry. Good. I slipped my shirt on after applying some moisturizing ointment. (I learned it the hard way. Very dry wounds crack often. Yeah, if they're soggy, they can get infected, but I made sure to get antibiotic cream for them.)
Carefully I tiptoed into the kitchen. No sign of any unintelligent life. Good. I grabbed an apple and a cinnamon roll from the fridge, and began to munch. Mmm. Apple/cinnamon. Perfect breakfast combo. Finishing them up, (and licking my fingers clean, *slurp*) I grabbed my pack and hauled ass for school.
I chuckled as I thought of Yugi's weird behavior. Man, first the funky deal at the mall, then cussing Ryou out! I wondered what the hell was with him. Oh, well. I'd probably find out, soon enough. Hm. Kaiba had really seemed shaken. Yami didn't notice, but that was probably 'cause he was busy paying attention to Yugi. And probably 'cause he doesn't really like Kaiba.
Yes, I like Kaiba, thank you very much! Believe it or not, I DO pay attention to people, especially those I care about. I paid attention to Yugi, and that's how I first got a hint that he was doing something weird. I paid attention to Yami, and that's how I figured he wasn't paying attention to Kaiba. And I paid attention to Kaiba, so I realized that he was flustered. Probably 'cause Yami kissed him. GRRR! I KNOW the circumstances behind that, and STILL I can't help feeling a bit of jealousy. Shimatta! I WANTED TO BE THE FIRST!
Okay, I'm cool. I'm cool. No problem! Me be happy, happy Jonouchi! Hai, happy happy. Oh, Kami-sama! Okay, I'm now grossing myself out with my own perkiness. Yeah, I said perkiness. Baka sleep deprivation. It either makes me cranky or perky. Ugh. I'd rather be bitching out someone than walking around with a smile like Anzu's. YAAH! BAD MENTAL PICTURE! It wasn't that I disliked Anzu, it's just that I can sometimes feel a bit, oh, let's just call it ANNOYED!
Okay, Jonouchi Katsuya, SHUT THE HELL UP! Just shut up and walk to school. Yes, shut up. So, as I was saying...
I launched myself at my seat just as the bell rang. Whew! Nearly late again! But I made it, I'm cool! Yeah! Duhn-da-da-DA! Jou is IN THE HOUSE- anoo, I mean THE SCHOOL!
"Hey, Jonouchi, sorry I couldn't duel yesterday! Let's do it at lunch!" I smiled at my best buddy as he hopped over desks and people. Man, that kid's got energy out the wazoo!
"You bet, Yug'! I'm gonna stomp you so bad, you'll have negative points!"
He laughed. "We'll see!"
Kaiba looked up from his laptop and grinned. "Fat chance, Chihuahua! If I can't beat Yugi, there's no way in hell a pathetic loser like YOU could!"
"As Yug' said, we'll see!" I smirked at him, but he was already back at work. Grr. I would get his attention ONE way or another. But class wasn't really the best time to do so.
"Hi, Jou! Hi, Yugi!" Anzu. I smiled, and I WAS sincere, because she doesn't really piss me off a WHOLE lot, but I was wary.
'Do not do anything to piss off Queen of Happy-happy Friendship Land!' I thought. 'Las' thing you want is ta make her start ranting!'
Everyone took their seats as Kitayaki-sensei began to take roll. I leaned back in my chair. Whoops. Bad idea! I had forgotten that my seat was actually a chair and a desk, not a combined unit! The chair slid out from underneath me, and I cracked my head on the desk behind me. "Oof!"
Itai. Where the hell was I? Oh, yes, school. Where you learn, and then get a concussion that WIPES OUT WHAT YOU LEARN! Brilliant move, Jonouchi! ITAI!!! Oh, I thought I was going to pass out...
I awoke to the feel of something warm. A blanket? Naah, too firm. But the warmth was countered by something FREEZING COLD at the back of my head! Dizzily, I opened my eyes and squirmed.
"Hold still, damnit!" Oh, crap. I knew that voice!
"Kaiba!"
"I said, hold still! Do I need to send you to obedience school?"
I moved away, grabbing the ice pack. "I'll take this. Thank you, now I can handle it myself." I saw we were in the nurse's office, and I scooted away.
"What, no 'don't tell me what to do?'"
"It's implied! Now I said I can handle it, so why don't you just go back to class?" I was in some serious pain, and I didn't want Kaiba to give me even more of a headache. Instead, he glared smugly down his nose at me. Ooh, I wanted to just tear his nose OFF!
"Going to lick your wounds like the dog you are?"
"Aw, go to hell." The only thing I wanted was to lie down and go to sleep. But I couldn't do that with Kaiba taunting me.
"Why not? Not like it'd be anything new. But I'm a little hurt! You wouldn't even take the time to make a decent comeback? I thought we were NEMESES!"
"Okay. Now you're scarin' me. Quit talkin' like Pegasus!" I shuddered, and, with a quick glance at him, saw him look like he was about to puke. Instead, he growled.
"Don't even compare me to that freak, Mutt!"
"Mutt? Look who's talkin'! You're the one snarling!" I stood, but my aching head spun, and, in a spell of dizziness, I fell. Fell sitting. Fell into Kaiba's lap.
'Shit! I would love this, if he wouldn't beat the crap outta me for it!' Still feeling loopy, I couldn't think enough to move, though.
"Shimatta, baka! I'd think you would have sense enough to at LEAST sit still! That's it! Do I need to hold you down to keep you from hurting yourself?"
"What does it matter? A klonk on the head's not gonna kill me!"
"No, but it could really cause trouble! I've had concussions before, and let me tell you: If you don't sit still, you're just likely to fall, bash your head again, and MAKE IT WORSE! You're dumb enough as it is! You don't need any brain damage!"
Surprisingly, he was keeping his voice down. That, I was really grateful for, 'cause my head didn't need any shouting. And, he DID have a point. But hey, did he just diss me AGAIN?
But somehow I managed to ignore it. Every time he insulted me, it DID bug me, but I knew that he was right. The fact that I had fallen was proof that I was in no condition to do any serious moving. So I just let the "dumb" comment slide. But I was curious. "Ne, Seto?" I asked. Wait, did I just call him Seto? Oh, crap.
"Yeah?" If he noticed, he didn't seem to care.
"Why- why the hell are you bothering? You know you could just leave me in the care of the nurse. You could get back to class. You could have just brought me in and set me down."
He was quiet, for a few moments, and then replied, "I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that I can't stand to see poor, pathetic puppies in pain." Was he mocking me? His voice was serious, and when I looked at his face, he was gazing into thin air wistfully.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I was a bit more harsh than I'd expected.
"It means I don't like to see you hurt. Insulted, sure, because you're a riot when you're pissed. But you're not funny when you're hurt."
"Funny? FUNNY? What the hell am I, your jester?" I rose again, and was once more swamped with vertigo. He caught me as I fell back onto him, groaning in agony as my head tried to kill me.
"Jonouchi, stop it! The last thing you need is to fall again! Just sit! OSUWARI!"
Osuwari? How dare he? "I'm NOT YOUR DAMN DOG! Don't treat me like it!" Oh, shit. Oh, NOW how was I going to carry through with my plans?
He stiffened, and something seemed to completely change. Carefully, he turned, depositing me on the nurse's bed. Grabbing the ice pack, he painfully jammed it against my head. The sudden hit made me scream in pain, before I once again blacked out...
"Ohh," I moaned as I sat up, shivering. Oh, shit. The ice pack had melted and burst. Damnit! I was drenched, and freezing my ass off. But my head was better. I could sit up on my own now. I stripped my soaking jacket off, swearing at the morons who kept the school's AC on to "tundra."
The nurse came in, and she was holding a clipboard. "Jonouchi Katsuya?"
"Hai."
"Feeling any better, or do we need to get an ambulance?"
"I'll be fine."
"Good. I'll be calling your father-"
"NO!" He COULDN'T find out!
"Nani? Doushite, Jonouchi-san?"
"Because I'll be fine!" I tried to cover up. Shit. If I ratted my father out, he'd kill me!
"Well, it's our policy to call if any child is injured. So, if I could have his number..." She held her pen over the clipboard expectantly. Fortunately, I had a backup plan.
"331-5263."
"Thank you."
I breathed a sigh of relief as she left. Good. Now she would call the private line at the Mutou household. Mr. Mutou would get it, and he would cover for me. Phew. That's another upside of being best friends with the most generous guy on Earth. His family was also real cool about that, so I had already arranged for Yugi's grandpa to pose as my dad in just such a situation.
But thinking about Yugi made me realize that, recently, he HASN'T been that generous. He told me EVERYTHING about what he did at the mall, and I was totally shocked. First Yami, then Bakura, then Kaiba? And, from what I could tell, he got Ryou into trouble yesterday, without even a second thought! What the hell was with my buddy, anyway? He even blackmailed me! I was sort of hurt, when he threatened to tell Kaiba about the leash I'd bought. He didn't need to, I wasn't going to tell, anyway! It kinda hurt, the fact that he didn't trust me to keep my mouth shut.
Thinking about the leash made me blush. Yugi had figured it out immediately, as did Yami. Damn. Oh, well. Yami wouldn't tell, and Yugi knew that his blackmail would be spoiled if HE did. Man, only two more days, Kaiba's birthday was on Thursday. Oy. If I messed this up, I would never live it down. I'd have to move to Siberia or something. And there was so much that could go wrong. I could start stammering like a damned baka, or I could end up blurting it out like a baka. Or I could screw it up without myself doing anything dumb. How was I to even know if Kaiba was gay? He probably wasn't straight, 'cause he's never had any girlfriends, but that was probably 'cause he's been too busy. Hell, for all I knew, he was probably totally non-sexual! And my ass was riding on the sliver of a chance of him being gay. Damn. I sure like to take risks, ne?
Leaning into the bed, I gently felt my head. Good, there wasn't much of a bump. Maybe after a nap, I'd be able to get up and moving. I curled up, comfortable, and dozed off...
"No, I don' want anchovies on that, but thanks," I murmured as the person behind me in line shook me. "Hey, hol' your horses, will ya? I'm tryin' to get a pizza here!"
"No, you're not, Puppy. You're trying to get some consciousness." Wha-?
"What the hell? I- I- aahhhhh," I snapped out of my pizza dream and yawned, stretching. Oh, crap. Did my back's wound crack again? Shit.
"Wake up, Puppy. It's 3:45." I bolted straight up in the bed.
"Oh, ****!"
"Huh? Are you okay?"
I looked at Kaiba. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Your friends were here earlier, but Anzu and Yugi had to work, Honda had to pick his bike up, and Ryou had to do some shopping. I promised to see you home safely."
My eyes grew wide as he spoke. "Nani? Doushite?"
He shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to let you try it on your own. You slammed your head pretty damn hard, and I didn't want to see you faint while walking home."
I blushed, and hung my head abashedly. Knowing myself, I probably WOULD end up fainting.
"Look, do you want a ride? By the way you reacted to the time, I'd say you're later than you should be, and you won't get very far if you try to walk."
"I couldn't. Kaiba, I really appreciate it, but I jus' couldn't."
"I couldn't let you walk home. I- I would feel personally responsible for you getting more hurt. I don't want that. So listen. You ARE going to let me give you a ride. And besides, it's hot today. A concussion plus heat could really hurt you. So don't be stupid. Are you coming?"
The very idea of Kaiba giving me a ride sounded good, but if my dad found out that I'm associating with rich people, he'd kill me. I couldn't have him drive me home.
"Or, maybe, I could take you somewhere you could get a ride from."
That was an idea. Maybe he could take me to the Kame Game Shop. Yugi could get me on the bus. Then, oh, the idea of facing my father with half of my usable brain actually usable, oy. Itai. I held my hand to my head.
"Are you okay? Maybe you should go to the hospital-"
"NO!" My own shout made my head throb even more. Double itai!
"Well, then let's go!"
"No!" Every sound, flash of light, every sensation made my world spin. I groaned and fell backwards-
into Kaiba's arms. "Jonouchi, that's it! You need medical care! I'm taking you to see a doctor!"
"No!" I squirmed and flailed, but he was far stronger than I. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and raised a hand to my neck. My eyes grew wide as I felt him press behind my ear gently. I let my eyes fall closed, and he kept lightly rubbing behind my ear. Pressure pointing, but not knocking me out. Man, it DID feel good. He kept at it for several seconds, before releasing me.
"Jonouchi, I don't mean I'm going to take you to the hospital. I don't know why, but you're reluctant to go there. Instead, I'm going to take you to see the Kaiba family physician. Privately employed, and I promise he'll keep it totally confidential, or I'll fire him and have him blacklisted. Now, are you going to come calmly?" The more he spoke, the better of an idea it sounded. Carefully, I nodded. He lifted me in his strong arms, and I felt surprisingly secure. Safe, a word I hadn't used referring to myself in years. I yawned, settling against his chest. Oh, Kami-sama, how I hoped that, someday, Kaiba Seto would hold me like that, without me needing to be carried. How I hoped that he would be as gentle with me without me injured. How I hoped to be held forever...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke: I made myself hungry with that breakfast description! ^____^ Anyone know how to e-mail food? Oh, by the way, "osuwari" is "sit," but ONLY for a dog. And the phone number? 331-KAME. As in, the Kame (turtle) Game Shop. Did you like? Oh, and I update rarely, and have at least a couple of chapters per update, because I'm relying on Meta to post it. Hm. This wasn't too funny, either. Got more mushy. DAMN ME THE BAKA MORBID FLUFFBRAIN!!! Oy. But if I ever make anyone seem OOC (except, DUH, Yugi), without intentionally doing so, PLEASE tell me. Okay, people?