Summary: Tragedy strikes. Joey Wheeler is gone forever. Or is he? Joey POV. Post Duelist Kingdom AU. Will eventually be Seto/Joey shounen-ai.
Author's Notes: Well, I thought I'd try writing a YuGiOh fic. And it's still going.
I'm rather enjoying this story. I'm glad you guys are too! Thanks for the reviews ^_^
Warnings: Character death (sort of), language, angst, eventual Seto/Joey.
Disclaimers: I don't own YuGiOh or any other brand names you might come across. No kitchen utensils were harmed in the making of this fic.
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Being Dead Ain't Easy
Chapter Eight: The Breakfast of Champions
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Kaiba wakes up too damned early. I don't have enough time to turn the chair so it's facin' the right way, but he doesn't notice, so I guess I'll just leave it like that. It's just a stupid chair. And I'm too damned tired to mess with it anymore.
Didja know Seto Kaiba's not a morning person? When the alarm goes off at 5:30AM, I hafta duck 'cause instead of turnin' it off, the freak groans, grabs the clock, and chucks it across the room. The poor clock smashes against the wall and dies. I hope he only did that 'cause he had a bad night. I mean, can you imagine how many clocks he'd go through if he trashed one every morning? It'd be nice to have that kinda money to waste, though.
He gets up and staggers off to the bathroom. He starts headin' to the one he went to last night, but he suddenly freezes, turns around, and heads for a different one. What, does he think that bathroom's haunted now? I guess he was BSing when he said some guy must've broken in. And NO, this time I don't follow him. He can have the bathroom to himself. I'm not some kinda perv!
I head down the stairs and wait for him in the kitchen. After a while, Sleepyhead comes down and gets started on breakfast. Mmmm, scrambled eggs. I get in close and try to get a whiff. It smells... like nothing. Can't breathe, can't smell. It's really weird how I can still 'talk' and stuff without using air. I don't get it.
Mokuba comes down by the time his brother's done cooking and putting food on the plates. The happy little family sits around the dining room table and digs in. I sit in a chair next to Kaiba too so I can sorta pretend that I'm eatin' with them. None of 'em suddenly die from food poisoning. Looks like Kaiba's an okay cook 'cause they're all still alive. Shame. I coulda used some company. This ghost thing is really, really starting to get to me. I mean, I don't really want one of 'em to die or anything, but... it's like I'm outside lookin' in. I'm gettin' lonely, dammit! Somebody, anybody... look at me, talk to me... hell, even Kaiba...
...No, wait, I take that back. I'm not that lonely. I'll never be that lonely.
And I'm really slackin' off on my haunting, here. Come on, all I did was doodle on a mirror and move a chair. I can do better than that! I get up and start walkin' around, looking for ideas. Hmmm, what to do...
...Ya know, Kaiba, you really shouldn't put your hot coffee so close to the edge of the table. What if someone accidentally knocks it into your lap? And there's not much steam coming from the cup so it's not that hot, more like warm, so it's not like it's gonna burn him...
I'm still pretty tired, but I get my hands on his coffee cup and oh so slowly nudge it along the table towards Kaiba's lap. He's reading the paper and doesn't notice.
Nudge. Nudge. Nudge. Come on, just a little closer...
I think it's going pretty good when suddenly WHAM I get hit by a major dizzy spell and I can't see straight. "SHIT!" The room's spinnin' around me like I'm in a blender and I'm on the floor and man I'm gonna puke up my ghostly guts-
if I puked, what would come up?
-and then I'm fine again. But more tired.
What the hell was that!? I was just tired before, but this, this...
I'm not stupid. Messin' with the cup set me off, so no more poking, no more movin' stuff around. Unless I have to. I better take it easy from now on unless I want a repeat. I guess I'll be a good little boy and sit back down. I can't really do anything else about it, so there's no point in worrying. The Kaiba brothers are still eating. Looks like nobody noticed my 'fit' or whatever.
Mokuba takes a gulp outta his big glass of orange juice. "Big brother?"
Kaiba's drinking his coffee and still reading the paper. I lean over and try to read over his shoulder. Business section. Bleh. How can you read that stuff, Kaiba?
"Kaiba, why're you readin' the paper?" I wonder out loud. "You can get all ya need to know from your computers."
Kaiba takes another sip of coffee. "The business section is more interesting than you'd think. The information is always inaccurate or out of date and it amuses me to see how wrong these so-called experts can be." He blinks. "Does that answer your question, Mokuba?"
Seto Kaiba gets his kicks outta reading the business section? He's got one weird sense o' humor.
...Cool, Kaiba can sorta hear me! Hey, I wonder if I can get him to really hear me... ? Well, if he can't, maybe I can just get him to say some more weird stuff. I'll hafta try that later. I'm starting to feel a little better, not so worn out.
Mokuba's kinda confused, not that I blame him, so he ignores what Kaiba just said about the paper. "About last night..." Oh yeah, Kaiba never really talked about the 'bathroom scene', did he? I'm sorta wonderin' about that myself.
He doesn't even look up. "Later."
"...Okay..."
And that's it for breakfast conversation.
After they're done eating and cleaning up, they both go off and get dressed for school. By the time they come back, a limo's outside, parked near the gates, to drive 'em there. Jeesh, don't these guys ever walk anywhere? Mokuba grabs his cute little knapsack and Kaiba grabs his huge honkin' metal briefcase and we all head out. We pile into the limo like good little schoolboys, Mokuba first, then Kaiba, then me, and away we go.
First stop is Mokuba's school. He gets off, waves buh-bye to his big bro, and goes to join his buddies.
Next stop is Domino High. Kaiba gets off and so do I. He stalks towards the school, funky white trench coat swooshing out behind him. Very dramatic. Everybody's climbin' over each other to get outta his way, treating him like he's royalty. Same old, same old. He gives everyone a cold smirk like it's funny. Once a prick, always a prick. I wish I could've dumped that coffee on him back at the mansion.
If I didn't know there was something seriously wrong with the guy, I'd swear he was fine. Last night, what last night? Walkin' talkin' robot Kaiba. Mister "If it's not about me, Mokuba, or Kaiba Corporation, I don't care" Kaiba. Nothin' wrong with him.
Besides the usual, I mean. He's always been a jerk.
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