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. And going
Wow, over 100 reviews! Virtual hugs to all! *breaks out the 'grape juice'*
Jou-pup: "Curiously strong mints" is all I remember from some ad I saw at a movie theatre. I think they were called Altoids(?). It doesn't really mean anything. Nice to know you read the disclaimers ^_^
Sorry, this chapter's a bit short :P
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 extraterrestrial spacecrafts were harmed in the making of this fic.
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Being Dead Ain't Easy
Chapter Eleven: What You See Is What You Get
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Kaiba glares out the window at anything and everything as we zoom past. He's pissed. Wow, I didn't know things were this bad between him and Tristan. It's not like I care or anything, but Kaiba doesn't deserve what Tristan's trying to dish out. Not for getting me killed, anyway. He deserves to get beat up for all the other stuff he's done. But not because of me.
"What is our destination, Mr. Kaiba sir?" asks the driver.
"Kaiba Corp."
The mothership? "Why? Left your wallet there?" I ask out loud.
Kaiba rolls his eyes. "Stupid dog. I have to work."
"Sir?"
"Enough questions. Just drive."
I better keep quiet. If Kaiba blames everything I say on the driver, I'm gonna get the poor guy fired.
Twenty minutes later, we park in front of a huge office building. Kaiba Corporation. The driver goes to pick up Mokuba. I follow Kaiba up the elevator to his office. It's got a great view, like you can almost see the whole city from here. I wonder if Kaiba ever stands in front of the window and looks outside? I bet he does, and I bet he goes 'This is all mine!' before laughing like one o' those cheesy bad guys ya see on TV.
He goes and puts his briefcase down, sits behind his massive desk, takes his laptop out, and hooks it up to the computer on his desk. Then he boots 'em up and starts typing away. I sit on the edge of his desk, swinging my legs a little, and just do some Kaiba-watchin'.
He gets this little frown on his face when he's working, ya know. When he's thinking real hard, he starts chewin' on his lip, too. I've still got no idea what he's doing. It wouldn't hurt to ask him, would it? I mean, he was hearing me pretty good before. "Hey, Kaiba, what cha doin'?"
"Working on the company budget. It's in shambles. Now be quiet, I have to concentrate."
I freeze. If I was breathing, it would've caught in my throat.
He's talking to me. For real. Not pretendin' I'm Mokuba or his limo guy. Not some gasped "Wheeler" when he's totally out of it. "Kaiba? You hear me?"
Tappity tap tap, says his laptop. Whiirrrrr, adds his desktop computer. Too bad I wasn't asking them.
"Come on, Kaiba, don't do this to me, man! If ya can, I really wanna know. As a matter o' fact, I know ya can."
No answer. More typing.
I wanna grab his stupid laptop and chuck it out the window. It's not worth the effort, though. I go for the next best thing; I use my funky ghost powers to get between him and his computers and grab him by the shoulders. He has to look at me now. I'm staring right into his eyes.
The position's kinda weird. He's not typing anymore, but he's got his arms stuck through my middle and I'm sorta sittin' on his lap. I'm getting tingly where his arms are. I wish he'd pull them outta there.
Kaiba goes pale. He can see me, I know he can. He just has to admit it.
He swallows, closes his eyes, clenches his teeth, and starts typing again.
He's doin' it on purpose. The bastard's ignoring me on purpose. Maybe, maybe, he didn't see me before his duel with Yuugi, but he sure does now.
So what am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to do?
How am I supposed to break through Kaiba's big, thick skull and make him see me?
I squeeze his shoulders. Just a little, not enough to tire me out.
He freezes.
That did the trick. "That's right, Kaiba, ya can't pretend I'm not there anymore. No more runnin', no more hidin'," I tell him. "I'm here whether ya want it or not."
He's not talking. Or moving.
"Kaiba? Moneybags? Rich boy?"
He's like a statue.
Okay, I dunno what to do here. He's not sayin' anything.
When in doubt, get help. That's what friends are for. I get off of Kaiba. "Alright. I'm gonna see Yuugi now. When I come back, Seto Kaiba, you an' me are gonna have a long talk."
He stares at his computer monitor and pretends I'm not there. He doesn't even twitch. Faker. He's just bein' a bastard, that's all.
"See ya later, Moneybags."
He's still starin' at the screen. He hasn't blinked once.
I didn't fry his brain, did I? Are ya supposed to shove the truth in somebody's face even if they don't wanna believe it? I mean, he was already pretty messed up before, and what I just did might've pushed him too far...
"Kaiba, are you gonna be okay?"
"Go and visit your friend," he whispers. "I'll be here working for a few more hours." He's not lookin' at me. Still not moving.
Well, it looks like I actually did what I set out to do to Kaiba that night in the cemetery. He's cracked. I did that to him.
And I'm not happy about it.
I'll... I'll deal with this later. It's time to go.
Since I can't take the elevator 'cause I can't push the buttons without sufferin' a nasty dizzy spell, I focus on being 'not-there' and sink through the carpet. I get to see the stuff on each floor as I go past it. Most of it's pretty boring. After a while, I hit the ground floor and head outside. I figure out which street I'm on and hitch a ride with the Joey Wheeler Undead Hitchhiker technique. Who needs limos? Who needs Kaiba?
He'll be his usual nasty self by the time I get back.
He will.
Turtle Game Shop, here I come.
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