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. And whoa, still going.
Thanks for the reviews (and tolerating cliffhanger after cliffhanger…) ^_^;;
Amaroq: I don't think they'll be sleeping together if you mean *sleeping* together...
Does this count as Seto/Joey luvy-wuvyness? I really have no idea! By the way, the incident referred to is in Chap17.
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 aardvarks were harmed in the making of this fic.
**************************************************************************
Being Dead Ain't Easy
Chapter Twenty: What I Don't Say
**************************************************************************
We stand there in the screechin' elevator-rocket, staring at each other. The smashed control panel makes pretty sparks. The escape hatch in the ceiling is melted shut. Kaiba managed to pry the elevator doors open, but we're going too fast for him to get out that way. We're stuck.
Kaiba's dead calm now.
"So what's the plan, Kaiba?"
He goes back to his briefcase-
Great, maybe he's got some high tech Kaiba gizmo for fixing runaway elevators!
-and pulls out a piece of paper and a pen. Kaiba kneels down on the floor and closes the briefcase, using it like a table. He thinks for a bit and starts writing.
Don't be doin' what I think you're doin'. "Kaiba?"
"Be quiet, I'm writing a letter to Mokuba. Hopefully, it'll still be intact when somebody digs my body out of this soon-to-be smoking wreckage."
"That's a lousy plan."
"If you have a better one, I can't wait to hear it."
I can't think of anything. Fifteen seconds later, Kaiba finishes his will or whatever and puts it in his metal briefcase. That thing's probably indestructible.
I don't wanna listen to the elevator screeching anymore. I have to say something. "What's gonna happen when we reach the top? Are we gonna launch into space?"
He snorts. "Hardly. This is an elevator, not a space shuttle. We'll reach the top floor in a few minutes, stop, and then probably plummet to our gory, painful deaths. I mean, my death. Of course, at the rate you're going, you'll probably 'die' a few seconds after I do."
Kaiba, I never wanna get stuck in an elevator with you again. I'd rather be shot. And talkin' about getting shot... "Sounds like a pretty roundabout way of killin' ya."
He thinks about it. "I suppose so. It would be less complicated to simply blow up the elevator, but I'm assuming he wants me to suffer more than that." He looks at me, frowns. "Why are you still here? Do you want to watch me die?"
What kinda guy do you think I am, you sick freak? I glare at him. "No, I promised to bring ya home. Can't do that if I just leave ya here." Okay, maybe I'm being too harsh. I'm makin' it sound like some kinda chore. "Besides, not even you deserve to be all alone right now," I add. And maybe it's kinda my fault for making you rush home. Maybe you would've taken the stairs if I hadn't been there. But it's your fault for leavin' in the first place!
"I see. You're staying with me because you are simply that decent a human being." He leans against an elevator wall. "So decent you would even keep a spoiled rich boy company," he says, voice flat.
He's twistin' up everything I say! "It's not like that, Kaiba!"
He looks at me. "Then what is it?" he asks.
"It's... it's..." Good question. Hard to answer without sounding like a sap. "Shouldn't cha be tryin' to stop the elevator or something?"
"It will stop when it stops," he says calmly. "We are well and truly trapped. Now answer my question."
I never thought I'd have to talk about this kinda crap with Kaiba, of all people. I mean, Yuugi, sure, he's not the kinda guy who'll take what you say, twist it around, and stab you with it. Kaiba... he's not a nice guy like Yuugi. But he might be dead in a minute. This might be a last request. So I gotta give him an answer.
I'll give it a shot. Here goes. I take a not-breath. "I don't hate you that much, Kaiba. I mean, I used to, but you really helped me out, ya know? I know it must be pretty weird talking to a dead guy and all, but you did it anyway and tried your best to keep me alive. I mean not dead. Whatever. Ya know?" It's not comin' out right.
He's not impressed. "Really."
"And Mokuba likes you a lot, so I guess you can't be all bad."
Silence.
"So what exactly are you saying?"
I run a hand through my hair. This is not easy. "I'm sayin'... sayin'..." What am I saying? "Gimme a break, Kaiba! I just told you!"
Kaiba stares at me, thinking. Then he smiles. "So say it again."
He's being a prick. He knows damn well what I'm saying-
Wait a sec. This is starting to sound familiar...
"Why do you care, Kaiba? Why do you care?"
"We went over this already, Wheeler."
"So say it again."
"I don't hate you enough to let you die this way, you dumb dog! Is that so hard to understand?" he snarls at me. "Is that so very hard to understand?"
Yeah, I get it now. Just the other way around.
"I'm saying I don't hate you enough to let you die like this, you stupid freak. Do you get that? Even you can get that, right?" I walk up to Kaiba and slam my hands on the wall on either side of his body, trapping him. I get in his face, but this time, we're not fighting. It's like we're acting in a play. "Do I hafta use smaller words?"
I still can't read those eyes of his. "Please do. I'm just a rich boy, after all," he says softly.
It's my turn.
I move in close, so close I could kiss him by accident. "I don't want you dead, Seto Kaiba." Take that however you want.
Am I saying the same thing he said to me, or do I mean something else? What did he mean? I don't know.
He looks at me. I look at him.
And the elevator stops.
Kaiba blinks and shoves me outta the way. Prick.
I guess we're on the top floor of Kaiba Corp. There're two sets of elevator doors: the ones in the elevator, and the ones that open out into the building. Kaiba busted open the elevator ones before, so all he has to do is get through the other ones before something happens.
He's pushing the doors apart with his hands. He's strong.
I hear a muffled 'boom' and an elevator cable snaps. The whole elevator shakes and tilts a little. Why am I just standing there!? "Hurry it up, Kaiba!" I rush over to help him. He glares at me, but I'm pretty immune to those now. I focus on being solid and push too. Dizzy, ignore it, not important right now.
Another cable snaps. The elevator drops a foot.
Kaiba hooks a foot on the handle of his briefcase while still pushing the doors. He's flexible, too. Martial arts training.
Snap. We drop another foot.
We get the doors open enough and Kaiba shoves me through the gap, kicks his briefcase out after me, and finally jumps out himself.
Another snap and the elevator drops with a screech of metal on metal. I look down the shaft. No ladders. Ten seconds later, I hear the elevator hit bottom. It sounds like a car crash. I can imagine the sound of the fire, the smoke...
I give myself a shake and spin around. Kaiba's dusting himself off. "You stupid jerk! You saved your briefcase first!?"
"My laptop's in it." He says that like it makes perfect sense.
Can you believe this guy? "You're nuts." I take a look around. We're in a room with two doors. "Where are we?"
"On top of the Kaiba Corp. building." Kaiba pulls out his cellphone and tries to make it work, but the signal still won't get through. He gives up and heads for the nearest door. It's labelled 'STAIRS', but it won't open. Melted shut. Gee, I wonder what kinda psycho ex-employee would do something like that. He heads for the other door. It still works and he starts to open it, but stops. Scowls.
He knows something I don't. "What's up?"
"This door hasn't been tampered with. He's expecting us."
**************************************************************************