High in Calcium

Published: 22nd May 2003
Pairings: Seto x Joey
Disclaimers: Calcium is mine.. I mean.. no it isn't...o.O;; Whoops, I mean, Yu-Gi-Oh isn't. ^_^;;;
Archive? What? Are you totally serious? Sure! Just tell me first, and go to the graveyard to see if you're still alive!
Summary: Your usual Seto x Joey fanfic, with more weird twists- 'cause I can't bear the overused general stuff. ^_^;; (If you wanna ignore my random rambling, just scroll down to the chapter title, that's where the story begins)

Other notes: I delayed this chapter a day because of school and stuff- it is probably a good thing that I did, too, because of some interesting reviews I got that made me think twice. I'd really like to thank those people for making me think about what I was doing. I may only be updating every day or two for the next while, depending on how this week and weekend go.

Quotation of the Day: "Come on and hear, come on and hear, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Come on and hear, Come on and hear, It's the best band in the land. They can play a bugle call, Like you never heard before, So natural that you want to go to war, It's just the bestest band what am, Honey lamb! Come on along, Come on along, Let me take you by the hand, Up to the man, Up to the man, Who's the leader of the band, And if you want to hear, The Swanee River played in ragtime, Come on and hear, Come on and hear, Alexander's ragtime band. Oh ma honey, Oh ma honey, Better hurry and let's meander, Ain't you goin', ain't you goin, To the leader man, Ragged meter man? Come and listen, Come and listen, To a classical band what's peaches, Grand stand, brass band, Ain't you comin' along? " - Alexander's ragtime band (By Iriving Berlin)

Responses to Reviews:

o.O;; 90 reviews! I'm honoured. Thanks to:

Big thanks to: Difinity, maladyrancor, Echo, Jenniyah, AnimeGoddess, Tigre Moonstorme, Bunnychan, Kaneda-Shotaro and Yami Tetsuo, InsaneBakura, Blue Lagoon Loon, phwee? yami hobo, Lucifers Sun, Bai, Jay Kamiya, Kitsune Hashiba, and r*a*d*i*a*n*y for reviewing yet *again* and for encouraging me onward. ^_^

maladyrancor: *Bow* Thank-you so much again for such incredibly kind words. I definitely wasn't trying to go for a throw-away pairing by any means- and I have updated as quickly as possible. ^^;; Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the rest of it so far.

Echo: What can I say? I'm an evil eeevil person. ^_^;;

Jenniyah: As for ancient spirit shtuff, you mean the Yamis? And like Kaiba's past from the tapestry thingie-mer-bobber and all that goodness? I may throw some of that in if I get around to it. So far there hasn't been any supernatural stuff, but I may add some. As you can see, at the very end of this chapter I go on to bring up Yugi... and I might just throw in some Yami stuff. I'm not sure how far I can go with it though, since I really know next to nothing about their ancient pasts- they stopped playing new episodes here right after the eppy during Kaiba's tournament (Battle City) where Joey duels with Mako Tsunami and won that fisherman card. -_-;; So I never found out the whole thing with Kaiba. All I know is Yami Yugi was pharaoh and Yami Bakura was a tomb robber... I don't even really know fully who Malik is... Sooo unless someone wants to send me a link to a site explaining it all in full depth with lots of info, or if someone wants to be kind enough to give me a detailed explanation, I may not get into the whole egyptian past thing. Besides that, it *has* been a bit overused. I'm trying to figure out some sort of a conflict to insert though.... ^^;;

r*a*d*i*a*n*y: All I have to say is that you've made a few very good points. I analyzed what you said carefully, reread the chapter I just wrote and besides being infuriated at all my spelling errors and grammatical errors and the dumb repitition I used by mistake I noticed how right you are. Kaiba is a heartless bastard most of the time- and, yes, Joey is a lot more hot-headed. My original attempt, though, was to show character growth and development. Sure, they can be in character for the first couple of chapters, but I wanted them to develop and change so I could toy with them a bit. The only problem is maybe I rushed it a bit. The other big problem I have especially with making Kaiba that "damn-good-icy-tone-crazy-swirling-vortex-of-sadistic evil" person you think he should be (and that he is often in the show and shtuff) is that he would never be able to have a *normal* relationship with Jou. It'd basically either end up with one of those torture fanfictions where Kaiba rapes him (which isn't what I'm going for AT ALL), or you end up with them as enemies. The only other way to handle it would be to make Kaiba change over time and become softer toward Jou (which might make sense and was what I was going for at first, since he has already been portrayed in cannon as a character who would do basically anything for his little brother. He basically almost gets himself killed a bunch of times for Mokuba. If that isn't devotion, I don't know what is. So that settles the fact that Kaiba *can* be caring sometimes.) The other thing is that Kaiba could totally have been lying the whole time about liking Jou- or even more confusingly, he could like Jou, but be unable to, or have a tough time admitting it (in other words: inner-conflict.) The last situation which I deem possible is that Kaiba is just toally nuts-o and either has split personalities or should be sent to a mental institute- in which case you basically end up with a crazy Seto, or the rape fanfic which ends up with a broken, or insane Jou. I didn't really want to go for either of those, but I did try to redeem myself with this chapter, let's hope it worked. -_-;; If not, please give me some suggestions as how to make it work. o.O;;

Uhm. Yeah. Lots of space was taken up with that one. Gomen. ^_^;;}

This chapter is a bit weird. I realized how deep a hole I was digging myself into by making them progressively more and more OoC. You're gonna be smacking yourself over the head at the beginning with how OoC they are- but let's not forget, if Joey was in the situation, he probably *would* be totally confused. Do try and remember the fact that I'm maintaining only information released in the Dub, not the sub, so that could explain a few things. Anyway, do evaluate Kaiba carefully. Is he lying? Is he lying about lying? Is he lying about lying about lying about... **confuses self** I mean.. ah, whatever. Enjoy the chapter. Hopefully this is recieved well. If not, try to explain what I'm doing wrong and offer help. ^_^;;; And if you want to see something in particular (a certain character? or situation?) show up tell me. Want more action? More shounen-aiishness? Do you care much if they're OoC or would you prefer that they're more IC? It's all up to you guys, I suppose. I really am open to which way I go. I'm just happy to be writing this. ^^;; (Yeah, yeah, I'm such a suck-up, but it is totally true!)

It's called "Fruit Juice Concentrate" because it's so.. uhh.. juicy with plotness and angst, and concentrate because it's so concentrated into such a short amount of text. Uhh yeah. -_-;; Okay, fine, let's see you find a good rationality to explain the chapter title dang nabit! ^_^;;; Gomen for the short chapter- but you wouldn't write much if you had as much homework as I do. **Evil laugh?** -_-;;


2.1 Fruit Juice Concentrate

My heart would be shattered like glass,
I would ache from the endlessly growing pain
I couldn't bare to look you in the eye anymore,
Knowing if I did I would only be dishonest with myself.



"I don't want to go too fast." I said to Kaiba, looking up at him. He lowered a hand to me calmly, and I grasped it, thank-ful for the touch. His hands were still cool and comforting- yet at the same time they sent a spark of magic through me, making me feel all tingly inside.

He raised me to my feet, and embraced me around the waist. I stared him in the eyes for a second- admiring those frosty sapphire depths for a second, then motioned him toward the bed, at which point he released me reluctantly, but followed eventually. I laid down on the bed next to him, and he looked at me with a slight smirk. I was very tempted to wipe that smirk off his lips- literally, with my own mouth, but decided against it for the moment. Kaiba and I had issues to discuss.

Even if our relationship only lasted that one night- I wouldn't remain unchanged. I would be marked by Kaiba- more than I already was. I couldn't just lie to my friends. Not that I could be open or honest with them about any of it either. Relationship? With Kaiba? Was such a thing possible? Then again, I never would have thought that I would end up with another guy- and Kaiba of all guys. Even if I liked another guy, like, say Tristan. Eew! Wait. No, not Tristan! That was too weird, he was my one of my best friends. Okay, but in the hypothetical situation that I wanted to be intimate with a guy, I wouldn't go telling my friends, at least, not right away. But Kaiba? Of all people? The chance was slim I was even going to be able to tell them. I mean, Kaiba had been my enemy for as long as I could remember.

The thought suddenly struck me. What if Kaiba had all that time been in love with me? Even though he had acted callous to me, what if that was his only way of expressing his affection? Was it possible that all along his deep love was disguised by hatred? Were those arguments and insults just so he could speak to me- did he sneak looks at me in school? If so, I had ever noticed anything other than him shooting me glares now and then. He must have been an excellent faker. If so- every time we had a brawl, was that just him trying to be close? Releasing his frustration at... at not being able to admit his true feeling to me?

I felt bad at that idea. I felt awful that he wouldn't come to me with his feeling; however, I knew in my heart that if he had told me I would have laughed and disbelieved him. Even if he had actually managed to convince me, I was sure that would only serve to cause me to insult him with several derogatory insults- blinded with disgust. Things had worked out so differently. Perhaps the way it had happened was for the better?

"Seto, when did you first... want me like this?" I asked curiously, hoping to confirm my suspicions. We were relaxing on the overly-luxurious bed, his arm around the back of my shoulders. For once in my life I felt like I really belonged- the only other time I felt such a thing was when I was around my friends. Speaking of which, I wondered what they would think if they knew how deep I was beginning to fall for Kaiba.

"I'm... not sure. You just grew on me." He seemed slightly uncomfortable, even though his face remained cold. I looked him seriously in the eyes and the traces of a smile brushed playfully across my face. I nodded silently.

"Like a fungus." He finished, smirking wryly. I glared at him, and whapped him in the head lightly, and he snickered slightly. Hm, who would have ever thought? The day when we could actually get along? A time when we would be able to play-fight! If only Yugi or Tristan could have seen my then- wouldn't they be surprised! I think I was stretching the meaning of the word "friendship" which Yugi always kind of wanted me to form with Kaiba. I'm sure that the entire thing was the last person any of them would have expected me to end up with. Hell, Kaiba was the last person I expected to end up with! I never expected him to have any feelings toward me other than hatred. I didn't even doubt him anymore- I knew he liked me well enough, he had proved it more than once. The question was if I loved him. I was debating it when he nudged me.

"Hmm?" I looked at him inquisitively. He scooted close toward me, so that I could feel the warmth of his body against mine, the fabric of his clothing rubbing against my bare skin. Then, in an instant he grabbed me- roughly. Holding down tightly on my arms like never before. He stared me in the eyes and smiled villainously.

"What're you doing?" I blinked at him, and tried to pull away, but he only held on tighter. What the hell? I struggled and yelled at him, but he didn't release his grip for even an instant. He began to lean in, but I pulled my head away stubbornly. I didn't know what he thought he was doing, but he was overpowering me. I began to fight back, trying to kick him away, but he rolled on top of me, pinning me below him. He looked into my eyes- those cold eyes of his glowing with a strange radiance of strength and ferocity. I narrowed my eyes at him, angrily. He wasn't going to take advantage of me! I raised my feet and hands at the same time, trying to push him off me, acting like a lever. It didn't work. He only held on tighter. I tried the next step- rolling over so that I was suddenly the one hovering above. He didn't seem the least bit concerned or angered though... he just kept staring at me with those cold blue eyes of his. Those eyes that bore into my soul.

"Naughty little mutt." He snickered. Well, there it was, the same old Kaiba I had known before. I wondered quietly if the whole comforting thing hadn't just been an act to lure me in... for some deeper reason. Why was he doing this? What was his motive? Was he just trying to torture me? To make me begin to fall for him- only to snatch that hope up and throw it away? He had planted the seeds in my head, and begun to sow them. So why, just then, did he snap back to his old ways? We struggled for a bit, but in the end he bullied me down so that we were both in a position of equal strength, and I released a low primitive growl at him. That only caused the sick nefarious smile to spread wider across his face- like he was winning. I wasn't about to let him win! After all! He was just a low-life! What? Hadn't I just been thinking how wonderful he was a matter of moments ago? What was wrong with him? Why was he doing it?

"I'm not a mutt!" I yelled angrily, seething with rage. He released my hand for a second, only to back-hand me across the face so hard that it stung. I held back the urge to cry again. The lack of emotional stability Kaiba had already caused me was tremendous; however, that was only brought back as a painful reminder with the slap. I wasn't going to be "his" no matter what he did. I didn't even care. He could glare at me with those eyes of his all he wanted- he could hit me as hard as he liked, but I wasn't about to let my pride and honour go to shame, no matter how much work he went to trying to degrade me in every way possible. I had almost fallen for it once, I wasn't about to fall for it again.

In a moment he had pulled me into a kiss so hard it was bruising to my lips- nothing like the kisses before, which had been soft and much like whipped cream to my mind. Instead the kiss was forceful, brutal, and damaging. He bit down on my lip, drawing blood, and grabbed my by the head, pulling me deeper into the painful struggle. I tried to pull back desperately, I struggled and fought with him, but it was to no avail. His brute strength outmatched mine, and I was falling victim to him as every second passed.

Finally he released me, a furiously smug grin plastered across his sick face as his sullen facial expression mocked me silently. A drop of blood had trickled down his chin and his eyes were creepier than I had ever seen them before. Some part of me was more frightened than it had ever been before by Kaiba- but another part of me was urged on. I knew there was a part of Kaiba somewhere that was caring and compassionate- it had surfaced earlier, and it came out whenever he was around Mokuba. All I had to do was to find a way to get it out of him.

"You sure look like one, you pathetic dog." He laughed after a moment, reaching a hand out to ruffle my hair- but instinctively I snatched it, throwing it away. I pulled myself away from him, averting his gaze, and jumped off the bed. I knew I couldn't run from him anymore. I knew I couldn't stop him either. Not with brute strength- he had the upper hand in that department, and not intelligence either. I know I'm not as stupid as some people think I am, but Kaiba has always been incredibly intelligent. There's only ever been one thing I've had that Kaiba hasn't- goodness. A soul. A heart. And a will strong enough to enforce what my heart was telling me! I wasn't going to let him boss me around, just because the brown-haired teen was a bit smarter or more powerful than me!

"You insensitive jerk! Do ya think I'm afraid of you? You're just a two-timing, no-good, low-life who thinks he can always get his own way! Well I ain't gonna stand for it anymore! You're going to have to learn a lesson, Kaiba!" I glowered at him, expecting some sort of immediate response. There wasn't one. Kaiba just sat on the bed looking at me like I was a moron.

"Don't be an idiot, Wheeler. Who the hell is going to teach me this "lesson"? A snivelling dog like you?" He threw back his head and laughed. I could feel the blood rushing to my face, as my skin was turning a furious red. I looked him in the eye when he stopped laughing, and he looked back at me, as if challenging me. Challenging me to... what? Some sort of a fight? A duel? A contest of wills? Who knew, with Kaiba it always seemed like just about anything was possible. Suddenly a grin that could only be described as demonic found it's way across his face.

"I never loved you at all." He said in a dead serious tone. I felt crushed. My entire world was spinning even more than it had been before, and with that I felt my legs growing weak again. My insides churned violently, and I gave a whine of protest against my constantly crumbling knees. I managed to somehow support myself, and kept standing for the time being, but I wasn't sure how long it would last. I could feel tears coming to my eyes already, but I tried not to cry. I couldn't let any weakness show around the blue-eyed devil.

"You... you bastard! How dare you- how dare you say that!' I answered him. He had to be lying! It had to have been a joke! He was lying to me! Lying to himself! Why would he waste all that time trying to convince me that he loved me only to tell me that he really hated me? To crush my spirit? To obliterate my soul completely? The bastard. I would get him for it, if it was the last thing I did! I couldn't hold the tears in any more, and ran out of the room, my eyes blurring suddenly. I wasn't going to let Kaiba see me cry. I would have my vengeance eventually- I needed time to form a plan anyway. I would leave Kaiba to his own misery. Or maybe something else. He didn't seem the least bit sad. He was mocking me the whole time. I couldn't even begin to put the intense loathing I had congealed in myself for him at that moment. I couldn't even begin to express the shattered feeling of him telling me he basically thought me better off dead. Everything was too intense, and just when things were beginning to make sense, all that stuff was thrown my way. Life had dealt me yet another bad set of cards.

I ran out of Kaiba's, wiping tears out of my eyes, and sniffling like the pathetic dog that Kaiba had really turned me into. All that time he had spent trying to make me his "mutt"- but at that moment, I really was. He had done the worst possible thing a human can do to another. He had ripped my bloody heart from my chest, stolen it from it's untimely youth, so that he could claim it as his, and crush it into a fine powder. He didn't care. He didn't love me. He didn't want me. It was all a pack of lies. The thoughts cleaved my soul open into a gagging wound, and I felt a lump in my throat. He had manipulated me so perfectly- he had made me his like no other would ever be able to again, and then he had proceeded to throw me away like he didn't even care. He totally disregarded my feelings completely. I was nothing more than a mere toy to him. No, Kaiba wasn't human- he was truly a monster.

It didn't matter that I had forgotten my shirt back in Kaiba's mansion as I fled the premises. As I ran into the cold night I could feel an icy wind whipping at my bare chest, blowing my unruly hair around my face. I dried my eyes of tears, and continued to run home. The ground was still damp, even though the rain had finally ceased, but I didn't care how wet it was. When I ran through grass it dampened the bottom of my pants, and when the howling winds grew stronger, but I continued to run anyway. As I fled I nearly slipped a few times in the mud or on really wet patches of the path. I didn't care what was going to happen anymore, as long as I got what I wanted from Kaiba. I wanted revenge. More than anything, I wanted to find that part of Kaiba that I had seen surface more than once. I knew there was more to him than just that cold ruthless bastard everyone thought he was- I just had to find the way to control it. To control him. What a strange though. Contol Seto Kaiba? Mr. CEO? The owner of Kaiba Corp.? If I told anyone that they'd think I was crazy. Then again, if I told anyone what had just happened they'd think I was crazy anyway, so maybe I stood a chance. Or maybe I was just insane. Whatever the case was, it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered except finding out the truth.

I ran my tongue over my injured lip, the blood was beginning to dry up. Why was it that every time Kaiba and I spent time together I ended up getting some sort of wound from him? Speaking of which, the gash on my shoulder was healing quite nicely. I had forgotten to thank the brown-haired boy for it. Maybe a couple of punches would remind him of it. But, no. I couldn't try and use force. I already knew he could overpower me. I had to be witty- even wittier than Seto Kaiba himself. I had to trap him in his own game. I had to turn the tables on him. And who knew better how to outwit someone in their own game than the game master himself? Yugi. If The King of Games himself couldn't help me, I wasn't sure who could.