Aria: Excellent. I'm glad that people seem to like the trend of this story so far. Which is good, because I love writing Seto/Jou and it makes me sad that so many people think there aren't interesting situations out there for them anymore.
Bakura: That's because they AREN'T interesting, fool.
Aria: Quiet, Bakura, or I'll write one about you next.
Bakura: *pales*
Yami: *considers* Huh. I didn't think that could happen, with YOUR skin tone, Bakura.
Bakura: I hate you all.
Aria: Yes, well. First, to my reviewers!
Misura: I think Joey is cute most of the time...and that seemed like something that would happen to him! I love thinking about the characters reactions to specific problems. I'm glad you like it so far!
Oklina: *blush* You're too kind. I hope you like this next chapter.
Angel of pure darkness: Here it is. Enjoy!
Dillon: Under your rec, I joined A_Dragons_Lair. And please no hedgehogs...what if they chewed off my fingers and I could no longer type?
Lone Wolf55: Thanks! Have fun with this one.
DorothyWhainright: I don't know about all that *blush* but I'm glad you like it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Tammi1: Not too weird? Excellent. I like this approach too. Thanks for putting me on your favorite stories.
Kimi no vanilla: I know---I'm sick of Jou being the "girl" and Kaiba being the "guy" all the time. Jou's got personality too, dammit! Thanks for the review.
Hoshi: Sure. Here it is.
Aria: Alright, upwards and onwards! Disclaimer; I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but hopefully once those mergers take place...
Two
Walking rapidly down the crowded hall, he took a few breaths to steady himself. One foot in front of the other. Don't show panic.
Don't panic.
He found himself almost at a sprint, and forced his body to slow down, tried to will his heart to stop hammering, to keep his legs from going faster than the measured stalking he wanted. He passed by groups of giggling girls and laughing boys with almost no notice. Usually the din around him forced him to create his perfected icy exterior in order to concentrate, but now he barely heard it. Sound could not pierce the frozen shell around him, but hands could and one landed heavily on his shoulder, forcing his own momentum to spin him around so abruptly he almost lost his balance and actually tottered for a second.
Tottered. How incredibly undignified. And who---?
Ah, yes. Wheeler. He turned, impatient to be gone, feeling his body speed up in the throes of panic at this delay.
And yet the hand didn't move.
And he found, to his surprise, that he couldn't pull away. Not that he would WANT to run from Joey, of course, but there was something he didn't like about the warmth from the other boy's fingers spreading slowly through the material of his shirt.
"What do you want?" he asked in his best rough growl. He couldn't deal with this, couldn't let Wheeler confront him like this and then get away with it, but somewhere he thought he heard a clock ticking.
Or a bomb.
He wrenched his shoulder out of Joey's grasp and glared at the other boy.
To his surprise, there was no returning animosity, just surprise.
Wait. That glint...yes, Joey's temper was rising. Again.
Like always.
"Listen, Kaiba," he began.
"Look, Wheeler. As much as I enjoy these little interludes of ours, I, regrettably, have to be elsewhere. So, if you'll excuse me..." He began to turn, only to have Joey step ahead and block his way. The other boy folded his arms and looked him in the eye.
"What's the rush, Kaiba? School isn't even halfway through yet. And you and I both know that even you can't get away with skipping the rest of study hall and classes. So where ARE you going?"
His eyes flicked to the ground, to Wheeler's jacket, to the lockers, to group of girls standing behind Joey.
"Get out of my way."
One golden-brown eyebrow arched, and Joey seemed to settle himself a little more solidly. "Not likely."
Goddammit.
"Move!" A note of panic, now.
Joey didn't even shift.
What was going on? Was he losing this, too? He would have laughed, if the situation hadn't been so deadly unfunny.
Never thought he'd see the day when he couldn't bully Wheeler around.
Tick.
His cell phone rang.
Clapping a hand to his pocket, he drew it out and looked at the number.
His eyes widened, and Joey watched with interest as the blood drained from his face. To tell the truth, he was getting a little nervous standing here, within striking range of whatever had Kaiba so on the run. As much as he disliked the arrogant prick, he had to admit that anything that could get Kaiba flustered instead of angry or, worse, condescending, was to be admired.
Admired?
"Ow!" He was pushed roughly back into a group of suddenly giggling girls, out of the way as Kaiba snapped his phone shut and pushed past. He watched in bewilderment as the other boy walked rapidly away.
While Joey disentangled himself, Kaiba pulled out his phone again and ran quickly down the list of numbers he had stored there until he found the one he needed. A quick succession of tones and then the impersonal ring...ring...ring...
"Pick up!" he hissed, picking up his pace as he reached the parking lot.
Ring...ring...ri---
"Yes sir."
"Talk to me."
"Sir, it's just not feasible. I've been through all the records, gone through all the codes, checked everything...and there's not a loophole anywhere big enough for even a flea to squeeze through. I don't know how they did it."
His mind ran through the possibilities.
Revenge.
Competition.
Business.
Power.
But weren't they all, in the end, the same thing?
"Shut it down," he growled. Silence on the other end of the line.
"...Sir?"
"You heard me," he said, hating every word and the weakness it implied. "We have to shut it down and work from the inside to find their bug or virus or whatever it was that they used. And Dwires, if I find you've leaked information..."
"Sir!"
"...You'll be sorry." He slapped the phone closed, and looked blankly at the parking lot around him.
Oh. Right. School hadn't ended, so his chauffeur wasn't there. He wondered, vaguely, what his employees did on their free time, but shook it off and dialed his house number, seething.
It wasn't until he hung up to wait for the car that he realized he was sweating.
* * *
"I'm serious, he was really freaked out about something."
Tristan laughed. "Come on, Joey. That ice cube? I don't think he has the capabilities to act the way you said he did."
"I'm not kidding. It was like he was scared of me or something...and he just ran right out of school."
Trying the lunch and then pushing it away with a grimace, Joey leaned his chair back against the wall and folded his arms behind his head. His friend looked skeptical.
"Scared of you."
"Yeah," Joey said, running one long-fingered hand through his messy mass of sunny hair.
"Kaiba. Scared. Of you?" Tristan quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes!" he growled.
Tristan laughed. "Come on, Joey," he said. "That would imply you could scare anyone. You really believe you're that intimidating?" He shook his head slowly from side to side. "You poor misguided child."
Joey snarled. "Look, reverend, I'm just tellin' you what I saw. And what I SAW was Kaiba running out the door with his tail between his legs."
"Funny," Tristan said. "I thought YOU were the dog in this relationship."
"You little---" He launched himself at Tristan, who was laughing delightedly.
"Oh, c'mon---ow---Joey, I'm just joking. It's not like you're his little lapdog or anything. Ow! Maybe he had a hot date or something."
Joey burned.
And yet, he couldn't help noting, on some subconscious level, Tristan's word choice. Relationship. Lapdog. Date.
And that subconscious level---very carefully, because it had tried this before only to be met with a brick emotional wall about three feet thick---insinuated corresponding images into another sublevel of Joey's mind. And these images, while not entirely comfortable, nevertheless filled an up-till-then empty niche and settled there quietly in the part of Joey that he didn't like to admit to. That part no one likes to admit to---the deep, dark, fantasies of his heart and mind and desires lived there, clinging on no matter how hard he tried, unconsciously, to drive them out.
So while he scuffled with a maniacally grinning Tristan, his mind ran, almost lovingly, over these well-worn desires and deep, dark fantasies.
Not that he knew this.
So he couldn't quite explain why, when he almost had Tristan, almost had the squirming punk right where he could declare victory, a sudden memory of clutching Kaiba's shoulder---not Kaiba's...Tristan's. Right? ---led to a clear vision of the expression in those cold blue eyes.
And then he wondered how he'd let Tristan get the upper hand, and fell back, with only a minor lack of enthusiasm and concentration, into the fray.
Nothing to think about, really.
* * *
Aria: Okay! Please review this. I'm not entirely sure where, specifically, to go from here, although I do have the rest of the story sketched out. Plus a really...hot (hee!) interlude. Hope you enjoy so far...
Bakura: That's because they AREN'T interesting, fool.
Aria: Quiet, Bakura, or I'll write one about you next.
Bakura: *pales*
Yami: *considers* Huh. I didn't think that could happen, with YOUR skin tone, Bakura.
Bakura: I hate you all.
Aria: Yes, well. First, to my reviewers!
Misura: I think Joey is cute most of the time...and that seemed like something that would happen to him! I love thinking about the characters reactions to specific problems. I'm glad you like it so far!
Oklina: *blush* You're too kind. I hope you like this next chapter.
Angel of pure darkness: Here it is. Enjoy!
Dillon: Under your rec, I joined A_Dragons_Lair. And please no hedgehogs...what if they chewed off my fingers and I could no longer type?
Lone Wolf55: Thanks! Have fun with this one.
DorothyWhainright: I don't know about all that *blush* but I'm glad you like it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Tammi1: Not too weird? Excellent. I like this approach too. Thanks for putting me on your favorite stories.
Kimi no vanilla: I know---I'm sick of Jou being the "girl" and Kaiba being the "guy" all the time. Jou's got personality too, dammit! Thanks for the review.
Hoshi: Sure. Here it is.
Aria: Alright, upwards and onwards! Disclaimer; I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but hopefully once those mergers take place...
Two
Walking rapidly down the crowded hall, he took a few breaths to steady himself. One foot in front of the other. Don't show panic.
Don't panic.
He found himself almost at a sprint, and forced his body to slow down, tried to will his heart to stop hammering, to keep his legs from going faster than the measured stalking he wanted. He passed by groups of giggling girls and laughing boys with almost no notice. Usually the din around him forced him to create his perfected icy exterior in order to concentrate, but now he barely heard it. Sound could not pierce the frozen shell around him, but hands could and one landed heavily on his shoulder, forcing his own momentum to spin him around so abruptly he almost lost his balance and actually tottered for a second.
Tottered. How incredibly undignified. And who---?
Ah, yes. Wheeler. He turned, impatient to be gone, feeling his body speed up in the throes of panic at this delay.
And yet the hand didn't move.
And he found, to his surprise, that he couldn't pull away. Not that he would WANT to run from Joey, of course, but there was something he didn't like about the warmth from the other boy's fingers spreading slowly through the material of his shirt.
"What do you want?" he asked in his best rough growl. He couldn't deal with this, couldn't let Wheeler confront him like this and then get away with it, but somewhere he thought he heard a clock ticking.
Or a bomb.
He wrenched his shoulder out of Joey's grasp and glared at the other boy.
To his surprise, there was no returning animosity, just surprise.
Wait. That glint...yes, Joey's temper was rising. Again.
Like always.
"Listen, Kaiba," he began.
"Look, Wheeler. As much as I enjoy these little interludes of ours, I, regrettably, have to be elsewhere. So, if you'll excuse me..." He began to turn, only to have Joey step ahead and block his way. The other boy folded his arms and looked him in the eye.
"What's the rush, Kaiba? School isn't even halfway through yet. And you and I both know that even you can't get away with skipping the rest of study hall and classes. So where ARE you going?"
His eyes flicked to the ground, to Wheeler's jacket, to the lockers, to group of girls standing behind Joey.
"Get out of my way."
One golden-brown eyebrow arched, and Joey seemed to settle himself a little more solidly. "Not likely."
Goddammit.
"Move!" A note of panic, now.
Joey didn't even shift.
What was going on? Was he losing this, too? He would have laughed, if the situation hadn't been so deadly unfunny.
Never thought he'd see the day when he couldn't bully Wheeler around.
Tick.
His cell phone rang.
Clapping a hand to his pocket, he drew it out and looked at the number.
His eyes widened, and Joey watched with interest as the blood drained from his face. To tell the truth, he was getting a little nervous standing here, within striking range of whatever had Kaiba so on the run. As much as he disliked the arrogant prick, he had to admit that anything that could get Kaiba flustered instead of angry or, worse, condescending, was to be admired.
Admired?
"Ow!" He was pushed roughly back into a group of suddenly giggling girls, out of the way as Kaiba snapped his phone shut and pushed past. He watched in bewilderment as the other boy walked rapidly away.
While Joey disentangled himself, Kaiba pulled out his phone again and ran quickly down the list of numbers he had stored there until he found the one he needed. A quick succession of tones and then the impersonal ring...ring...ring...
"Pick up!" he hissed, picking up his pace as he reached the parking lot.
Ring...ring...ri---
"Yes sir."
"Talk to me."
"Sir, it's just not feasible. I've been through all the records, gone through all the codes, checked everything...and there's not a loophole anywhere big enough for even a flea to squeeze through. I don't know how they did it."
His mind ran through the possibilities.
Revenge.
Competition.
Business.
Power.
But weren't they all, in the end, the same thing?
"Shut it down," he growled. Silence on the other end of the line.
"...Sir?"
"You heard me," he said, hating every word and the weakness it implied. "We have to shut it down and work from the inside to find their bug or virus or whatever it was that they used. And Dwires, if I find you've leaked information..."
"Sir!"
"...You'll be sorry." He slapped the phone closed, and looked blankly at the parking lot around him.
Oh. Right. School hadn't ended, so his chauffeur wasn't there. He wondered, vaguely, what his employees did on their free time, but shook it off and dialed his house number, seething.
It wasn't until he hung up to wait for the car that he realized he was sweating.
* * *
"I'm serious, he was really freaked out about something."
Tristan laughed. "Come on, Joey. That ice cube? I don't think he has the capabilities to act the way you said he did."
"I'm not kidding. It was like he was scared of me or something...and he just ran right out of school."
Trying the lunch and then pushing it away with a grimace, Joey leaned his chair back against the wall and folded his arms behind his head. His friend looked skeptical.
"Scared of you."
"Yeah," Joey said, running one long-fingered hand through his messy mass of sunny hair.
"Kaiba. Scared. Of you?" Tristan quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes!" he growled.
Tristan laughed. "Come on, Joey," he said. "That would imply you could scare anyone. You really believe you're that intimidating?" He shook his head slowly from side to side. "You poor misguided child."
Joey snarled. "Look, reverend, I'm just tellin' you what I saw. And what I SAW was Kaiba running out the door with his tail between his legs."
"Funny," Tristan said. "I thought YOU were the dog in this relationship."
"You little---" He launched himself at Tristan, who was laughing delightedly.
"Oh, c'mon---ow---Joey, I'm just joking. It's not like you're his little lapdog or anything. Ow! Maybe he had a hot date or something."
Joey burned.
And yet, he couldn't help noting, on some subconscious level, Tristan's word choice. Relationship. Lapdog. Date.
And that subconscious level---very carefully, because it had tried this before only to be met with a brick emotional wall about three feet thick---insinuated corresponding images into another sublevel of Joey's mind. And these images, while not entirely comfortable, nevertheless filled an up-till-then empty niche and settled there quietly in the part of Joey that he didn't like to admit to. That part no one likes to admit to---the deep, dark, fantasies of his heart and mind and desires lived there, clinging on no matter how hard he tried, unconsciously, to drive them out.
So while he scuffled with a maniacally grinning Tristan, his mind ran, almost lovingly, over these well-worn desires and deep, dark fantasies.
Not that he knew this.
So he couldn't quite explain why, when he almost had Tristan, almost had the squirming punk right where he could declare victory, a sudden memory of clutching Kaiba's shoulder---not Kaiba's...Tristan's. Right? ---led to a clear vision of the expression in those cold blue eyes.
And then he wondered how he'd let Tristan get the upper hand, and fell back, with only a minor lack of enthusiasm and concentration, into the fray.
Nothing to think about, really.
* * *
Aria: Okay! Please review this. I'm not entirely sure where, specifically, to go from here, although I do have the rest of the story sketched out. Plus a really...hot (hee!) interlude. Hope you enjoy so far...