This is a challenge fic for jennyrogue.

The challenge... she gave us this phrase to work with:"While my friends looked away, our enemy snuck a dance with me. I could tell it was him, even though he wore a mask. At the end, he stole a kiss. He told me 'I would never forget'. He was right."

I hope you enjoy.

I – in no way – own Yu-Gi-Oh.


[Note: Though this has been sent to by beta reader, I have yet to get it back. Since I have a schedule to keep, I will post this up now, and make the necessary changes when I get it back. Until then, I am willing and open to any and all constructive critism.]

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Jonouchi shifted uncomfortably, straightening his tie, and adjusting the mask that covered the top portion of his face. It was a black mask, and covering the eyes were sheets of red plastic, tinting everything in the room a shade of red.

"Quit fidgeting," Anzu hissed, through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, but I'm just not used to wearing this sort of stuff. This mask is really uncomfortable," Jonouchi whined.

Anzu let a small smile appear on her lips, the only portion of her face that was shown. The upper half was covered but a mask, similar to Jonouchi's own, but instead was a pale purplish-blue colour, and it showed her ocean-blue eyes.

"Just – try to stand still and behave," she said. "This is really important to Yugi. The best duelists in the world are going to be here."

"I know that," Jonouchi whispered, slightly irritated that she chose now to treat him like a moron, which he was not thank-you-very-much.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Jonouchi. I just – I just want both of us to help Yugi make a good impression. It wouldn't look very good if his guests both acted like morons."

Jonouchi nodded. "I understand."

He did, really. Anzu loved Yugi. Yugi loved Anzu. It was wonderful really. Wonderful how they always tried to make each other look good. It was great how they would give anything to make the other happy.

Sure, they would make sacrifices to keep him content, but... it was different somehow. Ever since they had gotten together, he had nearly constantly felt like a third wheel. Now that Honda had gone to live with his sister in Tokyo, he didn't have – he didn't have someone special, really.

Honda had been his best friend since kindergarten, like Anzu and Yugi had been best friends since then as well. Sure, Yugi was his best friend now, but now he had no one to reminisce with. Yugi and Anzu were always reminiscing. ("Remember that time in sixth grade?" They'd giggle.)

It was times like these, that he wished, just once, that he could find someone for him. His problem was, though, that he didn't really find anyone that attractive.

Of course, there were girls constantly hanging on him, asking him to go out with them, and protect them, and be their knight in shining armor. Yet, he found none of them to his liking, no matter how much they put out for him. They were all beautiful, he knew that, but he wasn't attracted to one.

At dances like these, when there were constantly couples dancing along, holding each other in each others arms, he felt more alone than usual.

It's not that he wasn't attracted to anyone. That wasn't the case, as much as he hated to admit it. In fact, sometimes, he truly did rather that he was attracted to no one other than the people who he was.

Because, the people who he did feel attracted to, wouldn't feel the attraction back, he was realistic in that sense.

So, he tried to feel attracted to the people who were attracted to him. He went out on dates, and bought them dinner, and took them out to movies, and all the other stuff boyfriends were suppose to do for their girlfriends.

But then, they would kiss. He could never really understand why people enjoyed kissing. To him, it was nothing but extra-soft and rubbery flesh smacking against itself, coated in saliva. Frankly, it disgusted him, and he couldn't understand why people could stand to do it.

He knew when Yugi and some of the other great duelists entered the room right away. He heard Anzu sigh lovingly, and heard the rest of the people in the hall fall into silence.

He immediately spotted Yugi. His wild hair was peeking over his dark violet and black masque, and he was definitely one of the shortest duelists there.

Behind him were some other duelists, who Jonouchi hadn't really cared enough about to learn their names. But, there was one duelist following the rest that he did know.

He could tell who it was nearly immediately, despite the mask that sat upon his nose. He was by far the tallest out of everyone, and his brown locks hung to just past mid-neck.

Jonouchi growled lowly. Lately – since Honda left, he had hated Kaiba more than usual. Sometimes though, when he was laying in bed at night, he wasn't sure if 'hate' was the best word to use.

It was – his feelings had changed ever since there was no Honda to talk to, no more Honda to watch, no more Honda to kiss and caress when either one of them had felt lonely.

Now, when he thought of Kaiba, he thought of his piecing blue eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul. When he thought of Kaiba, he thought of the most-likely well-build body that he constantly hid behind his coats. He hated Kaiba, really he did. Lately, he was having a hard time convincing himself of it.

He turned on his heel, and stalked to the far end of the hall. If Anzu noticed, she didn't say anything, or if she did, he didn't hear.



A few minutes had gone by, and he hadn't moved from his position of leaning against the wall.

The music had started, and everyone was dancing. Well, nearly everyone. Here he was, leaning against the wall, scarcely moving.

Even Kaiba was dancing. She was a young, slender blond, with large blue eyes that had shown through the eye-holes in her sparkling white mask, with hair that was only to her shoulders.

Though, Jonouchi had lost sight of Kaiba now. Kaiba had disappeared within the crowd, and Jonouchi assumed that he was probably dancing somewhere on the way other side of the large ball room.

He nearly jumped three feet in the air when said duelist tapped him on the shoulder. Jonouchi looked at him, and could nearly see the blue eyes peering at him from beneath the plastic blue-sheets covering them. His white mask was matching Jonouchi's black one, obviously based on the CEO's favorite card, as Jonouchi's was based on his.

Jonouchi bit back the question that was on his lips, only to have the very same question asked of him when the band's tune became a smooth and melancholy one.

"May I have this dance?" Kaiba asked smoothly, melodically.

Jonouchi stared at him wide-eyed, though the look was lost beneath the masque.

He had no time to think about what he was doing when Kaiba held out his hand. Jonouchi placed his own in Kaiba's, and Kaiba took him upon the ballroom-floor.

And they danced. The danced and danced as the music went on and on. Jonouchi was in awe at Kaiba's smoothness and grace, and was somewhat surprised at how easy and natural it was to be led along the flood.

Finally, as the song neared its close, Jonouchi felt Kaiba's lips close upon his own gently – definitely not what he was expecting.

Jonouchi closed his eyes, some-what surprised at when he felt.

Often in the past, he could never really understand why people enjoyed kissing. To him, it was nothing but extra-soft and rubbery flesh smacking against itself, coated in saliva. Frankly, it disgusted him, and he couldn't understand why people could stand to do it.

Yet, tonight, he understood. He understood what it was like to kiss someone who he had truly felt something for, and he felt that he never wanted it to end.

But, alas, it ended to soon for the shorter boy, as the other one pulled away, and began walking out of the hall he heard one phrase come from the man's lips. One phrase, that would haunt him for the rest of his life, because it was only too true, even though something like that never happened again.

"You will never forget."

And then, he was gone.

~~OWARI~~

::End::

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I hope that was good enough ^-^ Please R&R, hopefully with constructive critisim.