Sweet November ~ Chapter 8

AN:  I'm so horrible.  Not only is this chapter terribly short it's not even scary.  It doesn't even have cutesy Seto/Isis moments.   However, maybe it's the calm before the storm.  *wink wink *

November 11

"Gods, I wish this month was over already."  Isis sat at her window, watching the rain pour down, gliding off the dying leaves and creating standing pools on the sidewalk.  She had convinced Seto to buy her an answering machine and she had come home to find forty-two messages waiting for her.  Most of them had been from Jounouchi who had apparently become convinced that she was no longer talking to him and she never wanted to see him again.  One had been from Yuugi who had profusely apologized for Jounouchi's behavior and explained he had been paranoid ever since the incident with Mai.  What that was about, Isis was sure she had no idea and did not want to know.  One had been from somebody looking for a furniture gallery.  The rest had been either from Seto or Mokuba.  She began to wonder if perhaps getting the answering machine was a bad idea.  People called her more now that they ever had before.

"Isis, are you mad at me?  I mean, you told me your big secret and now you won't talk to me anymore.  I'm sorry if I made you angry somehow."

Where the hell had Jounouchi gotten her phone number?  More importantly, why had he insisted on calling every five minutes?  She supposed she had to forgive him; after all, he was the one who was afraid of ghosts, anything that moved, birds… Yes, she could forgive him for his simple-mindedness.  "End of messages."

Thank the gods that was finally over.  Maybe the rain would stop soon enough that she could go to see Seto, but at this rate, she highly doubted she would be getting her wish.  Perhaps it was better if she spent some time by herself.  Maybe in solitude she would be able to find the answer behind those calls.  She didn't want Seto to think she was insane so she couldn't tell him; besides, telling Jounouchi had obviously been a bad idea.  However, he was the one person she had been able to talk to and was no longer allowed to.  Yuugi's life was not something she was willing to put in danger.  Who knew if her caller was really a psychotic killer?  She wasn't going to endanger Yuugi if she could help it.  Of course, if Jounouchi blurted something to Yuugi, he was in danger anyway.  There was really no way she could win in this situation.  Well, no way Yuugi could win at any rate. 

So, assessing the situation, she was receiving the impression that somehow she was going to have to solve her problem on her own.  It was bad enough she had inadvertently brought Jounouchi into the situation; she wasn't going to endanger Yuugi as well.  She concluded she had to talk to Jounouchi before he told Yuugi anything.  Leaving Jounouchi with gossip in the company of Yuugi was bound to be disastrous.  She couldn't be sure what would happen to Yuugi if he knew something.  She would forever blame herself if something should happen to him.  Well, as long as she was alive anyway.  Besides, how would she and Seto cope with Jounouchi if Yuugi was taken away from him?  Seto would have him taken to the pound to be put out of his misery.

Okay, so Jounouchi was a ticking time-bomb until he babbled everything to Yuugi.  She wondered how much longer until he couldn't handle the pressure anymore; his self-control depended mainly upon how distracted Yuugi kept him.  She mentally calculated how long it had been since she told him about her problem.  He could manage to keep it to himself for a few more days, couldn't he?

She vividly recalled her dream from the other night; Yuugi's dying breath, Jounouchi's final tear, and her own sense of ultimate betrayal.  How could she be sure that Jounouchi hadn't told Yuugi already?  She couldn't just sit around and worry about it all day.  She had to do something; her conscience wouldn't let her live with herself if she completely ignored the situation, which was what she wanted to do.  Damn it, why did she have to care so much?  She could think of countless near-disasters she could have avoided if she simply would have looked the other way.  But no, she had to worry simply because she couldn't trust Jounouchi not to tell Yuugi about the other things that had been happening to her. 

So, since the brat had never left his number on any of the messages, she was just going to have to find him, and she thought she might know where he would be or at least where he might be headed.  However, it was still raining, and as she stood up, she questioned the intelligence of her decision.  Was she really doing this out of free will or was some other force driving her?

The answering machine clicked on and she wheeled towards the phone as she pulled her jacket off the back of the chair.  She was hoping her prank caller wouldn't leave messages so she had turned the ringer off so she could not be tormented by it.  Pulling her jacket on, she heard her away message end and the inevitable beep that signaled the beginning of the incoming message.  "Isis, it's Jounouchi.  Why haven't you called me?"

She sighed as she pulled her hair back with a ribbon.  "Maybe because I don't have your phone number."  He continued to ramble on: something about Yuugi and how he didn't exactly tell him everything.  Thinking about it, why did she really have to warn Jounouchi right now?  He obviously was not with Yuugi at the moment, so why should she worry?  She could go visit Seto now and completely forget about Jounouchi and Yuugi.  Leave them to their own fate; she was not their babysitter.  She should be more worried about her own safety and not waste her time on two little brats.

Wait a moment.  She paused from pulling her hair out of her jacket.  She did not call Jounouchi back because she did not have his number, but he did not have her number.  It was unlisted and Seto sure as hell would no have given it to him.  "Shit!"  She turned and ran out her door, the last lines of Jounouchi's message still playing on her answering machine.

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Fuck, the rain was cold and she had absolutely no idea where she could find Jounouchi.  She should have thought of a plan before dashing out the door, but there was nothing she could really do about it now.  She thought perhaps he might be at Yuugi's, which in that case she was probably already too late.  She jogged in that direction anyway, figuring it was her best choice of action. 

The rain blinded her as it clung to her eyelashes causing her to keep her eyes focused on the sidewalk.  Her sneakered feet splashed through standing puddles making her legs more wet than they already were.  She wasn't really watching where she was going, and had to profusely apologize when she ran into the back of someone.  "I'm so sorry.  I couldn't see because of the rain."

She tried not to look at him; after all, she was the idiot who wasn't watching where she was going.  "Isis?  What are you doing out here?  Kaiba would throw a fit if he knew you were running around in the rain."

Things seemed to be working out for her too conveniently… until she realized they were standing in front of the Turtle Game Shop.  So, she had just made an accurate guess based on what she knew about them.  "Jounouchi.  I was just looking for you."  He seemed to be mildly amused at the situation, the cocky bastard.  "Do you remember what I told you the other day?"

"About the crazy phone-stalker guy?"  He shuddered.  "Yeah, I remember."

"Listen, you can't tell Yuugi anything about that."  She knew he didn't understand; she could see the confusion in his eyes.  He didn't have to understand, just as long as he listened to her.  She really did not have time to tell him, and besides, if she told him anything else, Yuugi's life was forfeit.  "Jounouchi," she warned, "if you love him, you will say nothing to him of that conversation."  She hoped the tone of her voice would get her message across.  This was a dangerous game they were playing, and only she knew how exactly how deadly it was.  "Do you understand?"

"Not really, but I can promise not to say anything to him."  She sighed in relief; that was all she really needed to know.  The rain started coming down harder and Jounouchi looked longingly towards the door.  When he turned back to her, she could see the trace of fear in his eyes.  "Do you want to come inside for a bit and get out of this rain?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her chest as she took a step back.  "No, I have somewhere else I have to be."  She only wished that were true, but there was something unnerving about the entire conversation.  She felt as if someone was watching her.

He shrugged; she had probably confused him too much anyway.  "Well, I guess I'll see you on Friday."

She nodded numbly, turning as he retreated into the safety of the store.  She didn't know where she was going to go, but she need to get out of the rain and away from the sight of whatever was watching her.  There was only one place she knew where she could feel safe.  She started to walk off and after she had gone a good distance from the store, she heard a click from her left followed by a bright flash of light.

~ I do believe I get more and more evil as I get older.  Now, I know I haven't been here as often as I should and I probably don't deserve it but reviews would be greatly appreciated. 

On another note, if you are a fan of my writing you can catch clips and updates of my original writing on my livejournal.  If you are a fan, it is most definitely worth checking out.  Any stories I had planned on making originals of one day will now cease in their fanfiction form.  This story is not affected.  Affected stories include Invincible, and Love's Freedom at the moment.  However, I will also continue Love's Freedom in fanfic form for those who prefer that.  I know some people read it mainly for the Seto/Jounouchi.  If that's not you, clips of the original work will eventually show up on my livejournal as well.  If you want to know what it's about, read the first three chapters on here.  I certainly recommend it to those of you who aren't squeamish.  It's my personal favorite.

Last note, I am currently searching for a beta reader for this fic and possibly some other fics as well.  If you would like to volunteer, send me an e-mail and I'll consider your offer.