Title: Silver and Cold

Chapter: 13/?

Chapter Title: The Morning After

Current Rating: PG-13, R (maybe?)

Author: Kage Kashu

Archive: FF, AFF, Mediaminer

Chapter Summary: Kaiba wakes up, Tasuki's at work, Sano deals with the aftereffects... And there seems to be some sort of funeral going on...

Disclaimer: Mou, do I have to say it?

Author's notes: The guess has been made!!! I don't mind if you guys keep guessing... 'cause it wasn't posted as a review... but the prize has been taken!! Yamai Daiken! She IMed her guess to me. (I think she emailed it too...)

Current guesses that have been made, and were unfortunately wrong: Subaru (Tokyo Babylon/X1999). Kenshin's sensei (Rurouni Kenshin). Chichiri (Fushigi Yuugi). Seishirou (Tokyo Babylon/X1999). Hikitsu (Unknown.). Trowa (Gundam Wing).

Warnings: For this chapter? Ehhrr... Nudity? Smoking? Not necessarily in that order.

Crossover Shows: Yugioh, Fushigi Yuugi, Rurouni Kenshin, Ranma 1/2.

Timeline: AUish, after Noa Arc. Some years later.

~*~*~*~*~*~

~I can't seem

To find myself again

My walls are closing in

Without a sense of confidence

I'm convinced that it's just too much pressure to take

I've felt this way before

So insecure~

~~ Crawling

Kaiba Seto, the rich and famous, eyed the ceiling of his bedroom. He was feeling a lot more comfortable, and content, than usual, and wasn't exactly sure why. Usually, a heavy weight across one's stomach doesn't make one comfortable. A glance down told him what he had been half expecting. Jounouchi Katsuya, curled up and mostly clothed, lying across his chest and stomach. When had he gotten there, anyway?

He tapped the blonde's skull with an index finger, pondering. Then he realized... They couldn't lie like this much longer. He had school. Jouno had school. He tapped a little harder, annoyed that it didn't elicit a response. Finally, he shook the other boy. And that didn't get a response either.

"Jounouchi Katsuya!" he growled, slightly appeased when Jouno's eyes opened. "We have school today."

The blonde's eyelids drooped. "I haven't been going..."

"You're going today," Kaiba grunted, sitting up, and dragging Jouno with him, off of the bed. "How'd you end up in here, anyway?"

Jounouchi blinked from his newfound place on the floor. "Naaaa...? Oh... I didn't want to sleep alone..."

A distinct sweatdrop formed at the back of Kaiba's head. He opened his mouth, and after a minute, the words finally came. "We have to get going..."

~*~

Jounouchi Tasuki was already at work. He'd stopped to get his mail on the way out. And now... Well, there was a bunch of weird stuff in it. Not that Tasuki wasn't used to weird, really, but it had never shown up in his _mail_ for crying out loud. Something about some "Dark Court", hmm... maybe it was one of those adds for a movie or something... And something from his son's school. Actually, a few something's from Katsuya's school. One of the things was...

'Your student has missed five or more days of school...' Ch', he really hated those kind of things. Really, if Katsuya missed school, he missed school. He really didn't see what they were bitching about. The next one... Something about parent/teacher conferences. Hell if he was going to another one of those. Last time hadn't turned out to well... But then again, he shouldn't have been drinking before hand either, he supposed.

The last one was... Career day? Did that mean that he could go in and traumatize students about his job? Either encouraging them to get a similar one, or scare them away from it? That sounded like it may be fun. He checked the date on it. Hm... it was in couple of days. A grin crossed Tasuki's face. What he didn't notice was Kouji, on the other side of the office, trying to get further away from him.

~*~

Sanosuke frowned at the mirror in front of him. He wasn't sure if he was upset or not, about last night. It _had_ been a lot more pleasant than his previous experiences, but... Until last night, he was absolutely certain that Saitou had hated him. Doing that... You can't really enjoy doing something like that if you hated someone, could you?

He glanced surreptitiously at the bed, noting that, yes, Saitou was still there. Unfortunately, he couldn't even talk to the man now. He was still unconscious... Or so it seemed. He was sure that if Saitou felt threatened, he would be up instantaneously, and ready to fight, naked or not.

He sighed. This... was getting depressing. It had taken a long time to admit it to himself, but that little girl had been right. He _did_ like Saitou, or he would never have obsessed over the man the way he had when he was younger. Another sigh went through his lips, and he eyed the man that still lay silently on his bed.

It would be an exaggeration, to say that Saitou looked peaceful sleeping, but Sanosuke had doubts as to whether or not the man was ever truly resting. He looked _nicer_ though, that way. His face was somewhat relaxed, excepting when the man frowned, as Sanosuke noticed him doing occasionally in his sleep. He wasn't scowling at anyone, glaring, or giving that psycho grin, the one that sent chills down the spines of even the most hardened of criminals. Perhaps, that was why he was a cop. He wondered, vaguely, what Saitou and Masafumi would have thought of each other. Masafumi probably would have hated Saitou. And Saitou... Well, he'd have most likely said "Aku. Soku. Zan." Then killed the guy. Of course, that would be if Saitou thought of the man as being evil.

He patted the floor about him, in search of clothes that had been carelessly strewn about the room upon their entry of it. After a few minutes of doing that, and continuing to stare at the sleeping cop, he found cloth. He pulled it towards himself, noting that it was Saitou's pants. Oh well. Without much though, he pulled them on, questioning himself over what was in the pocket.

Cigarettes. He snorted to himself. That figured. It wasn't really bothersome at the moment though. Almost curiously, he checked the pockets to see if there was a lighter as well. He wasn't really surprised to find one. He fumbled with it, and a cigarette for a moment before switching the cigarette to his almost useless right hand, and the lighter to his left. Finally, he got the cigarette lit, and just stared at it.

It smelled horrible. But... Nicotine was supposed to have a calming affect, and he could use that right now.

There wasn't really much to think about concerning the night before. Except... it _had_ been different. Actually, he had thought that it wouldn't be pleasant at all. Saitou _was_ after all, a vampire, as well as just being violent in general. His right hand shook slightly, and he dropped the lighter, switching the cigarette to his left hand. He wasn't even sure if he had planned on smoking it...

In a slightly self-disgusted fit, he bit onto the end of the cigarette, inhaling the smoke. It left him trying not to cough, and slightly sick to his stomach. The second drag wasn't as bad, but still...

After a few tries, he got slightly used to it, although, it still tasted horrible. It hadn't tasted so bad the night before, though... He sighed around the cigarette, staring in the mirror again. He could see the bed in it, so he saw exactly when Saitou opened his eyes. He wondered if the vampire had anything to say about it. He could, quite easily blame the whole thing on Saitou, as it had been Saitou to start it, but... He knew that if he had really wanted Saitou to stop, he would have.

He sighed again, waiting for Saitou to speak, and knowing that the other man would, inevitably. Although, from the look on Saitou's face, he was expected to speak first. He snorted softly to himself. 'Sorry, cricket face, but you get to go first.'

Noting Saitou's unblinking stare at him, and knowing that he should probably feel uncomfortable, he frowned at the other man through the mirror. 'Say something, damnit,' he cursed internally.

Saitou's lips thinned slightly, and the man sat up. Still quite naked, he stood and moved to sit next to Sanosuke. "What drove you to wear my pants?" the man finally asked, obviously staying away from the subject on both of their minds.

Sanosuke shrugged. "They were there. I wanted to put something on."

A soft grumble of a laugh escaped the other's throat. "And the cigarette?"

He didn't really have an answer to that. So, instead of answering, he eyed the other man's face and asked, "What brought that on?"

A blink. "What brought what on?"

"Last night." He fiddled with the cigarette, rather annoyed that it wasn't much help.

Silence for a moment. A sigh. Finally, the older man answered. "I had been meaning to do that for a while."

Really? Now that was interesting. "Really?"

Saitou nodded. "I hadn't thought you would be..."

"Receptive to advances?" Sanosuke chuckled. Forget the cigarette. This was much better.

~*~

The incense was too strong to be used in such a small shop, Ryouga decided. It made his eyes water, and he hated it... because it made him look like he was crying. Not that he didn't ever cry. He just didn't want people thinking he was crying when he wasn't.

"Alas," Mai was saying, "for I knew it well..."

He eyed the little makeshift funeral altar Mai and Kaoru had made. It looked like any other funeral alter, incense and all, even a photo. Why exactly they were mourning _that_ though, was beyond his understanding. The picture on the little altar was of Sagara's posterior regions, thankfully clothed. Nice clothes, too, he commented to himself. What really bothered him about the whole arrangement, though... Was that he didn't have a single clue as to why they were mourning for Sagara-san's ass.

Yahiko seemed to think that the whole deal was funny, too, but, like Ryouga, had decided to stay on the edge of it. Finally, Ryouga managed to corner him. "What exactly are they going off about?"

Yahiko grinned, shaking his head. "That they never managed to get Sano in the sack, and all of a sudden, here comes Psycho Cop... Heheh."

Ryouga frowned, confused. He still wasn't sure what that was all about, but... Maybe that camera he had snagged this morning would be of some help, with an explanation. He was rather focused on this, and so missed Sagara's entrance, but he heard him, all right. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Mai and Kaoru leaned away from him. "We're... uhm..."

Sagara glowered at the tiny altar that had been erected, apparently, for his rear. Understanding dawned on the man's face, and then anger. Ryouga wasn't sure what happened next, because he couldn't _see_ it. He heard a few booty calls, hoots and hollers, and something crashing into the floor. When the air cleared, Sagara Sanosuke was slamming the front door, leaving Mai and Kaoru in rather uncomfortable positions on the floor.

From the archway into the back, that scary cop spoke, "So, he wasn't a virgin."

What did that have to do with anything?

And then, Saitou followed Sagara out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~

Reviews:

Molly-chan the Anime/Game fan: ^^ Yes...... hotness. ^^ And, here's the next chappy, of course...

Kaneda-Shotaru and Yami Tetsuo: Thank you!

CharcoalCat: Mmmmmmmm..... Yeah. Nummy. ^.~

FREAK014: ^^ That's okay, I'm into a bit of weirdness, and let's just say that Ranma is so harassed that it's surprising that he didn't actually snap during the anime... Shuichi... well, there will be a reason, although, he's not all that necessary so early in the fic... And, yeah, I understand the want of a lemon, but... 1) I don't want to get in trouble of FF, and 2) I'm kinda scared of trying to write one... =.=' Yeah. Oh, the torture. Hope you liked this one as well... ^^

Danyella Skyler Silverfire: Kinky? Just... Kinky? Why just kinky?

crystal rosethorn: ^^ Caps lock.... Heheh. I've had it happen to me, too...

Tabris: Hikitsu? (I don't know who Hikitsu is...) But, just so you know, the prize has already been won, and I'll introduce the guy's grave soon... ^^