by Lethe
Chapter Two: Pleading
Jonouchi woke up. He groaned tiredly and walked unsteadily to the sink, turning on a faucet and splashing his face with cold water. That dream again.
Every night since that day, he had been having the same dream. What scared him was that Kaiba was in it. Kaiba, smiling. Smiling at him. Jonouchi knew, he knew, that if he told anyone about the dream, they would laugh. Kaiba, smile? Nah. Why is it bothering you so much?
He paused. Why is it bothering me so much?
Usually, Kaiba's smile was one of ice. He was always mocking someone – and most of the time, it was Jonouchi. He seemed never to let his guard down, never to do anything freely.
But on that day, when I looked at him…
He smiled; unconsciously, he let down his defenses and was an ordinary teenager with the kindest of smiles.
That smile had made Kaiba look, for a moment, like he was a genuinely nice person.
I felt almost sorry that I had insulted him.
With that thought, Jonouchi made a decision: He would try to become Kaiba's friend.
And someday, Kaiba would smile for him.
The class chattered cheerfully as their teacher wrote on the board. There were five minutes to go until the morning bell. In one corner were the majority of the class, watching Anzu attempt to duel Yugi; in the other were the rest of the students, cramming for tests or sleeping.
And then there was Seto Kaiba. He wasn't watching the duel – it had been obvious from the start who would win – but he wasn't studying, either. And he certainly wasn't sleeping; he had learned his lesson and gone to bed early. No, Kaiba was sitting at his desk. To any casual observer, it would seem that the rich young businessman was thinking, planning out a big meeting or contemplating the latest deals. But he wasn't doing that either.
Seto Kaiba was daydreaming.
He and Mokuba had had a lot of fun the previous day. The boy had been thrilled when Kaiba suggested that they play a few games, beaming up at him like he was happiness itself.
Kaiba suppressed a grin. Mokuba could be cuter than anything when he wanted to.
He blinked himself out of the daydream and glanced around the classroom. He had been right – Anzu had lost without even denting Yugi's Life Points, and was now discussing strategies with Yugi enthusiastically. Most of the students were settling down now. And the mutt was staring at him.
Eh? Kaiba sent a glare in Jonouchi's general direction, and Jonouchi quickly looked away. There.
I shall have to ask him why he was staring at me, thought Kaiba, before the bell rang and the teacher threatened to steal away the consciousness of all.
Here goes nothing. The day was finally over, and students were pouring out of the school. Kaiba was calmly closing his briefcase and walking to the door.
Jonouchi took a deep breath and stepped next to him.
Kaiba noticed quickly and turned to look at Jonouchi. "What do you want?"
"I want to talk to you," said Jonouchi.
"I would rather have intelligent conversation, thank you," said Kaiba coldly, brushing past Jonouchi.
Jerkjerkjerkjerkjerk. "Wait. Please."
Kaiba stopped walking.
Jonouchi waited silently.
"I have nothing better to do anyway," grumbled Kaiba, turning to face Jonouchi. "What is it?"
Jonouchi smiled tentatively, startling Kaiba. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"
Kaiba blinked. Jonouchi didn't seem to intend harm.
The teacher was watching them interestedly.
"Yes, let's go. I know a good place," said Kaiba quickly, dragging Jonouchi out by the sleeve.