Smile
Part Two
by Lethe
Chapter Fifteen: For It Is of Our Own Creation
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Lethe's thought of the day: (Yes, I can only think one thought per day.)
If you stare at the sun too long, you can go blind.
If you stay in darkness for too long, then you can't bear the light.
Strange, huh? To remain with either for a prolonged amount of time means that you can't ever see the light. But you can still see the shadows…
Chapter Note: I can't remember what the scoring rules for ping-pong are… (grins sheepishly) …so I'm making it up as I go along. I hope you can forgive my heinous actions, etc., etc.
And now I present to you – the longest chapter of Smile ever! ^______^
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"Oh yeah?! Take this!"
Seto swiftly countered, slamming it down with the precision and grace of a gaming master, but Yami was just as adept: the ball soon returned, at an alarming slant to the table.
Jonouchi grinned and tapped the ball just barely over the net, forcing Honda to lunge for it before it bounced its second.
"Wow…" breathed Anzu. "I wonder which team will break the tie…?" She watched in anticipation.
The ball whizzed back almost faster than the eye could see.
All in all, it was a really damn good ping-pong match.
Four hours later, the game was still in full steam, and neither team seemed about to give up. They were tied with five games each, much to Seto's consternation. They didn't call Yugi the King of Games for nothing, it seemed…
Seto's eyes narrowed in concentration, as Yami got ready to return the ball. He noticed that the spirit was angling his paddle in such a way as to hit it to his left, and began preparing accordingly, when –
"Darn you!" yelled Seto – restraining from using more colorful language for the sake of the younger people present – as he miscalculated and hit the ball back right in front of Honda, who returned the shot easily. "Jonouchi - you know what to do!"
"Way ahead of ya, Seto," said Jonouchi with a grin. He shifted the paddle so that he was gripping it with both hands, and then smashed it across in a devastating backhand.
"All right!" cheered Mokuba and Shizuka.
Anzu's loyalties, on the other hand, were clearly divided. "Come on, Yugi, Honda! You can do it! Great shot, Jou!"
"This isn't over yet," growled Yami. "You have to get ahead by two points to win – and there's no way I'm going to let that happen."
"I know what the rules are," said Seto with a smirk. "Serve already."
"As you wish!" said Yami. His lips curled upward in a dark smile – earning a small squeal from Anzu – as he hit the ball across to Jonouchi.
Jou, using his mastery of observation skills picked up during Duelist Kingdom, had foreseen the position of the rushing ball – he returned it so that it was right in the middle.
"Got it!" yelled Yami and Honda at the same time.
They realized their mistake only after it was too late, as their heads collided and they rebounded to the floor.
"We won!" yelled Jou, hugging Seto ecstatically. "We won against Yugi!"
"Who ever doubted?" said Seto. He smirked.
"Hey," said Honda after struggling to his feet. "Are you saying I wasn't a challenge?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" said Jonouchi. He grinned teasingly.
Honda snarled – all in good spirits – and tried to tackle Jou.
How had this happened? Seto wasn't really sure. The last thing he remembered, he had been walking with Jou and his friends home, when Jou had mentioned that they were going on vacation together.
"We're thinking about Seto's summer home – isn't that cool? He has a summer home! Except he showed me a picture, and it's really cool! There's a pool, and even a bowling alley nearby, and you should see the game room-"
"Wow," said Yugi in awe, as Anzu said, "Let me guess – it's 'really cool'."
"Hey, you're inviting us too, aren't you?" joked Honda. "I'm getting jealous."
"That would be awesome!" said Jou, eyes sparkling as he turned to Seto. "Can we, Seto, can we?"
"Can we what?" he remembered replying.
"Come on! We can invite all our friends! Yugi, Anzu, Honda – oh, and Mokuba and Shizuka, of course – Mai's busy, though, she said she was working over the summer, so can we invite them?"
"It would be fun!" agreed Anzu enthusiastically.
"Sure, why not?" Seto had said with a shrug.
And now, Yami had fallen to his ping-pong prowess! Seto was truly the master. But then…
"I will not lose so easily," said Yami, running the back of his hand past his mouth lightly. "Let us play a game of my choosing now."
"Go ahead," said Seto arrogantly. "I can beat you any day, any game."
"Then I challenge you to-"
In all truth, Seto had rather been expecting Yami to say, "-a duel!" And he had almost been looking forward to beating the kid.
It was a good thing Seto hadn't placed any bets on that particular expectation.
"-DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!!!"
Anzu's eyes glittered strangely as she watched the two boys about to face off. She raised an arm and waved it energetically. "I play winner! I play winner!"
"All right, Anzu, I'll play you," said Yami with a cocky grin as he shed his jacket to reveal a tight black tank top. "Ready to lose, Kaiba?"
"You wish," said Seto. His expression mirrored that of Harry Potter's in the second movie, as did the quote. He took off his own jacket. Jou whistled appreciatively.
"Get ready to rumble," said Yami, picking out the tune.
And, two and a half hours later, they were still at it.
"You… tie!" announced the godforsaken machine for the thirtieth time in a row. Seto and Yami had long since abandoned their shirts as well, and Jou and Anzu were enjoying the show.
"One more time," said Seto. He had broken a sweat, but seemed to have plenty of stamina left, as did Yami. Yami might not have followed the strict exercise regimen that Seto did, but he did have the advantage of having extra spirit energy to draw on. (Yugi would be one really tired kid in the morning.)
The next tune began, and there was no room for talk.
"You TIE!"
"What is that now, fifty?"
"Nah," said Jou. "Fifty-five."
"Fine," conceded Yami to Seto. "Perhaps we are equal on this field. What do you say we choose a different game?"
"Let's," agreed Seto, sighing.
"I challenge you to-"
Here it comes. A duel.
"-A karaoke contest!"
Seto almost fell over.
It was midnight, and Seto and Yami were still going strong. Mokuba and Shizuka had long since fallen asleep, Mokuba's head resting on Shizuka's lap. Anzu grinned. They were so cute!
The two had blown through all of the good Japanese songs in Seto's library.
"What do you say?" said Yami. "Shall we start on the American stuff?"
"Think you can beat me?"
"I know I can beat you."
"Prepare to lose."
"Here we go!"
Two-o'-clock in the morning. Yami's throat was parched, but he didn't intend to give in. He had to hand it to Kaiba: The guy was a seriously good singer. Who would have thought?
"How did you get so good?" said Yami tiredly between songs.
"I could ask the same of you," said Seto with a smirk. "You're the first real rival that I've had in a long time…"
"As are you," returned Yami. "One more song and we'll call it quits."
"Fine," conceded Seto. "You can choose it."
"I think I will."
"Na na na na-"
"Now I'm a believer!"
"Na na na na-"
"Not a trace, na na na na-"
"Of doubt in my mind!"
"And I'm in love-"
"Ooooh, ooh,"
"I'm a believer, I couldn't leave him if I tried-" The two grinned at each other and continued.
"What's the use of trying?"
"All you get is pain!"
"When I wanted sunshine-"
"I got rain!"
"And then I saw his face!"
"Now I'm a believer!"
"Not a trace!"
"Of doubt in my mind!"
"Now I'm in love!"
"And then I saw his faa-aaa-aace!"
"Now I'm a believer!"
"Not a traa-aaa-aaace!"
"Of doubt in my mind!"
"I'm in love!"
"I'm a believer, I'm a believer, I'm a believer, yeah ye-ah yeah yeah!"
"Ooooh, yeah!"
"I'm in love!"
"Not a traa-aaa-aace!"
"I'm in love!"
Anzu clapped enthusiastically as the
song wound down. "Great! I don't think that's how the lyrics went,
but it was still really good!" She was
the only member of the audience still conscious. "So…"
"So…?"
"So how are we going to do this?"
"Do what?"
"Room arrangements!" said Anzu. "I figured Shizuka and I would sleep in the same room, definitely,"
"Hm," said Seto. "Mokuba has his own room, so that's already taken care of. And there's… oh, that's right, there's one more room. It only has three beds, though. Would you mind going with Mokuba, Yugi?"
"That would be fine," said Yami. "It's the upstairs room, right?"
"Yes."
"So!" said Jou cheerily, having woken up a second before. "Looks like it's you, me, and Honda!"
"All right," said Seto. "You grab his legs, I'll get his arms, and we'll drag him to the room-"
"I'm up, I'm up!" groaned Honda. "Wow, it's dark for morning…"
"Not for two in the morning, idiot," said Jou.
"Which way is our room?" said Anzu.
"Down the hall to the left," said Seto. "Blue door. You can't miss it."
"Thanks! Good night, guys!"
"Good night!"
"Night, Seto," mumbled Jou into the dark. Honda had long since drifted off.
"Jou?"
"Yeah?"
"If you're afraid of the dark or anything, feel free to wake me up."
"Thanks," said Jou dryly. There was silence.
"Jou?"
"Yeah?"
"Love you."
"I love you too."
Silence.
"Seto…"
"Hn?"
"So what are we going to do for the next six days?"
Seto twitched. "Good night, Jou."
A moment later, Jou spoke again, snapping Seto out of his drowsy almost-asleep state. "Seto?"
"Whaat…?"
"You're not allowed to cook breakfast."
"I know that!" Seto threw a pillow at Jonouchi.
"A challenge?"
Seto groaned. "I'm too tired! Go to sl-"
And the pillow smacked him head-on.
"You're doomed, Jonouchi."
"Bring it on."
"Take this!" Jou grabbed his pillow and began beating Seto about the head with it. Seto tried to do the same, but Jou was so quick – and he was getting so tired – that he couldn't get a hit in edgewise.
"Argh!" said Seto in frustration. He finally managed to get the upper hand, forcing Jou backwards as Jou tried to block.
"How… is Honda… managing to sleep through all this…?" gasped Jonouchi as Seto whacked at him mercilessly.
"No idea," said Seto. Then he tripped over Jonouchi's backpack.
What an awkward position, thought Jonouchi detachedly as his exhausted brain processed what had happened:
Seto had been advancing on him, when he had tripped over something and just happened to push Jonouchi to the bed.
It was dark, he was on a bed, and Seto was lying on top of him.
"S-Seto?" he whispered. "I don't know if we should… if we should…"
Seto leaned down and his lips brushed Jou's face.
"…if…" mumbled Jou, his resistance weakening. "Well, maybe we could… Honda's asleep…"
Seto was silent.
"Seto?" said Jonouchi. "Hello?"
And Seto let out a small snore.
Jonouchi twitched.
It seems, thought Jou, trying not to pummel Seto back to consciousness, that his 'duels' with Yami have finally caught up with him.
Jonouchi ran a hand through Seto's hair lightly. It felt nice, somehow.
I didn't know that Seto snored.
Meanwhile, Mokuba had succeeded in drawing the spirit out for a pillow fight of their own…
And, at noon the next day, everyone was still asleep.