One Step

by Sakata Ri Houjun

Could you see the vulnerable weaknesses and true inner strengths of the one person you thought you hated most? Within a word that isn't real, it could be possible. SetoJou

2. 2

One Step

By Sakata Ri Houjun

*chapter 2

Rating:  R

Pairing:  Seto/Jou, mentions one-sided Jou/Yugi and past Seto/Yami

Spoilers:  Mild ones here and there, nothing major.

Disclaimer:  Ha. Ha. Ha. No.

AN:  A second chapter because I felt fairly inspired by a certain Seto/Jou fic I just finished reading recently.  Unfortunately, for the sake of development, this chapter is nothing more than a long conversation, so there's no action or real romance.  The next should have another interesting battle and the true beginnings of their blossoming relationship.

And as usual, feedback would be nice so I'll know if I'm doing something right for a change.

Warning:  Obviously if you don't like yaoi or the thought of the dragon master and his puppy together, you're in the wrong place.  Other than that…read on!

~***~

If Seto made any movement, any indication that he wanted Katsuya to stay, the blonde did not see.  Or rather, he chose not to see.  Instead he preferred to ignore the CEO as he headed down the hill, sneakers sliding in the lush grass.  He nearly lost his footing once or twice, ears burning at the prospect of falling on his ass during his indignant exit in front of Seto.  It only steeled his resolve as he reached the bottom of the hill and took off into the ominous woods that bordered nearby, not really caring should he run into friend or foe.

He took no note of the desolate atmosphere, grasping no moment of admiration at the marvel created perfectly from endless lines of coding, instead his mind dwelling on other things.  Even as the sunlight filtered through the bare tree branches, guiding him deeper into a maze of undergrowth that was strangely devoid of sounds, Katsuya's mind circled forever around the thoughts that sprung up from Seto's jabs.  These were the very feelings that were stirred whenever the blonde left time enough to dwell upon his best friend, Yugi. One painful memory in particular remained lodged in his heart, a hope smashed a long time ago, but still ached whenever he met those wide violet eyes. 

Eventually Katsuya looked up as he finally started noticing of the change in scenery, realizing that he had wandered into the woods to the point that he was now lost. "Stupid Kaiba..." he muttered to the still air.  "Telling me it's worse..."

He could feel the crack of emotion working its way into his voice so he shook his head, attempting to clear it utterly of all those residual feelings he was helpless against.  But once he felt the slight tingle of tears, the blonde slumped up against a tree, closing his eyes tightly to ward them off. 

'Stupid me...' With that thought running in his mind like a mantra, Katsuya sank to the forest floor, the dead leaves crinkling around him as he buried his face in his arms.  He bit his lip in his effort to control his emotions, but knew he was fighting a losing battle.  He didn't even bother when he heard the sharp snap of a twig underfoot, the obvious sound of something approaching, not really giving a damn if it spelled his end in this game.  Arms tightened about himself, preparing for a blow that would banish him from this fantasy realm and back into the harsh reality he'd been running from.

"What's wrong now?" came that familiar voice that was laced with more curiosity than concern.

"Why?" he asked back, the one word more curt than necessary.  "Planning on kicking me while I'm down?"

"No, actually. I merely assumed that you got yourself into a mess when you stopped shuffling clumsily through the forest."

"Not like it matters," Katsuya returned miserably.  "You don't know what's going on with me right now. So just go sit on your damn high horse and ridicule everyone you deem inferior."  His words grew bitterer as he lifted his head, an almost indignant anger blossoming in his earth-spiced eyes, which were bright with building tears. "Go ahead. It's no less than I deserve."

One slim brow lifted at this astonishing display of emotion, finding it an amazing thing that the blonde's heart was so easily revealed through his eyes.  "And what brings you to this sad conclusion?"

With a sigh, Katsuya rested his head back down against his arms, the shadow of bangs preventing the CEO from witnessing further unabashed demonstrations of raw emotion.  "Doesn't matter…"

"It must, or you wouldn't be so upset."

There was a long moment of silence, almost to the point that the CEO came to the conclusion that Katsuya had firmly decided to ignore him rather than giving him the satisfaction of an answer.  The brunette was about to turn and leave the other teen be, giving in to his unspoken request before he heard almost inaudible muttering, a question that rocked the unshakable brunette down to his very core.

"Have you ever been in love?"

It was another long pause before Seto mustered up his thoughts well enough to answer truthfully.  Why he had decided to do so instead of brushing off the personal question was a mystery he decided he could decipher later.  When he did answer, his voice was guarded, wary of why Katsuya would ask such a thing in the first place. Certainly not to exploit any weaknesses – the blonde wasn't nearly as ruthless as he, and Seto in turn was nowhere near paranoid enough to suspect Katsuya in that way.

"Perhaps not the sense of love you speak of."

There came a weary sigh from the blonde teen, seeming to accept that answer as truth.  "What would be the point of telling you anything then? You'd just call me a freakish mutt and laugh in my face."

Seto's mouth pressed into a tight line at the assumption, feeling a touch insulted that Katsuya would be so quick to judge.  "Despite my attitude, I can be generous at times."

"Aren't I fucking lucky?" he returned, voice dripping with sarcasm.  "Is that why you followed me into your game?"

"No."

"Then why are you here? It doesn't make much sense for you to venture into your game for the first time when you could have done so anytime."

"Does anything ever make sense, Jounouchi?"

There was another lengthy pause.  The harder Seto stared, the more certain he became that he could visualize the very wheels turning inside Katsuya's head as he pondered over all the impossible and fantastic events that have happened within the past year or two.  From psychotic spirits from the past to being trapped in inanimate objects as part of an idle vendetta, nothing had been plausible.

"No."

"Exactly my point."  Seto could not stop the slight smirk that pulled onto his face.

"Fine. You wanna know that badly?" Katsuya snapped, his words lacking the luster of defiant life that they normally held.

"Yes."  It was more than a just a sadistic curiosity that fueled his answer.  Yet it was less than actual concern as well.  What had affected the blonde mutt to such a stage of despair?

Katsuya swallowed thickly before continuing, realizing he was sacrificing quite a part of himself in this admittance.  "I told…Yugi I loved him…"

"Oh," came the answer, a non-committal sound of reply that offered neither malice nor real shock.  "I see...  And you were rejected, no doubt."

"I don't know," he answered miserably, chin resting on his arms as he gazed off into the forest that seemed to stretch out forever in front of him.  "Yugi, he... He doesn't think he's ready...for any relationship.  And...I don't really mind just staying friends but..." he sighed as he trailed off, the sound pathetic.  "I just can't help but feeling that I've made everything weird ever since then and…" Again he trailed off, this time biting his lip before continuing, the sadness evident in his voice despite his efforts to keep it out.  "I fucked it up..."

"That would be upsetting to think that."

Katsuya shook his head, a sudden burst of bitter laughter escaping as his shoulders trembled.  "Of course, who am I kidding? I would have gotten the same damn response had it been Honda or even you. I'm just a fucking nut for thinking that..." For a third time, his voice died away, another muttered curse falling from his lips.  "Fuck..."

"Oh?"  Seto's eyes shifted to the seated blonde, suddenly intrigued by his last statement.   "Are you trying to say that you like me?"

Katsuya shrugged, not even picking up on the taint of interest that had filtered into the baritone.  "I'm just babbling... You're probably just ignoring what I'm saying anyways. After all, I'm just a dog to you."

"No, even dogs sometimes have important things to say. Like when little Timmy fell down the well."

That last insult, as benign or complimentary as Seto might have intended to be, was too much for Katsuya to handle, head whipping about to glare at the taller teen, pent up tears spilling from his eyes.  "Well I'm not a fucking dog!"

Seto's thin lips pulled into a smirk, not nearly as condescending as was the norm between them.  "You have puppy eyes, though."

Said eyes widened at that statement, the moist amber depths showing hints of confusion as he absorbed the statement, unsure if it were an insult or a compliment.  But regardless of which it was, it did little to quell the blush that reappeared on his cheeks, spreading quite nicely to his ears and neck as he continued staring at Seto.  A heartbeat later, his shocked expression transformed into a scowl, head turning away.  "I suppose that's an insult then..."

"No," came the reply.

Katsuya's arms tightened around himself, his own expression relaxing.  "Why would you bother complimenting me?"

"I..." Seto paused, finding his words faltering a moment.  He honestly didn't understand why he had bothered – maybe he was just trying to make him feel better in some way.  "It's not important... ...Mutt," he added as an afterthought.

Feeling his tears abating at the use of that hated nickname, Katsuya wiped his nose on his sleeve.  "Just do yourself a favor and kick me already, alright. I'm not up to swapping witty banter with you right now."

No longer in the mood to deal with these emotional games either, Seto walked over to the seated teen.  For a moment, he merely stared at the normally vibrant duelist, seeing a part of himself in Katsuya, before he became the authorative CEO.  With an exasperated sigh, Seto bent down and jerked Katsuya up to his feet by his arm.  "Then stop sniveling.  It's not very attractive."

The blonde jerked back from him, frowning at the taller teen.  "I'm not sniveling! I'm just not as talented as the great Kaiba in hiding my pain!"

"Then I suppose you should take lessons from the master." he replied, his tone icy enough to freeze blood.

Katsuya stared at him hard for a moment longer, his wet eyes practically blazing with fury.  "Fuck. Your. Self."

"I rather hate going solo in activities that normally involve two people."

Katsuya snorted, lips curling into a sneer.  "What? Upset that you no longer have Yami?"

The barb had its intended effect, those cold azure eyes flaring for a moment with anger as Seto growled softly.  "Watch where you tread, mutt."

"Did you honestly think you and Yami were the only ones there at the finals?" he scoffed in return, wiping at his eyes.  He found a chink in the CEO's armor and wasn't about to back away, as though years of building frustration was being set free.  "I was with Yugi when he was dealing with the aftermath of what you did to Yami through through his body.  Doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened."

Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously, normally intimidating on the unwary fool who would cross his path on a bad day.  "Do not presume that I took someone unwilling."

"I wasn't accusing you of rape."

Seto continued to stand stiffly, hands trembling faintly as old memories were revived, feeling his heart twinge.  "It doesn't matter anymore anyways.  It's all in the past now."

Sighing softly, Katsuya shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, leaning back against the grayish bark of the tree as his easily stirred anger abated.  "So, what happened?"

Now that he was no longer meeting Katsuya face to face, Seto turned his head away as well, finding himself staring at the desolate surroundings.  "Yami wanted something more...  I couldn't offer it.  I had too much to lose," he answered, the truth spilling easily in Katsuya's presence.

"Is that why you're chasing me?" the blonde asked, his posture rigid and tense.  "Am I less than Yami? Easier to throw away?"

Seto stiffened at the question, telling himself that was such an absurd assumption.  "Who said I was chasing you?" came his indignant response.

There was another pause before Katsuya sighed heavily.  "You know what? I just quit."  With that said, he turned his body away from Seto's, struck with an odd sense of déjà vu as he found himself facing the opposite direction once more.  "I'm just going to quit the game and go home.  I didn't come here to cry, or make you feel like shit."

"Well, you seem to have accomplished both," came Seto's soft reply.

"It wasn't my intent.  Well, not at first, but I guess I want you to hurt too, just a little.  If only to know if you're human..."

"Well, you did a damn fine job of it, mutt," Seto returned, bitterness creeping into his voice.  He knew this shouldn't affect him so, but despite his best guards it still struck deep.
 

"But why should it hurt since you were the one who let him go?" Katsuya asked, raking a hand errantly through his hair in nervous contemplation, hoping on some level that the CEO wouldn't hold some strange vendetta against him for bringing up something that was obviously painful.

"Maybe I didn't really want to!" Seto snapped, his icy exterior starting to crack.  He could feel rather than see blonde behind him flinching.   His blue eyes narrowed, shaking in anger or restraint, it was hard for even him to tell.

Katsuya hesitated before plunging forward, not even bothering to tread carefully with his words.  "It shouldn't surprise you that he's moved on, Kaiba. It's been over a year since Battle City."

"I know good and well how long it's been, Katsuya," Seto's voice spat, purposefully using his first name in contempt.

The blonde set his jaw stubbornly, teeth clenching as he ignored the initial fluttery feeling he received upon hearing his name spoken for the first time by the man he considered somewhat of a rival if not a friend.  But rather than backing down from Seto's attempts to scare him off, Katsuya still pushed.  "If you weren't going to let yourself love him, he was going to find someone who would."

"I knew he would."

"You started to let Yami in..." Katsuya murmured before tilting his head to regard the taller teen.  "And you could as easily do it again."

"Perhaps. But at what cost?"

"So rather than risk feeling pain, you'd rather back away from the gamble? Didn't think you were so chicken, Seto."

"It's better to be safe than sorry."  Despite the presence of those honey-brown eyes upon him or the use of his first name, the brunette continued to stare straight ahead, his eyes no longer able to truly focus on the scenery.  He had never credited Katsuya with being so observant, always dismissing him as the comedic fool of Yugi's group.  And with just a few well-placed words, he all but tore away the harsh exterior to feel for the true heart that beat inside him, the one that longed to connect with someone yet deny that he needed the warmth of emotions.

"Is that your business philosophy?"

Inside, Seto was cursing Katsuya's stubborn relentless nature, somehow prying him open further and leaving him too vulnerable to stop this assault.  "Depending on the situation. Sometimes it's worth the gamble. But I won't gamble if I know I won't win."

The blonde sighed heavily, scratching at the back of his head.  "Even if the odds are against me, I'll still play because sometimes, you win.   If there's just one chance in a million, I'll still take it.  That's why I told Yugi I loved him."  He paused a moment before continuing, spilling his heart in an earnest effort to perhaps get his companion to try and do the same.  "I didn't know he wasn't ready.  He could have returned my feelings and then we'd be together.  That's why I took that leap of faith, even if I was going to fall in the end."

"That has to do, yet again, with emotion.  Something I've learned not to trust," came Seto's quiet reply.

"You're just scared of falling, Seto."

This time the CEO actually winced, his cerulean eyes tightening at the corners.  "I can't afford to fall."

"If I hadn't trusted you before, I would have fallen down that trap hole. Would you have slapped my hand away if the roles had been revered, if I had been the one to pull you out and catch you?"

Seto paused, not liking the way this was going, feeling his own heart beat profusely in response to the question.  Would he have relied upon his own strength to save him, snapping at Katsuya to keep his help to himself?  Or would he have reached for the outstretched hand, placing his trust in someone other than himself?   "I don't know."

"You apparently trust me enough to talk to me.  So I guess that's a start," he offered, smiling hopefully.

"Apparently..." Seto took a few steps forwards before pausing.  Katsuya was wise to remain silent, waiting to see what the CEO would do, knowing that their idle talk was something heavy and profound, perhaps too deep for Seto to handle all at once.

The blonde was about to speak up, wishing to break the silence that was ruined only by their soft breaths, but Seto happened to look over his shoulder, studying Katsuya for a moment, hesitantly meeting his eyes.  There seemed to be an unspoken question in those suddenly weary blue orbs that Katsuya attempted to decipher.

But he did not receive his chance as Seto closed his eyes and faced forward once more, allowing the very law of gravity he programmed so well to lay claim on his body as he fell backwards.