One Step
By Sakata Ri Houjun
*chapter 3
Rating: R
Pairing: Seto/Jou
Spoilers: Mild ones here and there, nothing major.
Disclaimer: Ha. Ha. Ha. No.
AN: This particular story has certainly garnered quite a response. I still know where I want this to head and how this drama will play out, so don't fret. My attention is divided between several writing projects in addition to several RP partners [and my art too ^^;].
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!
~***~
Eyes widened at the
unexpected action half a heartbeat before Katsuya's body reacted, moving
without thinking. Feet tore at the
forest floor as the blonde propelled himself towards the falling teen, heart
pounding as the adrenaline surged through on pure instinct. The slight difference in height made it
difficult for Katsuya to catch the CEO properly, but his arms wrapped about him
surely, landing back on his butt as he took the brunt of the drop. After the sound of two bodies impacting the
ground echoed away, Seto opened
one eye while he tilted his head back to regard the other teen, realizing with
startling clarity that the firm body cradling his own provided a comforting
cushion for his little test.
Katsuya merely met his expression with an accusing glare, mouth pressed into a tight line of
annoyance and eyes flashing near gold in the filtering sunlight. "Baka. What were you thinking?" A flush sprang unbidden to the blonde's
cheeks once he realized Seto was practically sitting in his lap, his arms situated
comfortably around the decidedly trim waist.
With this awareness, the blonde's young mind provided interesting
tangents of thought, conjuring unbidden images of other ways to enjoy this
position that was far from unpleasant, causing his blush to travel further up
to his ears.
"Just seeing how
much I could trust you. I guess a dog is man's best friend," the CEO answered
so matter-of-factly, one corner of his mouth lifting in a half-smile. Seto
certainly took notice of the arms
around him but decided to keep his thoughts to himself, remaining wisely silent
in this compromising situation, even as he felt an answering warmth creep up
along his neck.
The blonde opened
his mouth to retort, but that hint of a smile caught him off guard, his voice
dying as he flushed darker. With a
faint tremble to his arms and heart pounding, Katsuya met that azure gaze. His first instinct was to break the
established contact, to turn his had to the side like a girl with her first
crush, but his stubborn streak reared its head, refusing to back down and look
away. "Can you...trust me
now...?"
"I..." He trailed
off, finding himself at a loss for words as he regarded the shorter teen,
knowing full well that if he answered negatively it would disqualify the
purpose behind his chosen actions. But
to admit the truth could possibly cost him.
Katsuya broke eye
contact first, head tilting to rest his cheek against Seto's shoulder with a
sigh, breath brushing against his neck.
This action caused the brunette to blink, turning his face away as his eyes widened, heart
thundering. "You haven't pulled away."
Seto could feel himself start to tremble, which his companion could certainly feel. "You probably have better things to do than
hang out with trash," the blonde murmured, voice laced with a melancholy that
was hard to disguise.
"If I had better
things to do than chase you around, I would be occupied with them instead of
here."
"Wow, you're willing
to mingle with the little peons who are playing in your park just to follow me
into the woods. I should be so flattered."
Seto thanked his lucky stars that Katsuya wasn't looking at
him lest he would have seen the faint warmth that spread along his cheeks. He had underestimated the blonde's
astuteness for a moment, but it still did not mean he was right. "You
have a problem with that, puppy?"
If this new nickname
affected him, Katsuya did not show it as easily as Seto had hoped. "Depends..."
"On?"
"Did you follow me
to stick it to me, or stick it in me?"
Seto blinked at the innuendo that was beyond blatant,
wishing he could see Katsuya's face to see if he was joking or not. "Now who's the pervert?"
The blonde chuckled softly, knowing he had detected just a hint of true amusement in Seto's voice.
"I thought we were going to play?"
Katsuya blushed in
embarrassment, his thoughts whirling about as a new realization dawned on him.
They were still within the virtual world, which meant that what he was
experiencing right at this moment wasn't real, just electronic impulses sent to
the sensory portion of his brain. The
weight and warmth of the body in his arms was as imaginary as the stick that
was digging into his thigh. That
thought alone made his heart twist strangely.
Unaware of the
blonde's train of thought, Seto pressed forward, still waiting for an
answer. "Are you going to be
cooperative in my win so we can get out of here?"
This caused Katsuya
to start, a tinge of annoyance and pride in his voice. "Don't you mean help me
win since I started this game?"
"Of course." Seto
returned with a smirk, reluctantly pulling away from the secure embrace he'd
been enveloped within for the past few minutes before pushing to his feet,
hands brushing at the dried leaves that clung to his clothes. "Then I can discover more reasons to insult
you, Katsuya."
The blonde scrambled
to his feet, amber eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I'm sure you'll use every
reason you can find to insult me," he paused before continuing, a
satisfactory grin spreading on his
face. "Bright eyes."
The flush that appeared on the CEO's face was fairly dark,
especially with his fair complexion. "I
swear, if you say 'bushy-tailed'..."
Ignoring the
apparent warning in his tone, Katsuya walked around Seto carefully, lifting the
tails of the coat to inspect his rear thoroughly, as though he were choosing a
cut of steak for dinner. "But I don't
see a tail unless there's something you're hiding from me, Seto."
Blue eyes widened in embarrassment before he jerked his coattails out of his companion's hand.
Katsuya grinned
impishly, eyes mischievous "I think
Yami's the one who's regretting letting you go."
"What makes you say
that?"
"You've got a lot to
offer anyone lucky enough to be your lover." This comment left Seto a furious
crimson, but either Katsuya was oblivious or chose to ignore the reaction,
glancing around the lifeless forest. "So, where do we go from here?"
The brunette looked about, composing himself mentally, before pointing to the direction he knew to be west – it was his game after all. "That direction."
Nodding, the blonde
started off, shoes crunching through the dry underbrush as they picked their
way out of the woods. "What are we
heading towards?"
"Two hills. Both
round and smooth with a valley," Seto answered as he followed the eager blonde,
carefully stepping over fallen branches and ducking through reaching
twigs. He took notice of a leaf that
was caught in the blonde locks, watching it a moment before his eyes wandered
down to examine his companion's denim-clad derriere as he moved, noting how the
muscles moved smoothly with each step.
"There's a wishing well in the middle."
"Wishing well?" They
had neared the edge of the skeletal forest, the scenery melting into a lush
meadow with towering craggy rocks to the right and foliage that echoed the
height of the rock opposite it, casting a dual shadow over the pair of
duelists. Katsuya glanced briefly over
his shoulder at his oddly quiet companion, detecting that the taller teen's
gaze was avidly watching something that had nothing to do with the change in
location.
"It has a map."
Despite his powers of observation, Seto took no warning of the fact he'd been
caught, still talking as he followed the other teen. "It
directs to the shortcut out of the game."
Another impish grin
spread across the blonde's face before he cleared his throat. "Hey Seto, is my
ass really that hypnotic?"
The CEO stopped
abruptly, an un-Seto-ish noise escaping as he turned his head, face instantly
blood red, berating himself for being caught so simply in so unsophisticated an
action.
Katsuya laughed as
he faced forward once more, spotting the very landscape that the taller teen
had described just in the distance. "Hey, I see the hills."
Whatever celebration there might have been at this welcome discovery was short lived however as a metallic scraping sound pierced the air, harsh like nails across a blackboard. The blonde winced at the tremendous noise that seemed to come from everywhere at once, echoing through the trees that bordered behind the pair of players. In confusion, Katsuya spun, eyes meeting briefly with Seto's as a wave of adrenaline hit him, realizing that an opponent was upon them.
The ground shuddered under their feet as an arachnid fiend crawled from between a massive break in the stone, the sun glinting from the many mechanical parts that made up this half-formed robotic monstrosity, the metallic legs scraping against stone. Each dark eye seemed to focus wetly on the two duelists that were nearly dwarfed within its shadow, mandibles rubbing together in a stomach-turning display that certainly left Katsuya in chills. "Shit!"
"Don't tell me
you're afraid, Katsuya," Seto called out, his sneering voice enough to remind
his companion of the game they were locked in.
"Should I be?" he shot back as he slipped into the mindset that always shined through when Duel Monsters was concerned. He knew this was his passion, his drive as he pulled a card from his disk. Katsuya took a moment to glance at his card before his trademark grin made itself known.
With a turn of his
wrist, the chosen card was set, the massive black dragon roaring to life in a
rush of wind that raised goose bumps on Katsuya's arms. The leathery wings sliced at the air,
kicking up a cloud of dust that swept over its owner, crimson eyes glinting
hungrily at the eight-legged opponent. Katsuya
smirked at the brunette over his shoulder, the challenge in his eyes. "What are you waiting for? I might actually show you up if you keep
hesitating."
Seto reached for his deck, cards drawn slipping free as his blue eyes narrowed only a moment before a series of repetitive clicks filled the air. Both teens turned their attention to their opponent, watching in avid fascination as the twin pods on the spider's back launched a barrage of missiles into the air, each one targeting the hovering black dragon. Explosions tore at the air, smoke clouding the dueling monsters, as Katsuya held his breath in waiting out the results. When the acrid smoked cleared, he breathed a sigh of relief as his trustworthy monster remained unharmed by the attack.
The blonde let out a
triumphant laugh before pointing energetically at the lumbering pile of flesh
and rusting mechanized parts, calling for the Red Eyes to attack. He could feel himself inhaling sharply with
his creature, watching as black-tinged flames gathered within the beak-like
snout. However, as the counterattack
was unleashed, the giant spider crouched into a defense position, each leg
scraping at dirt and stone as they were drawn underneath the hulking body. The fireball slammed into unresponsive
metal, the assault negated utterly with only the stench of singed spider hair
lingering on the air.
Seto's chuckle
echoed in the silence after that impressive explosion as he flipped his card
against his tray. "What was that about showing me up?" As though adding to the taunt, the stronger
counterpart to Katsuya's Red Eyes materialized into existence, silvery-white
scales gleaming as it let out a shrill roar of battle.
"Showoff," he muttered sullenly, watching as the Blue Eyes followed his master's orders, wings carrying the creature into an almost protective stance in front of the black dragon. The crisp scent of burnt ozone filled the air as a formidable attack of lightning was unleashed, enveloping the spider utterly.
And just like that,
it was over, the opposing monster obliterated into shimmering shards of
data. That just left the two duelists
in the company of their summoned dragons and each other, the blonde offering
Seto a winning grin. "You know, we'd make a pretty kick ass team if we wanted
to."
Seto merely shook
his head as he removed the card from his disk, his white dragon disappearing
from this reality until he had need of it again, keeping his thoughts to
himself for the moment.
Katsuya followed suit, slipping his cherished card atop his deck before eyeing the distant hills once more. "Anyway, we're almost there," he proclaimed with a grin before taking off in a sprint, unable to contain his anticipation of seeing this shortcut Seto mentioned.
The CEO watched him a moment before running after, coat flapping behind him. His longer legs gave him a slight advantage in speed, allowing him to pass his partner easily. He could hear the blonde panting above the sound of feet pounding against the ground, calling out after him, "Cheater!" Before he could snap back with a witty reply of challenge, Seto felt himself being jerked back by the length of his coat, caught off-balanced unexpectedly.
Reacting as
automatically as Katsuya had before when catching him, Seto twisted his body
abruptly, using the momentum of his fall quick enough to pull the blonde down
with him. Katsuya let out a surprised sound, finding himself
suddenly lying atop the prone CEO, that bothersome flush resurrected on his
face once more as he stared down into cerulean eyes that glinted in a very
crafty manner.
The taller teen
grunted at the constant feel of a human body pressed against his own, feeling
the rise and fall of his chest against his own, warm and as real as he had
programmed it. He gazed up, watching as
a breeze played in the long strands of hair that hung about his companion's
flushed face, one piece dangling directly in front of his tawny gaze in a way
that he found it oddly annoying. Seto
let out a soft chuckle, his voice a little out of breath. "I have no idea why I did that. This will appear compromising should anyone
chance by here."
Katsuya lifted his
brows, intrigued. "Does that bother
you...?"
"I don't know," he
admitted truthfully, before smoothing that one strand of sun-kissed blond away
from his eyes. "Perhaps it doesn't
bother me as much as it should."
There was a long
pause, the silence thick with thoughts that were private only to each
teen. Katsuya continued to stare at him
quietly before giving voice to the question that plagued him and refused to be
pushed aside. "What will happen...?"
"I don't know... I
really don't..."
The blonde sighed
heavily, the lock of hair sliding once more into his eyes. "Will we...continue fighting...?"
"Maybe for show and
teasing," Seto answered with a smirk as he brushed the hair aside again,
fingers grazing against sweat-dampened skin with the motion.
Katsuya shivered at
the accidental caress before lowering his gaze, hiding the emotions that
threatened to burst out, wondering if this was the beginning of something
wonderful and unexpected. He tried not
to place his hope on this moment, not quite certain yet if he'd be willing to
take the chance. "We should keep heading forward to that well
if we ever want to get out of here," he muttered before making a move to pull
away from the near-comforting feel of the CEO who he realized had cushioned the
very fall he had caused.
But Seto wouldn't be
denied so easily, arms catching the blonde teen and holding him firmly in
place, even it was for a moment more before Katsuya decided to fight him tooth
and nail. He had no desire to move at
this moment, feeling the years of self-repression slipping away in this false
world he created, shielded from harsh reality within the warmth of the shorter
teen. It had felt the same with Yugi's
darker self, in the moments after they made love, only more fleeting. With startling clarity, he found himself
longing to remain here for an indefinite amount of time as long as he could
keep Katsuya with him.
Amber eyes widened behind his bangs, the flush deepening as his heart skipped a beat. He could feel one hand resting almost casually against one hip, close to touching lower if Seto so chose to. Cautiously, he lifted his gaze, mouth opening to ask a hundred different questions, unsure of how to begin.
But any words were
postponed as the underbrush nearby started rustling, the pair of duelists
coming alert once more within the game despite their shared moment.
~***~
Cards used:
Launcher Spider – 2200/2500
Red Eyes Black Dragon – 2400/2000
Blue Eyes White Dragon – 3000/2500
I know the cards chosen were a bit cliché, but there's more complex card strategies coming up in future chapters.