Painted Sky
This chapter… this chapter hates me. I swear. It tried to bite my hand off! *holds bleeding stump of hand* It tried to stab my computer! *holds up sparking gaps in her computer screen* It tried to chew up my DVDs! *holds up bitten DVD cases… although the DVDs themselves are perfectly fine because PM would have had a complete breakdown if anything should happen to her precious babies* And it even tried to tear out Yuki's whiskers!
No… wait… that was Mahaado again. *gives him a dirty look*
Anyhow, the point is that this chapter hates me. And it takes place on Thursday. Thursdays are horrible days. They're one day off of Friday, and I seem to be getting a disproportionate amount of tests on Friday's this year….
But that's a different story. I'm rambling. I will now shut up.
Many thanks to rayemars-san for her lurvely beta-reading! I don't know what I'll do without you! And for the rest of the thank you's this time (and maybe for the rest of the fic? Please tell me if you prefer a long paragraph or this way!), I'm going to do this in individual paragraphs… mainly because the big paragraph gives me headaches sometimes. O.o
Neferti Ishtal: Read "Fairydust" for the second time in a week? ^.^ Come on, it wasn't *that* good….
Ninetails: X.x If I wrote a story that took two hours to read, I wouldn't be able to publish for about two centuries due to writing… and writing… and writing… *dies*. And it's good that relationships take a while to start! More torture in the process means more change of them staying together! That's what I always say! *cackles*
MarmaladeGirl: Ahh… *huggles* Tis okay, tis okay! Yeah, since this fic isn't focusing on one person… I have to deal with multiple people running through my head. No wonder I'm losing it! *grin*
Rowan and Sakura: Well, YnYuugi is one of my favorite characters too! But he also dresses like a prostitute! *grin*
Tuulikki: X.x unfortunately, 4 pages is considered short for me these days… so pathetic. *smacks self* And as for "Spring Tulips"… yes, I really need to work on that, don't I? I have no idea when I'll be able to squish it in… I'm very unhappy with the second chapter so I'll probably have to find time to rewrite it, and what with college applications and classes… I just don't know when I'll have time to write it… *whimper*
Alana Hikari-Chan: O.o Platinum Porcupine? *giggles* That's too cute… and it's not PMS! *wails*
Bronze Eagle: The UC applications are doing word count though!! *eyes turn all rabid* My essay was 211 words! 11 words over the limit! *whimper-sob*. Anyhow, yes… the title of the fic will be explained in the next chapter (incidentally enough, the chapter that is mauling me into little bitty pieces), and then… then it will all become clear! *throws hands into the air* MWAHA!
Anime Girl Sasami: *giggles* You are just like rayemars-san! She asked me the same thing about why Seto is always thinking 'Ryuuji'… but as much as it would be nice to have it be hints that the two are madly in love with each other, it really isn't. I just keep using Seto and Ryuuji in the narrative because I don't want to confuse people by switching between Seto and Kaiba or Ryuuji and Otogi. I guess some people wouldn't find it confusing but… well, I don't want to make it any harder on them. But yes, in the narrative, it does follow a particular character's thoughts… I don't know why I chose to write it that way, but I think it's just because I'm really used to introspection. XD And if you want, at the end of the fic, I can publish the evil outline for you to see… then you can see why it's such a menace to society! *rabid outline jumps out and bites PM's arm* EEK!
Fate VII: XD Well, I'm glad you don't think it's short! And yes… I do want to kill my outline sometimes. *glares at it* Unfortunately, it keeps reminding me that I need it… stupid, arrogant little thing. *kicks it and gets her foot bitten*
Vulpes Demond of fuzzy ears: That is such a cute pen name… okay, I'm weird. But it is cute! And are they going to make up? Well… they'll do something like it, at least! *giggle*
Arigatou, mina-san!
~ Suketchi (Sketchy) ~
The sudden civility that the two were using when addressing each other was decidedly unexpected alteration in attitude. Few, including the two most directly involved, could account for this miraculous change of heart, but nobody bothered to question it after the initial shock had worn off.
Why that was, nobody could be sure. Some shrugged it off and claimed that they had known from the beginning that whatever had happened between the two (not that they were completely sure what that something was, although they knew that it had been something quite huge) was not bad enough to overcome the initial attraction (meant in a completely platonic manner, of course) that the two felt for each other. After all, their characteristics were reasonably similar enough so that the two could find something in common. Ignoring the concept that most strangers would also be able to find random similarities between each other, Seto and Ryuuji had enough comparable interests that given an opportunity the two could easily hold a decent conversation.
So as Kuroyama-san and other innocent bystanders congratulated themselves on predicting such an event with a hearty chorus of 'I told you so's', nobody bothered to inform the two individuals who had become the center of so much attention of this concept.
Mainly because as a psychology major, Ryuuji would have informed them that what they were doing was called hindsight bias, otherwise known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon. [1]
After all, it really was easier to predict an event after it happened.
~ * ~
"I refuse to believe that you were so bored and so desperate that the only person you can annoy with your attitude problem is me," Ryuuji muttered as he leaned against the wall, keeping his emerald-green eyes steady on his new companion, who wisely chose not to reply to that. Although perhaps intelligence had nothing to do with it; in fact, Seto was really just pausing to think of something really embarrassing to throw at Ryuuji.
"Well, you remind me of the make inu [2] in the way that you're all bark and no bite," he finally smirked, causing Ryuuji to flush angrily. To be completely truthful, Seto was lucky that Ryuuji hadn't started to throw things at him… but it really was a close call.
"Ass."
"Is that the best you can come up with now?"
"It's a perfect description of you, like it or not."
"Now who's being an ass, Otogi?"
"Get your own material. You're rich enough to afford it… and you're reiterated that fact enough times for the entire world to know about it," Ryuuji shot back rather peevishly, keeping his attention focused half on the brunette standing in front of him and the other half of the time on the cup in his hand. The last thing he needed was for him to make a complete fool of himself again by somehow drinking something that would cause him to do some rather undesirable… things.
Like what had happened on Saturday night, for example.
Which still wasn't his fault, no matter what Seto said or tried to blame everything on him. Not to imply that he was completely upset about that, of course… which he was, but just not in the way he had before. Which didn't quite make sense but he didn't exactly care either… after all, very little made sense when Otogi Ryuuji or Kaiba Seto was involved, and with both of them involved….
Needless to say, neither was quite sure of what was going on between the two of them. Their relationship, which had been shaky from the beginning, now seemed to be based solely on contradictions and an accidentally meeting that had forced them to acknowledge the other person's existence whether they liked it or not.
It was not, in short, the most ideal type of relationship. In some ways, it couldn't even be realistically labeled a relationship without a bit of lying through the teeth, but somehow the two managed to pass it off as something… real. Not necessarily positive, of course, but something with an undeniable amount of potential that neither was willing to admit interest in.
And yet, the mere fact that Seto was actually approaching Ryuuji… and that Ryuuji was being civilized in his response… was something that completely canceled out the image that the two were trying to create for themselves.
No wonder everyone around them was completely confused, including themselves.
"I wouldn't exactly call that rather rude remark of yours very original either."
"And since when did I care?"
"I thought you harbored a need to impress everyone; how else to explain why you're so desperate to get your game mass produced?"
Ryuuji nearly choked on the drink he had been sipping from nervously, staring at Seto with green eyes that could almost be constituted as wild and completely in shock of what Seto had just said.
"What?"
"You've done well considering how you started from a small base operation… but really, Dragon Dice and Dungeons is really too complex of a game to be advertised to a larger community," Seto continued simply, completely ignoring Ryuuji's stuttered attempts to cut in and set the record straight. Or, if failing at that, at least jump on top of the blue-eyed brunette and start pummeling him to the ground. Ryuuji really wasn't very picky about which one, although realistically he knew that he only had one real choice (unless one counted completely losing face by quite literally running away).
"What are you trying to say?" the raven-haired man practically snarled as he calmed down his nerves and settled on glaring at Seto as if he had said something that was extremely offensive… which he had, of course, by saying that about Ryuuji's life work. Knowing Seto, it was truly difficult to say whether Seto had meant what he said in simple observation or a deliberate attempt to annoy Ryuuji even more.
"Come on… I know that being around Yuugi-tachi [3] has caused your brain to degenerate, but even that couldn't make you stupid enough to not understand the words coming out of my mouth." Seto still had an infuriating smirk on his face, but in a way, Ryuuji was just starting to get so used to it that he barely noticed. Sometimes, it seemed that Seto smirked so much that he must have come out of the womb doing just that. No wonder he couldn't get along with anyone else….
"Has it always been your life ambition to annoy every person you come across, or is it just a sideline hobby when you're not trying to take over the world?"
"Excuse me for trying to hand you some logical advice that you haven't bothered to figure out on your own."
"You're not excused."
"Aren't you feeling bitter today, Otogi?"
"It comes with the company," Ryuuji replied lightly as he started to curl a strand of hair around one of his long, thin fingers. Seto raised an eyebrow at that but didn't say anything; like Ryuuji, he was still slowly trying to figure out all the small nuances of the game inventor. Most of the people he had known were not too difficult to figure out… but….
He hadn't really had any reason to dissect his employees or Yuugi-tachi's friends. They had always just been there, mere distractions that he had never bothered to direct any attention towards beyond a mere introductory notice.
Ryuuji had really been one of the first people who had needed more than that brief glance. He didn't know why… on first glance, there didn't seem to be anything that required a more intimate look.
Was it the fact that they had slept together which had somehow managed to make Ryuuji more… interesting?
He immediately decided to ignore that last thought.
"Are you scared that you won't be able to figure it out because it's too complicated for you?" Ryuuji suddenly grinned as he shook his head in mocking sympathy for his conversation partner. "Kaiba-kun, why didn't you just say so? I would be pleased to help you if you're really having that much trouble learning…."
"What?!"
"No, no, I understand why you wouldn't want to admit something like that," Ryuuji did his best to look understanding, but all he could manage was muffled laughter. "It must be very hard for you to acknowledge something like that, eh?"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, of course not."
"I guess that means you will have no problem teaching me how to play then."
Ryuuji choked on the mouthful of water that he had just drunk, and Seto continued to be completely oblivious to the fact that the person he was talking to was having a bit of difficulty breathing.
"You… you want me to what?" Ryuuji demanded as soon as he was capable of breathing again. Granted, it took him a while to stop coughing every two seconds, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth he found himself being totally engrossed by another coughing fit.
"Well, I can understand if you're scared of defeat from a rookie… but that's already happened before, hasn't it?"
It was lucky for Seto that Ryuuji couldn't hear the last part of what he had said. Although Ryuuji had long ago patched up relations with Yuugi and Ryou, it didn't necessarily mean that he had any interest in being reminded of that event.
As Ryuuji was still in no condition to be replying to what Seto had said, the brunette looked down at his watch and saw that it was about time to return to the lecture hall. He started to walk away, but before he was out of hearing distance, Ryuuji suddenly spoke up.
"Saturday."
"Excuse me?"
Ryuuji smiled shakily with the realization that Seto hadn't really wanted to be taught how to play DDD in the first place as he elaborated hoarsely, "You can come over on Saturday and I'll teach you then. I'll give you my address later if you still need it."
And before Seto could blink, Ryuuji had walked right past him and disappeared into the lecture hall.
~ * ~
"Pull over."
The driver was about to open his mouth and ask why, but by that point he had already seen what had so suddenly caught his employer's attention. He couldn't help but smile slightly as the familiar emerald-green eyes turned to look at him in shock when he pulled up beside the game inventor.
Certainly though, Ryuuji had the right to be extremely surprised when the car suddenly stopped next to him. He did, however, manage to keep any of the disbelief he felt from showing up on his face, although his eyes were a different story. The confusion within was easy to see, although it quickly dissipated when the window rolled down and Ryuuji found himself scowling into Seto's face.
There was a silence as the two glared at each other, each waiting for the other person to speak first. Ryuuji was practically seething; he had no idea what Seto wanted and the last thing he needed right then was to discover that the brunette had suddenly taken to stalking him as a hobby.
Unlikely, of course… but with Kaiba Seto, it was hard to tell what was coming next.
"Well?" Ryuuji finally demanded, although the word came out so quickly that it seemed more like he was blurting it out than anything. He winced inwardly at that loss of self control. Great. Now Seto was going to think that he was nervous or something… which he was, but it wasn't something that he wanted to advertise to the world. And besides, it wasn't like he really was nervous. He was just… caught off-guard. Not nervous about being confronted by a disturbed young man who happened to have billions at his disposal; oh, no need to get concerned by that.
"You're walking."
That hadn't really come out right, but Seto didn't bother to worry about it. What had happened had happened, and he wasn't about to waste his time trying to change the past when they were already barreling ahead into the future. What was the point of that anyway?
Ryuuji, on the other hand, rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Yes, Kaiba. That's what people do… it's why we were given legs."
"Hm," Seto sounded absent-mindedly, ignoring Ryuuji's annoyed twitch as he continued to look over the raven-haired man with one of those completely unreadable expressions. He had always wondered why Ryuuji was so frugal, especially since he had no need to be. Sure, he wasn't making nearly as much money as Seto was, but he certainly was making enough to afford a house and car (and driver, since Ryuuji had no idea on how to drive [4]). There really was no need for him to be sharing rent with Honda, depending on Honda's beat up vehicle, or any of those other things that he did for the sake of saving money.
He didn't have any other way of explaining it. Ryuuji was just weird and it was best not to try and figure him out unless he wanted a headache. And despite what some people thought, Kaiba Seto was not a glutton for punishment.
Although his current actions seemed to be implying differently….
"Want a lift?"
Ryuuji's expression never changed from its annoyed frown as he asked, "Do I get a choice this time?"
Seto didn't reply to that. He just continued to look at him with that expression which clearly said that he didn't care one way or the other. Which, of course, just made the entire thing more infuriating.
It was, however, a nice offer. Ryuuji certainly didn't mind taking the train and walking from there, but he didn't exactly mind getting a ride either. He wasn't exactly an obsessive environmentalist, unlike Ryou… so he didn't mind getting a ride if somebody was offering it to him.
Who that somebody was, however, was potentially worrisome.
"You're not being very social today, are you?" Ryuuji finally grumbled bitterly as he took a moment to brush his long black bangs out of his face.
"Is there some reason why I should be?"
Ryuuji frowned, and Seto somehow managed to keep his face neutral despite the amusement he felt from the expression on the other man's face. After all, he wasn't that sadistic… right now, at least.
"You are being unreasonably good-hearted for a change, Kaiba. I have a right to be a little worried about that."
It was hard to tell whose expression was strained and fake. Neither was sure how to respond to that last statement, and neither was sure whether or not it was being said truthfully or not. One could argue that it was… but then again, one could argue that it wasn't too. Seto was a very cold and distant person; nobody could deny that, except maybe Mokuba. But even Mokuba knew of his brother's personality outside of the comforts of their brotherly relationships.
Trust though… that seemed to be a different story.
Was the question even about trust though? Or was it another one of those statements to be thrown at one's sparring partner even if there was no actual truth in those words?
Ryuuji decided to ignore what he had just said. There was no way he could take back what he had just said without making a complete idiot of himself, so he instead settled for moving onto a different topic.
"What do you want?"
"For someone who is being offered a favor, you sure are being ungrateful."
"I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me."
"So is that why you offered to teach me how to play your game?"
He opened his mouth to reply to that but all that came out was a barely audible and certainly uncomprehendable squeak that caused him to flush a deep shade of crimson red in embarrassment.
"Fu… I see," Seto smirked as he leaned back with an air of someone who knew something rather disturbing that certain people had been trying to keep under wraps for as long as possible. Then he shrugged, his usually mocking blue eyes closed, "Well, I guess I can understand why you would be reluctant. Being humiliated once was already enough for you, hmm?"
"I just don't want to waste my time teaching something that is obviously too complicated for you, Kaiba," Ryuuji snapped back as he started to walk away. Much to his annoyance, the car moved to follow him, even though Seto had not given the driver any directions to do so. "Now what do you want?!"
"You still haven't given me your address."
A scowl decorated the rather thin, almost delicate face. Seto couldn't help but wonder if Ryuuji was eating right, or if his thinness was simply something natural.
"I'm sure he knows it," Ryuuji jerked a hand at the driver, who managed to keep his face completely straight even as his beleaguered mind screamed not to get involved. "And it's in the phonebook as well, which is where most normal people have their addresses and phone numbers. And there aren't even any security guards waiting to blast any person more suspicious than an old lady with a dog walking by, so I'm sure you will have no trouble getting in if you want to."
There was a silence as he continued to try and walk away, never able to succeed because of the tiny fact that it was hard to out walk a car. Finally though, he was brought to a screeching halt when Seto finally asked impatiently, "What are you so afraid of, hmm?"
"Afraid?!" Ryuuji's voice had reached that high-pitched level that it often did when he was feeling frustrated… a common event, quite frankly, especially these days. "What did you say?!"
"I refuse to believe that you've suddenly developed hearing problems in the past couple seconds. Although that might explain why you get into so much trouble."
Ryuuji resisted the urge to inflict bodily harm or at least throw something, mainly because it was rather difficult and inconvenient to have moving targets. Not to imply that Ryuuji hadn't practiced with moving targets… he had, of course… but throwing things at an occupant in a car was a completely different story.
"What is it with you that makes you think you have a duty to put everyone down, huh?" Ryuuji shrieked, causing the many bystanders that were already being entertained by the commotion the two were making to stop feigning ignorance and just start staring.
"It comes with the company."
"Stealing lines now?"
"I wouldn't need to if you would just let me give you a ride."
"And why should you do that?"
"You're not exactly capable of taking care of yourself, and I don't want one of your brainless friends blaming me for not looking after you properly."
"The world doesn't revolve around you, Kaiba. What the hell makes you think they will try to blame it on you?"
"Remember the brainless part I was talking about?"
Even though Seto was technically insulting his friends, Ryuuji had to work hard to keep a small smile that was threatening to slip onto his face. Unlike most of the others, whose lives seemed to revolve around protecting their friends, Ryuuji personally thought that a little insulting could go a long way (as long as he wasn't the victim of such insults, of course… but who could insult such a perfect person like him in the first place?), and Seto's statement was especially amusing. In fact, he couldn't help but agree with Seto when it came to people like Jyounouchi….
Seto also chose to hide the smile on his face when he saw the struggle that Ryuuji had to go through to keep from expressing amusement at what he had just said. Instead, he kept the bored expression on his face as he tapped his fingers against the edge of the car impatiently.
"Well?"
The single statement was enough to sober Ryuuji, and likewise he slapped back on his usual, arrogant (not that he thought of it that way, of course) expression back on as he glared at Seto. But despite any hostility he felt against the brunette at the moment, he just couldn't muster enough to bring back the loathing which had for the past week filled his eyes so often.
"You're not giving me a choice, are you?"
"I could have you followed until you reach the train station if you would prefer."
"Do you really have that much free time on your hands, Kaiba? From the way all the people you fired talk about you, I would think that you wouldn't have the time to spare just talking to me right now."
"Unlike you, who never seems to work no matter what the situation is."
"I work!"
"When?"
"I don't need to explain myself to you!"
"So you don't work."
"Did I say that?"
"You implied it."
"What the hell is it with you and implying things?! Huh?! Next you're going to tell me that I implied to you that I wanted to get piss-ass drunk and that I wanted to get you drunk and that I somehow wanted to sleep with you even though we both know that is the most ridiculous thing in the…."
He was stopped mid-sentence due to the fact that Seto had opened the door, grabbed him by the wrist, and dragged him into the car without bothering to wait for permission.
As soon as the door closed, the street was soon filled with the sound of tires screeching as the vehicle immediately leapt back to life. It veered rather crazily into the street, in the process cutting off a poor driver who had just gotten her license two days ago but was now looking unhappily at the fountain of water spraying from the fire hydrant that she had crashed into [5].
And as for all the observers, who were in a paralyzed state of shock and had barely noticed the accident (although a few more observant people wondered why it was raining despite a complete lack of clouds in the sky)… well, they spent the rest of the day trying to convince themselves that what they had heard was really nothing at all.
It's amazing how well people can lie to themselves….
~ * ~
The small restaurant was filled with a multitude of voices engaged in conversation, but overwhelming it all was the talk coming from a table in the corner. Not that the group was being any louder than they usually were, but with nine people, the dialogue was bound to get a bit noisy.
"You are not supposed to threaten the waitress!" Yami no Yuugi snarled to his koi [6], who ignored him by completely focusing his attention on the piece of barely cooked meat in front of him. "We could have been kicked out!"
"So?"
Yami no Yuugi glowered before turning away to focus on his own dinner and his aibou, who was trying to ignore the situation by talking to Anzu. Ryuuji personally never could figure out how the two managed to live with each other, especially now that the two spirits had moved away from their respective hosts. He, of course, was not the only one… basically everyone wondered why the two of them were still alive.
Although, if one was to think about it… they technically weren't alive. So they technically couldn't get killed either… so maybe that was why they were best for each other. Neither had to worry about such petty things as mortality when it came to heated arguments and threats of bodily harm.
Incidentally enough, Ryuuji was currently wedged between two people who did have to worry about mortality but still had the same exact type of relationship as Yami no Yuugi and Yami no Bakura. So it was of no wonder that he would usually be trying to hide underneath the table, only to be stopped by one of the two combatants as that person's 'supporter'. This usually resulted in quite a bit of whimpering from the raven-haired man.
But it wasn't what was happening.
What was really happening was that Ryuuji was just letting Jyounouchi and Mai practically toss him around like a rag doll, so engrossed in his thoughts he was. He couldn't really believe what had happened that day, and he was having quite a bit of trouble trying to figure it all out.
After Seto had dragged him in the car, a large argument had ensued that basically led to Ryuuji realizing that Seto really was right (for a change!) but definitely not willing to admit it. The conversation (if one was brave enough to call it merely that) was probably loud enough to be heard through the car walls and above all the traffic… not that either of them cared anymore. The windows were tinted and nobody would have known it was them anyway… besides, if somebody did happen to be intelligent enough to recognize that it was a Kaiba Corporation vehicle, Seto could always pass it off as an argument with his girlfriend. Ryuuji's voice was certainly high-pitched enough to do that.
Luckily, Seto had kept all those thoughts to himself. Ryuuji was already angry enough as it was, and not much would have been needed to set him off again.
Either way, after about twenty minutes of seething and the usual trade of insults, the two managed to calm down enough so that they weren't glaring at each other every twenty seconds. And by the time they reached the apartment complex where Ryuuji lived, they had only managed to progress to awkward conversation with lots of the before-mentioned glaring.
Ryuuji would not have been very surprised if Seto stopped talking to him again.
"You broke the cup, didn't you?!" Mai suddenly screeched right into his ear, causing him to practically jump off his seat in shock of the sudden shrillness.
"I told you that I didn't!" Jyounouchi yelled back.
Ryuuji wondered why they couldn't just talk like normal human beings.
Just like you and Kaiba, eh?
Shut up.
"What else could have happened to it?! I've searched the entire house and I still haven't found it!" Mai continued to yell. Into his ear.
"Maybe you broke it!"
"If I broke it, why would I be asking you about it?!"
Ryuuji was starting to get very sympathetic looks from his friends, who he immediately cursed regardless due to the fact that one of them had arranged the seats and put him here. He didn't know who it was and he didn't care. The person who did this to him was going to die as soon as he got his hearing back.
"Well, if it isn't the make inu."
The cold, familiar voice had to be a hallucination. It just had to be. After all, Ryuuji was supposed to be deaf at the moment. As in not being able to hear. As in definitely not being able to hear a certain arrogant prick's voice and becoming completely delusional in the belief that Kaiba Seto was standing right there staring at Jyounouchi with the usual annoyance that always seemed to be there specially for the blonde.
Something that wasn't exactly new, certainly.
What was new was the woman holding onto Seto's arm.
Immediately, Ryuuji jerked his head up from where it had been lying on the table covered in his arms in a very bad attempt to block out the noise. Upon doing so, he found himself staring into Seto's blue eyes… eyes that were filled with surprise and something else that couldn't be placed.
"Seto?"
Yuriko was a wonderful person, but at that moment Seto would have given anything for her to suddenly disappear.
He didn't know why these feelings had suddenly sprung up like this. What was Ryuuji to him anyway? Nothing, really… Ryuuji was just another person. Another irritant in his life of an already very confusing existence.
He wasn't supposed to worry about him.
Those green eyes… they were so… so what? It almost felt like they were accusing him of what? Why did he care so much about what those eyes said? Why should he? That meant nothing to him… all of it meant absolutely nothing to him. Otogi Ryuuji was just another person who happened to interest him more than most people.
But. That. Was. All.
Yuriko interested him more than most people too. So it wasn't like Ryuuji actually meant anything… there wasn't any reason why he should be worried about what type of person Ryuuji was.
"Seto, what's going on?"
By this point, Ryuuji wasn't the only person staring at Seto. The rest of the small group was watching him, as was Yuriko, and the only thing he could do was stand there and have his mind screech about how of all days and all places, he had to come to this restaurant on this day on this date.
But why did he care so much about what Ryuuji thought anyway?
"Se…."
Before she could finish the word, she found herself being grabbed by the arm and literally dragged out of the restaurant by force. It wasn't that difficult; Seto was practically twice her size and certainly much stronger than she was, but she could have put up a fight and embarrassed the crap out of him.
She didn't though, simply because it wasn't in her personality to do so. Also, she loved Seto, of course, and that was part of her reasoning for not causing a scene. But she couldn't help but have a feeling that whatever this young man meant to him, it was something that she didn't want to get involved with.
She also knew very well that Seto wasn't going to be able to hide it much longer.
Takashi Yuriko was a very patient person. And she knew that she could wait until the truth came out.
Commentary:
[1] Yes. Too much psychology. *runs away*
[2] Pathetic dog; one of Kaiba's colorful names for poor Jyounouchi.
[3] Yuugi and the others.
[4] I realize he drives in the anime but since this is based on the manga and the only person I've seen driving is Mai, I'm going to assume he can't drive yet. I really can't see any reason for him driving anyway….
[5] No. This isn't me. Stop looking at me like that~!!
[6] Short for koibito. Lover.
Uh… yes… this chapter took me a very long to write. I don't know why… I've been wanting to write the last scene for a while, but the last scene was what ended up taking me so long to write! I had to rewrite it several times before I could get something I found decent. *sweatdrop*
Anywho, not much to say… except I think their relationship is getting unreasonably turbulent. *sweatdrop* Maybe I should start being nicer to them, eh? ^^;;
Pikachumaniac