A/N: Well, I won't be updating tomorrow or Saturday So...yea, here's the
last update before I go away for the weekend unwillingly. *sigh*
Dog Tags
Katsuya Jounouchi awoke earlier then he had ment too..A lot earlier. Realizing that he couldn't go back to sleep, he stood up and without turning on the lantern so as to not wake up Seto, he exited the tent. Stretching and yawning in the minimal amount of light in the pre-dawn, he ran into someone.
"Oof.watch it mutt." he heard a familiar voice mutter half heartedly.
"Kaiba?! Why are ya out ere so early? We don't gotta be up for another few hours," Jou questioned.
"I couldn't sleep." Jounouchi twitched internally. There was no mocking tone I Kaiba's voice, no insult, no sarcasm, no nothing. This was certainly abnormal. Seto then muttered something that Jounouchi couldn't understand.
"Uh.Sorry, what'd ya just say?" he asked.
"I said that I don't think you'd be able to sleep either if all you could remember was your little brother dying in your arms!" Seto half yelled, his anger flaring unusually easy. Jounouchi blinked. 'Did I hear him right?' he wondered. It took a few more moments before Seto's words totally sunk into his mind.
"Mokuba is....gone?" Jou said still rather shocked. Kaiba took a shaky breath in an attempt to prevent much more emotion, even if it was only anger, from showing.
"Yes. He is."
"How long ago did it happen.?"Jou asked.
"A few days before the draft started.I-I.I still don't even know what happened. That night...I walked home, I was pretty tired from putting in extra hours. I came into the kitchen to get myself some water after walking and it was then that out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that hadn't been there before. It was a tiny drop of blood..v-very small but I knew something had to be wrong. I ran into the next room and saw-" he stopped and took a deep breath. "I can't finish.they don't know if it was murder or suicide but I left for this war before the investigation was even complete."
Jounouchi was completely lost for words. He knew that Mokuba was the only thing Kaiba had left and he was just.gone. It seemed so strange and the thought of someone as young as Mokuba committing suicide was a thought even Jou couldn't bear; and it wasn't even his brother.
"I have nothing left, there is nowhere else to go. So I came here, I came to the war. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll die here but knowing me..oh no, I won't fail because I never fail at anything." He seemed to mock himself as he spoke. "Sure, I'll end up being a great war hero with tons of medals and achievements and for what? Nothing. No one will be there, no one will care. My life is doomed to drag on in this lonely pointless existence. I succeed at everything I try at and maybe that is why no one is around me; I don't even bother with people anymore unless I have to." He paused thoughtfully and stared at the ground, Jounouchi's slightly smaller silhouette stood next to his in the dim light.
"And the thing of it is." he looked up at Jou for the first time the entire conversation. "What if it was a suicide.? A suicide that was provoked by something _I_ had done." Unable to stand it any longer, Seto Kaiba fell to his knees in the black dirt below their feet, his shoulders shaking in silent tears. Slowly, Jounouchi put his hand on Seto's shoulder. The two stayed like that for quite sometime until Seto finally stood up laughing bitterly and softly.
"You know." he said the bitter, cold laughter still in slight control. "I really hate you right now, you and your friends, seeing as I know they would be just as caring as you were in this situation, are the first people other then Mokuba to actually..care." he paused, the low cold laughter ceasing. "And I don't think I'm ready for that just yet." Turning away from Jounouchi in the growing light, he disappeared into the jungle.
*half a day later*
The next time Jou saw Seto, the two of them acted as though that morning had never happened. Walking quickly and purposefully, themselves and four others from their squad reached the destination after nearly five days of traveling by foot. What they expected was quite different from what they saw.
"Marik?! Is that you?" Jou asked wide eyed staring at his new sergeant.
"Yes, PRIVATE," he put special emphasis on that word. "Jounouchi, I AM Marik. However, you will now be referring to me as Sir, is that clear." Jou nodded glumly and muttered under his breath. 'Damn, I didn't think he'd change so fast.and when did he become a Sergeant anyway?' he thought. "Jounouchi, Kaiba, I request your presence in my quarters." He nodded his head in the direction of a larger tent then most. "As for the rest of you, get situated for tomorrow's mission!"
They followed Marik into his tent where his stone faced changed to an expression of joy. "Sorry about that back there, I have to act like that to everyone other wise I could loose my position.but it's wonderful to see a couple of familiar faces around here." He said smiling. Jou smiled back, Seto just stared. "Oh, and before I forget, there is a letter here for you Jounouchi." he handed Jou a small envelope.
Eagerly, he torn it open and read Ryou's short message. He knew right then and there that something was very wrong. "Sometin' happened ta Yug." he said looking up into Marik's amethyst eyes. An eerie silence crept over the campsite........
END CHAPTER SEVEN
A/N: Well..here ya go. lol
Dog Tags
Katsuya Jounouchi awoke earlier then he had ment too..A lot earlier. Realizing that he couldn't go back to sleep, he stood up and without turning on the lantern so as to not wake up Seto, he exited the tent. Stretching and yawning in the minimal amount of light in the pre-dawn, he ran into someone.
"Oof.watch it mutt." he heard a familiar voice mutter half heartedly.
"Kaiba?! Why are ya out ere so early? We don't gotta be up for another few hours," Jou questioned.
"I couldn't sleep." Jounouchi twitched internally. There was no mocking tone I Kaiba's voice, no insult, no sarcasm, no nothing. This was certainly abnormal. Seto then muttered something that Jounouchi couldn't understand.
"Uh.Sorry, what'd ya just say?" he asked.
"I said that I don't think you'd be able to sleep either if all you could remember was your little brother dying in your arms!" Seto half yelled, his anger flaring unusually easy. Jounouchi blinked. 'Did I hear him right?' he wondered. It took a few more moments before Seto's words totally sunk into his mind.
"Mokuba is....gone?" Jou said still rather shocked. Kaiba took a shaky breath in an attempt to prevent much more emotion, even if it was only anger, from showing.
"Yes. He is."
"How long ago did it happen.?"Jou asked.
"A few days before the draft started.I-I.I still don't even know what happened. That night...I walked home, I was pretty tired from putting in extra hours. I came into the kitchen to get myself some water after walking and it was then that out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that hadn't been there before. It was a tiny drop of blood..v-very small but I knew something had to be wrong. I ran into the next room and saw-" he stopped and took a deep breath. "I can't finish.they don't know if it was murder or suicide but I left for this war before the investigation was even complete."
Jounouchi was completely lost for words. He knew that Mokuba was the only thing Kaiba had left and he was just.gone. It seemed so strange and the thought of someone as young as Mokuba committing suicide was a thought even Jou couldn't bear; and it wasn't even his brother.
"I have nothing left, there is nowhere else to go. So I came here, I came to the war. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll die here but knowing me..oh no, I won't fail because I never fail at anything." He seemed to mock himself as he spoke. "Sure, I'll end up being a great war hero with tons of medals and achievements and for what? Nothing. No one will be there, no one will care. My life is doomed to drag on in this lonely pointless existence. I succeed at everything I try at and maybe that is why no one is around me; I don't even bother with people anymore unless I have to." He paused thoughtfully and stared at the ground, Jounouchi's slightly smaller silhouette stood next to his in the dim light.
"And the thing of it is." he looked up at Jou for the first time the entire conversation. "What if it was a suicide.? A suicide that was provoked by something _I_ had done." Unable to stand it any longer, Seto Kaiba fell to his knees in the black dirt below their feet, his shoulders shaking in silent tears. Slowly, Jounouchi put his hand on Seto's shoulder. The two stayed like that for quite sometime until Seto finally stood up laughing bitterly and softly.
"You know." he said the bitter, cold laughter still in slight control. "I really hate you right now, you and your friends, seeing as I know they would be just as caring as you were in this situation, are the first people other then Mokuba to actually..care." he paused, the low cold laughter ceasing. "And I don't think I'm ready for that just yet." Turning away from Jounouchi in the growing light, he disappeared into the jungle.
*half a day later*
The next time Jou saw Seto, the two of them acted as though that morning had never happened. Walking quickly and purposefully, themselves and four others from their squad reached the destination after nearly five days of traveling by foot. What they expected was quite different from what they saw.
"Marik?! Is that you?" Jou asked wide eyed staring at his new sergeant.
"Yes, PRIVATE," he put special emphasis on that word. "Jounouchi, I AM Marik. However, you will now be referring to me as Sir, is that clear." Jou nodded glumly and muttered under his breath. 'Damn, I didn't think he'd change so fast.and when did he become a Sergeant anyway?' he thought. "Jounouchi, Kaiba, I request your presence in my quarters." He nodded his head in the direction of a larger tent then most. "As for the rest of you, get situated for tomorrow's mission!"
They followed Marik into his tent where his stone faced changed to an expression of joy. "Sorry about that back there, I have to act like that to everyone other wise I could loose my position.but it's wonderful to see a couple of familiar faces around here." He said smiling. Jou smiled back, Seto just stared. "Oh, and before I forget, there is a letter here for you Jounouchi." he handed Jou a small envelope.
Eagerly, he torn it open and read Ryou's short message. He knew right then and there that something was very wrong. "Sometin' happened ta Yug." he said looking up into Marik's amethyst eyes. An eerie silence crept over the campsite........
END CHAPTER SEVEN
A/N: Well..here ya go. lol