Honor and Love, Lust and Hate

Chapter 5

Rating: PG-16-ish

Author: Moonchild DJ

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Yugioh, or its lovely, bishonen characters, sad to say! They belong to Takahashi-sama and the rest of the wonderful people, and I make no money from this story, just the enjoyment of placing our lovely bishies together. X3 I return them back in one piece after I'm through, though! This story, and all its screwy plot twists, belong to me, however. Enjoy the story, but please don't steal!

Author's Note: Hello there, everyone! Moonchild DJ with a much-requested chapter of H&L, L&H! I know it's been a long time in coming, and this, along with "Bringing Up Jou", have been the most-demanded stories to update, so I give you all a brand-spanking-new chapter that I really enjoyed writing! I hope you enjoy it as well, and don't forget to push that lovely review button down at the bottom when you finish, I love to hear all your comments! That said, on with the show! Uh, story. =p

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Waiting with arms crossed over his chest, Seto couldn't help but think that Jou was a rather lovely sight as he trotted his way. Not because of the skirt, he wasn't that perverse, but because of the way the blond's hair fluttered in the breeze, the way the light and shadows from the trees mottled his hair, the way the sakura blossoms drifted down around him in a pale pink shower. In that way, he could see why he held such a fascination to Otogi, the mutt was definitely not unattractive.

But then, this was the mutt that he was thinking about, and that was just plain wrong.

"You wanted t' see me, Kaiba?"

Seto blinked, and managed to not blush. He was really out of it, to be staring at the blond like some girl with a crush, and not hear him come up. Too much of Otogi's little suggestive comments, he supposed.

"You really managed to get yourself in trouble this time, didn't you, mutt?" he replied, mentally congratulating himself for the nice save as Jou scowled.

"Hey, I didn't know that Otogi would be such a perv when he made this deal! At the least, I thought I would just have to carry his books, or say what a great person he is to blow up his ego, not everything else! And I didn't have much of a clothing choice--it was either this or a teeny little vest and leather pants combo with dog ears and tail, and I was SO not going to wear that!"

Pity, his mind thought to itself in a moment of insanity. He could just imagine it, the blond in an amber-colored vest and pants, with floppy puppy ears, and a little tail on his backside, with a little collar proclaiming the owner's initials and sitting at his master's side and whimpering for affection, leaning into his hand when he petted his hair…

Seto blinked. His mind did NOT just go off on a tangent of its own, he was not as ecchi as Otogi!

…Then why in the world could he imagine everything so clearly, and why did he see himself as the master and Jou's tag proclaiming the initials SK? He restrained a sigh and wondered if perversity was contagious.

Noting that the blond was looking at him oddly, he coughed and murmured, "You should've just left well enough alone, mutt. Acknowledge that you can't beat the better duelists and not take up challenges and bets."

"Hey!" Jou growled. "I won't, and will not ever back down, Kaiba! I have my pride!"

Seto grunted. "Yes. And I can see your pride is SO intact." he replied dryly as he reached out and flipped the blond's skirt with a fingertip, smirking when the other male squeaked and blushed as his hands automatically reached out to keep the garment in respectful place. "You're lucky you have the legs for it, mutt, you might be in skirts for a while with that way of thinking."

Not that that was a BAD thing, mind you. He just shouldn't have said it aloud, with the way the blond's head snapped up, and his mouth dropped open. He blamed his brain for going in the gutter, again. But self-preservation--correcting his mouth where his mind had wandered--took a backseat as Jou murmured,

"You…think I look good in these?"

While Seto's mind was screaming like that old American tv show-- 'DANGER, SETO KAIBA, DANGER!'--Jou's mind was spinning around in circles.

Seto Kaiba had just complimented him. In a roundabout way, and with an insult thrown in for good measure, but still a compliment, nonetheless. He would be insulted, later, right now, he just felt…pleased, somehow.

Kaiba wasn't a robot, after all. He was a human being with an eye for something attractive. Granted, it was him in a skirt, not the most flattering, but still…! He could feel his cheeks heating up again as he peered at the CEO from under his bangs.

Seto, in the meantime, was on the verge of meltdown. He realized, all too well, what he said, when Jou gaped at him, looking almost shy, if the blond was able to pull that off. He felt like smacking his head against the nearest tree, but refrained from doing so as he struggled for words.

"Er…well…that is…"

And not doing very well at it, either.

Jou rubbed at the back of his neck, blushing. "I can't believe how girlish that sounded…" he muttered with a dry chuckle of amusement. "All the girly clothes must be killing a few brain cells."

Ah! Jackpot, he could safely comment on that topic! The CEO felt himself brighten as he cheerfully insulted, "And we all know you don't have enough brain cells to waste, don't we, mutt?"

"Hey! Why, you--" The blond stopped in mid-tirade, and blinked, before he smirked. "I noticed that you didn't comment--or insult--on my clothes, or if I looked good in 'em. What's the matter, Kaiba? My clothes scare you, or just couldn't think of anything bad to say?" He knew he had the baka in a corner when the brunette's mouth opened and closed without any words, and he crossed his arms over his chest with a scowl.

Well! He finally had the CEO on the ropes, and it was a very, very good feeling. Wanting to push it just a bit further--pink was a fascinating color on the pale-skinned brunette, even more so with the blue school uniform he wore--he huffed slightly, pretending to be insulted at Seto's lack of remarks, and pulled off the girls' school jacket, before he placed it over his arm and started to unbutton the blouse beneath, baring one creamy-skinned, strong shoulder. "Well…if you don't like what I'm wearing, I guess I can always take it off…" he murmured slyly, smirking to himself when he heard the other choke.

For once in his life, Seto found himself completely at a loss for words. Here was the mutt, of all people, getting one up on him! That just wasn't fair, he was the one who was supposed to fluster the blond, not the other way around! His mouth nearly dropped open when he saw far more skin on the other than ever before. The skirt was bad enough, then add in the smooth shoulder and the curve of his neck and his collarbone and the top of his chest, and one can imagine why he would choke.

When he found himself standing on tiptoe, as if to see more, and the words 'take it ALL off' were bouncing around in his head, he realized it was time to stop it before he said or did something to embarrass himself. And he would NEVER do that. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

So the question to put to himself was this: insult, or not to insult? He eyed another shoulder and more chest to be bared, and gulped.

"Put your clothes back on, mutt, no one wants to see YOU striptease."

Okay, insult it was. He was just happy his voice didn't shake when he said it.

Jou paused, then flushed with embarrassment before buttoning back up. What happened to flustering the CEO and having him cornered, you ask? He may have been eager to get one over on his rival, but even teenage hormones and self-confidence take precedence, and for all his talk, the blond was still shy over his body.

"You're a real jerk, you know that, Kaiba?" he muttered, trying to not feel too mortified.

Seto glanced at the blond out of the corner of his eye. He could see the telltale flush of embarrassment, and normally would have congratulated himself if it had not been for the sheen of tears glinting from the corners of the mutt's eyes. In that moment, he felt like a true idiot for being so harsh, though he couldn't fathom why.

It was just the mutt, after all! The mutt dressed up in a stupid girls' uniform and trying to fluster him. He deserved it, right? But the blond looked good…very good…and he'd been harsh because the delectable skin had taunted him to taste and nibble and nip, and he'd gotten scared. And when he got scared, he lashed out. It was a self-defense mechanism, same as when the blond flapped his mouth at his insults. But he could see he'd gone a bit too far, this time.

He'd never, ever apologized for his words. Suppose there was a first time for everything.

Seto pushed a hand through his hair absently, glancing at Jou for a silent moment, before he murmured, "So I've been told. I've been told that many times, mutt, maybe a bit too much, and push things too far to keep my reputation. I suppose, maybe, some things I say are uncalled for, what do you think?"

Jou lifted his head in surprise at his words as he slid the jacket back on. Was it just him, or did that sound like a roundabout apology? Seto Kaiba, apologizing? Had hell frozen over? He glanced at Seto, blinking a few times quizzically, before he slowly smiled and nodded. "Yeah…maybe so." he replied in a cautious manner, though, for some reason, his smile seemed to relax the stiff shoulders of the other, for they drooped slightly after his answer, and he looked more…relaxed. Strange. He cocked his head in a canine-like fashion, never knowing that Seto had seen his blinked-back tears, and studied him curiously.

"You know something…you never told me just why you came to my defense when Otogi first made the deal. Hell, you tried to make him black and blue over it. Why did you? Yugi and the others, I can understand, but you? It doesn't add up."

Watching the blond, hearing his question, Seto just couldn't resist. The pup had walked right into it, after all. He smirked lightly and idly waved a hand. "Simple, really. You only have one master, puppy, and Otogi was trying to claim something that didn't belong to him. Next time, I'll be sure you wear a collar with the proper identification on it." he drawled. His eyes glinted mischievously as he watched the other's eyes widen.

Here it comes. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

"KAIBA! I'M NOT A DAMN DOG!" Jou bellowed, windmilling his arms in anger.

"Bark louder, mutt, I don't think the people in America heard you." Gods, he loved this. He gazed on in silent pleasure as those honey-colored eyes snapped like stoked embers in a fire and the blond's features reddened in a fine fury. Could Otogi make him this mad? He doubted it.

"Yeah? Well, the people in America are gonna hear me kick your tail clear 'cross Japan, too!" Jou growled, before he pounced on the snickering CEO to launch his fists into that pretty-boy face, struggling when the brunette caught his fists with his hands and held him back.

"Naughty puppy, attacking your master." Seto purred. "Guess I haven't trained you enough. Maybe I should give you something to chew on, eh?" When he heard the blond caught between sputtering and growling, he smirked and leaned forward, licking Jou's cheek lightly, delighting in the way his eyes widened and his face reddened. He just couldn't resist. Had to be that skirt. "Maybe something long…and hard…and thick…what do you think? Interested, puppy?"

Jou, simply put, gaped at him in shock. He could tell his face was red, his cheeks felt like they were on fire. He couldn't possibly mean…! That's it. He was going to kill him…as soon as he could remember how to move and breathe and think.

If anything, Seto loved to fluster the blond. And this was the best yet. "You'll catch flies like that, puppy." he purred sweetly, his fingers reaching out to Jou's chin and closing it shut, smirking lightly when his teeth clacked shut, and he blushed.

"You…you…"

"I, I, what? Speak, boy, come on, speak."

Jou growled again and tackled him. It was fortunate that the CEO had landed back on the bench he'd been sitting on instead of the ground, because he took the advantage and straddled him, not caring if the skirt hiked up long, long legs, he just wanted to throttle him. "I'll show you…!"

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The same time as Seto and Jou's little confrontation, Honda had been doing his best to distract Otogi, as he had agreed upon with Jou. The dice-earringed baka wasn't too bad, once he was away from the blond he seemed to want to torment, he found out. A bit egocentric, but he was used to that from Kaiba, and Otogi wasn't as bad as him. Maybe his best friend brought out the worst in people, who knew. It was just as he walked with Otogi, talking about Dungeon Dice Monsters, school, and other things, he found out he enjoyed the other's company.

Otogi was direct, forward-thinking, opinionated, smart, and surprisingly, a little shy. This had surprised the short-haired brunette the most, but he could tell. When he wasn't trying to impress his fan club of girls or put on a show, the way he ducked his head, those catlike green eyes tilting down with his arms tucked behind his back, had shown Honda the hidden part of the other, and he had to admit it was…cute.

However, when they passed a window, that shy, soft appearance faded to a spitting, green-eyed cat as Otogi gazed outside, and he dashed for the nearest door, cursing.

Confused, Honda gazed outside, as well, gaping at the sight of Jou straddling Kaiba. "Uh oh…" he muttered, before he darted after Otogi, hoping to defuse the confrontation.

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Seto, in the meantime, was having the time of his life. While surprised at first at having a lapful of vengeful puppy in a short skirt trying to strangle him, he grabbed the hands going for his throat and pulled them back down to his sides, smirking lightly at the blond who glowered at him.

"Naughty puppy." he purred softly, watching Jou's cheeks suffuse with color. "Attacking his master, for shame. I ought to punish you."

Jou scowled lightly, his eyes narrowed. "I'm not a puppy, and you're not my master--eep!"

Seto's lips twitched in amusement at the little squeak from the blond, no doubt from his hands landing low on the shorter male's hips. He let his fingers splay on the hips leading to the legs stretched over his own legs, the hem of the skirt Jou wore just a smidge short of his fingertips.

"No? You certainly shut up for me fast enough." he drawled. "And who else can do that but your master?"

Oh, he knew that he was bridging unchartered territory--Jou was now frozen, shivering faintly on his lap, his eyes wide and tiny little puffs of breath were brushing against his face. He, as well, was struck to the spot, and not in any hurry to leave. He'd never been this close to the mutt, not without earning a fist to the face, and the closeness told him new things. The scent of apples from the soft-looking golden hair, the spicy scent of his cologne, strong muscles gathered under his hands, rippling in a slim, lithe body…

It was why he cringed at the sound of Otogi's voice and wished him to the farthest reaches of Timbuktu, instead of striding out to them.

"Kaiba! What do you think you're doing with MY property?!" Otogi railed, spitting like a scalded cat as he fairly stomped their way, Honda rushing after him.

That, of course, started Jou's brain back up again. It had frozen up on him with the close contact with Kaiba, those hands, those eyes. Now he scrambled off of Seto's lap and glared at Otogi. "I'm not your property, or anyone's property, for that matter!" he snarled.

Honda winced and threw the blond a look of apology as he placed a hand lightly on Otogi's shoulder. "C'mon, man. Calm down, they were just talking. Things between 'em tend to get carried away, as always."

"So I can tell." Otogi snorted, before he shrugged off Honda's hand. "I suppose you had something to do with this little fiasco, since it couldn't have happened in the first place without distracting me." he accused the taller brunette with a sniff, then glared at Jou. "We have a deal, puppy, and unless you're going back on your word, you're mine. No ifs, ands, or buts about it." He then smirked at the glowering CEO, and repeated, "Mine. Got that?"

"I don't belong to anyone!" Jou protested with a hiss. Something about the dice-for-brains laying claim to him after what happened with Kaiba--and seeing the brief look of hurt on Honda's face when Otogi shrugged his hand off--rubbed him the wrong way, and he marched up to the other and enunciated, "I'm this close to calling off the whole deal, honor or not. Push me, and I'll push back."

Otogi blinked slightly in surprise, then smirked. "So. The puppy's got teeth and a backbone, after all."

"Pity you're just learning that, now." Seto replied with a knowing sneer as he crossed his arms over his chest, blue warring with green in a competitive way.

Jou glanced back and forth between the two--blushing faintly when it came to Seto--and turned, looping an arm over Honda's shoulders. "C'mon, man. Let's leave the two warring bulls alone. I'm hungry, let's get something to eat before the bell rings."

Watching the blond leave with his best friend, Seto turned to Otogi calmly. "There's only one master who controls the puppy, Otogi. And I'm terribly sorry to say, it isn't you."

"Oh? You wanna bet?"

"No." Seto replied with a smirk as he got to his feet smoothly, gathering his things and striding past. "A Kaiba doesn't bet. He knows. I'll leave the betting to you, since you have the dice."

Otogi growled under his breath, determined to get the CEO back at his own game as he followed. The blond was just the icing on the cake.

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End Chapter 5