Slam dunk
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Warnings/notes : AU, Yami/Yugi, Seto/Joey, Otogi/Honda and possibly slight Bakura/Ryou, oocness.
Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
written at 19th april 2004, by Misura
Thanks to the people who reviewed the fourteenth chapter :
To Sugar-Kat : Thanks for the plushie! I'll do my best to update punctually next week. –smiles-
To Kaira-chan : Thank you very much! You're right in thinking of Otogi as not quite predictable … even -I- don't know how he's going to react yet … -sweatdrops and smiles-
To twinklefaerie : I did, though not with much. Thank you.
To Amonae : -smiles- Please, no poking. Thank you.
To Crystal Blaize : -grins- He's in this chapter too. Thank you!
To Snow Angel : Yup, the only one. –smiles- Thank you!
To Animefighter6 : I hope so too. –smiles- Thank you.
To Ril : Ryou and … Yugi? –blinks- Thank you for putting that idea into my head! –winks-
To Riyo-Hikaru : Rumors are … rumors. Nothing more. Giving you the answer to your other questions would be spoiling so … thank you! –smiles-
To Seto-Kaiba's-Fan : I'll do my best. –smiles-
To Anime-Ali : I didn't 'make' Anzu nice. Anzu -is- nice. –coughs and smiles apologetically- Uhm, thank you I mean.
To Kaze Thorn : Thank you! –smiles-
To hAdOwCat : What Anzu was trying to say is 'Go kiss Joey and make him feel better'. Sorry for confusing you. –smiles- Thank you!
To DarkShadowFlame : -beams- Thank you very much! I like writing Anzu. And uhm, I don't think this story's scheduled to end soon. –sighs-
To FungiFungusRayne : ['Guilty innocence' has been deleted, yes. Sorry.] Hey, don't whack my Seto! He needs to Angst! –sweatdrops and grins- Thank you!
To Star Light Shadow : Thanks for trying to help Seto. I'll see what I can do about your wishes. Them being my wishes too will help a lot, probably. –winks-
To Leaf Zelindor : Thanks for giving Seto a 'subtle' hint. –grins-
To Amarin Rose : Not much happens this chapter, sorry.
To Icy Flame : -beams and blushes- Thank you very much! I don't think Ryou's got room for two people though …
To Sei Kou Ki : I'll do my best. Thank you!
To Suppis Tenshi : Thank you very much, also for the vote of confidence in Bakura. –beams-
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Yugi was alone.
Anzu had left -whereto or what for Yami neither knew nor particularly cared about- and now Yugi was practicing by himself. He was doing pretty well too, Yami had to admit. Still, it wasn't as if it'd be of any use to Yugi as long as he remained so shy about playing in front of on-lookers.
Thus far, Yugi had only been playing with people he knew, people who encouraged him and didn't mind the least bit if Yugi failed to catch a ball or scored against them. He'd never played with any of the other members of the team. That was the one big flaw in Joey and Anzu's 'training-program'.
Yugi was too dependent on his friends. They should teach him how to hold his own, but instead they only strengthened his weakness.
Yami sighed, wondering why he was losing himself in thoughts at a moment like this. At a moment that offered him a perfect opportunity to step up to Yugi and ... do what? Hadn't he decided only a few seconds ago that Yugi was of no interest at all to him?
The fact that he disapproved of the way Joey and Anzu were coaching Yugi meant nothing. Yami shouldn't feel the least obligation to correct them, to help Yugi become good enough to make it into the team. Why would he?
Aside from a vague likeness in looks and a certain amount of talent for basketball, the two of them had nothing in common. Nothing to bind them, to make him feel like ...
"Uhm ... hi. I hadn't noticed you." Great. Now Yugi had seen him and, apparently, concluded he was here to talk to Yugi. Which was, admittedly, true, though Yami would have preferred to start their conversation only -after- he'd made up his mind about what it was that he wanted to say to Yugi.
He could act like Kaiba, Yami supposed; simply ignore Yugi and walk away. A useless action that would accomplish nothing. If Joey had been stalking -him-, Yami'd never have let it come as far as Kaiba had, judging by what little he'd picked up from the blonde's speech earlier on the day.
Kaiba lacked people-skills. And he was a coward, evading his problem and waiting until it went away on its own instead of actively doing something about it. Yami was better than that, like he was better than Kaiba in anything.
"You were busy." Yami didn't sound too friendly, but he did manage to sound polite. Besides, he could understand why basketball would keep Yugi from keeping an eye on his surroundings. It was good to be able to focus like that on a game. Yami wished Yugi had stayed focused like that a little longer.
Yugi nodded, offering Yami a hesitant smile. "Would you like to ... practice with me?"
It was a natural assumption for Yugi to make. Why else would Yami search him out? In theory, Yami might protest he'd come here 'just to talk', only Yugi'd probably -and quite reasonably- inquire what it was that Yami wanted to talk to him about. An inquiry Yami didn't have an answer ready for.
"I guess I could." It was hardly likely he'd learn anything from it, considering Yugi's skills, but it couldn't hurt. Unlike getting involved in a conversation, Yami sourly added, reminding himself he ought to prepare himself better the next time he decided to confront someone about a personal problem.
Yugi grinned. And threw the ball at him.
-----
"You know, Honda, you really are one of a kind," Otogi mused, listlessly shoving his dinner around on his plate. Honda had cooked, in 'celebration' of his moving-out. Not that he'd already gotten around to telling Otogi about that.
He'd thought that maybe he could make a last attempt to patch things up, prove to himself that he -could- win Otogi's friendship in spite of everything. After all, he might not get on Otogi's nerves as much anymore if he'd live elsewhere, but he also probably wouldn't see him as much.
"Oh?" 'Thank you' might have been safer. More cheerful and energetic also.
"Yeah. This stuff - " Otogi poked at the -well, no need to hide the ugly truth- drab on his plate, " - is supposed to be easy to prepare. Just add hot water, stir it a little and you've got dinner. I never thought -anyone- could mess it up this badly."
He could have known Otogi'd say something like that. Not that -that- made him like it any better.
"What can I say; I've got a lot of hidden talents," Honda grinned. Otogi sent him a Look that stated he was Not Amused.
"Too bad the emphasis in that line's on 'hidden'," Otogi retorted.
Honda ground his teeth, determined get through this last evening as inhabitant (or intruder, if Otogi's looks were anything to go by) without losing his temper.
"And what great and astounding talents would -you- have, aside from looking pretty and being a complete pest?" Had he said that out loud? Judging by the expression on Otogi's face, he had. Hm. Maybe it was a good thing he would be moving out tomorrow. Calling Otogi names was hardly going to improve their relationship.
For a moment, Otogi remained silent, his face expressionless. Or, perhaps, there were too many expressions on his face to read a single one of them, Honda wasn't sure. Otogi tended to be rather clear about his feelings and thoughts.
"I … " Honda began, not quite sure of how to continue. Because he -wasn't- going to apologize for speaking the truth, even if it had been rather tactless to flap it out like that.
Otogi laughed.
Honda blinked, confused.
That, apparently, was even funnier than his accusations, judging by the rise in volume of Otogi's laughter. Honda only wished he'd get the joke.
-----
If there was one thing Seto Kaiba prided himself on, aside from his self-control, it would be his efficiency. Once he'd set his mind to something, he would allow himself no rest until the task had been accomplished.
For something -or rather, in this case, someone- to hinder him in reaching his goal, was quite simply intolerable. Impossible. It just wouldn't do.
He had, without any exterior influence or pressure, reached the decision to do something about Joey's apparent depression. It bothered him in a vague way, distracted him from his daily routine, and thus it was a problem that had to be dealt with.
It wasn't, Seto assured himself, that he -cared- about the mutt. Or that that Mazaki-girl had gotten to him with her foolish talk about responsibility. It was just that the glomping Joey had fitted into his schedule, having become a normal aspect of his life.
Seto wanted that normalcy back, wanted Joey to get back to being a stupid mutt, who always came back to try and glomp him again, no matter what Seto said to him.
But how he was supposed to do that ... of -that- Seto didn't have the slightest idea. He'd never faced this kind of problem before, never had any need to actually encourage someone to get closer to him.
Closer ... well, not -too- close, obviously. It wouldn't do for Joey to think Seto actually -liked- him. That would be a lie, and Seto refused to degrade himself to lying. Only people who wanted to hide the truth, either from themselves or from others, indulged in lying.
Seto sighed, rubbing his temples and wondering what he was supposed to do. Cursing the day he'd first seen Joey Wheeler hardly seemed to be a very productive way to spend his time.
tbc