Slam dunk
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Warnings/notes : AU, Yami/Yugi, Seto/Joey, Otogi/Honda, possibly slight Bakura/Ryou, oocness.
Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
written at 13th june 2004, by Misura
Thanks to the people who reviewed the nineteenth chapter :
To Yugi's Girl006: -blushes- Thank you! If Bakura really is a threat to Honda … well, Bakura -did- leave, didn't he? (He'll be back, of course.)
To ChibiSerenity3: Thank you! –smiles-
To Seto-Kaiba's-Fan: Well, if he's a dog, Joey isn't an -old- one, you know. He can learn new tricks. –smiles and winks- Thank you!
To Koyuki: Sorry, no rushing the romance. Grandpa doesn't -hate- Yami; he's just … protective. Yugi has mentioned that Yami looks pretty on the outside but has some small personality-faults (or something along those lines) so … -giggles at the mental image of Bakura jumping out of a closet- Thank you!
To Snow Angel: How can you say discovering Bakura is real would be an 'unpleasant surprise' for Ryou? Well, canon aside, of course. –coughs- But yes, Otogi's in for a nice surprise. Anzu … well, I do my best, though I do think of her as a cheergirl. A nice, supportive one, that is. Thank you!
To Sansi: Oh, just that Yami's looks were nicer than his behavior. –winks- Thank you!
To FungiFungusRayne: Some questions will never be answered … and some are in the rest of this fic. Thank you!
To WolfBane2: You can't sense the deep love Bakura has for the people of the world? Aw! –winks- Thank you!
To firey punk girl: Was there ever any doubt about all of them hooking up? Be at ease, please. –smiles- Thank you!
To Amonae: Bakura … is a bit of a mystery. He'll remain that way until the end of the fic, I'm afraid. Thank you!
To mandapandabug: Nonono, I don't want to upset Seto. I need him to be happy and relaxed, to confess his deepest feelings to Joey. –sniffles- Today is not a M.U.S.T.-day. And I'm sorry for sticking to updating every Monday, but it's just … comfortable that way. Thank you!
To Crystal Blaize: You compare me with fast food that's bad for you? –giggles- Too soon for a kiss, but we're getting there. Thank you!
To Sarsusasamiga: Glad to hear you enjoyed it (though I've no idea why the Author Alert-thingie didn't work). Concerning turns of phrase … well, I'm sure -I- borrowed them from someplace too. I simply feel flattered my writing apparently stuck in your head so much. –blushes- Thank you!
To Tara-Jamina: Patience is a virtue.
To Alessa Embers: Just five more chapters … thank you!
To Strawberry Vanilla: Hmm, I'm afraid your review got cut off so … thank you! –smiles-
To Keioko-Chan: I hope this update will make you happy too. –smiles-
To Kaira-chan: Thank you very much! I did consider Joey just leaving, but since he had noticed Seto, it seemed … unlike him to do that. Especially since Seto obviously thinks Joey hasn't seen him, which would, in my interpretation, make Joey want to show him that Seto underestimates him. –blinks and wonders if that made any sense-
To FREAK014: Never enough sleep? Well … five-thousand years in a Puzzle does sound like a good, long rest to me, really. Maybe a little too long. Thank you!
To pisces071: Glad to hear you're enjoying my favorite pairing! –smiles-
To Star Light Shadow: Yami and Yugi are obviously going to get together. It is their destiny! –winks- Thank you!
To hAdOwCat and Yana5: Sorry to hear you didn't like Grandpa's protectiveness. HAdOwCat, I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter. Yana5, sorry to hear you disliked the fic so intensely.
To Aramis-chan: We-ell, 'settled' is maybe too big a word. 'Wrapped up', yes. And thank you for sympathizing with Seto! –smiles-
To radiany: It's always nice to hear someone loved a piece of mine. (As well as to hear they didn't, with a suggestion for improvement.) So … thank you very much! –beams-
To Kyoko Komiashi, Ril and Vapidbreath: Thank you! I do my best to update every Monday, though the chapter-lengths vary. –smiles guiltily-
To The Chaotic Ones (Aaries, Angel, Chaos and Jef): I'm making Bakura … ooc? –smiles nervously- You don't like the way I wrote him? Grandpa isn't displeased with Yami; he's simply protective of Yugi. Thank you! –smiles-
To Amarin Rose: Bakura … is a mystery, even to me. –coughs- Thank you!
To Flame Rhiannon: -looks a bit worried- I do write more stuff than this you know. I update this ideally weekly, on Mondays. I'm glad to hear you like this fic so much, though I hope I won't make you miserable by yet more stalling. Thank you! –smiles-
To Anime Crazed: Of course Joey's smart in reality! How you could ever doubt that … -winks- Thank you!
To Kiawna: Thank you! –smiles-
To Rikainiel: I think Yami deserved a bit of obstruction, and yes, he'll be recompensed by getting to spend time with Yugi. Thank you! –smiles-
To DarkShadowFlame: Sorry to disappoint you; this chapter's kind of short and bridging again. Thank you! (Though I did -not- need the mental image of Bakura opening people's heads. –winks and looks a little green-)
To Suppis Tenshi: Thank you! –smiles-
To AardvarkArrow: Thank you! I'd happily write Anzu some romance too but there simply didn't seem to be anyone left. –sweatdrops-
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Yugi looked up from the book he was reading as his grandfather knocked on the open door to his room to get his attention. He was actually supposed to be reading something for Literature, but ... he was afraid he'd fall asleep if he'd try to read that now.
Exactly what he'd dreamt about, Yugi couldn't recall. Only that he'd woken up far from well-rested and refreshed. His grandfather had worriedly asked if he was feeling ill this morning at breakfast. Yugi had reassured him he felt perfectly all right.
"I'm surprised to still see you here, doing homework," his grandfather remarked. There was a slight twinkle in the old man's eyes, as if he knew some secret that Yugi had tried to keep hidden from him. Yugi had no idea what that secret might be though.
"Where would I be going?" Yugi asked curiously, closing his book with a slightly guilty blush.
"Well, didn't Anzu call you?" There was a slight emphasis on Anzu's name. "I thought that maybe the two of you would be going somewhere ... "
Yugi groaned. "Not you too! We're just friends, grandfather, that's -all-. She wanted to tell me about ... something. She's -not- my girlfriend."
His grandfather winked. "That's what -I- said to my parents too, after I'd first told them about your dear grandmother. But meanwhile ... " The old man chuckled and shook his head.
"I'd -tell- you if I was feeling that way about someone," Yugi stated sincerely. "Like I also told you about Yami."
"Oh. Yes, Yami. That reminds me; he's here." His grandfather shrugged, apparently not thinking too much of it.
It took a few second for the meaning of those words to register.
"What? Now? Here? Why didn't you say so sooner? Where is he?" Yugi shot up. His grandfather eyed him curiously, and Yugi forced himself to calm down.
"I was under the impression that the two of you were barely friends yet, and since you were busy talking to Anzu, I told him to wait outside. I suppose he's still there. Unless he's left."
For a moment, the old man was afraid Yugi'd scream. Or try to strangle him.
"Well, -you- were busy talking to Anzu. I didn't want to disturb you," he added, as an explanation. "Girls can be so very sensitive about things like that, you know."
His words were spoken to empty air. Yugi had spurted past him, probably to open the door for Yami.
"I'd almost begin to think ... " Yugi's grandfather sighed and shook his head. "Maybe I'm simply too old to understand young people anymore."
Yugi's voice, slightly shrill, drifted upwards from the hall, inviting Yami to come on in. Yami's voice, somewhat deeper, answered him, thanking Yugi and assuring him no harm had come to him from standing outside waiting for a little while.
The old man wondered if he ought to go and play chaperone for the two boys. He knew Yugi could be a little shy in company, and judging by the way he'd spoken about Yami earlier, Yugi didn't feel as comfortable in Yami's company as he did in Anzu's or Joey's.
Then again, he'd also tried to keep Yami so that Yugi and Anzu could finish their conversation properly, instead of Yugi being forced to break it off. And -that- hadn't turned out too well.
Sighing, Yugi's grandfather decided that maybe he should try not to meddle and make an even bigger mess of things. Whether or not there was something going on between either Yugi and Anzu, or Yugi and Yami, it might be best to simply wait and see how things would turn out.
Yugi was capable of holding his own. And the boy knew that his grandfather'd always be there when Yugi needed help. Perhaps he should be satisfied with that.
Besides, Yami'd hardly attempt anything untowards in Yugi's own house. -That- much Yugi's grandfather had picked up from all those teen-movies he'd watched.
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"Hasn't anyone ever told you how annoying it is to be stalked?" Joey inquired, dropping down in a chair at Seto's table without so much as a 'by your leave'.
A small voice in the back of Seto's mind pointed out that he should be glad Joey was actually talking to him again, instead of ignoring him like the days before. Seto determinedly ignored it.
"I'd hardly think -you- have any right to complain to me about such a thing." Seto attempted to stress his nonchalance and control of the situation by taking a sip of coffee, only to find it had gone cold. Its taste made him grimace. "Besides, I'm not stalking you."
"Right," Joey snorted. "I happen to know your habits, Kaiba. Visiting some cheap cafeteria for a cup of coffee as breakfast isn't one of them."
"People change," Seto replied coolly. "As -you- should know."
"Is that a complaint?" Joey grinned, obviously enjoying himself. "Are you missing me hanging on your every word and declaring my undying love for you?"
"Hardly. The opposite would be closer to the truth." Seto shoved his half-full cup of coffee away with an abrupt motion. "You are reading too much into this ... coincidence."
"You do like using big words, don't you?" Joey rose, a grin still plastered on his face. "Well, I was planning to go to the arcade this afternoon and maybe see a movie this evening. So ... are you coming along?"
Seto narrowed his eyes. "Why would I be interested in wasting my time with you? I have much better things to do."
"Movie starts at seven," Joey informed him, shrugging into his jacket. "I guess I can count on you not showing up by the theater around that time by 'coincidence' then, can't I?"
Seto glared at him.
"Don't be late on our first date!" Joey warned him, as he walked away, with much more confidence than he actually felt. Still, Seto -had- shown up. At exactly the day after Otogi had 'casually' dropped the adress of this place as Joey's favorite place to breakfast in a conversation taking place just within hearing distance of Seto.
Making a mental note to thank Otogi if Seto would indeed show up at the movie-theater, Joey began to whistle. He might be getting his hopes up too early, but ... it was much too tempting to believe that everything was going to turn out exactly the way Otogi had predicted.
xxxxx
It was perfectly, utterly silent in the apartment.
The gameshop under it had closed its doors for the day some time ago, enabling Otogi to spend the afternoon on improving his game and going over the comments Yugi and Joey had made after their last try-out session.
At least, the peace and quiet -should- have enabled him to concentrate on doing those things. Instead, Otogi kept having the feeling like something was missing. Or someone.
After half an hour of staring at flying dice, Otogi made an angry movement with his right hand that was still holding the mouse, which caused the screen of his computer to go back to showing him the string of code he had written yesterday.
Sighing, Otogi shut down his computer and grabbed his cell-phone to call Joey. With any luck, the blonde would be angry at him for faultily predicting Kaiba to show up at Joey's favorite cafeteria. Otogi didn't mind Joey yelling at him, really. It was just part of Joey's personality to be rather ... expressive in indicating displeasure.
Besides, Otogi was still feeling a little guilty over painting such an exaggeratedly optimistic and unrealistic picture of Kaiba's feelings for Joey, so he felt that perhaps he deserved a bit of yelling. As long as Joey wouldn't go back to being depressed, Otogi could take some verbal abuse.
tbc