Chapter 3
Kaiba drove himself to school on Friday morning, in case he had to beat a hasty retreat like Tuesday and Wednesday. He also deliberately arrived fifteen minutes late, instead of half an hour early as usual, so that he could spend as little time in class as possible. He parked his shiny new sports car in the front parking lot, screeching to a halt in the space reserved for the Vice Principal, which was oddly empty. He wondered if the administration would dare ask him to move it.
Kaiba walked to the steps leading to the front doors. He froze with his foot on the first step when he heard someone call out, "You're late!"
He looked up, and saw Jou sauntering down the stairs to meet him. He stopped on the last step, close to Kaiba's foot. "And you drive like a maniac."
All sorts of expletives ran through Kaiba's head as he looked up at Jou. This was exactly the kind of thing he was trying to avoid! Had he been waiting there for him? What did he want now? He did note, however, that Jou too had his own bruises, a cut on his lip and some discoloration around the corner of his mouth. He was suddenly smug, and tried to sidestep Jou, remembering that he meant nothing to him. The blond, however, moved quickly to block him.
"Shouldn't you be in class, or something?" Kaiba asked nastily.
"Shouldn't you?" Jou retorted.
"Where do you think I'm trying to go?"
"Missed you yesterday." His voice was casual enough, but the slight curl in Jou's lips betrayed him.
"Did you now?" Kaiba enquired dryly.
"Yeah. It's always fun to torture the one you love." Kaiba noticed that Jou was licking his canine again. He realised, not for the first time, that he had no idea why Jou was doing this. Sure, he'd been rejected, and none too kindly at that. But still, this aggression was confusing, and, Kaiba thought, way beyond normal behaviour.
"Why don't we just settle this now? So you got rejected. Big deal. Get over it, mutt. What are you trying to do?" He pointed to his temple. "Beat me into loving you? From what I hear, that's not the way these things work. So why don't you just back off gracefully, save a little face?"
"I actually just like hitting you. And it's not about saving face either, as pretty as I might be." He smiled ruefully as he fingered the dark bruise around his mouth.
"What is it about then? Because I'll have you know, I think you might be insane."
Jou ignored the remark about his mental health. "It's about you," he said simply. "You never said you didn't feel anything when I kissed you, and I won't take 'Fuck off' for an answer. I know you want me; I felt it, on the floor. You did too. That's why you took off like I had the plague, or something. What's it gonna take for you to admit it to yourself?" Jou looked beseechingly at Kaiba.
"Jounouchi, you really need to get over this." The use of his given name roused Jou a little. Kaiba barely realised he'd called the other boy something besides mutt or puppy or loser dog. "School's over; this little daydream you've been living should be ending too." Kaiba looked condescendingly at Jou. He was suddenly feeling generous. He wouldn't start another fight, not now. He spoke slowly, and patronisingly. "Now look, I'm being gentle, just like you wanted. Get someone else to fantasise about, okay?"
"Are you sure that's what you want?" Jou challenged. His voice was low, and dark.
"Anything that makes you happy," Kaiba replied sarcastically. He looked behind Jou at the front doors, and then at his watch, a silent signal to the blond to move things along. He impressed himself, projecting such a calm exterior; he'd really gotten good at it over the years, he mused. On the inside, however, he was eager to escape the blond's presence, longing to retreat to the safety of a class full of people who never talked to him.
"Yeah right. You don't wanna see me with anyone else as much as I don't wanna see you with anyone else." Jou seemed confident in that statement. Kaiba snickered.
"I really couldn't care less, puppy. Fuck who you want, when you want, wherever you want - it's none of my business. Are we done yet?" He was now more impatient than he'd ever been to get to class. Maybe he'd have to use violence after all. Jou stood silent for a minute, seemingly deep in thought.
"I – I guess we are," he said abruptly. "And maybe you're right. But one thing's for sure - you'll regret you ever said that tomorrow." Kaiba took a good look at Jou as he said this. He didn't look defeated, or any other variation of sad at all. He looked like he was just getting the upper hand in a monumental game, the kind of game where the risks were sometimes greater than the reward. Kaiba didn't understand Jou's expression at all. So he rolled his eyes, and exuded an air of indifference.
"Tomorrow? What's so different about tomorrow?"
"You're coming to Otogi's party, right?" The question seemed innocent enough, but it was totally out of context.
"Of course not," Kaiba sneered.
"You should. You might see something that'll give you an epiphany; clear a few things up for you." Jou looked at Kaiba, face blank, but serious. Kaiba realised that Jou wanted him to come to the orgy of drunkards and stoners that he called a party, but he had no idea why. For all he knew, he had just shot Jou down, but here he was looking like still had a chance.
"No. I can destroy brain cells by myself at home if I really wanted to. No need to have others do it for me." He made to sweep past Jou and up the stairs, but stopped when Jou grabbed his arm as he passed. Jou leaned in close, his lips almost touching Kaiba's cheek, his hot breath swirling in the whorls of the taller boy's ear.
"Trust me," he whispered throatily. The sultry tone hit Kaiba like an ocean wave, and his heart trip-hammered in his chest with the power of it. "You'll be missing a hell of a party."
With that, Jou released Kaiba and stalked off toward the front gates, hands deep in his pockets, heading out of school. Breathing deeply, he decided to add what just happened to an ever-growing list of things he planned to forget. He pushed the whole morning encounter deep inside as he made his way to class, ignoring the stares of students and the teacher as he strode to his seat with the haughtiness fitting of the CEO of KaibaCorp.
Since it was the last day of school for them, they had a half day, and were all out by lunch. As he walked to his car, the endless amounts of people milling about him were detailing their plans for the evening, the weekend, and the rest of the vacation. He heard a couple of people specifically mention Otogi's party. He scoffed at the idea as he slid into the driver's seat - Otogi's party indeed. There was no way he'd ever indulge in such a low class form of entertainment, although he was sure it wouldn't be low class at all. Whatever Otogi Ryuuji was, he wasn't low class. He'd pull out all the stops and have the biggest, most extravagant bash he could; it wasn't like he couldn't afford it.
Sometimes Kaiba found himself almost outraged about just how much money Otogi probably spent on parties. He knew the value of money, the value of hard work. He also knew that most of the wealthy had worked hard and sacrificed to get to where they were. Gozaburo had; he had. It was almost an affront to him that Otogi frivolously frittered away all that money on useless extravaganzas.
Kaiba revved his engine and checked his rear-view mirror, making sure no one was in his way. He saw people jumping from behind his car, and he almost laughed at how comical they looked - like cats shooting hysterically into the air in surprise. He reversed out of the parking spot sharply, paused briefly to put the car in gear, and then took off like a shot out of the front gate. The sea of students had parted for him, and he was sure he'd left behind a trail of smoke. He couldn't leave the place fast enough.
He peeled through the streets of Domino, careening around corners and running red lights, driving as if he owned the very asphalt the streets were made of. What was the use in owning a sports car if he never really used it, he reasoned. He drove faster and faster until the world was as blurry as his mind, and then he slowed down, remembering that not being able to see the road was a bad thing. He made it to the mansion in record time, not to mention narrowly avoided at least four accidents; but now he was over the speed rush and needed something else to occupy his time.
Mokuba had a half day too, but Kaiba knew that he had plans with friends from school – a pizza party and then a sleepover. Kaiba knew he couldn't go to the office; he wouldn't get anything done in such a distracted state. So, he decided to stay home and continue his analysis of the prototype games he had played the day before. Halfway through the games, however, he abandoned his attempts at industry and simply enjoyed them as a gamer. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he could still lose himself in a game without violently obsessing over codes and resolution and everything else he ordered daily reports on. He still noticed, but he didn't obsess.
After he had finally beaten all of the games, he searched for something else to do. Work? Puzzles? Television? Books? None of them would hold his attention. He'd never been this restless before; he'd learned long ago the advantages of being quiet and still. Night fell, and, settled in a couch in the living room, he allowed himself to think the thoughts he'd been avoiding since that morning.
He'd thought he was done with Jou, but honestly, the boy's cryptic last words circled in his mind. Epiphany? Who knew the mutt even knew the word, far less what it meant? And what about the way he said it, in that voice that made Kaiba's blood rush ten times faster and made his breath quicken? It was all food for thought, but Kaiba was sure he'd eaten enough. He was full, and couldn't take another bite.
He still wondered just what Jou had meant, though. It was too bad he'd never find out. He wasn't going to Otogi's party, so he'd never have this epiphany Jou assured him was waiting for him. He wasn't going, not only because parties were horrible pastimes, but also because when he really thought about it, he didn't want to know what Jou was alluding to. Not at all. Not really. All he wanted was to put the past few days behind him, and he was ready to bury everything. Almost.
He got up and made his was to the foyer. There, on the marble table in the middle of the space, was where they kept mail and other miscellaneous junk acquired during the day. It was Mokuba's responsibility to clean it, and since the little boy still sometimes forgot to tie his own shoes, Kaiba was pretty sure his invitation would still be there, buried in all the other papers. After a little sifting and tidying – he couldn't help himself - he found it, and returned to the living room to better inspect it.
It was a professionally done invitation, a small rectangle of stiff cream-coloured paper with the words "Otogi's Champagne Bash" printed in the middle. On the back were directions to Otogi's horribly pretentious house, the date of the party and the time it started (10 pm-till), and his phone number. He saw that it was a little crumpled, probably from being viciously shoved into his coat pocket after Otogi dangled the damned thing in his face for the fifth time last week.
Otogi was famous for his themed events, and it seemed that he threw one every month, and they were all as flamboyant as he was. This one, it was rumoured, promised to surpass them all. While this stirred excitement in the very souls of others who had been invited, Kaiba couldn't care less. He had hardly given the invitation a glance before he'd flung it onto the table along with other bits and pieces of paper he had amassed during the day.
But he looked at it now, at the raised lettering and dark ink, wondering if he should go after all. Not for the advertised sin and debauchery, but to find out exactly what Jou was talking about. Kaiba was sure now that the blond had something planned for him, and he had to admit that he was a little curious about it. What did that loser think he could say or do that would make Kaiba change his mind? Absolutely nothing could, Kaiba assured himself. He really didn't want the loser dog at all. So why not go? Go, and turn him down again, and laugh at the mutt when he accepted final defeat. That would be the perfect end to his matriculation at Domino High, wouldn't it? The ultimate humiliation of the ultimate thorn in his side.
He turned the invitation over in his hands, silently evaluating the merits of this plan. Aside from his own amusement and the mutt's utter humiliation, he couldn't really produce any more good points. He'd have to go to the place, first of all. Then he'd have to hang about for an extended period of time with the inescapable, ever-present drunkards and stoners. Alcohol often reduced one's inhibitions, so there was no telling how many advances he'd have to reject. Alcohol often induced vomit also, and there was no telling how many puddles of it he'd have to dodge to remain reasonably clean. He suddenly couldn't believe he had to talk himself out of going to the Champagne Bash, and that vomit was one of the major cons.
That definitely settled it. He was definitely not going. He and Mokuba would go to dinner, and have fun. He wouldn't think about the party again, and he wouldn't think about Jou again. He felt satisfied, as if he'd finally finished a book he'd been reading for entirely too long. He was just about to get up to throw out the invitation, when the phone rang.
Dropping the piece of paper to the coffee table he had his feet propped on, he hauled himself off the couch and walked over to the phone at the back of the room. It was Mokuba, calling to say that he was fine and to say good night. Kaiba smiled as he told his brother good night, the kind of smile that he'd never let anyone else see. He didn't need anyone else. He had his brother.
Feeling suddenly sleepy, he went upstairs and crawled into bed, dreams of Jou the farthest thing from his mind.
When he woke, if he'd had any dreams, all memory of them had been evaporated by the sunlight streaming across his bed from the open windows. That was the second day that week he'd gotten up after the sun. He mentally told himself not to make a habit of that as he made his way to the bathroom.
By the time he came downstairs it was around 8am, and Mokuba was already coming through the front door. Two seconds later, he was being regaled with a detailed account of everything that had happened to Mokuba last night. Kaiba benignly listened to the little boy's chatter, until it was absolutely necessary he leave for KaibaCorp. He invited Mokuba to come along, but he declined, preferring to watch Saturday morning cartoons.
So Kaiba made his way to KaibaCorp in his chauffeured car, ready to be a productive and efficient contributor to the Japanese economy.
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