A/N: People have asked me why I've used a mix of both the Japanese names and the English Dub names- it's simply a matter of personal preference, but I may change it later on, to make it easier for other readers. I apologize for the large paragraphs, but it doesn't read right any other way. It's just the way I write. Please understand that no one proof reads this, except me, and I aint very good at it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Warning: Very mild 'stuff / fluff'.

Blue Eyes, Cold Heart

Chapter Three

He closed his eyes and let the steamy hot water hit his face. It stung at first, but he let it burn until his face was numb. The crusted blood was slowly washed away but the bruises remained, and so did the unexplained, haunting feeling, a sense of being caught in some strange mind-game, the strange raw emotions that no matter what would not go back into the Pandora's Box he had opened today. He cursed his own curiosity and temper, he cursed the situation and he cursed the slight headache that still lingered above his left eye, but most of all he cursed Kaiba. He leant against the shower wall, mentally exhausted, his mind having been in overdrive since he had left the stuffy Principal's office earlier that day.

He closed his eyes and all he could see were blue eyes and that pale face bearing that slight smirk, inviting him to do more damage. He opened his eyes and all he could think about was the sunlight falling across the lean body, the face focused on something faraway, suddenly vulnerable and in a way so delicious.

No, Jou told himself. He would not, he could not be taken for a ride by Kaiba.

He would not be drawn into this. This debauchery, this invitation to what seemed to be something sweet but was in fact very bitter. He could not, he wasn't like that, he had nothing against it, and he just could not believe that he could be this way, could not accept it.

Jou had always been so sure that he knew himself.

He had never felt like this before, and despite the protest his rational mind was rallying, he was enjoying it. He turned off the water and got out of the shower, his now familiar thinking place. The cold air gave him goose bumps and he welcomed the opportunity to shiver and briefly take his mind off of Kaiba and the way he had acted today. He reached for a fluffy towel to wrap around himself and he shook the wet hair out of his eyes.

He caught sight of himself in the mirror and only then did he start to realise the damage Kaiba had done. Jou's lip was cut and swollen, his brow was also swelling, along with a slight violet tinge the area. There was a large gash on his right arm and he was dotted with painful looking bruises and scrapes.

'Damn, I'm a mess,' he said to his reflection. He left the mirror scowling and scouted for some clean clothes, occasionally grumbling as various aches made themselves known. Settling on black jeans and a rather faded, oversized black t-shirt, he left his room, picking up his deck and duel-disk on the way, and left the house in hope of finding some food. Not that felt particularly hungry, his mind was on other things.

It took him half an hour to reach the KaibaCorp buildings, and a further fifthteen to find Kaiba's house hidden amongst the skyscrapers and narrow passageways. From the outside, it looked just like a cold lump of concrete with no real warmth or personality.

How appropriate, Jou thought, hesitating to knock at the door. He did so and he heard some scuffling and then, the door open slightly, and two round blue eyes peered round, then widened as they recognised the scruffy looking figure. The door opened fully, and Jou was positively attacked by a small black-haired mass of hyperactivity.

'Jou!' Squealed the figure, dragging Jou inside.

'Hey Mokuba,' Jou smiled, feeling slightly awkward. 'I think your brother has been feeding ya too much sugar again' Just then, Kaiba appeared. He was without the usual trench-coat, but dressed completely in sleek, rich black. Jou stared momentarily at the apparition, but Mokuba's general over-excitement managed to distract him.

'Mokuba, it's late, you should be in bed. You have school tomorrow.' Kaiba placed his hand on his little brother's shoulder to try and stop him from zooming around like a demented house-fly. He was partially successful. He smiled at his brother and Jou realised he had witnessed a rare moment. He had never seen Kaiba truly smile and was almost amazed by the event.

'Why do you get five days off and I don't?' The hyperactive boy huffed.

'Because I do. Go to bed now and I promise I will watch that stupid show you like with you tomorrow night.' Mokuba thought about this and then he smirked, and for a moment he was a smaller, louder version of Seto.

Finally he scuttled off, leaving Kaiba and Jou alone. Blue eyes examined the battered looking, scruffy blonde with a kind of contempt and a hint of hunger.

'You won't be needing that,' he said, pointing at the duel disk. 'We play the old-fashioned way. I believeâ€it's more intimate, and besides the noise would keep Mokuba awake. He's enough of a handful as it is, I really don't need him going wild because we're just playing games.'

Yeah? What kind of games? You have me wrapped around your little finger and you know it. You bastard. Jou felt pangs of bitterness but he bit it all back, not wanting to put the pale brunette in a bad mood.

'Ok... I guess,' he said, trying to keep his voice expressionless. Kaiba beckoned for him to follow him as he took steps down the dark corridor that lead to various parts of the large house. They reached a room that looked as if its primary purpose was gaming.

Inside there was a large table set up, with rectangles carved into it as card placeholders. The rest of the room bore paintings and sculptures of dragons, supernatural beings and other oddities, and again Jou was reminded of a gothic novel.

Despite the neat and modern appearance of Kaiba's home, it felt mysterious, dark, as if it were harbouring secrets no one should ever discover. It occurred to Jou that he had never really thought about the things Kaiba might like, his tastes. In fact, it had never occurred to him that Kaiba had enough personality for any of this- his offices were cold, white and sterile. He had always assumed that the boy with smouldering eyes who was now lavishly leaning against the wall was the same- but oh, how wrong had he been. He was the very picture of desirable arrogance, standing there in the dimly-lit room with a lopsided smirk colouring his face, hiding behind chestnut locks that Jou suddenly longed to touch.

'Sit down, make yourself at home.' The pale teen was being unusually friendly, which made it all the harder for Jou to keep his mind off of him. He sat down and arranged his deck on the table, trying not to look at Kaiba, yet feeling slightly dizzy. The feelings Jou experienced had intensified, and he mentally tried to still the butterflies in his stomach.

He watched the tall pale teen lean over a cabinet, arranging something. He wanted to be next to him, to see what it felt like to be in his body heat. He had given up trying to fight the strange new thoughts, he let them pour through him. They felt heavy, and even now they would not leave him alone. He wanted to tell Kaiba, to ask him what kind of a game he was playing at, he wanted to express his feelings before they suffocated him.

He sighed and rapped the tabletop with his fingers. Kaiba turned back around, holding two glasses and a bottle of white wine.

'Drink?' He asked, setting the glasses down.

Jou just looked at him, unable to speak. He caught a whiff of Kaiba's cologne as he leant over the table and before he could stop himself, he was inches from the pale face. A corner of Kaiba's mouth turned upwards and he cocked his head, eyes running over the bruises and cuts. Wordlessly, he began to pour the sparkling liquid into the long stemmed glasses and he passed one to Jou. He took it gratefully; the night was as hot as the day had been, the air stale and so thick it was hard to breathe. Being this close to Kaiba had just made it all the warmer, and Jou began to sweat. He gulped it down while Kaiba swirled it and sipped his carefully.

'Bourgogne Blanc, a fine 1997 bouquet,' Kaiba commented, examining the glass. Jou ignored the attempt at idle chat and gritted his teeth, trying to concentrate. He knew the other was merely trying to throw him off guard, to catch him unawares so he could further insult and frustrate him.

'More?' Kaiba offered, noticing the already empty glass. Jou nodded, placed some cards in his hand and gulped down the second glass.

Minutes passed as Jou pretend to arrange and re-arrange his cards and Kaiba was placing two cards face down on his side of the table while Jou still fumbled, his mind slowly hazing over as his unaccustomed body reacted to the wine. He toyed with some cards and arranged a few on the table, not paying any attention to them; rather, he was watching Kaiba.

Neither of them noticed that Jou had placed an unplayable card down. Jou took another drink, not taking his eyes off of the other.

'Kaiba,' Jou blurted out, unable to stop himself. 'Look, I dunno why you've invited me over, I dun' even wanna to try and understand what scheme you're running, but-'

Kaiba raised his index finger to his mouth and hushed the slur or words. 'Not another word, mutt.' He whispered softly.

This made Jou felt particularly useless and woozy, his mouth drooping open as the slender figure clad in black pulled himself up and dragged him up too. He wobbled, partly through the effects of the wine, partly through the rush of feeling the cool fingers on his arm. He stumbled forward, but Kaiba stopped him and pulled him close enough for Jou to smell the cologne clearly. He looked up, his warm amber eyes searching the blue ones which had melted from their icy glare into blazing azure flame. His breathing quickened and time came to a stand still as they stood there, faces inches away, the pale teen still holding Jou's arms firmly, and slowly nuzzling stray strands of blonde hair. He released his grip, snaking one arm around Jou's waist, pulling him closer, then trailed one finger around the flushed face, smiling hungrily.

'Don't struggle.' He quietly commanded to Jou's ear. The blonde relaxed a little and tried to make sense of things through his wine-addled mind. Soft lips brushed against his and his eyes widened in panic, but then closed slowly as the lips came again, this time stronger. He pushed back upon the lips, letting go of any fear and doubt.

This is it, he thought. This is the dream.

He felt hands on his face, pulling him closer, a hint of tongue tickling his lips. He retorted, exploring the warm mouth that still tasted faintly of wine, appreciating that it was indeed a fine bouquet. His hands trailed around the brunette's neck and then his chest, so glad to be touching him.

Lost in the moment, he reflected that the dream may have only haunted him for one day, but the feelings were older than that. He has just been very good at converting them to intense dislike. He half wondered how he had managed this, but didn't bother to answer himself. He was far too engrossed.

Kaiba broke apart, leaving Jou panting and bothered. He looked up and got lost in sapphire intensity. He never wanted the moment to end. It was as if the pale, cold, uncaring Kaiba had bared his soul to Jou, and he could see so much in that expression, in those eyes.

He had never seen anything like it, and it took his breath away.

How could he have ever hated something so beautiful?

Why did Kaiba hide behind that mask or cruelty and hatred?

This was not the boy he had known for so long, this was the man he had dreamed about, thought about in dark moments, even though he just pushed the idea away and pretended it wasn't real. He was so lost in those long, graceful arms and sweet smelling mix of wine and perfume that for a moment he forgot his aches and everything else. This Kaiba he was being held by was inherently both kinder and stronger than the other meaner, uncompassionate Kaiba.

A shuddering sigh escaped him, and he and wondered how something so vulnerable had stayed hidden for so long.

It felt as Kaiba had read his thoughts. His face lost its momentary softness, his expression closed in again and he smirked. Jou gulped, still feeling in awe of what he had experienced. His eyes darted around the pale face, searching for some remainder of that total exposure. But Kaiba wasn't so stupid. Aware he had let his guard down, he quickly returned to being the bastard he usually was.

He pushed Jou hard and pinned him against a wall, holding his shoulders painfully tight.

'Mutt,' he breathed. 'I want you to understand one thing, so please do me a favour a listen carefully; I don't want to have to repeat myself twice. This means nothing to me. You are nothing to me. If you should ever mention this to anyone, you will suffer. Now, does that make sense?'

'But –'

'Be quiet.' He barked. Jou complied, feeling a little nervous. He was longing for him to smile, to look at him kindly or something, anything to get back to the way they had been a few short seconds ago, but the tall brunette wasn't about to give in. He let Jou go and paced away back to the table to tidy away his cards, his face blank.

'Um... What now?' Jou asked, feeling stupid.

'What do you mean? Kaiba answered, his voice totally void of expression. Jou touched Kaiba's arm softly, still searching for the passion and beauty he had just seen. The tall boy turned to glare at him, his eyes icy and full of hatred once more. Jou pulled back, a rush of sadness engulfing him, much to his dismay. He looked down, not wanting to appear even more stupid than he already felt.

'I think I'll go,' he snivelled, shocked and confused.

He picked his cards up and left the room, trudging up the dark hallway. He blinked back the tears the prickled at the back of his eyes and threatened to stain his face, so he gritted his teeth and took one last look back.

In the shadows of unlit corridor was Kaiba, barely visible. He looked a lesser person as Jou glared at him, it appeared that he even tried to speak, but failed, at loss for words. Jou wrenched the door open with unnecessary force, stepped outside and slammed it shut. He sniffed hard and swore under his breath repeatedly.

Then he started to run, as hard as he could, back to his home. He didn't notice the tears that streamed off his face as he ran, or that his expression was set to a grimace. If he had thought he was confused before, there were no words to describe what he felt now.

By the time he had reached his front door, he was out of breath and bordering on hysterical. He leant on the door and looked up the sky. It was a murky, threatening purple and black, the turrets of clouds twisted hideously into grotesque shapes and it looked just like Jou felt. There were no guiding stars for Jou tonight.

'This, it's just too hard,' he panted, speaking to no one in particular. A chilly breeze cut through the stock-still air. Jou punched the wooden door and yelled, but no one heard him. A roll of thunder blanketed the night, and Jou escaped inside.

The rain began to patter soothingly as Jou climbed into bed, his face still wet. He slipped into a fitful sleep and didn't wake up to see the lonesome figure that had followed him home, a dark shadow that a few hours later was still there, dishevelled and drenched in the torrential rain.

A/N: Oooh Err, cliff-hanger anyone? I included Mokuba ... pointless, but irresistible. It had to be done. This is getting longer than I anticipated, not sure if it's a good thing.