Title: Broken Wings

Author: Yugi's Tenshi

Rating: PG-13

Warning: bad language, bla bla bla

Pairing: Kaiba Seto / Jounouchi Katsuya

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

A/N: Took a few days longer than expected to write this (especially edit it, although I'm
sure there are enough mistakes left). But it's more than twice as long as the other
chapters and I hope this makes up for it. Enjoy reading and maybe drop a line when
you finished. As usual, thanks to everybody who did for last chapter!

.. Chapter Nine: Weaknesses ..

"Isn't this odd?"

"Abnormal is more like the word I'd use."

"Still an understatement."

Yugi sighed, eyes drifting toward where his best friend was sitting away from them at his desk. He seemed to be mulling over something, face crunshed up in wrinkles.

"Let's just say that it isn't like him to act this way and leave him alone. He'll tell us what's bothering him when he's comfortable with it," the small duelist finally said.

"But he's never been like this before!" Honda protested, looking in disbelief at his little friend.

"Yugi's right, though. We can't do anything about it, we have to respect it when he wants to be alone," Ryou chimed in.

"Like hell I will! He's my friend and I want to help him!"

"And what exactly do you intend to do?" Otogi asked, laying a calming hand on Honda's shoulder. The other yielded with a sigh of defeat. "We have to sit and wait. It'll work out eventually, you'll see."

"But something is seriously wrong with him. And Kaiba, if you ask me. They don't even dignify each other with so much as a glance, not to say they aren't at each other's throat all the …"

"Honda," Yugi intervened. "It's been ten minutes since Jou entered the classroom and they had no reason to fight whatsoever."

"But that's more than enough time. And not having a reason never stopped them before, either."

The group of friends fell silent as the truth of this statement sank in. They looked between their blond friend and Kaiba, who was staring distantly at the same page of his novel. It made sense that Katsuya's strange behaviour was connected to a certain blue-eyed CEO.

XDXDXDXDXD

"Are you coming, Jou?" Yugi asked hopefully as he passed his friend's desk when the bell to signal lunch break rang. The petite boy's brillinatly violet eyes shone with something akin to despair as Katsuya shook his head no. Yugi slumped his shoulders and sat down in the chair in front of the blond, straddling it backwards and folding his arms over the back to rest his chin on them. After all the other students had left the class room he sighed and breathed a single word, "Why?"

Katsuya looked up into Yugi's sorrowful eyes, a feeling of guilt instantly washing over him. "Sorry, Yug'. For making you worry about me I mean." And as and afterthought he added, "And all the others, too."

The wild-haired teen smiled. "It's ok, Jou. But tell me if you want to talk about it, 'kay?"

Katsuya slowly returned the smile. "Thanks. It's just … I don't know myself what's going on. And I don't know if I want anybody to know about it either." He looked back down at the desktop, his face thoughtful.

"Is it because Kaiba-san is involved?" Yugi prodded while putting one of his diminutive hands on his friends arm in a calming and supportive gesture.

Katsuya's head shot up to look at his friend, eyes wide and lower lip relentlessly worked by his teeth. "How do you … I mean, what makes you thi-"

"Just a feeling," Yugi interrupted, a new smile spreading across his angelic face. "Seriously, Jou, he's as much out of it as you are. It's not that hard to guess. Though Honda had to point it out quite bluntly," he added and laughed lightly. The blond just nodded, sighing wearily. "Still don't want to tell me?"

"Sorry, I really can't. I have to work this out on my own for now. At least I think I have."

Smiling reassuringly once again, Yugi left for lunch. "See you laten, then."

A shadow passing the door reminded Katsuya what had been on his mind all day. Or several days for that matter.

XDXDXDXDXD

Seto couldn't believe he had sunk as low as being a normal teenager. Whatever normal meant. His brain couldn't befriend the thought that he was indeed distracted by another person's behavior. Or lack thereof.

It was the first time he could remember not being able to concentrate on what he was doing. Every other sencond he would shoot a glance at the blond a few rows ahead of him, novel forgotten in his hands before lessons started and the teacher talking at the front droned out by his thoughts racing a thousand miles a millisecond. His mind seemed to have taken a liking to replaying the events of the former night in front of his open eyes, relentlessly reminding him of the figure at his fence which looked more than only slightly familiar. And that Katsuya didn't act like his normal self confirmed that it indeed was him.

It didn't make sense. Not at all. But then it did, in a twisted kind of way. Seto didn't know what to think anymore. He never had intended to think about the other boy at all. He was scum, someone he didn't want anything to do with and now he couldn't get him out of his mind. When he thought he did Katsuya's sun-kissed skin, or pouty lips, or deep, honey-colored eyes would wiggle their way in again. Somehow the blond had wormed his way into his brain and wouldn't let go of the synapsis he had wound himself around.

It made Seto boil with anger. And then again not. He never knew he could be such a contradictory person. And though he would never admit it to anybody, deep down he knew that his brother was right. Humans weren't made to understand feelings and emotions, they're supposed to act and follow where they lead them.

This realization hit Seto hard. When lunch finally rolled around he had to get away, get out of the classroom to take a few calming breaths in the more or less fresh air.

XDXDXDXDXD

"What do you want?"

So his solitude didn't last long. And it had to be the last person he wanted to see right now who approached him. Or maybe he wanted to desperately see him and talk to him. Whatever.

"I …" Katsuya sighed and averted his eyes to study the dirty ground infront of him. This was harder than he'd expected. Somewhere during the time spent with Seto in the hospital he thought that they had become closer. At least a very tiny little bit. They didn't fight and talked normally to each other, so why would Seto go back to snapping at him now? It made him angry. "What's wrong with you? I didn't do anything just now and the only thing you can think of is bellowing at me like that. Since when are we back to snide remarks without reason?"

Seto shrugged as he leaned against the wall of the school building behind him and folded his arms across his chest. "What's wrong with you?" He countered, nodding his head in the other's direction and ignoring the little outburst all-together. "Sneaking around other people's houses at midnight isn't something I'd define as normal behavior."

Katsuya mimicked Seto's shrug. Why beat around the bush? He was here to finally get clear with the CEO anyway. "I couldn't sleep. And if you must know why, it was because of you."

"Should I feel honored?"

"Don't play this arrogant-prick-thing with me!" Huffing irritably the blond told himself to calm down. "Why are we back to this? I can't understand it. What the hell did I do to you? I didn't even see you since last week!"

Shrugging again Seto looked away to stare at the trees in the school yard.

"Why are you doing this? Kai- … Seto, it's about time we finally talked about what happened."

"I have no clue what you're going on about." Seto's eyes locked with Katsuya's, cold and unfriendly, refusing to let any emotion show.

"You know damn well what I mean! Don't play dumb, Seto, it doesn't suit you! I told you exactly what I feel for you and I told you, more or less straight to the point, that I don't care about your past! It's time you let it go, because you live in the here and now! Either this or be mizerable for the rest of your life! You always claim to be a genius so why can't you see that! Sometimes I think I know you and the next moment I can't figure you out at all! I don't even know why I fell for you of all people in the first place! But you know what? You can't control things like that! You can't control your feelings! You can try to manipulate them into something you think more appropiate or whatever, but you can't control them! I love you, damn it, and I just know that you aren't completely uninterested!" Tears were streaming down Katsuya's face. He didn't even know where half of what he said came from. When he thought about what to say in this moment of confrontation he had it planned out completely differently. He was shaking, hands balled into fists at his sides, shoulders trembling as his eyes were shut tightly. He couldn't even see if Seto was still there or left during his tirade.

"What makes you think I'd be interested in you?" It was a question asked so quietly and with such a small voice that Katsuya had to open his eyes to believe it was indeed Seto who queried this. A very tiny smile hushed over his face as his tears ceased flowing.

"It's just a feeling, Seto. I have no proof. There are only clues to what other people think or feel, you can never be sure. All the little things you said and did while you were bound to that hospital bed are the only indication I have, but it gives me this feeling." Katsuya never expected the answer he got.

"I can't fall for you." He trembled, his whole body quivered with tremors as he pinched his eyes closed and shook his head. He had had no intention of saying that.

"Why?" Seto hadn't noticed Katsuya standing directly in front of him and almost jumped out of his skin when he felt the blond touching his forearms, his thumps lightly rubbing them. "What would be your problem? That I'm a guy?"

Seto shook his head. "I don't care what other people think about me, you should know that by now."

"What is it then?" Katsuya asked, eyes fixed upon the deep blues belonging to Seto.

The brunet couldn't stand it anylonger. Couldn't stand those inquisitive yet so trustworthy, honey orbs in front of him. Slowly and quietly he answered the question that was nagging him as much as Katsuya. "You're a weakness I cannot cope with. Mokuba is enough, there are enough people in danger already. I told you that I'm the wrong person to fall in love with."

"I'm no weakness whatsoever! I'm old enough to take care of myself, I never asked you to baby me, did I?" Katsuya looked incredulously at Seto, eyes wild with determination. "That isn't a reason to reject me, there is no sense in what you're saying right now."

Seto chuckled humorously. "My head tells me exactly that, but my heart just keeps repeating, over and over again, that you'd never be safe when you're near me." Leaning down, Seto captured Katsuya's lips in a chaste kiss.

.. tbc ..

Did I mention I hate ffn's new Document Manager? ... Now I did+grumble+