A/N: sorry about not putting a lime warning up on the chapter before last. Little lime warning here, too. I've had a few requests to just put in a lemon already (kaiba x Joey), but I'm a little hesitant coz of the R rating. But if you guys really want one, I'll put one in promise! just make sure to request it and don't forget to review! Thanks guys.
Oh yeah! And sorry this chap took longer to come out, MAJOR computer troubles XP
7. The Troubled
Joey boredly drummed his fingers on the desk, and idly looked to the desk clock. 5:43. He had been waiting here for almost an hour, and still no sign of Kaiba. He was beginning to get hungry. 'Eh, maybe I should jus' leave…' he thought with uncertainty. This wasn't getting him anywhere, anyway. He'd get more studying done at home. By himself.
Making his decision, Joey nodded to himself, before getting up from the desk seat and stretching. Just as he was about to reach for the study's door, it flew open. Joey blinked.
"Leaving so soon?" Kaiba spoke with sardonic disinterest. He pushed passed Joey, who was frowning at him, and placed his laptop down on the desk, in front of the seat.
"Whaddaya mean 'so soon'??" Joey demanded, fisting his hands. Kaiba made him so mad.
"Well, you were late yesterday, Wheeler, so now we're even." The CEO didn't even look at the blond as he began opening some programs on his laptop. Joey, for his part, fumed.
"What…?! That was, like, 10 minutes! You're almost an hour late!"
Kaiba clenched his teeth. The mutt's voice was beginning to annoy him. "Look," Kaiba said venomously, turning to look at the blond, "Not that I need to justify myself to a mutt like you, but obviously you've forgotten that I have a business to run. Some things are a little more important than getting a menial history assignment done." He spoke the last part with sarcasm, glaring at Joey. But the blond wasn't deterred by the brunette's glare, and just crossed his arms over his cheat, rolling his eyes.
"Not that we're gettin' anythin' done…" Joey commented the thought aloud, looking away in annoyance.
Kaiba sighed in irritation, bringing his fingers up to rub the bridge of his nose. First he had to deal with the screw-up those incompetent, moronic excuses for employees managed at Kaiba Corp, now this. A stupid mutt determined to work on a school project. At least the mutt hadn't told anyone about what they did last night.
Getting up from the his seat, Kaiba again passed the current source of his irritation without even a glace, and walked out of the room, throwing a quick "Wait here" before disappearing.
Joey bustled, trying to indignantly say something to stop the CEO from leaving. Too late. Kaiba was gone, and Joey sighed in defeat.
'This is crazy' Joey sighed, settling back on the desk seat. He glanced over to the laptop's screen, again feeling the familiar boredom associated with waiting. Maybe he could get the internet started on this thing? Just to start some research? He reached out to touch the keys, before freezing. 'Better not…' he decided, blowing out a breath and leaning back again. 'Kaiba will kill me…'
The blond threw his arms up and stretched, before leaning them behind his head. If he had to stay in Kaiba's mansion, shouldn't he at least get some leisure privileges? 'Like a little food, maybe?'
Ryou pulled the sheets around his lithe frame, feeling a chill suddenly caress his bare skin. He must have left the window open. Forcing himself to open his eyes, The white-haired teen raised his head from the pillow to look at the clock. Almost six o'clock. He wasn't meant to be in bed at this time, but when he had gotten back from school, his lover had been very persistent in getting them both naked and under the sheets for 'some proper fun' as he had described it.
'I should get up and get some homework done…' He thought as he leaned his head back down, this time on the bare chest of the body beside him. 'I did tell Yugi I'd call him after all. We are supposed to be working on our history assignment.' But the thought was only half-hearted, and Ryou only closed his eyes as he snuggled against the other's strong torso, wrapping his arms around him.
"You'd rather call that shrimp than spend your time with me?" Bakura suddenly asked his companion, not moving from his face-up, relaxed position. The other caught Ryou by surprise, and he stiffened for a second, before turning his head upward to look at his counter-part. The teen almost smiled before frowning as he registered what the other had said.
"Bakura," Ryou began to chide, although his voice was soft, "You're not supposed to listen to my personal thoughts." They had discussed this before. Bakura had a way of deepening their connection… so much, in fact, that he was able to uninvitedly listen to the teen's personal thoughts. It was disconcerting at first, but, his lover being Bakura after all, Ryou had gotten use to it. The other hardly ever did it, acknowledging his lover's privacy, and only did when he was feeling naughty or wanted to piss the other off. He had still yet to make Ryou actually yell, though.
"And you still haven't answered my question." Their conversation was light, and Ryou knew Bakura wasn't really upset.
The other sighed, as he felt his spirit's fingers begin to move softly through his hair. It felt so relaxing. He leaned his cheek back down on Bakura's chest. Little shows of affection from his lover were rare – few and far apart – so Ryou didn't want to ruin the moment. He could forget about school just this one time. Not studying for one day wouldn't kill him…
"You know? I actually don't feel like researching haunted hotels right now. Maybe… I'll just… stay…" The teen snuggled the other again as he closed his eyes. Resting for just a while more would be okay… he didn't really have a chance against the soothing strokes from his lover anyway.
"Good." Bakura replied bluntly after a while of watching his lover slowly fall into slumber. Ryou didn't say anything, but just nuzzled his chest ever so slightly. The stupid teen was being cute. And Bakura couldn't help but stroke his lover's soft hair. He could always deny it tomorrow if Ryou inquired. But for now, he'd just indulge a little. The kid needed to relax more, anyway. Always so obstinate about studying and talking to his friends. It seemed pointless to the tomb-robber.
There wasn't much the blond could do but look around the study. Pretty big room. Nice, big, sturdy desk – he knew just how sturdy from last night – Joey coughed at the thought, feeling his cheeks warm with a blush. Moving on… connecting bathroom was a plus. Big windows… not much in the décor, though. Especially compared to the rest of the room… It was actually kind of bland. But he guessed, being Kaiba's study, there wasn't much to be expected.
Joey sighed. The boring room could only keep him entertained for so long. He spun in the seat for a bit, before stopping in front of the desk. The laptop's screen was glaring at him… mocking him almost. Joey frowned. It was just begging to be used. And who knew when that jerk Kaiba would be returning?
Making his decision – albeit on flawed logic – Joey made his move. He slouched close to the glaring laptop and glared back at it before touching the cursor pad. The bright screensaver instantly disappeared, and he was greeted with the introductory page of the 'Encyclopaedia Tokyo' program. Hmm… Kaiba must have opened it before he left.
'If he was gonna use it ta research the hotel, what's the harm if I get it started while he's gone?' It made perfect sense in his own mind, so Joey clicked on the search bar – with a little difficulty controlling the touch pad – and typed in the focus of his project. 'Golden Spirit Hotel'. As soon as the teen pressed the enter key, a new page occurred, with a list of dozens of links relating to the Hotel. From the tabs at the top of the page, he worked out that there were a number of different result options he could search.
'Let's see…' The blond thought as he scanned over the tabs, 'Geographical Reports… nah, I don' need ta know where it is… History… that might help… Ohh…' The blond pursed his lips with wonder, 'Articles! That's gotta be interestin'. Bein' a haunted hotel an' all…'
Joey clicked on the tab, causing the page to reload and a new set of findings to appear. Each finding contained the title and a few first sentences for each article. He quickly scanned through the first few.
"Spirits accommodated at the Golden Spirit?… The new and increasingly popular Golden Spirit Hotel, located in our very own Fiar Vrone City, has caused quite some controversy as of late, as yet another 'spirit' has claimed to be sighted at the elegant hotel…"
"A Hotel home to Ghosts is dead profit... The highly popular Golden Spirit Hotel may be subjected to failure, claims a newly dropped investor of the Hotel. Martin Hamilton has told Fair Vrone Weekly why he decided to sell all his stocks concerning the controversial, supposedly 'supernatural' hotel…"
"Golden Hotel Hoax… Yukina Morimotou, skeptic and owner of the 'Imperial Hotel', claims that the supposed supernatural activity surrounding the Golden Spirit Hotel – a strong competitor to Morimotou's business – is merely a promotional scheme…"
"Murder at the Golden Spirit Hotel… Last night, at approximately 3:30am, Tori Johnson was stabbed in the chest 13 times while in bed during his stay at the Golden Spirit Hotel, in Fair Vrone City, Tokyo. The 17 year-old 'Fair Vrone High' school student was believed to be staying…"
The fourth article caught Joey's interest, and – curious - decided to click the link to read the entire report. It was dated quite a long time ago, and was written for the 'Tokyo Morning Press'… as the newspaper was called back then. He began to read the article.
"Last night, at approximately 3:30am, Tori Johnson was stabbed in the chest 13 times while in bed during his stay at the Golden Spirit Hotel, in Fair Vrone City, Tokyo. The 17 year-old 'Fair-Vrone High' school student was believed to be staying at the hotel with , a 20 year old stock marketer who had made it big in the riches ever since investing early in entertainment businesses. Although police are reluctant to disclose any information regarding the stabbings that killed the young teen during his sleep, it is believed that Kaito Satonori is the murderer, who is currently no where to be found. The Hotel will be closed until further notice."
Joey frowned. The article wasn't very informative. Seeing a link that read 'related articles' underneath the report, he clicked it and read the first one that he came across.
"The Tori Johnson murder put to trail
The murder case for Tori Johnson, the 17 year-old high school student from Tokyo, is finally being put to trail. The helpless boy who was stabbed 13 times in the chest while asleep during his stay at the Golden Spirit Hotel, may have a chance to finally rest in peace, as his supposed murderer is being put to trail. The 20 year-old stock marketer, Kaito Satonori, was found attempting to escape the country for Egypt after the murder had taken place. Although a murder weapon was not found, police believe that there is enough evidence to put Satonori behind bars for life.
Tori Johnson and Kaito Satonori had came to the Hotel together and had occupied the same hotel room. Witnesses of their arrival claim that the boy seemed to have accompanied Satonori willingly, and it is even believed that the two may have shared a homosexual relationship. Although Tori's parents strongly disagree with the allegations, police have found evidence that proves otherwise. 'The possibility of paedophilia is being looked into,' told detective Usegai, who is the lead detective concerning the murder. 'We are looking into past underage murder records, to see if there is any link with Kaito Satonori.'
No comments or pleas have been made by Satonori as of yet, who's lawyer announced yesterday that he will not be disclosing any information to the media. 'He Kaito Satonori will make his plea during the hearing and no time before.' The lawyer told the morning press. Many believe this is a sign of guiltiness, however, the sentence will not be made until the trail in two weeks time.
The end of the trail will announce the re-opening of the Golden Spirit Hotel, as the hotel's spokesperson told newspapers when the hearing was announced. Already, the hotel has been completely booked-out for the first three months, and the management holds 'high hopes for more success'. The Hotel's spokesperson told the Morning Press that 'The unfortunate event of Tori Johnson's death had ironically aroused great success for the hotel. Many people from all over Japan have heard of the news, and want to visit the scene of a real-life murder mystery.'
Much controversy surrounds the re-opening of the Golden Spirit, but the hotel has decided to keep the business running. 'If not for the profit, than for the memory of Tori Johnson, who's young life had been unfairly taken within our premises one month ago at precisely 3:21am…'"
Joey frowned as he read the last figure in his mind. Why did that particular time seem so familiar? The blond was about to move onto the next article when suddenly he heard a cold voice address him from the doorway.
"What are you doing?" The all too-familiar voice demanded. Joey froze in his slouched position, feeling like he was caught with his hand in the cookie-jar, as he turned to look at the CEO before him, making sure to remove his hand from the expensive laptop.
He opened his mouth to speak, but froze once again at the sight of the tall brunette standing in the doorway, looking down at him with that usual degrading glare. Kaiba's arms were crossed as he took in the situation in front of him… but the narrowed eyes didn't have quite the same impact as they usually did, and Joey guessed it was because of the seemingly non-threatening attire the other was uncharacteristically wearing.
Kaiba was dressed casually… in loose black slacks and a dark, slightly big turtle-neck sweater that Joey had to admit looked quite comfy. He looked… well… sexy. Kaiba was still awaiting an explanation, as Joey blinked a few times.
"Ah…" he began to stutter, before mentally shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He wasn't going to let Kaiba - of all people – weaken his defences. "What does it look like?" The teen shot back, moulding back into his defensive state as he stood up. "I'm doin' what I came here to do! Research."
Kaiba frowned as the mutt crossed his arms in defiance, not at all intimidated by him. The CEO frowned at this. He did not like it when he lost his effect on people. He stormed over to the standing blond, who still wasn't deterred.
"And when exactly did I give you permission to use my laptop?" He spoke venomously, standing high in front of the teen, and increasing his glare ten fold. The mutt still wasn't weakened.
"Well, you were gone for so long, I figure one of us may as well get somethin' done," The teen said logically, but with a hint of anger.
Kaiba blinked at the teen. Joey didn't seem intimidated by him at all. And being so forcefully close… he half expected the teen to shrivel up like he had the last two times. He opened his mouth to yell at the blond again, but found that the words just wouldn't come. Staring down into the eyes of the mutt below him suddenly sent a shiver down his body… and suddenly, the slightly pouting lips of the defiant boy before him seemed irresistible.
Joey felt a gasp sound in his throat as the brunette looming over him suddenly swooped down to seal their lips together. The blond was taken totally by surprise, and froze again for a moment when he felt a tingling sensation overcome him at the contact of the other's soft skin. However, when he felt the taller push his hand through his hair, he quickly overcame his shock as pressed their mouths together more forcefully, as Kaiba's other hand found its way around his waist and under his shirt to rub his bare back. All thoughts of the haunted hotel leaving his mind, Joey further responded to the kiss by parting his lips to allow the velvety, wet tongue of the other to slip inside his mouth. He wrapped his arms around the CEO's neck as he felt the other apply pressure to his torso, realizing he was being pushed back onto the very study desk as the two vigorously made-out. The laptop was pushed to the side as Kaiba continued to ravish the blonde mercilessly; Joey, in which, was all too eagre to accept the treatment. As Joey felt a warm hand move from his back to the zip on his pants, it appeared it would be another satisfying night for the two. Of course, also resulting in a lack of research done. But whatever.
Yugi sighed as he lay back on his bed, reclining against the many soft pillows as the object of his distressed thoughts moved to sit above him, one leg on either side of the teen. Yugi closed his eyes, trying to relax when he saw his pharaoh smile comfortingly down at him. When he felt the other lean over him to begin kissing his neck, Yugi sighed, and tried to revel in feeling as strong hands moved to caress his shoulders. It felt good, Yugi thought, as he allowed himself to feel the sensations coming over his body. It was comforting to feel the gentle – very much alive – touch of his Yami, and the short teen pushed his head back slightly to give the other more room for his delicious ministrations. The caresses on his shoulders turned into a massage and Yugi almost moaned at the feeling.
Yami made sure to be as gentle as possible with his young lover below him. He knew the other was distressed about something, and he didn't approve of the stubbornness of his Yugi – who persisted in keeping whatever was bothering him a secret – but hoped to at least help the younger forget about it, if he wasn't going to speak about it. He didn't want to force the teen to tell him, so this was the least he could do to help his Yugi.
He instantly felt the built-up stress in the shorter's shoulders, and began to massage them as he kissed the soft, delicate neck; encouraged by the approving sound the other made.
But as Yami continued his ministrations from on top of the teen, Yugi was finding it harder and harder to loose concentration. Being ravished by the pharaoh was relaxing at first, but as the other leaned so close that he could smell his scent, or kissed him so intimately his skin tingled from the contact… it was continually becoming harder to get the despised image out of his mind. The one of blood and death as a dead Yami stared at him from his bed.
He felt the soft caresses from the one he loved so much, and suddenly, he couldn't hold back anymore. Yugi tried to fight it, but it was a fleeting attempt. He felt his arms, stiffly laying flatly on either side of him, begin to shake as he bit his lip strongly, trying to stop a sob breaking from his throat. Tears began to run silently down his cheeks as his oblivious lover continued to kiss him lovingly. He didn't want to loose this… he didn't want to loose him. What if what he saw was some kind of premonition? He didn't think that was possible, but ever since he obtained the millennium puzzle… it was kind of hard to believe anything was impossible.
Yugi felt his barriers weaken, but he couldn't help it anymore. The thought was too distressing, and he didn't know what to do. He hadn't wanted to concern Yami with what he saw, but keeping up his defences was just too much.
Yami froze as he suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of distress hit him. All at once, he noticed the shaking of the body below him, the muffled sobs coming from the same body, and the increase of overwhelming emotion as it felt as if a huge barrier was slowly being broken down with each passing second. The feeling almost physically hurt, and the spirit gasped and grabbed his chest, panting as the feeling engulfed him.
Shaking now himself, Yami managed to sit up enough to look down at the boy below him, who's eyes were still closed but expression was twisted in a look of great anguish. What… what was happening? Why was his Yugi suffering? Yami could barely comprehend these thoughts as his lover finally let out a sob, which served to increase the amount of tears flowing down the sensitive cheeks.
Yugi turned his head away, despite his eyes being closed. He could feel his lover's confusion and panic, and it just served to make him more upset. He was scared for his Yami, and now, was also irritated at himself for letting his defences down so Yami would have to suffer too. He felt a shaky, but cool hand cup his cheek, gently pressuring him to face his lover again.
Yami knew he needed to try and push aside the overwhelming feelings, so he could deal with Yugi. It was extremely rare he'd feel an emotion so strong it affected him physically. And this was one of them… had his bad feeling the other day proved to be right? He hoped against the gods that he was wrong for once.
"…Y-Yugi…" The teen attempted a shaky smile down at his crying lover, who opened his eyes reluctantly after being addressed. Looking into his eyes seemed to have provided the youth with more reason to cry, because his eyes instantly filled with tears. The teen tried to turn away from the worried stare, but Yami held his face in place. "Yugi… little one… tell me, tell me why you…" He paused for a second, taking a deep breath as he felt a particularly strong spike of distress hit him, but he stubbornly pushed it aside. He needed to get to the bottom of this.
Trying to keep his tone gentle, Yami continued, looking unwaveringly into his counterpart's eyes. "…Tell me what's wrong… what happened…? Tell me…" The pharaoh almost pleaded. It was all he could do to keep himself from demanding the question.
But Yugi couldn't answer. He wouldn't know how to tell the other about what he saw. Would he be worried? Disgusted? Afraid?
…Sceptical?
Yugi quickly pushed himself up, and wrapped himself around the taller. He didn't say anything as he continued to cry into the shoulder of his lover, holding on for dear life. He needed more than anything right then just to feel his lover's embrace, to know that everything would be okay. He'd tell the other later… but for now, he just needed to take comfort in the feeling that Yami was alive… with him.
Yami sighed as he closed his eyes, resting his cheek on top of the spiky head on his shoulder. He hugged his lover, realizing he wasn't going to get any answers right then, and just focused on comforting his Yugi. He stroked the soft hair and rubbed the shaking back, rocking slightly back and forth as he attempted to soothe his lover without words.
Whatever his koi was keeping from him was obviously a lot worse than he had originally thought…
TBC.