Takashima: I believe it's a record for me to write a chapter and update this soon, to be honest... I'm sorry that it took so long, however, life is now catching up with me and I'll be entering art college in less than a week. I'll try to write more when I get the chance. -draws a heart- As always, Enjoy.


When Jounouchi opened the door to his apartment, his eyes met with the sky. The clouds were beautiful and white and undisturbed as they floated through the endless quilt of blue. However, those golden eyes were glazed. What had he been expecting to see? A man with brunette hair and a cold blue stare looking coolly back at him? No one was there and as he stood at the doorway, a gentle, warm breeze rolled by and tangled with his blonde bangs..

The blonde's apartment was on the fifth floor of an apartment building in room four-hundred eleven. The elevator was out-of-order thus the only way to get up was by the stairs… Of course Seto Kaiba wouldn't waste his time climbing up so many stairs just to see him. No…

After being told to go to the front and seeing no one there, it was like a car slamming into him at full force. Jounouchi could feel his heart stopping and his breath escaping his body as his chest cove in slightly. The shock had made his body stiffen. His eyes just stared out with his hand frozen on the phone.

Jounouchi could feel the hot tears stinging in the back of his eyes and soon the burning tears streamed over his cheeks. He didn't even notice them.. He didn't even blink…The fact was that he couldn't make himself move at all. He had lost the will to.

"S-Seto…" His voice was shaking and squeaking..

"Idiot. Look down," ordered the cold voice through the phone.

Like before, he did as he was told. When his eyes shifted from the clouds to the ground, he was overcome with another blow. There, sat at the front threshold of his door, was a box wrapped in white paper and tied with a lustrous blue ribbon.

What… was this…? A white box..? Was it suppose to be for him…?

As he stared at the box, the phone started slipping from his hand. He didn't even notice until Seto began speaking again after the brief, silent pause. Quickly, Jounouchi put the phone back to his ear and listened, "-open it and get back to me." Click. That was all…

For a few more minutes, the blonde stared at the phone as if it were an alien relic but then he remembered that the box was at the foot of his door. Putting the communication device into his back pocket, he suddenly found the strength and will to bend over and pick up the elegantly and simply wrapped gift.

The tears fell less and less over his cheeks as he carried it into his apartment. His prior sadness was replaced with a look of awe and curiosity. Just what was it? Not only was it heavy but whatever was inside shifted insistently. It made him worry about what was inside. Could it be easily broken..?

As he set it down onto the coffee table and fell into the couch to sit, he blinked. Could it have been his imagination or did he hear a yip? This made his curiosity increase as he reached out to undo the bow… Smoothly, the bow was pulled straight and let go as the wrapping paper was slowly removed.

A gasp left his lips. There sat inside of a small cage was a puppy. A cute golden retriever with a blue collar around its neck. Its big brown eyes were equal to that of his own and that golden fur was the same hue as his own hair. The puppy yipped happily as it finally got to see its new master and a little pink tongue slipped from its open, smiling jaws.

The teenage blonde couldn't help but open the cage and take the puppy into his arms. He let out an uncharacteristically, girly squeal as he pressed the puppy close to his face. "Kami-sama, how cute!" The puppy yipped happily and cuddled close, nudging his head into his master's cheek and licked at his face.

The door suddenly opened and a voice called, "Jou-kun! You home..?"

Jounouchi blinked and looked up towards the door. The puppy did as well. "In here, Honda!"

Honda shut the door and walked to the den, where he had heard his best friend's voice from. His hand was running through his brown hair until it suddenly froze at seeing the puppy in Jounouchi's arms. He didn't say anything at first and took a seat in an armchair nearby. He let out a sigh.

When Jounouchi looked at him from putting the puppy onto his lap, he began to speak. "Look, Jou-kun, I'm sorry about what I said the other day… I didn't think it would upset you that much. It's just that… Kaiba and I and you never got along in the past and I never thought that would change since Rich-Boy is all stuck up and stuff."

"It's okay, Honda," Jounouchi smiled, his hand rubbing the back of the puppy's head gently, "It's okay. It's partially my fault anyway… I never told you that I got a job at Kaiba Corporation. I should have.. You're my best friend, Honda… But I understand why you were upset."

Honda nodded slowly. He was quiet again as he sat back in the comfortable chair. He looked from the puppy to his best friend for a few more minutes before he spoke again. "Last night, where did you go..? I was trying to find you and I called your cell phone a bunch of times. I was worried…"

"Well," Jounouchi began thoughtfully, his smile slipping and his face neutral, "After I left the arcade, Hideo had followed me. That much you know.." Each word he said was slow. "And I told him that I would be okay… But he didn't believe me. We got to the end of Midori Avenue and Yonaru Street when we ran into Kaiba.."

"And…?" Honda asked with a bit of interest. "Did Hideo-san say anything to him?"

Jounouchi shrugged lightly. "Hideo… did speak to Kaiba.. But I forgot.. I had been running so much that night that I was already feeling light headed and fell. The next thing I knew it was morning and I sat up in Hideo's room. It seems he took me home to his place.." It wasn't a complete lie but the blonde didn't feel compelled to tell his best friend the entire truth.. How would telling him the entire truth make his best friend feel? Or even think? He didn't want to know.. It was… dangerous..

The dark haired boy nodded slowly, seemingly accepting the answer as he studied his friend's face. He sighed and closed his eyes as he tilted his head back to the chair's head pillow. "What's his place like?" He peeked one eye and grinned, "Does it have a lot of booths in it? Rare stuff?"

Jounouchi laughed softly, careful not to wake the little, snoozing, nameless puppy on his lap. "No, no it doesn't. It's normal with normal 'normal' things, if that makes sense"

"Aww… That's disappointing. I keep asking if he has all these rare games that he keeps at his house but he kept saying no. I guess he was telling the truth… But every time I asked, he always had a grin that made me think otherwise, you know?" Honda leaned forward and rest his elbows on the skulls of his knees.

The blonde nodded.

Honda watched his friend quietly before he got up and moved over to sit beside him. When Jounouchi turned his face to him, he blinked when he felt his friend's hand on his face. The motion of his moving fingers told him that he was rubbing at something away on my skin.

"Were you… crying, Jou-kun?"

Jounouchi's golden eyes widened. Had he forgotten to clean himself up? To look more presentable? Yes. As those fingers delicately cleaned his face of the dry tears, he tried to turn away but found that his best friend's other hand had captured the other side of his face in his palm. "I-It's nothing, Honda." His golden eyes fell towards the other boy's shirt.

However, Honda's eyes only narrowed. "Did Hideo-san do something to you?" But promptly, Jounouchi shook his head. "Then why were you crying..?"

Exerting his strength, he pulled away. "I mean it, nothing.. Today is just one of those days…" He prayed to kami that Honda would believe him.

A sort of puzzled expression surfaced on Honda's face. "Oh..? Okay…" For a split second, he looked away but he was back to say, "Don't forget that I'm your best friend, Jounouchi. You can tell me anything and even though I'll be mad about some things that you tell me, depending on what they are, I just want to help you in the end, okay?"

This gave Jounouchi a peace of mind. He knew that he could tell his best friend anything and now that he was reminded of it, he felt calmer and lighter in a way. His guard dropped even more when he looked at the little animal on his lap. It was just so darn cute! He felt a warm smile tugging at his lips.. He felt happy.

"So where did you get the puppy, Jou-kun?" Honda asked finally from curiosity.

"Seto sent--" But after saying the name, he suddenly realized what he had said and tried to catch himself, "I mean, Satori sent the puppy to me!" He inwardly cursed himself but it was too late. Honda was already staring at him like he had grew a second head.

"Seto? Seto Kaiba..? He sent you the puppy?" Honda was more than shocked, actually, that was an understatement. His mouth was open and a multitude of emotions rushed through his face so quickly, it was hard to tell if he was angry or surprised, or stunned or anything at all.

"H-Honda..?" Jounouchi's heart was racing in his chest and thundering chaotically in his ears. What had he done? A simple Freudian slip like that and he was already in a whole mess of trouble! He knew how much he hated Seto and there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to be bombarded with more questions than ever. He sighed. "Yes…"

"Why?" Honda asked with a bridled rage.

Jounouchi found it hard to look his best friend in the eyes. Looking away, he began to answer, "Because… he and I got into a fight… and-"

"Wait, wait, wait…" Honda held up a hand. "You two got into a fight? How is that anything out of the ordinary?"

What could this blonde say? The truth? But what if Honda decided, even after what he had just said, that he didn't want to be his friend because he was dating Seto or that he was gay, or even both. The dwindling, now spreading, fear branched through every fiber of his body… This was the ultimate test of their friendship.

Jounouchi looked away and tilted his head forward so that his bangs covered his eyes. He bit his bottom lip as he decided, at the last moment, whether or not he should tell his best friend the truth and risk everything.. If he lost Honda.. What were the chances that Yugi, Anzu and Ryou wouldn't look at him any different…?…

Russian Roulette; It felt like that dreadful game. Please, Lady Luck, shine on him.

"Honda, Seto and I… are dating," Jounouchi confessed.

There was a sudden, and very heavy silence that sat in the room. For what seemed like hours that passed, nothing happened until Honda put a hand on Jounouchi's shoulder. "Although I don't like it.. The thing between you two.. And… stuff, I think you have a lot of explaining to do."

Lady Luck was smiling on Jounouchi, like she always was. When the blonde heard his best friend's calm, stable voice talking to him, he knew that Honda wasn't going to throw away their friendship.

When Honda asked that he be prompted on the history of Jounouchi's and Seto's relationship, the blonde willingly explained from the very beginning. He started with he getting a job at Kaiba Corporation at the beginning of summer vacation as a video game tester, the hardships during those weeks and the luxurious trips… and the recent activities. He went back to his memories about a few days ago, where he had ran from the arcade with Hideo following, and filled in the gap. "--and then he turned and left."

It wasn't hard to see that Honda was having mixed emotions about all of this but he didn't look like he was going to reject his best friend because of his sexual orientation or his lifestyle. Running a hand through his hair, Honda sounded uncertain but spoke anyway, "Now I feel even worse about my outburst the other night…" The boy flushed faintly.

"It's not your fault… It's mine. I should have told you.." Jounouchi said softly.

"No.." Honda smiled kindly, "You weren't ready to tell me.. So I understand that.."

Jounouchi interrupted, "I know that, for a long time, you admired me, Honda, but, now that you know that I'm gay, does that change your opinion about me?" The answer was partially important to him and how Honda would answer would tell him how he really felt even if his words were little white lies.

Honda shifted in his seat as he thought. Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he was uncomfortable or even confused. A second or two passed before his face changed to a more determined look and he smiled to Jounouchi. "You are my best friend through and through. So what if you're gay? We're all a little gay anyway, right? It's just matters to what degree!"

All Jounouchi could do for that moment was stare at his best friend. He couldn't believe it… and yet he had heard it from Honda's own mouth, the nearly complete homophobe. He felt a great rush of relief in his chest as he grabbed the other boy in for a hug. "Thank you," He softly said. Fresh tears fell.

He could feel Honda returning the hug. A few minutes passed and a warm silence fell between them. The only thing that made this gentle atmosphere ripple was the yawn of the puppy nestled on Jounouchi's lap.

---

During his lunch break, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation had opted for something different lunch today, which wasn't unusual. His secretary agreed to hold all calls until he returned. As he left, his mind was filled with thoughts of the blonde boy, his boyfriend… However, on the outside, he looked as cold as a brick of ice. The usual look for him.

Walking along the pearl white corridor to the elevator, he pressed the down button to call the chamber up to him. There were a few employees that worked for him waiting for it as well. They said a greeting to him but nothing else. A few moments later, there was a charming ding as the silver doors parted to allow passengers.

The whole ride down from the sixty-fourth floor was a quiet. Neither employer or employee spoke to one another. But that was convenient for the brunette. When the doors opened again on ground floor, he stepped out with the train of his white trench coat swooshing behind him.

Crossing the marble floor to the double doors in the front, paned with dual-plate glass, Seto opened them and winced that the bright sunlight showing the earth. He hadn't realized that it was so bright today. He could feel the summer's sweltering heat right through his trench coat but it didn't bother him. Automatically, his coat started the cooling system that was built right into the fabric of the coat. It's good to be rich.

Walking along the other people, he was easily able to overlook everyone, thanks to his height. Although Seto didn't usually let his eyes wander around too much, he had caught a glimpse of a blonde hair boy across the street. He had turned away, momentarily disregarding him, but when the image vividly appeared back in his mind, he turned back to see that his mind was right. It was Jounouchi with Honda and the puppy that he had given him on a leash. They seemed to be walking around the corner of a candy store to somewhere.

Forgetting all about lunch, the CEO crossed the street, when he was given the signal, and went to follow inconspicuously. He felt compelled to follow.. Like, maybe, it was his right. That is his boyfriend after all… Almost at once, he felt his chest tighten when his eyes glanced from his boyfriend to his boyfriend's best friend, Honda.

They had always been very close to one another… They could become lovers… Jounouchi wouldn't dare cheat on him, right? But what about the other day with that arcade owner? Kaiba suddenly felt a wave of anger course through his body.

As he continued to follow the two and the puppy, he found that they were heading to a local dog park. He had never known of its existence before today. They were talking in such a cheerful way that it almost made Seto jealous of what the two of them shared. Almost.

The puppy yipped and jumped onto its haunches when it saw the other dogs in the park. It was excited and so were the two people with it. Jounouchi smiled and so did Honda, however, their smiles fell when the puppy went around to pay mind to the gentleman wearing a long trench coat behind them.

"Seto.." Jounouchi said softly.

Honda didn't look happy to see him. He never did, but today he didn't look like he was going to try and pick a fight with him. Conversely, he was quiet and glanced to his best friend. He whispered something into his ear. The blonde handed the leash to the dark brown haired boy as his eyes concentrated on the tall CEO.

Seto ignored Honda as he walked further away from them but enough to keep an eye on them. The puppy was allowed to walk around on its own accord on its retractable leash. It would pull and pull and pull until there was no more leash to pull on. Everything was new to it.

Jounouchi felt a strain of numbness branching through his limbs… He felt that sudden pang of guilt and fear reigning in his chest and it sat very heavily. What could he do or say? He had felt so betrayed the other day, due to Honda's words and reminders, and he was so confused.. He kept getting flashbacks of how Seto looked that day in his mind and the more he saw it, the more pain he felt.

To the blonde's surprise, the CEO walked up to him and grabbed his wrist. He started pulling him along. He hadn't resisted and he turned to wave to Honda, telling him that it was all right. Although… Honda still wore a distressed and concerned expression in his face. Was this the right choice..?

The pair had gone into an normal alley between two buildings nearby. It had no shady people lingering in and out of it and it was quiet. So no one would interrupt them. It was a good place to talk.

"Jounouchi…" Seto's face was still neutral.

The blonde looked into the brunette's face. He felt his chest squeezing into his heart, as it often did. When his eyes met with those beautiful blue ones, he didn't say anything, or rather, he couldn't bring himself to. He could feel his hands balling into light fists… He couldn't help but feel nervous... that casual air that he often gave off wasn't erecting… Between them now was just a staunch tension.

Seto closed the gap between them unexpectedly and his hand reached up….

To Jounouchi's surprise, he felt his boyfriend's gentle, warm fingertips against his cheek, and then he stood frozen as he felt their lips pressed together in a kiss. It was gentle, not aggressive, it was almost like Seto was afraid to break the most precious thing to him.

As soon as the kiss was broken, Seto withdrew but only a little, their lips were still brushing as he spoke, "I'm… sorry, Jounouchi."

Jounouchi couldn't believe what he had just hear. He blinked in his puzzlement. "W-what?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," Seto warned softly. He was forcing himself to look into his lover's eyes… and it could be seen that he was having a hard time himself. He must have been in conflict since that time too… So it wasn't just Jounouchi…

"…Seto." When Seto focused his attention more on him that his own, personal distraught thoughts, Jounouchi kissed him again and pulling back, his cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry too… I was... being selfish…"

"Of course you were," Seto agreed.

"Ye-- Hey!" Jounouchi's brows furrowed and his lips pulled into a pout, "Seto!" But as quickly as that pout appeared, it disappeared when he saw Seto smirking.

Jounouchi leaned against him. His hands gripped the two lapels on Seto's trench to secure them together and then closed his eyes. He sighed softly as he felt the weighty pressure lift… Their fight was finally over and it felt damn good.

For a few minutes, they stood together... embracing one another until Seto kissed Jounouchi's head and pulled away. "Jounouchi."

Just looking at him, Jounouchi could tell what Seto wanted to ask. Without letting him verbally ask, the blonde answered the invisible question, "I want you to make time for me… That's all I ask.. I want to spend time with you and you don't even have to buy me gifts or anything… I just want to be with you, Seto."

Seto's blue eyes were studying Jounouchi's face carefully. He didn't look like he was going to give in but then he sighed and said with a feigned note of disappointment, "I'll have to clear a few days of my schedule… but I guess I can make the time for you.."

"Yay!" Jounouchi's arms were wrapped tightly around Seto's neck as he hugged him.

"Heh…" Seto reached back to pat him on the back. He smiled slightly. "Jounouchi, do you want to go out to lunch today?" He asked.

"Really?" He pulled back and smiled even happier. When he received a nod, he hugged him again and said, "I'll ask Honda to watch Genki."

"Genki?"

"The puppy you sent me!" As if remembering something, he smiled even more and kissed the tall CEO again. "Thank you for him, by the way. I love him!" The blonde quickly ran out of the alleyway and headed back to the park.

There, he saw Honda talking to a girl with her puppy. He was laughing and nervously touching the back of his head. Genki only had to glance over when he saw his master coming back and he was pulling on his leash. "Honda! Genki!"

"You're back! He didn't do anything to you right?" Honda was suddenly annoyed. The girl beside him looked curiously at the two. She was pretty, from what Jounouchi had saw of her.

Jounouchi shook his head and smiled brightly. "Nope! And who's this, Honda?"

"Her name is Tsubasa!" Honda grinned. Turning to the girl, he said, "This is my best friend, Jounouchi."

"Nice to meet you," Tsubasa said with a kind smile. "This is my puppy, Cecile." Her puppy was a black Labrador and she looked a little older than his. It happily wagged its tail.

"You've met my---" However, Honda cut him off.

"You mean my puppy, right, Jounouchi-kun?" Honda said, smiling though gritting his teeth.

Catching the hint, the blonde nodded. "O-Oh yeah! His puppy… Genki?"

"Why yes," She responded enthusiastically, "He's so adorable! I just had to come over and see him. I can't resist a puppy with such a cute face!"

Honda began to laugh then asked his best friend, "So what's up?"

"Oh.. Um," Jounouchi began, "I'm gonna go out to lunch.. You don't mind if I take a rain check on… watching Genki today, do you?"

"With him?" Honda had a look of incredulousness. Didn't they have a fight? Or did they just make up, he wondered inwardly.

Jounouchi sheepishly nodded. "Yeah…."

"Alright then, just be careful okay?" Honda warned, "I'll bring Genki over tonight since you have a present for him anyway, okay?" He watched Jounouchi nod and hurry off.

When Jounouchi caught up with Seto, the two walked alongside each other, talking idly. They looked like normal friends in a way as they walked and talked. However, they didn't know that they were passing the middle-aged arcade owner across the street and he stood, watching them. A look of anguish crossed his usually-light features..



Takashima
: Feedback is appreciated. -heart- :D Oh and if there are any mistakes, spelling errors and such, please tell me with a comment. :D Ja!