(…Don't ask me what happened. I'm sure I updated this the other day… but now that I came to see this story this chapter had disappeared somewhere. (is getting very confused) Well, here it is again. I hope it'll stay here this time… is beyond strange sometimes.)

The fourth chapter. I'm sorry it took so long… (still can't believe it's been a month… where did all this time go?!)

Anyway, the review responses:

Yami-loverOB1: Yes, I know, Seto is 'too'… (can't come up with the right word either). But I know what you mean. Thanks for the review, and… I know this isn't exactly soon, but better late than never, right?

innominate: Yeah, Seto/Ryou isn't very common… I guess that's the pairing in this cause I got the idea for this when I was reading Pikachmaniac's Fairydust. Very… brainwashing fic. Anyway, yes, the link between Jou and Seto is quite similar to that hikari/yami link. Kind of telepathic. And no, nothing big happened when they sneaked out… in fact, we're going to jump a little ahead in time once again. …but now I started to wonder if I should write a sidefic of that night… suddenly got some ideas. ;)
Weird how chapters can vary in response… (nods) Indeed. I was reading one fic that got 10 reviews for one chapter, and for the next two (another of which was mine). Weird.

Sarasusamiga: Thanks! Both for the review and the betaish comments – they were really helpful. Yup, I like Tove Jansson's books these days. Didn't like them when I was a kid – I'm not sure why, though. Maybe because they were so popular, everywhere, all the time just the Moomins invading the world. ;)

Tokemi: Thanks for the review! Yep, that was quite 'awwish' chapter.

And as usual many thanks to Rayne-Jelly for betaing.

…I almost forgot… Again, we jump a little forward in time, this time about a year. In other words they're now about 15-16 years old.

(Edit) And another thing I did forget. (sweatdrop) I've used this: 'talking' to mark a certain way of communication between Seto and Jou, as well as for Jou 'talking' to the dogs.

Chapter 4

-

As he leaned against a tree trunk somewhere deep in the forests, the faint sound of dog barking reached his ears. For a moment he stood frozen where he was and listened carefully; the barking came from somewhere far away but there was no mistaking it. And… where there were dogs, there were also humans. At least he hoped so.

He started to jog towards the sound.

-

Running as fast as he could Seto tried to catch up with his hunter, although he knew, much to his irritation, that he was already too far behind. Jou was out of sight, somewhere far ahead of him, and had once again been swept away by the hunt. So completely, in fact, that he probably did not even remember having a huntbrother. Seto could feel his excitement through their bond, although he wasn't anymore sure how much of it was Jou's and how much his own.

It was always the same when they hunted, but this time the feeling was even more intense. If they managed to catch their quarry they would be able to take part to this year's Sacred Hunt. Always, before new members were taken into the ranks of Hunters, they had to hunt thrice on their own, bringing in a stag, a boar, and a bear. They already had a stag and a bear, but finding a boar had proved to be much harder. The forests had seemed to be empty of boars – until now.

The beginning of the hunt had gone almost perfectly. The dogs had surrounded the animal and it should have been easy to take him down, but he had suddenly attacked the dogs madly – it was a miracle that they were all still alive – and managed to escape, running surprisingly fast for such a big animal. Jou had chased after him immediately, but Seto had realized that the animal seemed to be turning gradually to left and he had decided not to follow the dogs but take a shortcut to where he thought the boar was headed. The boar turned to left, all right, but the forest had turned into so thick gorse-bushes that he had been forced to turn back. Still, even these setbacks didn't have much effect on his mood. He knew that this boar was theirs.

He just hoped that Jou wouldn't let the excitement of the hunt to get the better of him. He didn't recall an instance where Jou was this excited since the first time he had used his gift and called the Hunter's Trance. Seeing through the eyes of his dogs, first time feeling the connection with them – the connection which would be the most important thing to him after the bond to his huntbrother – he had drained his energy to the point that he had had to spend most of the following week in the bed. In that regard their hunts had gone well, and Seto was truly thankful of that. Jou's uncle had told him about some young hunters who lost their connection to the reality to such extent during their first hunts that as they caught their quarries they had to be held from trying to tear at them as one of the dogs. The older men seemed to think that it was funny, but Seto would have preferred to never witness something like it. Especially not with Jou… He was quite determined not to let it happen. That was one of the most important functions of the huntbrothers, anyway: to be an anchor to reality for their hunters.

He run on, feeling his heart beat fast, trying to breath steadily. To his irritation he knew that he wouldn't be able to catch his hunter.

"Hey!"

He heard the faint voice but decided to ignore it, desperate not to miss the catch before the kill.

"Hey, wait!"

Frowning a little Seto glanced over his shoulder. I can't be distracted now… His eyes caught something white between the tree trunks.

"Please, wait…"

There came a sudden rush of excitement from Jou and he knew that the chase was nearing its end. He should get there as fast as he could, his hunter might need his help…. Then again, it was his responsibility to be the one who was grounded in reality, he needed to be aware of his surroundings Reluctantly, Seto stopped and turned to look behind him.

A young, white haired boy was running towards him, or rather, stumbling. He was completely out of breath, and his face was flushed. Seto frowned, wondering what the boy was doing there in the first place, and why he had to have to come just now. "What do you want?" he asked in a manner that was anything but friendly.

The boy reached him finally and stopped before him smiling tiredly and a little apologetically. "I'm sorry for disturbing you," he said, "but I don't think I could have run any longer, I… well, I'm completely lost."

Seto resisted an urge to roll his eyes. How was it possible to get lost in a forest this small? He was just about to tell the boy to remain where they were, he'd come to get him later, when they heard a blow of a horn announcing the hunt's close. He didn't need it, though, to know that Jou had already finished the hunt – he could feel it, very clearly.

"Damn."

The white haired boy blinked. "What…?"

Seto sighed. "Nothing, really… come with me." He gestured with his hand as he began to continue his way walking. "This'll take a little time, but we can take you to the town."

"Thank you." The other smiled at him. Then he frowned. "Uh… to which town?"

"Shironouchi."

The white haired boy nodded slowly. "Yes… that's fine, thank you. I'm a bit further South than I thought… Um… my name is Ryou."

Seto nodded at him curtly. "I'm Seto. Huntbrother to Lord Jounouchi."

Ryou nodded again. "Nice to meet you. I… I hope I didn't… I mean, I guess you were just hunting…"

Seto waved his hand. "Forget it. I was too far behind anyway."

'Did you fell asleep in the middle of the hunt or did you get lost?' Jou's teasing prod cut across his disappointment.

Seto sighed. 'Coming, puppy dog.'

'This puppy just made quite a kill! Come to take a look!'

'We're almost there.' The barking of the dogs grew louder as they approached the site.

'...We?' Confusion, and then curiosity came across quite clearly, but smirking a little Seto decided not to answer anything. Perhaps it was a little mean of him to deliberately keep Jou from knowing, but… it served him right for leaving Seto behind.

'Thanks a lot, huntbrother.' Apparently, smirks could also travel through their bond.

"Hey?"

Seto blinked and glanced at Ryou. "What… did you say something?"

"Just asked what you were hunting."

"A boar."

"Oh." Ryou looked a little uneasy.

"What?" Seto asked finally.

Ryou blushed. "Oh, nothing… I just… it's dead, isn't it?"

Seto snorted and the other boy blushed even more. What kind of question was that? Just then he saw a little meadow in front of them. "Seems to be," he said, gesturing towards it. There, close to the meadow's edge lay the boar, the dogs sniffling around the lifeless creature.

"Finally! What were you doing?" Jou was running towards them over the meadow. When he saw Ryou he stopped abruptly.

"Now I understand what took you so long… that certainly beats that ugly beast I was chasing. Where do you find prey like that?"

Ryou blinked. Then he blushed once again, as realization dawned on him. "Uh… I… I'm not a girl…"

Jou looked at him, raising his eyebrows a little in surprise. "Really? Could have fooled me."

This earned a sardonic snort from Seto, "That doesn't require much."

Jou gave him a playful shove, too happy about his quarry to get angry. "C'mon, I brought down that monster, so why don't you carry him home?"

"Very funny. Still, he's not going to walk there on his own, so…"

Ryou glanced at the boar and looked then away, Seto noticed looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong? Can't you bear to see blood or something?"

"No… it's not that." Ryou smiled a little sadly. "I have no problems with blood… I just…" he looked down. "You're going to laugh at me."

Jou had stopped admiring his quarry for a moment, and stared at the white haired boy, too. "What?"

Ryou shrugged a little uncomfortably. "I feel kind of sorry for it. I mean… I know we all have to eat, but…"

Jou gave a little laugh, and Seto glared at him fiercely. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Jou raised his hands in surrender. "But you're right. It'd be wonderful if that just walked home… I suppose you can wait here until we get everything ready," he said to Ryou. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"He's lost," Seto said before Ryou had a chance to say anything. He just nodded as Jou looked at him. "I promised that we would take him to the town."

"Sure." Jou nodded. "No problem with that." He turned to the boar. "Okay, dogs, heel," he shouted at the dogs that were still sniffling around it. One of them, a big black male, ran to him, barking happily. 'Yeah, Corral, great job. You were all great.' The dog barked again. 'C'mon, get back now, all of you.' At his command, the dogs backed a little, forming a straight line few feet away.

As the two hunters went to take care of their quarry Ryou remained by the trees of the forest, turning his back to the others. He could hear the blond boy, the Hunter Lord, laughing and his huntbrother muttering something sharp at him, but he ignored it. Glancing cautiously over his shoulder he saw that they didn't anymore pay any attention to him. So he slipped a little ball, like crystal-encased mist, out of his pouch and began to examine it just as carefully as the hunters examined their prey.

-

"Wake up, Jou." Seto nudged his sleeping hunter. "Hey, wake up." A sharper nudge.

"What...?" The blond boy raised his head sleepily. "What's going on?"

"Time to go to bed."

Jou grimaced. "You woke me up so that I can go to sleep? What's the point…"

Seto sighed. "I just thought that you'd rather sleep in your bed than on that chair… Besides, if you slept here you'd torment Ryou all the night with your snoring."

Suddenly Jou was completely awake. "I do not snore!"

"Of course not… it has to be some malevolent imps that make that sound…"

Jou glared at him. "You are a jerk, you know."

Seto fought to keep the smile away from his lips. "Snoring puppy. That's kind of cute."

Ryou watched them silently, not really knowing what to think about their banter as Jou growled quietly, surprisingly closely resembling his dogs. When they had returned from the forest the other boys had invited him to spend the night as their quest, and he had been happy to accept. On the edge of the forest they had met Lord Kawai and Kagemi who had been overseeing the hunt.

The trip home had been a happy one, with Jou babbling about this year's Sacred Hunt that would take place only four weeks from now, which they now were able to take part in. He had noticed, though, that the huntbrother seemed to be much more silent than his hunter. In fact, he seemed almost worried. Jou had noticed it also, and slapped him on the shoulder telling him to stop seeing death behind every tree. The elder men had smiled at the boy's enthusiasm, but they were a little sad to his eyes. Then he remembered all he knew about the Sacred Hunt and realized why.

However, when they finally reached the mansion, Jou's uncle with his huntbrother left immediately to his own estates. As he said, the travels back and forth would take almost three days, and he'd have to take care also of his own affairs and he couldn't be bothered to shepherd overconfident younghunterlings. That comment had naturally received an angry remark from Jou.

Lady Jounouchi had also been away visiting her sister with Shizuka and Mokuba, and so the boys had had the rest of the day to themselves. After seeing that their dogs were taken care of, they had gone in to get something refreshing to drink and celebrate their latest triumph. Jou had been coming up with many ideas of what they could do, but to his dismay Seto and Ryou had soon discovered that they both were interested about pre-Weston history, and… well, it is sufficient to say that it hadn't taken long before he had drifted to sleep.

Now, still feeling quite sleepy, he wished good night to Ryou and turned to leave. By the doorway he looked behind. "Are you coming?"

Seto glanced at him. "In a moment." He turned to give a little crooked small smile at Ryou. "It was nice talking with you," he said. "It isn't often that I get a chance to have an intelligent conversation, keeping in mind who I spend most of my time with…" Behind him Jou snorted, but Seto chose to ignore him. "So,could we continue our talk tomorrow?" he asked Ryou, who looked quickly down, avoiding his eyes.

"I don't know… I'm really in a hurry, and I… I think that I… I… " He fell silent, trying not to blush again, annoyed at his stammering.

"Oh." Seto looked a little disappointed. "I had thought that I'd show you our library… there are some really interesting works there, and some of them are quite unique."

This time Jou literally groaned. He had opened those books only when their teacher had threatened to beat him black and blue if he wouldn't take up his studies. Of course, Seto talking about uneducated doggies had also helped. It hadn't lasted for long, though. Soon the teacher had been threatening him with his stick if he ever again dared so much as touch his precious books.

Ryou bit his lip. "Well… maybe I could stay one more day." He looked up smiling. "I'm not in such a hurry." Liar…

Seto's smile brightened a little, and looking straight into his eyes Ryou had to gulp. Such an incredible blue…

"Fine. See you tomorrow. Sleep well." With a little bow Seto left the room.

Ryou stared at the door for a while, trying to define exactly what he was feeling. Then he shook his head. It didn't matter, anyway. Once again he took out the crystal ball.

-

"You seem to like him," Jou stated sleepily.

Seto glanced at him cautiously. "Well, as I said… it's nice to have intelligent…"

"Oh shut up! I don't need that when I'm this tired." Jou shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "What time is it, anyway?"

Seto shrugged. "Past midnight, that's all I know."

"How long were you two talking about history!?"

"We talked about other things too. Like…"

"Please, have mercy, don't tell me. I'll have nightmares."

Seto was silent for a moment. "Mom's going to like him," he said suddenly, thinking aloud.

Jou nodded. "Probably. She'll be home tomorrow morning, won't she…?" As Seto nodded he cursed silently. "Surely she arrives early in the morning and then drags me up…"

Seto snorted. "My heart bleeds for you." He stopped in the front of his door. "Can you put yourself to sleep or do you need help in it?"

"Do you think you're funny or what? Good night."

A/N: It feels to me that this fic is starting somehow… slowly, but I think I'll get to the business in the next chapter. And I promise to give you it sooner… I'm sorry for the wait with this one.

Anyway, reviews are appreciated, as always. : )