-Another Chance-
Author: Plain-ahsie-Simple
Beta: sadisticdarkbitch
Warnings for this chapter: generally safe
Hi all, sorry this chapter came later than the time that I promised. Sorry for making you all wait! No more promises about when the next chapter will be out hehehehe
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh or its characters. Don't own them, sorry.
Thank you all that reviewed me, or read my ficcy!
: amyrose300, FireieGurl, bakergirl, An Anon (hehehe, sorry I didn't mean to xX) , rubisora18117, and of cause my dear beta! Thank you!
Oh, and, amyrose300, FireieGurl, bakergirl, rubisora18117 and my beta 'sadisticdarkbitch' all have accounts so check them out!
Chapter 2: Glares…Chemistry?
In the deep mountainous regions of the Mt. Fuji prefecture, a hot springs inn bustled with the tourist season activity. The proprietor and her women-in-waiting stood at the entrance, bowing and smiling, welcoming the guests that came. Once the confirmation of the reservation were complete, the host would then guide the guests to their private rooms.
Strange enough the main customers of this inn seemed to be male business men, local and foreign, taking a break form their stressful lifestyle, or just getting away for the weekend.
At times, some would even come for the night on weekdays, leaving early the next morning. This strangeness was never notice by anyone on the outside, due to the seclusion of the inn. However, for the ones who worked, or have been in the inside, seclusion and secrecy was their sanctuary.
Seto and Mokuba Kaiba were seating on tall comfortable stools that lined the perimeter of the square-shaped wooden table.
The space in the middle of the square-shaped table stood a flat rectangular cooking surface; several spatulas of varying sizes hung form the holder that hung above the large heated pan. On a wooden table next to the pan, ingredients of all sorts filled the bowls and plates. On the second shelve of the table was a bamboo tub of short-grained Japanese rice, two big rice bowls with Koi fish print on them and a container with a few pairs of bamboo chopsticks.
Seto was taping a slim pen-stick on his PDA screen, his hand holding the pen moving in small circular and straight patterns. Mokuba kicked his feet, swinging them back and forth, with his chin resting on his palms as he examined the sizzling rectangular flat pan in front of him.
Being a young energetic boy, Mokuba was bored very easily, and now was entertaining himself by tracing the lines of the wood of the tabletop with his finger. So entranced was he that he didn't even hear a person enter to stand in front of the sizzling pan. The sound of Seto's voice brought him out of his trance.
"Mokuba, call the mortuary and tell them to prepare two coffins." Seto suddenly said seriously looking up from his PDA, pen in one hand hanging in mid-air nearly touching the PDA screen.
"Why? What happened!" Mokuba shot up asking, alarm and confusion in his voice, as he turned to look at his brother with bewildered violet eyes.
Said brunette looked ahead with the strangest expression on his face.
After a few moments, Mokuba took his brothers' silence as a message that Seto was not going to reply, so instead of calling the mortuary - which his brother himself could have easily done - Mokuba followed his stare and found that he was looking directly at Jou.
Something inside Mokuba's brain clicked, confused.
'Is it just me, or is Seto always reacting strangely whenever Jou is around'
Seconds ticked pass and the two young men continued to stare blankly at each other. Poor Mokuba was turning his head every other second to the two teenagers, his confusion building up.
'What in the world is going on!' the violet headed youngster thought.
"Seto?" He tried, prodding his brother with a finger. No reaction from his brother.
"Jou?" He called out, waving a hand in front of the blonde's face. No reaction from him either.
He turned to look at Seto again, still the same face. He tuned to look at Jou. Both were carbon copies of each other.
"What is going on you two!" exasperated Mokuba gave a frustrated sigh and flopped himself down on the table, his hands outstretched ahead him.
Trying hard not to stomp his way out of the kitchen, Jou let out a defeated sigh
"Jou, go whip something up for the Kaiba's, my chef has gone out for his break, and you're the next person who cooks that well."
"But Mr. Akira! You can cook too!"
"No way kiddo. I can cook, but I get all nervous if it's someone like 'Kaiba' I'm cooking for, I'll end up burning everything! Go now Jou, don't keep our customers waiting!" Pushing Jou out of the kitchen, Mr. Akira added, "I'll give you a little raise on your next pay slip alright, so GO!"
What could Jou do, no way he was going to pick up a fight with his boss, getting kicked out of his only job that feeds him free food, plus supper if there was leftovers.
He found himself, staring blankly at Seto Kaiba. Its not like that filthy rich pompous ass would even touch anything Jou cooked, let alone eat it.
Said moneybags was staring at Jou weirdly, after, of cause making an insulting comment about having to buy coffins of a sort.
Other than the odd fact that Seto was displaying such a un-Seto look. The staring blankly competition went on. No emotion was reflecting in the eyes of blue and brown.
On it went, until a pained yelp brought them back to their senses.
Before he knew what hit him, a sharp pain shot up his body starting from his hands.
"Ooow!" Mokuba yelped, quickly pulling back his hands. Looking down at them, Mokuba found them tomato red, and throbbing.
In a flash, Seto had him in his arms. Younger looked at older brother quizzically through teary eyes.
"If you're thinking of the hospital Kaiba, I'll tell ya 'don't be stupid'" Jou said standing in front of the older Kaiba, blocking his way.
Seto looked like he was ready to kick Jou out of his way if the mutt didn't get out of his way soon.
"Come on," the honey eyed teen said in a rush, grabbing Seto's arm, hurriedly pulling him towards the kitchen.
A sigh escaped the lips of the pale skinned youth 'Same routine, day in day out' the chocolate colored eyed boy thought as he scanned his card to unlock the door of his private penthouse condominium.
Well, the house wasn't really his, but his father's. He may as well call it his as his father was hardly home.
Peering around cautiously, Ryou Bakura found that his house was empty.
'Phew Bakura isn't home yet' Ryou thought unbuttoning his starched white school shirt and dumping it in the laundry basket.
Walking pass the full length mirror in the hall, Ryou paused, and turned to took at his topless reflection. A bandage wrapped his body at mid chest, and a few black-blue bruises near his collarbone and bellybutton.
"Yami," he repeated the thought aloud, his soft voice bounced of the walls of the huge house. Gingerly fingering a rather big bruise on his shoulder, the silver-haired youth winced, more over the memory than the pain.
Sighing once more he allowed his eyes to drift close for a few seconds, turning away from the teak bordered mirror, Ryou went to his wardrobe and got out his favorite worn out, oversized faded green turtleneck and slipped in on, stripping out of his pants, leaving him in his short navy-blue CK boxers.
With another sigh, he slowly crawled under the covers of his queen sized poster bed and drifted of to a light slumber.
"Here put him down," Jou ordered, placing a stool in front of the sink. Seto placed his brother down and Jou twisted the knob, allowing the cool water to gush over Mokuba's hands.
Filling a huge mixing bowl with the cool tap water, Jou placed it next to the aluminum sink and went off for something. Seto frowned at the retreating back of the apron-clad figure.
In no time Jou was back, a packet of tiny white grains in his hands, the label facing him so Seto couldn't read it. Twisting the pipe off, he tore open the packet and dumped its whole contents into the bowl. Gently taking Mokuba's hands, he placed them submerged in the bowl.
"What was that?" Mokuba voiced out, curious, the tears already cleared form his eyes, as he grew accustomed to the little pain.
"Salt" Jou replied, showing the packet label to both Kaiba's.
"Stupid mutt! What do you think you're doing putting my brothers' hands in salt!" anger and outrage in his voice as he quickly pulled Mokuba's hands out of the bowl.
"Salt will stop the blisters from forming and will help the burn heal faster, jerk!" Jou said tersely placing Mokuba's hands gently back in the bowl.
A tensed silence followed whereby Seto, hands tucked across his chest, and Jou, arms akimbo, exchanged glares as Mokuba just sat silently contemplating the fact that he deserved this. If only he had just kept his hands to himself.
"You're lucky it was the cooler part of the pan you touched," Mokuba looked up, not realizing the glaring competition had ended. "The side of the pan on the inside would have cooked your hands already."
The younger Kaiba shivered at that, thanking his lucky stars his arms were short.
"Does it hurt much?" Jou asked concern reflecting from his eyes as he bended down a bit to meet the raven-haired eyes.
"Not that much, anymore." Mokuba answered softly.
Another moment of silence rolled by as Kaiba shot the blond a glower which Jou took great pleasure in challenging. Thus commencing another 'who can keep their eyes open the longest' challenge.
"Sorry," Mokuba muttered, ducking his head, his chin touching his chest allowing his unruly raven bangs to shield his eyes.
"It's not your fault-"
"It aint your fault-"
Another round of exchanging daggers between ice-blue and warm-auburn, then a sniff of ignorance and a sigh of exhaustion
Seto moved his hand to pat Mokuba's head, but so did Jou, resulting in the hands of the two brushing against each other.
And yet another session of glares as they both snapped their hands back.
Sweat-drops from Mokuba
The radiating rising temperature between the two had made Mokuba look up, realizing how soon it was that the attention on him was diverted from himself to each other especially when these two met one another.
"Honestly," he muttered, forgetting his pain already. "You two have great chemistry" he added a tone louder.
Rewarded with fresh evil looks coming in his direction, Mokuba could be sure now that his statement got through to the glaring duo.
"What do you mean you misplaced the orders!" an enraged figure in a doctors white coat bellowed to the terrified nurse.
"S-s-sorry, sir, but –uh- the order for the number of orders to be sent to the gauz-"
"I know what happened you IDIOOOT!" said doctor yelled, an intimidating aura glowing around his figure, his anger evident. "What I want to know is WHY, was such a mistake made, DIMWIT!"
"…E-eeer…"
"Are you DEAF! I asked you a bloody question!" Purple eyes turned a darker shade as the hopping mad lad made a threatening move, looking as though he was about to hit the female.
Clinging onto her clipboard that was being used to shield her face, the petit-sized nurse squeaked in terror caused by her mistake, her knees shaking.
"Marik!" a feminine like voice came from behind them. Said lad stopped in mid-punch, the anger in his eyes faded away a notch at the recognition of the others presence. Taking a deep breath, Marik withdrew his clenched fist and turned around.
"Humph!" was the sound he made before stomping away, eyes stubbornly shut not wanting to meet the others' gaze, his white unbuttoned knee-length coat billowing behind him.
"Marik! Come back here." The teenager with soft features called out, "Marik!" he turned to chase his look-alike, but halted in mid-step. Turning around he patted the trainee nurses' shoulder.
"It's okay alright. I'll talk to him and explain things." Kind light violet eyes gave her a comforting gaze, with a smile; he turned around and broke into a run after the fuming one.
"Chemistry!" he thought, trudging grudgingly back home. "Honestly, has Mokuba gone bonkers!" Jou muttered to no one in particular as he kicked an empty soda tin can into the gutter, and trudged up the clanking metal staircase to the apartment he shared with his Dad on the second floor.
Twisting the doorknob of the second door with peeling blue paint, he found it unlocked.
'Dad's home' Jou thought, as he pressed his ear against the beer-stained door, trying to pick up sounds that would tell him his Dad was awake, of not.
Hearing nothing, Jou felt a small wave of relief wash over him. At least he didn't have to deal with his Dad now.
Quietly opening the door, not wanting it to creak, and then slowly shutting the door back again. Jou tiptoed in passing his snoring father on the couch, beer bottle in hand; then entered his room shutting the door silently upon entering. Flopping down onto the thin mattress he pulled out on of his textbook.
"Chemistry…" Jou said out to the white washed walls, azure-blue eyes came to mind as he smiled a small smile at the strangely nice feeling of just thinking of those blue eyes gave him. Laughing softly he began on the day's homework.
…...
To
Be
Continued
Next
Time
…..
Maaaaaaaan, sorry sorry, I took longer than I promised to upload this chapter. So sorry (again)! Not gonna promise how long I will take till the next chappie is out. No more promises, no… Oh, and… Thank you for reading! Thank you thank you! Thank you all bows. My defense for the delay? ((Aaaaaah, you don't really have to read this, I just felt like typing it P )) I had the flu, for nearly a whole week. (Thank you, germs and air-molecules for passing it to me. Not.)
I had one too many essays to submit, darn the maximum words to be 250. (I can't write that much on the stupid topic they gave! Damn the administration…)
Schoolwork is a burden on my shoulders… And, I was distracted with the fics that I am reading. XD P heheh, sowieeee bows but they were irresistible!
I had joined the 'Jounouchi Katsuya x Seto Kaiba' C2 (see my C2 groups for the link) and got pulled to read the stories there
Okay okay! Thank you for reading this chapter/ story!
Thank you!
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