Chapter 12: Why me?

I love all my reviewers! I really do! And no, I did not write that song, some days I wish I did. If you wish to hear it or listen to it, email me, I will gladly send it to you. Now, on with the fic.

Jou and Seto silently walked back into town, watching as everyone of their friends gathered in the towns center. "Looks like the ceremony has begun." Jou said quietly, staring at the small circle.

"Ceremony?" Seto asked, looking at Jou.

"It is time to cremate our friends." Jou said sadly, before joining the circle, Seto in tow.

"We have gathered here to witness our friends flight to the sky." Sogoroku began, watching as every saddened face stared at the two covered bodies lying on top of large piles of dried wood. "We will burn their souls and release them towards the heavens. They shall forever live in peace and watch down on us always." He lifted his hands in the air, and look of grief upon his face. "Ryou? Katsuya? Will you begin?"

They both nodded, stepping out from the poorly formed circle they stood on either end of the wooden tomb of their dead friends. Both raised their hands and put out their arms in front of them, flame beginning to slowly build up in their palms. "We wish you well in the afterlife." They stated, before the fire slowly began to seep into the wood, catching it aflame.

"Anzu Mazaki, Mai Kujaku. May you forever rest in peace."

After the burning ceremony ended, everyone sat around Sogoroku's living room, trying to figure out where the perfect place to spread their ashes would be. "Mai always did like lakes." Mokuba spoke up, tears slowly starting to dry up. 'She would spend half the day at a lake near our town, just because she wanted too."

"That was Mai for you." Marik said, fiddling with a dagger with practiced ease. "She was always running off, running from her teacher, just so she could spend her hours at this lake she found so enthralling."

"Sounds just like Anzu." Ryou giggled out. "She was always ditching us to go swimming in Cremmin lake. She could never get enough of that water."

"Heh. You're right. It was as though that lake had possessed her. She even stopped giving those dreaded friendship speeches just to sit at that lake." Malik said, eyeing Anzu's ash container.

"The lake it is." Jou said lightly, smiling at his friends. "It seems they both loves water, so what better place then water itself?"

"I have to agree with Jou-Kun." Yugi said, smiling at his blonde friend. "The lake will suit best. We will spread their ashes at dawn tomorrow."

Night fell, and everyone was sound asleep, everyone that is, except Jou, who sat atop his home with a look of confusion. "It just doesn't feel right." He said quietly to himself, staring into the night sky. "I can still feel his blood burning my veins."

"Jou?" A voice said quietly from behind him, startling the blonde from his thoughts. He turned to see Seto staring at him. "What are you doing out here, you'll catch cold."

"Not impossible Kaiba. But rather improbable." Jou said quietly. "I have skin that burns with extreme heat, this cold cannot bother me like ice or extremely cold water." He said, looking at the brown haired demon. "What are you doing awake? You were sound asleep when I woke up."

"You're not a very stealthy sneak pup." Seto smiled, settling down next to the blonde. "What is the matter?"

"He can't be dead, no matter how much I try to pull myself from that thought, it won't leave." Jou sighed, staring once again at the sky. "His blood runs in my veins, burning me to the core. I can feel him, I know he still lives, just waiting, waiting to strike again."

"You're just being paranoid pup. You killed him, no one could have survived that blast."

"He isn't just 'no one' Kaiba, he is my father, a wolf, with a black heart with no feeling, that heart pushes him forward, driving him to kill. That same heart will even bring him back from the dead I am betting."

"Look, I watched him fly, literally fly." Seto said, putting his arm over the pups shoulders. "I am having a hard time believing he survived."

"I wish I had that thought in mind, but I don't." Jou sighed, leaning his head on Seto's shoulder. "I know he is still alive, I don't know how, but he is. I can just feel it, inside of me."

Seto nuzzled the blonde hair with his nose. "Calm down pup, you will worry yourself into an early grave at this point." He smiled, tilting Jou's face to look at him. "Just think about us, your friends, and you will get through it all ya mutt." He grinned lightly.

"Now that sounds like the Kaiba I met a few days ago."

"What can I say, you grew on me." He said, closing the space between the two for a chaste kiss. But for Jou, that just would not due.

Threading his fingers through brunette hair, he pulled Seto closer for a deeper kiss, which Seto happily complied too.

Meanwhile two aqua eyes stared at the couple from atop a tree, glowering at the two. "Why should Kaiba get the mutt? I am much more suited to protect." Otogi Ryuuji spat out to himself. "I will turn you two against each other, just you watch, Jou will be mine."

TBC

Well, what do you think? They finally got together, happy? REVIEW!