Disclaimer: I'll give you three guesses.

Warning: As if anyone ever reads my warnings... But anyhow; FILLER! (noooes!...?)

Note: Oh well... This chapter is... Well... I have a slight problem with it. It's just not my best. At least it's better than the previous chapter. In this one I tried to write so everyone would like it (you know, after the opinions I got in the reviews) so I hope I haven't made anyone displeased. Just go ahead and read it. (By the way: I am extremly sorry for the late update! I have almost had no time to write, therefore it took longer. And sometimes I was so tired I logged into ffnet to read instead. Yes, I am lazy at times...)

Unheard Love
Chapter 13

by Growing Pain

It was quiet. Too quiet. The only noise was that of breathing and of chewing. It didn't used to be this way. But it was now, thanks to him.

Blue eyes glanced at his brother once more, as he had done plenty of times this morning. The raven-haired teen hadn't gone back to normal after their previous discussion last night. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Ha! What a stupid thing to say! Of course there was something he could do! There is always a solution. A problem always has a solution, one thing can not exist without the other. But he was too preoccupied with worry to have thought of any reasonable way to make his brother happy once more. To make him able to forgive him.

If he was lucky Mokuba would forget everything when they arrived to the zoo. But the odds of that happening wasn't that high. Unless the young boy had gotten some sort of revelation during his day. Which was unlikely too.

So it was up to him. What would he do?

Figures. This is just what he deserved to begin with. He had never been a good brother. He used to be the best; the best duellist, the best business man, the best pilot, and a freaking genius to top it all off. And yet he couldn't be the best big brother he knew he should be. The one he wanted to be. That role got pushed aside as the other titles claimed their space, occupying his mind and persona.

The one thing that really mattered… shoved aside. For what? And he did it again, again and again. Never did he seem to learn properly.

Of all the people in his life, of all the ones he had hurt, manipulated, shoved aside and betrayed… Mokuba still stood by his side. It didn't seem right. And something inside him told him that his brother would forgive him for this too. He was a very forgiving person, especially towards him. Or was that only to him? He wasn't so sure. Other people didn't seem to hurt him the way he did.

But he didn't mean to cause such commotion in his brothers heart. There had been no point in letting him know of the fact that he spend time with Jounouchi. It is only going to be temporary. It's going to end as soon as his feelings does. There was no need to tell him…

"I'm done. Are we going to leave now?" His brother asked after putting his plate and mug in the dishwasher. Seto put aside his morning paper and nodded, having eaten already, and accompanied his brother to the hall. As they walked he was once again not spoken to. Barely acknowledged. It killed him more than anything.

Why was it, that he could do almost anything possible to avenge his brother if he got hurt, but wasn't able to treat him properly himself? The bitter irony of it all.

Numbly the CEO placed his feet in black leather shoes, not owning any other sort but that of the finest. He treasured the money he had earned, spending it on image. But his brother used sneakers… and normal clothing outside school. Mokuba didn't care about the unimportant such as money and power. The little boy seemed to know better than him at times.

His blue-grey eyes avoided his blue ones with a dead expression. Silently he felt the agony he caused the shorter one. Perhaps he should say something.

Mokubas hand reached for the door handle, opening it and stepping outside. But the brunet remained inside, standing tall and looking out. It wasn't until the boy had gone a few metres that he noticed his brother wasn't following. Wondering what he was doing he turned his head, only to see his brother look at him.

"Seto?" He asked carefully.

"Mokuba…" He started. He had meant for more words to come out, but everything came to a halt inside. Slowly his brother walked up to him, looking worriedly at him. A small smile graced the CEOs lips. Even now Mokuba was concerned with his well-being, even though he had hurt him.

"Is something wrong?" The black-haired boy asked, looking up into blue eyes. His smaller hands clutched onto his backpack. Cautiously the brunet opened his mouth, debating over what to reply. But he decided this was not the time to lie, as his brother had wished to not be cast away.

"Yes." He answered with no emotion. The eyes beneath him widened slightly.

"What is it?" His voice, so full of honest concern. His small hand grabbed onto his own. The smile returned once more.

"I failed you." Seto spoke quietly, squeezing his brothers hand a bit. Mokubas eyes widened, and started to water after a few seconds. The older one watched with the same expression as before. He could see his brother biting his lip, his chin slightly shaking. A good ten seconds after that a smile appeared on his lips.

"Don't worry brother. Everything's okay now." Mokuba soothed. His smile was so honest and pure, the attributes his didn't have. Seto didn't know whether to be happy or angry with himself. Why did the boy keep forgiving him for all the mistakes he made?

A slight nod came from the brunet, as he started to walk out of the mansion with his brother, happy to see him smile once more.

"Just remember that you now have to tell me everything and nothing, so this won't happen again!" Mokuba stated with a mischievous grin. The older Kaiba looked down on the younger one with a raised eyebrow.

"I doubt anything I have to say will be interesting for you to hear." He spoke in his normal voice, getting inside the limousine with his brother following right after.

"Come on, it can't be that boring. It's you Seto!" His brother encouraged. Sometimes he seemed to think everything he did was amazing. Though the older didn't reply.

"And when we get to the zoo after school you can tell me all about how you and Jounouchi started hanging out! That'll be fun to hear!"

"I don't really think it'll be -" Seto urged, but was interrupted by his happy brother.

"Oh, of course it will!"

"Hn." Great… now he had to tell him all about what they had done. Like he was a good storyteller to begin with! If he were to tell a kid a goodnight story he would read the newspaper articles out loud.

"I bet something fun happened."

"Why do you think that?"

"It's the two of you! Something weird was bound to happen. Perhaps he was brain-washed by an evil Egyptian so that he would like you?" Mokuba speculated while his brother decided to look out the window at the city they rushed by. It still bothered him that his brother forgave him so easily. Did he keep everything inside? Like he did? He shouldn't do that. Who knew if Mokuba was strong enough to handle it. His own capability he already knew, but when it came to his brother… He just didn't know. And he couldn't risk having him lose under the pressure of breaking down inside.

He turned his head to his left, looking at his brother who was currently yawing. Perhaps he didn't hold anything inside. Perhaps he has just imagined a scenario totally untrue. After all, his brother wasn't like him. Not in the least.

He worried too much…

XxxX

Twenty minutes left until first class, he noted briefly, as he searched for a certain book in his tidy locker. But having everything completely organized, he needn't look for it very long. It was all routine anyhow. Same monotonous movements, actions and plans everyday. It seemed so empty at times. But who was he to complain when he achieved all he wanted? Suffocating emotional needs was what he did best after all.

He could see him from the corner of his eye, approaching him through the crowd. As if he was afraid his locker might get in a mess just by the blonds presence, the CEO closed his locker door and focused his blue eyes on the man that now stood beside him.

"Hi…" Jounouchi greeted, his voice not as cheerful and carefree as usual. Instead he seemed cautious. Not bothering to give an oral reply, the CEO gave a curt nod before turning around, heading to their next class. As suspected, the shorter walked along.

"So… I brought some Cds. I thought we could go through them during our lunch break, because it's extra long on Fri-"

"I know. I've had this schedule the whole year, just like you." Seto commented, not feeling especially happy. The situation with Mokuba still bothered him, even if he was forgiven. Was his brother too used to having him let him down all the time, to forgive him that easily?

"Well aren't you just a happy camper?" Katsuya asked rhetorically with a dull voice. Perhaps it was too early in the morning for him to give an insult.

"…" As usual Seto ignored the man beside him, walking with a straight back through the hall, observed by a few. That had happened a lot lately, ever since he and Jounouchi started to accompany each other. Or rather, ever since Katsuya decided to harass him at any given time. He preferred the second option of the two. A sigh was heard, but he paid no attention and opened the door to his classroom. It was empty and the lights were off. But the sun shone inside, so it wasn't as dark as he had hoped for it to be. Pity.

He seated himself in a bored manner, taking out a folder from his briefcase. He had some paperwork to finish so he could spend the day with Mokuba without worrying. And what better time to do that than now?

For some unknown reason, the blond stopped in front of the two desks put together, looking at the CEO. It seemed obvious to the brunet that Jounouchi wanted his attention, but being the person that he is, he didn't give it to him and kept on reading. After half a minute he could hear the standing blond clear his throat. So he turned his gaze to meet brown eyes.

"Yes?" He asked in a somewhat bothered tone. It was not appreciated that he was disturbed from his work.

"Are you still mad at me?" Katsuya asked, his voice firm. Seto on the other hand was surprised Jounouchi had thought that, though his face still looked the same. He hadn't been extra standoffish today, what made the blond come to that conclusion to begin with?

"No." At this the blond seemed a bit surprised himself, tilting his head to the left curiously.

"Then what is it?" He asked with folded arms.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Seto replied, not sure what the other meant.

"You seemed completely out of it when we walked here."

"So?"

"I just wondered if anything's wrong, that's all." Jounouchi said with a shrug.

"Everything's fine." Seto stated, his blue eyes narrowed. Brown eyes looked disbelievingly at him, raising his eyebrow.

"Really now?"

"Aside from my work-" he said, gesturing with his hand towards the papers on his desk. "I feel perfectly content." Katsuya watched the sitting teenager with a critical eye for a few seconds, his arms still folded.

"Do you have a lot of work to do?" He asked, appearing to be formulating something in his mind. Some things he did was done too obvious, to the brunet anyway.

"Yes." Seto replied. Silence emitted for a few short seconds before words were spoken once more.

"Let's make a deal." The blond suddenly suggested, taking the brunet by surprise. What on earth was going through Jounouchis mind? May it not lead to destruction…

Kaiba looked disbelievingly at the man in front of him, raising an eyebrow to show the other he should continue.

"Well, you need to work. And you can't exactly do that with me around. Let's face it. I'm too adorable to ignore!" Jounouchi said with a grin, narcissism getting the better of him. In return Seto snorted, showing he officially disagreed. "And I want you to behave when you listen to my Cds, and not break them might I add. Those things cost a lot nowadays!"

"Get to the point." Seto commanded, receiving a glare from the blond which had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Asshole! Will you just keep quiet?" Katsuya spoke with a slightly annoyed voice, but regained himself pretty quickly. "Anyhow, so my suggestion is; I'll leave you alone until our lunch break so you can work. And then, at lunch, you're all mine." Seto narrowed his eyes at the choice of words Katsuya had decided to use. Perhaps he craved some sort of dominance after being shoved around by him all this time? Still, he found the wordings very suggestive. Jounouchi could be such a clueless idiot at times…

"And if I refuse?" He asked with a smirk, having his arms folded as well.

"I'll bother you aaaall day long."

"Fine. But if your Cds accidentally starts to fall to the ground, don't put the blame on me."

"Fine. And if your ass gets kicked, don't look at me." Katsuya replied back, grinning. "So we have a deal then?" Katsuya unfolded his arms and placed his hands in his pockets. Today he had no textbook with him. Most likely he forgot it at home.

"Deal." Seto confirmed with his emotionless voice. "Now get out of my sight so I can work in peace." He commanded while directing his attention to the papers in front of him. Therefore he was unable to see that the grinning grew wider.

"Gee Kaiba, didn't know I was such a distraction to you."

"Hmpf. Don't flatter yourself."

"Well, see you around. I'm going to find Yuugi and the rest." Katsuya said as he walked to the door, his back turned against the brunet.

"Don't care."

"Bye." He said with a wave as he closed the door behind him, not expecting any good-bye back.

"Hn." Kaiba managed to utter before the blond was completely gone. Soon it was just him and all his papers. Not to mention the work he had to do on his laptop. Better start working, Seto figured.

Unfortunately, since class was about to start, students came in and disturbed the wonderful silence that helped him concentrate. Nothing he wasn't used to. Just… it's easier when he's alone.

But staying loyal to the fact that he absolutely had to finish this so he could give Mokuba his full attention, he kept on writing and reading, completely ignoring the teacher and her lecture. Sometimes he glanced up, and looked at his surroundings as if to assure himself people were still there. When he once decided to work with a full concentration he went away to his own little world, not noticing the things that happened around him.

Therefore, he had to snap out of it sometimes, to see how much time he had left. But as he stared at the clock on the wall he had a strange feeling. Just as if he was being watched. Assuming that it was the blond that stared at him, he looked over the classroom to see if it was true. Which wasn't the case. Instead, it had been some stupid girl staring at him, sitting two tables away from Katsuya. His blue eyes turned cold instantly, glaring at her. This resulted in a blushing girl that buried her face in a textbook. Pleased with himself, he smirked. At least some pleasures could be given to him easily. People were so weak. So pitiful and disgustingly imperfect. They all needed to know their rightful place. His facial expression returned to an emotionless one and he turned his gaze to his papers instead of the unworthy girl.

He smirked inwardly as he though of what would happen during his lunch break. The blond intrigued him to no end it seemed. And knowing his feelings would die out one day made it all better.

Not bothering to think about Jounouchi anymore, he returned to his work, blocking out all sound as he only focused on the task at hand. His musings could take place later. And with that he let himself fall into the trance of work, allowing himself to be as efficient as he possibly could.

XxxX

It gave him a rush, to work like that. Efficiency at it's prime. Only important thoughts rushing through his mind, being fully concentrated. It made him feel proud over himself, that he achieved something. That he was able to make anything as perfect as it could get. And perfection was what he always strived for. Being able to achieve it… to form it himself… a pure bliss.

Not only did working make him efficient, but all his personal problems and emotions… disappeared. He became the man he wished he could be. Nothing else mattered. He was spared from the world's cruelty and his heart's aching. It made it easier, to escape it all. True, it didn't actually solve anything… But the contentment he got from it was enough. He felt as if he was needed. Only he could do those tasks properly. He was special…

And boosting ones ego was never a bad thing.

He could do things others couldn't. They would never be in the same high rank as he. They didn't deserve him. But what did he deserve?

He took his briefcase steadily in his hand as he walked out of library. Deciding classes didn't really matter when real work existed, he had skipped all of them. But now he was done. And perfectly content with himself. The smirk could not be kept away from his lips as he graced the hall with his presence. Oh yes, he thought high of himself at times like these.

Not only was he able to finish the whole thing, he did it before lunch started. Thus keeping his side of the deal true. And he would be able to fully concentrate on Mokuba. And, not to brag, but his solutions for certain problems had been absolutely brilliant. Of course, there was work left. But that was nothing urgent nor especially important. Only some statistics and economical reports that he had to look over to make sure everything was listed. But as mentioned before, nothing urgent.

But going out of his trance also meant facing reality once more. Which reminded him, he had to listen to a bunch of stupid songs. Feh… like the idiot owns that many Cds to begin with. They will get over that task quickly.

Slowly his smirk started to descend as he walked to the cafeteria, seating himself at a window table. With graceful movements he opened his briefcase and gently took out today's dish. Soup. And he started eating as he looked out the window and observed everything; the students, the grass, the cars, the buildings. Such an idyllic view. But it didn't take much to break it. Tear down the happy faces. Their system was so fragile…

If just one thing changed chaos would surface. For example, just… take away all the traffic lights. Serious accidents would interrupt everyday. Or if there were no law against shoplifting. Who would bother to pay? This society was built up on so many rules, like a pyramid of cards. So fragile. If you take one card away, it will fall down. Lead to destruction. If you're not careful, that is. But humans these days weren't. Surely the cards would fall, and their weak pyramid of success would be ruined.

He took another spoon of soup, tasting it's delicious mix of water, spices and vegetables. Meanwhile he kept a firm look at the world outside, bitter and proud at the same time. Those friendship freaks didn't see how the world really was. Not that they could either. They sheltered each other too much, blinding themselves with light.

And perhaps he had been blinded too, by the darkness this world offers so thoughtlessly. But it was better to know of the bad and expect the worst, than to know the good and be deceived. How gullible they could be. Pretty amazing they lived through anything thrown at them though… which only strengthened their believes. Someone ought to make them fall… hard. And let them see that everything does not have a fairytale ending.

Not that he was going to bother in doing that. Like it was worth his time anyway. They could go on and believe. The longer it takes, the harder they fall. And he would be there, to laugh and mock and show them his world, where he ruled. And he would prove to them that he was right all along. That they were wrong… For how could they be right? No one makes it as a team, solitude makes you stronger. You grow and learn better. If you depend on others you get weak and let your defences down.

One day he could watch them fall. The joy he would get just to be proven right would be all to great. And they would ask for help, to be shielded from the darkness. But he would do nothing, as they had to learn to aid themselves. Otherwise you'd be weak. And the weak never survive.

His thoughts led him to Mokuba. How he wished to take away his pain and insecurities. But he couldn't. Did he want him to see darkness, and know the truth? Or see the light, and be happy? His eyes rested on a bird, sitting on a bench all alone. It seemed it was eating something on it, but it was too far away to notice such small details.

Another spoon of soup. Chewing the vegetables. Swallowing. Repeating the process.

His brother already knew of the darkness. But he believed in the good. At least to some extent. Though Mokuba wasn't as extreme as Yuugi and the others, he wasn't as pessimistic as him either. Perhaps he was a perfect balance that would make it through this world, whole and intact. Yes… one could only hope.

"Hey, there you are!" A familiar voice exclaimed, dragging him back to the present. His blue eyes kept the cold, indifferent look as he watched the blond seat himself in front of him. A backpack was slung over his shoulder, only to be placed at the chair next to him. Probably containing the Cds.

"Well, we did make a deal." Seto replied drawly. Katsuya didn't bother to listen, already eating his food with outmost joy. Even if the blonds passion for food was no surprise to the CEO any longer, he looked at him with a disapproving face and cold eyes. He was like a child at times. But since he went by unnoticed by the blond, who was too occupied with eating, he stopped it and finished the rest of his soup in silence. Maybe he would fall out of this sickness soon, being able to desert Jounouchi and only laugh at his misery. Oh yes, how he longed for that day.

Approximately seven minutes later Katsuya was finished with his food, leaving no trace behind of its existence on his plate. Brown eyes focused on the brunet instead, appearing to be in a happy mood. Perhaps he had a real good time with his friends, Kaiba mused.

"So, you're ready now?" The blond asked, but wouldn't really take notice of a 'no' since he was already searching for the equipment in his bag. All the brunet could do was glare at the walkman and Cds that were brought up on the table one by one.

"Okay, before I let you use this -" The blond said, pointing to his earphones. "I need to know that you have clean ears." He declared with a serious expression, waiting for an answer. The CEO glared at him.

"Are you saying I don't have personal hygiene?"

"What? Noooo. Of course not. Now let me take a look in your ears, and then you can use them all you want." Katsuya said, standing up and bending over the table to get a good look into Kaibas ears.

"What are you doing! Sit down!" Seto exclaimed as the blond had come closer. To escape he had pushed his seat away from the table. Now he was smirking since he was out of reach for the shorter one.

"Don't be such a baby about it! I just don't want to get your dirt on my earphones!"

"It's you who wanted me to wear it in the first place!" Kaiba defended, starting to believe that Jounouchi was a madman. He did do peculiar things at times…

"Hey! We had a deal mister!" Jounouchi exclaimed, pointing at the brunet with his index finger.

"The deal did not involve you looking into my ears!"

"What's with you! Got ear complexes or something?" Katsuya said and started to focus his brown eyes on the said ears.

"What? No, you moron!"

"Well… they do look a bit big." Katsuya added with afterthought. "I never really noticed that before. It's like they're -"

"Stop looking at my ears!" Seto demanded.

"Well can you at least clean them?"

"There's nothing to clean!"

"How would I know?" Kaiba clenched his jaw in frustration. The blond was more trouble than he was worth.

"Look, if I, by any unreasonable chance, get earwax on your cheap earphones I'll buy new ones for you. Deal?"

"Deal! Man, now I really hope you do have earwax!" The blond said with enthusiasm as he handed over the walkman. With a glare the brunet accepted it and inserted the earphones in his ears, waiting for Katsuya to chose a Cd and get this over with.

"Okay, let's take some country first!" He said as he placed a brown Cd in the silver walkman, pressing the on button. After a few seconds he could hear the sound of acoustic guitars and a man singing. But it did not appeal to him. So he decided to show his resentment by glaring at the blond.

"Alright, no country for you. That's good. I don't like it either." He said with a small smile, trying to cheer the brunet up. "Alright! Some pop then?" Jounouchi suggested, and put a new Cd in the walkman. With a bored sigh Kaiba waited for it to start. Eventually it started and he could hear several male voices with an overly sugar sweet melody to go along with it, complaining about love. It was better than the country, but this was still horrible.

"No." He stated, pushing the off button. Katsuya sighed. "Okay. Then… some R&B!" Patiently the brunet awaited for the song to start. Once it did he could hear a girl voice and many different beats. This too, appalled him. Why did people even listen to this crap?

"Definitely no." He stated, pushing the off button once more.

"What? How can you not like it? I love R&B!"

"Well, you do have questionable taste." Seto said with a smirk, finding the other to be more entertaining than the given music.

"Yes, I hang with you, don't I?" The blond replied back, smirking as well. The CEO frowned, causing the blond to quickly change the subject. "And now we have… um… rap!" He said as he put the said Cd inside the walkman. The music that was supposed to come surprised the CEO, only hearing people talking fast.

"What kind of useless garbage do you listen to!" Seto said, clearly not approving of the given genre. The words that were spoken in the lyrics were too disgraceful as well.

"God dammit, you're like a caveman… Alright, some rock then? Everybody loves rock." He said with a forced smile, trying to be nice to the CEO who never stopped complaining. Seto glared and folded his arms. The song started out slow, but after a short while screaming and electric guitars took up all sound, alongside with drums. Needless to say, his ears got quite the shock, deafening him. As fast as he could he took off the earphones, and glared at the blond when he had calmed himself. The said blond stifled a laugh. This made the glare grow stronger into a murderous look and the amused teenager quickly behaved himself.

"Moron. You planned this didn't you?" Seto asked.

"Honestly, no. But the look on your face was priceless."

"Hmpf."

"I take it you didn't like it." Jounouchi said, the previous laugh wanting to break through once more. But he stifled it the best he could.

"How perceptive of you…" Seto replied dryly.

"Well. Then we only have one thing left. I was hoping we wouldn't have to come to this, but you definitely proved that you don't like modern music. So… it's classical for you!" He said and put a Cd in the walkman. Seto listened, prepared for a similar shock as the one he received from the rock song. But instead he only heard peaceful melodies. It was calm. Serene. It lured his mind to a green forest where there was no sign of civilisation. It was boring, to say the least. With a mental sigh he took of the earphones and looked at the hopeful brown eyes, shaking his head.

"What? Impossible! You don't like it? Not one bit?"

"No."

"My God, what will I do?" Katsuya sighed, obviously not used to anyone not appreciating any sort of music.

"Stop the drama-act." Kaiba said in a bored tone.

"You don't like music, or TV, or anything else normal people do! It's just weird!"

Feeling as if he was being insulted, Kaiba glared, anger slowly building up inside.

"Who needs to be normal, when all normal people are a complete waste of space!"

"They're not a waste of space! Stop being so full of yourself!"

"Stop thinking you can change me!" Brown eyes widened slightly, surprised.

"But… I'm not trying to change you, Kaiba." Jounouchi said, his voice a bit calmer but still loud. He still looked surprised, which the CEO noted.

"Then what's this?" The brunet asked bitterly, gesturing towards all the Cds laying on the table.

"You… You think I brought them because of that?"

"I'm not stupid. You and your friends have tried to change me ever since our paths crossed." As if it wasn't enough to just be him. It wasn't acceptable. No. No one was ever fine with how he was. Always something that needed to be changed. It had only been Mokuba who didn't complain.

"Yes you are! You're stupid, Kaiba!" Jounouchi spat at the said man. "Stop being so damn paranoid! I'm not trying anything! Geez, I was only showing you what you've missed out." Kaiba frowned, not sure he believed the other, but not sure he was lying either.

"Whatever." He said and stopped his glaring, rising up from his seat and taking a hold of his briefcase. Why should he stay any longer? He could do other things instead. As he walked away he could hear a sigh and a pair of feet jogging after him to catch up. Which the blond did in a short amount of time.

"We never really get along for a long period of time, do we?" Katsuya asked as he walked alongside with the brunet, making an empty chuckle.

"No… we don't." He answered, his voice stern and grave. They exited the crowded cafeteria in silence, walking with no destination. This relationship was fruitless. It brought him nothing but a bitter taste of how it would be like to have the blond. He should let it go. Friendship was never his forte to begin with.

"What class do we have now?" Katsuya asked as they walked through the school.

"Math." Seto stated. A groan was heard from the shorter.

"Damn, I hate math! And the teacher too" He complained, trying to bring back the usual atmosphere between the two. The brunet wondered if he should go along with it or stay silent.

"The teacher hates you too." Oh, how weak he is. Not being able to keep quiet. Someone ought to erase his emotions.

"Tell me about it! I get a detention if I as much as sneeze!"

"Well… you do it rather loudly."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side! And I don't sneeze loud! It's very subtle."

"For an elephant, perhaps."

Isn't it wonderful to have old routines to fall back to, when everything else fails? It gives you security of what will happen, and a feeling of knowing instead of being unaware. Even the brunet shared this opinion at the given time.

"You're the one to talk! Look at your ears! It screams Dumbo!" Now, the CEO had no clue whatsoever to who or what Dumbo was, but it sounded like an insult.

"My ears are normal sized. Your eyes are clearly damaged. Go and get glasses, four-eyes." Seto dismissed.

"You can't call me four-eyes! I don't even own glasses!"

"With that eye sight, you should."

"My eye sight if perfectly clear! I see details and all! And I see your ears standing out from your hair!"

"They're not standing out!" Seto defended angrily, glaring with a closed mouth. Jounouchi snickered, but let it go.

"Of course not. I was just seeing things wrong. Your ears are perfect, Kaiba." The blond said in a both earnest and joking voice, which made the CEO suspicious, but he let it slip. Instead he started walking to where their next class would be held. Might as well. There was nothing else to do.

"Hey, you want to skip class?" Jounouchi suggested excitedly.

"No." He said in a bored tone, still walking to the classroom.

"But why? Come on, Kaiba! Live on the wild side!"

"Wasn't it you who said you wouldn't get anymore detentions, you hypocrite?"

"I said no more than four! And I just don't want to face the math teacher. I'll just get a detention anyhow!" The blond continued complaining. Seto rolled his eyes inwardly.

"Hmpf. Weakling. Not even bothering to fight back. So you just given up then?"

"Nope. Just don't want to go to class."

"Then ditch it with your friends."

"They are more… rule followers."

"Does it look I break rules daily? I'm not a criminal."

"But you do what you please."

"Right now I want to make you shut up, but you don't see me swinging a fist at your face."

"Come on Kaiba, we can have some fun."

"Don't think so."

"You prefer math over me?"

"Yes." Jounouchi growled at the insult, but he was not angry. After all, this was merely small talk for the two of them.

"Gah! Why do I even bother!"

"Good question."

"Yes… it is."

"You know that you'll make it through the math class if you just shut up and do what you're told." Seto said with a sigh, not bothering to think through what the blond had previously said.

"Easy for you to say! You actually know what to do."

"Pay attention then. As far as I see it, you're the one who's making it hard for yourself." Jounouchi looked into blue eyes with a glare, but the brunet smirked. "I dare you."

"That was the lamest dare ever." Jounouchi declared, rolling his eyes.

"And you're still not going to do it? My my, aren't you a little scared boy."

"There's nothing to be scared over. It's just a lame dare."

"That's what you're saying. But inside I know that you fear the teacher." He teased. Of course this was the truth to some extent, but he used it so the blond would oblige to his "dare". Why on earth he even wanted Jounouchi to go to the class without getting a detention was beyond him.

"I do not!" Katsuya replied, stressing on the last word.

"Then why won't you do it?"

"It's just a boring, stupid class. Who cares!"

"I knew you wouldn't have decency to accept." Seto declared as he smirked.

"Fine Kaiba! Just to prove you wrong, I'll accept your boring dare!"

"Good." Oh how predictable certain aspects could be, concerning Jounouchi that is.

"Well we ought to go to class now Kaiba. And don't be such a slowpoke!" Jounouchi urged, walking in a faster pace towards the classroom.

"I'm not a slowpoke, and we were heading there! Idiot…" The CEO muttered after the blond, shaking his head disapprovingly to disguise the amusement.

XxxX

"Did you see that Kaiba? Did you?" Katsuya asked enthusiastically. The CEO sighed, annoyed.

"I was sitting right next to you, you idiot!" He replied back, irritated with the other ones childish behaviour. Though the blond was too happy to be let down.

"I knew the answers! I nailed them! And the teacher couldn't scold me at all! Ha! I showed him!" The blond praised himself, while Kaiba mentally cursed himself. Why did he have make Jounouchi behave? Just because the idiot paid attention and actually understood, his ego had grown to a double size.

They kept walking towards their lockers as the shorter of the two still was in a bliss over having answered correctly three times in a row. Sure, even the teacher got surprised, but could the man keep it down!

Something caught the attention of the blond in his happy state, and he smiled widely.

"Yuugi! Did you see? Can you believe it?" He asked his friend, who approached the two of them with the rest of the gang behind him. The tri-coloured teen smiled, looking up at the blond fondly.

"Yes, Jou. I saw. You did a good job in there. I'm proud of you."

"See, I told you that you would understand if you just paid attention." Anzu declared, sighing as if to be bothered, but clearly happy over her friends' happiness.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But who knew it would work?" Jounouchi asked, waving the explanation away.

"You sure you didn't just copy Kaibas notes?" Honda asked teasingly, laughing. The blond frowned.

"Of course not! I can use my own head you know!"

"Yeah, that's a theory yet to be proven." Honda answered, still teasing, but not meaning any of it. The blond glared at his spiky haired friend. "Jokes aside man, you surprised me. Good job." Honda finally complimented, and the two smiled at each other.

Meanwhile, the CEO who had stood by Jounouchis side all along, wanted to roll his eyes. But he felt that wouldn't be a big enough of insult, so he stood still, glaring at them all. Though they seemed too preoccupied with the blond that they didn't notice. Or maybe they simply didn't care. He hoped for the first one.

"So are you guys doing anything today?" Jounouchi asked his group of friends.

"Well, I'm helping grandpa in the game shop, but you already know that." Yuugi replied.

"I'm going go guide our new exchange student. She seemed kind of lonely, so I figured she needed someone to show her around." Anzu explained.

"And… err… I'm doing homework." Honda declared, bored by the thought. Jounouchi chuckled.

"As if! You'll probably play video games instead!"

"Hey, I am going to do them!" The spiky haired brunet declared.

"No you're not!"

"Yes I am."

"Pathetic…" Seto muttered and walked away, silencing everyone by doing so, and not even sparing an extra glare at the group.

"Hey Kaiba! I'm coming, just wait a sec! I have to ask Honda something!" The blond bellowed out after the CEO, who did not wait up and kept walking to his locker located a hall away. A frown was on his face. He never appreciated large groups, especially if they had nothing to do with business. Then it was simply useless.

After he had grabbed two textbooks out of the locker, he turned around, attempting to head to his final class for the day. But behind him was Jounouchi, glaring with folded arms and tapping his foot.

"Out of my way." The CEO ordered in a bored tone.

"You know, you can't just call my friends pathetic! They're far from it, and you know it Kaiba!" The blond lectured while Seto rolled his eyes inwardly and passed by him. Trying to ignore the other as usual.

"Leave me alone."

"Why do you always say so bad things about them? And to their face too!" He had clearly upsetted the blond. Well, he was the king of mood swings, it seemed.

"It's one thing if you insult me, but don't go and attack them! They haven't done anything to you!" He continued, walking by the CEOs side. Scolding him as he did animated hand gestures.

"Why can't you just get along with them!" Katsuya asked angrily, looking frustrated at the brunet. Blue eyes looked back, and opened his mouth to answer.

"Because I don't want to." Seto replied, cold and firm. The blond stared at him, knitting his brow.

"That's just stupid." He shot back. Kaiba sighed.

"I don't care what you think."

"You expect me to believe that?" The blond asked mockingly, grinning at himself.

"Yes."

"Ha! What a joke! Kaiba, when it comes to you and your emotions, you always seem to hide the truth." The brunet stopped his walking to glare at the arrogant companion by his side and snorted at Jounouchi.

The current hall was almost empty, with the exception of a group of boys on the other side of it, having a loud discussion about girls. The brunet directed his gaze to the window nearby, walking up to it and looking out. Few clouds were on the sky, and they were as white as cotton.

"I really don't understand you at times." Jounouchi stated softly, walking up to the window as well. His hands were in his pockets and his brown eyes watched all the concrete outside.

"Good." His voice was emotionless, and his face stern. His eyes held a firm gaze outside, not sparing one look to the man beside him.

"Maybe. Maybe not." The CEO 'hmpf'ed at him. He spoke in such peculiar ways at times and he didn't appreciate it. Either one thing was or it wasn't. There's nothing in between.

"…You annoy me." The brunet declared, his voice was in his normal tone.

"And you anger me." Katsuya mimicked, but with no undertone of mocking behaviour.

Kaiba turned his head, looking at the blond man. Brown eyes were slowly turned to him as well, and he stared into them. What had brought them together in the first place? They were obviously not fit for each other in any way. He was clearly doubting the relationship the two now had. How on earth would it work?

No, he corrected himself. It wasn't supposed to work. This was only meant to make him sick of Jounouchi, so he could leave him. So he could be his old, lonesome, strong self again. He couldn't wait until the day he would be able to laugh, mock and taunt the blond. Oh, how surprised he will be, thinking the power of friendship got to him too. Perhaps he will even cry.

And for some reason, he couldn't even smirk at that mental image. Couldn't smirk at making the other sad. Clearly, he had gone insane.

"Are you going to stare all day, or what?" Katsuya asked, tilting his head.

"I could ask the same about you." Seto replied, not showing an ounce of insecurity. Silence befell the two of them, and to make it less painfully embarrassing both teenagers looked out the window at nothing in particular.

"Perhaps we should head to class…" The blond suggested, his tone a bit dull and lifeless. His eyes were still on the outside world, watching the people in it.

"Yes…perhaps we should…" The brunet partially agreed, also staring out, but at the buildings and cars that were visible to him. They lingered there, not really sure why. Eventually the CEO started to walk away and the blond walked after him, after having watched just a bit more.

Last class… then he would see Mokuba. And he would make him smile. Make him happy. And then there would a whole weekend without the presence of Jounouchi. Which had to be a good thing. Yes… that had to be a good thing.

The two spoke no more words to each other, lost in their own worlds. Or maybe the blond was still a bit angry. The CEO didn't know, and at the given moment, he didn't care. His mind was focused on how good everything would be today, and on Mokuba.

"After you." The blond said playfully, having opened the door to the classroom. Though this time he didn't bow down, which the CEO appreciated. If the blond made a fool of himself, he made a fool of him too, since they were seen together. The brunet looked disbelievingly at him as he walked past him in to the room. At least the other wasn't boring to be around…

XxxX

It was over. At last. Even if school was easy, only offering the minimal challenges to his brain if even that, he was just as most people concerning this aspect. He appreciated when it was over. Though unlike most, he didn't visualize his joy. And to his surprise, the blond was actually calm as well, not running around, smiling, because the weekend had come. Was there something wrong with the other? Perhaps he was not feeling well. Oh well. Not his problem.

The brown eyed companion of his stretched his arms a bit as they walked over the schoolyard, his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Nice to finally be able to sleep in." Katsuya said contently with closed eyes, and with a small smile. The second after he opened his eyes slowly. A man can not walk forever without seeing, even if their pace was slow.

"What do you like about weekends?" He asked curiously, still calm and serene.

"Not having to attend school." Kaiba said, his eyes looking for his limousine. It should be here by now…

"I second that." The blond agreed. The brunet stopped by the end of the pavement, watching his limo slowly and gracefully driving up to him. "Oh, you're going now." Jounouchi said, noticing the black vehicle too.

"Yes." The brunet stated as his chauffeur stopped in front of him.

"Well… see ya." The brown eyed man said, smiling. The brunet gave a curt nod, and watched the other do a small wave as he walked away, most likely heading home. Which was exactly what he was going to do as well. After that his chauffeur came out and opened the door for him, which was really unnecessary to begin with, but there were certain etiquette rules high standard people like him lived by, and he got inside, waiting for the other to drive him home. Then they would pick up his brother and head for the zoo.

"The mansion, I assume?" The driver asked, just to make sure.

"Yes." And then they took off.

The traffic was annoyingly overwhelming. He hated it when he had to wait, especially when it came to seeing his own brother. The world itself angered him at times. Damn Friday traffic…

Eventually the did arrive at the mansion, where a bored Mokuba waited impatiently.

"Seto! What took you so long! I've waited out here for fifteen minutes!" The younger asked, almost pouting. Though he was not angered, merely curious.
"Get in the car." The CEO said, using his more affectionate tone, even if it didn't sound that much different from his regular one. The raven haired boy did as told and sat in front of his brother, and the vehicle took off. "Heavy traffic. Even for a Friday." Seto explained and his brother gave an understanding nod.

"Well… I baked some bread today! Do you want one? I brought some with me."

"Yes." Seto answered, giving his brother a small smile. In return he got a smile back, a bit wider than his.

"Here. And tell me if it's bad." Mokuba said as he handed the light coloured bread to his brother who took it and started to eat. As usual his brothers eyes watched him with interest. When he was done he dusted the crumbles on his hand and let it go in a mini trashcan.
"Well?" His brother asked, impatient. Seto smirked.

"Very tasteful." The younger one lit up, proud to make something his brother liked.

"You really liked it?"

"Of course." The elder Kaiba complimented, making the younger one even more happy.

"I have some more, we could eat it one the way home if you'd like?" He asked carefully.

"Sounds good." True, he kept his answers short, but his brother knew that they were telling the truth. So in the end, it didn't really matter to the boy if his brother spoke briefly or not.

After half an hour or so, they finally arrived, and the younger one smiled. The older one seemed unmoved, but was actually quite content. As long as the animals stay away from him, no harm will be done.

Being the high profile celebrities that they were, mostly because of Seto, the staff let them come in, not having to stand in the long line to buy a ticket. They always did this. True, it wasn't a fancy place, but his brother liked it. Therefore, it was acceptable. And not having to ever stand in line made it even more so. Instead, they paid as soon as they were let inside.

"So, where do you want to go?" The CEO asked, looking where he was walking instead of his brother. But this was only his normal behaviour.

"I want to see the tigers first!" Mokuba requested, and the older nodded.

"Tigers it is." He declared in his normal tone, and his brother smiled.

They walked through the crowds, and Seto kept his gaze on both his brother and the people that walked close to him, just in case anyone wanted to kidnap him again. If anything, he had learned that his brother should be watched over at all times. But Mokuba usually protested against that, claiming he could take care of himself. This however, did not stop the older one from watching him like a hawk whenever they stepped outside. He had actually grown quite paranoid after everything that happened.

"Seto?" Mokuba asked smugly.

"Yes?"

"You were going to tell me how you and Jounouchi started to become friends, don't you remember? We agreed you'd do that at the zoo." Mokuba pointed out, smirking. The CEO felt uneasy with the given topic, and looked down at his brother.

"No Seto, you may not be excused." His brother claimed jokingly. The older sighed almost inaudibly.

"Fine…" The older reluctantly agreed. "You see, Jounouchi and I -"

"You and me what?" An all to familiar voice asked, making the Kaiba brothers turn around, both very surprised. To their revelation, it wasn't only the blond there, he had his spiky haired brunet friend with him. But Seto took no notice of him, slightly panicking inside. What if Mokuba noticed he acted strange around him? Did he even act strange around the blond? What if his brother had already figured it out? What if Jounouchi had too?

"Jounouchi." The brunet stated in a cold voice, not liking this outcome.

"That's right, Kaiba. The one and only." The blond declared, grinning.

This was not good.

To Be Continued...

Words: 8623
Hmm... I finally managed to decrease my writing, just a little bit. I feel proud. I can finally restrain myself!

Well. That was almost a cliffhanger, wasn't it? One day, maybe I'll have a fullfledged cliffie, so you will all wait impatiently to see what will happen -laughs evilly- Anyhow, I don't know about you people, but I thought of this chapter as just a filler. Nothing really happened. The only interesting in my opinion, beside the argument they had about bad eye sight and large ears, was when Kaiba was sitting alone eating and his thoughts.

But back to the big ears, no; I did not mean to insult Kaiba. But it's just that the cast of YuGiOh have very large ears... But Kaibas are definitly the biggest according to me. And I have noticed this a long time now, ever since I first saw it actually, and I wanted people acknowledge it, and have a nice laugh at it as well. So, I gave it a minor part of this chapter. If you disagree with me and think his ears are small, I have no problem with that. Remember; I am not trying to be mean to Seto or bash him in any way. -puts on a 'I heart Seto' t-shirt to show the love- See? Believe me now! (not that I actually have that sort of a t-shirt... but still)