Disclaimer: Do not own. If I did, it'd be rated T or M for mature, mwuha!
-------------------------

Jou's POV:

There wasn't any doubt in my mind that Kaiba wouldn't let something like that slide. After all, that was a blow to his pride and reputation, the only two things he cared about. Well, feeling wise. I guess he cared for his booming company. Cared or obsessed? Eh, I still hadn't decided on that one.

All this week I'd been going around, rubbing it in his face. Whoever said revenge is sweet really knew what they were talking about! Who knew me, of all people, could beat Kaiba Seto at something he was an expert at? Even I was in shock.
But he was taking it well; too well. It was making me nervous. What was he gonna do? Being powerful and all, Kaiba could do almost anything! Just how far would the self-absorbed CEO go?

"Jounouchi, a word please."

What'd I do now! Well, I might've zoned out...but that's normal. Giving a sigh and nothing else, I stood and looked around for a moment. This wasn't something I needed to deal with right now. Couldn't he see I was jumpy enough as it is!

Everyone was staring at me. Was there something on my face? Had I forgotten to put my pants on this morning? Would explain why I was so cold right then and there. Then I saw something that made me cringe inside. Kaiba. He was looking a little smug; too smug. Uh-oh. I was in for it now.

"I find it unnatural that someone such as himself would demand the right to work with someone such as you. Would you mind presenting a reason as to why?"

Teachers are always trying to confuse me with their big, fancy words. Secretly, I know they think I'm stupid. Hell, everyone does. Even my friends. But someday I'll prove them wrong! Wait, wasn't beating Kaiba enough to show them that?

Right now, it wasn't that I didn't understand the meaning of the particular sentence. No, it was loud and clear...Kaiba had lost his mind!

Seto's POV:

Taking my prey by surprise also meant setting myself up for someone, such as himself, to easily take a stab at what little sanity I had left. Yes, just as easy as it could work, it could also backfire and take yet another stab to my frequently targeted pride. But what else was I to do? Surely sitting here and hoping for the sky to fall on the disobedient mutt was hardly an idea at all.

I think of it this way. The more I learn about the un-fascinating creature, the easier it will be to strike a nerve and cause him to break down. Sweet, sweet victory. Though, I intend on obtaining some sort of benefit, other than being responsible for his downfall. After all, that's only a very little gain. Call it an experiment in the making, if you will.

But, as with every experiment, the scientist has to expect failure before success. Although, one has to wonder. Would this be taking it far enough? Being humiliated under the watchful eye of admirers by the likes of Jounouchi isn't exactly the highlight of the day, and this is his punishment? Perhaps being stuck with me for a measly school project just isn't as genius as I thought.

Having thought about it for the several minutes, I then decided on a way to take him out that was indeed perfect. Even he himself wouldn't see such a thing coming. It'd be a show stopper for sure.

My eyes resting upon the door, I stared at the moving figures outside this confinement. If only I could hear what they were saying. No doubt it was about my odd behaviour regarding the upcoming project. It wasn't just the runt I'd taken by surprise, I suppose.

This was definitely going to be a day worth waiting for. And really, I would wait a lifetime just to see him fall, begging for mercy. Without a doubt in my mind, I decided that's how it would end. My battle would be won; I'd accept nothing less at this point.

Jou's POV:

Everything else just kind of slipped past me. Nothing was making sense anymore. That and my head hurt. Why would Kaiba ask to be my partner, of all people? I mean, everyone knows he hates all the living souls in the class, but resorting to me? Maybe he's become dysfunctional.

There wasn't much point in dragging myself back into hell, also known as the classroom. The bell was about to go off, and the halls would be infested with people left and right. Not something I needed right now. 'Sides, fresh air was always good for the brain, right? That's where I was headed, or heading, when someone grabbed my wrist violently.

"Hey!"

Whoever it was didn't wanna let up. Through shaking and twisting, the unknown person only tightened his grip. My brain was still partially in shock, so it didn't register that turning around was the normal thing to do. But how would that help, anyway?

"Like a dog with its tail between his legs. I never thought you'd run away without even thanking me."

The voice dripped with familiar sarcasm, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. He was really confusing, like those stupid puzzles he worked on. Even more than that, he was down right annoying. Couldn't he just leave me alone for five seconds!

"Ha-ha, very funny. You should've become a comedian instead of an asshole."

Sometimes I even crack myself up. This was obviously one of those times. Seriously though, Kaiba was about as funny as my left leg. Every try at a joke ends up turning into some sort of threat or hidden message. It's like playing 'crack the code', basically.

"What a pitiful attempt at an insult. I would like to remind you that the project won't do itself. Therefore, we have no other choice than to agree on starting it. This leads me to my next point. Being the stalker you are, I trust you should know where I live. If not, well, then that's your own problem. Though, a fair warning. Don't show up and I'll be sure to let something about you slip into my next interview. You should know what that means, hm?"

Not only was he annoying, but he sure talked a lot. Blah blah blah. Did he actually think I was listening? The whole time my eyes were fixated on my escape route. The sooner I got away from this egotistic bastard, the better.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

After wrenching myself free of him, my feet took me outside, my real destination. Though, the sounds of crunching behind me were no doubt footsteps. And no doubt it was Kaiba. Double dosage, and it was still only morning. Would he follow me all day?

"What do you..-"

Seto's POV:

Hearing his voice was getting to be like hearing the sound of a screeching chalkboard. Before even letting myself think, my hand reached up. Its destination had been Jounouchi's mouth, and it successfully silenced him. Whether or not it was due to shock or actually my hand, one couldn't tell.

"Silent, mutt. Let your master finish speaking."

It came out more like a harsh whisper, and it was enough to make him listen. My hand still maintained a tight grip, one he did not even try to escape from. Though, I could tell by the clenching of his hands that he wasn't enjoying this one bit. This made me all the happier.

"Eat lunch with me. That way we can discuss how we're going to go about this project. The less you spend at my house, the better."

A smirk of temporary contentment spread across my features, causing Jounouchi to give a roll of his eyes in return. Sometimes the mutt was actually quite funny and amusing. This was one of those rare times.

"Yeah yeah, Mr. High and Mighty. Trust me, I don't want to even go to your mansion. Hell, I don't even care about doing the damn project!"

Perhaps my smirking only made him even more agitated. Sighing, it slowly faded. For some reason, unexplainable one, I felt anger towards him. Maybe it was just his presence. The air was always filled with tension between us.

"Really, I could care less about what you want. It's what we need to do that matters. If it makes you feel any better, the idea of having you in my house is very disgusting. Fleas will be crawling everywhere afterwards."

The growl that was heard afterwards caused the same smirk to return. How typical, shooting insults at each other. Amusing or not, we had to get down to business. That, and my stomach was demanding the food it was being denied. So, rather than listen to him argue with me, I dug into my food, his words slipping past me. Because really, nothing he said could hurt me. I'd heard every kind of insult there was, and I'm sure I'd heard them all from him.

"Kaiba...?"

Sensing the calmness in his voice, I assumed it was safe to respond. Although as soon as my eyes glanced upwards at him, I let out a groan. Already I had an idea of what he wanted, and I didn't like it.

"What? Stop staring and just spit it out, you moron!"

He made that pouting face and stared hungrily at my food. I could swear he was drooling or trying very hard not to. My automatic reaction was a glare and to continue to eat. That only made him whine and whimper, which really was dog-like. Typical Jounouchi.

"Fine, just stop those incredibly annoying dog actions, would you? What a disgusting example of a human you are."

But instead of responding angrily, the mutt only took the food greedily and downed it in ten seconds flat. That really was the only amazing thing about him. His stomach seriously was a bottomless pit.

By that time, I had had just about enough of Jounouchi as I could take. Standing, my feet started taking me back towards the school.

"After school, mutt. Don't you forget, or I'll skin you myself!"
--------------------------

Author's Note: I'm /so/ sorry for this taking so long! My life just keeps going down the drain, and so does my brain. Fortunately, I stuck true to my word this time. Thank you for those who have been patient. I give you all my love. You may also notice the writing style is different. While I've been away, I've adapted my style so it is perhaps a better read. I'm not sure whether you prefer long or short chapters, but I decided this was a good place to leave it. Whether or not there is enough detail put into it...I'm not sure. Even I have my doubts about it. This certainly isn't anywhere near my good writing.

How 'bout you let me know? The little purple button listens to everything everyone says...