Cursive
by Lethe Seraph
Two: Insight
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I had a lot of problems in the writing of this chapter. First I wanted to write it from Jou's point of view. Then I changed it to Seto's. After that, I changed it to Honda. And then I… changed it back to Jou. That's why it took so long. I'm too indecisive. Aaargh. ^_^;;
Now for the standard stuff. Let's see…
(Lethe is reading in her impression of a Dub Malik voice.) Maaaany thanks! To the PEOple who reVIEWed. It is MUCH appreeeciated. Hahahahahaha. I HOPE that you enJOY this! Chapter! Pleeease READ and … REVIEW!
(/Dub Malik)
Is there anything else I wanted to say? I don't think so. Or maybe there was. My memory is rather strange, though. It comes and it goes. I'll forget to do the housework but remember things about Yu-Gi-Oh! that I shouldn't be able to remember, or all of the chapter titles of my favorite fanfics, and then I'll forget the name of one of my friends – well, it's not that bad, really, but exaggeration is fun. (Lethe! I thought I told you a thousand times before not to exaggerate.)
I just watched Noa glow all gold and stuff. It was so sad… TT__TT I was crying. He was so noble… I feel inspired. Ohoho.
In closing:
Trix is the Evil. You can check my LiveJournal for more details. ::heart:: Just go a few posts back. (Not that it really needs explanation… but if you don't want to go there, and still want to listen to me, then I'll include it in my next author's notes or something.)
This is getting really long. Eh, blame the sugar. I'll stop now.
Oh, shoot! Kaiba and Jou are beginning to switch personalities! I'm going to have to watch myself. I don't want them OOC, darnit. But I keep on thinking of all these great comebacks for Jou! Aaack.
Yeah, I'll stop.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Okay, I'm back.
About time. What are you, a human vacuum cleaner?
Pretty much, yeah. …Oh, by the way, you don't have any cheesecake left.
What!? There was almost an entire cheesecake… oh.
Heh. Sorry. I got carried away. I am a 'human vacuum cleaner', you know.
…So, are you ready to keep talking?
Hm? Yeah, I guess. Where were we, anyway? I remember talking about cake…
Jou, you really are obsessed, you know that? If you had to sell my soul for a donut, would you do it?
Do you really want to know the answer?
…Never mind. You left off after saying that Kaiba offered you a ride home. I asked you whether you actually-
Oh, right! Whether we actually became friends or kept arguing, right?
Right.
That's kind of hard to say. It was a hard habit to break, you know? I mean, you can't be enemies one day and best friends the next. I still wanted to fight him, sometimes, but I managed to keep myself in check. I… wasn't really afraid of him any more. Not that I was before. Just… he didn't seem as intimidating.
That's a good start, I guess.
Yeah.
-
They drove in silence. Jonouchi sighed quietly and watched the world go by, in all of its bright colors. Shops, happy people, the sky, the sun… other cars. People with food.
Kaiba spoke, startling Jou. "Which way?"
"Uh… left. Then you take another left. After that, go straight." Jonouchi turned to face Kaiba.
The young man nodded slightly and leaned forward, instructing the driver. Jonouchi examined the preoccupied Kaiba with all the curiosity of a child. Kaiba had taken off his coat upon entering, uncovering a black sleeveless turtleneck with 'KC' sewn into its collar. He really was rather slim, wasn't he? Jou guessed that Kaiba probably got distracted by whatever projects he was working on and forgot to eat.
Kaiba sat back down and glanced at Jou. Jonouchi immediately turned back to the window, cheeks burning. Kaiba was not right. Jou didn't have a crush on him. He was just really curious.
No clichés, he reminded himself. He wasn't a cat.
"What were you looking at?" Kaiba said quietly. "I wasn't writing."
"What, I'm not allowed to look in your direction?" said Jou, trying not to sound snappish. About now, he would usually make a stab at Kaiba's supposed 'sacred personage', but if the other was actually willing to try being friends…
"So you can control yourself."
"What?!" Could the guy read minds now?!
"You were twitching," pointed Kaiba.
…Oh.
Jonouchi tried again. "I was looking at you," he said honestly.
"I supposed as much. Why?"
"Don't you ever eat?"
Kaiba blinked once, twice. "Of course. I am human, regardless of common belief."
He really was a sarcastic one. Well, Jou had known that from the beginning. When it wasn't directed at him, he had to admit Kaiba actually had a pretty good sense of humor.
"You're really thin. How often do you eat?"
"You're not exactly one to talk, you know."
"Hey, I eat a lot."
"For all you know, I do as well. Perhaps my metabolism is higher."
"Whatever. How often?"
"Not very," admitted Kaiba. "Dinner with Mokuba. I'm not much for snacking."
"Or breakfast or lunch?" said Jou incredulously. "You can't be human!"
This brought the faintest hint of a smile to Kaiba's lips. Jou stared. The echo of an earlier unfinished thought flitted into his mind. Kaiba would be really cute if… "Perhaps not my mind. But my body, very much so. Unfortunately," added Kaiba.
"What, your mind isn't human?" quipped Jou, ignoring very stubbornly the implications of Kaiba's statement.
"It's better," replied Kaiba.
It was his ego that had thrown Jonouchi off before. He had thought Kaiba to be a self-centered jerk. Maybe it was still true. But at least he had proof to back up his statements. Maybe Kaiba had just been telling the truth the whole time. Jou knew that he would never be able to ace a test with flying colors. He was proud of just passing; Kaiba excelled. Maybe, realized Jou, Kaiba had been set aside because of this. It wasn't like he really had peers.
Kaiba may have been a businessman, able to talk amiably to those twice his age, but did he have experience talking to his own?
-
Well, weren't you the insightful one.
Hey, don't be rude. I can think, believe it or not.
Why didn't you think of it before, then?
The idea of 'friendship' changed something, I guess. I mean, like I said before, you know? If he was willing to try it, then I was too. I was trying to figure out whether he really could be a friend. Whether or not he could really be a good person.
And?
Well, I still don't know. But I might as well try to reach out to him. I've thought of him as a bad guy the entire time I've known him. I have more experience thinking of him badly. If he turns out to be the same old idiot genius, then I'll go back to those thoughts quicker than you can snap your fingers. It's habit.
You're really something.
I know, aren't I really? Do you have any more of those chips?
I'll get them. Keep talking. I'll be able to hear you.
Uh, okay.
-
"Do you always walk to school?"
"Huh?" Jou snapped his head from the window to meet Kaiba's eyes.
"I said, do you always walk to school?"
"Why do you care?" said
Jonouchi out of reflex. Then he winced
when Kaiba stiffened. "Er,
sorry. Uh…"
"It seems a rather long distance," said Kaiba, tactfully ignoring Jou's slip.
"Yeah, well, I'm used to it. And sometimes, when Honda wakes up early enough, he comes by and picks me up. It's not too bad."
"I see," said Kaiba.
Jonouchi grinned and shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. "Keeps me almost as skinny as you when I get up late."
There it was again. That almost-smile. Being Jou, he just had to comment. "You know, you would look a lot nicer if you smiled once in a while."
With Kaiba, everything but anger seemed to be traces. There was a small chill underneath the mask when Kaiba replied. "Maybe I don't want to seem nice."
"What's so wrong with that?" said Jou curiously.
"It's a long story," said Kaiba, "and which way do we turn next?"
"Huh? Oh- right on the next one. There. Then, uh, stop at the apartment building."
"All right." Kaiba leaned forward again, tapping the driver's shoulder. The turtleneck shifted as he did, slipping from his neck ever-so-slightly. He was also really pale, noted Jou, but that was explainable. And his skin looked smooth. He wondered if it really was.
"Hey, Kaiba?" said Jou as Kaiba sat back.
"Hn?"
"Why do you always cover your neck?"
"Personal preference," said Kaiba. "And before you think of anything perverted, I am not currently in a romantic or abusive relationship. All right?"
"Actually, I hadn't thought of that at all," said Jou. "I kinda figured you didn't have a girlfriend, what with being so busy and all."
Kaiba then gave him a very odd look.
"What? I was right, right?"
"Yes," said Kaiba. "Apparently, you're able to reason now."
Ouch.
Jonouchi bit back a sharp reply and instead grinned lopsidedly. "You were only able to tell just now? Your reasoning skills aren't very good, are they?"
"That's what you think."
"No, it's what you think I think."
Kaiba let out a small, exasperated noise. "You're not going to win with that."
"If you had to tell me, it means I've won."
"The hell?!" Kaiba said uncharacteristically. "Since when have you been like this?!"
"Huh? I'm just being me," said Jonouchi. "…Oh! We're here!"
"You live here?"
"Yeah. So, thanks, Kaiba. And I guess I'll see you tomorrow in school." Jonouchi opened the car door and turned back to Kaiba.
Kaiba nodded slightly. "Goodbye until then, Jou."
"Jeez! Smile a bit!" said Jonouchi, grinning to show that he wasn't annoyed.
"Only in your dreams," replied Kaiba, closing the door.
…Hold it.
Had Kaiba just implied what Jou thought he had?
-
Huh. So, do you really dream about Kaiba?
What!? Hell, no! I would never. I'm only just trying to get to know him, not to… you know…
Do the sort of thing that happens on the videos that you lend to Yugi?
Hey, you watch them too. And, anyway, I think he was just joking. About what had happened in school and stuff. It's not like he was serious.
Although you did say he had given you a weird look when you were talking about the fact that he didn't have a girlfriend.
You can't interpret it like that! He was surprised because he thought I couldn't reason.
You were also second in Duelist Kingdom. He knows that you can reason.
What, are you saying he's gay?
You never know.
You have one weird mind, you know that?
I guess I've hung around you for too long.
What's that supposed to… hey! Hey, get back here! Quit laughing at me! You…!