Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter Thirteen

By the time Jounouchi pulled up in front of the game shop the sun was just beginning to rise and he was getting his third wind, ready to face what he'd left behind. He had dropped his fare off at a hotel, draining what he knew would be the last of his money to put her up for the night. Climbing out of his cab, Jounouchi looked up at the familiar building and wondered, just for a moment, if facing Kaiba wouldn't be easier. After a moment he shook it off and went the door, pressing the lit-up button on the door frame.

His stomach churned in time with the doorbell, but he stood steady as the door opened. Yuugi had grown a whole two inches, but his eyes still lit up in the happiest way, and he hugged Jounouchi without so much as asking where he'd been. "It's about time," Yuugi finally said, sounding very much like he wanted to laugh. "I knew you wouldn't stay away forever."

That was Yuugi, of course. Optimistic, cheerful to the absolute bitter end, and for a few minutes after that. "I... I had to work things out," Jounouchi said as they pulled back to look at each other. "And I did."

"And now?" Yuugi opened the door further, but Jounouchi didn't step over the threshold.

"Now I have some other places to go, but I wanted to come here first and apologize. I'm sorry for leaving without warning, and I'm -- "

Yuugi shook his head and said, "Jounouchi, you should know better. Do you want some coffee, or do you have other things to do?" Jounouchi faltered, and stumbled on his thoughts for a moment. Of course it would be that easy with Yuugi -- he had come back, and that was that.

"Yeah, I've got another place to go," Jounouchi admit. "Can I come back for coffee in an hour, though? I have a feeling I'll need it." Yuugi nodded and they parted ways with smiles.

It was the real sign that Domino had barely changed at all. Neither had the roads, and much to his credit Jounouchi remembered the way to Kaiba Mansion without stopping to consult a map. Getting in, though... that he remembered to be tricky. It used to be that there was a list at the front gate; the guards wouldn't let anyone in who wasn't on the list.

Jounouchi somehow doubted he was still on it.

So he went around the back; there was still a solid line of trees hiding the hideous privacy wall that surrounded Kaiba Mansion. If Jounouchi was lucky, he would keep just one step ahead of security on his way in. It sent a thrill up his spine as he hauled himself up one branch, then another; he hadn't broken into anywhere in ages, and never something this big -- Kaiba probably gave his security permission to use excessive force.

Jounouchi jumped the wall without any alarms sounding, though it seemed impossible that there hadn't been some alert within security. Keeping his guard up, Jounouchi sprinted for the mansion; it seemed like an eternity with his calves burning, his chest constricting -- the only thing keeping him from falling on his face was the constant fear of dogs, sirens, anything to indicate that someone had been manning that wall.

Nothing. He came to a stop a few feet from a patio door, panting and sweating and trying to work out the next part of his plan. To some extent he had expected to be taken before Kaiba at the hands of guards, so now it was down to breaking and entering. Through the thin red veils that covered the doors Jounouchi could see a housekeeper tidying up. "Shit," he breathed, crossing the space and knocking on the window. The woman jumped and peered through the curtains... and screamed, running out of the room.

At yet another loss, Jounouchi tried the handle.

The door opened into a room he didn't recognized. It was adorned with red curtains, white furniture, and heavily polished dark wood. The d?or reeked of elegance and money -- it was probably something that came with the mansion before Kaiba's time.

"You!" In the open doorway stood Kaiba's goons; they still wore black suits and sunglasses, like American Secret Service agents right out of the movies. "Come with me."

Floundering, Jounouchi picked up the first thing he could grab -- a lamp. Ignoring that it was still plugged into the wall, and that it probably cost more than Jounouchi's life insurance policy, Jounouchi wielded it like a club. It was certainly heavy enough around the base. "No. I want to see Kaiba. I demand to see Kaiba."

The guard eyed him the way a parent might look at a petulant child as he pulled his jacket back just enough to reveal a gun at his hip. "You sure you want to make demands? You're trespassing."

Jounouchi's grip tightened around the lamp, and he tried not to look nervous -- if he was right, then Kaiba would definitely see him. How could he be wrong? "I know, but call him -- if he refuses, I'll let you do whatever you have to." Two more guards had joined the first, looking like they were ready to deliver the excessive force that Jounouchi had imagined earlier. The first turned and said, "Tell Seto-sama that the intruder -- "

"Jounouchi Katsuya," Jounouchi broke in. The guard glared at him, then turned back.

"-- Jounouchi Katsuya demands to see him." One of the subordinates nodded, stepping off as he touched an ear piece. It left Jounouchi facing two guards, one definitely armed; he found himself doubting that this had been the best plan. After all, this was Kaiba he was placing his hopes on; it wasn't beyond grasp that he'd kick Jounouchi out without a second thought. The guard ran his finger along the edge of his gun, fixing Jounouchi with an irritated glare.

It didn't take long for the subordinate to return, murmuring his response so that only the other guards heard.

"Follow us." When Jounouchi didn't respond, the guard added, "We're to lead you off the grounds and let you know that next time you come near the estate police will be involved."

Yup -- that was standard Kaiba. Sighing, Jounouchi replaced the lamp on the end table and walked to the door. The first guard led the way, the other two flanked just behind Jounouchi as they led him through the mansion. Slowly locations started looking familiar -- they passed the dining room, one of the many bathrooms Jounouchi remembered spending mornings, the main living room where he'd played games with Mokuba... Too quickly they were in the massive foyer; Jounouchi whistled as he looked around. He remembered a lot of fights on those stairs.

At the top, just at the curve of the second floor stairway stood Kaiba, looking down on the scene. Jounouchi muscled tensed, and all that once he remembered that above all, Kaiba was his enemy. He hadn't shown up to play by rich boy's rules, he'd come to show Kaiba that he was going to win.

"Having fun looking down, asshole?" Jounouchi shouldered up. Kaiba didn't move, so Jounouchi went towards him -- the two rear flanks gripped his upper arms to hold him back. "You're old news to the next generation, Kaiba! They may know your company, but the days of dueling are done -- no one remembers you but me!"

"Enough," the lead guard snapped, grabbing Jounouchi -- for a split second, before he was whirled around into engagement against the lead guard, Jounouchi could have sworn that Kaiba looked relieved. It didn't last long before he was looking at the wrong end of a fist. "Persist and -- "

"Let's hear this," Kaiba said, his voice echoing off the walls. "You're here to tell me all the things you didn't in Tokyo, right?"

"I don't love you -- I don't even know what that's supposed to mean, but I know it's not what I feel about you," Jounouchi said -- he didn't think it really needed introduction. "If I had thought about it better two years ago, I would've said I appreciate the way I hate you. People who always spout that bullshit about there being a thin line between love and hate -- maybe they're right, I don't fucking know. I do know that I don't want to let you get out of my sight. We're rivals, Kaiba."

"You're not at my level."

"Maybe not, but I will be someday. You always sought me out because you need to beat me. Admit it, there's something in me that reminds you of you, and you want to stamp it out before I'm better than you. I will be, someday." Jounouchi grinned up at Kaiba and shrugged off the guards -- he set his shoulders, standing straight to show Kaiba he could. The men let go in a daze, staring up at their boss. "While the world forgot your name I was still trying to beat the impassible Kaiba Seto. I'm never going to love you, but I'll never make you bored, and I'll never let you forget that I'm right at your heels, getting ready to pass you up."

Kaiba moved halfway down the stairs, arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at Jounouchi. "and what makes you think I want some hopeful mediocrity in my life?"

"I don't know," Jounouchi admitted, "but you were the one who threw me into bed. That ball is in your court now."

Kaiba didn't move at first, then he ordered his guards away with a wave of his hand; they hesitated but obeyed the command. Once they were alone in the foyer, Kaiba said, "My company was saved due to time you bought; we rode out the last wave of people who remembered the good duels. And in that time I bore your weight as I had agreed to. There was never anything between us but mutual responsibility."

"And in Tokyo?" Jounouchi pushed, unwilling to back off now. "I'm as ready to stay as I am to walk out this door. Why in Tokyo, Kaiba?" Kaiba didn't answer, and Jounouchi didn't give him the time to think. "If it was nothing more than reflex, then we can end this without a mess, but if it's more than that then you'll come to find me -- I know you." Kaiba's eyebrows raised half an inch, but Jounouchi didn't budge, didn't elaborate. With a smirk he added, "Your move, rich boy," on his way out the door.

-end chapter thirteen-