Story: Puppies and Dragons Don't Mix
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.
Warning: Yaoi (boyxboy). May contain lime and/or lemon.
Pairings: Jou/Kaiba Possibly: Yami/Yugi Ryou/Bakura Otogi/Honda
Summary: Jou finds out that Kaiba is slowly destroying himself and desperately needs help. But why should he care? He's his worst enemy...right?
Symbols: "Talking" 'Thinking' -Scene Change- Chapter Start & End
Chapter 7: Water and oil
The hush that hung between them was deafening. After Mokuba had departed, which bewildered Kaiba for a few seconds, Jou made to leave. But the CEO had stopped him before he could.
"Why are you here?"
It was a question that Jou couldn't answer like typical, for once. He couldn't make a snappy comeback or criticize him. This was not the time to do it, though he wished it were. So he had remained silent, hoping that he would just insult him like usual and they could get on with hating each other.
Kaiba slid off the bed and walked over to him. Keeping his mouth shut, Jou stood his ground, but he could feel the urge to run out the door tugging at his feet. His honey brown eyes met Kaiba's icy gaze in defiance and knew if he got any closer, he would lash out at him. But he stopped a foot away, glaring at Jou, his arms folded.
"I'll ask you again, Mutt. Why are you here?" His stare never left Jou as if he was scrutinizing him like some zoo animal. Jou felt the familiar fury rise in him and barked back.
"Well, what else could I do when you just up and collapsed in the hall? Ignore you? I am not like that!" Jou took several heaving breaths in order to compose himself.
Kaiba remained unruffled as if Jou outburst was expected and his cool voice sliced through the air. "I asked why are you here, Mutt, not why I'm here. I imagine they had to take me by ambulance. Did you go along with me? Why? Why are you in the hospital? Your responsibilities to help me, if you ever had any, ended at school. Why did you accompany me here?"
Jou balled his hands into fists, feeling his nails dig into the flesh. These were all very good questions. "I went with you because you wouldn't let go of me! You clamped onto me like some crab. Otherwise I would have never come with you!"
Kaiba stepped even closer and Jou could almost feel the distrust radiating off of him. "Well, they must have got me off you sometime. Why are you here right now?" He hissed, cerulean eyes narrowing. Jou did not back off though, he couldn't.
"I saw how miserable Mokuba was. He was crying as if he was sure you were going to die. I knew I couldn't leave him; he would probably do something drastic." Jou saw something flash in Kaiba's eyes. It was agony. And though it lasted for only a second, it showed that he was not a machine but human, a teenager, who was trying to deal with life like everybody else.
Kaiba backed up and covered his eyes, stressed out beyond belief. "Fine. I get it. Mokuba is fine now so I have no need for you. Go." He reached over, dismissing Jou like an annoying worker, and put on his jacket.
Jou stood there, the pity that he had for him had been replaced with anger in an instant. He felt himself cross the room over to Kaiba and grab him by the lapels of his coat, snarling in his face.
"Listen, I don't give a shit whether you die or not, in fact, sometimes I wish that you would drop dead. But Mokuba...he loves you, dammit! And here you are, killing yourself as if no one will miss you. He will! And he is a good kid. He has befriended me even after listening to you. He came to us when you got yourself stuck in that damn virtual game. He trusts Yugi and me and even Anzu while you stand there, not even taking the time to get to know us!"
Kaiba had frozen, taking in the fact that Jou was up in his face, lecturing him about his own brother. But he was getting over his shock quick and Jou knew he would pay. He really didn't care.
"You are so stupid. You're blind to that fact that you are making Mokuba pay over your own actions. I do not know how he stays by your side, through thick and thin like this."
Jou released Kaiba, but not withdrawing from where he stood. "You cannot just wave away people like they are nothing. I stayed here for Mokuba but I'm not about to slink off, deserting him. He deserves a better brother and you need to see that. Stop doing this to yourself!"
Kaiba snapped. He grabbed Jou, swinging him around and smashing him up against the wall. "You listen to me, Mutt. You know nothing, NOTHING, about what we have been through!" He spat into Jou's face. "I know what I have done to him. It is eating me alive that I cannot do the right things for him. He does deserve a better brother but your not the one who has the right to tell me that!"
Jou grabbed Kaiba's wrists and sunk his nails into them, twisting out of his grasp. He crumpled into a coughing heap on the floor and didn't move. But giving up was not an option.
Kaiba was caught off guard when Jou launched himself at him, growling. He was pushed back onto the bed, his wrists pinned down and tried to jerk away to no avail.
"STOP BEING SUCH A FUCKING HARD ASS!" He roared, mere inches away from Kaiba. "You're always ragging and griping about how we know nothing! I do know! I know how it is like to feel alone! I know how it is to have no one to go to when you are scared or troubled!" He sat there, breathing harshly, before something dawned on him.
Jou jumped off Kaiba as if he were burned, realizing how wrong the position they were in was, and stood at the foot of the bed. What had he done?
Kaiba sat up, gasping for breath, a lost look flitting across his features, before regaining the mask. "Go."
And this time Jou left, running like hell and not glancing back. He was afraid at what he might see and what might happen if he stayed.
He tore down the hall and into the lobby before reassuring himself that Kaiba was not chasing him and slowed down, walking by sick patients ready to be treated, acting as if nothing had happened. He just had to get out the door and to his apartment. Then he could work out what he had just gave away to Kaiba and maybe jump off a bridge in order to spare himself from the things the azure eyed teen would do to him if he ever saw him again.
Whistling a light tune to unravel the tight knot of uneasiness that had settled at the pit of his stomach, Jou neared the glass doors to his freedom. He almost made it when a hand grabbed his arm.
Jou shot about three feet in the air and kept from screaming by biting down on his tongue. A metallic taste filled his mouth and he whirled around, positive he'd see a seething Kaiba with a gun pointed straight at his head.
Mokuba's bemused face swung into view and Jou found himself weakly laughing, trying to stop his pounding heart. "Sorry about that. I thought you were someone else."
"Are you okay, Jonouchi?" Came Mokuba's reply, concern written across his face. "I'm sorry I startled you."
"No problem. I am just a little jumpy today, that's all." Jou's voice shook a little. He still hadn't gotten over that terrifying moment when he was sure he was dead, but his heart seemed to be slowing down. "What do you want?"
Mokuba looked down at the floor and a muffled reply came from beneath his curtains of hair. "Thank you for staying with me. I was really worried about my brother and you helped me to calm down."
Jou felt his heart melt and he ruffled Mokuba's locks. "Hey I'd do it anytime. Thank you for becoming my friend, despite what your brother says." He looked up at Jou and beamed.
"Great! Then you won't mind coming to live with us and help me with Niisama!" Mokuba grinned at him, as if requesting that Jou take care of his enemy was the most natural thing to do. He felt his heart drop somewhere between his feet.
"I...uh...think that's gonna be a problem, Mokuba." Jou said as kindly as he could, trying not to imagine how livid Kaiba would be if he knew that they were having this conversation.
"Why?" He chirped back. Ignorance is bliss. "We have a humongous house and you can pick any room you want. If your parents won't let you spend the night, you could just come after school everyday."
Mokuba hopefully looked at Jou and misread the look of distress. "It's not going to be hard. I just need someone to keep him eating and sleeping. I need someone to follow him around at school too."
This is going to be harsh. He hated bursting peoples' bubbles. "Mokuba. It's not a problem for me to spend the night 'n stuff." Attempting to ignore the glee that was glowing in Mokuba's eyes, he plunged on. "It's actually...your brother."
Mokuba's face deflated as if told that he was not going to Disney Land because there was no more room in the plane and Jou scrambled to finish his thought before he burst into tears. "We just don't get along. I know and have seen how he interacts with you but he well...he hates me." He struggled to find the right words that depicted the relationship between him and Kaiba. "We're...we're like water and oil. We don't mix well. We naturally oppose each other no matter how hard you stir us."
Bracing himself for however Mokuba reacted, Jou felt as if he'd rather deal with Kaiba than this. Why did things happen to him? He could be goofing around with Honda and Yugi right now in the game shop, laughing at Otogi's dirty jokes while Anzu sniffed in disapproval. Instead he was standing in a room full of coughing, sneezing, vomiting people and about to witness a child sob at his actions. It's funny how fate screws with you.
But Mokuba did not cry nor wail. He just drooped his head and mumbled in a dispirited voice. "Okay." And somehow, that was a whole lot worse. Jou could hear his heart ripping in two.
"Listen." He said in his best comforting tone. The one he used when Shizuka skinned her knee or broke her favorite toy. "I'm sorry for turning you down but I don't think that Kaiba would want to be in the same room with me right now."
Mokuba lifted his head, grayish-bluish orbs filled with unhappiness and Jou gave in with an exasperated sigh. He could not stand the puppy eyes. "Alright, here's what I'll do. I can give you my home number. If your brother collapses or something, tell the hospital first but, if I'm home, give me a call and I'll come with you."
He fished around in his backpack for a pen and paper and wrote down his number. Pressing it into Mokuba's hand, Jou said solemnly. "Only for emergences though, okay?"
Mokuba nodded, his mood seeming somewhat lightened and smiled. "Arigato, Jonouchi. You made me feel a lot better."
Jou smiled back and ruffled the boy's hair once again, before heading towards the doors. "See ya later, Mokuba."
"Hey Jonouchi! Do you want a ride?" Mokuba asked the number clutched in his hand like a prized possession.
Jou turned and shook his head. "Naw. I prefer to take the bus. Thanks anyways."
"Oh. Okay, bye!" Mokuba smirked at Jou's retreating back. Phase one complete. His plan was going perfect so far.
He turned and snapped, summoning a guard in an instant. "Get me the phone number for Domino high's board of directors. I need to discuss the curriculum for this next semester and want to request a few changes. Like, for instance, an unexpected project."
Mokuba breathed a sigh of relief when the guard whipped out his cell phone, muttering something indecipherable. He'd save his brother yet.
-Outside-
A cheerful smile on his face, Jou exited the building and made his way home, glad to be out of that hellhole. 'What a day.' He thought as he crossed a rather busy street to the bus stop on the other side. 'But hopefully that's all behind me now.' How wrong he was.
End of Chapter 7
Author's notes: Whew! It seemed to take forever to write this chapter. I kept getting bothered by my brother again, this time about playing a game call Halo with him. I cannot understand how he thinks that I'm going to be nice to him when he breaks my train of thought. Anyways, thank you so much for my last reviews. I loved each and every one of them and hope to get lots more. Lol. I sound so greedy. Like I usually get around the holidays. :P I thought the title of this chapter was pretty clever (Yeah, sure.) but that's about it. Whatever. READ AND REVIEW!