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 9: Sky juice
The clouds obscured the sunlight, making cast just gentle, hoary rays upon Domino City. The morning sun had promised a bright, clear day when Jou had left his "home" and headed to Yugi's. But now it seemed that the weather had become depressed and wanted Domino to feel that as well. It streamed through the arcade window, though rapidly dimming along with the day, and down upon a rather frustrated blonde, all concentration on the small, Technicolor screen in front of him.
Jou had spent his last quarters trying, without much success, to beat the high score on Tekken II (1). Banging his fists on the battered machine in exasperation, Jou growled as he watched his guy/leopard get K.O.'d at the last level and earned a disapproving look from Yugi. Oh well.
They had decided, after much debating, that the arcade was where they were going to spend their free time. Yugi and Yami had wanted to go to another Duel Monsters convention but Ryou protested, saying that being in a place with things to steal wouldn't be good for Bakura. Honda said that they should head to this new amusement park downtown. Anzu whined that it was too big and they could get lost, sticking together was too important to jeopardize. Otogi suggested that they go to the movies, there was a new thriller out, but Bakura growled in response, saying it was too romantic. This made Otogi glow pink and he glanced furtively at Honda (2). In the end it was him who proposed that they go to the arcade, saying it was the only logical thing to do.
But now, Jou, who eagerly had waited in line to get in, was eager to get back to Yugi's house, wanting to just crash on the couch and watch a movie.
Fingers sore from jamming the buttons too hard, Jou wandered over to where Yugi sat in a small plastic booth, sipping his soda, and plopped down next to him. It had been a tiring ordeal of battling aliens, zombies, and other fantasy creatures that defied the laws of logic. Jou needed some rest, chow, and something for his parched throat, but how was he going to get it?
Arms laden with snacks, drinks, and candy was Otogi, Jou's new best friend as of now, who was balancing his cargo cautiously as he made his way from the counter. Dumping them hastily on the table, Otogi stood back while Jou dug in. "Never get between him and food" was another rule that had made it to Jou's list.
Grinning at Jou's enthusiasm, Yugi turned to Otogi, who had a gloomy, distant look on his face. Frowning in concern, he patted his arm lightly. "What's wrong, Otogi?"
Otogi snapped out of his thoughts and replaced his former look with false cheerfulness. It rang painfully in his voice. "Nothing, Yugi. I'm just drowsy."
Though not convinced, Yugi dropped the subject and smiled in response. It was best to let people talk to you when they wanted too.
Jou had finished inhaling his food and sighed in pleasure, sleepy yet content. He checked the gaudy clock that hung on the wall, its neon lit numbers showing five. He stretched and, yearning to go back, searched the arcade for the rest of his friends.
He spotted Ryou yanking Bakura away from a toddler who was in tears, obviously furious while Honda hovered behind, sniggering. Bakura, not knowing what he did wrong, had a confused expression and tried to input his explanation into Ryou's stream of preaching.
Jou sympathized with Ryou but couldn't help but be amused at the situation and waved his arms, catching their attention. He dragged Bakura over, who was still sputtering excuses and threats ("The kid was insulting to my presence and I am sure he is plotting something against us!" "I am a cold-blooded thief you know and could have your head on a stick if you don't unhand me!") but Ryou paid no heed.
"I think we should start heading back." A rather flustered Ryou stated bluntly, releasing Bakura but keeping a close eye on him. "He's getting out of hand."
Jou nodded, a yawn preventing him from talking momentarily, before responding. "We should find Yami and Anzu first. Do you know where they are, Yugi?"
Yugi shook his head and shrugged. "Yami went off to find you guys and I haven't seen him since. Anzu…well I dunno where she went."
Jou hadn't seen Anzu at all actually, except when she was scolding him at the front when he had pushed people around in the line, more like jostled really. She had gotten less enjoyable to be around lately. It was as if she was always aiming for something else and didn't care about her friends anymore. Which was ironic.
Ever since Yami had gotten his own body, Anzu went…different and was always following him. The fact that she had a "chance" with him went straight to her head. Jou missed her old, annoying yet sweet self and how she had always hung around them for…well them. Yugi seemed to have taken it badly too because he always has this uneasy look to him whenever she came around. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as Jou was; Anzu was probably going to be found with Yami. Oh joy.
"Alright then, let's split up and look for them. Ryou, you and Bakura go look for Anzu while Yugi and I search for Yami. Otogi and Honda…one of you look outside while the other waits here, okay?"
Otogi and Honda split up, rapidly making as much space as possible in between them. Jou was still baffled (3) as to why they were acting like this but thought it was best to just…let them figure it out.
Ryou lugged Bakura away, keeping his senses alert for Anzu, while the latter kept shouting protests as to why they had to look for this "whore." Jou was going to propose they start at the food area, since it was a cool place to start, but Yugi was already stomping towards the bathrooms. Surprised by his assertive behavior, Jou followed.
-Dinner party-
The babbling of the women annoyed him to the point that he thought he might just leave and give up hope. They were thin, wispy women with pallid hair and long, brittle necks. They sat in chairs crowded close to each other, twittering like birds, about him no doubt. Disgusting.
Smoke, its gray tendrils snaking around him, wafted over from beside him where a pudgy, bald man was, a number of rings on his hot dog sized fingers. He sat in the largest, most kitschy chair, tassels and red velvet that matched the tasteless imitation of a Victorian era room, smoking a cigar, it being supposedly the best in America. Japanese culture was not for him. He had made that clear when he had first met him.
Kaiba frowned in disdain. They were trying to break him, trying to make him believe because he was young and sinuous he was inexperienced. By offering him to smoke by the firelight, even though they knew he was under aged. By calling him "My boy" and other such youthful nicknames that jangled his nerves. It was a psychological game they played, hoping to out wit their competition. But they should know, Kaiba wasn't one to back down from a challenge.
"So, my boy, your corporation running smoothly?" The bald man, who's sur name was Johnson or something along those lines, asked Kaiba in a way a dad might ask his son how baseball practice was going.
Kaiba once again found himself wondering if it was worth all the trouble he had gone through to get here. Once Jou had left, he had gotten himself together and was leaving when the doctor had caught up with him, his brother along side him.
Mokuba absolutely refused to let his brother leave the hospitals care, though he had expected him too try to. The doctor and him had both tried to dissuade him from leaving, saying he needed more rest. Kaiba could only escape Mokuba's wrath by saying that he would take the rest of the day off, a promise that he would regret later.
This morning he had gone into the office at the break of dawn, much to Mokuba's fury, and was catching up on his missed work. That was when Johnson had called, his gruff voice requesting his attendance to another dinner party, seeing as that he couldn't make the first one.
So here he was, putting up with men that thought age equaled to wisdom and answering questions that veiled their true intentions. Although thinly.
"Yes, it is." He retorted smoothly, though inside he felt like throttling anything that spoke to him. "You?"
"Ah well, I suppose so." Johnson replied, snuffing the cigar out in a nearby ashtray. "Tons of work and it's hard to keep up with me getting into my years."
Kaiba observed the yellow, dying skin that hung of his jowls and how his stomach spilled over his belt. 'Maybe that's not all that's keeping you behind.'
A man maybe in his late forties, the first signs of silvery hair sprouting from his roots, leaned over and chuckled heartily. "Huh, I could never imagine you slowing down because of your age. You're an old, stubborn fart and we will never be rid of you until you're good and ready."
Johnson bellowed waves of laughter, his belly rolling to match it, and wiped the crinkled edges of his beady eyes. What an overreaction. He turned to Kaiba, who had kept his stony exterior, and began chortle again.
"Kaiba, my boy, laugh a little. You're too young to be this serious." He waved over a mousy haired girl who had been sitting with the other women, she was much younger though, and her bony figure scurried over to them.
"Yes Poppa?" She said, her frail voice shaking slightly, and she wrung her hands, intimated by all the men.
"Jane, I'd like you to meet Mr. Kaiba. I'm sure you will get along nicely, you being the same age and all." Johnson watched, like a hawk, as Jane took her seat across from Kaiba, who was trying not to imagine how they managed to have a kid at their age.
Was he expected to converse with this girl? She was weak and taught to respect men as gods. He felt great pity for her, since she was bound to become one of the gossiping women that sat in the corner, but he had no need for people who could only hinder him. He promptly ignored her and turned to Johnson, his cobalt blue eyes glittering in the flickering flames.
"Are we here to discuss the plans for the future or dawdle?" He sneered at the men, who seemed slightly taken aback.
Johnson recovered quickly, the stupid, superior grin on his face again, and sat back. "I guess we can confer about such matters over dinner, seeing as you don't seem to have a social life. Come now."
Kaiba felt himself growl in the back of his throat as he was lead into the dining room, the girl and the tittering women behind him.
-Kame game store-
The first thing Jou did when they got back to Yugi's place was crash headlong into the couch. It had been an draining day, fooling around at the arcade and stopping for something to eat on the way back, and all Jou wanted to do was lean back and watch some random movie, before heading home.
Yugi, Yami, Ryou, Bakura, Otogi, Honda, and Anzu all came slouching after him, giving Yugi's grandpa droopy hellos as filed by. Seeing Jou sprawled across the couch, the rest of the gang pitched themselves on chairs and the floor, all extremely weary.
"Well, do you think we should watch a movie?" Jou broke the silence, propping himself up and observing glossy, black screen of the T.V.
"If you get it, sure." Came Otogi's muffled reply, his face buried in a pillow. Honda had been careful to choose the opposite side of the room to collapse on and was grateful no one had commented on that.
"Fine. What to do want to watch?" Jou hoisted himself up from the cushiony couch and made his way to the cabinet that held all of Yugi's dvds. "How about…um…Alien Vs Predator (4)?
"Mmm, I don't care." Ryou responded, blinking sleepily. "As long as it doesn't give you-know-who any ideas."
Jou grinned at his reaction and popped the disk into the player, flinging himself back upon the couch. The weekend was turning out to be a very good one so far.
-Dinner party-
The weekend was turning out to be a very bad one so far. Kaiba was now seated next to that sliver of a girl, who was busy folding a napkin over and over and over…
Kaiba felt his attention slipping away from the conversation at hand and to that damn napkin. She just kept…folding it.
"Mr. Kaiba?"
Kaiba jerked his head up and caught most of the table staring at him. He disregarded them and turned to Johnson.
"What?"
Johnson had his plate piled with every course and, until now, was stuffing his face. Kind of like the puppy…except much less appealing.
"I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the merge between your two greatest competitors?" He simpered, though nobody except Kaiba seemed to catch the tone of his voice.
"I believe I will be able to handle it." He stated, clenching his fists under the satin tablecloth. When was it his business?
"Ah, well, if I was in your situation, I would be quite worried. But of course, you know better than all of us how to handle it, don't you?" The rest of the table gurgled in their cups and a shiver of aversion ran through Kaiba's body. Damn him…
Kaiba stood up from the table, nearly shocking Jane out of her seat, and left the dining room. He heard the gasps of surprise from behind him, but he didn't care, his only objective was to get home. Why he had come here was of no matter now.
He found his coat hanging limply on the rack, put it on, and grasped the brass handle of the large oak door.
The dizziness came without warning, shrouding his senses. The handle focused in and out, shining in the light, and Kaiba felt his world tip forward. This can't be happening…not now. Damn his pathetic, feeble body, he needed to get home.
Kaiba wrenched open the door and hurled himself out onto the doorstep. He was in no condition to drive, but what choice did he have? No way was he going to wait here for a ride.
Fumbling in his pocket for his keys, Kaiba unlocked the door to his car and slid into the seat. Groaning as another jolt of faintness hit him, he gripped the emergency brake, his knuckles turning white, before finally unlatching it.
The steering wheel being shadowed in the poor light, Kaiba wasn't sure if he could slide the damn key in. Shaking, he missed it over and over until it clicked, relief passing over him.
Turning it, Kaiba felt his apprehension greaten when the car came to life. Was he going to make it? Maybe he should just call for a ride…
'No, I won't. I cannot be weak like that.' Kaiba thought angrily. He pulled out of the gravel driveway and sped down the road, speedometer pushing fifty.
-Kame game store-
The movie faded to black and the credits began to roll. Jou yawned, feeling as if his face would split if he did anymore, and glanced around the room to see who was still awake.
Otogi, face still hidden by the pillow, was lightly snoring and occasionally shifting around. He mumbled something, rolled over clutching the pillow, and lay still again.
Honda was still awake, though barely, his head rested on the small coffee table and his bleary eyes were fixated on the credits.
Ryou was asleep, his head against Bakura's shoulder, who had lain back and was sorting in his doze.
Yugi was supporting his head with his hands, eyelids fluttering close only to snap open again while Yami, who looked fully conscious, gazed at him.
Anzu had faked drowsiness at the beginning and, on purpose, had tried to fall into Yami's lap. Yami had laid her down and covered her in a blanket before joining Yugi on the floor. She was forced to remain there, but did make it clear that she was disappointed.
Jou stood up, tiptoeing around the lumps of people and reached for his jacket. He looked back at the group and waved at Yami, who was now carrying a snoozing Yugi around the couch. Yami nodded, acknowledging that he was leaving, and went up the stairs to Yugi's room, his eyes full of affection. Honda was still facing the screen and Jou, who had figured he had fallen into some kind of coma, left without saying goodbye.
The crisp, night air rushed at Jou face and cleared his senses. He noticed it smelt slightly damp foretelling the coming of rain and he tightened his jacket around himself.
His feet clacking on the pavement, Jou began the walk back to his stuffy, grimy apartment. He knew Yugi wouldn't mind him sleeping over, but tomorrow was Sunday and that was cleaning day. Not much of a place to clean, but Jou always felt better when the apartment's aroma was slightly sweeter.
The pitter-patter of rain along with the wind soothed Jou's ears and was a nice break from Aliens smashing Predators, the beeping of the arcade games and other noises he had been subjected too.
The light shower sprinkled him and cooled his warm skin, refreshing Domino while at it. The swishing of the vegetation created a melody that harmonized with the drizzle of rainfall. Cars sunk into the background, the barking dogs diminishing to almost nothing. Thunder shook the earth and lightning danced across the sky. It was turning into a full-blown storm.
Jou felt energized by the rain. It rinsed the town of pollution and dampened the dust. Wild spirits came out during this time, raccoons, foxes, rabbits, things that would never venture out other than for food. The lightning created a show like nothing else; cracks of light that broke the murky layer of clouds. Thunder drummed and beat on the foundation of the heavens.
In the rain, Jou felt joyful, accepted, and unsoiled, so different from his normal inner attitude. He crossed the street, stepping flippantly, his heart soaring, and his face upturned, welcoming the drops of moisture.
Jou was so engrossed with the storm, he didn't see nor hear Kaiba's car, and stepped right in its path.
End of Chapter 9
Explanations: (1) I absolutely despise this game. I was addicted to it and would get all the way to the last level…and die. Arrgh! Such memories!
(2) If you haven't figured out what is going on between them (though I believe I have made it painfully obvious) do not worry, I will soon explain…somehow. Don't ask me when since I don't have an outline. Too damn impatient.
(3) Isn't he so cute when he's confused? That's our Jou, make something as clear as a sunny day and he'll still not see the big picture. ;p
(4) My brother chose this movie, though it's not even out on video yet, and I really don't know why. All I saw throughout the whole thing was tails and snow. Too dark and fast for my brain to process.
Author's notes: YAY! I fixed it all by myself! That's why I'm back so early. ;) Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter and even the damn note. XD I BROKE A HUNDRED! Well, not me really but still, I BROKE A HUNDRED! When I first saw it, I went parading around the house, yelling and making a complete ass out of myself. But you know what? I DON'T CARE 'CAUSE I BROKE A HUNDRED! Thank you soooo much! I am extremely ecstatic right now. :D Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I tired to make it longer for delaying it so much. (Stupid laptop. I HATE IT! But I need it.) but I dunno if it's better. So if you can, READ AND REVIEW BECAUSE THIS STORY NEEDS YOU!