Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Warnings: Shounen-ai; BL; slash; boy x boy; homosexual relationships; yaoi, SetoJou; Kaiba Seto x Jounouchi Katsuya, a shitty artist attempting to write, may be OOC, and spoilers up to the end of the series.

Notes: Please read the notes from chapter one as well (if you haven't already done so) for they still apply for this chapter.

Jounouchi does not have an accent in the original Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! so I didn't give him one in this fic. I'm sorry if it might feel a bit OOC to the dub viewers. He also isn't as dumb as the dub makes him so he isn't going to be making random puns at every single thing that happens in his life etcetera. Nor will he be continually bashed by his friends when the situations are totally uncalled for like in the dub.

Lastly, as much as I dislike having random Japanese words (aside from their actual names) in English fanfics, the term "bonkotsu" and "bonkotsuya" will be used by Seto as a nickname for Jounouchi. "Bonkotsu" means "normal guy; mediocre" and "bonkotsuya" is Seto combining "bonkotsu" with "Katsuya". I would use a translation for them if "normal guy" or "regular Joe" didn't sound so dumb. I'm using it because I think it's sweet (as weird as that may sound). In the original Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Seto always calls Jounouchi by "Bonkotsu" but refers to him as "Jounouchi". He's the only guy Seto has a nickname for which becomes somewhat of an 'affection' kind of thing. Just think of it as a nickname (well it is) rather than a random Japanese term like "arigatou" in the middle of the fic. I will also use "mutt" and "puppy" because I love those terms as well.

The One Who Poises The Clouds

Click-click-click-click-click…

Rapid clicking of the keyboard was the only thing that could be heard in the dimly lit room. The vertical blinds were fully covering all the windows and only a small work lamp was on in the room where he sat with the laptop on his desk. His fingers danced over the keys with great dexterity, like giant raindrops pummelling against the hard ground during a great storm after a long build up of thick cumulonimbus clouds. This persisted for a while until a final loud click rang through the room as his finger met the 'enter' key.

He reached for his mug of coffee before leaning back in his seat and taking a sip of the well grounded beverage. His eyes narrowed a bit at his laptop as it was slowly loading the hacked file he wanted. When what he searched for finally appeared on the screen, a smirk formed on his features.

Amaranthine, a refreshing blend of a host club and a restaurant established by Kujaku Mai and Kurata Masuyo. Its new style in the dining world brings delight to its customers.

He deemed the introduction paragraph and history of Amaranthine unworthy of his time and scrolled down to the list of staff on the file.

Kujaku Mai

Age: 26
Sex: Female
Marital Status: Single
Outside Amaranthine: A duelist

Brief Summary:
Kujaku Mai is a high-standing duelist. Her history-

Irrelevant. He brushed through the bit that mentioned Katsuya in her profile and then kept scrolling down, passing a few more employees.

Jounouchi Katsuya

Age: 19
Sex: Male
Marital Status: Single

A smile crept through his features.

Outside Amaranthine: A duelist and a paper boy

Brief Summary:
Jounouchi Katsuya graduated from Domino High with average grades. He is a duelist who has improved rapidly in the past, probably due to his relation with Mutou Yugi, the Duel Monster's champion.

In Amaranthine, he is closest with Kujaku Mai, Sato Jin, Kurata Masuyo and Sekimoto Seiichi.

Sato Jin and Kujaku Mai were people he had encountered and he knew what Kurata Masuyo's role was, but who is this Sekimoto Seiichi character? He skimmed through the rest of Katsuya's profile and found nothing more on Sekimoto Seiichi. It also didn't mention whether Katsuya was currently dating or had been dating. But he knew that unless you were someone like Mutou Yugi or Pegasus J. Crawford, no one really cared whether you were taken or not. Curious, he quickly skimmed through the profiles of Sato Jin, Kurata Masuyo and Sekimoto Seiichi.

Apparently, Sekimoto Seiichi was the top host of Amaranthine. His popularity was immense to the degree that he had always been completely reserved for all his available time slots at Amaranthine. Amaranthine always had a reservation schedule for a period of three months and Seiichi was always the first to be completely booked (and very quickly too).

He took another sip of his coffee and then massaged the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. He wondered why he was doing this; he wasn't a stalker! He stopped his massaging and reached down to touch the letters 'SK' on his choker delicately.

"Kazuki and Katsuya..." He smirked and brushed his long light-blue hair behind his shoulder and tied it up into a ponytail. It was time to get ready for work.

"Thanks, Big Brother!" Shizuka gave her big brother a giant hug and giggled as Katsuya stuffed the item Shizuka gave him in his pocket.

"Anything for you, Shizuka." Katsuya smiled and returned the hug. "Now get on home. You're crazy for getting up so early to come here. The sun isn't even out yet!"

"I know, but I knew you were going to be delivering papers soon so I won't be able to catch you. I'm hanging out with my friends later." She pulled away from the hug gently and then looked up at her brother. "You're the best, Big Brother. Don't lose it and remember to give it to her."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Oh! And remember to watch 'Her Grace' later! I lent you the DVDs and I want you to watch them."

"Do I have to?" Katsuya shuddered. Seriously, a drama about a chick who meets the man of her dreams by getting the heel of her expensive shoe stuck in a manhole? The so-called 'Prince Charming' just conveniently came out of nowhere when the just-so-happens-to-be-beautiful-but-still-single-protagonist was in trouble. The girl's life briefly ran in slow motion when she watched him cast his uncanny sexiness while saving her from the evil manhole that threatened to 'engulf' the heel of her shoe. Not the mention the hero was 'secretly' rich.

Shizuka was more beautiful than the girl in the show though, in Katsuya's totally 'unbiased' opinion that is.

"Yes! Please?" He couldn't resist his sister's pleading eyes.

"Fine."

"Yay!" A giant smile (that Katsuya thought was pretty) formed on her face.

Katsuya got to see Shizuka a lot more now. The sibling's persistence eventually persuaded their mother to move closer. Shizuka was now attending Domino High like her bother once had. She made many friends and was, like always, fairly popular with her male classmates. (Though she was still pretty oblivious to their advances despite all the romantic dramas she had watched).

He smiled and waved as she started to leave. "Be careful okay, Shizuka? There are lots of large puddles around."

"I will!" she yelled as she ran off. A few neighbours peered out of their windows and glared at Katsuya for the disturbance so early in the morning.

"Sorry?" He smiled apologetically at them and waited until Shizuka was completely gone from sight before going back inside his house.

It was a pretty gloomy day. Although the sun still hasn't completely risen, anyone could still tell that the day was going to be quite dull. There was a thick layer of clouds clustered in the sky that seemed like they could be releasing themselves soon. The clouds had shed their tears heavily last night and were probably going to do it again.

Katsuya had been biking around his assigned area delivering papers to houses and apartments. He never left his paperboy job and practically had the whole area memorized now—which houses had pets, the types of trees he passed by, the designs of the buildings and so forth. He was almost done for the day, just one more apartment complex and one more block of houses. Since it was a Saturday, he had yet another evening shift, 5:00pm to 11:00pm, at Amaranthine. He usually would call his friends to catch up between his jobs. (1)

He tossed the newspaper over the gate of the house before reaching the apartment complex at the end of the block. Katsuya got off his bike and grabbed a stack of newspapers from his bag and headed up the stairs. It was the type of apartment with the doors of each resident on the outside so he had to personally go to each Domino Daily subscriber's door. (2)

There weren't a lot of residents at this complex who had subscribed to Domino Daily, so Katsuya wasn't holding a large pile of papers. Every time he reached a subscriber's door, he would double check his list so he doesn't drop them off at the wrong places.

One of the doors swung open as he was heading towards it. Luckily, it didn't smack him in the face.

"Katsuya?" a familiar sexy voice called out.

He looked up from his list and his eyes widened a bit.

Oh my god! "Matsuo?" he shouted.

After last night's event at Amaranthine, Katsuya decided that hosting really wasn't his cup of tea. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to see Matsuo again anytime soon, but judging by this, Ra probably wasn't answering his prayers.

"Since when did you live here?" Katsuya asked, perplexed.

"Since I moved here." Light-blue hair flowed delicately as a sudden gentle breeze brushed by. "What are you doing here?" he continued and leaned a bit closer to Katsuya.

"Delivering papers. Are you going to work?"

"I came out to see if my paper arrived yet. I have to get to work a little earlier today and I like to read my paper before it."

Katsuya checked his list and compared it to Matsuo's door number. It was a regular number since the past three weeks or so. That means he had been delivering papers to Matsuo everyday!

"Yeah. Just in time. I have one for you." He only had two papers left to be delivered in this complex—one for Matsuo and the other for the person next door.

A stronger breeze came by and Katsuya's bangs slightly shifted over his eyes. Matsuo responded by brushing the bangs away from Katsuya's eyes for him, startling him.

"Since you're here, let's talk for a bit."

That made Katsuya pause.

"Uh…I still have to deliver more papers." He stepped back a bit.

"Just for a bit."

Katsuya checked his watch. Drat. He wasn't late and actually did have a few minutes to spare. He could lie, but…

"Why do you have two jobs?"

"I need the money."

The conversation died there as they both went silent. The silence was awkward, their sudden encounter was awkward and Katsuya's memories of last night wouldn't leave him alone. Last night's events with Matsuo kept rushing through his mind, especially the ones with them holding hands. It was embarrassing!

"Well anyways…I better go."

"All right then, Katsuya." Matsuo leaned close to Katsuya and kissed him softly on the cheek.

Katsuya jumped back a couple of feet. For a second he appeared lost as his brain was overflowing with jumbled up gibberish and cusses. "What the fuck?"

Matsuo was smiling. "You're so cute, Katsuya."

He glared. "I'm not your lover! I'm not his replacement either! And it's not fate!"

"I know. You're just cute." He was smirking now. "But you really do look like Kazuki."

"You can't just!" Katsuya was confused and frustrated. Matsuo couldn't just go up to him and just kiss him like that! They hardly knew each other! That was just wrong! He totally didn't expect that. His thoughts became disorganized as exasperation overwhelmed him. "Augh!" That was all he managed to say; the words wouldn't form and he didn't know what to say anymore. He would've punched him in the gut for messing with him like this, but 'getting the hell out of there' had priority. Besides, Matsuo was a potential customer (even if Katsuya didn't want to see him there) and violence might start unwanted trouble for Mai.

"The way you act when you're angry is similar to Kazuki too."

Katsuya gave Matsuo a final glare to make his point that he did not like being kissed by guys and especially by ones he didn't really know before turning around to leave.

But Katsuya couldn't leave. Matsuo grabbed his arm instantly to stop him. What a creep!

"Let go of me!" He struggled to break free but Matsuo only pulled him closer.

"My paper?" Matsuo's breath ran softly across Katsuya's ear, making him shiver.

Katsuya shoved the paper into Matsuo's arms, chucked the last paper at the door next to Matsuo's and then ran off.

As Katsuya climbed onto his bike clumsily and hurriedly, Matsuo noticed something glistening on the ground in front of him. He bent down to pick up the shiny object and examined it. It was a beautiful feminine silver necklace inside a small clear protective bag. The design was ostentatious; there were tiny pearls attached on carefully designed links that hung symmetrically in the middle of the necklace. Katsuya must have dropped it during the struggle.

Holding the item gently in his hand, Matsuo turned to see if Katsuya was still there to return it, but he was already gone.

"Hello?"

"Yuuugi!" Katsuya practically melted in relief, clutching the phone.

"Jounouchi! Just wait a minute, okay?"

"Okay."

"Grandpa! Jounouchi called me. Can you take over the shop?" Yugi's voice was muffled. Katsuya assumed Yugi had his hand over the receiver since the volume was softer.

A muffled 'okay' and a bunch of running footsteps could be heard over the line.

Katsuya had returned home from his paper delivering. After the Matsuo event, he made himself a snack, finished a few chores and then decided to call Yugi to get things off his chest; calling Yugi always helped him get rid of his stress. He would've called him right away after he reached home but it seemed too early to bother Yugi.

There was sound of a door closing. Deductively, Katsuya assumed Yugi had retreated into his bedroom.

"Okay. Now I'm good. How are you, Jounouchi?"

"Yugi! I'm not all right."

"What happened?" Yugi's voice reflected his worry.

"It's a long story man." Leaning back in his chair to get comfortable, Katsuya took a deep breath and then started to explain what had happened to him in the two days.

Yugi was quiet as he listened to his friend rant over the phone. He had promised not to laugh so he was really trying to meet that request. However, he couldn't stop the grin that kept forming on his face. It wasn't his fault though! The way Katsuya phrased everything made it so funny!

"So…earlier today…he…"

Yugi listened intently.

"He…" Katsuya paused before forcing out the next part. "He fucking kissed me!"

"What?"

"On the cheek," he quickly added. "But man! He! Argh! I'm so pissed off."

Yugi was nonplussed. "He sounds creepy, Jounouchi."

There was a short pause before Katsuya answered, "Exactly! Man, it's good to get that off my chest. I missed you, Yugi."

Yugi smiled. "I missed you too, Jounouchi. Are you going to do anything about this Matsuo person?"

"I just hope I never have to see him again. Shit! I have to deliver his paper every day."

Yugi just chuckled at this comment.

"It's guys like these that make Kaiba seem like a decent guy."

"Kaiba? You haven't mentioned him in ages. Do you miss h-"

"What's the matter with all of you?" he spat, a little louder than he probably should've.

Katsuya's sudden outburst surprised Yugi. "What?"

"Sorry. It's just that Mai said the same thing." Katsuya growled. "I don't miss him."

Yugi laughed. "Of course you don't."

Katsuya was pacing around absentmindedly for some reason. He had gotten up from his chair without realizing it and started walking around his home. "I'm serious!" Great. How was he going to ask about Seto now?

Yugi laughed again.

"Fine…" Katsuya began, "...maybe I do sort of miss him."

Yugi stopped laughing. Katsuya figured that Yugi probably didn't expect that.

"How is Kaiba anyways?"

"I'm not sure. The last I heard of anything related to him was a month ago. Mokuba told me that Kaiba had gone to America to do some work. Something about his new house over there so he had to make sure things were okay and also there was something about wanting to work alone on a new project for Duel Monsters."

"Oh! A new release for Duel Monsters sounds cool!"

"Mokuba said he'd call me once Kaiba returns but he hasn't done that yet. He's probably still over there. It's only been a month. Mokuba doesn't know when Kaiba plans to return though."

Katsuya suddenly heard a woman's voice over the phone. "Yugi are you talking to yourself again? I thought you stopped." It was Yugi's mom.

"I'm just on the phone, Mom." (3)

"Yugi!" Another voice in the background. "Ow!"

"Coming!"

Katsuya sat there quietly listening, feeling a bit disheartened. He knew he would have to eventually get off the phone with Yugi.

"I'm sorry, Jounouchi." It really showed in his voice. "I have to go now. Grandpa needs me. I'll call you back soon, okay?"

"No worries, Yugi." He smiled softly even though Yugi couldn't see it. "Bye."

"Bye, Jounouchi!"

Click.

Just great. It was the only time he wanted to catch up with Seto, and he ended up being away. Maybe he'll call Anzu and Hiroto now. He'd have to reiterate everything but they deserved to know. Hiroto would probably laugh in his face and then offer to 'teach the guy a lesson' for him. The thought made Katsuya grin.

He really missed his friends.

He took out his comb from his apron pocket and started to comb his hair.

"You comb your hair too much, Katsu." Jin slung his arm around Katsuya's shoulder. "A little vain?"

Katsuya elbowed Jin lightly. Where was his tray when he needed it? "No. Mai complains about it being too messy."

Jin laughed. "How typical! Well anyways, I'm leaving now. Have fun, Katsu." He petted Katsuya's head lightly. "Oh puffy one."

"Jerk. Bye." Katsuya placed his comb back into his pocket and straightened his uniform as he watched Jin leave. Lucky Jin. He had a 11:00am to 5:00pm shift so now he was off. Katsuya wanted to tell Jin about what Matsuo did too.

Mai and Seiichi walked into the break room right after Jin descended the stairs. Seiichi was starting his shift just like Katsuya but Mai was leaving like Jin. Since Masuyo and Mai were the co-creators of Amaranthine, they often took turns being the manager. Knowing Masuyo, he was probably already here; he was a hard worker. He was the same age as Mai, treated Katsuya like a younger brother and really hit it off well with Mai. Everyone at Amaranthine thinks he has a crush on Mai. He probably did.

"Before you leave, Mai," Katsuya reached into one of the pockets of his pants that was lying on a chair for Mai's necklace and found nothing. "I have…" He reached into his other pockets and still could not find it.

"What?" Mai looked at Katsuya, confused.

Katsuya glanced around the floor to see if it had fallen or anything. Mai glanced around with him, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Nothing." He took his pants and shoved it into his locker. Maybe it fell in the changing room. He scooted over there and peered in but found the door closed. Right. Seiichi was in there. He bent down to look under the gap between the door and the floor and only saw Seiichi's legs.

"What are you doing peeping at Seiichi, Jounouchi?" Mai asked, rather shocked.

"What?" That was Seiichi.

Katsuya blushed. "No! It's not like that. I just wanted to know if I left anything in there."

"There's nothing in here." Seiichi pushed the door open and stood in front of Katsuya with a questioning look on his face. (He was fully clothed.) If Katsuya wasn't busy looking at the floor, he would have noticed a slight blush on Seiichi's face.

Mai folded her arms. "What's wrong, Jounouchi? Spill it."

He peered around Seiichi and found nothing in the changing room. Where could it be? Did he drop it when he was with Matsuo? He faintly remembered feeling it in his pocket when he was delivering papers. Then again, maybe he just left it at home. He'll have to give the necklace to Mai next time.

"It's nothing! Really! Forget what I said." He didn't want Mai to think he lost it or something. Hopefully it wasn't lost. He feared Mai's wrath. Also, losing it would make Shizuka upset. He wouldn't want to do that to his little sister.

Shizuka had attended a dinner party that had a formal dress code with her friends last week. Prior to the event, Mai had visited Shizuka to help her match clothes and do girly things. It was then when Mai lent Shizuka one of her necklaces that she thought matched handsomely with the dress Shizuka decided to wear. It was Katsuya's job to return it so Mai would have his head if she discovered that he had lost her necklace.

Seiichi and Mai both looked at each other, confused. Luckily they decided to discontinue prying for answers and Mai left after grabbing her things and exchanging goodbyes.

Katsuya released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and relaxed his body. This wasn't a sign of a good day.

And slowly, the rain began to fall.

Seiichi was assiduously working hour after hour. He had breaks but because his popularity was so great, he was constantly on the move from table to table to meet all his reserved times and people's demands. Katsuya looked at him with marvel. It was great how Seiichi was able to do all this, but how could he keep his charm up like that for so long and for so many people? He had to be tired. Seiichi was working a day less than the other hosts but he was schooling over the summer. Watching Seiichi really made Katsuya wish he had worked a little harder in high school. Then maybe he would've been able to earn some scholarships for post secondary education. It was after he witnessed his friends develop individual goals in life to pursue, and separate into their own paths one at a time, that he felt he needed to start thinking about his own life. He felt he needed to settle down a bit and find his own path as well.

A waiter walked over to Seiichi's table to bring the customers their bill.

"Is it possible to reserve Sekimoto again?" One of the girls looked up at the waiter, pleading with her wide eyes.

"Sekimoto is booked completely for the schedules that have been released so far. If you call in on Monday, there will be a new booking schedule out for November."

It was the end of August after all. Which means there was going to be a lot of phone calls coming in on Monday.

Katsuya was watching Seiichi's table while wiping some tables. Just like last night, he stopped catering after seven. This always happened when he had evening shifts, which he only had on Fridays and Saturdays.

"We have to wait that long?" The girls looked dejected, and one of them was even pouting while playing with the side of her cup with her finger, running it along the edge back and forth.

"I'm sorry," Seiichi started, "I'd love to have you girls again. You can always come and visit me even if you haven't reserved me. Come in for a cup of coffee or something when I'm around. We might even be able to chat for a bit when I'm not tangled up with customers." He took a bunch of the paper serviettes, folded them into roses and handed them to the girls. "Okay?" He gave the girls a smile which rendered them in a trance but they nodded. They were smiling like idiots and their cheeks were flushed. Katsuya withheld his laughter at the sight. He never got bored of seeing the power Seiichi was able to emit on these customers. Was he some sort of pheromone king?

The girls finally left and Seiichi got up and stretched. They were the last customers and Amaranthine was now closed. Seiichi walked over to where Katsuya was, sat down and rested his head on the palm of his hand with his elbow on the table to support it.

He looked at Katsuya. "Jounouchi."

"Hmm?" Katsuya put the rag away and sat down across from Seiichi.

"Need a ride home?" he offered a soft smile. "It's raining really badly out there and it's pretty late."

"Do I!" Katsuya grinned. "You're so much better than Jin Jin! He'd make me walk in the rain!"

"I don't think he's that heartless." Seiichi laughed.

"Yeah right. He'd say my ass would taint his seat covers."

The smile on Seiichi's face didn't fade. "I heard from Mai that you were hosting yesterday." He suddenly changed the topic.

Katsuya grimaced. "Don't remind me." He shuddered a bit, remembering Matsuo again. "I don't ever want to do that again."

"It couldn't have been that bad." Seiichi snorted a laugh. "Mai said the customer didn't have any complaints and paid up."

"He was a creep, Sekimoto. He thinks I look like his past lover. Apparently, he's trying to get over his lover's death by moving here from America."

"Did he molest you?" Seiichi looked a bit angry.

"No, nothing like that. He did kiss me on the cheek today though." Katsuya blushed a bit, feeling a little embarrassed.

Seiichi's eyes widened a bit. "Today? You saw him again?"

Katsuya nodded. "I delivered his paper."

"What? Was it an American greeting or something?" His face had 'what the hell?' printed on it.

"No. I don't buy that kind of thing. Besides, he's Japanese so he should know that that's not how we work here." Katsuya believed that the whole 'Americans kissing as a greeting' was a misconception. It's not like Bandit Keith went around kissing people on the cheek whenever he saw them. He shuddered. What a terrible thought. (4)

Katsuya didn't notice it, but Seiichi had his fists clenched on his lap. He was frowning and was bothered by the fact that this stranger was harassing Katsuya.

"If he ever bothers you again, you can call me. I'll help you."

"Thanks, man. I will." He gave him a grateful smile which Seiichi returned.

"Anyways, um…" Seiichi began again and then went silent. He looked like he was searching for a way to phrase something.

Katsuya was waiting patiently but Seiichi never continued his sentence. Was Seiichi bothered by him 'peeping' on him earlier? "What's up? Did Jin Jin bother you?"

Seiichi shook his head. "Nothing. It's a stupid question." He got up from his seat. "Let's go before Kurata locks us in here." He motioned Katsuya to follow him as he headed towards the break room.

Seiichi was acting weird. He was never this hesitant when he was hosting. Katsuya decided to drop it, just in case it was about the 'peeping' thing.

"He wouldn't dare. He fears Mai as much as the rest of us." Katsuya ran to catch up to Seiichi before slinging his arm around Seiichi's neck. "Yay! Free ride!"

When Katsuya reached home, he was exhausted. His dad was already asleep so the whole apartment was dark. Not bothering to turn on the lights, he headed straight to the shower to prepare for the night. He'd have to look for Mai's necklace in the morning when he was rejuvenated.

Soon he was sluggishly climbing into his bed. His eyes darted to the rain that was pelleting the window. It sounded like someone was hosing down his house. He shifted positions and then closed his eyes, attempting to get some sleep. It was difficult; his mind kept drifting back to what had happened with him and Matsuo today and also what Yugi had said about Seto.

He didn't want to be thinking about Matsuo so he forced his thoughts towards Seto instead, who was the better of the two. Seto was gone for an unpredictable length of time and Katsuya wanted to catch up. After the long pent up absence of Seto in his life, he finally missed the guy. He should have called Seto after graduation once in a while or at least once to thank him for the card. He never bothered talking to Seto again, assuming Seto didn't want him to bother him. Now that he thought about it, he should've, just to annoy the guy.

He shifted in his bed again, now lying on his back. His mind continued thinking about Seto. He wondered how much better Seto was at Duel Monsters now. He wondered if Seto ever thought about him. He wondered if Seto was still an ass. He wondered if he'll ever hang out with everyone again like they had before. Like they had a year ago. He wondered…

And eventually he fell asleep, while the sky continued to empty itself like Katsuya's thoughts had, slowly diminishing.

He couldn't find it! Katsuya had flipped his home inside out and he still couldn't find it! Luckily it was Sunday, his day off, so he can afford to be searching. He had already gone to deliver all the papers in the morning and went straight back home to search but to no avail. Luckily Matsuo didn't come out today so Katsuya was relieved about that one thing. He was going to have to retrace his steps. There were so many large puddles outside that Katsuya really didn't want to go out again. But he had to.

His dad was going to kill him! The house looked like a mess!

Katsuya grabbed his jacket and headed outside. It was time to retrace his every step and that means he had to walk through his paper route and his path to Amaranthine.

It took a long time to go through the entire route. He looked through bushes and scanned every single crack on the ground. He really hoped no one had just picked it up and taken it.

Remembering the trouble he would be in once Mai finds out, he started to panic and pace around in circles. He knew he should face this calmly but the visions of himself as a stuffed turkey on Mai's dinner table scared him.

He had looked everywhere except one place, which he deliberately stayed away from—Matsuo's apartment. But by the look of things, he had to go and look since he exhausted all other possibilities. Maybe he did drop it when he was having that creepy thing happen to him with Matsuo after all. It should be safe to go now too since he was sure Matsuo left the house. He remembered seeing Matsuo head towards Hayasa by foot an hour ago when he was searching around Amaranthine. Anyways, he would never know unless he went.

When he finally reached the apartment complex, he began to scan the grounds, making sure he searched thoroughly. At the end of his hunt, he ended up in front of Matsuo's door—the very last place he was at when he was delivering papers to this complex. Unfortunately, he still didn't find anything. He was doomed! He started pacing around in circles again but then stopped himself after completing the circle for the third time. Okay, calm down, Katsuya. What would Shizuka say if she were here?

"Sniff. I can't believe-"

No, no, no! End thought! No! This can't be happening to him! What would Yugi do?

Yugi stood in front of Mai with a sincere apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry I lost your necklace, Mai."

Oh my God. Katsuya couldn't do that! He valued his life too much. His thoughts ended with Mai stomping on Yugi with her high heeled boots repetitively with a mad look on her face.

"I'm sure Mai is more reasonable than that, Jounouchi." It was Yugi's voice of reason in his mind again. Katsuya shook his head. You can never be sure when it comes to women and their valuables, especially Mai!

"Buy her a new one." It was Hiroto's enlightening voice. It sounded like a good plan but where would he find one that was exactly the same?

Katsuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He again told himself to calm down. What other possibilities were there? If he had really dropped it, then someone may have picked it up. There's a small chance Matsuo picked it up. He would have to ask Matsuo if he had seen it. But it might not even be here or related to Matsuo at all. But he had to try or else he'll never see the light of day again! He secretly hoped Matsuo did pick it up, since he would be able to retrieve it then. If it were anyone else, Katsuya would be in trouble.

Since Matsuo wasn't around, maybe he could break into his home and have a look for himself. As long as he doesn't misplace anything, Matsuo would never know and he might not have to ask Matsuo if he had it. He swallowed nervously and stared at the door with determination in his eyes.

If this fails, he would just have to face Mai like a man. He shouldn't be afraid. Jounouchi Katsuya was a man of his actions. He will face his consequences if needed. He nodded to himself, motivated by his own thoughts.

Reaching into his pocket for a paper clip, he started to pick the lock. Because of his past as a delinquent, Katsuya had learned a lot of street skills. The door opened in a second and Katsuya entered into Matsuo's home. The warm air rushed past his face as he entered the room. It warmed his lungs when he took his first breath in this stranger's living room. It smelled pleasant…

Katsuya closed the door behind him softly as a precaution. He glanced around the room that was decorated quite stylishly and was hoping to find the necklace lying around somewhere. All the windows had their blinds closed over them completely and all the doors were closed. He was right, Matsuo wasn't home.

He ventured further into the living room and spotted something shiny on the coffee table. Unbelievable. Katsuya blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes to check if he was seeing things. Mai's necklace was really at Matsuo's place. He didn't expect to really find it here. Well whatever, he had found the necklace so now he can finally return it to Mai.

He grinned happily to himself and walked over to retrieve the necklace from the table and tucked it into his pocket. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and a door open from further in the house. But Matsuo had gone to work! He can't be here! Katsuya was petrified. His heartbeat increased dramatically and beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. This can't be happening to him.

When the footsteps got louder, he decided he should turn around and face whatever that was going to happen to him. He couldn't just dash for the door now, it was already too late. Matsuo would hear him and run out after him or call the police.

Finally, he turned around.

Notes: Thanks for reading! And, thanks to those who have given me a review for chapter one. It motivated me to get this chapter done.

Oh my god. The narration in this chapter is so confusing. Haha. I'm sorry.

I wonder if the rain thing was too confusing…

Ack. I know this story is slow right now and filled with OCs. I'm sorry. There's going to be a few more when it gets into Seto. Which is soon. I promise. Seto's OCs are more important though. XD;

(1) Katsuya worked as a paperboy in Yu-Gi-Oh! to earn his tuition. (He had special permission.)

(2) I made the name of the paper up. I'm not sure if they ever specified what the name of paper Katsuya delivered was.

(3) Yes, Yugi has a mom. The dubbers cut her out. She gets worried when Yugi "talks to himself" (aka Atem/Yami).

(4) The whole "Americans kissing as a greeting" misconception tends to pop up a lot in mangas.