Yosh! How you all doing! I hope you're good, 'cause now it's time for the next, brand-new chapter of this story! Well, I really don't have much to tell you about this chapter. Since this isn't a 'Discovering-I-Have-A-True-Self-And-Now-I-Gotta-Help-Hisoka' chapter. This one and the next one is going to be about emotional appeal. In fact, I think this one is going to be a small chapter. Sorry about that :p But it will be a shounen-ai chapter~! All hail shounen-ai and Yaoi~! Alright, now I'm gonna stop talking. And now, I gotta get this chapter rolling!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's. I only wish I did.
"Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends."- Anonymous.
~Chapter Eight~ Old Friends, Now Enemies
~Hisoka's POV~
If I close my eyes, and think hard enough, I can still see myself as a five-year-old boy, my bangs yet to be dyed black, my mind childish and ever-so filled with wanderlust, and my social activity to be that of a black sheep's.
As a premature child, I never did talk to any other children. The only person involved my social circle were myself, Okaasan, my beginner's chess set, and a little stuffed red panda named Bandit, one of the very first English words I ever learned while on a visit to the Satellite with Okaasan. You wouldn't see me anywhere without holding that fox-like, brown, white, and orange plush toy. He seemed to be my only companion. He was the only one I could really talk to about anything.
I couldn't talk to anyone very good because… well, I didn't know how to. Okaasan did tried to push me to other children but it seemed that I would just walk away and return to my books, chess set or Bandit. I just couldn't talk to them. I suppose I was just too socially awkward at the time.
Well… that is until I met my very first best friend.
You wouldn't believe how well we were together. We were inseparable. When we we're younger, just before the sun would come up, I would crawl out of bed, get dressed in my favorite red T-shirt and shorts, grab Bandit, and sneak out the house just to meet him. We would walk by the cliffs near my house and we would sit on the grass, pointing at random things and talking about anything that a five-year-old and a six-year-old could think of. Then, when it would be just the reach of sunrise, Okaasan said she found the both of those holding onto Bandit, sleeping soundly.
Those were good times.
If I can close my eyes, and think even harder than I did before, I can still remember the fun times that me and Taijunso had.
(Normal POV)
Two children sat, side-by-side, the world before them passing as if it were non-existent. One was a little five-year-old, his blonde head messy with a few grass blades entwined with it. His eyes were as dark as the ocean's. The boy next to him was a year older. His hair was in a rare-red-wood color and his eyes were the palest of greens. Just a little away from them was a stuffed, red panda plush toy. It's big, black button eyes shined innocently.
"Hey, Tai-kun?" asked the blonde boy, turning his head to the redhead.
"Yeah, Hi-kun?" asked the older boy, looking at his friend.
"You're birthday is coming up soon, right?" asked the younger. Taijunso nodded.
"Yeah, then it's gonna be your's a few days after. What about it, Hisoka?" he asked. Hisoka kicked his feet a little before pulling his legs to his chest. His mouth was set on a some-what firm pout before he nodded to himself. Getting up, the little boy padded over to the stuffed animal, picked it up, walked to the older boy, and held out the plush toy.
"I want you to have Bandit, as a gift." he said, looking at the ground with a blush spilling across his cheeks and nose. Taijunso looked at the animal's black eyes, then Hisoka's big blue ones.
"I can't take it, Hi-kun. You've had Bandit ever since forever. I couldn't." he said, pushing the animal to the younger boy. Hisoka pressed on.
"But I want you to keep him. You take him a lot more than me, and… you won't be lonely anymore. Since you're Okaasan and Otousan have been away for so long." said the pale-skinned boy. The redhead flinched at the mentioning of his parents. He looked at the toy that was presented to him. It was cute, and a very close companion to the two of them. He looked to the younger boy, and saw the pure honest stir in those pools of sapphires. Hesitantly, he reached and took Bandit in his hands. He looked at Hisoka, to signal the 'OK.'
Hisoka gave a nod and smile, and Taijunso took the animal nicknamed as the 'shinning-cat.' He smiled and scratched the toy behind the eras.
"Thanks, Hi-kun."
Hisoka smiled in return.
"You're welcome, Taijunso-ya."
"Hey! Seriously! You gotta stop giving people titles like 'Mr.' and 'Miss', baka(1)!"
Hisoka's eyes flew open as he heard a sharp beeping ring near his ears. He sat up in bed and looked around his room, seeing no sunlight peak out of the windows. He heard a light rumble and he flinched, looking to his side and hearing the light patter of the rain beat against the roof.
'A thunder storm? Great, just fantastic.' he thought to himself, scratching the back of his head and arching his neck to release the tension in his back. He laid back in his bed a little and he stared at the ceiling.
"Since it's raining… we might be spending all classes inside all-day, today. Maybe it'll give me some time to think about that dream. Huh," he reached under his bed and pulled out a small cardboard box, pulling it open and digging past a few photos he kept over the years. He pulled out a picture of himself as a five-year-old with a seven-year-old Taijunso. The both of them wore party hats and their arms were slugged against the other shoulders, both with huge grins on their faces. Hisoka smiled softly. "I just wonder how Taijunso-ya and Bandit are doing now."
Hisoka shivered and shook a little as he finally made it inside the academy, sighing in content as the warm air from the heaters warmed his cold clothing. He shook the water droplets from his blue umbrella and he took of his winter blazer, putting it over his shoulder and walking himself to the gym. Since most classes of the academy were held by the bungalows and outside, and it was raining, all classes were performed inside the gym. His first class was homeroom, then his other subjects, except physical Education and Riding Duel class.
Hisoka made it to the gym in no time and he spotted his class sitting by a group of benches. He then spotted his friends and he walked over.
"Finally, the man of the hour arrives." joked Z, only a cluster of the group laughing, Hisoka included, while a few other shook their heads.
"Sorry about being a little late. The rain was slowing me down and I had to find a dry place so my D-Wheel wouldn't get rusted. Has the teacher called for role call yet?" asked the blonde as he took a seat next to Haru and Ashter.
"Not yet. And thank God, too. Seth-kun hasn't shown up yet either." said Asucchi.
"Wait! Wait! Hold on! I'm not late!" the redhead in question was already racing to the group, squeaks of water bouncing off his sneakers. His red-orange hair was soaked and sticking to his neck and sides of his face and he looked like he took a shower with his clothes on.
"Easy, Seth-san. You made it just in time." said Stephanie as the teen slid over and shook his head like a wet dog.
"That's good. I thought for sure I was going to miss it. Oh yeah, good morning everybody." said Seth, taking a spot next on the table since there was water on the floor and there was hardly any space left. Everyone soon went off into different conversation, either calling their names to show that they were there or if they were talking with their friends and saying everyday things. Hisoka was having a small debate with Haru and Seth, trying to tell what was one of the strongest, legendary cards out there.
"I hate to disagree with you, Seth, but I still say Seto Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon would be hard to beat." said Haru.
"Everyone is fair to there opinion but I still would say that if the cards are played right, Judai Yuki's Elemental Hero Neos would be a serious difficulty." said Seth, reclining back a little. Haru looked to Hisoka.
"What do you think, Hisoka? Blue-Eyes or Neos?" he asked. The blue-eyed boy in question placed a finger on his chin and he pursed his lips the slightest.
"That's a tough one. Though the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is one of the strongest cards out there, if you play your cards right, the Elemental Hero Neos could be something difficult to go against. Hmmm…" Hisoka crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling. And for the longest while, he didn't say anything.
"Uh… guys? I think you broke Hisoka." said Taka, he and the others noticing Hisoka's head was lulled back. Haru poked the teen at the side and they watched as Hisoka fell on Seth's side, eyes closed with a small snore escaping his lips every now and then. Since Seth as taller than him, the blonde boy did not knock the redhead over.
"Well, it looks like Hisoka's having one of his Rainy Day naps, again." said Tyler.
"He does this whenever there's a rainy day?" asked Youkai.
"Yes. It's very ironic, actually. He sleeps suddenly when it rains yet he always stays inside if there's a thunderstorm about." said Madilyn.
"Yeah, it's a pretty weird thing. And since Hisoka has Astraphobia, it makes it more weird." said Ryu. Seth looked at the boy leaning on him and he gave a chuckle, putting one arm around the eighteen-year-old.
"Aw, ain't he cute like this?" he asked in a cheeky tone. Xerxes blinked and tilted her head.
"I believe we've all just witnessed a shounen-ai moment, everyone." she deadpanned. That didn't stop the while group from erupting in laughter, resulting in Hisoka waking up.
"Hm-mm? Huh!" Hisoka made a quick shimmy, moving out of Seth's arm and blushing hotly.
"S-Sorry about that, Seth-ya." he stuttered. Seth gave a laugh and wave.
"S' OK, Hisoka-kun. You looked rather cute back there," the brown-eyed almost-graduate threw in a wink, "I just couldn't keep my hands off you." he added.
Hisoka fell flat on his butt after hearing that kind of comment. He blinked several times, along with everyone else. Well… this was a first.
"Uh… lets change the subject, yeah?" asked Z, looking around.
"Uh, yeah, you're right, Z. Uh- Hey, look Hisoka! They're setting up some chess boards over there! Lets play for a bit." said Haru, pointing to the tables decorated with white and black pieces. Hisoka coughed and nodded.
"Yes. Lets play a few rounds, Haru-ya." he said getting up and fallowing the brown-haired boy. The two picked a table and they set up a game, Hisoka taking the black pieces while Haru settled for the white. Their friends and a few other people surrounded them and they watched them play.
For a while, it looked like Haru was on a roll. It had only been ten minutes or so and the blue-eyed boy had taken both of Hisoka's bishops, one rook, two knights, and five of his pawns. Hisoka got lucky enough to get one rook, the two knights, and six pawns. But by the way Haru had Hisoka surrounded, it looked like he was going to win.
"Well, lets see what you have planned next, Hisoka." said Haru. Hisoka held a knowing glint in his eyes.
"Why would you say that, Haru-ya?"
"Because you always do have something up your sleeves. Whether it'll be a Duel or a game of chess. So make your move, dear friend." said Haru. Hisoka chuckled and he grabbed his knight, performing the L-shaped move and claiming Haru's king's spot.
"Checkmate." he said, smiling and Haru giving a light smile.
"Told you so." he said, the people around them giving claps after watching the game that just happened. Hisoka shrugged humbly.
"I just performed the old 'Knight Overruns the Castle' move." he said. Haru waved his hands a bit and everyone was soon laughing again.
"Still facing beginners, I see, Koshinuke?"
The laughing died down the minute the cold atmosphere whipped into the room. And people were sure that it didn't come from the rain outside. The people around made side-steps and shoves as Jun walked up. Hisoka nodded.
"Yes. Care to try a round, Jun? It's been a while since our last one." he said, briskly setting up the pieces, this time taking the white ones. Jun nodded and Haru got off his seat. Jun took and this time, nearly half the school surrounded the table.
"Care to make a wager, Koshinuke?" asked Jun, letting the tips of his fingers trace the crowns and tops of his pieces.
"It won't be the ones from our childhood, would they? I lost the last one and you made me eat a slug. That was very unpleasant, by the way." said Hisoka, his voice slightly with a hint of his hidden Australian accent.
"I'm sure it was. But I say, we should let our audience decided. May of them do run off with their imaginations, and the ideal death penalty they have in their minds could be worth our whiles." said Jun. Hisoka crossed his arms and nodded.
"I suppose it would work. Alright, does anyone have any ideas on what the penalty of losing should be?" asked the blonde and black-haired boy to the crow. A few suggestions were thrown here and there, some lousy while the others maxing to the extremes. An ear-shedding screeched silenced them all and everyone gave a cold shiver. They new it was a member of the Gold and Sapphire fan club.
Yes, it was sad when one of those members came around. As you can guess, New Domino Academy had it's many cliques. One in particular that many were afraid of were the Gold and Sapphire fan club, entire group that was dedicated and obsessed over Hisoka, since he was pretty well-known and his looks were second to none.
"The wager should be the loser dresses as a girl! Do it! Make that the wager~!" squealed the girl, jumping up and down with a few of the other members. Everyone gasped and Hisoka blushed furiously. Really, those members bothered his a lot. Hell, they almost knew where his home was. But they were going way too far on this.
"N-No! We are not-"
"Very well."
Hisoka jumped and stared wide-eyed at Jun, who gave an impassive face.
"You're serious!" yelled the blue-eyed student, completely shocked. Really, he thought Jun would be against something that ridiculous. It was maddening.
"Indeed. I did say that the crow would get wild with their imaginations. And your fan club has gave a very interesting option. Yes, whoever loses this game must dress as a female, for the entire school body to see. And it just so happens that the annual "Miss Neo Domino Pageant' is starting next week. Wouldn't that be intriguing if the loser were to act as a woman and participate?" asked the blackette, giving an ever-so challenging look in his eyes. Hisoka's own eyes narrowed.
"Very well."
"Wow, I can't believe Hisoka is even agreeing to this." whispered Tyler to Taka.
'I know. And it's even more surprising that Jun's getting into this, too. I thought he had some sort of moral and justice persona in him." said Taka, tilting his head one way.
"Well, when it come to a competition with Hisoka, the limits those two go to are phenomenal." said Xerxes.
"I'm sorry for asking the oblivious but why do these guys act like each other this way? Do they got bad blood or something?" asked Seth. Haru placed his arms behind his head and he leaned back on his heels.
"Well, yeah they got something like that. I was only got to know Hisoka around the first grade and the two of them were already at each other's necks." he said.
"You can say that again, bro. You just gotta think on what happened between them." said Z in a considerable tone. Everyone nodded and they looked back to the two, caught in their game for kings.
Since both were serious and experts at this game, the both of them had looks that showed that they were not willing to lose this game. Jun moved one his bishop and caught two of Hisoka's pawns, Hisoka following up by catching a black knight with his rook.
"I see you brushed up on your skills since our last game, Jun." said Hisoka, lining up the black piece next to the others. Jun flicked his bangs back as his hand ghosted over his pieces.
"I always anticipate for a game, Koshinuke. Each step must be accounted for. If is even one slip up, the whole plan could be ruined." he said, moving his pawn. Hisoka gave a chuckle.
"I will never understand why you talk so serious. It wasn't like that a long time ago." he said. Jun's green eyes flickered to the blue ones looking at his.
"Pardon? Just what are you getting at?" he asked. Hisoka shrugged as he hopped his pawn.
"I'm just talking about the time… we use to be friends…" he said, finishing his move. Jun froze and for the fiercest second, he looked surprised. He then clenched his fists and gave a sneer.
"We were never friends. Stop trying to stall our game, Koshinuke." he growled, baring his teeth the slightest. Hisoka looked back with much as vigor.
"I am not stalling, and you know fully-well that I don't do that at all. You know that I'm talking about what we use to be. Before you… you…" He calmed himself down, not believing he was getting so flushed. He looked at his once-friend calmly. "Before you changed. You just left for one day… and then you came back all spiteful and as if I were trash. What… what had happened to you? What had happened to Taijunso?" he asked, an odd emotion suddenly spilling from his lips. Jun slammed his fist angrily to the table, knocking a few of the pieces.
"Don't you ever call me that idiotic name, ever again! My name is Jun! Not Taijunso! He does not exist!" he yelled. Hisoka stood up and his chair was shoved back, landing on the floor with a loud clank, making everyone around the table jump.
"Yes there was! You can't say he never existed! He was the very first real friend I ever had! He was closer to me than a brother! He was the one who helped me gain new friends! He was the one I gave my favorite toy for his seventh birthday! Just days before he left one day and came back as some son of a bitch named Jun!" he yelled, thunder roaring behind him and the lights suddenly going out.
Half of the female student body screamed in fright and a lot of the boys gave gasps. People were shifting and moving, asking questions and giving yells. The lights soon flickered back on and the principle walked around with a megaphone.
"Everyone, everyone please, calm down. It was only a minor circuit break. Things should be running more smoothly for the remainder of the day." he said, the students calming down and returning to their activities.
"Uh… guys? Where did Hisoka go?" asked Haru. Everyone then noticed that indeed, the blonde and black-haired duelist had disappeared.
"Shit. Guys, Hisoka's afraid of thunderstorms, remember? That phobia he has?" asked Rose.
"Aw, man! We gotta find Hi-chan. He probably ran off." said Asucchi, looking worried. The team was so focused on splitting up into search parties, they didn't notice the latter's most well-known rival walk out of the room in a cool manner, his green eyes filled with knowing something they didn't.
Jun had walked down one hallway until he found the music room, the only place that had a door wide open. He walked into the dark room and looked around, seeing that the piano was moved back and the chairs were on the spare tables. Lighting flashed pass the rain-sheeted windows and Jun caught the outline of gold and onyx hair. If he wasn't acting serious now, he would be laughing at Hisoka's expense.
Yes, there was his rival. Crouched up like a ball with his hands over his ears and a pained expression on his face. The thunder clashed and the blonde gave a hum of a whimper, scrunching up more. By now, Jun would had told him he should have man-up and get back to their game. But they were in a middle of a thunderstorm. And this was Hisoka he was with. And he had knew, for the longest as anyone in this world had, besides Aki, that Hisoka was deathly scared of thunderstorms. Sighing, the black-haired boy walked over, took seat, and cramped himself next to Hisoka till they were sandwiched between tables, and placing one arm around the close-to-tears teen. Hisoka's eyes opened and he looked at his rival, those blue pools dewed and wet like the leaves in the early morning.
"Wh-Why are you-"
Jun interrupted him with a sigh.
"I had to do this all the time when we were younger, remember?" asked the green-eyed third-year, signing. Hisoka gave a shrug and sniffle, then gave a blush. Really, this felt both shocking and degrading. Jun did know about his phobia, yes, but it was still humiliating for his rival to see him look so pathetic.
"Yeah… I remember."
The two of the were silent for a while, the rumblings and flashings making Hisoka jump every now and then but Jun was there to hold him down, like an anchor. Hisoka relaxed a little, suddenly remembering the times Jun had to hold him down when there was a thunderstorm when they were little. It was one of those times that Jun would act like a real six-year-old, caring and watching over his five-year-old friend. Hisoka leaned back a little and Jun looked at him.
"So… I'm a son of a bitch, huh?"
Hisoka blushed and looked down at his feet.
"Oh… sorry about that. I wasn't thinking and my emotions were getting to me. Sorry." he said honestly. Jun shrugged.
"I've been called that and a lot more my whole life. So I've grown immune to becoming insulted by it." he said, the hand in his hair clenching and unclenching the loose and short locks.
"Ah, I see." acknowledge Hisoka, pulling his knees to his chest. He didn't want to bring up the topic anymore. He felt bad enough as he already did. Another silence dragged on.
"And… and if I recall, before the lights went out… you had my queen and the both of my rooks and knights. So… that means I lost…" Hisoka looked away, blushing more after his sentence was said. Jun shrugged.
"So you did. If all else fails… you just might pass on. You have the skinny figure for it."
Hisoka looked at Jun and briefly caught a corner of his lip lifted.
"Were… you trying to make a joke?" he asked. Jun shrugged again and Hisoka couldn't help but let out a laugh. He then looked out the window and watched the window, the slow trails of rain staining the glass and making his eyes go foggy. Jun noticed and before either any of them knew it, the blonde was out like a light. Jun rolled his eyes.
"You and your odd habits, Koshinuke." he muttered, resting his head on his own shoulder and yawning. His eyes looked to the sleeping boy, who had suddenly shifted and leaned on to him, a head or yellow and black now resting on his chest. He sighed again and wrapped his other arm around him, till Hisoka was half-lying on him.
This was… almost nice. It reminded Jun of the times when he would visit Hisoka's house when they were younger and they would run and crawl all over the place. When they got tired, they would find the smallest space and curl up next to each other with Bandit, the stuffed red panda held by the both of them. It was a nostalgic time for them. Just the two of them, like a team that could never be broken.
Jun looked at his rival and sighed. What he was feeling now. What he had felt for this Archfiend Duelist ever since they were kids… that old flame had not died. No matter how hard Jun told himself that he hated him. No matter how many times he denied it, that flame as strong as an inferno's still burned in his heart. Tat feeling of… cursed affection.
Swiftly and with the up-most of silence, Jun leaned down and brushed his pale and slightly chapped lips over Hisoka's, catching the younger's bottom lip between his own before sucking softly and pulling away. Hisoka moved slightly, giving a incoherent sound before curling more to Jun. Jun spared a small lift of the corner of his lip before sighing again and leaning back. As the rain pitted and patted, and his own eyes began to droop, his thoughts drifted as he caught onto sleep.
'Why did I have to become friends with him, hate him… then fall in love with him?'
Ha! Ha! I bet none of you were expecting to see some Hisoka x Jun action, did ya! Well yep, it's true! Hisoka and Jun got something going on! Hell yeah! Oh, ahem, I apologize for that. Forgive me for going into fan girl mode. Couldn't help myself. Anyway, I hope that all showed you at least something to think on while I get the next chapter working. Till then, please read and review and I'll catch ya later!
This is me saying, Peace!