Blurry

by Lethe Seraph

Chapter Three: Stared (I asked you what it was)

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Author's (rambling) Notes that Can be Skipped without Great Consequence

Listening to: various tracks by VNV Nation

Pros: The music is pretty, and the tracks are long. It's often distracting when a song ends or begins, so the length of the tracks is a plus.

Cons: 'Beloved' depresses me. It's very awesome, a beautiful song, but it's sad. ; Not the best for writing light stories.

About this chapter – it's weird, pointless, and dialogue-ridden. This is what happens when you go out to friends' birthday parties and eat too many Pixy Stix. Remember that, kiddies.

The thing that I have enjoyed the most about writing this story, aside from the awesome reviews, is working in the various twists. You think this is going to happen? Guess what? You were wrong, man, wrong! That is one of the reasons that I love the series Naruto. It is very well-done in that aspect.

A problem that I encounter every now and then is, I think of a twist on the spot. No, this should have happened in an earlier chapter, so that it could point to the thing that I want to happen now! By then, though, it's too late. Too bad.

Most of the stories I write, I write spontaneously. I have a general idea of where a story is going to go (yes! Jou and Kaiba will get together!), but no idea how I'm going to get it there until I sit down and write. It's a very random process, I suppose. And to think that there are people (perhaps even you) who, instead, sit down and take the time to think of a story before hand, jot down some notes, and figure out what will happen in the seventh chapter before they've even posted the first.

Lucky you.

So, anyway, where was I? Oh, right. My painfully amateur style. Does anyone else do this? Am I the only one? Probably. What I'm saying is, I have no idea what will happen before it happens. I didn't know who that guy was in Cursive (another Jou/Kai story I'm working on) until the second chapter. Ha! Right now, Blurry feels more like a Yugi/Jonouchi to me. Do you think so? I think so. I hope that I can get in the lovely Jou/Kai ishness. I think that I can do that. Hey, maybe I could even work in a love triangle. Ha ha. Painfully amateur style.

Ah, well. If I were anyone else, I wouldn't be me. Ain't that the truth.

Many thanks to all of you who have reviewed. You make the world want to sing.

Na no da.

End Rambling Notes (did you skip?)

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Honda was the first to break the silence. "Maybe he died," he suggested gravely.

"Honda!" Anzu punched his shoulder. "Don't even say that! You could jinx him."

"But, seriously! Jonouchi is never late to lunch. When was the last time you saw him come to the cafeteria late? You never have, have you? He must have died." Honda flailed his arms around in order to emphasize his point.

Anzu rolled her eyes.

"Honda," she said, "haven't you noticed that Yugi is missing too?"

"Come to think of it…" said Honda. "You're right. Maybe… oh!" He slapped his head. "I know what happened!"

"What?"

"Yugi and Jou were walking to the cafeteria behind us, when they were accosted by a bunch of freaks who want the Millennium Puzzle! As we speak, they're dueling for the fate of the world!"

Anzu looked as though she was about to laugh mockingly, but stopped herself. She sighed. "You know what's sad? You could be right."

The two were quiet for a moment. Honda took a large bite of his cheeseburger, chewing slowly.

Silence.

"Think they need cheerleaders?" asked Honda after a moment.

Anzu looked down at her fries, and then back up at Honda.

They scooted their chairs out and stood in unison.

--

"All right. If I wanted to rule the world, where would I duel?"

"Hmm," said Honda. "Well, those weird shadow bubbles always need a lot of space around them if they're gonna be really ominous, right?"

"They might not need it, but it seems to happen a lot." Anzu thought. "Right. The top of the blimp, Kaiba's tower, and Yugi was telling me about his duel with these two Ghouls on a rooftop-"

They stared at each other.

Before one could blink, the two had bolted for the stairs.

--

They opened the door quietly, stealthily, figuring that whatever great shadow powers were at work probably didn't want distracting, and glanced around the corner with trepidation in their expressions.

What they saw would make their eyes boil and dreams turn to the dark side for months to come.

Find out next time, on Blurry! Coming soon to a website near-----------

Ha. Kidding.

Sorry.

Yugi and Jonouchi sat against the aged brick wall, looking at each other intently. Yugi spoke in a hushed voice. "—Come on, at least accept it."

Jonouchi's expression darkened. Honda and Anzu glanced at each other before looking back at the scene unfolding upon them. "Yugi…" Jonouchi murmured.

What had they just stumbled into? It didn't look like any Shadow Game that either had ever seen. To be honest, it looked more like the part from that romance movie right before the lead characters—

Honda resisted the urge to bang his head against the door. He did not need those images popping up in his head.

"We're friends, right? You would do the same for me, if you could. So can't you…" Yugi was giving Jonouchi the look. That look. That pleading, innocent look that only Yugi could really pull off without looking like a pervert. Honda glanced at Anzu. She was frowning. So she had noticed it too, had she?

"Are they…?"

"Shut up," she mumbled, watching the two just as fixedly as they were regarding each other.

"And you do help me, Jou, before you say something like that. You've helped me a lot. Come on, Jou."

"It's not a duel," whispered Honda. "I don't think we should be here."

Anzu grimaced. "Well, you're probably right," she whispered in reply, "but now that we are here…"

"Damn it! It's not fair-" Jou's voice was struggling to convey some deeper emotion. Honda was thrown on higher guard. He wanted out. He wanted out right now.

"It's not right, Anzu!" he hissed. "We really should go. They could get up and find us here any minute."

Then Yugi's voice became considerably cheerier. "All right, we'll set up an appointment for you."

They blinked at each other.

Appointment?

-

They got back to their own table mere minutes before Yugi and Jou did. There was a certain glow about Yugi that made Honda sure he had gotten his way.

But what was 'his way'?

"Hi, guys!" said Yugi, pulling out a chair. "Sorry we're late."

"Yeah," said Jou easily. "The teacher wanted to talk to Yugi here," he jabbed his thumb at Yugi, "and I just had to wait for him, seeing as you guys were already gone."

Honda and Anzu looked at each other – yeah, like that's what happened – and then back at Jou and Yugi. "No problem," said Honda. "But you guys had better hurry and eat. We don't have much time left."

Jou sighed. "Right, right."

"Sorry, Jou!" piped Yugi.

Jou snapped his fingers a few times. "Oi, oi, Anzu…"

"What?"

Honda raised an eyebrow. To him, it looked like Jou was attempting to make it look as though the subject he was about to introduce was not one that he had been thinking about seriously, or for a long period of time.

"You used to have glasses, right?"

"Um, yeah. That was before Dad gave in and let me get contacts, though. When was that, sixth grade…?"

"Sounds about right," Yugi affirmed. "You looked nice with glasses."

"I did not!" said Anzu, affronted. "They were large, round, and pink. I can't look at those yearbooks without wincing."

Why would Jou ask …?

"Well, what's it like?" said Jou. This was clearly the thing that had been bothering him.

No way. No way would Jou need glasses.

Honda barely managed to stifle a snicker.

"Hmm …" Anzu thought. "Well, it was all right, I guess. But kind of annoying. Because I only had to wear them while I was doing certain things, you know? So sometimes I would lose them."

Jou nodded.

"You get used to it after a while. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," said Jou quickly. "One of … one of my friends might have to get them, that's all."

"Is that so?" said Anzu, a small smile beginning to grow on her face.

Yugi was grinning over at Jou.

"Yeah, that's right. But the guy's so not the type who would wear glasses. I think he'll look pretty weird," Jou added. He laughed.

"Really? Who?" said Anzu. "I might know him."

"Uh, you wouldn't," hastened Jou. "He's … um … he's the one who took over my job when I was fired. Yeah. And, uh, he goes to a different school, so you definitely don't know him."

Her smile was only growing larger. "Which school?"

"Well, um-" Honda saw Jou shoot Yugi a 'dammit, help me, for the love of-!' look before turning back to Anzu. He was trapped, and he knew it. "Can't remember. I didn't know the guy too well."

"But you cared enough that he was getting glasses to ask me about it?"

"No, I was just curious."

"Buuuull," sang Honda.

"Hey!" said Jou. He hit Honda upside the head. "Don't you start!"

"Jonouchi Katsuya," said Anzu, "do you have to get glasses?"

Jou twitched. Then his expression lightened. "Oh, the weirdest thing happened today."

What, aside from the way you and Yugi were staring at each other? "Really?" said Honda.

"You got an 'A' on a test?" said Anzu, faking shock.

"Ha ha, very funny," said Jou dryly. "No, it's about Kaiba."

"Oh no," said Yugi. "Tell me that you were nice to him."

"Well…" said Jou. "To a degree."

Anzu sighed.

Honda grinned. "Didja get him in the nuts?"

"Honda!"

"What? What?" Honda raised his arms into a defensive position. "I'm just askin'!"

"So anyway," Jou continued, "the class was almost over, right? And then the bell rang, and I was looking around the classroom, right? And what should I see but-"

"Wrong!" said Yugi.

"What?"

"You kept saying 'right'," said Yugi, wilting a little bit. "Sorry."

"Please continue," said Anzu.

"So, um…" Jou appeared to have been thrown off track.

"End of class," prompted Honda.

"Oh, right, so I was looking around the classroom, and right when I turn towards Kaiba, what does he do?" Jou turned his head quickly to demonstrate. "He looks to the front of the class! I swear, he was watching me!"

"Oooh, Jou's got a loooover…"

"Hey! Hey, take that back!" Jou fumed.

"Maybe he wants to be your friend," said Yugi hopefully.

They looked at each other.

And burst into laughter.

"All right!" Anzu looked at her watch, still giggling. "Fifteen seconds with straight faces this time!"

"A new record," sighed Yugi. "What did you do, Jou?"

"Well, I kind of, um, grabbed him by the collar and-"

"Kissed him passionately!"

"Demanded his lunch money!"

"No!" Jonouchi's eye twitched. "I said, 'Why were you watching me?' and then he said, 'Who said I was watching you?'"

"He was so watching you," decided Honda.

"And then he accused me of having a crush on him, so I grabbed his sleeve and I was gonna make him take it back, but he did this thing to my pinky-"

"Wait, back up. He accused you of having a crush on him?"

"Well, not in so many words, but …"

"Hmm," said Yugi.

"Hmm," said Anzu.

"Huh," agreed Honda.

And then the bell rang, and the subject was shoved to the back of their minds quite figuratively.

Little did Jou know that it would be yanked back up very, very soon.

If he had known, though, you can rest assured that he would never have brought it up in the first place.