Kaiba stared at his agenda for the day and frowned. He had already made it through the multiple rounds of presentations and tours, as well as a rather excruciating business lunch with the Americans and several other regional promoters, but the next thing on his list was where his nightmare really began.
Business formalities and the like he could deal with—he'd been CEO for the past five years, after all, and he'd had six years of training from his adoptive father. But Kaiba was sure the next event and all the following ones could lead to his undoing.
Isono had called him the previous night to confirm Jonouchi's participation with the American delegation. The man had seemed somewhat reserved on the phone, as though he had been hiding something, and Kaiba had been nowhere near the mood to play.
"Out with it, Isono, it seems like you have something you want to say."
There had been a beat of hesitancy before his personal assistant had cleared his throat and spoke, "There seems to be some discord between you and Jonouchi-sama."
Kaiba had experienced a strong urge to smack his head against the wall then. "It's of no concern. He's just being his usual stupid self."
Another beat of silence. "Kaiba-sama, if I may…?"
"What is it?"
The voice had become clearer. "Perhaps it would be—prudent—to allow some distance."
It had been Kaiba's turn for silence. "I know." An intake of breath. "That's what you're there for."
"Certainly, Kaiba-sama."
And while it was true that Isono would be the one to mainly interact with Jonouchi during the day, Kaiba still felt uneasy about including him in his plans, especially since nothing had been resolved between them. Kaiba didn't particularly feel like talking about it, and Jonouchi had kept bringing it up during inconvenient times—little daggers thrown in the small pockets of time when he wasn't avoiding Kaiba completely.
The technology demonstration was next on the itinerary. Isono had called him before his lunch meeting to report that Jonouchi had arrived at the Dueling Arena and was doing a final run-through with the tech team. Kaiba was torn—while he was relieved that the idiot had actually shown up (meaning he wouldn't have to put on the dog and pony show for the Americans), at the same time, Kaiba did not desire to be anywhere near the fool.
It was bad enough that he had a hard time trusting Jonouchi with his company, and that was only half because of personal reasons. But it was even worse that Kaiba couldn't trust himself.
At least lately.
By the time everyone had made it down to the entrance of headquarters, Eguchi had already pulled around several golf carts. Piling carefully in, the Americans talked excitedly amongst themselves while Kaiba sat back and watched. He could feel his reserve of social energy already beginning to wane, and he found himself dreading the impending evening festivities. Normally, he excelled at—though didn't particularly enjoy—situations like these. He could be a showman. He knew how to sell an audience and seduce skeptics. But right now, Kaiba just felt tired and entirely not like himself.
He tried not to let that show, though. Thankfully with such a dedicated staff, he didn't have to try too hard. Isono effortlessly lead the group into the bowels of Kaiba Land, showcasing all the hidden beta equipment that wasn't approved for the public yet. Not only were there new concept games for the theme park, but there was a new Duel Disk being designed and programmed still in the lab. Kaiba wasn't going to worry himself with it, since he hadn't imposed a deadline on it quite yet.
Ultimately, it was his own personal blueprints that were leading the creation of the new Duel Disk, but there wasn't the time yet to dedicate himself to it. Kaiba unfortunately had to place it on the back-burner; getting plans for his California park settled and ready was much more important, still. They couldn't be kept away in the dark, since the United States had more competition when it came to theme park entertainment.
When they came upon the new Dueling Arenas, one of the Americans scoffed—a technician turned to his cohort and said in English, "I don't understand why we still have these when Duel Disks are more efficient."
Kaiba tsked, shaking his head. "That may be true, but Duel Disks don't yet have all the capabilities that my Dueling Arenas do," he explained in English, "And while one day I could upgrade them into having the entire Duel Network's registry for the professional dueling bracket available for personal use, that wouldn't be advisable. It's important that people still go to the Kaiba Land parks, and I don't see Dueling Arenas ever being phased out completely."
That was never his intention. Trumping Pegasus's technology had been extremely exhilarating at the time, but there were still some instances in dueling where the arenas were more efficient than Duel Disks.
Not everyone could afford Duel Disks, either.
"There's a huge market for gaming arenas across Japan and the United States," continued Kaiba, "and I'm not going to let Industrial Illusions steal it right from under me, when they haven't even redesigned their systems from the original in the last five years. Most dueling competitions, after all, are still done in arenas."
He spoke in clear English, which the delegates appeared taken aback by. Kaiba had known it since he was a child; he lacked a heavy accent. Unlike his old high school classmates who fumbled through classes without a clear understanding of the confusing grammar or conversational skills, Kaiba had been fluent since he was ten years old.
"You do have a point, Kaiba-sama," replied the man who had made the comment, "I thought you'd want to phase out the arenas for being so..."
"-Cumbersome?" Kaiba snorted, trying not to laugh at the man for being so presumptuous, "It forces people to come to the parks if they want to play the game with the Solid Vision holograms. And while the Duel Disk might have market appeal because anyone can compete wherever they are, there always needs to be a reason for players to come to Kaiba Land parks instead of just playing at home."
Everyone seemed satisfied with that answer.
"And now," Kaiba announced, "I'd like to present the new system updates with the participation of Kaiba Corporation's sponsored professional Duelist, Jonouchi Katsuya."
Jonouchi appeared after that, looking as bright-eyed as ever. Apparently Isono had prepared him well, because he was dressed in the new clothes Kaiba had given him, and he had enough manners to shake the hand of every single man and woman he was directed to without making a fuss. His hair was even cleaned up, and that in and of itself was rather impressive. Someone had made sure to make Jonouchi look sharp. Kaiba wasn't sure if he should thank that person or fire them...
After pleasantries were exchanged, Jonouchi went over to the arena and started the demonstration. He started up the Duel, picking a game against a computer version of Mutou Yugi set at professional mode. Everyone seemed rather dubious that he could win, but Kaiba knew better. Jonouchi had been practicing, and after a long, drawn-out battle with the AI which nearly led Jonouchi to run out of cards, he did manage to win.
Everyone clapped enthusiastically, the Americans chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Although Yugi was Japanese, everyone around the world knew about his dueling abilities. Jonouchi, while not quite as popular, was nearly as great. Even Kaiba could see that, now.
"That was impressive!" exclaimed , the Chief of Operations of the American branch, a tall, bald man with a sharp face and even sharper suit. He looked young despite the lack of hair on his head, and Kaiba wondered fleetingly if it was a hair trend the man was trying to make work, or if he was unfortunate enough to be balding before forty.
"Jonouchi Katsuya took third place at my last international competition," explained Kaiba neutrally. He didn't look Jonouchi's way, despite speaking about him, "He's only ranked behind myself and Mutou Yugi."
"I don't plan on staying behind them forever," added Jonouchi as he appeared to be fighting back a smirk, "Next tournament Kaiba-sama and Mutou-san compete in, I'm taking them on. Even if one of the guys is my boss."
Everyone laughed except Kaiba. He just gave one of his fake smiles, one that was nearly undetectable except to Jonouchi, who had known him long enough to figure out when he was faking it.
"How admirable of you," continued Mr. Wright, "and clearly you are very talented. I never thought a Duel against an AI would be so exciting."
"I like to keep things interesting; it makes work that much more fun," Jonouchi replied.
Kaiba wondered if Jonouchi followed that little matra in everything he did, but he knew better than to ask. He turned away from the group and rolled his eyes instead, feeling Isono's eyes on his back before deciding to move the party onward to other things.
"Now that our show is over, let's take a little walk throughout the park so you all can see the mothership, so to speak. I'm sure most of you have never seen the original Kaiba Land theme park. This will be eye-opening, I hope, for many of you."
Kaiba had given them a full tour of the park, despite the fact that there were people all over. Children frequently ran through the group, although a few stopped and stared when faced by the Americans. Most of them had probably never seen foreigners outside of on television, and they pointed at the group before their mothers scolded them for being rude.
The Americans didn't seem bothered by the attention, though. The group was made up of eight people: five men and three women. They all had central positions within the Kaiba Corporation United States branch, and although ultimately they worked for Kaiba, it was still important that they got a good impression of their boss, so to speak.
There was the Director of Operations, Mr. Wright, who seemed charmed by everything and easy-going. He stuck to Jonouchi and Isono, talking to them both as they pointed out different sites throughout the park. Among his staff was also the Marketing Director, a Mrs. Chan who appeared to be Chinese-American. The Facilities Manager hardly ever spoke; he was a rather unsightly dark-haired, short man Kaiba couldn't exactly figure out, while the Health and Safety Engineer appeared to be of Mexican descent from the sound of her appearance and last name, Ms. Ortega. There were also three technicians, all caucasian, and lastly Mokuba's personal assistant, a Ms. Farwell, who appeared to be getting the most attention from the mobs of children because of her dark skin and even darker hair. Thankfully, she seemed rather understanding of the fact that they had never seen a black person before, and Kaiba felt some relief knowing that his American guests were more likely to be amused than offended by the ridiculous amounts of attention they were attracting.
Outside of Mr. Wright, all of the members of the delegation had been new faces to Kaiba. They were a peculiar group, but Wright seemed confident in his team's capabilities, and that was all that really mattered to Kaiba.
After the tour, the group had split apart so that the Americans could test the rides and attractions and informally interview some of the staff currently on the clock. Kaiba thought they looked funny with their clipboards and audio recorders, but he supposed it was better to have employees who appreciated the value of research. He hung back towards the entrance, electing to wait them out by the golf carts than to deal with the hoards of park-goers. A little solitude in the middle of a chaotic day would be a lifesaver.
Kaiba had pulled out his cell phone and had started to fiddle with it when a large shadow cast across his vision.
"Oh, I guess we had the same idea."
Fuck, was he really that unlucky?
Jonouchi hovered warily by the front of the golf cart, his gaze flickering back to the park. He looked like a bird unsure of whether it wanted to take off or hang onto its branch. Kaiba ignored him all the same, not wanting to risk a snag in an already very long day. He heard a heavy sigh to his right, and then the cart swayed under Jonouchi's weight as he clambered into the backseat.
"You look nice today, Kaiba-sama."
Kaiba rolled his eyes but kept his sight fixed on his phone screen. "Is commenting about my appearance akin to talking about the weather now?"
"No," answered Jonouchi with a hint of amusement, "were you hoping it to be? I don't pay that much attention to your clothes, you know..."
"Well then I guess today you've demonstrated a new skill set," Kaiba snorted. He inwardly grimaced. Where the hell was Isono, and why the hell wasn't he watching the moron?
Jonouchi laughed in response. Kaiba could see him out of his peripheral vision: Jonouchi was slouched in his seat with an arm tossed across the top of the seatbacks. The proximity made his back itch, the prickling sensation crawling down his spine and across his shoulder blades.
He chose silence. Kaiba could give cold shoulder with the best of them, and he was determined not to allow Jonouchi to get under his skin. They were halfway through the day, and after a brief break to allow the Americans to rest and freshen up, all that was left was the evening hospitality and entertainment. And then Kaiba could go home, pass the fuck out, and start all over in the morning.
The golf cart began to jostle lightly as Jonouchi bobbed a knee in boredom. Kaiba merely rolled his eyes again—as if that was enough to break his determination. The fidgeting stopped after a few minutes, and everything was calm and peaceful again until a shadow loomed a second time over Kaiba's screen, and the tingling in his back increased sharply.
A tanned hand darted out and plucked his cell phone from his grasp. Kaiba blinked in indignation before he turned around in his seat, almost snarling. And then he was suddenly too close to Jonouchi, their noses almost smacking from Kaiba's abrupt movement.
Kaiba immediately pulled away, and Jonouchi seemed to note the reaction as he also moved back to his side of the cart, looking through Kaiba's phone without delay.
"This thing is nice," he remarked as his finger glided across the screen, "Probably costs more than what I make in a month."
"Give it back, Jonouchi. Now."
"Relax, I'm not going to break it. Maybe now that you're taking care of my salary, I could buy something nice like this, you know? Gotta keep that image up—you wouldn't want people to think Kaiba Corporation wasn't paying a living wage."
Kaiba rolled his eyes. He turned away and just sulked for the moment being, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of violation as Jonouchi continued to fiddle around with his cell phone. Thankfully, there wasn't anything personal on it. Paranoid, Kaiba was always prepared for the time he'd end up misplacing it, and he didn't want anything incriminating there for anyone to find.
"So, where do you hide your porn on this thing?" blurted Jonouchi, "I know you must have it somewhere in here."
That was enough. Kaiba quickly reached over and snatched the thing back as Jonouchi laughed loudly, and he had to lean into him, brushing his shoulder to do so. It made his elbow tingle for a moment, and Kaiba tried hard to ignore the feeling.
"Don't do that again," snapped Kaiba as he placed his phone away, "Are you incapable of showing respect?"
"My parents knew better than to bother trying to teach me."
"A lost cause at an early age. I'm not surprised," Kaiba sniped. He looked at his watch. It was still another twenty minutes before the Americans would return. Kaiba almost groaned—he was supposed to have been recharging—alone—not dwindling the remaining energy and patience he had left on the last person he wanted to talk to. He shot Jonouchi a glare out of the corner of his eye, "Don't you know it's unwise to slack off right in front of your boss?"
Jonouchi had the nerve to smirk. "And how am I slacking off?"
"Ditching our special guests ring a bell? I hope you didn't abandon them to the other tourists. I do need them back, you know."
"I didn't abandon them, Kaiba," said Jonouchi as he rolled his eyes dramatically, "they left me. Said I could take a break if I wanted, because they wanted to see some stuff without me lurking behind. I don't mind sitting back here with you... Am I making you uncomfortable or something?"
"So instead you're lurking behind me. Aren't I the lucky one," Kaiba replied flatly.
"You looked lonely."
Kaiba twisted around to stare at Jonouchi for a second, narrowing his eyes briefly before he turned to face forward again. "There's a difference between being lonely and being alone, Jonouchi."
"You looked lonely," Jonouchi stressed as he repeated himself, "Sometimes I wonder if you enjoy making yourself look miserable. It wouldn't kill you to try smiling more. You might even fool yourself into enjoying life for once."
Kaiba folded his hands in his lap and was very still. He watched the pedestrians mill by. A jogger. A husband and wife with their small child between them. A group of middle schoolers. An old man. "And what concern is it to you, Jonouchi?"
"Unlike you, I actually care about people, you know? Even if you dislike me, and I don't really like you either, I still don't enjoy seeing you miserable every day..."
"And yet you insist upon bothering me with your inane blabbering." Kaiba closed his eyes and slid down his seat until his head was cradled against the edge of the seatback. He didn't have much energy left.
"You're smart. Maybe one day it'll start to sink in a little."
"Hmm," Kaiba replied noncommittally. He felt sleepy. The late summer heat was still persistent, and his black suit was absorbing it all.
"Oh come on," Jonouchi nudged, not allowing Kaiba to completely shut him out. "Admit it. On your best days, you like me just a little bit."
Kaiba sighed, shifting his feet. He was too tall to slouch comfortably. "Would you cry sexual harassment if I admitted it?"
"I'm pretty sure it's too late for that now." Jonouchi rolled his eyes and moved back to the opposite side of the golf cart before sighing loudly and staring off towards the park rides, "I'll admit, it's a bit unsettling, but I'm sure you don't like the fact that you like me, so I can't exactly get mad at you for it."
"I'm not sure I follow that line of logic…" Kaiba began. He opened his eyes lazily and stared back out onto the streets. "Whether or not I am receptive to that prospect should have no bearing on your feelings."
"Says the guy who likes to pretend he has no feelings," Jonouchi muttered.
Kaiba fell silent. It wasn't pretend. It hadn't been a choice, either. It just simply was—a means of survival. He'd gotten used to it. "Yes, to the guy who has too many feelings. Logic, Jonouchi. It would benefit you to have more of it." Kaiba didn't even know why he was entertaining this conversation. He was just too tired and warm to move away.
"Some things can't be reasoned away with logic, Kaiba. I know that probably sounds ridiculous to you, but people feel how they feel, and that's all there is to it. I can't get mad that I'm so hot, you can't keep your tongue out from down my throat, right?" Jonouchi teased. "Although I'd prefer it if you didn't trap me in your car like that again."
Letting out a derisive snort of laughter, Kaiba sat up and turned around, appraising Jonouchi. The other had an easy expression on his face, and Kaiba wasn't sure what to make of that, especially given Jonouchi's behavior over the past two weeks—hell, since even the day before. "Oh? So you would prefer it another way? After all, you yourself said you can't get mad," Kaiba said somewhat sarcastically.
"I didn't say I enjoyed the attention, asshole," answered Jonouchi with a bit of bite, "I just realized that I shouldn't allow you to upset me anymore. You've been hurting me for years now, on purpose most of the time, and I know better than to let you get to me like that. So, I should just let it all roll off my shoulders." Jonouchi grinned that dumb grin of his before moving a bit closer to where Kaiba was sitting, leaning over close to Kaiba's right shoulder, "As long as you keep your hands off of me, we're good."
Kaiba could feel the breath of Jonouchi's words and beat back the urge to inch away. He crossed his arms and turned his face to the side. "Looks like I'm the one who should worry, seeing how you like to get up in my personal space."
"I get in everyone's personal space. You're the only one who takes it personally, wise guy."
Scoffing, Kaiba checked his watch again. The Americans should be returning any minute now. "Then maybe you should consider fixing that. It's like you're not even Japanese." If there was one thing Kaiba appreciated about his heritage (well, half of it), it was the Japanese penchant for boundaries.
"Blame my father. He never cared about that shit, and neither do I."
But Jonouchi did back away, surprisingly. His attention seemed distracted by something else, and it was the large shadow of Isono reappearing with all the guests, looking quite put-out by Jonouchi's unexpected presence. Clearly the poor Isono had been played, and Jonouchi just beamed at him before moving out of the golf cart and back into the one he'd been riding in before.
Kaiba found himself feeling somewhat impressed by Jonouchi's evasive tactics. He'd managed to lose Kaiba's personal assistant, who also happened to be his highest-trained member of security. Perhaps it was a remnant from his hoodlum days—running from the cops had to have taken some measure of skill. He smiled wryly before turning his attention to Isono. "Where is everyone?"
"Souvenir photos," Isono answered. "They are waiting for theirs to be developed. I will collect them in a moment; I wanted to check on Jonouchi-sama." Isono then approached Jonouchi, who gave him a weak smile. "I see that you have made your way back without incident."
"I am an adult, you know."
"As you say, Jonouchi-sama." Isono gave a short bow and disappeared back inside the park.
"I wish he wouldn't call me that," Jonouchi mumbled under his breath.
"That would make two of us," Kaiba agreed lightly, "It's an ingrained habit of his that I haven't been able to break yet." It had always been "-sama"—from the very first day that he had stepped foot into Kaiba Mansion. Kaiba couldn't recall a time when the man had used any other honorific, except when talking to other members of the staff. It was always "-san," then—never any terms of endearment. He was a professional, through and through.
"Tell him to stop, then he'll listen to you."
"I wonder." While Isono obeyed every command to the letter, he was surprisingly strong-willed regarding some things. Kaiba suspected this would be one of those things.
The Americans announced their return with a noticeable increase of volume, the noise growing louder as they turned the corner after exiting the gates. They all were smiling widely and talking animatedly, and Kaiba sat up a little straighter in his seat, crossing his legs and making his long body more compact. They offered greetings as they piled back onto the golf carts, and Kaiba gave a terse smile in return. Jonouchi immediately sprang back to life, feeding off their enthusiasm. Kaiba averted his gaze, suddenly and irrationally irritated. He remained quiet on the return trip to headquarters, as aloof as he could manage while still feigning politeness.
And when his guests had boarded the shuttle back to Kaiba Hotel—Jonouchi included—Kaiba watched as the shuttle departed and took a deep breath.
The night was just beginning.
He couldn't feel his legs. Kaiba had sat seiza for the entirety of the tea ceremony, and his ankles were beginning to cramp. Normally, he could hold the posture for hours, but after a day full of walking and stress, his body refused to cooperate with his childhood training. The Americans had valiantly attempted to maintain the formality for the ceremony, but they had all eventually shifted out of it as the night went on, some ending up cross-legged on the floor pillows while others had simply slid their legs sideways. Kaiba noted with curiosity that the only other person still sitting properly besides himself was Jonouchi. He had anticipated that the other, whose existence was a ball of nervous energy, would have abandoned the pose shortly after being seated. Where and how Jonouchi had acquired the skill was a mystery.
The group had been divided into two: five in a row along opposing walls of the chashitsu. Not many people knew the existence of Kaiba Hotel's tea room—it was hidden in a corner of the venue by the outdoor gardens, used exclusively for business ventures. They were seated according to hierarchy, Kaiba at the head of one row with Mr. Wright to his left, Jonouchi heading the opposing row, with the rest positioned in-between. While Kaiba was relieved that he didn't have to sit within Jonouchi's proximity and endure his presence up close, he was at the same time annoyed that he'd been forced into staring at Jonouchi's stupid face for the duration of the night.
One that would be full of drinking.
Not that Kaiba would be doing much of it. The rest of the party could have as much alcohol as they wanted, as far as he was concerned, but Kaiba wasn't about to get sloshed in front of a group of foreigners. He was still the CEO of a multibillion-yen corporation, and he had a reputation to maintain.
Their trays had been cleared away and replaced with soup and an array of sushi acquired fresh that morning from the Tsukiji Market. The Americans' trip was proving to be quite the costly expense for Kaiba, but first impressions were everything in the business world. A little wining and dining was a small price to pay for ensuring the enthusiasm and loyalty of his foreign team. The success of Kaiba Land California—and by extension, the success of Kaiba Land's western expansion—rested largely with the eight foreign employees within the room.
First impressions.
Kaiba chatted politely with Mr. Wright during the meal, turning a wary eye on Jonouchi every once in a while. So far, the idiot was behaving himself—even demonstrating decent table manners—but Kaiba knew that good behavior could quickly deteriorate with each successive refill of Jonouchi's sake cup. It was probably a good thing that Isono was sitting unobtrusively in the corner closest to him, despite Jonouchi's cry that he didn't need a babysitter.
The sun was beginning to set, the long days of summer slowly shortening as the season eased into fall. Two attendants came in to clear their trays again, sliding the shouji of one wall open to let in the cool evening breeze before setting lanterns around the room and exiting silently through the sadouguchi. The room glowed, softly golden, and Kaiba finally allowed himself to shift into a more comfortable seating position, folding his legs in front of him. He idly raked his fingertips across the rough tatami, wishing he could stretch out and fall asleep as he did when he was a child, before Gozaburo, when the tatami smelled of natsumikan peels in the summer and naps were taken in winter under the kotatsu his mother had insisted upon buying.
But he had guests to entertain. The clear chiming of bells announced the entrance of the night's performers, who entered one after the other and bowed low to the floor. Two maiko took to the center of the room, hiding their painted faces behind their ornate kanzashi as they crouched in position, while two geiko settled down at the head of the room. With the beat of a taiko and the loud reverb of a shamisen, the maiko rose elegantly, the long sleeves of their kimono fluttering as they unfurled their fans. They twisted and turned to the low alto of the geiko's singing, floating across the room in precise, sweeping motions.
Kaiba sipped his sake quietly as his gaze flitted around—his guests were watching in rapt attention, their faces smiling in awe. Even Jonouchi had stilled, his eyes trailing the dancing maiko, and Kaiba hid a smirk at the other's stupid expression behind his cup.
The maiko wove around each other, spinning their fans slowly, the tails of their long obi whispering against the other as they crossed. Kaiba soon zoned out from the dimness of the room and the steady voice of the geiko, and before he knew it, the maiko had regrouped, their fans closed on the ground in front of them. The music stopped as they touched their fingertips together and bowed deeply on the floor, and the trance was broken. The group erupted into applause, small smiles gracing the maikos' faces as the geiko looked on with pride.
Three sharp plucks of the shamisen signaled a new dance, and Kaiba watched lazily, this time resisting more sake. It wasn't that he wasn't interested—the artists he had hired were some of the best in the business, originating from one of Gion Koubu's most distinguished and historic okiya—but exhaustion was setting in, and Kaiba relished not being the source of entertainment for once.
One last dance with parasols was performed, and then the geiko had gotten up to introduce themselves properly. The maiko had bowed sweetly, and Kaiba could have sworn he saw a blush bloom across Jonouchi's face, but he couldn't be certain from the low lighting of the room.
The geiko and maiko split up around the room, quickly taking over beverage service and engaging their guests in easy, amiable conversation. The four women were devastatingly witty, and soon enough, laughter filled the room as jokes were told and games were played. Kaiba discovered that Ms. Farwell was surprisingly good at konpira fune fune (she and Ms. Ortega had squealed excitedly over the flower pin she had won from one of the maiko), while Jonouchi failed spectacularly at shiritori. He tripped up every single time it was his turn, and Kaiba would have found it funny had Jonouchi not been so embarrassingly pathetic.
"I thought you were a gamer," laughed Mr. Wright, who was much more successful at the game, "Only good with Duel Monsters then, huh?"
"Nah, I know how to play other things besides Duel Monsters. I just can't get this for some reason," replied Jonouchi as he frowned, "I'm not good with word games."
"Words in general seem not to be your forte, Jonouchi, as our high school literature classes long ago proved…" Kaiba said smoothly.
"You two were classmates, then?" asked Mr. Wright. Several of the guests turned their attention now towards Jonouchi and Kaiba, seemingly interested in what appeared to be a personal story. "How funny it must be for you, Jonouchi-san, to have a classmate for a boss now."
"'Funny' is one word for it," Jonouchi replied with a fake smile.
Thankfully, no one caught his insincerity. His smile was easy, but his eyes lied, and Kaiba could tell. He'd been around him long enough to be able to know when Jonouchi was faking an emotion.
Kaiba set his cup down and rested his chin against his hand, assessing, "Then what would you call it, Jonouchi?"
"Ironic."
He turned his gaze and smiled at Kaiba this time, although he wasn't faking it. No, his smile was more like a smirk, and Kaiba frowned a little when he realized that Jonouchi was being smart with him. Maybe all the alcohol was making him more ballsy than usual.
"And I suppose I'd say it was...inevitable." Kaiba's gaze was sharp as it flickered to Jonouchi, his own smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth.
This time Jonouchi frowned. He seemed unable to say anything witty in response (or maybe he was just holding back to keep from saying the wrong thing, Kaiba didn't know). Instead of answering, he just turned his attention away from Kaiba and sipped on his sake instead. Isono sat in the back corner, silently shaking his head.
Apparently he didn't approve of the backhanded hostility between them, but Kaiba didn't care. He felt numb to the entire situation as the chatter began to pick up again.
Mr. Wright clearly picked up on the tension and began talking to Ms. Chan and one of the geiko instead. He apparently had enough social graces not to continue a topic that was uncomfortable for the party, and Kaiba wondered briefly how that reflected on him before brushing the thought out of his mind. As if anyone would remember it later.
The party had broken out into little clusters, the maiko and geiko hopping from one to the other to keep up the lively atmosphere. Kaiba chose to remain where he was, and eventually two of the technicians crowded around him to talk shop. It was a bit of a relief to mindlessly talk about science and engineering, where Kaiba didn't have to care about navigating social confines or trading veiled barbs with Jonouchi. The three of them had been surprised when the younger of the geiko joined their group, effortlessly finding her way into the conversation. She had been a physics student before she had dropped out to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a geiko, but she had kept up with her former life (and was a secret fan of Duel Monsters, to boot), and Kaiba was impressed.
They were deep in conversation when the odd plucking of a shamisen derailed one of the techs mid-sentence. Everyone turned towards the origin of the sound, which was none other than Jonouchi. Kaiba immediately felt his high spirits sink—what was the idiot up to now?
Jonouchi's face was completely flushed, and he was holding the instrument awkwardly while the maiko next to him attempted to mime instructions while holding back her laughter. Jonouchi, for his part, was utterly confused, and he strummed the shamisen randomly, playing a bizarre tune.
Laughing, the maiko took the instrument back, showing Jonouchi how to correctly play as she sang a short song.
"When I pour sake for the man I love, even before he drinks up, I blush like a cherry blossom."
She reached out and pinched at Jonouchi's cheek flirtatiously, causing the other to burn a deeper red as he reached back for the shamisen. He plucked out a few more awkward notes as she began to sing again, her voice peppered with laughter:
"When it's the man I love, he goes by and doesn't come in, but men I hate—a hundred times a day!"
Jonouchi looked across the room then and smirked widely at Kaiba as he picked at the strings. He mimicked her song in a rather horrendously warbling voice that his companions found hilarious, but Kaiba looked away, seething. He downed his cup of sake rather heatedly, knocking it back down onto his tray with more force than necessary. It earned him a few curious stares, but Kaiba picked up the conversation from where it had been disturbed, determined to ignore Jonouchi for the rest of the night, and the others quickly fell back into their earlier conversation.
Only the geiko didn't ignore Jonouchi, who apparently was the most amusing person in the room. Not only did the maiko continue singing with him and trying to teach him how to play her instrument properly, but the other geiko frequently came over, laughing between pouring drinks. Kaiba noticed that Mr. Wright's attention was lost: he was completely charmed and no longer paying his companions any mind as the maiko started teaching them more drinking songs before Jonouchi's shrill laughter cut through the room.
Kaiba subtly chanced a glance at his watch. Thankfully, the night was almost over—the maiko and geiko were scheduled to leave in a half-hour, and with any luck, the party would wind down, the Americans would head up to their rooms, and Kaiba could finally go home. He was slightly irritated that he couldn't stay at his own hotel, but his refusal was merely on principle—his penthouse suite was always available for him, but he knew he wouldn't be able to relax while occupying the same space as his guests. It was purely a mental thing, but Kaiba needed the separation. Fortunately, Isono was there to drive him home, so Kaiba wouldn't have to worry about staying cognizant much longer.
Excusing himself under the guise of checking in with his hotel staff, Kaiba left the room and aimlessly walked the hallways but found that removing himself only had the opposite of its intended effect. His blood boiled increasingly with each quickened step. He was angry, but he couldn't really pin why that was, and everything kept flashing back to Jonouchi's obnoxious, drunken face. The way everyone had gathered around him. The way he had shyly smiled at the maiko. How Jonouchi had become some kind of sparkling beacon, while Kaiba had practically glowered in the corner.
Once he had made a full circuit around the first floor, Kaiba took a moment to calm his breathing as he returned to the chashitsu. Isono stood and approached him, and Kaiba went about the formalities of thanking the performers and bidding his guests goodnight. He ignored Jonouchi completely, who was laughing about something with Mokuba's personal assistant. Narrowing his eyes, Kaiba turned to walk away before she suddenly appeared by his side.
"Kaiba-sama, I wanted to catch you before you retired for the night. I won't be able to stay for the entire trip; I got a call earlier requesting that I return to California. My apologies, but I'll be sure to send your regards to Mokuba-sama."
Kaiba's eyes widened fractionally before he corrected himself. "Of course." And without another word, he nodded to Isono and left.
It was a silent ride home. Isono drove the car expertly, and Kaiba sat in the back, hiding in the darkness of the shadows as he looked over his cell phone and continued to fume before tossing it away from him.
Mokuba wouldn't answer his calls again. He sent his own damn personal assistant to see Kaiba, but the little brat couldn't bother to answer a damn phone call. It was starting to become ridiculous, the amount of effort Mokuba was putting into shunning his own brother. Kaiba had half a mind to go after him, but that was probably what he wanted. The attention. And Kaiba wasn't going to give him that.
Flying over to California would take longer than ten hours. No doubt, Mokuba would get a kick out of it, and Kaiba had more important things to deal with than the tantrum of a sixteen-year-old.
Then there was Jonouchi, who had made a fool of himself during the party. The Americans apparently didn't seem to mind it at all. They all seemed absolutely delighted by him, and that made Kaiba's frustrations even greater. He couldn't win. Jonouchi had probably left a more lasting impression on them than Kaiba had, after all the hard work he'd done to make the evening a success, because Jonouchi wouldn't leave the damn maiko alone.
And his god-awful singing...
If Kaiba was honest with himself, it wasn't that surprising. Men always got stupid drunk at business parties, and the geiko were used to that. They probably loved the attention, since Jonouchi wasn't some sixty-year-old man with a wife and kids at home gawking at them, but still. It burned Kaiba regardless that he couldn't control this one employee, no matter what he tried to do.
Anyone else, and Kaiba would not have cared. He knew that, too, and it made his frustrations grow as he tried thinking about something else as the car continued to drive through the city.
When he closed his eyes, he at least felt more settled. The lights of the street lamps and intersection lights flashed under his eyelids, and Kaiba knew if he wasn't so heated up from the night, he probably would have been able to sleep in the car. It would have been nice.
The evening, by all accounts, had been a success. The American entourage would be staying for the entire week, but Kaiba wouldn't have to entertain them any longer himself. He'd see them a few more times, briefly, but the Americans would probably be sending the rest of their time as tourists instead of business associates. They were taking a trip to Tokyo, and Kaiba knew he'd be seeing them off on their flight back to Los Angeles, and that would be it.
Arriving home without incident, Kaiba tersely dismissed Isono and escaped to his room. He locked the door even though it wasn't necessary, just needing to block out the rest of the world. He tugged at his clothes vehemently, strewing them across the floor as they were shed. At that point, Kaiba couldn't even care less—he'd just have them sent to be dry cleaned, anyway, so what were a few wrinkles?
Crawling into the cool sheets of his bed, Kaiba threw the cover over his head and burrowed underneath, trying to fall asleep. His mind was still racing, though, and he could still feel the agitation from his day coursing through his veins. No matter what position he flipped to, Kaiba couldn't still his thoughts, although his body was exhausted.
Flopping onto his back, Kaiba stared at the ceiling in resignation. He needed to do something to calm the fuck down so that he could get to sleep. Calling into work the next morning after a night of partying would set a bad example for his staff. Kaiba glanced at the clock on his nightstand—it was too late to take a sleeping pill; he'd end up oversleeping—yet another bad example. He also didn't want to spend the next hour drinking himself to sleep—the sloshing in his stomach upon waking was not a wholly desirable prospect.
But his brain was still going a mile a minute, and solving complex math problems only further stimulated it.
Fuck it all. Kaiba felt a little like a teenager for his solution, but maybe letting off a little steam wouldn't be a bad thing. He rolled over and opened the drawer to his nightstand, blindly scattering a number of condoms and lube bottles across its surface. Reaching under to tug his boxer-briefs down his hips, Kaiba felt his face flush before he balled the garment up and chucked it over the side of his bed.
This was ridiculous.
He closed his eyes and attempted to blank out his mind, concentrating on the feeling. His hands were cold, and he felt strangely watched, even though Kaiba knew he was alone in the room. After a few minutes, he reached out and groped around for a condom, ripping it open before tossing the wrapper over the side as well and slipping it on. It was a peculiar practice without a partner, and Kaiba felt a little silly about it, but he really didn't care for the mess. Settling back down, he threw an arm over his eyes, attempting to block out the faint moonlight streaming through the curtains, and exhaled deeply.
Kaiba didn't know what to think about. He wasn't one to dwell on the past, so former lovers were out of the question, and porn never quite appealed to him, either. So once again, he tried to clear his mind and fall into oblivion.
It worked for a while. Kaiba could feel his body naturally responding, his groin growing hotter as his hand picked up pace. He felt a little miserable at having to do this by himself—it was much better with a partner, but it had been so long since Kaiba had felt the touch of another person.
Until Jonouchi.
Kaiba's eyes snapped open at the thought, his hand stilling in place. Now was not the time to be thinking about that idiot, especially since he was the one that had gotten Kaiba so pissed off in the first place. Rolling onto his side and away from the window, Kaiba shut his eyes tightly and continued, reaching down with his other hand to intensify his own pleasure. He found himself not really enjoying it all that much despite the physical stimulation, and he just wanted it over already so that he could fall asleep.
Letting his mind drift, Kaiba lost himself in the mechanics, going through the motions without giving his actions too much thought. It wasn't even that great; Kaiba didn't feel that aroused, and his restless mind didn't help him relax either. He constantly felt himself tense up, and it did nothing at all as he tried keeping himself stimulated despite his body being uncooperative.
Becoming frustrated, he let out a growl before sighing loudly. It wasn't working. Usually he could just jerk off without a problem, but there was a mental block getting to him, and he didn't know why. Usually it wasn't so hard to just get a quick orgasm and finally feel relaxed enough to sleep.
Tensing up again despite all efforts, Kaiba moved until his body was up against one of the large pillows that lay across his bed. Too tired to think over it, he pushed it down under the covers and onto his groin, allowing the silk to rub comfortably against him. If he hadn't had a condom on, the feeling would have been greater, but he didn't want to risk spoiling his sheets and waking up to a mess.
Although he wasn't getting any closer to that happening, just yet.
He pushed those thoughts away and just concentrated on the feeling. The motion of rocking into someone was better than just using his hands, and Kaiba tried to thinking about that instead. The first time he'd had sex with a man, it wasn't even penetration. The man had been nervous, and Kaiba had been horny. They had lain on top of each other, Kaiba sliding against him, until it came to a quick happy ending. It had been pleasant, and feeling his hips jerk a little from the memory, Kaiba tried to keep that thought in his head.
His first partner had been a woman. She had been pretty, in the traditional sense, but Kaiba had realized quickly that the female body didn't appeal to him.
His second partner, though, had been attractive. He had a nice body, with wide shoulders and narrow hips that were covered with lean muscles. American, his body had a nice golden tan to him, and Kaiba could see the lines on his backside when they were naked in bed. It had been an exciting thing at the time, and from then on, he knew what he wanted.
Someone young, athletic, and masculine. Darker skin, with light hair. Natural blonds, preferably. He liked dark, warm-looking eyes that invited a person in compared to his cold blue ones, and he liked being the taller. It gave him a strange sort of rise being able to look down at someone of the same sex.
He liked rough hands and soft lips. The eagerness of an enthusiastic partner and feeling almost completely overwhelmed by it all. Hard touches hardly bothered him, and feeling light-headed at the thought, Kaiba moaned as he felt himself become aroused once again, his palms damp as his head began to spin.
Skin-on-skin contact. The smell of another man's musk. Cheap hair shampoo and body spray, mixed with hard alcohol and the faint scent of cotton.
Kaiba never wore cotton.
Jerking unexpectedly, Kaiba swore before he got up, his body reaching its peak before it came down in a quick rush. It didn't even matter that he wasn't touching himself anymore; Kaiba sat back in horror as his head was filled with thoughts he didn't want and hadn't asked for, his body responding in kind.
Jonouchi's stupid smiling face was the last image that came to mind before he finally got out of bed and disposed of his used condom. Frowning, Kaiba bent over the sink and splashed his face with cold water before washing himself and getting cleaned up. He felt gross, almost, but also slightly disturbed. Wiping his face, he looked down at his hand before seeing a smear of blood.
"You have to be fucking kidding me..."
His nosebleeds had returned. Of all times to get one...
Hunching over the sink, Kaiba twisted a tissue up his nose until the bleeding had stopped. Tossing it into the trash, he stumbled back into bed, feeling even more light-headed and exhausted. Falling onto his side, Kaiba curled up and tugged the sheets high over his shoulders. He sighed deeply, disjointed images fleetingly passing over his mind as he succumbed to sleep.
The leather of a couch and the tug of a seatbelt. Surprisingly soft hair and the taste of expensive Scotch. The warmth of the body that had melted against him. All good things Kaiba told himself he didn't want...
*translations of Geisha songs by Kenneth Rexroth
Nosebleed idea from yours truly 3