Jonouchi still felt giddy, even after leaving Kaiba Land. It was dark outside, and he was so tired from dragging Kaiba around the entire park. He'd never really had the chance to see all the changes it had undergone since high school, and Honda had lost interest in theme parks since then. With Yugi gone and Anzu busy with school, it became increasingly hard to find someone who still actually had the same somewhat childish interests that still amused Jonouchi despite his older age of twenty-one.
Now, completely drained and even a little sore from walking all over the park, he sat still in Kaiba's car, drumming his fingers against the passenger door as they drove past pedestrians on the street.
Jonouchi didn't really want to go back home to his crappy apartment, but he wasn't going to stay at Kaiba's place again. Even though it was far nicer there than where his father could barge in at any time, Jonouchi knew it wasn't a good idea to start making a habit of sleeping over.
"You're not normally this quiet. Did I finally find the secret to making you silent for longer than five minutes?" Kaiba asked, his eyes still focused on the road ahead.
Scoffing, Jonouchi rolled his eyes, too lazy to move his head so he could look at Kaiba while he spoke to him, "We've been on our feet for six hours. It feels like twelve, though," he whined as he glanced down at his worn-out kicks, "I do get tired sometimes."
"It's a miracle."
"Don't worry, I'll be back to my normal, bouncy self by tomorrow morning..."
Saturday meant business meetings and get-togethers masked as happy group outings. Thankfully Kaiba hadn't required Jonouchi to learn how to golf or something silly like that, but there was another party he'd have to go to. Drinking, food, drunk businessmen, and probably a few girlfriends, since wives hardly ever attended those kind of events. Kaiba didn't seem to care about it much, but Jonouchi still found it all really bizarre.
"Those Duel Monsters promoters from before are going to be at this lunch thing, aren't they?" Jonouchi asked before yawning.
"Of course. They may only promote at the local level, but they're well-connected within the industry," Kaiba confirmed as he turned a corner. The car continued to speed smoothly along.
"What about that weird Matsudaira guy? Will he be there, too?"
"Matsudaira? Not that I'm aware of. Why, taking an interest in balding, middle-aged men now?" Kaiba asked mildly.
"Don't joke," Jonouchi said as he finally turned and looked at Kaiba's face. He seemed completely concentrated on the road, his eyes not giving any kind of thought away beyond watching the street. "Who else will be there that I already know, then?"
"Probably not many others," Kaiba said, switching on his turn signal. "Most of the people you met at the anniversary party only come out for major events. This one won't nearly be as large, but some affiliates from Tokyo should be attending."
"Well, who should I know about, then?"
"There's Inoue," Kaiba said after a moment, "he always attends these kind of events just to parade his mistress around—he's not known for being very subtle. But he has a lot of international connections, so everyone tolerates his bullshit. Yamazaki will probably be there, as well. He's young—not much older than us. Tried his hand at the pro-dueling circuit but failed, so he transitioned to the organization side. He's the one who mostly manages Japan's national championships. Usui may or may not come. She's on the committee that determines ban lists and new rules. She's even less social of a person than myself, if you can imagine it."
"And why is that?" asked Jonouchi with a little bit of mild curiosity, "Is she unpopular or something? I can't see how a woman would actually be as unsocial as you, unless she was ugly or something..."
"She's actually quite striking," Kaiba replied with a short laugh. Bars of orange light washed over his face as they passed under the streetlamps lining the road leading to Jonouchi's neighborhood. "But her personality is severe. Efficient. Comes in, gets the work done, and then leaves. She rarely suffers these social events, unless she gets pressured by her higher-ups, but since she's not necessarily directly involved with the business end, she's not really required to attend these events, either."
"Then why does she come at all?" laughed Jonouchi, "Unless she secretly likes the attention and just is too shy to admit it." Crossing his arms, Jonouchi suddenly came up with a terrible yet amusing idea. "I'm sure I could get her to like me."
Sliding his eyes over to Jonouchi, Kaiba said, "Good luck with that. I actually haven't talked with her all that much. She's more of an...observer."
"If I can get you to like me, then anything is possible," boasted Jonouchi.
The car rolled to a stop. They were a couple streets away from Jonouchi's apartment complex. "Who said anything about liking you, Jonouchi?" Kaiba said quietly. His voice had been so soft that Jonouchi had almost missed it.
"Why else would you to spend the night with me willingly, if you didn't like me just a little bit," challenged Jonouchi as he snorted rather loudly, "besides the other things you've done. Be all tsundere if you want then, Kaiba. It's not a crime to enjoy someone's company beside your brother's."
"You're rather confident in that," Kaiba remarked as he leaned back into his seat, folding his hands in his lap. "But you're not wrong, either," he added, staring directly at Jonouchi.
"I'm never wrong about anything until I actually am," said Jonouchi with a sly grin, "so there. I knew I wasn't wrong about you, at least. So, will you come get me tomorrow, or will Isono pick me up here before that luncheon?"
There was a moment of hesitancy, Kaiba's gaze unflinching, and Jonouchi got the feeling that he was being assessed in some strange way. "I'll save Isono the trip. Make sure to be ready on time." Kaiba's eyes briefly flickered. "It would also probably be a good idea for you to get a haircut beforehand."
"Why don't you just take me some place to get it done, then?" suggested Jonouchi as he smirked at Kaiba, "Then you can tell the hairdresser exactly what you want, and I won't have to deal with you complaining if I get something you don't like."
Kaiba was way more concerned with outward appearances than Jonouchi ever was. He liked his hair somewhat long and unruly, but it wouldn't be appropriate while he was trying to come off as respectable in a business setting. Besides, Jonouchi didn't want any more reasons for people look at him strangely, since his hair was already a weird color that people thought he'd dyed on purpose. Sure, he'd bleached it back in his first year of high school, but that had been different...
"Ugh, I like my hair long," Jonouchi sighed as he ran his fingers through the back, "I just don't want to look like someone that I'm not..."
"You're an adult, Jonouchi. I already said before that you can choose your own hairstyle. Short of shaving it all off or getting some ridiculous perm, I don't really care what you do. You can keep your current style if you want—at least get it trimmed so that you look somewhat cultured."
"What, you don't think I could pull off the bald look?" asked Jonouchi teasingly.
There was a hint of a smirk tugging at Kaiba's lips. "Very few people can. And despite your considerable brawn, I wouldn't count you on that list."
Rolling his eyes, Jonouchi turned back to looking through the front window of the car. He didn't want to leave yet. Not only was it chilly outside, but the neighborhood was dark and uninviting, and for once in Jonouchi's life, he didn't quite feel like he belonged over there.
"What time are you planning to pick me up?" Jonouchi asked, quieting again as his mind trailed over the prospect of walking home in the dark.
"Eleven-thirty."
"Ahh, okay."
Suddenly, Jonouchi felt awkward as he clicked his seat belt free and started moving out of his place in the passenger seat. He could feel Kaiba's eyes on him, that steely, unflinching blue gaze, and feeling conflicted, he rushed to open the car and scrambled out, nearly tripping as he got his feet on the sidewalk.
"I had fun today," Jonouchi said as he felt more and more self-conscious standing there by the curb as Kaiba looked up at him from the driver's side of his sports car. "Just so you know. It wasn't so awful trying to be friends tonight, right?"
"I had a good time," Kaiba agreed, finally looking away. Jonouchi thought he caught a look of uncertainty cross Kaiba's face, but if he had, it was gone as soon as it had come.
"So... we'll do this again, right?"
When Kaiba turned back this time, his face was neutral and controlled again before a grin spread fully across his mouth. "As long as you don't try to amputate my arm again."
"Yeah sure, okay. It wasn't like I was doing that on purpose, anyways," replied Jonouchi as he rolled his eyes and fought back a smile. Shutting the door, he turned around and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, staring down the dark streets he'd have to get past to reach his complex. His jeans were a tight fit; his hands barely made it in, but he still managed.
Turning back briefly to look at Kaiba's car, he waved before taking off at a quick trot down the street. He didn't want to get caught unawares on his side of the city, yet he didn't feel ready to leave there just quite yet, either.
Jonouchi was beginning to wonder whether he should start worrying. His father hadn't returned since the morning of their fight, and while his home life had been significantly less stressful and decidedly more pleasant without his father around, his absence was stretching into the realm of suspicion.
It wasn't like him to be gone for so long. Jonouchi didn't even want to think about where he could have possibly been staying. But there was always the chance that his father had fallen into further trouble, and the possibility filled Jonouchi with trepidation.
He didn't have much time to spare for worrying, though. Although he had gotten up early that morning, he'd had to wait at the barber shop, throwing off his entire schedule. Kaiba would be arriving in ten minutes' time if he was punctual (and he always was, the bastard), and Jonouchi didn't want to start off their day on a sour note.
Especially after they had had such a good time together the previous day.
Now, hair trimmed and wearing one of his better outfits just for the luncheon, he gritted his teeth as he ran from the barber shop over to the street corner where he knew Kaiba would be waiting. Thankfully the weather was mild, so Jonouchi didn't worry too much about sweating through his clothes, but it didn't help that his once nicely-pressed slacks had become somewhat wrinkled from running down four blocks to make it to Kaiba's car.
"You always get here right on time," Jonouchi panted as he opened the door and slid into his seat, strapping on the belt before finally looking at Kaiba's irritated face, "It wouldn't kill you to run behind for once in your life. I just got my hair cut."
"And you should learn to appreciate the value of punctuality," Kaiba replied dryly. He glanced over Jonouchi, that same almost-scrutinizing look from the night before. "Although at least you're improving on making yourself more presentable," he added.
"Oh?" noted Jonouchi, smirking as he moved closer and bumped Kaiba with his closest elbow, "Like my new haircut, huh? I thought you'd approve."
Kaiba just shook his head, starting the car as Jonouchi shut his door and started laughing loudly. He knew he was being obnoxious, but he couldn't help it. Usually Kaiba was just so sour, at least he didn't give Jonouchi a huge ear full for running—what, two minutes?—late because he got stuck at the barber shop longer than he had wanted.
His clothes still appeared decent, too. If he needed, he could probably borrow an iron and get some of the fresh wrinkles out, but it wasn't like he looked horrible. Just a bit ruffled from running down the street.
"How's your brother?" Jonouchi asked casually, looking back up at Kaiba as he stared through the front view window, eyes on the street, "Is he going to come to this thing, since he's back now? I thought he was the Vice President."
"He'll be just at the lunch. He's still much too young for any of the after-events."
"After-events?" snorted Jonouchi as he snickered at the comment over Mokuba being "much too young." "What are we going to be doing, playing strip poker with the investors or something?"
Kaiba gave Jonouchi a disapproving frown but didn't address the comment. "Whenever the Tokyo group is involved, they tend to desire more...adventurous gatherings. I hear this time, most of the old men have been clambering for a hostess club, although I haven't heard if that's actually happening…"
"Hostess club?" Didn't seem like an awful thing. He liked the party with the geiko; they were cool and he enjoyed flirting with girls. No doubt he'd get more attention than any of the old, nasty, crusty men would, so getting drunk silly by pretty females wasn't a terrible way to spend his weekend. "I thought you didn't care for those kind of get-togethers, since girls don't exactly appeal to you?"
"Prepare yourself to witness an exercise in necessity, Jonouchi," Kaiba said as he sped along the road, "It is of no consequence whether or not I enjoy these outings, but I don't expect you to know the finer details of conducting business. Besides, just because I prefer men doesn't mean I'm incapable of enjoying the company of women."
"Oh? Enlighten me."
Sighing, Kaiba quirked an eyebrow at Jonouchi before adjusting his sunglasses, "If someone proves themself capable of sustaining interesting conversation, then I'll allow it; it doesn't matter much to me what's between their legs. I'm not out to sleep with everyone I talk to."
"Don't you ever worry about what people will think if you never get a girlfriend, though?" asked Jonouchi innocently, "I mean, it's not like you're obvious, but still. People will wonder or just might think you're a robot, since you don't really look at anyone..."
Kaiba quickly flicked his gaze over to Jonouchi before focusing again on driving. "I don't care what they think, to be frank. It's really none of their business, and if anyone dares to demonstrate their 'concern,' I have no problem making that point painfully clear."
Not caring to upset Kaiba so early in the day, Jonouchi didn't reply. He sat back into his seat and stared out of the window, dropping the conversation altogether. Jonouchi certainly cared what other people thought of him, enough that he didn't like the idea of people trying to figure him out. It was confusing enough trying to understand his own thought process without other people getting involved... Besides, liking men wasn't socially acceptable. He didn't want to be anymore of an outcast than he was already.
"The new promo should be coming out soon," Kaiba offered after a period of silence. "I hear the Marketing team was very pleased with the final result."
"Oh."
Well, at least something went right. After having his face wailed on and dealing with that entire falling out with the different department teams because Jonouchi wasn't filmable, it was at least a relief that they were finally happy with their end result. Jonouchi would be glad when the entire thing was finally over. He didn't want to ever be reminded of that horrible situation, letting down all those people, because he couldn't keep his face away from his father's fists.
"You don't appear all that happy to hear it," Kaiba prodded, frowning again.
"I just feel bad about the whole deal with my face, that's all. The film crew hated me."
Kaiba snorted as he pulled up to the valet. "They'll get over it. They have contracts with all the major entertainment companies, so I'm sure they've had to deal with much worse. And since you assured me that the incident won't be repeated, there won't be a problem in the future."
"Yeah..."
With his father missing in action, Jonouchi was at least not having to worry about being assaulted at home by the drunkard. It made sense to switch out the locks while the old man was still missing so Jonouchi wouldn't have to deal with him coming back again, but he didn't have the heart to. It was frustrating. His apartment was actually decent, for once. Everything was clean, even his father's bedroom after going through it and throwing out all the trash. It made no sense whatsoever to allow Jonouchi senior back into the place when he just abused the privilege.
He didn't even pay rent. Jonouchi did it all alone.
Kaiba got out of the car, breaking his thoughts. They were parked in front of the Grand Hyatt in downtown Domino, and getting out of his side of the vehicle, Jonouchi stared up at the huge building before snapping out of it.
The valet was driving Kaiba's car away, and Kaiba was staring at him. "Are you coming?"
"Right." Speeding up, Jonouchi hurried and walked alongside Kaiba, trying to match strides as they headed toward the foyer.
The lobby was polished and sophisticated, rich shades of gold and red warming the clean lines of the modern decor. Shiny granite floors opened to a small seating area with low, mahogany furniture, and beyond it, Jonouchi could make out a row of ornate chandeliers leading toward the hotel's bar. Kaiba headed straight for the back hallway, ignoring a pair of large, strange, bi-colored sculptures that might have been faces. He bypassed the elevators completely, turning to the right when the hallway ended.
"Kaiba, you're walking too fast."
Jonouchi knew he wasn't going to slow down, though. Annoyed, he tried stepping up his pace, huffing a little before they finally reached what looked like a giant conference room. There were already a few dozen people there, mostly men in suits alongside pretty women in skirts and hotel staff with drinks and appetizers.
He hardly knew who anyone in the crowd was, save a handful of people who weren't really paying him any mind. Looking up at Kaiba briefly, he wondered what the point of being dragged to a party where no one talked to him even was, but he looked away and decided to just keep his mouth shut about it, since Kaiba would probably have some smart reply that would just make Jonouchi feel stupid if he bothered asking.
Scanning the room, Jonouchi wondered just where Kaiba had run off to so damn quickly. It wasn't hard to find him, though—Kaiba was easily one of the tallest people in the room, and he had been cornered by two rather raucous businessmen. They carried themselves with an air of self-importance, shiny, expensive watches peeking out from under even more expensive-looking suits, smoke tracing wide arcs and curves from their lit cigars as they gestured grandly.
Better to stay away, then. Kaiba's face was pinched tightly, as though the pair was grating on his last nerve, and he'd only just arrived. No use in potentially adding fuel to that flame.
Finding nothing better to do, Jonouchi hovered by the entrance uncertainly, when he heard a familiar voice address him: "Hey, Jonouchi. Didn't expect to see you here."
Turning around, Jonouchi nearly smacked right into Mokuba, who was peering up at him. He wasn't quite as tall as Jonouchi was, but clearly he was getting there, standing up to Jonouchi's eyes. That was quite impressive, considering how young he still was, and Jonouchi was taken aback for a moment by how much he'd matured in the last few years, now seeing him working as a near-adult alongside his brother, attending a prestigious business gathering.
It was surprising, even though Jonouchi knew he shouldn't have been. Mokuba had always been competent, if a little arrogant in his abilities, not unlike his older brother.
"I thought your brother told you I was a sponsored player now," Jonouchi started as he tried resisting touching the back of his neck in that nervous manner of his, "He required me to come to this thing..."
"They say misery loves company," Mokuba laughed. "Nii-sama hates these things. I always go to be a sort of buffer, but I can only stay for so long before I get chased away. Still haven't figured out if I'm missing out on the fun, or if it's a blessing in disguise. Nii-sama never lets me in on the details."
"Really? How old are you now?"
"Just turned seventeen not too long ago," Mokuba replied with a sigh. "I know I'm still underage and all, but I'm nearly an adult!"
Jonouchi snorted. He didn't understand why Kaiba didn't just tell Mokuba what he was doing without him. It wasn't like Mokuba couldn't go snooping and find out himself, and besides, in a few years, it would no longer be such a mystery. It wasn't like much was censored in Domino City, anyways.
"We're going to a hostess club after lunch," Jonouchi hold him. "It's not as exciting as you think it is."
Mokuba's eyes grew wide and round. "I always knew those Tokyo guys were dogs," he said with a smirk. "Anyway, how do you know what a hostess club is like?"
"Because I've been to one," announced Jonouchi with a smirk, "Or rather, I've snuck into them with fake IDs before. Like I said, it's not that exciting. Just hot girls flirting with you and trying to get you drunk so they can make you max out your credit card on drinks."
"I've never had to pay girls to flirt with me," Mokuba said thoughtfully, frowning. "Although I guess I can see why most of these guys would be into that," he continued, gazing apathetically around the room.
"Oh please," challenged Jonouchi as he rolled his eyes dramatically and placed his hands on his hips, "You don't have to pay girls to flirt with you, because they know how much money your name is attached to. Rich guys never have to work that hard at it. Come down to my level, and then you'll see how hard it can be, and a girlie club won't seem so bad anymore. Trust me."
Mokuba clutched a hand to his chest in mock disbelief, "What, you're saying my dazzling wit wasn't what was enchanting the ladies all this time? You're disillusioning me, Jonouchi!"
As if the brat wasn't aware. Jonouchi gave him a flat look, trying to hide his amusement. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Kaiba finishing up his little chat with the two older businessmen, and the staff was starting to usher people to sit down at the different tables.
"Ah, I think that's our cue that lunch is starting. Good luck, Jonouchi!" Mokuba exclaimed, trotting off with a short wave.
"Hey, wait-"
Mokuba was already gone, though, when Jonouchi tried to call him back. He had no idea where to sit, and blindly picking a table, he took a seat where there wasn't anyone as people started playing musical chairs around the conference room. Tapping his fingers on the polished wood lightly, he hoped he wouldn't be left alone to fend for himself. Jonouchi didn't know anyone beyond a handful of people in attendance, and he certainly didn't remember everything about them from before.
Looked like Kaiba wasn't coming to his aid, either—his table was across the room and already completely full. A few tables away, the last seat at Mokuba's table had just been snapped up. Jonouchi thought it was a little peculiar that none of them, especially the brothers, were sitting together. He figured Kaiba would want him latched onto his side again, at least to monitor anything coming out of his mouth. Maybe he'd ask Kaiba about it later…
He would be on his own, then. Covertly taking a deep breath, Jonouchi exhaled slowly and rubbed his palms up and down his thighs. He could do this.
"You must be Kaiba Corporation's Jonouchi-san." A young man with sandy brown hair and a dusting of pale freckles across his nose and cheeks sat down next to Jonouchi, extending his hand with a smile.
"Y-yes, you must be...Yamazaki-sama…?" Jonouchi guessed, clasping the offered hand and shaking.
The other man's face lit up, light brown eyes warm as he laughed, "Oh! So you've already heard of me. Well, here is my card. And allow me to introduce my date—this is the lovely-"
"Mai!?" Jonouchi spluttered, almost rising from his chair as Mai approached their table, daintily taking the seat next to Yamazaki.
"Jonouchi? What are you doing here!" she exclaimed, her voice rising a tad bit higher than it probably should have. Thankfully, neither of them were socially conscious enough at that point to really care, and Jonouchi found himself smiling before he could stop himself.
"I'm a sponsored Duelist now," he explained, "by Kaiba Corporation, actually. It's a long story to explain; how do you two know each other?"
"Yamazaki-kun and I go way back," Mai replied, waving a manicured hand, "We met a few years ago at a tournament we both were playing in."
"She means to say, she wiped the floor with me," Yamazaki added with a sheepish grin.
Mai's laughter rang through the air. "Nonsense! Anyway, we run into each other now and again, since Yamazaki-kun is in charge of running a ton of tournaments, and I get a lot of MC gigs. But tell me, Jonouchi, this sponsorship! A KaibaCorp sponsorship! I never thought I'd see the day where Kaiba would work with you willingly, let alone for his own company."
"I don't really completely understand why he gave it to me," said Jonouchi as he watched servers begin to trickle into the room with appetizers and tea, filling glasses and sending huge trays of fresh seafood around the different tables for people to try, "but I'm definitely not going to complain about it. I'm only a six-star Duelist, I need at least one regional championship before I can be considered a seven."
Jonouchi had a feeling the explanation Kaiba had given hadn't been completely honest. Kaiba wasn't the most rational person when it came to dealing with people he disliked. It didn't seem possible that he "saw promise" in Jonouchi when he'd lost that competition, and Kaiba probably had some strange ulterior motive he'd since dropped. It wasn't in Kaiba's nature to do anything out of kindness, and taking Jonouchi on despite his unimpressive ranking was rather generous.
"But I'm getting better," Jonouchi added, "I've been practicing every day, and I can see myself improving. I'm thinking through my moves better and stopped being so impulsive when I duel."
"Well, you always were the lucky one," Mai remarked as she scrutinized one of the circulating trays of food. Bypassing the seafood spread, she opted for a soup spoon full of ikura oroshi. "And it's never a good idea to question Kaiba's motives," she continued, popping the appetizer into her mouth, "I wouldn't want to fish around in his brain like that."
"I'm not fishing around, but I do sometimes wonder..."
How could Jonouchi not be curious? Every time they'd run into each other before had been somewhat hostile, with Kaiba clearly trying to disappear on Jonouchi because he didn't want anything to do with him... Save the weird incident when he showed up at Yugi's shop. That didn't make too much sense, but Jonouchi didn't want to think too hard about that.
"He's a strange one," suggested Jonouchi, "Maybe we should all just leave it at that."
"Really?" Yamazaki piped in, "Kaiba-sama's always appeared normal to me. I mean, yes, he can be quiet at times...but I've never thought of him as strange."
"You're too good of a guy, Yamazaki-kuuun," Mai cried, giving his arm a sharp squeeze. Jonouchi noticed Yamazaki's ears take on a light pink shade, but he had the good sense to hold his tongue.
"You haven't known him since high school, Yamazaki-sama. He's pretty damn strange."
Waving his hand in front of his face, Yamazaki replied, "Oh, no need for such formalities, Jonouchi-san! But I'll take your word on it. Admittedly, I don't know Kaiba-sama all too well, but he's always been very cordial to me."
Jonouchi didn't comment on that. He didn't need a reason to turn sour while discussing his boss, because Kaiba had never been cordial with him until recently... Well, until Kaiba apparently decided he wanted to sleep with him. That was not a thought Jonouchi wanted in his head at the moment.
"Anyway, how's your sister doing? Now that I think of it, I don't think I've seen her since Battle City…"
"She's alright," replied Jonouchi as he started nibbling on the appetizers to give himself something to do with his hands besides play with them on his lap. "Haven't seen her much since she's staying with my mother, but that's not exactly new. I call her once a week to keep up with things."
Their mother just made things so difficult at times. Not only was she still demanding alimony from Jonouchi senior even though she knew he didn't have the funds to pay her, she also refused to allow Shizuka to visit in Domino. Not since Battle City, and whatever hope Jonouchi had at rekindling things after Shizuka's eye surgery had been a success was all for naught. He had been met with a strange coldness from Kawai, and now Jonouchi was sure nothing would ever change between them.
Shizuka didn't even call from home. She had to use a friend's cell phone to make her weekly updates, in case her mother decided to snoop around.
Mai frowned, her eyebrows drawing down in displeasure. "That's pretty messed up, Jonouchi. You were the one who helped your sister out; you would think your mother would act...better."
"She's a funny person. There's no changing her, ever."
There was no point in being upset about it anymore. She wasn't ever going to change her mind about Jonouchi. He was sure she'd given up on him long ago, back in his last year of middle school. It was his fault for putting a kid in the hospital after a particularly bad gang fight, but she refused to forgive him. Life was already hard enough from the divorce, but then she had literally split from his life for good.
Jonouchi wasn't going to dwell on that, though. It was what life dealt for him.
"Yamazaki-san better have weird parents, too, or I'll feel like the odd guy here..."
Yamazaki laughed, pointing at himself, "Oh, me? I'd have to say, mine are pretty typical. Mom's a homemaker; dad's a salaryman. He spent a lot of time overseas, though. Still does."
"Overseas where?" asked Jonouchi, "Like Australia or somewhere farther away?"
"Mostly in Europe, and sometimes the United States. He works for a company that manufactures string instruments, so they market heavily in countries with large and numerous orchestras."
How upper class. Jonouchi fought back snorting, keeping his face neutral as Mai started going on and on about it. It all sounded very...snobbish to him. More culture than he was accustomed to, at least. No wonder Kaiba was so cordial with Yamazaki: they were cut from the same cloth, so to speak. It was no wonder they got along, being the way they were.
"So, if your dad was into selling instruments and your mom stayed at home with you, how did you manage to get into Duel Monsters," asked Jonouchi as he started eating with a bit more enthusiasm as the actual lunch started to be served.
Kaiba had liked games before Duel Monsters, so his involvement made some sense. Mai worked in a casino on a cruise ship, so she was probably familiar with all sorts of card games before deciding to settle on Duel Monsters, too. Yamazaki must have had some interesting reasoning for picking such a peculiar game...
Yamazaki pushed the food around on his plate before stabbing at a slice of tomato. "I don't have any siblings, so I spent a lot of time with my cousin as a kid. My father was a bit dismayed that I had no musical talent, and I really didn't have many hobbies growing up, so when my cousin introduced me to the game, my father was delighted." Taking a bite, Yamazaki chewed thoughtfully before continuing, "I didn't really get it at first; I thought the artwork looked pretty cool, but my cousin was super into it. So I guess I just kind of naturally developed a love for it, too."
"-You thought the artwork looked pretty," Jonouchi parroted.
Blinking, he glanced at Mai, who only smiled. The last thing Jonouchi ever thought about while playing Duel Monsters was the damn artwork. It was about creating something that was his, a reflection of himself. The process was strenuous, thanks to Mutou-san's extreme teaching, but Jonouchi's deck had been a reflection of his heart. He'd put everything he had into it, and when it came down to it, the silly game had gotten him out of his bad situation with the gang and was probably a major factor in why Jonouchi wasn't stuck in some jail...
"Oh Jonouchi, not everyone can be as completely devoted over something they just tried like you," chided Mai as she rolled her eyes, "Some people grow to love things over time. You should try it. It makes you appreciate things in new ways."
"Yeah okay, Mai," Jonouchi answered somewhat sarcastically, rolling his eyes playfully before eating a bit of food again, "I guess when I like something, I know it. I get that feeling in my gut, and there's no confusion over it."
"Always?" Mai asked teasingly. "I've liked things...and people, too—with certainty that ended up being bad for me. I guess we're not all as lucky," she winked.
"Nope." If he wasn't surrounded by so many businessmen, Jonouchi would have stuck out his tongue just to be snot, but he didn't dare at the moment. He had no idea who was watching, and Kaiba probably still had at least one eye on him, even if he was on the other side of the room where Jonouchi couldn't even see him.
"I've liked things that were bad for me," said Jonouchi after further thought, "and bad people, but it was for the wrong reasons, and I knew that at the time. I just didn't know any better, if that makes any sense. But I know when something's right, I can feel it in my gut, and it was like that with Duel Monsters. I knew right away that was the game for me, even if I was terrible at it and made my first deck with only monster cards..."
Embarrassing. Mai started laughing, trying to mute herself with the palm of her hand.
"I got better."
"Mm, indeed," Mai agreed. "You even managed to beat me during Duelist Kingdom, and that was your first major tournament," she sighed. "But enough about cards. So, have you felt that undeniable passion towards any girls since the last time I saw you?" Mai batted her eyes flirtatiously and smirked.
"Nope."
"What?" Mai exclaimed in disbelief, her face falling flat. "That's sort of...disappointing to hear," she pouted, "No one's caught your eye in the slightest?"
Sighing loudly, Jonouchi slumped a little in his seat before catching himself, "I don't know, Mai, it's not really something I think about. Sometimes I see girls and I talk to them, but not much happens after that. I'm too busy for girls, anyways."
"What a shame," Mai remarked as she stirred her cocktail and brought the tiny straw to her lips. "You're young, Jonouchi—you needn't work so hard."
Of course Mai would say something like that. She'd been wealthy her entire life. Jonouchi was sure she had no idea what paying off a debt was like, since her life was pretty charmed despite the tragedy of her parents' passing. Money had never been an issue for her.
"I work for Kaiba now, so that's not really an option," joked Jonouchi. At least that was an easy escape out of having to further explain himself.
Mai cast her eyes over at Kaiba's direction before quickly turning back to Jonouchi. "And that's another problem. You shouldn't be dragged down by his bad habits. He's another young one who needs to learn not to work so damn much."
"Mai, he's never going to change, and you know that..."
She sighed loudly, her eyebrows furrowing once again as she took a long sip of her drink. "I thought you were going to work on him about that."
"I tried. Kinda."
"'Kinda'? You seemed so enthusiastic before; it's not like you to half-ass anything," Mai said, raising an eyebrow.
Jonouchi shrugged in response. The last thing he wanted to talk about in-depth was his relationship with Kaiba. He barely understood it, and his friends certainly didn't need to know about what had been occurring between them frequently as of late. It wasn't any of their business, for one, and Jonouchi still felt ashamed over it, when he thought back to it.
"Mai, you can't change a person if they don't want to change, you know..."
Mai leaned forward to rest her elbows upon the table, lacing her fingers together to cradle her chin. "You're right, I suppose...but—isn't that what friends are for? To be that good influence, so that people will want to change for themselves? I think that sometimes, people don't even know any better." She grew quiet, lost in her own thoughts.
"Maybe..."
Jonouchi hadn't changed until Yugi had come along and had guided him. Kaiba wanted Jonouchi to be his friend, so that was at least something, too. He could just be so difficult and completely unpredictable...
Yamazaki cleared his throat, smiling as he sipped on his cup of tea, "Do you two always have such deep conversations, or am I just in for a treat today?"
A large smile broke across Mai's face. "We blonds are more complex than we're often given credit for being. But no, not usually," she laughed, "It's just been a while since we've seen each other."
"Not my fault, though," snorted Jonouchi as he waved his hand in a mocking gesture, "Mai prefers to hang around cultured folk."
Mai tsked at Jonouchi, swatting him on the forearm, "Oh, please! You're my best friend, Jonouchi, and you've been MIA for months! It would do you well to have a teensy-bit more culture, anyway, although I see Kaiba's been working on that," she said as she eyed him up and down.
"Are you talking about my clothes?" asked Jonouchi as he cocked an eyebrow, "It was all done against my will, I swear."
"Well remind me to thank him for finally getting you out of those sacks of fabric you called clothes," Mai replied airily.
"They were comfortable, at least, even if a little torn... This new stuff can be so stiff sometimes and I don't get why 'cultured guys' have to wear their pants so damn tight. I prefer being able to breathe, thank you very much."
Yamazaki started laughing, the man failing to hide it behind his hand as Mai giggled in response. Jonouchi knew he couldn't get away with talking so brash-like if he had Kaiba alongside him or some more rigid guests at their table, but since it was just Mai and her young date, he didn't care enough to censor his mouth.
"Have you ever noticed how often Kaiba wears leather pants," Jonouchi exclaimed, "It's ridiculous. How can anyone live like that?"
How could Kaiba walk around comfortable with his balls unable to breathe? That's what Jonouchi wanted to know. Maybe at one point, he entertained the thought that Kaiba was a robot and had no private parts to worry about, but now he knew that wasn't exactly the case, and it wasn't like Kaiba's junk was small, either...
"Mai, you've worn leather," Jonouchi pointed out as he stuffed his mouth with a piece of sushi, "How did you do it?"
"Boots and skirts are easier to deal with than pants, so you can't really compare them," Mai observed, leaning back in her seat. "I suppose Kaiba's just used to it."
"But why?"
Did he just enjoy torturing himself or something...
"Because they're versatile, and I don't have to put much thought into them." The sudden closeness of Kaiba's voice nearly made Jonouchi jump out of his seat. "Should I even ask why my choice in apparel is the topic of discussion?"
"Because it is," Jonouchi answered flatly, trying not to show his shock too much on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"You act as though I require an invitation to check in with my employee," Kaiba stated. "Yamazaki. Kujaku." He acknowledged them with a short nod of his head.
"You could not sneak around like you're trying to catch me doing something illegal," Jonouchi shot back, "I still don't understand how you can wear leather pants all the time... They don't even look comfortable. Besides, that's just giving folks an invitation to stare at your ass."
Yamazaki started laughing again as Kaiba's expression went sour. Mai stifled a laugh, and Jonouchi just folded his arms and stared up at Kaiba with a challenging expression, although he wasn't sure why he was even pressing the issue at this point. It was a stupid thing to fight over, really. It wasn't his business how Kaiba decided to dress himself.
"Is that a confession?" Kaiba asked pointedly as his expression melted back to neutral, a dark humor tugging the corner of his mouth up in a small smirk.
"What?" Jonouchi felt his face change from surprised to angry in mere seconds. His face was burning, and he had a strong desire to disappear in a hole somewhere to die as Mai snickered. Thankfully, the comment flew past Yamazaki completely, who was distracted by someone talking over his shoulder to hear Kaiba's teasing, which was a blessing. Jonouchi didn't enjoy those kind of jokes being thrown in his face.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but no, Kaiba-sama. Your ass doesn't hold much interest for me."
"Then please refrain from including it in your discussions." He looked down at his watch. "Ofuda from Industrial Illusions will make his presentation in fifteen minutes, and afterward, I hear we're being moved to a different room."
Turning his back to Kaiba, Jonouchi just sipped on his water angrily as he waited for Kaiba's presence to disappear. The party was just so boring to him. There was only Mai and Yamazaki to talk to, and apparently they were the only handful of people in the room who were Jonouchi's own age or close. The lady Kaiba spoke about earlier that day was there, too, and while she was pretty, she also looked like someone had stuck shit up her nose, her expression was so uncomfortable. Clearly, she didn't want to be there.
"Yamazaki, I trust I'll speak with you later?" Yamazaki stammered an affirmative, and then Kaiba stalked off, probably to terrorize someone else (most likely his brother).
Jonouchi sat there in a funk for the greater part of the rest of the luncheon. The conversation never really picked up after Kaiba's interruption, Mai and Yamazaki speaking to each other (or rather, flirting) while Jonouchi continued to pick at food out of boredom. Once the presentation started, Jonouchi struggled to keep awake through the damn thing. Business talk was boring, and he wondered how the hell he managed to get a job where he had to listen to white collars talk about themselves—it was nearly unbearable...
Thankfully, the room was dark as slideshow continued on. Mai didn't seem too amused by the talk of Duel Monster sales trends either, and even Yamazaki was nodding off a little, although he was good at hiding it. Jonouchi wondered for a moment how Kaiba could even sit through these things on a daily basis when it finally ended and the lights turned on again. Blinking a few times, he rubbed his eyes before they finally adjusted.
A plump, rather squat man with round glasses appeared behind the podium. "Greetings, I am Maeda from Industrial Illusions. Thank you for attending our luncheon today. If you would please follow the attendants out to the next room, the evening entertainment will begin shortly." And then he waddled off, jovially shaking hands with a myriad of waiting businessmen.
A loud, steady murmur rose throughout the room as tables were vacated and people began to wander off to mingle and relocate. Jonouchi dreaded having to endure several more hours in the dry company of businessmen, but he resigned himself to what awaited him. It wasn't like he could just ditch (Kaiba would no doubt be furious if he tried). But it also didn't mean that he would have to suffer Kaiba's presence the entire night, either—it appeared his leash was rather long for this function, and Jonouchi was determined to take full advantage of that fact. With any luck, he could avoid Kaiba entirely for the rest of the event and only have to deal with him on the ride home. Not entirely bad prospects.
It just amazed Jonouchi how Kaiba could shift from being almost pleasant to nearly intolerable from one moment to the next. He didn't know how to reconcile the two: the human, surprisingly considerate and reflective Kaiba he caught only in glimpses and the calculating, aloof Kaiba who seemed to have ice in his veins. Jonouchi just didn't understand how he was supposed to be friends with him when Kaiba kept changing who he was on an hourly basis...
Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about it for much longer. They were all ushered into a huge, dark room with a bar, dimly lit by neon lights, where at least two dozen ladies in matching black cocktail dresses waited lined up across the room with glasses and liquor in hand. Most of the men clapped their hands at the sight and began to crowd around the hostesses.
Mai was laughing, and Yamazaki was shaking his head like he was embarrassed by the scene. Mokuba had disappeared, and Jonouchi, not finding anyone to converse with, just found an empty table and sat down, trying not to let his boredom show.
Who was he fooling? Jonouchi knew right away that he didn't belong with those people. They were all like leeches, latching onto the girls who were at least half their ages as they began to drink excessively. The noise level of the room was growing, and Jonouchi could feel his irritation rising with it.
Why did Kaiba make him come? What was the exact point?
Kaiba had parked himself next to Yamazaki, and they along with Mai were conversing easily, largely ignoring the spectacle around them. Score one for Jonouchi, then, although his irritation curiously spiked at the sight of the three.
He didn't have long to be alone with his thoughts. One of the girls plopped down in the empty seat next to him, scooting close. Her dress rode high on her thighs, her soft skin pressing up against Jonouchi's own thigh. The combination of a push-up bra and low-cut neckline put the hostess's cleavage on obvious display, and Jonouchi could smell the clean, floral scent of her perfume above the pervasive scent of alcohol.
"You look so lonely," the hostess chirped, grinning up at him.
"I hate these kind of events," Jonouchi complained as he smiled a little at her, "I don't belong in this kind of crowd. Did you come over here to entertain me now?"
"Of course!" she practically bounced. "It's a party, so you have to be happy! Can Arisu get you a drink?"
"Go for it," answered Jonouchi lightly, "whatever is your favorite is fine by me."
"Hmm...then I hope you're a beer man," she winked, "My regular clients all drink sake or other liquor, so I never get to drink it! Be right back." Arisu squeezed Jonouchi's arm before sauntering off to the bar, chatting excitedly with the bartender and a few other hostesses.
Returning to the table with two extra-tall pilsner glasses in hand, she set one in front of Jonouchi and sidled up to him again, smiling. Two additional hostesses attached themselves to Jonouchi's table, their own drink glasses in hand. "I hope you don't mind—I brought some friends!" Arisu beamed. "This is Rui-chan," she said, gesturing to a girl with short blonde hair and high cheekbones, "and this is Erika-chan," she gestured at another girl with light brown hair pulled up into a fluffy ponytail. "And I don't think I mentioned it formally before, but my name is Arisu," she said, pointing up at herself before tossing her long auburn curls behind her shoulder.
"That is three names more than I can usually remember at once," Jonouchi joked as he smiled at them each, "but I'll try to remember all that. Since we're all being informal here, my name is Katsuya. And yes, my hair is naturally blond," he teased as he took his beer and drank some of it for show, "so don't think I'm one of those urban types that's trying to seem cool. I'm just here because I was told to."
"Wow, how lucky, Katsuya-kun!" Rui cried. "I have to dye my hair monthly, and you were gifted with such a gorgeous shade!"
"A gorgeous shade?" laughed Jonouchi as he touched his hair shyly before he felt his face begin to warm up a little. "I always got made fun of it during school. Once I dyed it peroxide blond, so people wouldn't think I was some pansy. Kinda silly now, I guess, trying to hide my mixed heritage."
Arisu grinned at him, "Rui-chan's a hair stylist during the day. But we all think you look really cool!" She batted her eyelashes at him as the other two girls nodded enthusiastically. "So tell us, Katsuya-kun, what you're mixed with? It's quite the mystery!"
"American. It's not really that interesting. I got the hair from my dad."
Glancing around the room, Jonouchi caught eyes with Kaiba from a few tables down. He was still sitting with Yamazaki and Mai, but he didn't seem as interested in their conversation any longer. His eyes constricted, and Jonouchi sharply looked away, throwing all his attention back towards the girls.
"So, what I want to know is why you ladies all decided to become hostesses," asked Jonouchi as he drank from his beer some more, "I wouldn't want to deal with all these balding salarymen who probably can't even get their dicks up anymore. I bet the money is good, and the drinking even better, but damn. Some of these guys are such a bore."
Rui leaned forward on the small table, grinning, "It's actually pretty fun! It's a great way to meet a lot of people and make a lot of connections, too."
Arisu nodded. "Yup! And the secrets you get to hear, too! Erika-chan's been a hostess the longest out of all of us, so I'm sure she's swimming in tons of juicy tales!" Erika just returned a small smile and sipped her cocktail daintily. "And occasionally, we get to hang out with some nice-looking guys like yourself, so it all works out." Arisu winked at him, lightly brushing a hand down his thigh.
"Wow, and here I thought I looked like something pulled out of the streets," snorted Jonouchi as he shook his head, "I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable around these high society types. You see that woman sitting over there with the dirty-blond guy and the brown-haired man with the permanent scowl on his face?" Kaiba wasn't actually scowling, but Jonouchi didn't care. "She probably has more money than half the people in this room. She's gorgeous, too. But I don't think the hair is natural."
"Hmm...do you fancy her?" Erika asked lightly.
"I used to," answered Jonouchi honestly. "I used to think about her a lot. She's my best friend, actually. Spoiled and kind of vain, but she's a good person and I love her like a sister. But she fits in this place, and I—alas—" said Jonouchi dramatically, as he slumped in his chair with his beer in hand, "do not."
It was probably a good thing Jonouchi had gotten over her. The fascination was only skin-deep while in high school, and he could no longer imagine having an actual relationship with Mai. He wasn't as into her as he had once believed, and she intimidated him a lot. It was embarrassing to realize, but he had no idea what he'd do with so much woman, and besides that, they wouldn't make each other happy. Mai needed someone who was educated and smart and could give her all the pretty things she liked, and Jonouchi knew he wasn't that kind of guy.
She was a society girl.
"Then how did you end up here?" Rui asked as she played with the rim of her cup, eyes sympathetic.
"The dark-haired guy sitting with her," Jonouchi said, his tone darkening a little, "It's entirely his doing."
The three girls turned their heads once again to glance over at Kaiba's table. "He's handsome, but he looks so sullen!" Arisu giggled. "You don't sound so happy about him. But that still doesn't explain what you're doing here."
"You guys don't know who he is," Jonouchi marveled, blinking as he drank from his beer some more. "That's Kaiba Seto, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, and unfortunately, my boss. He hates this stuff, but he makes me come along with him to every single damn event, it seems... I think he does it to spite me."
Erika crossed her legs, playing with the ice in her cup. Somehow another tall glass of beer had appeared before Jonouchi. "We don't make a habit of researching our clients," she smiled.
"Yeah! We like to get to know them more naturally," Rui agreed.
Arisu leaned into Jonouchi's side, "Are you not enjoying our company?" she asked coyly, sticking her bottom lip out a little.
"How could I not enjoy the company of beautiful women?" laughed Jonouchi loudly, "I just wish this was happening in some bar out in town instead of a stuffy hotel."
Reaching into her small handbag, Erika produced a tiny business card and slid it over to Jonouchi. "That could be arranged," she smiled, "We all work at Club Midnight. Come visit us sometime."
"When do you ladies ever sleep, then?" He took the card, though, sticking it into his pocket before smiling at them all. "I used to sneak into hostess clubs back in high school. I had this crappy fake ID and would go get fucked up there before being hauled out by some angry bouncer. God, I don't even remember how I never got caught. It wasn't like I looked old enough to be there, you know."
"You must be very lucky, then! But, you don't need to worry about that anymore. So let's drink up!" Arisu exclaimed, raising her glass.
Jonouchi started on his other beer, smiling as he drank down half the glass. He wondered how the girls stayed skinny with all the booze they were downing, but maybe they just worked out really hard on their off-hours. He was too shy to ask.
"Last time I had to go to one of these things, we actually had geiko at the party. I had never even seen one before up close. One of them made me sing for her and tried to teach me how to play her instrument, but I can't carry a tune to save my life," sighed Jonouchi, "I think she was only trying to be polite."
"We should test that theory out later, when the karaoke machines arrive," Erika teased.
"There's a karaoke machine coming?" Jonouchi made a face before laughing, "Isn't that a little cheesy?"
Erika laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "I hear Maeda-sama specifically requested it. He loves to let loose at these events. By the end of the night, his tie will be around his head, and he'll have become quite the mic-hog," she giggled.
"The fat guy, right?"
He shouldn't have said that so loudly. A few people turned and looked at him before returning to their conversations, "Whatever. If I have to sing in front of all these people, one of you girls is gonna go up there with me."
"We'll all be cheering you on. I'll even play the tambourine for you," Arisu grinned, bumping her shoulder into Jonouchi's.
"Nah, I think you should go up there with me," said Jonouchi excitedly, grabbing Arisu by the waist since he was working on his third beer now and all reservations were gone, "I bet you'd sound lovely up there and might save me from possible humiliation. Don't tell me you're shy now."
Arisu let out a surprised shriek of laughter, bracing a hand on Jonouchi's knee. The conversation shifted over musicians and favorite songs and the merits of enka (passionately argued by Rui), becoming more rowdy as the collection of empty glasses on the table began to grow. Jonouchi could feel eyes on him, but he didn't care. He once made the mistake of glancing around the room, and his eyes had locked with Kaiba's for a brief moment before he turned brusquely away. Let him stew in his own misery; Jonouchi was having fun for once, and he wasn't going to let Kaiba's glowering bring his mood down.
As predicted, a karaoke setup arrived midway through the night, and Jonouchi managed to warble his way through one song before Maeda wrangled the mic from the rest of the party, as predicted. It had been an oddly liberating experience, and the girls had all chimed in whenever he'd faltered, eliciting streams of laughter all around.
Jonouchi had been so absorbed that he'd barely even noticed when the party had started to wind down, and the club proprietor had stepped in to collect his girls.
"That's our signal," Arisu sighed, wobbly rising from the table. Jonouchi rose as well, steadying her, although he wasn't exactly a pillar of stability, either. "Next time you're feeling lonely, call me," she said, pressing a small slip of paper discreetly into his hand and leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Yeah, okay," Jonouchi answered sheepishly. He waved as the girls left him, and sitting back down, he stared at the phone number as the men in the background started hollering over the ladies leaving the party.
He couldn't remember the last time a girl gave him her number. Especially an attractive, desirable girl. Someone Honda would have been dying to have on his arm, but it was Jonouchi who had caught her attention. Jonouchi couldn't exactly recall doing anything in particular to make himself likeable; all throughout high school, the girls typically avoided him. He didn't know how to function with them, but apparently he had charm now.
Huh.
"Besides, just because I prefer men doesn't mean I'm incapable of enjoying the company of women."
Jonouchi shook that thought out of his mind. He didn't want Kaiba's voice in his head, trying to tell him how to think. The real Kaiba was confusing enough. Now was not the time for second guessing himself. Pocketing the note, Jonouchi placed it next to Erika's business card. Maybe he would call her up sometime. There was no reason on earth not to, especially since she clearly liked him.
"It's time to go." For the second time that night, Kaiba materialized behind his shoulder, seemingly from nowhere. He had a slight frown on his face, a tiny wrinkle creasing between his eyebrows. He didn't seem angry, but Jonouchi, even through his drunken haze, could detect there was something off about his mood. Was he upset? No, that couldn't be it—Kaiba never got upset. Unless it involved his brother, but Mokuba had been gone since lunch.
"Okay. I'll call a taxi, then."
He got up, catching himself as he tried to steady his feet before Jonouchi started walking towards the exit.
Kaiba grabbed him under the arm, balancing him. "I don't think there are any taxis that will venture into your neighborhood at this time of night. I'll drive you home."
Jonouchi's head felt clouded, but he knew enough to know that Kaiba's car couldn't drop him off in front of his apartment. It was too damn flashy. A taxi could take him just as far and spare him the ride, but he didn't feel like arguing with Kaiba over it. He already looked like he was in a piss-poor mood.
"Okay, fine," Jonouchi sighed, "Lead the way, then."