IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!! - This is the Yu-Gi-Oh! Yaoi portion of the Shipping List in order. Be forewarned. Some "pairings" will not be fluffy and cute. But they will all, hopefully, be believable. Rating's will vary.
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi
Author's Note: Shogo only appears in the first half-hour YGO "movie". I think I've explained enough about him here that it shouldn't be necessary that you've seen that movie. The bit in the beginning is quoted from the movie...such as the subtitles that I watched were... If you would like to see the movie, I would suggest looking for it on Youtube, where I found it ages ago.
Rating: PG
Yu-Gi-Oh! Shipping List #30 - "Kiss the Sun"
--------------------------------------------
Blankshipping (Katsuya x Shogo)
Among duel monsters, together with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the legendary cards… The Blue Dragon brings victory…but the Red Dragon brings not victory, but possibility. However, only those with fighting spirit can use it.
----------------------------------------------
Katsuya Jounouchi had won his Red Eyes Black Dragon in a fateful duel against "Dinosaur" Ryuuzaki during the Duelist Kingdom tournament, the first international tournament he had ever entered. The Red Eyes Black Dragon seemed destined to battle at his side and of all of his duel monsters, the Red Eyes was perhaps the one closest to his soul. In the duelist circuit, Jounouchi was the famous underdog, forever in the shadow of top rivals Yugi and Seto, but formidable in that dueling Jounouchi was like dueling the fighting spirit of the game itself. It could not be determined by strategists just how he triumphed time and time again but those who knew him best said that the reason Jounouchi won was in sheer determination and the way he inspired those feelings in his monsters, especially in his Red Eyes, for even when it dueled for another, Yugi said, its fighting spirit could not be denied.
And the Red Eyes Black Dragon was highly rare, not so rare as the Blue Eyes White Dragon, of which only three exist in the world (all owned by billionaire CEO Seto Kaiba), but rare enough that even seeing one played in a duel is a memorable occasion for a duelist. Jounouchi had no idea himself how many Red Eyes there actually were, he might have asked Seto who surely had the knowledge, but he would likely never care that much. His own Red Eyes was not the first he had ever seen, or even handled. The first Red Eyes Black Dragon Jounouchi had ever seen had been found by a boy named Aoyama Shogo, a neighbor of Yugi's who had opened it straight out of a pack.
Shogo had been a timid boy afraid to use the card until it had drawn the attention of Kaiba, looking to acquire it for himself. Seto Kaiba had been less than decent in the day and had sent his body guards to "escort" Shogo to the tournament he had set up in order to duel him for it. Jounouchi and Yugi had taken offense to that kind of treatment, of course, and had fought to keep both him and the card safe but in the process had lost the Sennin Puzzle. It was Kaiba's own brand of invitation and he eagerly returned it to Yugi in order to duel Yami for a bigger prize.
"Don't run away." Jounouchi had told Shogo, who couldn't bear to watch Yugi lose against Seto's three Blue Eyes White Dragons when the duel looked desperate.
"But…but, there's no point! He'll lose!"
"This is also your game. Look at the card he just drew. My blood is on it. That's your Red Eyes!"
"That's a lie! But…"
"When you dropped your cards, I switched it."
"Why?"
"I know I can't force you to change… Because you wouldn't fight yet claimed to have the Duelist's dream… I couldn't stand it anymore! Don't hold those cards while dreaming that."
Shortly after, Shogo had moved with his parents to America and Jounouchi had heard nothing from him in the years since. Their encounter had been so brief, in fact, and Jounouchi's time since so filled, that he had scarcely thought of the other at all; that is, until he received a letter, passed through the Kame Game Shop, from Aoyama Shogo.
'I don't know if you remember me,' it read, 'but I've never forgotten you.' The letter went on to say that Jounouchi had changed him, that he and Yugi had inspired him to become a better person, a fearless duelist, and that he had made a name for himself in the American tournaments. He had heard that Jounouchi had gotten his own Red Eyes Black Dragon and had gotten far with it in the Duelist Kingdom tournaments. He might have been there himself, he wrote, if not for illness that had kept him bedridden for nearly three weeks.
He was coming back to Domino with his father on business and would have a room at the Lacourt Hotel. He wanted to see them again, Jounouchi and Yugi, to duel them and visit if they could find time. He didn't know where they lived but he'd traced Yugi to his shop and Jounouchi to Yugi so, really, he was just throwing a line. 'I would be honored if you could see me while I'm there,' the letter finished and 'but I'll understand if you're too busy.' He added an e-mail address and Jounouchi found himself remembering everything about the time they'd spent in each other's company.
Shogo was a shortish kid, around Yugi's height - a year or two younger than them - with aqua hair that nearly reached his shoulders in long strands. When Jounouchi had known him he'd resembled…well, to put it into present terms…Ryou. He'd been timid and shy, not as polite as Ryou, maybe… Jounouchi tried to imagine how he must look now, with the fire of a duelist in his eyes. Jounouchi e-mailed Shogo to tell him that - obviously - he was beyond syked to duel him, one Red Eyes vs another - he looked forward to it.
They agreed to meet in the park on the day of his arrival where Yugi and Jounouchi waited side by side on a park bench with their decks, scanning the people milling about for the tell-tale aqua hair and short stature of the old friend they were waiting to meet.
While Jounouchi was watching some kids play frisbee with their dog, Yugi tapped him on the shoulder. Jounouchi looked back to find Yugi pointing in a different direction and the blonde followed his finger to the sight of a teen jogging their way, waving and smiling and Jounouchi's jaw dropped.
Running toward them with the happiest, brightest smile Jounouchi had possibly ever seen was a teenager only a head shorter than himself, maybe less, - taller than Yugi - with aqua hair that flowed slightly as he ran and an oversized t-shirt that was falling off of one shoulder, revealing a tighter shirt underneath. A section of the hair that hung at the side of his face was dyed a dark blue and his blue-jeans were painted on. His shirt said something in English that Jounouchi thought might have said 'Kiss the Sun'.
He didn't look the same at all. He looked like some kind of model from a teen magazine. Even the way he approached them, the way he waved and smiled and moved… It was all so different, infused with a confidence that had only just been budding when they'd last seen him. Apparently it had reached full bloom.
"I'm so glad you guys could make it!" he exclaimed, coming to a stop in front of them. "Sorry I'm a little late. The flight was delayed and then the luggage and the hotel and… Wow, you guys haven't changed a bit! I'm so happy!"
Jounouchi would have liked to say that he hoped at least he'd grown a little or looked a little like he'd worked out or something but his tongue seemed to have doubled in size in his mouth, preventing coherent speech from escaping and the only thing that came out were unintelligible sounds which Yugi was mercifully interrupting by greeting their friend as he gaped like a landed fish.
And then, without any warning whatsoever, Shogo started to hike that oversized shirt up, not like he was taking it off, but more like he was revealing something and Jounouchi thought he might have a seizure. As it turned out, his deck was strapped to his belt underneath the over-shirt.
"See, I brought my deck!" he declared and Jounouchi thought he should have known that - but he only thought that later, when he realized that should have been what he thought instead of continuing to gape like a fish to the point where Shogo had commented on his height, saying he'd hit a growth spurt and how it must have been quite a shock.
Jounouchi was not 'gay'. 'Gay' people smelled like flowers and cooked and sewed and looked good in anything and Jounouchi was not that. Besides, his father would have killed him if he was gay. That aside, the fact that Shogo was gorgeous and that his smile radiated that sunshine his shirt suggested was a perfectly legit reason to explain Jounouchi's complete inability to stop staring at him.
It was only during their duel that Jounouchi was able to redirect his attention and even then it didn't help that Shogo had inexplicably blushed when he'd played his Red Eyes. Shogo's Red Eyes still sported stains of Jounouchi's blood and Shogo explained that by the time he'd gotten the card back they had set in but he didn't mind them, they made the card personal, gave it meaning, he said. They were a part of it, just like Jounouchi was a part of him - through the lesson he'd taught him about courage. Jounouchi and Yugi had changed his life, he told them.
Afterwards, Yugi offered to run to the corner market for snacks, leaving Jounouchi to visit with Shogo alone. And the moment he left, the hotel room went silent. They'd already gotten past all the 'how have you been's and all of the 'here's what I've been doing's which left Jounouchi in the awkward position of trying to start a conversation with no material.
"So," Jounouchi started, opening his mouth and trusting that words would come out. "…you look good." Someone just duct tape my mouth, he thought. "Your uh…new style, I mean. It looks good on you. And I really like the hair, the color in it, I mean. That's cool." Stop saying 'I mean' like a moron! "It's just, I guess I wasn't really expecting you to be…so…different…"
"Jounouchi," Shogo interrupted him, as if answering Jounouchi's silent prayer, "there's something I told myself that I would say when I got to see you again." Jounouchi tilted his head slightly to the side, regarding Shogo with seriousness. He seemed so solemn all of a sudden. "It's just…" the teen went on "promise you won't hate me!" he exclaimed suddenly and Jounouchi jolted slightly.
"How could I possibly hate you?" Jounouchi wondered aloud. "I mean…we haven't seen each other in years…"
Shogo looked down, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. "It's just…because…I've had a crush on you the whole time!" he nearly shouted the last part, looking up and meeting Jounouchi's eyes boldly. "I was too shy to say it back then but I'm saying it now. I really…really like you.
"Uhh…wha?" Jounouchi was trying very hard to grasp this. Someone had a crush on him? On him?? No one had ever had a crush on him before.
In a desperate panic, Shogo darted forward, pressing his lips against Jounouchi's who was honestly too shocked to resist. But after a minute of not getting any response from the blonde, Shogo pulled back, face burning with shame.
"I'm sorry, I just…I'm sorry!" Shogo stumbled to his feet and ran for the door, flinging it open and disappearing into the hall before Jounouchi could even register what had happened.
Yugi, just back from the corner store, had to step out of his way as he ran past.
* * *
Shogo felt terrible. He'd completely ruined his friendship with Jounouchi. He wished he could go back in time and not do it and be able to be close to Jounouchi, but above all, he was glad he wouldn't have to face the other's wrath. He'd waited for five hours before going back to the hotel, so he knew they'd have been long gone and he wouldn't have to see the blonde's narrowed, hostile eyes directed at him or hear his bitter and truthful accusations. He couldn't bear to hear those words from Jounouchi.
Shogo found the door unlocked, which was a good thing because he had forgotten his key. Maybe his father was back, but he didn't think so. He'd had a business meeting and dinner that promised to keep him out well into late. Shogo hadn't really expected to see him all day. The lights inside were off and Shogo turned them on as he turned back to close the door behind him.
"I thought you were done running away."
Shogo gasped loudly, his heart leaping into his throat at the sudden statement, piercing the silence in the room. With one hand steadying him against the door, Shogo looked into the room to find Jounouchi lounging on the sofa, looking his way with a dry, unimpressed expression.
"You…you waited here? All this time?" Shogo's voice was small, meek. Confidence was easier to have against someone you didn't feel you'd betrayed.
"I was invited." Jounouchi stated, just a statement, nothing more.
Shogo hung his head, letting his hair move to cover his face. "I shouldn't have done that."
"At least you're not apologizing." Jounouchi commented. "I think I'd really be disgusted if you did."
"Why? …Why did you stay?" Shogo asked, his voice quiet in the stillness.
Jounouchi seemed to hesitate for a moment but when he did answer his tone was clear and deliberate. "You didn't give me time to tell you how I feel. You don't just kiss somebody and then leave. You have to at least give them time to react."
"I was scared."
Jounouchi might not have caught the whispered confession if he hadn't been listening for it. He had thought he might say that, obviously, it was worth the risk to stick around and find out, but then he realized that Shogo didn't really know him all that well and he had to mull over the idea of someone being afraid of him for doing such a thing.
Shogo had given him plenty of time to think about what he'd done and about his own reaction to it. Finally, against his better judgment, he opted for the logical approach. "What do you want?" he asked seriously and saw he had Shogo's full attention. "You don't even live in this country. I'm not gonna…I can't…"
"My mother and father are getting a divorce." Shogo interrupted solemnly. "My mother's coming back to live in Japan; be near her family."
Jounouchi had to admit, he wasn't sure whether Shogo had really been sincere or just crushing. Now that he knew the other was sincere…he wasn't really sure what to do. Jounouchi roughed a hand through his hair agitatedly. "Look…I can't…do this…"
There were a thousand reasons to just leave the room right now, to bid an old friend happy tidings and keep him far far away; they hardly knew each other well enough to base a living arrangement on a possible…something… and he wasn't 'gay', his father would kill him if he ever found out - maybe literally -, and he had nothing to offer… But then there was that stupid yellow shirt that said 'Kiss the Sun' and really, his lips had kind of felt nice pressed against his own for the…like…ten seconds that could hardly be considered life-altering yet somehow had made the earth beneath his feet shake. Jounouchi groaned, tugging at his hair slightly in frustration.
Suddenly there were hands closing over his own, drawing his attention down to a shy smile, warm amber eyes, and a rose tinted face framed by silken aqua strands. "I really, really like you…" Shogo whispered, leaning up and gently pressing his lips against Jounouchi's. This time as he pulled back, he stayed, waiting for the elder's reaction and Jounouchi only needed that one moment, an affirmation, before wrapping his arms comfortably around the teen's waist and leaning down for a proper kiss, which Shogo melted into happily, wrapping his arms around Jounouchi's neck and pressing against the taller blonde.
Later, at Yugi's grandfather's shop where they all met to plan a birthday party for Anzu, Jounouchi would tell him it was all the damn shirt's fault and Shogo would grin widely and say that in that case, he would be wearing that shirt every day for the rest of his life. Honda, having overheard the exchange would …accidentally… shove Jounouchi into Shogo and grin as he suggested they just get a room already. Jounouchi would throw a fit of course, but he would also think, as he turned to play with that one strand of blue hair, that he was glad he'd taken the shirt's advice.
Post whatevers: Next up is Atemu x Yugi. As always, if you liked, please review. Ja!
