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: Bad news. This is the last finished one I've got and I've been stuck/lazy/doing other fics for a while now. So...I WILL continue to post these...just maybe not regularly.
Rating: G-PG
Yu-Gi-Oh! Shipping List #45 - "Precious"
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Castleshipping (Priest Set x Katsuya x Seto)
Jounouchi was just there until things cooled off at home. He only accepted Seth's offer temporarily. He wasn't…invested.
"Your self-serving attitude sickens me, Seto! You learn nothing from your past! You are a fool."
"Don't you dare lecture me in my house! You don't know anything about the world today, about what it takes to survive here, to get ahead. The past is meant to be learned from and overcome, not to be the basis for the future."
And if Jououchi felt a bit of his heart tugged away by them as they each walked away in opposite directions, it was only the sense of déjà vu that made his eyes burn.
"Hey Jounouchi." Yugi's worried expression made Jounouchi ashamed to be burdening him. Jounouchi was always burdening Yugi with his problems. "It's kind of late. What's wrong?"
"Can I just spend the night?" Those days had passed since he'd moved out of his father's apartment and into Seto's mansion. "It isn't a school night. I brought video games."
Yugi stepped aside. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his friend's company. He just didn't enjoy his friend's unhappiness.
* * *
"Seto, have you seen Katsuya around lately? I can't seem to find him."
"I'm not that mutt's keeper!" Seto snapped, throwing the current financial printout onto the coffee table in front of him as Seth joined him in the living room.
Seth's eyes followed the paper down, noting how little Seto seemed to care for it at the moment. "I've told you not to insult him."
"Yea, well, too bad."
"Call him with your mobile summoner."
"…"
"Seto?"
"Why would I do that?"
"It's late. None of the servants have seen him."
"He can take care of himself."
Seto reached for his financial report once more but Seth's hand pinned it to the table before he could grab it and Seto afforded the other a harsh glare.
"It isn't like him."
"You've obviously spoken with the servants. Get one of them to call him."
"This is your duty."
"This is my duty." Seto returned levelly, tugging at the paper beneath Seth's hand.
"You cannot continue to do this." Seth said lowly, for only Seto to hear. "You must tell him that he is precious to you or you will lose him forever."
Seto did not look at him, instead choosing to focus his gaze on the ever-important daily printout beneath his hand. "And then you? You'll choose him?"
Seth closed his eyes and sighed deeply, lowering his forehead inches from Seto's. "I am with you. I will never break my promise to you. No matter what you do. But could you let him go? He'll take a piece of you with him. And of me. And you are too incomplete to lose any more of yourself, Seto."
Seto let the moment pass. He was always doing those little things, waiting that extra moment, just to make sure they wouldn't change their minds, if given the chance. Then, slowly, he pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open.
"He's probably here somewhere. You just missed him."
But he hit the speed dial button anyway, putting the phone on speaker and holding it out for them both to hear.
'Hey! You've reached Jounouchi "Joey" Katsuya, the third best duelist in the world! Leave me a message and I'll see what I can do.'
Seto waited for the beep but flipped the phone closed before he could be expected to leave a message.
"He never charges his phone. It's probably dead."
"Try the speakers." Seth declared, already on his way to the com system button.
Seto wanted to argue, but Seth wouldn't have listened anyway. It wasn't as though pushing a button and talking into a speaker was too complicated for the Egyptian. Seto didn't understand why he should have to do these things. It also vaguely registered in his mind that perhaps it was unhealthy to feel better about it just for having run the argument through his mind.
Seto pushed the button for the house's com system. It had originally been put into place for calling the servants. Seto had always hated the thing, preferring a more discreet method of communication but he supposed if he didn't use it at least once in a great while then there was no point in having it.
" Paging Jounouchi Katsuya. Please report to the service desk. Your mother hen is throwing a hissy fit."
Seth was glaring at him again, but Seto was amused.
They waited several minutes but no one came.
"When's the last time you saw him?" Seto was just curious.
"After dinner. Before I came to see you."
"We fight all the time." Seto was shaking his head. He was already ten steps ahead. Always.
"All of the vehicles are in the garage. The driver hasn't seen him."
"He'd walk." Jounouchi was just stubborn enough, stupid enough. "Or get a cab. He'd be at Yugi's."
Seto pulled his phone out again and dialed Yugi's number. Sugoroku picked up after three rings.
"Moshi moshi. *yawn* Motou residence."
"Is Katsuya there?" Seto didn't believe in wasting time.
"Jounouchi? No. I don't think so. Is he missing?"
"Make sure!" Seto also didn't believe in patience.
Sugoroku got grumpy and Seto could hear him getting out of bed. "Do you know it's after midnight down here? You might be able to run around the clock but I'm too old to stay awake all night. I have to open the shop in the morning, you know. Are you going to help me do that? No?" Sugoroku's voice trailed off as he padded down the hall and Seto rolled his eyes, trying to will the old man to hurry up.
Sugoroku opened Yugi's bedroom door. The lights were off. He wasn't about to wake Yugi to find out if Jounouchi was sleeping next to him. The floor was empty so he closed the door and glared at his cordless phone.
"He's not here."
Seto hung up and proceeded to wake each and every one of Jounouchi's other friends starting with Honda and finally coming to a stop at Mai, who he discovered was, in fact, in New York City and not even in Japan.
Next Seto woke his servants, who weren't any happier about it than Sugoroku had been but faked it much better, and sent them out to check all-night stores and roadsides. Unable to wait for them to return, Seto set out himself, Seth in tow, to check his office building. Jounouchi wasn't exactly a regular there, but he did stop by every now and then.
"You are being punished." Seth declared when they didn't find Jounouchi anywhere in Kaiba Corporation. "I am being punished. The gods are displeased with me. I've not done enough."
"Enough what?" Seto didn't want to know. He didn't even want to think about this. He didn't want to waste time arguing. "Shut up. This isn't your fault. Gods don't spirit people away anymore. Only people do that."
Seto called the police this time.
"What the hell do you mean I can't file a missing person's report for 24 hours?! Do you have any idea who you're talking to or how much I've donated to this department?! Get your asses out of bed and find him damnit! What the hell are you getting paid for?!"
* * *
Jounouchi was pouring orange juice for himself and Yugi when Sugoroku walked into the kitchen the next morning.
"Oh, hello Jounouchi. I didn't know you were here."
Jounouchi scooted Yugi's cup across the table for him and passed Sugoroku the juice. "Yea, sorry about that."
"Oh, no need to apologize." Sugoroku chuckled. "Seto called looking for you last night but I didn't see you so I told him you weren't here."
"Musta been when I went to the bathroom." Jounouchi shrugged, taking a bite from his toast. "I'm actually surprised he even noticed I wasn't around."
Sugoroku poured himself a glass of orange juice and turned on the small tv on the kitchen counter for the morning news.
"The manhunt continues this morning for missing teen Jounouchi Katsuya, missing for over seven hours now. Police are scouring Domino for the teenager who seems to have vanished without a trace. Hold on, we've just gotten conformation that the FBI and national guard are moving in to take over the search."
Yugi, Jounouchi, and Sugoroku stared at the tv set open mouthed, watching as police and their dogs crossed the scene in their search.
* * *
Seto was used to functioning on far too few hours of sleep but when he happened to catch sight of himself in the glass exterior of a downtown building, the sight was startling. He sighed and the sound was less a sigh and more an exhale of trapped breath. It only made Seto's already throbbing headache increase to hear it.
"What am I doing, Seth? What's going on here?"
Seth set a comforting hand on his other's shoulder. "Perhaps I was wrong, my light. Words are important, but actions are even more important. This is merely the proof of your attachment. I know that when we find Katsuya he will know with certainty how precious he is to you."
Seto was too exhausted to argue. His cell phone, clutched in his hand, rang and Seto flipped it open instantly.
"Any news?" His voice sounded anxious, even to him, but he couldn't be bothered with such trivialities at the moment. The thought did cross his mind, however, that if this call was about work, someone would be losing their job today.
The phone line was silent for a moment and then, almost hesitantly, Jounouchi's voice came over the speaker.
"Set?"
Seto cut him off, gripping the cell tightly. "Jounouchi! Where are you?" He had to stop himself from asking if the blonde was ok.
There was another pause. "Yea, Set, look, I was just a little upset last night, ok? It was nothing and when you called Yug's house looking for me, Gramps didn't find me cause I was just in the bathroom, ok? So…I'm fine… … … Set?"
Seto's hand, gripping the phone with white knuckles, was shaking. The tremor spread up his arm as his face heated crimson.
"I'm…GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU STUPID MUTT!!!"
Jounouchi winced, holding the phone away from his ear. "I think he's upset."
* * *
"After nearly eight hours of searching, police have announced that teen Jounouchi Katsuya is no longer missing and never was, in fact. Apparently, the entire incident was a misunderstanding. Further details at eleven. And now for your weather eye forecast…"
Post whatevers: Next up: Pegasus x Seto x Otogi. As always, if you liked, please review. Ja!
