Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ A Shovel And Some Faith ❯ Chapter 6

Title: A Shovel And Some Faith - Chapter 6/10

Author: whosjeebus

Rating: NC-17

Pairing(s): Seto/Jou, other surprise pairings, threesome

Beta: Jennie B. (Makin' her way, the only way she knows how. But that's just a little bit more than the law will allow...)

Spoilers: Nun

Warnings: Read at your own risk. Seriously. This fic contains situations of a decidedly grotesque nature. If you get squicked, and STILL keep reading, don't blame me for your nightmares. I warned ya. I will say no more. **looks shifty-eyed**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and probably never will. Kazuki Takahashi will most likely take a hit out on me if he ever reads this fic.

Summary: Seto's kinks have steadily become more and more extreme, much to Jounouchi's dismay. Has he finally gone TOO far with his latest fetish?




~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 6:

(Saturday Night)

Seto felt what must have been a mildly stupid expression creep over his face as he stood in the doorway blinking at Detective Youko, his heart fluttering painfully in his chest with panic. He stared blankly, willing his mind to come up with something, anything, to say that would sound normal and convincing. His "fight or flight" stance had to be obvious to the police officer, and his guilt already weighed and catalogued by the inquisitive black eyes that were busy peering at him intently. "I'm a murderer! Take me to jail, please! Punish me, I deserve it!" echoed inside his head, but what came out was a smooth, "Of course, detective. Please come in. Can I offer you something to drink?" He backed off, gliding gracefully out of the way as Youko entered, taking the man's coat and hanging it by the door.

"Thanks, Mr. Kaiba, but I'm fine for now.. I really do apologize for the disturbance, but it's my job, you know." Youko gave a glaringly fake smile when Seto looked back at him. "Protect and serve and all that..." The smaller man trailed off, visibly withering under the scrutiny of two sharp, blue eyes. He was certainly being treated to more than his fair share of creepy characters today - it made him seriously consider asking for a raise. He blithely followed his host into a large sitting room, easing himself into the plush, overstuffed chair offered him with a tired groan. Kaiba himself sat opposite him, perched on the edge of an expensive looking divan, legs crossed elegantly at the knee. Youko squirmed uncomfortably, feeling dumpy and extremely out of place in such opulent surroundings. The kid was only sixteen years old and wearing a pair of jeans that had apparently seen better days; why did he feel like a bumbling oaf all of a sudden? After all, HE was the authority figure here, NOT this uppity, spoiled brat. It was time to assert his dominance and take back control of this situation. No matter how powerful this punk was, having money didn't put you above the law, and he was its duly appointed representative. Time to start the interrogation off with a -

"So what brings you here at this time of night, Detective? I DO hope it's nothing serious."

Dammit! The kid had the jump on him already. Time to lay the cards out on the table and see if the boy would flinch. "Well, Mr. Kaiba, it seems that a body was discovered near the boundaries of your estate earlier today, and I'm canvassing the area, checking to see if anyone saw or heard anything. It would have been between the hours of ten P.M. and twelve midnight by the medical examiner's estimate of the time of death. Did you or any of your staff notice anything unusual around that time?"

Seto leaned back slightly, steepling his fingers together and carefully schooling his features into a mask of horrified surprise. "Someone was murdered? This is dreadful news indeed. I'm afraid I can't be of any assistance in the matter, however. I had a long day yesterday, and retired early to catch up on some missing sleep. I've been very involved in a certain... project, lately, and haven't been getting the rest I normally require. I didn't hear a THING until my alarm clock went off this morning."

"What about any servants or employees who might have been in the mansion at that hour?"

"The only staff scheduled to on duty this weekend is my limousine driver, and he was long gone by ten o'clock. I'm truly sorry I couldn't be of any more help."

To Youko's ears, already burning with embarrassment as they were, that sounded suspiciously like a dismissal. They weren't quite done yet - not by a LONG shot. He needed to get his act together, and FAST. Why the hell was he so skewed today, anyway? Ever since he'd questioned that Mutou squirt, he'd felt fuzzy and off his game. Words had just spilled from his usually tight-lipped mouth, and he'd had an irresistible urge to tell the TRUTH of all things. This investigation was becoming odd, to say the least. Lost in worried contemplation, he hardly even noticed that Kaiba was speaking again.

" - the body was found?"

"Pardon? I was, uh, thinking over a, uh, new lead that might pan out. You were saying?"

"I asked where exactly was the body found, Detective?"

The small notebook made its reappearance as Youko flipped through the pages, scanning them idly. "Um. In a small field just over the demarcation line on the south side of your property, actually. Little kid was traipsing through the woods looking for her lost puppy when she found herself a nasty surprise instead. Happened about six this morning, according to her." Dammit! There he went, flapping his lips again! What the hell was going on?

Seto covered his lips with one hand to hide the slight smirk forming there. Looking for her lost puppy? He knew it was MORE than awful of him to be amused, but the bitter irony alone...

"You think that's funny, do ya? God Seto, you can be SUCH a jackass sometimes!"

Seto jumped at the sound of Jou's voice, coming from just behind his seat. He whirled around to find nothing other than an empty expanse of room and tall, darkened windows.He regained his composure to encounter the police officer gazing at him speculatively. Whatever points he might have gained with his carefully constructed, aloof demeanor had just been negated, he surmised.

"You know, Mr. Kaiba, " Youko drawled, consulting his notes once again, "The victim was a classmate of yours, I'm told. One Jounouchi Katsuya to be exact. Did you know him?"

Seto had a sudden flash of Jou on his knees in the bathtub, gazing up at him with liquid brown eyes, his heaving chest splattered with his own come, and his full lips wrapped tightly around Seto's cock. Seto rested his hand on the arm of the divan, fingers digging painfully into the upholstery as the precious air in his lungs was forced out in light gasps and pants.

"Mr. Kaiba? Are you alright?"

His voice came out grating and hoarse, but it was thankfully level as he answered, "Yes, I knew him. He was a fellow Duel Monsters competitor, and we had a few classes together at Domino High as well."

The detective nodded, scribbling quickly on his pad. He looked up as if a thought had just occurred to him, but Seto could easily tell when he was being manipulated. He'd already learned the steps of this dance well. "You'll forgive me for having to bring this up, but I gotta cover all the angles, you know?" Youko offered his false smile as he once again explained, "It's all part of the job. I'm uh, hearing from a number of sources that the two of you didn't exactly get along..."

"Is that a question, officer?"

The smile sharpened a bit at the edges. "Yeah, I guess it is."

As Seto leaned forward and pressed his fingertips against the ache beginning in his temples, he caught movement along the edge of his vision, accompanied by a brief flash of gold.

Jounouchi sauntered into the room then, pausing to stand casually behind Youko as he gazed down at the man thoughtfully. He ran one hand along the back of Youko's chair, a bored expression on his face. "This guy ain't the sharpest crayon in the box, Kaiba. If you can hang onto your cool for a little longer, I think you might just get away with it." He pinned Seto with a calculating gaze. "If you really and truly WANT to, that is."

Seto averted his eyes and asked dumbly, "Forgive me. What were we discussing again?"

Youko frowned. What exactly was going on here? The kid had gone pale as a sheet and couldn't seem to remember his own name all of a sudden. Was he on drugs? "You were explaining to me your "troubles" with the deceased..."

Jou wrinkled his nose. "The Deceased? Sounds so damned grim, doesn't it? Might be a good name for a Goth band, though. Call me Jou if you want, dude. I don't mind." He came around to the side of the detective's chair, kneeling down and laying his head against the large, rounded armrest. He smirked playfully at Seto. "Mr. Nosy here wants to know the whole sordid tale, Kaiba. Why dontcha go ahead and tell him? Start from the beginning, OK? I LOVE this story."

~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~

Jounouchi sat in Ms. Hughes' empty classroom, putting as much focus and conscious effort into appearing surly as he had ever demonstrated in a game of Duel Monsters. This just wasn't fucking FAIR. That asshole Kaiba had tripped HIM, not the other way around; why should HE get detention for it?

He'd only been minding his own business, carrying his tray over to join his friends for a nice, peaceful lunch. Well, maybe not peaceful, since Honda had already launched a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his general direction, but lunch nonetheless. Honestly, ducking had just been instinctive, although it didn't seem like Anzu was quite ready to forgive him for it. He understood, really he did. Potatoes were such a BITCH to get out of your hair -

And that was when Seto struck. He'd been unable to resist. The mutt just looked so CLUELESS, bobbing along with that sunny grin plastered to his face, wholly oblivious to the world around him. Just picturing Jounouchi sprawled out on the floor, angry and embarrassed, gave him a warm tingle inside. He studiously ignored the voice in the back of his mind that suggested he was doing it all for the puppy's ATTENTION. The notion was simply TOO ridiculous by far. He casually stuck his foot out in front of Jou as the smaller boy passed his table, yanking it back swiftly as the blond and his would-be lunch both went flying.

"Kaiba Seto! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Ms. Hughes hurried over, scolding the CEO as she approached. She helped a fuming Jounouchi back up onto his feet as the rest of the school cafeteria roared with laughter. "Katsuya, are you alright? Do you need to see the nurse?"

"No, but Moneybags here is about to be in a world of hurt!" He lunged at Kaiba, pulling back sharply as the diminutive teacher inserted herself between the two feuding teens. "Outta my way, Teach! I'm gonna rip his balls off and feed 'em to him!"

The teacher grabbed Jounouchi by the ear and forcibly dragged the flailing boy away from his intended target. "Language, Katsuya! I have just about HAD it with the two of you and your endless bickering and brawling! Mr. Kaiba, you have NO cause to look so smug, young man. You and Mr. Jounouchi will BOTH report to my classroom after school to serve detention." Kaiba opened his mouth to protest, but Ms. Hughes held up her hand, stopping the indignant flow of words. "I'll see to it that the two of you manage to get along even if it's the last thing I do! Katsuya, stop growling and go get yourself another tray. I'd better not see you even so much as LOOK in this direction again until lunch is over. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Mr. Kaiba, I suggest you return your attention back to your own lunch. I'll be keeping my eyes on you both, and I'd better not see any further foolish pranks out of either of you." Ms. Hughes padded off, her ample hips swinging under her loud, flower print dress. The two teenagers shot each other matching "if looks could kill" glares before finally resuming their previous activities.

So here he sat, detention well under way and that bastard Kaiba hadn't even bothered to show up for it. Ms. Hughes had already gone off in search of her errant student, but he didn't find it likely that anyone would bother much with the pursuit of Domino High's Golden Boy. It looked like Jounouchi Katsuya was going to be the only one left hanging out to dry as usual. He plunked his head down on his desk with a loud thunk, allowing a dramatic sigh escape his lips. It was SO not fair...

The classroom door opened and then closed behind him and he saw a black and white blur seat itself at the desk on his right. "Well, well. Look who finally decided to make an appearance. It ain't punishment if it's done on your OWN time, shithead." Jounouchi lifted his head and snarled at the boy next to him, "Go sit somewhere else, you big prick; I don't want to have to look at your smug face - I might be too tempted to smash it in."

"You could TRY it, Mutt, but then you'd just earn yourself a quick trip to the emergency room. Besides, this is where I always sit in Ms. Hughes class. Why don't YOU move somewhere else so I don't have to smell you?"

"Make me."

"Why are you making this so difficult? Does that seat have your name on it? You should just - " he broke off as Jou smiled smugly and pointed down at the surface of the desk. Seto glanced over to read the words "Jounouchi Rulez" carved into the wood. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I would think that destruction of school property ought to be enough to earn you a few more detentions, don't you?"

Jounouchi leapt to his feet, sending his chair crashing to the floor. "You'd seriously rat me out, you selfish bastard? You're UNBELIEVABLE! I KNEW you were an uptight ass, but this is above and beyond petty! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually enjoy - "

Seto tuned out the rest of Jou's loud tirade, focusing instead on watching the other boy's features contort with fury. His forehead was lighty sheened with sweat, his face flushed and his brown eyes spitting fire enough to consume them both as his mouth worked furiously. He imagined that this must be what Jounouchi looked like during sex, all instinctive reaction and unrestrained passion. That thought brought with it an undeniable rush of desire that traveled straight to Seto's groin. He imagined that face under him, gasping and panting as its owner writhed in ecstasy; that delicious body wrapped around his aching erection, tight and hot and too GOOD for words. This last mental image drove him to his feet, and he advanced on Jounouchi with obvious intent.

Jou broke off as Kaiba suddenly stood up, coming toward him with a strange look in his eye. Maybe he'd finally gone too far with that "dickless wonder" comment? He backpedaled swiftly, tripping repeatedly over his own feet and various other obstructions as he maneuvered awkwardly around the classroom in reverse. He wasn't frightened exactly, but that LOOK was giving him goosebumps all over. He came up hard against the chalkboard at the front of the room, allowing an embarrassing squeak past his lips when he realized he was cornered. It seemed that Kaiba might very well eat him alive, and WHY oh why did that thought suddenly seem so appealing?

Seto brought his mouth down on Jou's and ruthlessly plunged his tongue deep into warm wetness, demanding and receiving complete submission from his prey. He smirked as Jou brought his hands up and fisted them tightly in Seto's shirt, head tilted at an angle and moaning faintly in his throat. He ran his tongue lightly over Jou's lower lip, before biting down gently at first, then with more pressure. The moan became a high-pitched keening sound, and Seto turned his attention on the blond's throat as he reached down with both hands to cup that invitingly firm, rounded bottom. He thought for a moment that he heard a faint click from behind them, but when no one made their presence known, he returned to his task of driving Jounouchi wild with desire. It was a rewarding endeavour, indeed.

Gloria Hughes marched back down the hallway in a full-blown snit. She'd been all over the school, inside AND out, finding no trace of the elusive Kaiba Seto. The insolent limo driver out front assured her that his employer was still in the building, and had only stepped out for a moment earlier in order to make a few business phone calls. She was repeatedly assured that Mr. Kaiba had every intention of serving his assigned detention. She was more inclined to add another day or two to his punishment than forgive his tardiness, no matter HOW good his excuse may be. She was determined to make Kaiba sit down with Jounouchi and force them to work out their differences amicably. After all, she hadn't minored in psychology for NOTHING. Inwardly fuming, she flung open the door to her classroom, not really seeing anything before her until she was already three steps in and on the way to her desk. All those two boys needed was someone to point out that --

She froze, bringing a hand up to cover the sound of her shocked gasp. On the opposite side of the room, up against the chalkboard with today's geography assignment still evident, were Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiba Seto, KISSING. Well, necking to be more precise, but she didn't think any of the kids called it "necking" anymore. She almost intervened, believing that there was NO way under heaven that this activity could possibly be consentual, when Jounouchi spoke up in a mildly strangled voice, "Oh GOD, yeah. Right there - oh holy SHIT, Kaiba! That feels GOOD..."

She quickly turned and started creeping quietly back the way she had come. Unable to get the image out of her mind, and desiring a cigarette rather badly, she exited the room with the utmost care, feeling fairly certain that her interference in the situation was no longer required.

Jou broke away from the kiss first, panting heavily and firmly shoving Kaiba away by pushing against his unmoving chest. "Did you hear something?"

"Nothing but your whimpering, Mutt. I was simply waiting for you to wag your tail and start begging."

"What the FUCK?! You shove your tongue halfway down my throat and you STILL can't manage a civil word?"

"Wanting to fuck you doesn't require talking. I'm not yet entirely convinced that it would be worth the effort." Seto raised his eyebrows and leered down at Jou. "Care to take a trip to the nearest hotel and try to 'persuade' me?"

Jou's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What is this?" he whispered, waving a hand between their bodies.

"This?" Seto slipped his arms back around the blond, and felt the smaller boy's body shiver almost involuntarily as it pressed back against his own. "It's called 'mutual attraction', Puppy. I'm surprised you haven't noticed it before now; but then again, you really aren't the most self-aware... person, I've ever met."

Jou sighed. He supposed that being referred to as a person was a step in the right direction. Maybe he should give this mutual attraction or whatever it was a chance. It certainly FELT good enough, and he'd always been one to follow his feelings, for good or ill. Of the half dozen or so times he'd had sex with Mai before she left to go overseas, he'd never become quite as excited as he'd been just KISSING Kaiba. This was most definitely worth investigating further. Who knew? It just might be the start of a beautiful relationship. He snorted aloud at his own thoughts as Kaiba made a point of checking his watch and tapping his foot impatiently

"Well, what's your answer, Inu? Should we go back to our usual, inane arguments - which, might I point out, I ALWAYS win - or should we take this somewhere more private?"

Jou stomped his foot in frustration at being called a dog yet again. Kaiba was backsliding already and that didn't bode well at all. "I'm game for it if you are, Moneybags. Hey, you're not into any weird kinky shit, are you?"

Seto grabbed the collar of Jounouchi's jacket and dragged him out the door and down the darkened hallway toward the exit. "That depends. How flexible are you?"

~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~

"Brings back memories don't it? I can tell you're thinkin' about it! You've got that faraway look in your eyes, Kaiba. Makes you seem almost human..." said Jou wistfully.

"Mr. Kaiba? Can you hear me?"

Youko snapped his fingers loudly and Seto pulled his gaze away from Jou's face long enough to smile blandly at the detective. His eyes continued darting back and forth and he knew he probably looked unsettled to say the least. Pulling himself back together was top priority if he was going to avoid a breakdown under Youko's watchful gaze.

"You zoned out on me there for a minute or two. Are you sure everything's alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. I was simply...remembering something." Youko appeared interested, his pen poised over paper as he shuffled forward in his chair. "Nothing helpful I'm afraid; it's just that Jounouchi and I had something of a rivalry going on - "

"And ain't THAT the understatement of the century!" Jou interjected, laughing uproariously.

"Although it was a bit one-sided, as I never really considered Jounouchi to be much competition in the first place."

Jou clutched at his chest and feigned hurt as he fell to the floor. "Seto, I'm wounded! Really I am! Haven't you ever heard it's impolite to speak ill of the dead?"

Youko nodded as he wrote, the tip of his tongue jutting out from between his teeth. "Would you care to explain that please?"

Seto spoke directly to his lover, eyes never breaking contact as he spoke deliberately, "He simply wasn't in my league, Detective. He seemed to have made it his mission in life to defeat me in the game of Duel Monsters, and he harassed me constantly. If you were to ask my honest opinion, I'd say that Jounouchi had ISSUES."

Sitting up abruptly, Jou pointed an accusing finger in Seto's direction. "Oh, that's RICH, comin' from YOU! After I'm done laughin' at that, I'm gonna go arrange a little meetin' between a kettle and a pot, just for you. You're just pissed that it was always easier for me to hide how fucked up I was. It's general public knowledge that you're a freakin' nutjob. Probably just KILLS you that I was better at something than you were."

Seto allowed a small smirk some freedom to briefly play about his lips as he continued, "I generally tried to ignore his little "outbursts" as best as I could, but I must admit, I was provoked beyond my limits a number of times."

Jou made a strangled sound that might have been an indignant snort. "Oh, don't give me that. Half the time YOU were the one who started it, you ass. You always DID like gettin' a rise out of me - one way or another."

Seto's expression turned serious as he regarded Youko once more. "Of course, this is nothing that any member of the administration at Domino High School couldn't tell you, as well as any of Jounouchi's little gang of friends."

The detective snapped his notebook shut with a finality that made Seto's heart and stomach give a hopeful lurch. "So I guess it's safe to say that the two of you hardly knew each other?"

Jounouchi sighed deeply, rolling over to stare up at the ornate ceiling. "I'm beginning to think so. 'Course, it's a bit late to be comin' to that realization..."

Seto stood and walked over to the nearest window, gazing out blindly into the darkness. He stretched out an arm and ran his fingertips across glass that was cool to the touch, taking his time and thinking carefully about his answer. "Jounouchi and I ran in the same circles for a short time, but to say I KNEW him?" He paused, sensing Jou come up behind him. He looked around slightly to meet sad brown eyes peering up at him just over the line of his shoulder. He'd only made passing acquaintance with the truth so far this night; perhaps now was an opportunity for honesty. "No, I wouldn't say that I knew him at all," he murmured softly. Jounouchi nodded, as if this was no more than he had expected, and turned to walk away. Seto was possessed by a sudden, inexplicable urge to lash out at his lover. For what offense, he couldn't quite say. He stalked across the room and crossed his arms over his chest, pointedly not looking in Jou's direction. "Don't misunderstand me, Detective. Even if we weren't FRIENDS per se, I DO mourn the passing of a classmate and fellow Duel Monsters enthusiast. If he'd had more potential, perhaps we would have been closer."

Jounouchi had no response to this, but Seto took a small measure of satisfaction in the hurt that flashed briefly over that expressive face. He moved to loom over the seated detective, thrusting his hand out to shake Youko's own in an unmistakable gesture of dismissal. "Give my regards to Jounouchi's family if you would please, Detective."

Youko rose, gripping Kaiba's hand and giving it a firm pump on the way up. He once again fought the urge to spill more information than necessary, but to no avail. Snorting loudly, he made his disregard for that statement known, "Not much of a family there to speak of. His little boyfriend was all torn up about it, though."

Seto froze. "Boyfriend?" He glared over at Jou, who only met his gaze impassively.

The detective stood to one side, nodding absently. "Yeah. Spiky-haired dude, red eyes, lots of S and M accessories. You probably know him from school or something."

Jealous rage swept over him in a red tide as he fought for control harder than he had since the policeman's unexpected arrival at his door. Seto closed his eyes and grated out one word. "Yami."

"Hmm...yeah. Something like that, anyway. Pretty scary for such a small guy. He and his grandpa were the ones who got the privilege of viewing the stiff, and the kid didn't take it so well. I kind of got the impression that the two of them were butt-buddies, if you catch my drift."

Seto couldn't think. His mind was such a chaotic swirl of grief, anger, and confusion that he didn't trust himself to move or speak. He opened his eyes and turned them on Jounouchi, imploring him for an answer, a comment, hell, any response at ALL, but the blond refused to even look at him. Was that all the answer he needed? With Youko standing there, observing every reaction, he had no choice but to accept Jou's silence and try to make it through the next few minutes with his sanity and, equally important, his freedom intact. A thousand questions blazed in his mind, and he dreaded the answers to each and every one. Could this possibly be why Jounouchi was so adamant about his little group not finding out their "secret?" He discarded the notion, realizing that he himself had made the same stipulation about concealing their relationship from Mokuba and the rest of the outside world. It was obvious that Jou had been ashamed of the things they did together, and was desperately afraid of an unfavorable reaction from his gaggle of self-righteous friends. But was that all there was to it?

Seto belatedly realized that Youko was standing in the entryway, giving him the once-over yet again. The brunet forced a business-like smile onto his face and escorted his "guest" out the front door. "I apologize for being so scattered tonight, Detective. It's been a trying day and I've been afflicted with a dreadful headache as of late."

A muttered, "I KNOW you're not talking about ME, Moneybags," drifted to his ears from the adjacent room.

Seto handed the man his coat and did everything short of making "shoo-ing" motions with his hands. "If we're done here, then I'll just say good-bye, and wish you good luck with your investigation. I think it's more than past time for me to retire."

Youko stammered a bit, scouring his mind and notepad for any further questions he might have, but coming up empty. "Of course, and thank you for your time Mr. Kaiba. I'm sorry to have disturbed you so late at - " The massive double doors had already swung closed, and he was left to show himself off the property. " - night." He shrugged and wrapped his coat tighter around him. He'd come up against yet another dead end in this investigation, and he was running out of options. The boy's useless drunk of a father had given him no useful information - indeed, the man seemed to hardly care that he'd lost his only son - and the mother and sister lived out of the country. They didn't know any good or current facts regarding Jounouchi, his friends, OR his habits. This kid was like a ghost; leaving behind impressions on everyone he encountered, but nothing of real substance that Youko could follow through on. He prided himself on his knack for getting inside the victim's head, but THIS particular kid's life was one hard nut to crack. Consulting his battered notebook, he saw that Jounouchi's funeral was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. He scanned down the list he had painstakingly assembled, and two names leapt out at him - Hiroto and Mazaki. He'd make a point to corner them after the mausoleum service and see if they knew anything that might be helpful. If those two could offer him nothing concrete, he might just have to file this one under "unsolved". God, how he hated that. Open cases made him look bad, and he could REALLY use a promotion.

Youko stepped off the front porch and gazed upward at the massive stone edifice of the Kaiba mansion. Speaking of hard nuts to crack... He fervently hoped he never had cause to venture out to THESE ritzy digs again. He'd always heard that the excessively rich were prone to odd behaviour, but before tonight he'd never had the opportunity to test that theory. Kaiba Seto was one odd bird for certain, but that didn't necessarily mean he ever wanted to find himself on the kid's bad side. He briefly wondered whether he'd done something to offend the powerful businessman; the guy had just seemed to shut down at several points during the interrogation, and thinking back on it, he'd looked pretty damned PISSED there at the end. Wracking his brain, he wondered if it might have been the "butt-buddies" comment that had set him off. Kaiba was seen out in public often enough with a variety of stunning women on his arm, but in Youko's opinion, anyone who dressed as strangely as the teenaged CEO just HAD to be a little fruity.

His ears perked up as he heard the commotion of a voice raised in anger coming from inside the mansion. What the hell? That punk had claimed to be home alone! Scrambling over an enormous hedge, Youko made his way over to a large, brightly lit window. After a moment, he realized he was looking directly into the sitting room where he'd been speaking with Kaiba just previously. Youko could see the tall figure pacing back and forth across the carpet, eating up large amounts of floor with his long, purposeful strides. Kaiba threw his arms up in the air repeatedly as he shouted out garbled strings of furious words, occasionally pausing as if waiting for a response to his ranting. From his vantage point, Youko could see the room in its entirety, and he made the simple deduction that Kaiba had spoken the truth - he was indeed alone. As the brunet resumed his loud diatribe, the detective brushed at his clothing and shook his head in bewilderment. He started down the long drive with the realization that he was leaving with more questions unasked than answered. Odd didn't even BEGIN to cover it...

~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~

Seto closed the front door, unable to hold back his relieved sigh any longer. That was one hurdle he was inordinately glad to have behind him. He knew he had come off as a bit strange, maybe even downright loopy, but if his answers kept the police off his doorstep from this point on, he wouldn't quibble over one detective's poor opinion of him. Right now, he had OTHER problems to deal with. He made his way back to the sitting room to find his erstwhile visitor waiting patiently, reclined and seemingly relaxed on the comfortable divan. He easily summoned up his earlier fury, his anger somewhat tempered this time by a surge of fondness and lust brought on by the picture painted before him.

Jounouchi crossed his legs at the ankle and smiled beatifically up at Seto as he entered the room. "I'm pretty disappointed in that Youko guy, you know. Although it's not like there's a single detective in Domino City that could successfully match wits with the great Kaiba Seto. So, good news, Brainiac - unless you screw up royally, I'd say you're home free! And yes, before you try and deny it, you DO screw up on occasion. Just look at me! I'm one great big shining example of - "

"Were you and Yami fucking?"

"Say wha'?"

Seto ground his teeth together, precisely enunciating each word and struggling to hold the worst of his temper in check. "I'll use small words and speak slowly, so you'll understand this time. You and Yami. Fucking." Seto's voice increased in volume as he hurled the accusation at his lover. He paced back and forth in front of the tall row of windows, unable to keep still any longer. He knew he was losing it, but even the very THOUGHT of the pharaoh and HIS puppy... "Did that sanctimonious BASTARD ever stick his DICK up your ASS, and did you LET him?"

Jou blinked at him, several progressive stages of annoyance and anger parading across his face in rapid succession. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response! God! I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but YOU are UNBELIEVABLE!"

"That's not an answer, Katsuya."

"You know what? I actually came here today to warn you, you insufferable PRICK, but now you can just fucking FORGET IT!"

Jou turned to go, but halted when Seto swallowed his rage long enough to lower his voice. Slightly."Wait. Explain yourself. Warn me about WHAT?"

"Say please."

Seto balked. "You're not serious."

Jou stomped his foot and hovered deliberately just inside the doorway. "Say PLEASE, dammit! It's not that hard! I swear to God, I'm walking out the door right this minute if you don't - "

"PLEASE tell me what you came here to warn me about, Jounouchi." Seto bared his teeth in what only a blind man might actually mistake for a smile. "If it's not TOO much trouble, that is."

Jou sniffed, tilting his nose up and shooting the brunet a superior smirk. "That's better." His expression became grim, and it seemed as though he wanted to approach Seto, but some unseen force held him back. "Look. I know what you're plannin', and I know better than to try and talk you out of it - that never worked before so I won't even go down THAT particular path. Instead, I've got a message for you. Whatever you do, just be sure you're not confusin' love with obsession." He gave a bitter half-laugh at his own ironic statement. "Like you even know the meaning of the word. Anyway, it's important to remember. Got it?"

Seto had countless other questions, not just ones relating to Jou's cryptic admonition, but he was bone-weary, frustrated, and simply too numb to ask them. Jou seemed to pick up on this, and he opened his mouth to say something just before rounding the corner. As he started to speak, Seto observed a change come over the blond's pale visage. It was an expression that Jounouchi had worn far too often - he wore it when he had been knocked over and hurt, and still managed to stagger to his feet and pretend that nothing was wrong. He wore it now, as the words died on his lips and he shuttered his face determinedly. The smaller boy turned his back one final time. "Good luck, Seto. See you in hell." When he stepped into shadow once more, Seto knew he was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~

tbc