Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Behind Blue Eyes ❯ Day Five: Silent Suicide ( Chapter 17 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: kiokukaiba 
Jou takes it upon himself to snoop through Seto's drawers while the brunet showers. The result? The discovery of something dangerous.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 07.02.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 562 | Status: Work In Progress
Jou takes it upon himself to snoop through Seto's drawers while the brunet showers. The result? The discovery of something dangerous.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 07.02.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 562 | Status: Work In Progress
Behind Blue Eyes
- - -
Recap:
“Come in, Mr. Jounouchi, and please explain to me what is going on!”
I jumped in, not worried about buckling the seatbelt. Seto was the only thing that mattered to me at that very instant. Surely Mokuba would know something about Saki’s whereabouts. If not, I would turn the whole mansion upside down in search of clues.
I couldn’t lose Seto to Saki so easily.
I wouldn’t.
- - -
“Are you sure, mister Jounouchi?”
After I rushed an explanation of the current situation to Isono, he shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m positive.” I assured him.
“I don’t know, sir. There have been countless attempts to either murder or abduct Mr. Kaiba, and never in my years in his service has anyone even come close to succeeding.” His eyes, which normally were hidden by dark sunglasses, remained on the road.
“Well none of those guys were like Saki.” I wondered if it was alright for me to say that. Seto probably never mentioned his former love to anyone, let alone a simple. . . assistant? Employee? What exactly is Isono’s job title?
“Did you just say Saki?” His eyes flickered to me for a moment before returning forward. So he knew who Saki was?
“You mean you know?” I asked, astonished. “Seto. . . er, Kaiba told me that he doesn’t talk to anyone about it.”
“That’s true, he doesn’t. I learned about it during the Battle City tournament.” He paused to sigh and then continued, his voice lacking its usual liveliness, “I’m sure you remember that the tower was built on an island. Well, that island used to be a military base.” I was a little shocked to learn that, but didn’t dare to interrupt him. “Kaiba Corporation originally was a militant company that made its billions. As the head of such an organization, Kaiba Gozaburo was very harsh and demanding, especially on the child that was to be his heir.” Isono hesitated, not sure exactly how much he should tell me, “I guess that the event with Noa and then the return to that island-”
“Return?” I couldn’t help but interrupt now. Isono was telling much more than Seto.
“Well yes, Mr. Kaiba had been there before. The very last time he was there. . .” We were now pulling up to a large iron gate. “The point is, Mr. Kaiba told me many things during that time, including his memories of Saki.”
“He told you everything that happened between them?” Seto confided in someone like Isono?
“I don’t know if it was everything, sir, but he told me quite a bit. I stayed with him until one or two in the morning, just to give him someone to vent to.” He smiled a sad kind of smile, “But you know, he didn’t shed a single tear, not even once. He’s a tough kid. Maybe. . . maybe a little too tough.”
So he had never cried around Isono. Why was he so comfortable around me? I mean, it didn’t bother me, but there must be some reason that he felt he could cry in front of me. Seto had insisted it was because of a change in medication, however I suspected that there were other factors.
“He’s not as tough as you think, Isono.”
“Oh, but he is, Mr. Jounouchi! All of the things he went through for the duration of what ought to have been his childhood. . . Mr. Kaiba could cry a lake of tears and still remain the strongest young man I know.”
The car came to a screeching halt just before a towering mansion. So this was the Kaiba residence. You would think that with the many times that my friends and I helped Mokuba and Seto out, they would at least invite us over or something, but no, it was my very first time seeing the place.
Seto. . . there was no time to marvel at his vast abode. With great haste I muttered my thanks to Isono and scrambled from the limousine. The large oak doors were locked, but I wouldn’t let that stop me. There was only one option I could come up with. Using every ounce of strength in my body, I pounded on the doors with closed fists until I was sure that my hands would be bruised.
As I stopped to shake my hands out, I could hear the latch of the larger-than-necessary doors click. The sound occurred slowly, as though with great caution, and yet the door sprang open with impressive speed.
“Mokuba!” I called out, not willing to waste any more time than I already had. . . but as my mind became more focused, I realized I was face-to-face with a handgun.
“Come any closer and I’ll blow your fucking hea- Jounouchi?” Though he had seen that it was me, the gun remained level with the space between my eyes.
Normally I would have asked ‘are you gonna get that out of my face?’ but then again, I normally have the ability to speak. I was frozen with either shock or fear or both. Hey, you’d be scared shitless too if you were greeted by a loaded handgun. . . was it loaded?
Perhaps the most shocking thing, though, was the one that wielded the weapon. Milk chocolate hair and shimmering sapphire eyes. . . none other than the object of my searching, Kaiba Seto.
“Sorry.” Seto muttered, not truly sincere, lowering the weapon and stepping aside. He sat the gun in a drawer in a small table beside the doors, “Come on in.”
I was able to finally shake off the paralysis, “What the fuck do you mean ‘come on in’?! I was worried as hell about you!”
Isono came running when he heard my yelling, but only let out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw that there was no danger. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him returning a gun to a pocket inside his suit jacket. This was quickly turning into a James Bond movie, and I didn’t appreciate being in the middle of it.
Seto blushed and turned his head to stare off at nothing, “I didn’t want to just disappear like that, but there were more important matters at hand.”
“So you weren’t kidnaped?”
“What?” He looked surprised as his attention returned to me, “Have you ever known me to get kidnaped, Jounouchi?”
“Well, no. . . but the woman said that you left with a black-haired person, and so I thought that-”
“Black hair?” He seemed puzzled for a moment before snickering, “Mokuba, come here!”
The runt stepped out from behind his much more handsome older brother after a short while, “Yeah, Seto? Oh, hey Jou!”
Black. Hair. I closed my eyes and fumed in silence.
“Are you alright, Jou?” Mokuba’s voice was anything but comforting in such a situation.
I opened my eyes again, “Well, I’m a bit angry for having got so worried for no reason, but at the same time I am relieved to discover that the one with black hair was you and not Saki.”
I caught Seto’s eyes immediately after I said that. They were darker than they had been a moment before and had narrowed significantly since I first caught sight of them. His lips were pressed tightly together, turning his mouth into a thin, flat line. Apparently I shouldn’t have mentioned Saki in front of Mokuba.
I studied Mokuba to see what reaction, if any, had occurred. The young teen looked up at his older brother, a mixed expression of worry and anger glazed over his dark violet eyes.
“Saki?” Mokuba asked, a slight edge to his tone, “Saki has been around again and you didn’t even tell me?” The raven-haired brother tugged on the brunet’s sleeve, “Listen to me when I talk to you, Seto! Don’t ignore me!”
The elder Kaiba only gave him a blank look. There was a second of stillness, a brief staring contest between the two stubborn brothers. It was then that I was finally able to see the similarities between them. Their eyes were the same in the manner in which they glared. Of course, Mokuba’s eyes, even when narrowed, were large and innocent and not nearly as intimidating as Seto’s wild blues, but perhaps Mokuba’s eyes resembled how Seto’s eyes once were when he was a young child.
That reminds me! This was the perfect opportunity to see a photo of little Seto and possibly even Seto’s real parents. I’m sure rich-boy wouldn’t mind me changing the topic. I cleared my throat loudly in order to get his attention, but I felt very small when both sets of eyes fell upon me. The patented Kaiba glare times one and a half (Mokuba wasn’t quite a double).
“What?” Mokuba demanded in the haughty tone that he had recently acquired.
“Kaiba,” I began, trying to ignore Mokuba for the time being, “Since we’re at your house, you think I could see some pictures?” Looking back on my question, I could see quite clearly that it was very random and completely out of the blue.
“What pictures?” He asked, a slight pause between his words, reflecting his uncertainty.
“Pictures of you when you were a little kid, or maybe some photos of your real parents.” It seemed like a reasonable request to me, but apparently it wasn’t.
Shoving Mokuba roughly into the house, Seto stepped outside and slammed the door shut behind him. My eyes couldn’t have been wider when I saw the infuriated look on his face. “Look, you little bastard, I know you’re pissed that I took off at the mall, but I didn’t think that you would be the type to fight dirty. This is exactly why I never tell anyone anything!”
“Woah, woah! I didn’t mean to-”
“Don’t fucking interrupt me!”
“Oh shut up! I’m sick of hearing you bitch!” Again, I regretted even opening my mouth, but he did get quiet immediately, which was, I suppose, a good thing. “Just listen for a second before jumping down my throat, okay?” I sighed and suddenly he didn’t seem so angry anymore.
There was a long stretch of nothing but the sounds of leaves against the wind. “I’m listening.” Came the reply I seemed to be waiting for, and his voice was the calm tenor that I had grown to love.
I gave him a kind of apologetic smile for snapping at him before, “I didn’t think that it would upset you if I asked to see some photos. I was only curious, and nothing more.” He had turned his face away from me, but he turned it back when I caressed his cheek with the back of my fingers. He really did have the softest skin, and it made me very happy that he let me touch him. Seto’s eyes became half-lidded and his attention was in the direction opposite of my affectionate hand.
“Why do you do that?” Even as he asked me, his eyes remained elsewhere. Was he embarrassed?
“Why do I do what?” Touch your face?” I pulled my hand away for fear that I was making him uncomfortable.
“No!” His attention was back on me, blue eyes wide with some sort of. . . surprise?
I stepped back a bit, not expecting such an abrupt reaction.
Upon realizing his own outburst, Seto turned away and repeated himself, this time in a hushed whisper, “No. . .”
A catcall whistle interrupted our moment. I was a little irritated, but Seto was blushing furiously. “It’s not like that, Mokuba!” He yelled, turning quickly to the left (my right), apparently knowing the source of the perverted noise. Following suit, I faced in the same direction, only to catch a glimpse of scruffy black hair retreating back into an open window.
Seto swung open the front door and ran, yes ran, inside. This sudden action was followed shortly by a playful scream from Mokuba and a “You little brat!” From Seto. I crept inside, though they likely wouldn’t have even heard me if I had stomped in, and shut their front door (the one that Seto had opened).
The older Kaiba had pinned the younger Kaiba to a very nice area rug that was spread over fine ceramic tile. Mokuba began to crack up laughing, kicking his legs and flailing his arms while my favorite brunet fought to hold him down. Seto was smiling while pretending to scold his thirteen year old sibling.
“You’re not really angry?” Mokuba questioned with full sincerity. All movement ceased, but Seto kept him down. “You’re smiling.” The runt pointed out.
Seto reached up to cover his mouth as though he had just released confidential information.
I made my way toward them, “He smiles a lot lately.” I stopped within three feet of the two. Seto stood up, offering his hand to Mokuba, who took it without hesitation.
“It’s because he has you, Jou.” Mokuba grinned from ear to ear, jabbing his elbow playfully into the CEO’s side.
“It is not!” Seto growled, his cheeks red as cherries. . . hm. . . cherries on Seto. . . yum! The blush faded with some extra effort on his part, “I’m smiling because. . . because I’m-”
“In love with Jounouchi!” The young teen squealed, running up the stairs with wild speed.
Seto sighed and shook his head, obviously not willing to chase after him, “Well then, shall we go up?” He put his right foot on the first step, his hand on the fancy wooden rail. “You wanted to see some pictures, right?” He glanced over his shoulder at me, a sad smile playing on his lips now.
“Yes, I do.” I came up close behind him, the urge to hug him eating at me, but he began the journey upward before I could make my move. I somewhat wondered if he knew my intentions. . . then decided that he probably didn’t.
The stairs beneath my feet creaked a lot and I happened to stop and glance down at them at one point.
Seto continued the climb, not once faltering in his steps, “This house is really old. It’s been in the Kaiba family for a long time.”
The Kaiba family. . . so he still didn’t claim the family as his own. “Oh.” I acknowledged, not curious enough to discuss the matter further. . . for now, at least.
I felt almost as though I was in a horror movie, walking through a haunted mansion during the day before facing horrible things at night. . . does that make any sense at all? It was clearly an older mansion, and Seto only confirmed my suspicions when he said that that was the case. It was, however, well maintained. The carpet was very clean, if not brand new and the paint was fresh in color. The ridiculously long hallways smelled faintly of lavender. Doors lined the walls on either side, some open and some closed. For the most part, the rooms looked the same, like in a hotel or, in this case, a fancy resort. Occasionally there was a break in the walling where another hallway crossed the one we were currently traveling on, but other than that, it reminded me of. . .
“Hey Seto?” I did a short jog to catch up and walk beside him.
“Yeah?” He asked, though he didn’t seem to be paying much attention.
“Have you ever seen a movie called The Shining?” I grinned at him, only to stop abruptly when I got slapped on the back of my head. “Hey, what was that for?!”
“You’re a doofus.” His lips were pursed together and I could tell that he was trying to keep from smiling or laughing, “My house doesn’t look like the hotel from The Shining.”
“But is it haunted?” I continued, actually half-serious this time.
Seto stopped, rubbing at his chin with his right hand and looking darkly down at me, “Hmm. . . I wonder. . .” With a smirk, he began to walk again.
I kept my mouth, wondering if this place really was haunted.
- - -
The entrance to the master bedroom was more than obvious. Two large dark-wood doors adorned with intricately-shaped golden handles. Seto made a point to open them, probably so I wouldn’t touch the gold, and led the way in.
The only word that came to my mouth was “Wow” which caused Seto to smirk with pride. His bedroom was absolutely huge! The walls were royal blue, reminding me of his beautiful eyes, and the trim was the most pristine white I had ever seen. The ceiling was an ivory tray ceiling with a wonderfully-designed fan that hang down in the middle. There was a sitting area that came off of the main room with no wall to separate the two. He had a small table beneath the window and two large sitting chairs on either side. Bookshelves lined one of the walls in that section. The bathroom, which I could already see was needlessly large, was to the left of his bed. The bed was probably the key point of the entire space. Dark brown, polished wood with large bedposts on each corner of the headboard and footboard. The canopy was a slightly lighter blue than the walls and trailed down at all four corners, wear it tapered off as a sort of mesh-like material. . . it was beautiful, and I could only fantasize at how picture-perfect Seto would look while he slept within it’s depths.
Blue. The sheets and comforter were blue. The pillowcases were blue. It reminded me of the ocean, or the night sky. . . but most of all, his eyes. . . his magnificent blue eyes. They say that eyes are the window to the soul. I’ve read somewhere before that different colors and shades of eyes are supposed to represent different personalities. Green for anger, brown for innocence. . . isn’t that how it went? But what about blue? What is the meaning behind blue eyes?
“Alright, I’m going to lay down and you’re gonna screw me.”
I nearly slapped myself. Did he just say what I thought he said? I looked at him, wide-eyed with my jaw to the floor.
“Yeah, I knew that would get your attention, you fucking pervert.” Though he sounded angry, he smiled and shook his head like a disappointed parent. “This is it. This is my room. Nothing special, eh?”
“It’s awesome!” I chimed, grinning as usual. It’s all that I could think to do anymore. “I wish that I had a room like this!” Again I gazed at my new surroundings as though to prove my sincerity.
Mokuba’s head popped into the doorway, startling me a bit. “Alright Seto, I’m going now!” He said this in a very loud tone, like we couldn’t hear him from the ten feet that came between us. “I’ll see you when you come home!”
The fine-assed (ooh, that’s a nice new adjective) brunet moseyed on over, bending slightly and ruffling Mokuba’s hair, “Alright. Take care of yourself and have fun, okay? And don’t forget to e-mail me and call me at least once every day.” He gave a short glance back at me, so short that I wasn’t even sure he had meant to do it, and then planted a tiny little kiss on Mokuba’s forehead. . .
. . . I must admit, I felt a pang of jealousy.
Mokuba hugged him tightly around the waist and bounded away, a duffle bag hanging from each shoulder.
“Where is he going?” I finally had the common sense to ask.
“He’s going to stay at the house of one of my closest employees. There are children his age there that he plays with. . . or hangs out with. . . at school, and he will be safer from Saki there.” Again, that same sad expression came over him, and it hurt me just to see the pain on his face. “I wouldn’t put anything past him at this point.” He stared off toward his window for a moment, but I believe that he was looking off into eternity rather out into his. . . yard? “But there’s no point in pondering over him, right? We were going clubbing!” Was that excitement in his voice so suddenly? Was that a grin on his face? Surely not. . . not the ice prince Kaiba Seto.
“Well, we were, but. . . I don’t have an outfit, remember?”
“You can borrow some of my clothes.” Seto yanked open two small double doors, to reveal and unbelievably large walk-in closet. “I think I have something similar to the one in the store. The pants will be a little long on you, but it shouldn’t be bad enough to cause problems.”
He returned to stand in front of me with a near-replica of the entire outfit he had picked out at that store in the mall. . . and he had a blue one just like it for himself. We were going to go matching? That was. . . uh, this is going to sound bad, but. . . gay. I mean, I have nothing against it, but if Seto was going to try and keep our relationship. . . was it even a relationship? . . . on the down-low, he wasn’t doing a very good job.
“I’m going to take a shower first, though. You can make yourself at home. There is a bathroom in nearly every guest room, so you can shower too, if you want. You can raid the fridge or something, or just snooze on a couch or a bed. . . not my bed though. Just. . . do something that won’t cause any trouble or mess.” With that, he retreated into the bathroom, shutting and locking (dammit!) the door.
It was at that moment that I realized just how quiet this place really was. I couldn’t even hear the chirping of birds, or anything for that matter. This must be the same unnerving silence that Seto lived with every day. Sure he had Mokuba, but chances are that Seto spent most of his daily life completely and totally alone. My heart fell a little at the thought of it.
I could hear the water cut on, and the idea of Seto’s wet naked body sent chills up my spine. . . that would be so fucking hot.
I sighed. Kaiba Seto’s bedroom. I suppose that it was kind of dull. Then again. . . most of his treasures were probably hidden! I decided then that the perfect way to wait out my eye candy’s shower would be to snoop around a bit. I mean, what’s the worst thing I could find? Well, it just so happens that it’s located in Seto’s night stand drawer.
It was the first place I looked, because I was sitting on his bed at the time, and already I was a bit unsettled. Inside was a small silver handgun. Okay, there is probably a perfectly reasonable explanation. Seto is very rich, after all, and needs to defend himself one way or another. Setting the gun on the bed beside me, I reached in again, feeling around. Was that it? Just a gun? I put my hand all the way to the very back of the drawer. Oh! Some paper! I pulled it out, wrinkling it slightly by accident. It had been folded neatly, but it wasn’t anything fancy that I couldn’t re-fold after being nosey.
Whatever it was, there wasn’t much to it. It seemed to start off like a letter, but it was too short to be a letter. I went ahead and read it.
Mokuba,
What good would it do for me to say sorry? As the only family you had left, I also left you behind. I have a lot of faith in your strength and your capabilities. You won’t be so weak as to go this way. I
It ended there, unfinished. . . but I didn’t even need a mind to understand what it was meant to be. An unfinished suicide note to Mokuba in the same drawer as a handgun. How old was it? Was it new? Was it something old and long forgotten? My heart quickened just as it had earlier during Seto’s disappearance. This relationship really would be the end of me. I folded the note, though I really wanted to rip it into a million pieces, or to the point that it no longer existed in this world, and put it away, along with the gun. . . which I found to be fully loaded. . . no, it was short by one bullet. Was that on purpose, or had he used one on something? I shivered a bit, but this time it wasn’t for a good reason.
Perhaps I ought to just go take a shower to go out with Seto. The time was four o’clock. I gathered up the outfit Seto was lending me and ventured toward the nearest guestroom to freshen up. . .
- - -
I dressed while in the bathroom and returned to Seto’s bedroom, not realizing that someone had shut his door. . . but I sure as hell didn’t regret just walking in.
Seto let out a noise that resembled a yelp and pulled his large shirt up to hold in front of his crotch, “What the fuck?!”
“Woah! Hey, your fault for not locking the door!”
“There isn’t a lock.” He muttered, and for some reason, he seemed ashamed to tell me that.
“Get dressed and let’s go.” I urged, inching closer.
“Turn around first.”
“Nuh-uh.” I smiled at him, staring quite intently.
“Fine.” Seto huffed, turning around. Holy. Fucking. Shit. His ass is fucking Eden. It was perfect. Round, white, unmarked flesh. I never thought I would describe some guys butt as gorgeous, but Seto’s rear was beyond even that.
“Daaaaaamn.” Was all I could manage to utter, and Seto growled a bit at it.
He proceeded to dress while facing away from me, though every now and then I caught a glimpse of the bright red blush across his cheeks. . . his face cheeks. He really was adorable. As soon as he finished I hugged him from behind and he tried to jump with surprise, but I held him still. “I like you no matter what you wear.” It was an awkward silence from then on, and that reminded me of the silence that I had experienced earlier. . . and the note.
My eyes flickered toward the drawer, but I just couldn’t bring myself to discuss it with him, not yet, not during this happy occasion. We were going to go out tonight and have a good time together. I could discuss the issue with him at another time. As long as he was with me, there wouldn’t be any suicide or self-harm to be heard of.
I don’t know how it happened, but the both of us had forgotten our original intention for going upstairs; photos. I still wanted to see photos, but somehow it seemed that I needed to let it go for now.
- - -
- - -
Recap:
“Come in, Mr. Jounouchi, and please explain to me what is going on!”
I jumped in, not worried about buckling the seatbelt. Seto was the only thing that mattered to me at that very instant. Surely Mokuba would know something about Saki’s whereabouts. If not, I would turn the whole mansion upside down in search of clues.
I couldn’t lose Seto to Saki so easily.
I wouldn’t.
- - -
“Are you sure, mister Jounouchi?”
After I rushed an explanation of the current situation to Isono, he shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m positive.” I assured him.
“I don’t know, sir. There have been countless attempts to either murder or abduct Mr. Kaiba, and never in my years in his service has anyone even come close to succeeding.” His eyes, which normally were hidden by dark sunglasses, remained on the road.
“Well none of those guys were like Saki.” I wondered if it was alright for me to say that. Seto probably never mentioned his former love to anyone, let alone a simple. . . assistant? Employee? What exactly is Isono’s job title?
“Did you just say Saki?” His eyes flickered to me for a moment before returning forward. So he knew who Saki was?
“You mean you know?” I asked, astonished. “Seto. . . er, Kaiba told me that he doesn’t talk to anyone about it.”
“That’s true, he doesn’t. I learned about it during the Battle City tournament.” He paused to sigh and then continued, his voice lacking its usual liveliness, “I’m sure you remember that the tower was built on an island. Well, that island used to be a military base.” I was a little shocked to learn that, but didn’t dare to interrupt him. “Kaiba Corporation originally was a militant company that made its billions. As the head of such an organization, Kaiba Gozaburo was very harsh and demanding, especially on the child that was to be his heir.” Isono hesitated, not sure exactly how much he should tell me, “I guess that the event with Noa and then the return to that island-”
“Return?” I couldn’t help but interrupt now. Isono was telling much more than Seto.
“Well yes, Mr. Kaiba had been there before. The very last time he was there. . .” We were now pulling up to a large iron gate. “The point is, Mr. Kaiba told me many things during that time, including his memories of Saki.”
“He told you everything that happened between them?” Seto confided in someone like Isono?
“I don’t know if it was everything, sir, but he told me quite a bit. I stayed with him until one or two in the morning, just to give him someone to vent to.” He smiled a sad kind of smile, “But you know, he didn’t shed a single tear, not even once. He’s a tough kid. Maybe. . . maybe a little too tough.”
So he had never cried around Isono. Why was he so comfortable around me? I mean, it didn’t bother me, but there must be some reason that he felt he could cry in front of me. Seto had insisted it was because of a change in medication, however I suspected that there were other factors.
“He’s not as tough as you think, Isono.”
“Oh, but he is, Mr. Jounouchi! All of the things he went through for the duration of what ought to have been his childhood. . . Mr. Kaiba could cry a lake of tears and still remain the strongest young man I know.”
The car came to a screeching halt just before a towering mansion. So this was the Kaiba residence. You would think that with the many times that my friends and I helped Mokuba and Seto out, they would at least invite us over or something, but no, it was my very first time seeing the place.
Seto. . . there was no time to marvel at his vast abode. With great haste I muttered my thanks to Isono and scrambled from the limousine. The large oak doors were locked, but I wouldn’t let that stop me. There was only one option I could come up with. Using every ounce of strength in my body, I pounded on the doors with closed fists until I was sure that my hands would be bruised.
As I stopped to shake my hands out, I could hear the latch of the larger-than-necessary doors click. The sound occurred slowly, as though with great caution, and yet the door sprang open with impressive speed.
“Mokuba!” I called out, not willing to waste any more time than I already had. . . but as my mind became more focused, I realized I was face-to-face with a handgun.
“Come any closer and I’ll blow your fucking hea- Jounouchi?” Though he had seen that it was me, the gun remained level with the space between my eyes.
Normally I would have asked ‘are you gonna get that out of my face?’ but then again, I normally have the ability to speak. I was frozen with either shock or fear or both. Hey, you’d be scared shitless too if you were greeted by a loaded handgun. . . was it loaded?
Perhaps the most shocking thing, though, was the one that wielded the weapon. Milk chocolate hair and shimmering sapphire eyes. . . none other than the object of my searching, Kaiba Seto.
“Sorry.” Seto muttered, not truly sincere, lowering the weapon and stepping aside. He sat the gun in a drawer in a small table beside the doors, “Come on in.”
I was able to finally shake off the paralysis, “What the fuck do you mean ‘come on in’?! I was worried as hell about you!”
Isono came running when he heard my yelling, but only let out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw that there was no danger. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him returning a gun to a pocket inside his suit jacket. This was quickly turning into a James Bond movie, and I didn’t appreciate being in the middle of it.
Seto blushed and turned his head to stare off at nothing, “I didn’t want to just disappear like that, but there were more important matters at hand.”
“So you weren’t kidnaped?”
“What?” He looked surprised as his attention returned to me, “Have you ever known me to get kidnaped, Jounouchi?”
“Well, no. . . but the woman said that you left with a black-haired person, and so I thought that-”
“Black hair?” He seemed puzzled for a moment before snickering, “Mokuba, come here!”
The runt stepped out from behind his much more handsome older brother after a short while, “Yeah, Seto? Oh, hey Jou!”
Black. Hair. I closed my eyes and fumed in silence.
“Are you alright, Jou?” Mokuba’s voice was anything but comforting in such a situation.
I opened my eyes again, “Well, I’m a bit angry for having got so worried for no reason, but at the same time I am relieved to discover that the one with black hair was you and not Saki.”
I caught Seto’s eyes immediately after I said that. They were darker than they had been a moment before and had narrowed significantly since I first caught sight of them. His lips were pressed tightly together, turning his mouth into a thin, flat line. Apparently I shouldn’t have mentioned Saki in front of Mokuba.
I studied Mokuba to see what reaction, if any, had occurred. The young teen looked up at his older brother, a mixed expression of worry and anger glazed over his dark violet eyes.
“Saki?” Mokuba asked, a slight edge to his tone, “Saki has been around again and you didn’t even tell me?” The raven-haired brother tugged on the brunet’s sleeve, “Listen to me when I talk to you, Seto! Don’t ignore me!”
The elder Kaiba only gave him a blank look. There was a second of stillness, a brief staring contest between the two stubborn brothers. It was then that I was finally able to see the similarities between them. Their eyes were the same in the manner in which they glared. Of course, Mokuba’s eyes, even when narrowed, were large and innocent and not nearly as intimidating as Seto’s wild blues, but perhaps Mokuba’s eyes resembled how Seto’s eyes once were when he was a young child.
That reminds me! This was the perfect opportunity to see a photo of little Seto and possibly even Seto’s real parents. I’m sure rich-boy wouldn’t mind me changing the topic. I cleared my throat loudly in order to get his attention, but I felt very small when both sets of eyes fell upon me. The patented Kaiba glare times one and a half (Mokuba wasn’t quite a double).
“What?” Mokuba demanded in the haughty tone that he had recently acquired.
“Kaiba,” I began, trying to ignore Mokuba for the time being, “Since we’re at your house, you think I could see some pictures?” Looking back on my question, I could see quite clearly that it was very random and completely out of the blue.
“What pictures?” He asked, a slight pause between his words, reflecting his uncertainty.
“Pictures of you when you were a little kid, or maybe some photos of your real parents.” It seemed like a reasonable request to me, but apparently it wasn’t.
Shoving Mokuba roughly into the house, Seto stepped outside and slammed the door shut behind him. My eyes couldn’t have been wider when I saw the infuriated look on his face. “Look, you little bastard, I know you’re pissed that I took off at the mall, but I didn’t think that you would be the type to fight dirty. This is exactly why I never tell anyone anything!”
“Woah, woah! I didn’t mean to-”
“Don’t fucking interrupt me!”
“Oh shut up! I’m sick of hearing you bitch!” Again, I regretted even opening my mouth, but he did get quiet immediately, which was, I suppose, a good thing. “Just listen for a second before jumping down my throat, okay?” I sighed and suddenly he didn’t seem so angry anymore.
There was a long stretch of nothing but the sounds of leaves against the wind. “I’m listening.” Came the reply I seemed to be waiting for, and his voice was the calm tenor that I had grown to love.
I gave him a kind of apologetic smile for snapping at him before, “I didn’t think that it would upset you if I asked to see some photos. I was only curious, and nothing more.” He had turned his face away from me, but he turned it back when I caressed his cheek with the back of my fingers. He really did have the softest skin, and it made me very happy that he let me touch him. Seto’s eyes became half-lidded and his attention was in the direction opposite of my affectionate hand.
“Why do you do that?” Even as he asked me, his eyes remained elsewhere. Was he embarrassed?
“Why do I do what?” Touch your face?” I pulled my hand away for fear that I was making him uncomfortable.
“No!” His attention was back on me, blue eyes wide with some sort of. . . surprise?
I stepped back a bit, not expecting such an abrupt reaction.
Upon realizing his own outburst, Seto turned away and repeated himself, this time in a hushed whisper, “No. . .”
A catcall whistle interrupted our moment. I was a little irritated, but Seto was blushing furiously. “It’s not like that, Mokuba!” He yelled, turning quickly to the left (my right), apparently knowing the source of the perverted noise. Following suit, I faced in the same direction, only to catch a glimpse of scruffy black hair retreating back into an open window.
Seto swung open the front door and ran, yes ran, inside. This sudden action was followed shortly by a playful scream from Mokuba and a “You little brat!” From Seto. I crept inside, though they likely wouldn’t have even heard me if I had stomped in, and shut their front door (the one that Seto had opened).
The older Kaiba had pinned the younger Kaiba to a very nice area rug that was spread over fine ceramic tile. Mokuba began to crack up laughing, kicking his legs and flailing his arms while my favorite brunet fought to hold him down. Seto was smiling while pretending to scold his thirteen year old sibling.
“You’re not really angry?” Mokuba questioned with full sincerity. All movement ceased, but Seto kept him down. “You’re smiling.” The runt pointed out.
Seto reached up to cover his mouth as though he had just released confidential information.
I made my way toward them, “He smiles a lot lately.” I stopped within three feet of the two. Seto stood up, offering his hand to Mokuba, who took it without hesitation.
“It’s because he has you, Jou.” Mokuba grinned from ear to ear, jabbing his elbow playfully into the CEO’s side.
“It is not!” Seto growled, his cheeks red as cherries. . . hm. . . cherries on Seto. . . yum! The blush faded with some extra effort on his part, “I’m smiling because. . . because I’m-”
“In love with Jounouchi!” The young teen squealed, running up the stairs with wild speed.
Seto sighed and shook his head, obviously not willing to chase after him, “Well then, shall we go up?” He put his right foot on the first step, his hand on the fancy wooden rail. “You wanted to see some pictures, right?” He glanced over his shoulder at me, a sad smile playing on his lips now.
“Yes, I do.” I came up close behind him, the urge to hug him eating at me, but he began the journey upward before I could make my move. I somewhat wondered if he knew my intentions. . . then decided that he probably didn’t.
The stairs beneath my feet creaked a lot and I happened to stop and glance down at them at one point.
Seto continued the climb, not once faltering in his steps, “This house is really old. It’s been in the Kaiba family for a long time.”
The Kaiba family. . . so he still didn’t claim the family as his own. “Oh.” I acknowledged, not curious enough to discuss the matter further. . . for now, at least.
I felt almost as though I was in a horror movie, walking through a haunted mansion during the day before facing horrible things at night. . . does that make any sense at all? It was clearly an older mansion, and Seto only confirmed my suspicions when he said that that was the case. It was, however, well maintained. The carpet was very clean, if not brand new and the paint was fresh in color. The ridiculously long hallways smelled faintly of lavender. Doors lined the walls on either side, some open and some closed. For the most part, the rooms looked the same, like in a hotel or, in this case, a fancy resort. Occasionally there was a break in the walling where another hallway crossed the one we were currently traveling on, but other than that, it reminded me of. . .
“Hey Seto?” I did a short jog to catch up and walk beside him.
“Yeah?” He asked, though he didn’t seem to be paying much attention.
“Have you ever seen a movie called The Shining?” I grinned at him, only to stop abruptly when I got slapped on the back of my head. “Hey, what was that for?!”
“You’re a doofus.” His lips were pursed together and I could tell that he was trying to keep from smiling or laughing, “My house doesn’t look like the hotel from The Shining.”
“But is it haunted?” I continued, actually half-serious this time.
Seto stopped, rubbing at his chin with his right hand and looking darkly down at me, “Hmm. . . I wonder. . .” With a smirk, he began to walk again.
I kept my mouth, wondering if this place really was haunted.
- - -
The entrance to the master bedroom was more than obvious. Two large dark-wood doors adorned with intricately-shaped golden handles. Seto made a point to open them, probably so I wouldn’t touch the gold, and led the way in.
The only word that came to my mouth was “Wow” which caused Seto to smirk with pride. His bedroom was absolutely huge! The walls were royal blue, reminding me of his beautiful eyes, and the trim was the most pristine white I had ever seen. The ceiling was an ivory tray ceiling with a wonderfully-designed fan that hang down in the middle. There was a sitting area that came off of the main room with no wall to separate the two. He had a small table beneath the window and two large sitting chairs on either side. Bookshelves lined one of the walls in that section. The bathroom, which I could already see was needlessly large, was to the left of his bed. The bed was probably the key point of the entire space. Dark brown, polished wood with large bedposts on each corner of the headboard and footboard. The canopy was a slightly lighter blue than the walls and trailed down at all four corners, wear it tapered off as a sort of mesh-like material. . . it was beautiful, and I could only fantasize at how picture-perfect Seto would look while he slept within it’s depths.
Blue. The sheets and comforter were blue. The pillowcases were blue. It reminded me of the ocean, or the night sky. . . but most of all, his eyes. . . his magnificent blue eyes. They say that eyes are the window to the soul. I’ve read somewhere before that different colors and shades of eyes are supposed to represent different personalities. Green for anger, brown for innocence. . . isn’t that how it went? But what about blue? What is the meaning behind blue eyes?
“Alright, I’m going to lay down and you’re gonna screw me.”
I nearly slapped myself. Did he just say what I thought he said? I looked at him, wide-eyed with my jaw to the floor.
“Yeah, I knew that would get your attention, you fucking pervert.” Though he sounded angry, he smiled and shook his head like a disappointed parent. “This is it. This is my room. Nothing special, eh?”
“It’s awesome!” I chimed, grinning as usual. It’s all that I could think to do anymore. “I wish that I had a room like this!” Again I gazed at my new surroundings as though to prove my sincerity.
Mokuba’s head popped into the doorway, startling me a bit. “Alright Seto, I’m going now!” He said this in a very loud tone, like we couldn’t hear him from the ten feet that came between us. “I’ll see you when you come home!”
The fine-assed (ooh, that’s a nice new adjective) brunet moseyed on over, bending slightly and ruffling Mokuba’s hair, “Alright. Take care of yourself and have fun, okay? And don’t forget to e-mail me and call me at least once every day.” He gave a short glance back at me, so short that I wasn’t even sure he had meant to do it, and then planted a tiny little kiss on Mokuba’s forehead. . .
. . . I must admit, I felt a pang of jealousy.
Mokuba hugged him tightly around the waist and bounded away, a duffle bag hanging from each shoulder.
“Where is he going?” I finally had the common sense to ask.
“He’s going to stay at the house of one of my closest employees. There are children his age there that he plays with. . . or hangs out with. . . at school, and he will be safer from Saki there.” Again, that same sad expression came over him, and it hurt me just to see the pain on his face. “I wouldn’t put anything past him at this point.” He stared off toward his window for a moment, but I believe that he was looking off into eternity rather out into his. . . yard? “But there’s no point in pondering over him, right? We were going clubbing!” Was that excitement in his voice so suddenly? Was that a grin on his face? Surely not. . . not the ice prince Kaiba Seto.
“Well, we were, but. . . I don’t have an outfit, remember?”
“You can borrow some of my clothes.” Seto yanked open two small double doors, to reveal and unbelievably large walk-in closet. “I think I have something similar to the one in the store. The pants will be a little long on you, but it shouldn’t be bad enough to cause problems.”
He returned to stand in front of me with a near-replica of the entire outfit he had picked out at that store in the mall. . . and he had a blue one just like it for himself. We were going to go matching? That was. . . uh, this is going to sound bad, but. . . gay. I mean, I have nothing against it, but if Seto was going to try and keep our relationship. . . was it even a relationship? . . . on the down-low, he wasn’t doing a very good job.
“I’m going to take a shower first, though. You can make yourself at home. There is a bathroom in nearly every guest room, so you can shower too, if you want. You can raid the fridge or something, or just snooze on a couch or a bed. . . not my bed though. Just. . . do something that won’t cause any trouble or mess.” With that, he retreated into the bathroom, shutting and locking (dammit!) the door.
It was at that moment that I realized just how quiet this place really was. I couldn’t even hear the chirping of birds, or anything for that matter. This must be the same unnerving silence that Seto lived with every day. Sure he had Mokuba, but chances are that Seto spent most of his daily life completely and totally alone. My heart fell a little at the thought of it.
I could hear the water cut on, and the idea of Seto’s wet naked body sent chills up my spine. . . that would be so fucking hot.
I sighed. Kaiba Seto’s bedroom. I suppose that it was kind of dull. Then again. . . most of his treasures were probably hidden! I decided then that the perfect way to wait out my eye candy’s shower would be to snoop around a bit. I mean, what’s the worst thing I could find? Well, it just so happens that it’s located in Seto’s night stand drawer.
It was the first place I looked, because I was sitting on his bed at the time, and already I was a bit unsettled. Inside was a small silver handgun. Okay, there is probably a perfectly reasonable explanation. Seto is very rich, after all, and needs to defend himself one way or another. Setting the gun on the bed beside me, I reached in again, feeling around. Was that it? Just a gun? I put my hand all the way to the very back of the drawer. Oh! Some paper! I pulled it out, wrinkling it slightly by accident. It had been folded neatly, but it wasn’t anything fancy that I couldn’t re-fold after being nosey.
Whatever it was, there wasn’t much to it. It seemed to start off like a letter, but it was too short to be a letter. I went ahead and read it.
Mokuba,
What good would it do for me to say sorry? As the only family you had left, I also left you behind. I have a lot of faith in your strength and your capabilities. You won’t be so weak as to go this way. I
It ended there, unfinished. . . but I didn’t even need a mind to understand what it was meant to be. An unfinished suicide note to Mokuba in the same drawer as a handgun. How old was it? Was it new? Was it something old and long forgotten? My heart quickened just as it had earlier during Seto’s disappearance. This relationship really would be the end of me. I folded the note, though I really wanted to rip it into a million pieces, or to the point that it no longer existed in this world, and put it away, along with the gun. . . which I found to be fully loaded. . . no, it was short by one bullet. Was that on purpose, or had he used one on something? I shivered a bit, but this time it wasn’t for a good reason.
Perhaps I ought to just go take a shower to go out with Seto. The time was four o’clock. I gathered up the outfit Seto was lending me and ventured toward the nearest guestroom to freshen up. . .
- - -
I dressed while in the bathroom and returned to Seto’s bedroom, not realizing that someone had shut his door. . . but I sure as hell didn’t regret just walking in.
Seto let out a noise that resembled a yelp and pulled his large shirt up to hold in front of his crotch, “What the fuck?!”
“Woah! Hey, your fault for not locking the door!”
“There isn’t a lock.” He muttered, and for some reason, he seemed ashamed to tell me that.
“Get dressed and let’s go.” I urged, inching closer.
“Turn around first.”
“Nuh-uh.” I smiled at him, staring quite intently.
“Fine.” Seto huffed, turning around. Holy. Fucking. Shit. His ass is fucking Eden. It was perfect. Round, white, unmarked flesh. I never thought I would describe some guys butt as gorgeous, but Seto’s rear was beyond even that.
“Daaaaaamn.” Was all I could manage to utter, and Seto growled a bit at it.
He proceeded to dress while facing away from me, though every now and then I caught a glimpse of the bright red blush across his cheeks. . . his face cheeks. He really was adorable. As soon as he finished I hugged him from behind and he tried to jump with surprise, but I held him still. “I like you no matter what you wear.” It was an awkward silence from then on, and that reminded me of the silence that I had experienced earlier. . . and the note.
My eyes flickered toward the drawer, but I just couldn’t bring myself to discuss it with him, not yet, not during this happy occasion. We were going to go out tonight and have a good time together. I could discuss the issue with him at another time. As long as he was with me, there wouldn’t be any suicide or self-harm to be heard of.
I don’t know how it happened, but the both of us had forgotten our original intention for going upstairs; photos. I still wanted to see photos, but somehow it seemed that I needed to let it go for now.
- - -