Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Bewilderment ❯ Opportunity ( Chapter 1 )

This is not what he expected.

Sure, he desperately needed money. His father's gambling debts were piling up, and they had to be paid off. Not to mention that he enjoyed eating a full meal every now and then. Still, he never thought that he would be pressed against a bathroom wall, pinned down by the person he least expected: Seto Kaiba.

~**~

"This sucks!" Jounouchi said loudly. "I ain't gotta dime on me!"

Honda smirked. "Maybe if you weren't such a lazy bum, you'd get a job and earn a dime like everyone else." Yugi and Anzu nodded feverishly.

Jounouchi, Yugi, Anzu, and Honda were in the park, buying ice cream from one of the vendors. It was a bright warm day, and the students were enjoying their summer break by indulging their sweet tooth and walking off the fat. All of them, that is, except Jou.

"How can you guys eat that stuff in front of me?" He glared at Anzu. "What about all those 'friendship' speeches? 'All for the group' and that crap? Am I not included in that statement?"

"No, you aren't," Honda said simply.

"Aw, stop being so mean, guys." Yugi looked up at Jou with wide, shining eyes. "Here, you can have some of my ice cream."

Jou's eyes shimmered, and then they began to leak. "Thanks, Yugi," he choked out. He licked at the cool desert and felt he would die of happiness. One lick became one bite, then two bites, then…

"Hey, I didn't say you could have it all!" Yugi snapped sharply, awaking Jou from his revelry.

"You know Jou," Anzu chided. "It was your mistake to give him your food so willingly."

"I guess you're right," Yugi agreed, still a bit upset.

Jou grinned toothily. "I'm sorry, really! I guess I just got carried away."

Yugi didn't look convinced. "Yeah, right. You might as well finish the whole thing now. Just pay me back for it later."

Jou's grin faltered. "Ah, sure thing, pal."

"Oh, while we're asking for repayment of debts," Honda added slyly, "how about you give me back that fifty bucks I lent you for that concert?"

"And the twenty dollars I gave you last time you were in Burger World." Anzu groaned. "Honestly, who comes into a fast food restaurant without any money?"

Yugi piped up as well. "I gave you ten for a haircut last week. And thirty for some new clothes the week before. And let's not forget the five Duel Monsters booster packs you took this morning."

Jou stood frozen with shock. He was becoming as bad as his old man with his debts. He scratched his head sheepishly.

"I guess you guys didn't give me that money in the name of friendship, huh?" Three glares answered his question. "Fine, fine. I'll getta job and pay you guys back! Jeez, talk about lousy friends."

The smiles returned and the group continued their walk. They all promised to help Jou find work, just as long as he remember to give them their money.

~**~

Two weeks had passed and Jou still had no luck finding a job. Everyday at ten o'clock, Jou bought a newspaper (with money borrowed from Honda) and went to Yugi's house. The group searched the 'Help Wanted' ads diligently; they even got a few interviews for Jou. Alas, he had somehow ruined them all; he had the tendency to crack jokes when he was nervous, and they always fell flat.

Nevertheless, the group continued searching. Yugi and Honda phoned shops and got information while Anzu trained Jou in proper interview etiquette.

Jou was highly appreciative of his friends' help, but he didn't know how much more he could take. Anzu was babbling on and on about focusing while speaking to a manager, but Jou couldn't seem to concentrate. The day was beautiful; he longed to go outside and…

"Jou! We got you another interview!" Yugi called excitedly, running down the hall toward Jou and Anzu.

"Really?" Jou responded, a slight hitch in his voice due to his exhilaration. "Where?"

"At the Westin Hotel in the middle of the city. It's not too far from where you live," Honda said, stepping into the room.

"That's great Jou! Just make sure you don't botch this one. I've worked with you too much for you to mess up this interview." Anzu looked serious.

"Yes, mother," Jou said playfully. Then he turned to face Yugi. "What kind of work will I be doing there?"

Yugi hesitated. "Well…" He paused, then smiled cheerfully. "The manager said that he'd assign you a job after the interview. He wants to know your strengths and weaknesses first."

"Okay, if you say so." Jou looked worried. He didn't trust that sudden proud expression that came onto Yugi's face. Why did he feel like he was missing something?

~**~

On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Jou went into Westin for an interview. That night, he came out with a job.

"Man! Who takes three hours to interview a person? And a background check? Was that even necessary? They better give me the best job available for all the hassle they put me through."

Still, Jou was happy that he had a job. He was even grateful to Anzu for her training; he might have told another joke if her shrill words weren't drilled into his head.

"Guess I was paying attention to her after all. Now, I wonder what kind of work I'll be doing tomorrow…"

~**~

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Author's Note: This was a strange little idea that came to me at one o'clock in the morning. The Jou/Kaiba Yahoo fan group A Dragon's Lair is having a Spring Fling First Time fic challenge. Since they are judging on originality, I had to think really hard to come up with an idea that I rarely saw in fan fiction. So that's how everything started. Don't quite understand it myself, but hey, the plot bunny latched onto my leg and just refused to let go…