Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Contrast: Blue ❯ Beautiful Like A Girl ( Chapter 9 )

CONTRAST BLUE, PART II: Spent-Shells and Heartstrings

CHAPTER NINE: Beautiful Like a Girl

"Aaagh!" Jounouchi sat bolt upright, his breathing almost as heavy as his heart was beating. He snatched the blanket up to look downwards and shrank back when he saw the rise in his boxers.

For the second night in a row, Jounouchi had a wet dream about Seto Hirano. He fell back onto his bed; his eyes squeezed shut as he tried not to recall any portion of the dream that woke him up.

He then wanted to punch himself; trying _not_ to think about the dream was the last thing he should have done. He glanced down to see if the mound in his boxers had settled, his expression uneasy when he had seen that it had not. He swung his legs over the bed and arose, stumbling towards the dresser where he had stuffed his magazines and promptly opened the drawer.

The blond shuffled through the disorderly pile in hopes of finding the right magazine to disrupt the thoughts of the male that plagued his mind. He reached up a magazine entitled "Busty Babes", a look of glee upon his face as he was ready to thumb through it-

--when his thoughts took a moment to remind him of the way that wet white shirt clung onto Seto's own impressive chest from earlier that day. Jounouchi tossed the magazine back into the drawer as if it was a moldy sandwich. Unwilling to give up he continued digging through the drawer, picking up a magazine and promptly rejecting it when another impure fantasy about the blue-eyed brunet flashed through Jounouchi's mind.

He had nearly given up when he saw a magazine at the bottom of the pile; its title was "Oral Girls". Jounouchi grimaced at the magazine.

*This is what got me into this mess in the _first_ place.* He grabbed the magazine, rolling it as if he were about to discipline a misbehaving dog, and tossed it into his rather empty trash can. He walked back to his bed, taking a seat along the edge of it, and hunched over in deep thought.

It was going to take more than pornography to solve this problem.

When it was finally morning, Jounouchi crawled out of bed, his hair mussed and his plain white Hanes T-shirt completely disheveled. He walked over to his dresser and opened the bottom drawer, revealing his many pairs of blue jeans which varied from barely worn to simply worn and torn. They all appeared as though they were literally, carelessly thrown into the dresser. Jounouchi reached into the drawer and pulled out the first pair that he could get a good grip on, huddled over to his bed and sat down, putting the baggy jeans on slowly and carefully. He stood up to zip and button them up, and immediately rested his hands in his pockets.

He felt something in the back right pocket.

Puzzled, Jounouchi's hand scrambled inside of the pocket until finally getting ahold of the mystery object and pulling out his enclosed fist upon snagging it. He slowly opened uncurled his fingers, and was quite taken aback at what laid perfectly in the center of his hand.

Seto's locket.

Jounouchi tried to recall how that trinket wound up with him, when he immediately recalled their last encounter…in order to break out of Seto's tightening and painful hold, he had snagged it in hopes of distracting the brunet, and it had worked.

*Why do I still have this?* Jounouchi thought to himself as he looked over the item. *I meant to give this back to him when we were at July's, but I guess I was just too caught up in things. Shit; does he know that I still have this?* He paused. *Probably not, since he didn't bring it up when I saw him yesterday…huh. He was pissed off when I snagged it from him…wonder why he didn't even bring it up yesterday. I'll see him in school Monday, though…so I ain't gotta worry too much…unless he decides to up and snap my arm.*

He headed towards his closet as he pocketed the locket. He opened the door, quickly stepping aside as various clothes and toys spilled out onto the floor. Jounouchi glared at the mess, groaning when he reminded himself that his dad wanted him to clean up the mess in his room before Monday. He muttered a swear as he kicked the pile back into the closet, grasped a blue denim jacket, and quickly slammed the door shut before any of the items could spill out once more.

He drummed his fingers against the door, rolling his eyes at the thought of how much work he really had to get done for the sake of "daddy" before returning to school.

Jounouchi inhaled deeply as he stood in front of the nightclub that he frequented, "Ivory Cutter". The establishment catered to the most classy and unique of Domino's clientele on a nightly business, giving them a place to relax, sit back, and have a drink and forget their daily troubles for a moment. If it weren't for Jounouchi's personal-and intimate-ties with its owner and operator, he would not have even been allowed anywhere near the premises due to his immaturity.

Jounouchi gently tapped upon the door, glancing to his left and to his right to ensure that he was not followed. He then glanced at his watch; it was likely too early for the proprietor to allow him entry to the establishment. He tapped his foot, placed his hands into the back pockets on his denim jeans, whistling a tune entitled "Twisted Nerve"; he had heard it in an American movie he had recently seen.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar clicking sounds of locks being set into the opposite position, and he instantly ceased his whistling as he stood straight, resting his hands at his sides. The door opened partially, but it was enough to reveal the half of a female's face-a welcomed view in Jounouchi's eyes.

"Katusya?" The sultry voice asked almost quizzically, "What brings you here at this time?"

Jounouchi, suddenly appearing uncomfortable, scratched the back of his head. "I, uh…I have a serious emergency, Mai. Really need to talk to ya."

The woman, better known as Mai Kujaku, pulled the door open, revealing her lavish face and body to the dirty blond. Jounouchi always admired how the older woman was able to stand so proudly and yet look so desirable at the same time. Her bouncy, luxuriously curly hair was dyed a shimmering golden colour, her eyes fitted with lavender contact lenses and her lips shimmering with a matching gloss. She was dressed in a violet corset and black capris.

"What's bothering you, Katsuya?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Are the crashers after you again?"

"If it were only that simple," Jounouchi answered, appearing uneasy. "I need some serious advice."

Mai rested her hands upon her voluptuous hips. "I…beg your pardon? Perhaps you should come inside." She stepped aside as she showed the dirty blond inside, gesturing to him to take a seat at the bar.

"So, just what exactly has been bothering you?" Mai inquired as she closed the door.

Jounouchi leaned against the counter's surface with his elbow. "Well…ya remember the other night, when I told ya `bout that blond bastard that beat me up?"

Mai nodded as she locked the door. "Yes."

"And ya remember when I told ya about that new student at school, Hirano?"

Mai approached the bar. "I sure do."

A sheepish grin crept upon the dirty blond's face. "Turns out that they're both one an' the same. The man keeps a lotta secrets…I wonder if `Hirano' is even is real name, ya know?"

Mai raised a skeptical brow as she seated herself onto the adjacent stool. "Is that what this `serious emergency' is all about?"

Jounouchi shook his head, taking a deep breath in an attempt to build up enough courage to reveal his problem. "For the past two nights, I've been havin'…I've been havin' these dreams about Hirano."

Mai leaned closer against surface, her breasts appearing to nearly pop out of her corset; Jounouchi took notice of this and immediately glanced away. "Is it safe for me to assume that we're not talking the usual, run-of-the-mill innocent dreams?"

"Oh, we're talking `wet dream' territory here, Mai," Jounouchi gulped.

Mai's jaw gaped open upon hearing Jounouchi's surprising admittance, her eyes full of surprise. "You had a wet dream about another man?"

Jounouchi held up his index and middle fingers. "Two, to be exact. Like I told ya, it's been goin' on fer the past two nights…it's really botherin' me, too. I tried to look at my porno to get it outta my head, but it only made things worse."

"That is definitely unusual," Mai pondered aloud as she reached for a package of Camel brand cigarettes. "This is especially unusual for you, as I would never think of you as the type to think about another man in that way."

"You think I find it to be normal myself?" Jounouchi threw his arms up into the air.

"Shh, lower your voice please," Mai reminded. "Perhaps we could try to get to the root of things. Describe him for me."

"Ya want me to describe Hirano? How's that gonna help?"

"Just describe him. I can study your way of describing him, and perhaps I can help shed some light on all this."

"If you say so," Jounouchi sighed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Let's see…where do I start? Ah, right…his full name's Seto Hirano…but he hates being called Seto for some reason. I don't think Hirano is his last name anyway…He's tall; real tall. I'd say that he's six-foot one or six-two. He's got long legs as a result. He's also real thin, too, and pale. Boy don't look like he gets enough to eat. He's also got a noticeably large chest and he likes to show that off, if his fashion is of any indication."

Mai nodded. "How about his face; his hair?"

"Huh?" Jounouchi was caught by surprise by that inquiry. "Well…his face is a little long. Not terribly, but you can tell it's longer than most peoples' faces. Pro'lly `cause he's so skinny. He looks…he's like, `beautiful like a girl' type. He's got brown hair that's done up in a style where it's short `cept for the right side of his face, where it's long enough to cover it up. He's also got these pouty lips, which looks just plain wicked when he smiles." Jounouchi paused to take a deep breath. "Then there're those eyes of his. They're this weird shade of blue, and I'm confused by that `cause I'm real good at bein' able to tell if someone's wearin' contacts, but his look like they could be real."

Mai nodded once again as she pulled out a cigarette from the package. "Anything else, like his personality?"

"Oh man," Jounouchi groaned as he ran his left hand through his hair. "His personality…I swear, I think he has it set on `piss Jounouchi off twenty-four seven'. Seriously; he's so fuckin' arrogant and a smart-ass; always showin' it off and pissin' off the teacher, which is pretty funny though since I can't stand Chono. But yeah; he pisses me off and I'm sure he does that to me on purpose."

For the third time, Mai nodded as she reached for her Zippo lighter. "That's quite an analysis, I must say".

"Whaddya mean by that?"

"There's certain things you said in your description that could make sense of your recent…predicament," Mai answered as she placed the cigarette between her lips, ignited the lighter's flame and placed it in front of her cigarette, sparking the stick to life.

Jounouchi sat there, dumbfounded. "So…?"

Mai took a long drag of the cigarette, her lilac eyes remaining locked on Jounouchi's amber eyes as a puff of smoke slowly escaped from her lips. "Could there have been an incident between you two that have triggered these sudden, recurring dreams?"

"Yer changin' the subject."

"I'm merely taking a scenic route." Mai smirked.

"Alright, alright," Jounouchi conceded as he shook his head. "About a night before the first dream happened, Hirano and I were fightin'. Again. Anyway, I tackled him to the ground, and I had `im in a hold, right? So I was on top of him, and the son-of-a-bitch got a boner!"

Mai raised a brow. "Continue…" She sounded intrigued.

"I was just like 'what the fuck'?! No dude has ever boned me before! After that…after that, I started getting' those dreams one night later."

"I see." Mai took a quick drag of her cigarette. "It sounds like Hirano is physically attracted to you."

"Say WHAT?!" Jounouchi recoiled. "So yer sayin' that he's a queer? Ohhh, shit." Jounouchi hunched over, his forehead touching the surface of the counter. "Ya know, that explains a hell of a lot. I once tried to show Hirano some porno from my stash, and then the bastard snatched it from me and smacked me `round with it like-in his words-a `naughty puppy'."

Mai took another quick drag of her cigarette. "I'm also suspecting that you feel the same way towards him."

An unusual silence fell upon Jounouchi the instant he heard Mai's analysis; he stared at her as if she had just announced to him that she was carrying his baby.

"M…m…Ho…Wh…Why?" The dirty blond fumbled with the words as the news was still settling in. "Is…is there a reason yer sayin' that I'm a queer?"

"I said nothing about you being a queer, Katsuya." Mai snuffed the cigarette out into a crystal ashtray. "I simply said that you may just have an attraction for Hirano. There's such a thing as being bi, you know."

"But…there's just no way I could be attracted to him."

"Well, you _did_ describe him as being beautiful like a girl."

"That was just my way of describin' him!"

"Well; if it's any consolation, you're not really a queer until you're the one who's receiving."

"Yer not helpin'", Jounouchi muttered as he stood. "Ya know, I gotta be makin' a big deal about this. Once I get the newest issue of `Bikini Bitches', I'll be dreamin' of big-breasted babes once again."

"You sound so sure."

"…I am," Jounouchi muttered as he retreated for the door.

"Your hesitation really shows your sincerity." Mai sighed as she too left her seat. "Katsuya, bullshitting people isn't my style. If I've upset you because I've told you something you didn't want to hear-"

"That ain't it," Jounouchi interrupted with a shake of his head. "I just…it's just that I don't see myself as bein' the kind that likes another man."

Mai's lips formed a tight line as she approached the dirty blond. "I can only tell you what I know just by how you speak of someone and how you react to him, even if it's on a subconscious level. There's no real control over your feelings; if you are indeed developing feelings for this Hirano, then perhaps you should just go with it-fighting it won't do you much good anyway."

Jounouchi sneered. "Fighting's what I do best…I can't just give up without doin' a damn thing."

"Sometimes, you don't need to fight to win. I wish you'd realize that, Katsuya."

Jounouchi turned to face Mai. "Much as I appreciate the attempt at the advice you were tryin' to give me, I didn't come here for no lecture. July told me all about how you wanted me t' settle down." He shook his head with a smile. "I mean shit; ya pro'lly told me what ya did in hopes of me even remotely considerin' tryin' a relationship out. Maybe you really were bullshittin' me."

"I'd like to think that I'm more rational than that, Katsuya. While I don't approve of how you choose to live, I won't say anything in an attempt to sway you. However, if you honestly feel that my feelings are getting in the way of my ability then I won't waste my time trying to convince you otherwise. You're so damn hard-headed; there's no telling you otherwise anyway…just be sure to close the door on your way out." She turned around to

"Right." Jounouchi promptly unlocked and opened the door, carefully closing it behind him as he stepped outside. Mai lit another cigarette as she approached the door and slowly fastened the locks. She leaned closer to the door, resting her forehead against the wooden surface and eyes closed tightly as if she were in anguish.

BAM!!!

Jounouchi's foot connected to the garbage can, sending the receptacle crashing against a brick wall, its contents spilling out onto the ground.

Jounouchi then turned his foot towards a cardboard box, launching it towards an unsuspecting dumpster. He then slammed the side of his fist against a wall as if it were someone he hated; he leaned close and rested his head against his forearm.

*Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! Just who am I really mad at anyway? Mai, just `cause she's lookin' out fer me? Myself, fer comin' off real vulernable? Or Hirano, who's always teasin' me and sendin' off mixed signals…shit. Maybe it's just that I'm so fuckin' stressed. I need to catch a fuckin' break. I need…I need to see Shizuka. She'd know how to get me back to my senses.*

Jounouchi let out a deep exhale as his amber eyes looked up into the asure sky, a sense of longing nearly overwhelming him.

*Shizuka…I hope yer doin' alright where ya are. Big bro'll be seein' ya soon enough.*

He turned towards the exit of the alley and immediately stopped.

Obstructing Jounouchi's exit were four teenaged punks, half of whom were brandishing weapons; their stares were locked onto the dirty blond and their fists held close to their sides. One punk was of medium height with spiked hair, another was slightly taller and wore his dark hair slicked back, the third was roughly the same height as the second and had dyed red hair, and the fourth was much larger; clearly the muscle of the quartet. All wore the gray Rintama High uniforms.

Jounouchi sneered. "Tch. Dunno what the hell you guys want, but ya caught me in a real bad mood."

Toyama glowered at the dirty blond as he flipped the unsheathed switchblade in his hand. "We were gonna wait `til you got to th' warehouse before we wailed on ya, but then I remembered: I hate yer attitude, I hate yer face, and I hate you. Hell; we all do, so we may as well beat you down right here."

"Guys, I gotta tell ya; this is the worst attempt at an ambush I ever saw," Jounouchi dismissed, a smirk on his face. "If you were gonna jump me, you shoulda just done it. Now ya really got yerselves at a disadvantage, what with my bad mood `n all."

"You shittin' me?" Toyama scoffed. "It's four-against-one, blondie, and alleys ain't the most spacious place to fight in. Besides, we're the fuckin' Crashers; yer the one at a disadvantage."

"Tch; y'all ain't nothin' but a buncha pussies. I was the only reason that the Crashers were feared, or did ya forget? I'll have ya down and out, and ya can tell Hirutani that if he wanna see me so bad, he can seek me out. I ain't jumpin' through no hoops for `im."

Toyama spit out his cigarette. "Hirutani's gonna fuckin' mess ya up worse than ya did him."

"He c'n threaten me all he wants! I know how good I am!" Jounouchi raised his fists. "Now, are ya'll gonna just keep talkin' or can I pummel my way through, huh?"

Toyama and the other three punks responded by charging towards the dirty blond, who remained in his stance. The dark-haired punk tried his luck first by lunging his fist at Jounouchi, but the dirty blond easily evaded the punch and quickly shoved his fist into the attacker's abdomen, quickly taking the fight out of him.

"Five seconds into this and I already got one; who's next?" Jounouchi taunted.

"Bastard!" The "red-head" tried his luck; surely the brass knuckles he had equipped would give him better odds. He faked left and instantly threw his fist outwards. Jounouchi caught the punch in his left hand.

"Brass Knuckles?" Jounouchi glared at the "red-head" as if he had just told a poor joke. "Take that shit somewhere else!" Jounouchi swiftly pulled the punk towards him and landed a head-butt, knocking the punk unconscious.

"D-dammit," Toyama stammered as Jounouchi approached him.

"What's wrong, man? Ya wanted a fight, but yer not even forcin' me to use my all! If this is the best ya got, then you can tell Hirutani to just forget about it! I ain't gonna waste my time fightin' him if he's as sloppy as you guys are!" Jounouchi grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

"I'll fuckin' kill you!" Toyama suddenly pulled out a switchblade; Jounouchi barely had time to react as he dodged the punk's swipe attack. Toyama used the element of surprise to his advantage, swiping a second time and successfully slashing at Jounouchi's right arm, leaving a tear in the jacket and drawing blood.

Jounouchi leapt backwards as he inspected his sleeve. He looked back to Toyama, his amber eyes full of rage.

"Motherfucker; I liked this jacket." The dirty blond threw off the jacket, but he didn't toss it aside; instead he held it tightly in his right hand.

"What'sa matter, Jounouchi? Too much of a man to actually fight right?" Toyama taunted. "That was always yer problem…always goin' around like you were just such a man just `cause you wanted that `fair fight' bullshit. We're the motherfuckin' Crashers. Fightin' fair ain't nowhere near our vocabulary."

"Then maybe that's why I never really fit in; couldn't be with your crew no more…y'all were just plain dirty, and I don't need that kinda image. Unlike y'all, I got honour in me. I actually got someone to live for."

"Well ain't that sweet? You ain't got shit, Jounouchi. It's time we put you down-for good!"

Toyama used his strength to dash towards Jounouchi at an alarming speed, his knife held at mid-level so he could strike upwards into Jounouchi's abdomen. He was no more than five feet in front of the dirty blond when he thrust out his arm. Jounouchi made no movement-

--until the very last second, when the very tip of the bloodthirsty blade was only millimeters close to his ribcage, that he made his move. He spun around to his right, completely evading Toyama while wrapping his jacket around the punk's arm in the process. Before Toyama could even fully grasp the unexpected turn of events, Jounouchi yanked back on the jacket with all of his strength, forcing Toyama's arm back with such force the arm was dislocated from its socket as a result.

Toyama howled in pain for only a moment; a swift knee-strike to his head immediately rendered him unconscious. The punk staggered and then came crashing down onto the ground, landing on the unbroken arm.

Jounouchi knelt down and grasped his blue jacket as he kept a careful eye on Toyama. He whistled as he inspected his shirt, aware of how close he had been to death only moments ago. He was used to it. He glanced downwards at the downed punk, his gaze a strange mix of disgust and satisfaction.

*Assholes. If that broken arm don't tell Hirutani to back the fuck off, then I'm gonna fuck him up `Kill Bill' style…Huh. I only see three of `em…guess the big one turned tail and ran off, the pussy. Aw well. Three outta four ain't so bad…*

Jounouchi was unaware that the fourth, larger punk had managed to find concealment behind a dumpster while the dirty blond tangled with the other Rintama punks. He had already begun to make his slow advancement upon Jounouchi, careful to avoid broken glass and stepping over one of the fallen punks. He smiled as he interlaced his fingers and raised his fists over his head; surely a surprise double-knuckle hammer would overtake Jounouchi for certain.

However; the larger punk did not get the chance to put his surprise attack into motion. Instead, an unseen assailant unleashed his own surprise attack on the lummox by striking the punk with a series of kicks to his abdomen and face, followed with a final high kick that swiftly and successfully connected with his jaw heel-first, knocking him sky high.

This unexpected turn of events had happened so quickly that by the time Jounouchi even realized that someone was behind him and turned around, fists raised in defense, the large punk crashed to the ground.

Jounouchi was stunned; who could have possibly given him aid in such a secluded battle?

"Honestly…don't you know that you should never show your back to your opponent?"

Jounouchi instantly recognized the arrogant, taunting tone that lay behind the voice.

"Hirano?!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES

The new storyline has begun, but it's not until chapter 10 that things really pick up, with the cameo appearance of the next major player in the series. Jounouchi has a lot to deal with on his plate now, especially since his old gang is calling him out, but also he still has to come full circle with his feelings for Kaiba, who will also be dealing with a life-or-death situation of his own.

I had been asked if this fanfic would have Jounouchi as seme rather than his "better-known" position of being uke. The answer to this is "Abso-fucking-lutely". Personally, I tire of reading fan fictions where Jounouchi has to bottom out to Kaiba-I can understand why, but it's at the point where it's "been there, done that". I personally see Jounouchi as being "macho" and direct (most Jounouchis I've seen in fan fictions lack that machismo; in fact, he's a total wuss!) Besides, why should Kaiba do all the work all the time? ;) Anyway, This seems to be somewhat controversial, as people are not used to Jounouchi being the seme. I am sorry, but I write the characters based on my own personal views, not on how much I want to please people. Please respect this.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this series so far. Toast goes to "The Almighty God" for correctly guessing the quote reference (From the game "Guilty Gear"), with an honourary English Muffin for KarribuHater5, for the random yet notable mention. PEACE!!