Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Contrast: Blue ❯ Cigarette Mambo ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Cigarette Mambo

"HhhHHhh!"

With a sudden gasp, Seto bolted into a seated upright position. His heavy breathing nearly drowned out the sounds of his furiously beating heart.

He held his hands, palm-side up, in his lap, his azure eyes staring at them as if there was some sort of abnormality with them. He closed his eyes in relief when he found that he had only been dreaming again, and immediately fell back onto the bed. He raised a hand to his forehead as if he were feeling it for a fever, and shook his head as if he were in a state of denial.

"I hate sleeping," Seto declared to no-one in particular. He sat up once again and reached for a small, amber medication bottle that rested by a glass of water on his nightstand. He twisted the cap off, shook out a small light blue tablet and tossed it into his mouth. He then reached for the glass of water and downed the entire glass, making a face as he swallowed; clearly the water had been sitting for too long. He swung his legs over the bed and stumbled into a standing position, slowly making his way to the windows. With the pull of a cord, the curtains parted, revealing various trees, distant buildings that made up the Domino City skyline, and the glaring rays of the morning sun.

Seto walked back to his bed and sat down upon it. He ran a hand through his sweat-dampened sienna hair as he heard the sound of a doorknob clicking. A barely twenty-something maid walked in, holding a neatly-folded pile of clothing.

"Young master? I had your school clothes dry-cleaned, as you requested," the maid declared as she rested the school clothes onto a small, round table that stood in the middle of his bedroom. "Also, your paper is waiting for you with your coffee." She bowed before exiting the large bedroom.

Seto sighed as he grabbed his hairbrush and walked into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.

____________________________________________________________

Fifteen minutes after waking up and getting dressed into his controversial custom-tailored school uniform, Seto descended the large staircase and headed directly towards the large dining room, giving a slight nod to the maid that was in his room earlier. The instant he entered, he noticed Mokuba busying himself with a Gameboy Advance hand-held system, his thumbs moving in a furious flurry. A plate of Belgian waffles with whipped cream and strawberries sat in front of him, untouched.

"Mokuba, you can worry about your top score after you've eaten. I don't want to hear from another upset teacher because you weren't paying attention in class again," Seto lectured as he took his seat, his left hand reaching for his coffee mug.

Mokuba looked up from his game. "Well; I didn't want to eat until you showed up." He resumed his game.

"Sure you did," Seto humored as he took a sip of his coffee, his eyes focusing on an article in the newspaper that caught his attention.

[<i> IRON FIST TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT SPARKS CONTROVERSY

Mishima Heihachi (73 years old), the CEO of the Mishima Financial Empire, recently announced that he would be holding a new fighting tournament, with a hundred million yen as the cash prize. This has caused much controversy within the government, as they had placed a ban on the blood sport nineteen years ago since the second tournament resulted in the mysterious disappearance of that tournament's host, Mishima Kazuya, who happened to be the estranged son of current CEO Mishima Heihachi.

Mishima insists that this tournament will be under strict supervision with a set of rules that will ensure that nothing like what had resulted from the second tournament will occur ever again. The government is doing what they can to prevent Mishima from carrying on with this tournament-</i>]

"Oh hey, is that about that Iron Fist thing?" Mokuba inquired as he looked over Seto's shoulder.

Seto hastily folded the newspaper. "Mokuba, you really shouldn't be reading about that sort of thing..."

Mokuba's smile quickly dissipated. "Awww, but why not? I think it's cool that that Heihachi guy is holding a fighting competition! It's like one of those games we play, but for real!"

"Games are fiction. This tournament is a pointless blood sport; you have enough common sense to know that." Seto paused to take another sip of coffee. "Besides, I doubt the government will allow for this tournament to take place due to the incidents that occurred all those years ago."

"Wow. Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh Seto?" Mokuba asked as he poked at the waffles with his fork.

Seto nodded. "I suppose. Don't get your hopes up."

Mokuba took a long moment to chew on his breakfast, before speaking up once more with another question. "If they broadcast it on television, can I watch it?"

"Mokuba!"

"Aw, come on!" Mokuba pleaded. "You can just TiVo it beforehand and just not let me watch the really violent parts. I'll do anything just to see this thing!"

"I don't understand why you want to watch this so badly."

"Well, sometimes, when I see you practicing your kanas-"

"Katas," Seto corrected.

"Your `katas', I imagine how it would be if you entered one of those things. I bet you'd do really well!"

"Mokuba, it's an environment where killing is actually encouraged, and it's something I don't believe in, not to mention that my Aikido and Aiki-ju-jutsu are-"

"-not for show, yeah I get it," Mokuba finished as he cut off another piece of his waffles. "But can I still watch it?"

"I'll…think about it," Seto considered as he took another sip of his coffee, shaking his head to himself.

____________________________________________________________

For the fifth night in a row, Jounouchi was unable to get a full night's rest, due to the lurid fantasies that plagued his dreams. However, since the fourth night in which this happened, Jounouchi decided that it was pointless to fight it, and decided that if the dreams happened, they happened.

By the fifth night, he found himself succumbing to the fantasies.

He lay there on his bed, eyes half-lidded and cheeks flushed with pleasure. His white T-shirt lay on the floor and his boxers were pulled down enough to expose his length. His left hand rested behind his head and his right hand was swung over the bed, barely clinging onto a box of Kleenex tissues.

He glanced downwards at himself, glanced at the clock, then glanced at the ceiling once again.

He slowly blinked.

*I think I might be hot for him…*

The Kleenex box fell from his fingertips.

*...I think I need a drink.*

Jounouchi slowly sat up, pulling his boxers up and reaching for his T-shirt. He glanced at the T-shirt, frowned, and lazily tossed it into the overflowing hamper in a corner of his room. He rose to his feet and approached his dresser, slightly staggering as he was still waking up. He opened one of the drawers, pulling out a white T-shirt and sniffing it. It smelled like he had sweated in that shirt, but since it was the only one in the drawer, he pulled it over his head anyway and made it a note to do the laundry tomorrow.

He then bent down and pulled his school slacks from the corner he tossed them to and sat on the bed, pulling the pants up slowly over his strong legs and thighs. He slowly lay back down on the bed, an elongated exhale escaping from his lips. He bolted upright and reached downwards for the Kleenex box, staring at the crumpled messy contents that lay inside. He shoved it under his bed.

He stared up at the ceiling. *Shit. I really can't believe I did that. Fifth night and I'm already just goin' with it...just try to r'member, Katsuya…ya ain't gay unless yer the one takin' it-aw hell! Am I really buyin' into that…shit? I need a mental vacation or somethin'…*

With his concern over his sexual orientation weighing heavily on his mind, Jounouchi grabbed his briefcase and quickly exited his room.

____________________________________________________________

Seto slowly, cautiously swung open the door to the boy's restroom, his face not hiding his disapproval of the meeting place. He noticed various graffiti that decorated the walls, the back of the door, and even the sinks and mirrors.

"I hear that there's graffiti in the girl's bathroom about how they wanna fuck ya," Jounouchi commented, his voice slightly resonating off the walls. "I hear that Otogi's real jealous of that."

"How flattering," Seto stated indifferently. "I don't know why I agreed to meet you in this…words really fail me here. I suppose `hole' would suffice."

"Well I can't be missin' gym today if I wanna maintain my only `A'."

"So being tardy to Chono's class is the solution?"

"Dude, I know ya hate that bitch almost as much as I do, so it's not like yer feelin' any remorse over this."

"Point made. So, what brings us together for this meeting today?"

"Huh? Aw, I don't like to smoke alone."

"And you didn't ask someone else? If I recall correctly, you don't like me very much."

"Honda's quttin' fer the sake of Miho, if he ever gets balls to ask her; Otogi…I'd rather not ask him, and I don't think I need to tell ya why Anzu don't get invited."

Jounouchi reached for his package of Marlboro brand cigarettes, and held out the package towards Seto.

"I don't smoke that tobacco shit." Seto coolly rejected as he pulled out his package of Djarum Black brand clove cigarettes.

"Man, I don't see what's so special `bout them clove things ya smoke," Jounouchi retorted as he reached for his lighter.

"I like the aftertaste." Seto snatched the lighter from Jounouchi.

"Ya know, you could get yer own damn lighter."

"Yes, but there's no fun in buying one." Seto set the small flame to the cigarette, taking a quick drag of the stick and exhaling just as quickly. He handed the lighter back to Jounouchi. "There's more to this than just you and me having a smoke."

Jounouchi glared at the brunet as he lit his own cigarette, flipping the Zippo lighter shut and replacing it into his pocket. "What? I can't invite ya fer a smoke? Maybe I'm tryin' to domesticate ya."

"Fuck you," Seto sneered. His features softened a trifle. "Sadly, your words are more useful than Chono's…" He took a long drag of his cigarette.

"Just what are those clove smokes like anyway?" Jounouchi inquired as he pointed at the cigarette in between Seto's lips.

Seto removed the cigarette from his lips and offered it to the dirty blond. Jounouchi stared at the offered cigarette as if it were something disgusting.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Jounouchi, this isn't third grade. Just think of it as me passing you a joint."

"I _wish_ it were a joint," Jounouchi replied as he gently took the cigarette, placing it between his right index finger and thumb. *That's right, Katsuya, just keep feedin' into those fantasies you've been havin'…*

Jounouchi took a long drag of the cigarette, the sweet and smoky flavour of the cloves overwhelming his taste. He slowly exhaled the smoke as he removed the cigarette and handed it back to Seto.

"Lick your lips."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Jounouchi gave Seto a cautious stare as he slowly ran his tongue over his lips, his expression changing to surprise as he was greeted by a sweet taste on his lips.

"It's…it's sweet."

Seto nodded as he licked his own lips. "It certainly helps when you're kissing someone, what with none of that nasty aftertaste that most cigarettes leave."

"Yeah, but I ain't completely sold on the cloves…don't suit my style. But they do taste nice."

"I like to think of them as my own personal brand of candy." Seto tossed the cigarette butt into one of the urinals. "So, shall we discuss any finalizations with our match this evening, if any? I'd like to at least find some sort of significance in this meeting."

Jounouchi appeared confused for a brief moment. "Mmm? There's not much to say, really. We got a nice, wide space to fight in, though there's a few oil drums and some broken glass to watch out for. Obviously can't use foreign objects, not that I see you as the type to stoop to such pussy tactics. First one knocked out loses. Basically, it's the usual shit."

"Wish you said `the usual shit' in the first place; there goes ten minutes I could have spent harassing Chono."

"Heh-heh…I gotta wonder, are ya gonna be relyin' on that tired Aikido style of yours?"

"And just what is wrong with my Aikido style?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "Nothing at all if yer just gonna go up against yer average street punk. I managed to beat that last time, thanks to that fight we had before. Managed to study and pick up on some of yer more important tricks."

Seto scowled. "So, you _did_ throw that fight. I ought to toss you out of here just for that."

Jounouchi looked up as he emitted a short whistle. "Well, if ya wanna get suspended…"

"I'm going back to Chono's class; I suggest you wait no less than ten minutes before you rejoin the class, or people might talk. I really don't want to be associated with a mutt like you." Seto huffed as he briskly retreated from the restroom as Jounouchi flared another cigarette to life.

He quickly inhaled and exhaled a puff of smoke, a sheepish smile on his lips.

*I think I just totally pissed him off, dissin' his precious Aikido. That might just get me an advantage.*

His smile slowly faded.

*But shit; it's as I feared it would be…this meetin' was an experiment to make sure that I wasn't attracted to Hirano…damn cloves. I bet that was his idea of a flirt.*

Jounouchi leaned his head back and rested it against a wall. *It worked.*

____________________________________________________________

<"Look; I couldn't off him in front of a kid!!"> The red-haired man exclaimed as he leaned against a column that was contained within the elaborate hotel room he was currently residing in. He held a cellular phone to his ear, a frustrated expression worn on his face.

<"Hey; my line of work isn't basic shit, alright…yes; I remember the deal! I can uphold it, no problem. It's you I don't trust…hey; I have some issues with trust, okay? You just better know when to deliver, because I _will_ go after you if you're just another lying son-of-a-bitch.">

The haughty sound of laughter was clearly heard from the phone. The redhead growled, slamming the cover shut on his phone.

<"Shit; he's more of an asshole than Rafael,"> he muttered as he hastily pocketed the phone. He slumped into a chair and hunched over, his hand running through his hair. He glanced up, his ashen eyes taking notice of the equipment that lay on top of his bed. He slowly rose and approached his bed, taking hold of a small box-shaped item. He grabbed the cable that hung at the end of it and inserted it into his laptop computer. He briefly tapped the keys, leaning forward with interest as he awaited the results.

A smile curled on his lips as he saw the results.

____________________________________________________________

It had been a while since he had been to the "Torture Chamber".

Jounouchi stood in the center of the abandoned warehouse, a sense of familiarity coming over him.

*Wow. Don't look like much has changed, saved fer the fact that things're rustier now. Hey, those chains're still hangin' there…*

Jounouchi approached the chain, his neck craning upwards as his eyes followed the long rusty chain, all the way to the dilapidated roof. He chuckled to himself as he looked down and gingerly took hold of the chain.

"Y'all thought that chain was actually able to hold me," he reminisced aloud as he slowly released the chain, its rust leaving behind a reddish-brown residue on his hands. "Actually…so did I."

Jounouchi wiped away the rust residue on his school slacks, nodding to himself.

"I wonder…if I look around here carefully, will Hirutani's blood stains still be around," Jounouchi pondered aloud as he kicked a discarded beer can.

"Hrm, `kick the can' is a rather primitive game, don't you think?" Seto's arrogant tone overwhelmed that of the sound of the can landing against a wall.

Jounouchi turned around, grinning. Seto stood in the doorway, still clad in his uniform. "Well, we ain't here for kid's games, right?" He raised his fists. "Let's get started, huh?"

"Right-to-the point; is that how it is to be?" Seto raised his hands in the ever-familiar Aikido stance. Jounouchi smirked.

"Ya can't just hide behind pure defense forever, ya know!" the dirty blond reminded in a taunting tone of voice. "I've overpowered it before, and will do it again!"

"We shall see." Seto smirked.

Without warning, Jounouchi got into a crouching position, placing his weight on his right foot and using it to propel him in a crouching-dash. He swung out his right fist in an uppercut motion.

Seto responded by parrying the attack, and then grabbed hold of Jounouchi's right arm in an effort to toss the dirty blond aside. Jounouchi swung his arm in a clock-wise motion, breaking the hold.

Seto thrusted his forearm out in a sideways chopping attack, which Jounouchi easily side-stepped. The dirty blond attempted to catch the brunet with a knee strike but the brunet managed to perform a spin-around sidestep. Jounouchi's back was vulnerable to whatever attack-or throw- Seto had planned.

However, the blond knew what to do in such a situation as he briefly recalled a time that he had to take on five people at once. Instinctively, he instantly spun with his right arm extended in an attempt to strike at the brunet with a spinning back knuckle strike.

Seto grabbed Jounouchi's arm and thrust it forward in a parry. As Jounouchi stumbled, the brunet bent downwards, his right leg extending upwards in one swift motion, the heel striking Jounouchi squarely on the chin and sending the dirty blond into the air. He crashed into a pile of cardboard boxes.

"HEY!" Jounouchi exclaimed as he bolted into an upright position; he did not expect that last attack. "What the hell was _that_?!"

Seto raised a quizzical brow, his right leg bent out in front of him. "Hn? I simply took advantage of the fact that you assumed I'd stick to Aikido. But as you can see, you're not the only one that holds back his true potential." He smiled.

"I don't know much about Aikido, but I know there ain't kicks like that in it!"

The brunet lowered his leg. "That's because it's not Aikido at all, but rather the Korean art of Tae Kwon Do."

"Whaaat? Man; you are just full of surprises, I swear…"

Seto gave out a very amused chuckle. "Come now, Katsuya…you think these legs are just for staring?" He frowned. "I honestly didn't think I would wind up resorting to a more offensive strategy, but considering how quickly you've managed to shatter my defenses, I needed to take a better course of action."

"Great. So I gotta compete with yer speed, not to mention ya got the range advantage," Jounouchi muttered.

Seto put on an amused smile. "Well, I need to find my advantage somehow."

"Advantage," Jounouchi repeated. "Shit. It ain't just long range, huh? Even if I could evade one of yer kicks and get real close an' personal, you'd still manage to get me up close `cause of yer Aikido."

"Very clever, puppy," Seto commented with a nod. "It seems that you're figuring out the key to why I have such outstanding fighting sense. Only in future battles will you truly understand the answer."

"Fucker; stop bein' so philosophical," Jounouchi sneered. "Ya just managed to catch me off guard. I'll be able to predict yer kickin' stuff soon enough."

"You're completely missing the point." Seto drawled with a slight shrug. "Can we continue already?"

Jounouchi brushed the small trickling of blood that had gathered at the corner of his lips with the pad of his right thumb. "Bring it, blue-eyes."

With an amazing blur of speed Seto dashed towards Jounouchi, his right arm held out and bent in a forty-five degree angle towards the dirty blond-an oncoming elbow strike. Jounouchi sidestepped to his right, successfully avoiding the attack and attempted to counter-attack with an elbow strike of his own. Seto managed to duck underneath the attempted counter-attack, using a low-sweeping leg strike to knock Jounouchi over. Jounouchi fell backwards but he landed on his hands, allowing him to quickly spring back onto his feet. He tried to use a rising uppercut as he stood, but Seto grabbed Jounouchi's fist and flipped the dirty blond onto his back.

Jounouchi winced as he impacted against the cold, hard surface of the floor. Seto ran a hand through his sienna hair in a display of arrogance. "That's three times that I've successfully managed to land an attack, puppy."

"Bastard, ya only got two out. I managed to recover from that sweep."

"You were still struck by it."

"Tch!" Jounouchi made a frustrated face as he slowly rose to his feet. "Would ya settle for two an' a half, then?"

Seto thought about this for a moment, and nodded. "Fine. I can settle."

"Great. What say after all is said and done, we grab a couple of beers and get hammered or some shit…loser buys," Jounouchi suggested.

Seto said nothing.

"What is it?" Jounouchi raised a puzzled brow. "You don't like beer or somethin'?"

Seto still said nothing, though Jounouchi noticed a tinge of fear upon the brunet's features.

"Hirano? Is somethin' the matter? Man; don't you be spacin' out on me here…"

"…Jounouchi."

Now the dirty blond was really confused. "Hirano, yer seriously weirdin' me out here-"

"CATCH!" Seto ran up to his metallic briefcase and kicked it with all his might, launching the large briefcase towards Jounouchi, thanking himself for wearing his steel-toed boots.

"What the hell are ya doin'?" Jounouchi demanded. He easily caught the brunet's briefcase within his grip and at the exact moment he had done so, the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the warehouse, the shot ricocheting from the hard surface of the case. Had Seto not acted, the shot would have landed in the center of Jounouchi's chest.

"JESUS!!" Jounouchi exclaimed as he dropped the case and quickly found cover beneath some rusting oil drums. "Who the fuck is here?!"

Seto said nothing as his azure eyes scanned the warehouse in hopes of finding the mysterious gunman. Jounouchi peered from his hiding place.

"If Hirutani hired a fuckin' gunman to kill me, I'm really gonna-"

"Quiet," Seto hushed as he narrowed his eyes. He pointed towards a shadowed corner in the far end of the warehouse. "The gunman is over there."

"Ya know Hirano, maybe you should hide out too," Jounouchi hurriedly suggested. "I have a bad feelin' that this guy may want to kill ya fer shits an' grins."

Seto was about to give a harsh word to Jounouchi when the sudden sound of clapping interrupted him.

<"It's not you I'm after, blondie; it's your brunet friend I'm more interested in…,"> a voice declared in English.

Seto frowned, while Jounouchi sneered.

<"I'm sorry I had to interrupt one of your post-schoolyard fights, but I needed to get your attention, Seto.">

Seto's face immediately seized with surprise. <"How in the hell did you know my name?! "> The brunet demanded in English.

<"Well, well; I really am impressed…a Japanese that can speak English as if it were his Native language.">

<"Don't you dare try to change the subject. Who the fuck are you, and how did you learn about me?">

Jounouchi was irritated, and he wasn't going to keep it bottled up. "Could ya cut the English speak here? I feel like I need subtitles or somethin'."

<"Tell your blond friend over there that I meant no hard feelings…I was simply trying to test his reflexes, is all. Oh yeah; and let him know that I don't know much Japanese, so he'll just have to deal with it.">

Seto gnashed his teeth. <"Not until you tell me who you are.">

The stranger sighed. <"All right, fine; take the fun outta that why don't ya...">

Seto and Jounouchi stared at the corner, patiently waiting for the figure to emerge from his hiding place of the shadowed corner.

Within seconds, the figure stepped out into full view. He was roughly as tall as Jounouchi but certainly not as muscular as the dirty blond, though he had more of a build than Seto. He wore a loose blue-gray tank top that stopped just barely above his exposed, muscular midriff. He wore a pair of baggy green camouflage pants with a pair of belts that crisscrossed in the center of his hips, and a pair of dark, mud-stained combat boots adorned his feet. His hair was of a deep red colour; it stood out against his pale skin. His hair flared out at each side of his head and his bangs reached to his cheekbones.

"Hey! I bumped into that asshole just yesterday!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

<"Asshole? How rude. I have a name; it's `Amelda'," Amelda announced.

<"You could have at least chosen a more masculine name when looking up false names,"> Seto taunted.

"Wait; _that's_ a dude?" Jounouchi asked as he pointed at the redhead. "He looks even girlier than you, Hirano!"

Amelda was unable to repress a bemused chuckle. <" `Hirano'? Oh, so you thought a false name could help you."> He turned his attention to the dirty blond and pointed at Seto. "Name! His name! Seto Kaiba! His name, Seto Kaiba!" the redhead exclaimed in broken Japanese.

Jounouchi blinked. "His name…? Seto Kaiba?" He turned his gaze towards the brunet. "Seto…Seto's yer first name, right, so…Oh."

Seto looked away the instant Jounouchi made the connection.

"<Well, well; the blond isn't' so stupid after all. Seto! Consider our meeting a warning, for your time is about to run out, Mr. Kaiba…I think my intentions are quite obvious to you. From this day on, you are no longer safe. Ta for now!"> Amelda smirked as he leapt out of a glassless window, his rifle strapped around his back.

Seto glared at the space Amelda occupied as if it were a loathsome space. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder forcing him to whirl around, and gaze into the infuriated amber eyes of Jounouchi Katsuya.

"Talk!" Jounouchi demanded. "Ya better tell me who ya really are!"

Seto said nothing, his intense gaze masking his worry.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES

The mysterious assassin is revealed to be none other than Amelda, the gender-confusing redhead from the Yu Gi Oh anime's DOOM/DOMA arc. Okay, so a lot of YGO fans hate this arc because it's not "true to canon"-well whoop-de-shit. I really liked Amelda (never mind the fact that I thought he was a girl at first), and decided to use him as a character for Contrast. He'll prove to be VERY significant, especially in a future storyline. *wink* As for Kaiba-he's officially been "outed" as Kaiba, and next chapter will shed some more light on that confrontation.

And yes, I couldn't resist giving Kaiba another fighting art. I really dig Tae Kwon Do, and with legs like Kaiba's-come on. *grin* Jounouchi will seriously have to train and discipline himself if he's ever going to best Kaiba now. Speaking of fighting there was the mention of the Iron Fist Tournament 3 (Tekken 3 to you non-Tekken fans in the house)-this may or may not bear future significance, but keep reading.

Thanks a bunch for reading this fan fiction and for your reviews! I really appreciate them!