Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ El Lado Del Rio ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

El Lado Del Río

 

A blond-haired youth was walking slowly down a crowded sidewalk. Groups of school girls in uniforms chattering happily walked past him. A backpack was slung over his shoulder. His bowed head betrayed the dark feelings that had stolen into his heart. His head lifted slightly, though only to look around and see where he was. His body was in Japan, but his mind and heart were thousands of miles away.

 

To be exact, 12,689.39 miles away.

 

This number didn't matter much to him. Only that the person dearest to him was incredibly far from him. Possibly never to come back.

 

This wasn't the hardest thing to accept for Jounouchi Katsuya. After all, his mother and sister had left him when he was 8. His father died when he was in high school of alcohol poison. He could say that he was relieved that his old man was gone. He could say he didn't have to put up with carrying his dad home from the bar when he drank too much. Or he could say he didn't use his hard-earned money to bail his dad out of jail anymore. But it still hurt that he was gone. The man had been his father. The hardest part was to hear his father whisper, “I'm sorry, Katsuya.” That had been his last words before his last breath.

 

A sudden breeze ruffled his hair and a sigh could be heard from his mouth. The blue sky and golden sun mocked his despair. He glanced at his watch which he had gotten recently. The hands told him that it was about 4:30 in the afternoon.

 

As he looked up again and saw he had arrived at his destination. It was an apartment building near where his friends lived. The thoughts of his friends lit the young man's face with a smile. That group of people had been his rock. They were his wall to fall on when times were horrendous. Mutou Yugi, Mazaki Anzu, Honda Hiroto. He couldn't ask for better people to care about him.

 

Jou's weary feet carried him to the second floor. From the stairwell to Apartment 24. Slowly, he pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. The apartment was modest but clean. Cream carpet spread about the living room and the bedroom. Dark wood floored the kitchen and pale green tile the bathroom. The walls were white and the furniture simple. Jou had learned to be meticulous after extensive bugging from his friends. Their reason being that if he could escape the life he did before, why not make sure his environment didn't remind him of the dark and dank apartment he had inhabited with his alcoholic father?

 

Needless to say, that had been rather convincing.

 

And so, the apartment was quite clean and stayed this way. Jou found himself doing anything to occupy his mind and keep himself from thinking of him.

 

That had been the most difficult thing for him the day he found out the love of his life was leaving the country, possibly forever. Never had he regretted more restraining himself from speaking his mind as always. Never had he wished that he could have been less afraid and ashamed and more confident. In any case, that person was gone now and Jou was simply left with his friends. On his part, he was simply happy that they would stay by his side. He knew from all they had gone through, their bond was the strongest that could exist.

 

This lifted his troubled soul a little.

 

Suddenly remembering it was Friday, Jou recalled that he had promised Yugi he would be at his grandfather's game shop around 6:00 that night for dinner and maybe a duel or two afterward. A small smile appeared on his face as he thought of the spiky-haired teenager. Of his friends, Yugi, he felt, had the most courage, determination and, most importantly, kindness. Yugi was the sort of person you'd give your life for because you knew the world needed him. There was little doubt in Jou's mind that Yugi was his best friend. Except for…that person…

 

The smile suddenly darkened into a frown; the silence in the apartment was growing to a deafening roar. Jou strode to his bedroom and located a black MP3 player sitting on his desk. It had been a gift from Honda and his family on Jou's 18th birthday. On the MP3 player was all kinds of music. Jou was entirely certain his friends could remember when he had been less…sophisticated. Maybe that was the wrong word to use he mused to himself. In any case, he had matured after his father's death. He could confess all that had happened to him without fear of repercussions.

 

Honda was the one Jou could relate to the most. The two ran in the same gang during middle school. They were also the two that helped each other straighten out during high school after they met Yugi and Anzu.

 

As he turned the MP3 player on and glanced through the playlist trying to find something to listen to, his eyes lit upon a compilation of classical music. Ah…sweet Bach

 

The compilation had been from Anzu for his 18th birthday. At first, his nose crinkled at the thought of classical music. It fit him so poorly, what with his street punk image. To his surprise, Anzu had been very sensitive to what pieces she picked. His favorite had to be a Requiem written by…well…he didn't know exactly. He just knew that whenever he listened to it, his soul would soar and he could think of him without pain. Instead, that person would appear in his mind softened with a loving light and smile gracing his lips. Unsurprisingly, this meant also that he listened to the piece nearly every day. Yet, he never could grow tired of it. For Jou, this was a last connection of sorts to his would-have-been lover.

 

A ringing phone quickly pulled him from his reverie. Jou hurried to the phone, at the same time pulling the headphones from his ears.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Jou? Where are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago.”

 

Jou glanced at the clock on his wall. It read 6:30. Shit….I WAS supposed to be there half an hour ago.

 

“Sorry, Yug. I got caught up in some stuff here. I'll be right ova.”

 

He quickly hung up the phone and ran to his room. Quickly stripping, he pulled a black shirt and jeans from his dresser.

 

After reappearing in his living room, Jou grabbed a jacket, his keys and headed out the door.

 

Down the stairs he leapt, jumping three steps at a time and ran off towards Yugi's house.

 

In his rush, Jou didn't notice a blue Corvette parked a little down the street from his apartment. From the Corvette, a pair of sapphire eyes followed him in his harrowing sprint down the street. The person sitting in the car sighed and softly whispered,

 

“Katsuya…”

 

&&&&&&&&

Hey, everyone. This is Ly.

 

I got a little bored with Camomile Tea so I decided that I'd start a new fic. This is a Jou/Seto pairing. I've been into shounenai for those who don't know. If you don't like it, please don't bother reading and then flaming me, it's a waste of my time and your time.

 

Thanks, hope you enjoy!