Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ HOUNDS ❯ The full moon hunt ( Chapter 8 )

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HOUNDS. The Full Moon Hunt.

~By Sweetdeily.
“Along life’s' way, be careful what you say. Make your choice of words soft and sweet. Because you'll never know which ones you will have to eat.
~Unknown.”

~

Seto Kaiba seemed to be more interested in Jounouchi than he was in the case. Or at least that was the impression that Jounouchi chose to gather from the other man. He also took the time to point out that Jounouchi’s chest was bruised somewhat badly.

It was the broken ribs; Jounouchi knew that his body was having a hard time healing, considering that it wasn’t getting enough rest. His arm, now free of the sling, was little better. He was scratched, brusied and scabbing- not the best of appearances for him.

The brunette drilled and questioned Jounouchi about his life all the way down to his Porsche.

It was unlocked with a flick of a button and Seto looked around, checking for car-thieves it seemed.

“My family was American, but my mum spent a long time in Japan- so she liked the names over there.” His mother… now there was a woman that Jounouchi didn’t like to talk about.

“I thought they were both bums?”

Jounouchi rubbed the back of his head with his good hand, reminding himself how short his hair was now. He wondered if Seto liked it. “They were. She didn’t uhh… she wasn’t a… she wasn’t a shifter.” He murmured; climbing into the passenger’s side of the Porsche- he briefly wondered where they were going, but decided that he wouldn’t try and change the subject just yet- the alpha looked interested.

Mother Katsuya was a wolf. Plain and simple. She lived in a Japanese zoo for a while, but during her transfer to an American zoo the ship went down- she was the only creature to survive the crash and doggy-paddled all the way to land. She lived her life as a stray, snappy dog from then on. His father was the shifter. A Labrador shifter ‘pedigree’ if you could call some fucked up grandfather having sex with his pet-Labrador and the offspring thereof a pedigree. Jounouchi’s father was addicted to smack and spent most of his time as the loveable house-pet of some little kid’s family. He stole from them often enough to make Jounouchi feel ashamed.

The car started and Jounouchi shifted, now uncomfortable with the subject and the memories it brought up. His mother was still wondering the streets somewhere; she was senile and didn’t like being kept inside. His father’s body was probably rotting in some abandoned apartment building- having ODed on smack or something stupid like that. His mother had been fine with raising him until he was about five, and then some ‘do-gooder’ had realized that the little kid that always played with the dog on the corner didn’t actually understand human speech and taken him away to an orphanage. His father had gotten him out- the only intelligent thing the dickhead ever did for him, and his mother had kept a close eye on his ‘humanization’. She used to take him trash-can hunting just to remind him that even if he had two legs, he would always be a dog.

“And your father?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, alright?” Jounouchi growled, turning his face away from the HOUND and crossing his arms over his chest.

He’d been to a therianthrope psychiatrist once; the shrink had told him that it was very likely that he was a therianthrope pure-breed. The Wolf morph was being suppressed by his fucked up emotions. The reason he was a Mindless was because of the fears that he kept inside about being a shifter. It was bullshit, Jounouchi thought. Someone with his genetics would not be a pedigree. Pedigrees weren’t just born therianthrope- they could also be therianthrope with multiple morphs. He was both… or one or hell… Jounouchi didn’t want to think about it.

The thing that was holding him back was himself? That was crap. Unfortunately, Yami believed it. They had ‘talks’ about how Jounouchi really just needed to get used to his Beasts and he would regain his consciousness. These discussions usually ended in screaming matches.

“Was your father a Mindless?” Seto carved the word out like a bad stench. It was typical pedigree habit.

Mindless. A shifter who didn’t have any human thoughts or emotions in animal form- they were literally an animal as their given creature. A wolf was a wolf, a cat acted like a cat, a bird flew away- they ate whatever was given to them. They were rarely tame. Mindless were the most pathetic creatures in the shifter world. They couldn’t control themselves- they were scorned and taunted at every turn.

Jounouchi flinched with the word.

“No.” It probably smelt like he was lying… he was nervous and withdrawn about the subject of Mindless.

HOUNDS were mostly lycanthrope- they were also mostly pedigree- if you weren’t one of the above it was virtually impossible to get into HOUNDS. The SR’s were the only other window that a therianthrope like Jounouchi had at getting a better life. He was gutter trash, and he knew it.

“Mokuba is doing well.” The Alpha finally dropped the subject. Probably out of courtesy for the blonde’s obvious discomfort.

Jounouchi’s shoulders visibly eased and he shifted a little in his seat. “That’s good.”

They were driving past the poor area of the city and out onto one of the main highways; single trees surrounded by concrete jungles whizzed past the window. It was overcast, but still kind of bright. It was past the time most people went to work, and there were still a few cars on the roads, but not many. The Porsche cut its way through the crowds like the swish, sleek metal animal it was.

“He’s been irritating me to take him to meet you, so I thought we could drop by my place.”

Jounouchi’s melancholy dropped itself at the prospect of visiting Seto Kaiba’s home. “Really? Do you live in a mansion?”

“Uh… yeah.” Seto shifted in his seat and eased to a stop at a set of red lights.

“Shit, that kid is lucky.” Jounouchi whistled. What he wouldn’t give to live in a mansion.

“Try telling him that. It’s like he enjoys being shot at, getting in more trouble than he can handle…”

Jounouchi snorted. You could take the wolf out of the woods, but it was still a wolf. “He’s a wolf- he needs to assert his place in the pack.”

It was Seto’s turn to snort. “Pack, tsch. We’re not animals, Jounouchi.”

“Aren’t we?” The blonde was looking back out the window. “You might be a lone Alpha, but for those of us without a sense of individuality, it’s not that different. You live a life where the Beast doesn’t occupy your every day habits. It’s the fairy tale of young shifter’s lives on the streets.”

“Are you saying I’m not in touch with reality?”

“No. You live in a world that very few people are allowed to experience.” Jounouchi turned the music up- classical jazz- he wanted to change the channel but the alpha would probably maul him. A man’s radio was a delicate thing.

Seto was frowning as he took off again, moving the gear-stick. “You could have that too you know, I’ve seen your school grades.”

Jounouchi shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah.”

“You started off really badly, the comments read that you didn’t talk to anyone and tried to eat your test-paper’s half the time. What changed in year four?” Seto’s voice was like a hot knife into the butter that was Jounouchi’s past.

Jounouchi bit his nails on his left hand and watched as they drove past a few nice looking cafes. He was hungry. “I met someone that made me want to get better.”

Shizuka. The blind HOUNDS officer that had come to the primary school to talk about Shifter-laws. She was pretty and funny and kind. She’d bought him lunch because she liked how he smelt. She’d told him all the wonders of being able to help other Shifter’s as an officer of the law. He’d sworn to himself on that day that he would be one of those HOUNDS, even if it meant going hungry during a test.

“So you went from a fail to an A grade student?” That was putting it mildly- Jounouchi’s marks were scary. They changed almost overnight.

“Sort of. Some of the teacher’s were dickheads, and I didn’t bother to try in those classes.” This was a little safer than talking about his parents.

“And because your scores were so inconsistent, you didn’t get any scholarships.”

The blonde nodded. “How old are you?”

Seto blinked, taken aback at the sudden question. “Twenty-four.”

There was six’s year’s difference between them. Jounouchi whistled. “You’re not that old. How’d you get into HOUNDS?”

“I come from a prestigious family.” Seto coughed, probably realizing that his chest had been swelling out.

“Yeah.” It figured.

“I’m also very good at my job, Jounouchi.”

And what did that mean? Jounouchi glanced at the brunette, realizing that those icy cobalt eyes weren’t looking at the road, they were looking at him. “You think I’m hiding something?”

“I think you are hiding something big. How does a street-kid get in with Yami Nagisawa?”

“Don’t ask me. I still don’t get what the big hype is about him.”

“You’ve been living with THE Lucky Cat and you don’t get the big hype?”

“Why does everyone call him that?” Jounouchi asked. He was eager for some answers about Yami, any answers at all.

“Yami Nagisawa- supposedly anyone he sleeps with will get lucky.”

Jounouchi snorted with laughter. “That’s what I’ve understood to happen when you sleep with most people.”

“No, I don’t mean that… I mean… they win the lottery, they inherit a million dollars, they get noticed by a big company. Life turns out really well for them.”

Jounouchi laughed. “That’s so superstitious! I don’t believe it- are you afraid of walking under ladders?” This was a whole new side of Seto Kaiba; who would of thought he believed in ghosts and gremlins?

“Think about it. How many things have gone well for you since you met Nagisawa?”

Jounouchi smiled and sighed, like he was giving it serious thought. “I’ve been shot at, ripped up, hit on, involved in a murder case and-” He was about to say something more when it suddenly hit him.

He and Yami hadn’t been living together all that long, but ever since they had… things had been getting better. He was being noticed by the HOUNDS, he was helping on an important case- he was winning his fights in the cage… and Seto Kaiba had kissed him.

No, no, no! That was just a little show as part of the act… Seto hadn’t really meant it as a… well, the blonde was just reading into it.

“Your face just went serious. What happened?” The blinker lights went on and they turned down a side street into well-to-do-suburbia.

The houses were all clean-cookie-cutter picturesque living zones. The lawns were lush and green, even though it was autumn. The trees were pruned to perfection, the mailboxes were painted stunning white and the windows were neat and decorated. This was the place where humans with decent jobs retired after the hard workday of a comfortable life.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Was Yami some sort of magical creature? Really? There was no way- it probably wasn’t true.

“Do you want to have sex?”

Jounouchi’s face went bright red and he whipped his head around. “What did you just say?” There was no way he could of heard that correctly! No way!

Seto repeated his question calmly, like he hadn’t said anything odd. “Do you want to have breakfast?”

Jounouchi’s blush didn’t die down. He was hearing things; the way that Seto licked his lips didn’t help matters either. He pressed his knees together and nodded. “Sure. I’m starved.”

The thoughts came unbidden; the Alpha would throw him down on a coffee table and lick his whole body. It sent a shiver right up his spine. Stupid cat!

But he certainly couldn’t deny it; Seto Kaiba was as attractive as they came. The ‘lone alpha’ thing was really doing it for the blonde. But he couldn’t afford to blow it with this guy! It was a chance to get into HOUNDS. He would absolutely, under no circumstances, make any lewd remarks.

The brunette nodded and cleared his throat. “I’ll have the butler make up a French breakfast then.” He pulled a phone from the back of his belt and took his eyes from the road briefly, flicking his vision between dialing the number and driving.

“Should you be doing that while you’re driving?” Jounouchi asked. He was pretty sure that talking on the phone while driving was illegal.

“Not really.” Seto confirmed and hit the call button, bringing the phone to his ear and shifting his attention back to the road. “It’s Seto. Tell Mike to make me a French breakfast for two… yes… no, I’ll take it in the sitting room… no… let him sleep… I see… then cut the flowers… no… all right… I don’t really care about napkins; whatever is attractive…fine… I’m hanging up.”

Jounouchi had a hard on, he crossed his legs and let his hands slip to cover his package discreetly. It was the cat, he decided, making him think all sorts of naughty things. He felt kind of vulnerable without his shirt as well. “So where is your house?”

They were driving into a neighborhood for the rich and famous now, and the houses were progressively growing in size. The lawns were getting bigger and fancier and glimpses of large pools were drifting past.

Jounouchi was in shock. He figured Seto had a lot of money- but this was incredible. Was this all bought on a HOUNDS paycheck?

They got to the end of one street and turned down another. The houses vanished behind consuming walls and thick-set gates down this street, they arrived at one which had high walls and ivy climbing happily around the whole setup, the gate was iron-cast from the look of it and opened at a press of a button on Seto’s key chain. There was a small side gate that they drove past, obviously for foot-path access.

“So you bought all this with the money you make with HOUNDS?” Jounouchi asked, breathless.

The mansion was huge- it had a deep, old feeling to it that made Jounouchi unable to think of it as anything but a mansion. It didn’t look like a ‘home’ and now that he thought about it, Seto didn’t talk about it like it was a home. The walls were well tended and the driveway was smooth road, there was a large garage next to the house and a man in a suit standing at the door, as though waiting for the car to park. The driveway went around in a loop, it was two-lanes for multiple cars coming in and out- probably for parties and balls. There was a circle of grass in the center of the loop and a prominent water feature, a horse rearing and a man on it’s back with water splurting out of a trumpet in his hands. The mansion itself had a dozen windows on either side of the large front door, pillars extended from the sides of the building, supporting a stone front deck of sorts.

“No. It was my natural father’s house. My brother an I inherited it.”

The car slowed to a stop and Jounouchi began to unbuckle himself. He felt dirty in the presence of the massive house. It made him a little tense.

“Welcome back, sir.” The man in the suit bowed and came down to the car, catching the keys that Kaiba threw at him.

“Leave her where she is. We won’t be spending the whole day here.” Seto instructed as the motley pair got out of the car.

Jounouchi followed the HOUND through the large double doors into the mansion proper. It was space and elegance inside. No other words needed to describe it. White marble staircases straight out of a fantasy or a movie. The ceiling was far, far away, high above their heads. The floor was clean and cold under Jounouchi’s feet and he crossed his arms over his chest, cold and intimidated. The place smelt of lemon cleaning products and a soft, wistfulness of age and prestige. The vaguest hint of old books lurked under the sharpness of ‘a clean house.’ Even the corners of the rooms- the places that were hard to reach, blocked by objects or otherwise out of range- probably didn’t have any dust on them.

“This way.” Seto removed his jacket and tossed it over a coat rack that Jounouchi suspected was actual silver.

The rooms were lightly furnished- a plant in one corner, a statue in another.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask… about your eyes?” Jounouchi wasn’t sure what kind of reaction this would warrant- he hoped it wouldn’t be a problem- but it was impossible to tell with Seto Kaiba, it seemed.

Seto’s shoulders tensed and he stopped walking.

Jounouchi slowed to a stop behind the HOUNDS and bit his lip. Well, that answered that question.

“Nothing. None of your business.” The alpha responded with a growl; Jounouchi couldn’t see his countenance.

The therianthrope nodded, making a small sound of submission- just in case the alpha thought he was being challenged.

Seto sniffed, turning his head just slightly and letting the blonde see his angry wolf-like eyes.

Jounouchi blinked and averted his eyes, trying to look as submissive as possible. He liked to fight- but he wasn’t an idiot. He was injured and outmatched even on normal measures. Besides, fighting with Seto wouldn’t get him into HOUNDS.

The smell of someone else approaching broke the awkward moment. The scent was sweaty and sickly like a bed-ridden werewolf.

It was Mokuba. He was dressed in a pair of blue pajamas and had a massive cast around his injury and his arm. His hair was ruffled and more chaotic than Jounouchi remembered it. “Brother…?”

Seto turned his head and frowned. “What?”

“Can I –please- take the cast off? I want to scratch my shoulder and I can’t with this stupid thing on.”

Jounouchi cracked a smile.

~

The whirl of sirens filtered through the eerie silence. The harsh screeching set his teeth on edge. His jaw clenched to the shrill spinning of sounds.

The sharp pain in his right arm seemed worse. He didn’t want to move it, but he knew he’d have to soon enough.

The scrape of bark against his back, the way the fabric of his shirt caught the skin of the tree and shifted.

He could still hear himself breathing- as though listening from just above. Inhale. Exhale. Try again.

His good eye searched the forest-searched the darkness. Pupils expanding and contracting in their hunt. Looking for… something.

Fear, fear and pain. Panic like the forgotten tang at the back of his throat.

The crack of a branch under a foot- his or someone else’s. The shift of fabric on wood, the intake of air through the mouth and nose.

The soft, steady drip of blood.

His or theirs?

And the flashes of memories, half glimpsed. His mind racing.

“J…ou…nou…chi…” Comes the voice. Through a tunnel, a distant tunnel. He can barely hear.

His head turns quickly, body tensing, ready to fight for his last breath.

The scent of wolf. Familiar- it should be calming- but it isn’t.

His heart pounds. Sweat trickles down the back of his neck.

And distantly… the soft splash of blood.

The rushing in his ears that accompanies the realization that sound has returned to normal for a brief moment.

“How did this happen?”

Jounouchi blinks at Seto Kaiba once. The second time his eyelids close, they don’t open again. He topples lifelessly toward the earth.

The HOUNDS reacts quickly, catching the blood-splattered therianthrope before he hits the ground.

~ Tsuzuku…

Sweet notes: Before anyone asks, yes that was supposed to be there. Mwuhah. Confusing? Indeeddddd. *grins*

Seto: I hate you, woman.

Jou: I second that motion. Have you ever noticed her obsession with torturing ME?

Sweets: I do not!

Yugi: I dunno, I think immortals, exfoliation and recurrent and samui ni yuki sort of speak for themselves.

Sweets: shuddup. -_-;

Malik: Ohhhh! OMG! Love triangl- er, fourways or something…

Sweets: You shuddup too.

Ignore them, I swears I don’t torture him on purpose. -_-;;;; Reviews? Maybe I’ll try and not hurt the Jounou critter if I’m too busy reading reviews.