Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ HOUNDS ❯ Six Hours later ( Chapter 9 )

~

HOUNDS. Six Hours Ago.

~By Sweetdeily.
“Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
~Unknown.”

~

It had been the best breakfast of his life. Toast, fruit, French toast, eggs, bacon, sausages and pancakes. Hardly what you’d call a French breakfast- but hell, what did Jounouchi Katsuya care? It was free buffet pretty much. And he didn’t really know what classified as a French breakfast anyway.

The conversation was boring and revolved mostly about him and losing fights. Boring and humiliating while Mokuba recounted the numerous and multiple fights that he lost- and how cool that was. Jounouchi would have preferred a blow-by blow account of a fight he’d WON and how cool /that/ was. But that, it seemed, didn’t make fascinating breakfast talk.

After a short yelling match, that Seto won, between the HOUNDS and Mokuba, Jounouchi was dragged off for a briefing on the do’s and don’t’s of wearing a wire while Mokuba stayed at home.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a debriefing. At first anyway.

There he was, trying vainly to stay awake while the exact mechanics of the wire were explained to him. It took an hour before everything was finally revealed in that the wire would pick up whatever he and those around him said and the button camera would record it all. He also had a panic button in his sleeve.

And then it was down to the debriefing.

“Watch that bruise, that was a bunch of broken ribs, understand?” Jounouchi snapped as his ribcage was yet again elbowed. His patience for pain was steadily decreasing.

“Oh, sorry, sorry.” The man, George, apologized. George was a scientist and worked for HOUNDS on a retainer or something vague like that. He was also the only one who knew exactly how to put a wire on a shape-shifter so it wouldn’t be smelt or noticed. Apparently that was some sort of impressive feat. Jounouchi didn’t think it worked that well; the snitches in the gangs always got found out pretty quickly. Which left the blonde with an uneasy feeling in the bottom of his stomach that was either egg or fear.

Jounouchi grunted. He wasn’t happy, standing there in nothing but his boxers and holding his arms- one of which was injured “by the way”-above his head. With a chick and two guys standing there watching. Mostly it was the way Seto Kaiba was frowning at all the injuries on his body that had him uncomfortable.

He was introduced to George Smith and Mai Phoenix right before he was lectured for an hour about something far too technical for him to really understand. Mai was a female member of HOUNDS responsible for shifter-human relationships going bad. When asked why someone completely unrelated was helping out (which involved her giggling and smirking as Jounouchi was prodded and poked,) Seto had told him that they were short-staffed.

Short staffed for sure. She didn’t even smell like a shifter. But it wasn’t like Jounouchi was complaining. The more short staffed they were, the more employment opportunity for him.

“There, all done. Now we’ll just get your outfit and put it on.” George declared finally, stepping back to admire his work- or Jounouchi’s bruised body. Probably the former.

“Oh shit!” Jounouchi lowered his arms and whipped around to face Seto. “I haven’t bought anything!”

“Come again?” Seto asked, a slight growl rising in his voice.

“I’ve been so busy I forgot to go shopping! Shit!”

Mai jumped out of her chair with a flourish. “Good thing you have a woman here- I’ll pick up something good, we don’t have time to go back to your apartment and dick around with the wires again. Was it formal or informal?”

“Informal- and I have to look as gay as possible.” He bit his lip, trying to think of something that would be appropriate.

“Come again?” Seto asked. He was looking increasingly unimpressed.

“Ryuji’s asked me there on the pretense of a date… why are you looking at me like that?” Jounouchi trailed off; Seto’s left eye was twitching.

“Nothing.”

“Do you have a problem with my sexual orientation?” Because he sure as hell didn’t seem like he did before then. When they were play-acting and kissing and stuff.

“Guys. Look… it’s cool. I have just the thing. I’ll be back. Don’t worry.” Mai spoke as she backed out of the room a little too fast to be convincing.

Seto’s eyes flickered to her and he frowned more. “Hurry up with the gay clothing then.”

Avoiding Jounouchi’s question.

The therianthrope frowned and crossed his arms over his chest watching Seto’s expression. “Am I overstepping myself if I say ‘what?’”

“You… no. None of my business. I remember.” Seto started hotly but finished stubbornly. He was looking out the window, lower jaw clenching. He was fiddling with one of his cufflinks in an irritated manner.

George wisely went to get coffee or something- probably just getting out of the room.

“It looks like you want to make it your business.” They were alone now- if Seto attacked him… he was a dead dog.

“You just attract the worst people!” Seto finally spat out.

Jounouchi blinked. “Huh?”

That was not what he had expected to hear; something about degrading himself and sleeping with other men; a rant about God sending him to hell for his sinning ways. Something more American, more…expected. Not that he had bad taste. Bad taste was not as much of a problem as the other options.

“Your roommate and this mob-boss’ kid. Neither of them are good for you, but you willingly jump in their laps because you don’t know any better! It’s pathetic. You put yourself in danger needlessly- constantly.”

“What?” Jounouchi blinked a few times. “First of all- I told you, the business with Yami was not… and… and how could you even think I’d let a psycho like Ryuji do me? Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean-”

“It’s not about you being gay.” Seto bit out, he was close now and they were talking heatedly into each other’s face. “It’s about you being a bad judge of character.”

Jounouchi’s eyes narrowed. “Do you seriously think that I would sleep with Ryuji for you?”

He wasn’t a bad judge of character- so much as he knew how to work around the rotten apples. Besides he’d only ever really had one relationship and it wasn’t like it had really been a bad one. They’d called it off because the other man was older and his company was taking him to Korea as part of a huge promotion. They hadn’t ended on bad terms- they just hadn’t spoken in a few years.

“For me?” Seto blinked and took a step back.

“Yami isn’t the villain you make him out to be. And I wouldn’t touch Ryuji’s cock even if you offered me the best HOUNDS level for it.”

Now that was a lie, but at that moment he was serious at least. He had a little pride, sometimes, when he wasn’t prepared to do whatever it took. Besides, it was hard to tell what Ryuji would do. And there was no real sexual attraction between him and Ryuji anyway.

“He’s completely mutilated your beautiful face and you can still defend him?”

Jounouchi snorted through his nose. “He wasn’t in his right mind when he did it, and he apologized afterward. I’ve had worse injuries.”

“See! You like being a victim, don’t you?”

“Oh yes! I enjoy being punished by my big-bad boyfriends.” Jounouchi half growled out. They were in each other’s face again and he stepped back. The sarcasm in his voice was hard and lethal and it wasn’t helping the situation. Someone was probably going to crack.

Jounouchi turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

They were all in a hotel apartment, somewhere in the nice to decent part of town, so Jounouchi hadn’t been there before. The hotel was a Rydges and four stars from what Jounouchi could tell. HOUNDS paid for the room and the minibar. Which was where Jounouchi headed now. There were two bedrooms and a kitchen with adjoining lounge room. The television had cable.

Pulling an almond nut chocolate out, Jounouchi tore the packet with his mouth and jumped on the counter, gnawing angrily at the chocolate. Caffeine was good for his body- it’d kick-start his brain and make him regenerate quicker. Or at least that was the local theory. Doctors usually said it was just an old wives tale.

“So, Jounouchi… how’d you come to America?” George asked from the living room.

“I was born here. In case you can’t tell be the accent.” Jounouchi muttered around his chocolate. He got off the bench and went to join the geek in the lounge room.

“Cool. So what country are your folks from.”

“Japan.”

“Oh! Oh! I know some Japanese. Konnichiwa.” And just like that, Jounouchi was ready to throttle the man. Why was it that every time you said someone you knew, or your parents were from a different country some complete idiot had to go and say ‘I know that language’ and repeat some stupid line or greeting that they’d seen on a movie or documentary a few years ago?

“That’s nice.” Jounouchi hit the remote for the television. Blood sports… he needed to watch some blood sports.

Mai got back during an add break for the six o’clock movie on some channel or another. It was an action movie and the hero had just saved the rather- in Jounouchi’s opinion- stupid girl who had wandered into the room when there was a gunfight going on- just so she could see if the hero was okay.

“Jouno-no-o…” She was having trouble with his name.

“Joey.” Jounouchi supplied for her.

“Ah, sorry. Joey, I’ve got the perfect outfit.”

The shirt was tight and didn’t quite cover his hips, it didn’t have a collar and the sleeves only went to his elbows. It was some kind of stretchy material, like a mix of cotton and lycra. The pants looked like they’d set her back a few hundred until he realized that they were plastic imitation leather. They too were a tad too small. She’d bought everything in a size too small for him; evidentially he looked slimmer than he actually was to a chick. That’s what he got for not telling her his dress-size.

“Did you get a coat?” Jounouchi asked hopefully.

“Ah, sorry, I forgot.” She was packing the bags in the bin when Jounouchi emerged from the bedroom. The clothing fit, just. And she was right; he certainly looked gay enough.

Seto moved off the wall he was leaning against and came over, taking off his coat and draping it over Jounouchi’s shoulders without a word.

Jounouchi’s jaw hardened but he spoke. “Thanks.”

Seto grunted and moved back to his wall.

“Alright. I’m ready. Who’s loaning me their car?”

“HOUNDS has supplied a taxi for you.” George answered.

“A taxi? Humph. Alright, alright. Not complaining.” Jounouchi shrugged into the jacket and almost melted at the knees- forgetting about being angry with Seto Kaiba.

It smelt like alpha male.

~

The taxi pulled up outside the house and Jounouchi got out, the night air was crisp, making him snuggle the coat. Not quite cold, but a slight after-bite rode the wind. The moon was heavy and pregnant in the sky. A soft, creamy pink color almost. It was a nice night, the stars twinkled in their cradle and the earth was rich and slightly damp the faint trace of leaves and dirt lingered in the air. Lycanthrope loved romping around on nights like these. It made Jounouchi want to rut a bitch- but that was because there were a few dogs in heat down the end of his street. The house was a two-story building with a nice front yard and a backyard full of trees. There was a nature park down the road and the house was alone on the street. The lights were on and rap poured out of the flimsy windows.

The car pulled away from the curb and left Jounouchi standing there. He felt exposed and a knot of worry was twisting itself in his stomach.

“No turning back now.” He whispered to himself.

He walked across the front lawn to the door and rang the bell.

Mai had stopped him before he left and dragged him into the bathroom, applying some base makeup to hide the scratches and claw-marks on his face and neck. She told him it was the best makeup money could buy and even if he were sweating from nerves, the base wouldn’t run. And some technical language about pores and maximum coverage that he didn’t really understand.

The door burst open and a very drunk looking Ryuji grinned at him. “Joey the Cat’s! Glad you could make it dude!”

Joey’s coat was taken from him even before he got through the door completely. “Am I late?”

“No, no! Dude, we were just having fun. Damn, you smell alright.” Ryuji took a deep whiff of Joey’s neck and the blonde suppressed a nervous giggle.

“The coat. I borrowed it off someone.”

“That explains it.” And a beer was promptly thrust into Joey the Cat’s’ hands.

They walked into a large room that might of once passed itself off as a living room and was now a miniature club for shape shifters. There was even a DJ mixing tunes and pumping the proverbial volume up. The song seemed to be enjoyable because people were dancing to the scratching sounds.

Joey took a sip of beer and began his mission. He wasn’t as nervous now. He remembered why he was here. If he did a good enough job, Seto would pull him aside and say ‘I’m the worst kind of person’ and then tongue him to death.

Or at least that’s what Joey the Cat’s imagination wanted.

He danced and moved through the crowd. He nursed his single beer for the better part of two hours before he was forced to get another. The beer was spiked and Joey ate as many cheese-doodles as he could to flush the poison.

He talked to everyone and managed to avoid Ryuji for most of the first two hours.

Information was rich. Turned out that the guns were coming from some sort of outside source. People weren’t sure who was doing it exactly. One guy was dealing with one gang and another with another gang. They were probably all part of the same team- but what that team’s objective or mission was- it was unclear. The types of guns were mostly machine guns, but a few pistols were making the rounds. The dealers didn’t show their faces and they didn’t cross you. It was sweet.

One gangster, Han the Hungry, said he thought it was the work of the Claws. That was especially frightening because the Claws weren’t an ordinary gang. They were assassins and ex-army militia that just couldn’t get enough of the killing. There weren’t supposed to be many of them- they tended to kill each other mostly. But rumors abounded that a new boss had taken over and they were working like a terrorist group now.

It was eleven thirty when Joey’s ass received a pinch. He jumped and turned on the suspect only to find it was Ryuji.

“What?” Joey the Cat’s growled out.

“Come here. There’s something I wanna’ show you.” Ryuji grabbed Joey’s bad arm and dragged the blonde toward the stairs.

“Woah! Ryuji, I’m here as a date, not a fuck.”

“What, you think I’m gonna’ try it?” Ryuji snorted with a laugh.

Jounouchi’s eyes narrowed but he allowed Ryuji to pull him upstairs. The lycanthrope was seriously wasted.

“You looked like you were too serious down there. Let me loosen you up.” And Ryuji shoved him against the wall, hard.

Jounouchi opened his mouth to protest only to have it invaded by Ryuji’s lips squashing against his own. The blonde frowned and moved to push the other away before he reminded himself that a drunk and happy man told a lot more of what they knew than a drunk and pissed man. He relented and let the other man shove his tongue into his mouth. It wasn’t exactly a good kiss. Ryuji was sloppy and didn’t know what he was doing with his tongue. Probably all the alcohol.

He pulled back finally and rested his forearm above Jounouchi’s head in what was supposed to be a sexy pose but mostly had him breathing his heavily alcoholic breath into Jounouchi’s mouth. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic of positions.

“The Claws have been considering me for the gang. So if you’re with me… you’ll be with someone really successful. Money…anything you want.” Ryuji’s voice was a delicate purr as he spoke, leaning against Jounouchi’s body heavily.

Jounouchi froze for a moment, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t piss Ryuji off. “Why Ryuji… I didn’t know you cared.”

“Of course not, idiot.” Ryuji moved to brush his lips clumsily against Jounouchi’s again. “I’ve been running guns for the Claws for a month or so now. It’s been… quite profitable. If you were mine, you’d never have to be in those stupid fights again.”

“I…” he stopped before he said ‘I’d rather puke’ because that wouldn’t get him information. “I’d need to think about it.”

“What’s to think about, puppy?” Ryuji squashed their mouths again.

Jounouchi pushed him away. “Don’t call me that.” He pushed away from Ryuji forcefully and headed back down the stairs at little more than a run.

He wanted to leave and throw up somewhere, but instead he went back down, took another cup of beer and pretended to get really drunk while he searched for more information. Really, if he wanted to find something out, he knew he’d have to talk to Ryuji. But talking to Ryuji would be uncomfortable and… well, mostly he was worried that Ryuji wanted him to suck his cock if he was going to say anything.

He’d never realized that Ryuji felt that way- it was probably mostly the beer talking- but it confused things. He’d always assumed that Ryuji didn’t trust him. Or was this some kind of weird ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ thing? That didn’t make sense. That didn’t make any sense at all.

It was twelve and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be learning anything new. A few phone numbers had been dropped to him and a couple of deal-locations. But otherwise he hadn’t learnt much new. People were getting drunker and drunker and Ryuji seemed to be getting more persistent about getting him alone. Someone was passing a bong around and that didn’t help matters. The air inside the house was clogged with cigarette smoke and the sickly sweet stench of cocaine. Everyone’s breath reeked of beer and nicotine.

He was pausing to eat a cold dog in a blanket when Ryuji’s hand settled over his ass. “Caught you.”

Jounouchi frowned and swallowed the meat he’d been chewing on. “Indeed.”

“You still sore about that joke?”

“I’m always sore about that joke.” Jounouchi muttered.

“Hmm, maybe this’ll make it better.” And Ryuji planted one on him.

The room went quiet, which said that people were watching. Jounouchi had a brief and rather intense moment of panic right before everyone else echoed the emotion.

The window behind the DJ crashed open and figures dressed in black rushed in.
The world around Jounouchi turned into gunfire and blood and smoke. Sound filtered away to screaming and the squeezing of a trigger.

Jounouchi was close enough to see Ryuji miraculously sober up and pull a gun from his back pocket. He was dead before he was even turned around far enough to shoot.

“Fuck!” Jounouchi felt the spray of blood from Ryuji’s body as the bullets tore through his body and continued onward. Inevitably toward the blonde.

He moved to jump away, catching a bullet in his right arm instead of his chest. It was silver. Jounouchi stumbled but stayed upright. He ran from the door.

A spray of bullets from that direction had him on the ground, rolling for the nearest corner. One finger pressed the panic button in his sleeve and held it down.

There were screams and shouts to ‘kill them all’ and ‘watch out for the beer’ and a dozen people calling for mercy. Jounouchi’s heart did a double beat in his chest as he looked for an exit. His arms were getting blonde fur rushing over them and the blonde struggled to keep control. He could feel the animal panic building inside of him, threatening to take away his calm human logic.

Someone stepped in front of him and he felt himself being thrown even before he realized what had happened. There was a completely breathless moment where he was airborne and the jigsaw puzzle released itself and then he’d hit the window and the glass shattered around his body.

The fall after that and the painful crunch of glass and flesh were two things that Jounouchi wished never to remember. He paused, breathing in tortured gasps of air and vainly raising his body to his elbows. His arms, back and legs were shredded from the glass, the bullet wound was a burning fire in his right arm and he couldn’t open his left eye.

His brain was racing; the memory of the scene that he’d caught as he flew through the air burned itself into his mind. The attackers looked like terrorists, dressed in black with ski masks on. The weapons that Jounouchi had seen looked pretty damn nasty too.

The scent of a predator caught Jounouchi’s brain in a quick burst. He rolled his face and saw one of the men walking purposely toward him through the smashed window.

Fear and panic washed over the therianthrope and he was on unsteady feet in an instant. He stumbled into a limping run, the nature park just a few hundred meters away looked pretty damn inviting.

The sound of the gunshot felt like it stopped time for the briefest, intense moment in all of history. The shattering explosion seemed like the sky might just have stopped dead in its tracks. The dew on the tips of the grass had a brief, perfect moment to relinquish to the night sky. And Jounouchi had the barest welling of pain in his stomach.

“Jounouchi-kun!” The sound is like a whisper through his brain- the murmur of some half-forgotten history. The voice is infinitely familiar.

Time resumed.

He stumbled over the fence, racing toward the cover of the forest.

The rush of fur up and down his arms. The way that for some obscure reason he holds his stomach. The whimper that sounds more like a wolf than a dog.

The scent of the trees washes over him like a wave of protection.

He runs until he can’t ignore the pain any more.

The woods are silent save for his breathing.

He leans against a tree, his senses hyper alert. Time wavered in and out of his perception. The drip of blood was impossible to ignore.

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: so… hard to type with one hand. ^.^;;;;

Jou: I hate you.

Seto: I hate her more.

Yugi: Dude, I’m shiznit!

Malik: Are not! I’m more shiznit than you!

Yugi: screw you, your not even in the story.

Malik: Aren’t I? *Grin*

Sweets: shut up and go to your corner. It’s hard to write!

Jou: I don’t like where this is headed with Malik…

Sweets: I do!!!

Whee! Reviews?