Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Muddy Hands ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Muddy Hands

Chapter: 1/?

Author: Madyamisam

Pairings: Seto/Jou

Rating: NC-17

Beta: Daisy

Spoilers: None.

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh

Summary: From plot bunny #16084. Seto has always been able to buy his art credit but this year there is a new head of the department who cannot be bribed and he actually needs to take the class to graduate. Of course he finds this out with only three weeks left in the term. The instructor generously offers his best student to act as his peer tutor; Jou of course. The course is pottery and Seto has to produce 3 complete pieces to graduate.

 

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`Die, die, DIE!!!' was all that went through his head as he narrowed his eyes at the man before him. However, the new head of the art department seemed unfazed by the infamous death glare that had been known to send countless numbers of business men gibbering incoherently out of Kaiba Corp.

“I'm a firm believer in `reap what you sow' Kaiba-san. I don't know about the former head of this department but I've stuck to that kind of belief and I'm not about to change it.” Seto continued to glare at Kagashi-sensei, the new head of the art department. The man was always late for his classes and staff meetings but the students all loved him with a passion because of his eccentric yet entertaining teaching methods. Kagashi was the epitome of `laid back' with matted silver hair and sleepy looking grey eyes; not to mention the way his head was constantly buried in a book of ~some~ perverted nature. Seto hated people like Kagashi but the young CEO knew from the second he saw him that, if he wanted to graduate, he needed that art credit.

“I see you drive a hard bargain Kagashi. Fine… how much do you want?” Seto began to whip out the good old cheque book. Kagashi-sensei looked up from his book to stare at the pen hovering over the pad before turning his gaze towards the brunette. Seto inwardly smirked. `Typical, I guess he's just like any other greedy bastard that would drool over the number of zeroes on a bit of paper' the art teacher chuckled humorously and sat back, laying down his book.

“Alright… this is my proposal,” the man said cheerfully, resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. “You can either pass the final art assessment or you can kiss that art credit and your graduation diploma goodbye.” Seto eyes widened at the refusal. Kagashi stretched lithely and flopped back onto his seat, speaking before Seto could protest. “Now don't think I'm totally heartless. You still have three weeks to do the assignment and I'll arrange some private tuition classes after school to compensate for all those art classes that you've missed this year.” Kagashi scribbled a note, handing it to Kaiba. “Here's the time and place.” The brunette growled as he angrily snatched the note. “Don't be like that Kaiba-san; you'll be thanking me when this is over.”

“I'll have you fired for this Kagashi,” he hissed at the man as he stormed out of the office. The new head of department smiled.

“Go ahead; I'm thinking of early retirement anyway…” Kagashi replied as he resumed his reading.

 

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`Bastard, asshole, fucking son of a bitch… Die… die… no! Let me gut you open and parade your intestines down West Side Boulevard… and ~then~ you can die!` Seto screamed every insult he could think of in his mind as he tried to bore a hole through the man's head. Kagashi ambled along the corridor with book in hand before finally stopping and opening a door. Kaiba was immediately assaulted with the oily paint fumes that accompanied the room. When he finally got over the headache inducing smell he noticed the figure sitting on a stool in front of a throwing wheel used for making pottery. Seto's eyes widened at the familiar wild, silky sun kissed hair and amber eyes outlined by long, dark and heavy lashes. Said eyes were focused intently on the creation being molded underneath his muddy, wet fingers. Jounouchi was wearing an baggy old green and white striped shirt that was unbuttoned and a pair of ripped jeans stained with flecks of mud; the holes and rips exposing parts of his perfectly tanned legs. His sleeves were rolled back, a pencil balanced on his right ear, and his legs were propped on either side of the spinning wheel with one foot pressed against a pedal. The blonde sprinkled some water over the clay before he set to work on it. Jou's hands glided against the muddy pile in front of him as he bit is lip in deep concentration. So intent was he on his work that he didn't notice the two people watching him. Jou licked the corner of his lips and brushed away his long fringe from his forehead with his arm. The shiny lump in the middle of the large wheel started to rise under the blonde's seemingly effortless touch whilst the throw wheel hummed as it ran at a rapid but steady pace. Jou's hands slid up and down the smooth formation, pausing to dip into a bowl of dirty water before pushing a slender finger into the centre, forming a hole in the clay. The hole opened out into a cylinder and, as the finger caressed the inside whilst the other hand caressed the out, the pathetically fat and short cylinder grew thin and tall. When Jou was satisfied with the height he began to shape it and, just as effortlessly as he had made the hole grow, it started to constrict at the top, forming a near perfect neck and lip of a vase. Jou grabbed one of the strange looking tools from the pouch that he wore. The first was a piece of wire tied to two bits of wood. Jou straightened the wire tautly between the wood and pressed against the lip of the vase. The continuous spin of the wheel resulted in bits of clay being trimmed off by the wire. With a perfectly cut lip on his vase, Jou removed the wire, blew his long fringe from his eyes and smiled with satisfaction as the throwing wheel slowed to a stop. A beautiful and perfect vase sat in place of what had originally been a lump of clay. Jou sponged off the excess water and removed the vase to a baking rack, allowing it to dry a little before he continued work with it.

“Ah Jounouchi!” exclaimed Kagashi “Another masterpiece… wonderful, wonderful!!!” Jou grinned sheepishly at the compliment.

“Thanks teach,” Jou replied. Suddenly noticing Kaiba he cocked an eyebrow in confusion; it was the first time that he had ~ever~ seen the infamous Seto Kaiba and the bane of his life in the art classroom. “Um… sensei… what's he doing here?”

“Hmm?” Kagashi said in surprise, wrenching his attention from his book. “Oh right… Kaiba-san here needs to get an art credit to graduate. As you know he hasn't been attending any classes lately; therefore he is very behind in the class. I have decided to schedule some after school sessions for him so he can catch up and pass the final assessment. Speaking of which: how about yours? I thought you already finished it two weeks ago. What's with that?” Kagashi pointed at the drying vase.

“Oh that. Um… it's for my next door neighbour. I accidentally broke her vase yesterday when I was playing some football with my friends but I'm kinda skint at the moment and I can't buy her the vase so…” Jou shuffled, staring awkwardly at his feet. He looked surprised when he found that Kagashi wasn't paying attention but reading the book that he carried with him all of the time.

“Hmm? What's that? Oh never mind. If you don't mind Jounouchi, I'll leave Kaiba here with you. Go ahead with beginning the class; the sooner you start the sooner you finish, right?” He stared at the two gaping teens. “Well come, come… get on with it…” Kaiba blinked out of his dazed stupor.

“Wait a minute… I thought `you' were going to be the one to run the tutorial! You're not seriously thinking that the mutt is going to be the one teaching ~me~…” It was bad enough that he had to do the assessment but to have the blonde taunting him was more than he could bear. The teacher blinked and shrugged.

“I don't see why not; Jou's my best pupil. You should check out some of his work over there. And don't think that creating that vase was as easy as he made it look.” Kagashi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “Besides… I kinda forgot that I had a staff meeting today when I booked this room. If I don't have someone using it I'll be fined.(1) Well I best leave; I'm late enough as it is. See ya.” Once again immersed in his book Kagashi meandered easily out of the room, leaving the two teens speechless.

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(1) This happens at my university.

 

A/N: I really wanted to give my head of art department a really quirky personality and unfortunately the perfect personality I seemed to picture suddenly took resemblance of another character from another anime series and so I took his name as well… Damn it, why do good characterizations always get taken by others first… *pouts*