Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Stitches ❯ Nightly Visit ( Prologue )

A/N: Why am I writing this? I don't know, I'm bored and I've read so many fics that I thought the only logical step now is for me to write one too. This isn't my first, just my first posted. I've written many ways that these two got together, but I don't post them. If this fic gets enough positive feedback, maybe I'll put up more. I love the couple! Yay!

 

Disclaimer: If these characters were mine, do you really think that I'd be posting Fanfiction here? I didn't think so.

 

Warning: The rating of this story will most likely change later (if I get enough reviews to keep it going), but for now we'll keep it simple.

 

Pairing: Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiba Seto.

 

Minor Parings: Bakura/Ryou, Yugi/Yami, Otogi/Honda

 

*~*~*~*

 

With trembling hands, he wetted an old dish towel and pressed it against the cut. There was no chance that he'd be able to hide this one, he'd have to think of a way to excuse it. When that cut was clean, he moved on to the ones across his shoulder and back. These were deeper, and it was agony to touch them. His tears were back, but they weren't caused by physical pain.

Jounouchi slowly and delicately slipped off the torn shirt he wore. The shirt was trash now, too much blood on it. He had thrown away more shirts this month than usual, this meant that something bad had happened to his father. Something that made the rage boil in his stomach, rage that would continue to be taken out on Jounouchi. Jou knew that he couldn't stay here tonight, knew that soon his father would be back. And when he got back, he would be even more drunk.

Jou abandoned the bathroom for his own bedroom. He grabbed his backpack and a clean shirt, then headed for the front door. He was halfway there when he froze, listening. There was a car approaching. Jounouchi closed his eyes and prayed. Sweat broke out on the boys forehead as he heard the car slow down and stop. A door opened and slammed shut. It was him.

The blond ran down the hall and into his room. He closed and locked the door, just as he heard the front door open. The footsteps coming down the hall made Jounouchi's heart pound. He watched the handle shake and heard his father's screams for him to open the door.

In a trance Jounouchi walked to the window on the other side of the room and opened it as quietly as he could. If his father heard the squeak of the window, he was dead. The teen slid his laundry basket over, and climbed on it and out of the house. He reached up and closed the window quietly, then ran as hard and as fast as he could.

Honda lived almost a mile blocks away, and Jou made it there in a little over three minutes. He didn't bother knocking on the door, but ran straight to Honda's window. Jou stopped outside and looked at the house, every light was off. It was past midnight now. He hated waking his friend up, hated coming to his friend beaten and broken. But Honda would never forgive him if he went somewhere else, and Jou didn't really have anywhere else to go.

Jounouchi swallowed his pride and tapped on the window. He didn't have to wait very long, before it slid open to reveal his best friends worried face. Hiroto Honda quickly moved out of the way so Jou could climb in. Honda's room was the blond boy's sanctuary. Hidden under the bed was a box with food, bandages, water, and disinfectant in it. In the closet hung one of Jou's school uniforms, and in the bathroom was an extra toothbrush.

“Are you okay?” Honda asked as he pulled out their emergency box.

“For now.” Jounouchi sat down on Honda's bed and pulled off his shirt, which was now as covered in blood as the first had been. All the running had torn his cuts back open.

Honda looked up at his blond friend. Jounouchi met his gaze and tried with all his heart and soul to look as though everything were fine. He couldn't pull it off. Honda had known Jou too long not to be able to see through his shields to the anguish behind.

“Jou...” There was nothing he could say, nothing that would make the blonds pain lessen. Honda wished with all his being that he could take his friend's anguish into himself so that Jou didn't have to feel it.

“Don't look so sad. I'm fine. It's not as bad as it could have been.” Jounouchi forced himself to smile. “Just help me clean these up and I'll be fine.”

Honda ran his hand through his brown hair, pushing away the strand that had fallen in his eyes. He pulled the disinfectant from the box and set to work. He cleaned the wounds and wrapped them, then grabbed a night-shirt for his friend and pulled a cot from his closet. He went into the hall and grabbed a blanket and pillow.

When the bed was made up, he looked again into Jou's eyes. The hurt there was unbearable. Something more than just a beating had happened to the teen since the last time Honda had seen him. Something that was more emotional than physical.

“What happened?” Honda asked, he knew that he didn't have to be more specific. Jounouchi would know what he meant.

“A dream.” Jou's mouth was a thin line. “I dreamed that I killed him. I took a knife and I killed him. I just meant to hurt him, but once I started I couldn't stop. I stabbed and stabbed until...”

“Jou,” Honda wanted to tell him that it was just a dream, that it didn't mean anything. But the look on Jounouchi's face told him that it was more than a dream to him.

“When he hit me tonight, I wanted it to be true. I wanted to grab a knife and...I wanted it to happen.” Jounouchi let his tears fall, Honda wouldn't condemn him for crying. Honda never had. “I'm as bad as him.”

“NO, YOU'RE NOT!” The brunette was furious that his friend could think this. Jounouchi was kind, and gentle, and more caring than any person that Honda had ever met. He was nothing like his father. And he told Jou so.

“But...I wanted him dead. I wanted to KILL him.” His tears were a river down his cheeks now.

“But you didn't. You didn't hurt him at all.” Honda couldn't restrain himself any longer, he sat down beside his friend and wrapped his arms gently around the blond's shoulders. Jou rested his head on Honda's shoulder. “You would never hurt him, even if you wish it. That's what makes you different from him...from so many others. So many people would try to fight back, they'd let the hate and anger turn them into their abuser. But you don't. You stay you, you stay kind.”

Jounouchi didn't reply, he didn't even move for a few minutes. He just sat there, letting his tears dry out. Honda didn't insist on an answer, he didn't force his friend to do anything. Jou would come around in his own time.

“Thank you.” Jounouchi whispered, then stood and walked over to the cot. He crawled under the blanket and lay his head on the pillow, then looked at Honda and whispered, “Thank you.” again before falling fast asleep.

The brunette watched his friend for a moment, marveling at how Jou could look so peaceful while sleeping, even after an event like this. Again Honda wished that he could take away all Jou's pain. It was a wish that he'd had since the first time the boy's met, in kindergarten. Even back then his father had been hitting him, and the beatings had only intensified over the years. Many times in his life Honda had dreamed the same dream that Jou described. Many times he had wanted to hurt or even kill Jou's father. But he knew that he couldn't, Jou would never forgive him. And he wasn't so sure that he could kill, even a scum-bag like Mr. Jounouchi.

By morning the cut on Jounouchi's forehead had developed a dark purple bruise around it. This definitely wasn't going to be easy to pass off. The two boys dressed for school, all the while discussing possible stories on how he had acquired the wound. They finally settled on one involving Jou fighting with a senor. The guys were used to hearing Jounouchi-fight stories, they'd accept it.

When the two were dressed and ready, they headed downstairs. Honda's mom was making pancakes for breakfast. The smell of the food made Jounouchi's stomach growl embarrassingly loud. He hadn't eaten anything in over twenty-four hours.

“Hey, look who showed up last night.” Honda said this every time Jou showed up in the middle of the night. At first his parents questioned why he had come over so late, but after receiving the same answer of `I just missed Mrs. Honda's cooking' they learned to stop questioning it. Now Jou's turning up in the middle of the night was as normal to them as anything else the boy did.

“Hello, Jounouchi dear. Hungry?” Hiroto's mom smiled as Jounouchi's stomach growled again.

“Always.” Jou answered with a smile. The blond had never been known to turn down food.

“Hey there, Jounouchi. How've you been?” Honda's dad called from the living room, where he was peering into a mirror and straightening his tie.

“I'm okay. And you?” This conversation was routine among Jounouchi and the Hondas.

“I'm good. You boys make sure your not late for school. I've gotta get going. See you later.” Mr. Honda kissed his wife on the cheek once before walking through the front door.

Once the boys were fed and watered, they left too. Honda's silver motorcycle was parked in the driveway. Jounouchi pulled a blue jacket over his school uniform, Honda pulled on his favorite red and black jacket. They both strapped on their helmets, put a leg over the seat of the bike, and headed off toward the school.

 

*~*~*~*

 

A/N: That's it for the first chapter, I promise that it will get less depressing…somewhat. Oh, and no, there is no relationship beyond a deep friendship going on between Honda and Jou. Next chapter will be posted soon, and it will be happier. Yay!