Two months. It'd been two months since Yugi left. As he promised, he would call and check up on Jounouchi every now and then, telling him about his life in Egypt. He told him about how wonderful and hospitable the Ishtars were; how after he couldn't find a secure apartment to stay in they offered him space under their own roof. He told him about how he had finally found a spot on what would be his first dig, and how Marik had offered to come along on it with him. He sounded so happy. Jou would smile into the phone even though his friend couldn't see it, hoping that he sounded just as happy and enthusiastic as Yugi. Really, he was jealous that Yugi could sound so happy.

Over his two months alone he had gone through some of the deepest sadness he had ever felt. The only time he could remember being this sad was when his mother left with his sister when he was a child. Through their first few phone calls Yugi must have caught whiff of Jou's sadness somehow – however hard Jou had tried to hide it, and had kept pestering Jou about what was wrong. Jou knew it was wrong to lie to Yugi, but he just couldn't help it. He felt ashamed of his sadness and jealousy and didn't want Yugi to see what he considered the bad side of himself. So he lied and smiled and said he had a bad day at work, that it was nothing to worry about.

He figured he must have gotten better at lying over the past few years because Yugi believed him. After a while Jou began to completely mask any negative feelings and Yugi didn't bring up his move in their conversations at all. Of course, it was a hard subject to avoid as nearly every topic of conversation would somehow lead to it, but Jou learned to weave around it, or end the conversation before things got too close to home.

Sometimes he'd find himself melancholy after one of these phone calls, alone in his flat, despising himself for being so jealous, so selfish. Other times he wouldn't feel anything for a while, or hollow sense of dread that would envelop and numb his emotions.

Today was one of those days, he realised as he nearly fell out of bed to get to his phone which was placed on the kitchen counter, a whole half-room away from him. He'd put it there after his last night's call from Yugi because he realised that unless he actually got up that morning, he'd fall straight back down into bed. So he stumbled across the room all the while cursing himself for being so cruel till he reached the counter and turned the alarm off. He leant on the counter to steady himself and took a few moments to regain his consciousness.

He felt too tired and weary to even consider clambering under the stinging water of the shower, so instead he popped some bread into the toaster and went back into the living room to fold in the futon and get dressed and ready for his morning class. It was psychology today. He cursed again as he realised as he couldn't be a second late as his teacher was one of those people who would dig nails into your back if you stepped a foot out of line. He popped his jacket on just the toaster rang out to signal the toast was ready.

Slathering butter onto the slices he made a point of calmly sitting down at the table and taking his damn time eating, gathering all the crumbs with his finger and licking them up as he was done. He'd always make sure to have breakfast before he left for the day; it was a bit of a tradition to him, one he was glad for. He believed in the whole 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' thing. Mainly because he couldn't think properly without something filling his stomach - or do anything else for that matter.

He stared into space for several moments before getting up and out of the flat, picking up his bag which was already waiting for him at the door. Locking both locks just in case someone decided to get crafty while he was gone he made his way to the garage. Crime rates, especially robberies and gang activity had been increasing in his neighbourhood, if not most of Domino. Quietly, the underground life in the city was blooming, criminals becoming more and more powerful.

Jou knew he had nothing to worry about. As he straddled his bike and took off towards his University he realised that really he was just glad Yugi wasn't here. He always had a way of pissing the thugs off without ever really doing anything. Maybe it was his small height or weak stature but they always decided to pick on him off all people. The wimps considered him defenceless. Jou was different. He could stand his ground in a fight against 3 people, more if they were sloppy enough. He could protect himself, and really, most gangs wouldn't touch him even now due to the reputation he earned himself back in middle school.

As he sped through the city the cold air bit into his face and gloveless hands, and he was suddenly all the ever more glad the drive from the flat to his university was only ten minutes long. Winter was still going strong so even this late into the morning most streetlamps were on to provide much needed light. He parked his bike in one of the free spaces on the university's parking lot and sped off down the main hall and out the other side of the building, making his way towards the science wing. Swiping out his phone he noted that it was three to ten and sighed his relief before turning his phone to silent. At least he wouldn't be late.

When he reached his classroom he noted that the teacher still wasn't there, and took a seat nearly all the way at the back of the class. Hushed murmurs filled the classroom and when he listened closer he realised that some of them were almost panicked, whispered quickly and sharply among his peers as if they were passing along grave secrets. He tried to zone in on the conversation the girls two desks ahead of him were having but he could barely catch even snippets of it due to their hushed tones.

Jou quickly got fed up of even trying to understand what was going on, concluding that it couldn't be important enough to bother him and sank his head onto the worn surface of the desk. He felt tired even though technically he'd slept a full nine hour at least. Maybe he shouldn't have forgotten to drink his coffee before leaving the flat. It was too late now. He remained in a dream like daze until he heard the chair next to him scrape against the floor, and felt the dull thud of someone landing on it. He chanced a peek at the person next to him and realised it was one of the classmates who he had befriended, a sociable man called Hiro.

Hiro noticed his glance and waved to him, grinning.

"Good morning Jounouchi. How was the nap?" He grinned wider and sat back in his chair, unloading his bag of his textbooks and notepads. Jou grimaced for a second and leant back in his chair, stretching his arms back above his head until he felt his shoulder joints crack.

"T'was good. Not sure what kinda luck I'm in though for teach to not have come in and busted my ass for it. Where's she at anyway?" He glanced around the class just to make sure that the teacher really wasn't there. Indeed, she was still absent.

"I'm not sure. It's already 20 minutes into the lesson but she's nowhere to be seen. I'm probably the lucky one considering I'm so late. I just saw a bunch of other girls leave, apparently they're taking advantage of that 'if the teacher is over 15 minutes late the class is free to leave' thing. I'm pretty sure if Mrs. comes back to find them missing they're gonna be in for hell later." All the while he talked Hiro arranged his belongings on the desk, taking care to line his books up to the edge of the table and lay out his colour assorted pens in a neat row.

"Duh, she'll probably assign them twice the amount of 'catch up work' as everyone else. Gotta wonder though, is she really gonna show up? I mean I've seen her be late, what? Not one time in two years?" Hiro stifled a giggle as Jou threw his arms up in emphasis of the teacher's weirdness. "Y'know sometimes I'm sure she only turns up for work because she enjoys torturing us."

"True. And that essay she set us last term? 10 whole pages of pure pain and suffering. I bet she didn't even mark them." Hiro was actually laughing now and Jou joined with a giggle of his own. Then he remembered the heavy atmosphere in the class from earlier and decided that Hiro would be the best person to ask about the strange whispers going round. He calmed himself and looked straight over at Hiro, catching his attention.

"Hey, uh, y'know I've seen a lot of people whispering around this morning. Ya got any idea of what's going on? It's sorta creepy and I don't wanna be left out the loop if it's bad." He shifted as Hiro's eyes widened a little and the man took several solid seconds to reply.

"You didn't see it on the news? I figured you just didn't want to dampen your mood by mentioning it or something. Apparently some gangs had a shoot off in a nearby neighbourhood yesterday. Several bystanders got killed, as well as a bunch of gang members. There were a lot of people injured. Tension is high between the police and those gangs right now. We're being advised to stay at home during night time and away from dodgy areas and all that. Just watch the news tonight, I'm sure they'll be discussing it in detail." Jou listened intently to everything Hiro said and leant forward, cradling his head in his hands.

"Damn. I suppose I knew that gang activity was thriving but I didn't think that it would go this far… it's rather sudden of them to just do something this major considering the biggest shit they were getting involved in just a week or so ago was theft and dealing drugs…" He sighed and once again thanked the fact that Yugi wasn't in town. Jou looked back up at Hiro. "You know anyone who got caught up in this mess?"

Hiro's eyes widened just a fraction but he shook his head. "No. Still, the whole situation is awfully close to home. I think I'm gonna be careful moving around past sun down. Which is a bitch in this weather. It gets dark at like midday." Hiro settled himself in his seat. Jou noticed the rigid curve of his shoulders but didn't delve further. It was starting to get obvious to him that Hiro didn't much like this subject.

The two slowly drifted away from the topic and by the time a sub arrived and told them that their teacher couldn't make it today they had already started joking around and talking about brighter things. As they were free to go they rushed out with the rest of the students, and Jou checked his phone for the time, hoping he hadn't wasted too much time by staying around in the classroom. Maybe he should have left before like those girls had. He noticed he had an unread message and wondered how he'd missed the phone vibrating in his pocket. He waved goodbye to Hiro as he stood aside the entrance of the science wing to read it.

[Otogi:

hey jounouchi ;) i got back today. i need to speak 2 u so come by the shop k

]

Otogi usually didn't contact him through his personal number. He'd always just catch him hustling around at work in the Black Crown if he needed him.

Jou frowned. And here he was thinking he'd snatched himself some free time. Whatever Otogi wanted to discuss had better be real important.

Already heading out to the entrance he typed a quick reply.

[ Otogi:

be there in 10

]

Turns out Otogi simply wanted to have a friendly catch up chat and possibly get some gossip he'd missed out on while in America. Mostly he was looking for gossip.

Jounouchi spent a large portion of the conversation trying to weigh up the pros and cons of strangling Otogi right then and there.

Otogi must have caught some of the intent through his expression because next thing he heard was a bribing - "And oh yeah, I have a business meeting in a good restaurant today. I figured it would be a waste going there without actually getting any food after so want to come along with me? I'll pay, of course." If Jou wasn't mistaken Otogi's eyes looked almost pleading.

However, this put a new twist on things. He practically beamed and his hands found their way behind his head in a welcome gesture.

"Damn Otogi you're not after my heart now are ya?!"

Otogi gave a smile of his own. "Don't I already have it Jou?" He shaped his features into a mock pout before snickering.

They talked a while longer then, Jou with a considerably lighter heart and Otogi with a smirk of his own, before Jou had to depart for another class. At least Child Care classes came easy to him. He figured his day was finally looking up.

He was right about Child Care being a whizz, at least. The stuff came naturally to him so lessons always seemed to just fly by. However by the time he was back at Black Crown, dressed in his signature 'classy' outfit (a red shirt donned in a black tux with black pants) the streetlights were long on and the sky was darkening rapidly.

"Hey." He waved over at the approaching Otogi just after he secured his bike in an employee parking spot behind the store itself. "Ya giving us a ride there or what?"

"Of course." Otogi waved back lazily, spinning a set of glistening keys round his finger. "I did offer didn't I? Only makes sense." He himself was also wearing a tux, though a newer looking one than Jounouchi's own.

He unlocked his car and they both got in.

"So what's the meet 'bout anyway? Ya only got back today so it must be urgent." Jou's eyes wandered over to the window and explored the familiar streets of Domino as they drove uptown into the less residential area, towards the centre of the city.

"It's about a new video game concept they want our contribution in, apparently. Though I have to admit I don't have even a vague idea as to what it might be. That's what the meeting is for." Otogi spoke without taking his eyes off the road even once. Noticing, Jou allowed himself a second of light relief – this was much better than a lot of the driving he'd seen in his peers. Especially Mai. Getting into a car with her behind the wheel was probably a self-proclaimed death sentence. He had to hand it to her though – she knew how to get places fast, even if a bit recklessly.

Realising he'd been silent for an odd while he racked his brain for a reply. Nothing good came.

"Weird." Was what he settled for in the end, and continued to gaze out the window as some of the poshest streets in the city went by. "We ain't going to some super high class restaurant are we? I don't think I can handle the pressure of using all those fancy forks 'n' stuff."

"No. Actually, I suppose. Just copy what I do."

Jou considered.

"Hmmmm, who says I'm gonna be ordering the same as you huh?" His nose wrinkled and he raised an eyebrow is exaggeration, even though Otogi wasn't gonna look away from the road and he was still staring out the window.

"My wallet." Came the curt reply.

Damn. The place was posh.

Then Otogi steered into a parking spot on the side of the street.

"It's here." He said and climber out, Jou following close behind.

Considering they were on a street full of classy restaurants at a busy time of the evening (even if it was a Tuesday night) getting a parking spot should have been a problem. Yet it wasn't. Lucky.

Jou absently strolled into the restaurant after Otogi, ogling around as Otogi placed the reservation to their table. The place was grand. The walls were a warm peach while the borders and the edges the ceiling were pure white. The room had at least a dozen walls, each corner held up by a large pillar, carved roses weaving down from the base to the full height of each one. Above the room rose an extravagant glass dome, the steel frame which connected each triangular piece of glass a neat, shining gold. The night sky was clear through the glass, though a fleeting reflection of the tables and activities below could be seen. Many lights were placed around the walls, and a great gold chandelier hung from chains in the middle of the room.

"Damn." He whistled under his breath.

The place gave off such a classy vibe that Jou felt almost uncomfortable being there.

Then again, he was only there for the food. He'd just sit quietly through the discussion and offer Otogi his advice when the second party was gone.

They followed a waitress to a booth on the far side of the room and got settled on one side. Jou glanced over at Otogi, the gesture not going unappreciated.

"He should be here in a few minutes at most, probably less." There was an odd smirk on Otogi's face.

"Who's 'he'? I thought there were gonna be like, a team of people or something." Jounouchi put his arms on the table and lay his head on them, eyeing Otogi questioningly.

Otogi, the bastard, remained silent and seemed to be looking at something on the other side of the room.

"O~to~giiiii." The blonde raised an eyebrow and closed an eye for good measure. "Who the hell is 'he'?"

When Otogi didn't reply once more he closed his eyes and shook his head, preparing himself to wrench it out of his friend when a loud thud rocked through the table, causing him to hit his temple on his watch and groan in pain. Fuck this.

He looked up ready to give someone a well due chewing out to find a familiar face smirking down at him. A face he'd wanted to tear apart most of his teenage years. Still did, apparently. Double fuck this.

"Hello, mutt." The overly arrogant tone made him want to sandpaper his ears.

He should have strangled Otogi while he had the chance.

"The hell Kaiba?! That's not how you fuckin' greet someone ya damn prick." He was tempted to wave his fist about for good measure yet remained painfully aware that the posh ass restaurant was not the best place to make a scene. Jou leant back with a huff and a large scowl, crossing his arms and a leg over the other. This was ridiculous.

"I'd have rather thought it was a greeting worthy of a dog." He sat down, taking his briefcase off the table and placing it next to himself. His sneer was so sour Jou was pretty sure it was practically acidic.

Some people never changed.

The glares and cold indifference Jou could put up with. The dog jokes, alas, he could not.

"Drop the dog shit moneybags, those insults got old so long ago I'm not sure I could even remember that far back."

Kaiba eyed him before another sneer took over his features. "You know-"

"So, Kaiba, we should really get done with the formalities now and begin to discuss the project, right?" Otogi was stretching his hand across the table to Kaiba. Kaiba gave it a second of consideration before shaking it.

Jou could already tell his evening wouldn't end well.

Okay so I'm pretty sure I won't ever finish this story completely. Maybe add a couple more chapters on but it's just not getting finished. I feel like it's super cliche and just... it's been written time and time again by others. Also I should probably apologise about the really big update gaps. That's gonna happen a lot. I am the king of irregular updating. I'm still gonna be writing oneshots and stuff though but... I'm not sure about longer stories.

Also I just don't feel like I'm characterising the characters well enough here, which is a shame because they deserve so much better. They're all just too bland and not individual enough... I hope to put more care into the characters of my future stories.