"Behind Blue Eyes: Seto's Story"
Ah yes, the beginning of the mirror story to explain the original. This is guaranteed to have more angst and drama than the other for the soul reason that we are dealing with Seto's thoughts and not Jou's. Though the storyline and interactions will be exactly the same, it will flow like it's own story. I hope that you all enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. . . but don't you wish that I did?
Warnings: Extreme language and angst.
The bell rang loudly, piercing the air, soon followed by the sound of students' feet rapidly pounding the ground as they ran to their classes in an attempt not to be late. Doors shut, silencing the previously busy hallway. The unfortunate students that were locked out sluggishly made their way to detention.
Jounouchi Katsuya, Motou Yuugi, Masaki Anzu, Honda Hiroto, and Bakura Ryou all sat in a clump in their classroom, talking about what they had planned for the upcoming weekend, which began tomorrow. Other students also sat in small clusters or in pairs. There was only one teen who sat all alone in the back of the room, only occasionally surrounded by a group of die-hard fangirls. This loner was the rich and powerful CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Kaiba Seto. He was reading a novel, just like he always was.
So now that you've got a pretty good idea of what is going on, let me introduce myself. My name is Kaiba Seto; Welcome to my world. Let me tell you right now, it sucks, and Jounouchi has nothing better to do then add even more annoyance to my living Hell. The mutt needs a serious personality adjustment, but whatever, he isn't important. Where was I? Ah, yes.
Jounouchi and his gang of friendship freaks were all huddled together giggling like little schoolgirls about this and that, probably planning one of those pathetic get-togethers like they always did. They were pathetic, having sleep overs and parties all the time. Then again, who cared? Certainly not I.
Our teacher, Ms. Asuka, cleared her throat loudly, hoping that we would take the hint and return to our seats so she could begin class. Much to her delight, the groups instantly began breaking up and each individual took his or her sweet time getting back to their assigned seat. Some of my peers allowed for a groan to escape their lips as they pulled out their books and propped their heads up on their hands. Jounouchi decided he was going to compete against the class and groaned louder than necessary, causing all of those immature little brats to start giggling. I glared in annoyance at the back of his head.
"Now, now," Ms. Asuka began, "There's no need for that. I have a strong feeling that you all are going to be very excited about what we are going to do today!" She plastered a large grin on her face.
Again, everyone groaned dramatically. Every time she told us we were going to enjoy class, she assigned either some stupid project or a lengthy research paper. I didn't really care either way, as I was skilled in both, but the rest of the teenagers fidgeted in their seats as though it were something worse than Hell.
"I'm assigning a new project!" She clasped her hands together, as though it were the most exciting thing in the world, and there was a loud thud as the heads of many students were slammed down upon their desks. I was surprised to fined that Jounouchi was not among them. "Oh come on now! This is going to be a fun project! This one is always the favorite of my students!" The faces of a few students looked at their teacher with lazy eyes while the many others kept their faces buried in their desks. I remained indifferent.
"Ms. Asuka," The mutt called out, "You say that about all of our projects." I believe that it was more of a complaint than an observation, but she seemed to take it as the latter.
"You're right Jounouchi!" She chuckled, "I do say that about all of them, but this time I'm telling the truth!" I arched my right eyebrow a bit, starting to become slightly interested in what the woman had to say. Looking around, I saw heads rising from the desks. "I have randomly paired all of you up! Boys will be with boys and girls will be with girls!" This elicited a few frowns, but she continued, "The project will take place over a span of three weeks. The first week, you will both live together in one partners house, and the next week you will both live in the other partners house. The third week is where you need to work. You see, during the first two weeks, you need to get to know your partner very well so that you can write a ten page biography about them!" I sunk down in my seat while my peers muttered sounds of protest. "Trust me, you will all grow to like this project. Now then, let me tell you all who will be staying with who!"
A biography project. Could there be anything worse? Well, it's not like I would have to tell my partner the truth or anything. I could just tell them what they expected to hear. Yes, the wonderful life of Kaiba Seto. How lucky I was to be adopted by the richest man in the city. . . but what if I had a breakdown in front of them? How would I cover my ass then?
"Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiba Seto!"
I snapped out of my daze after realizing that my name had just been called. So God really did hate me after all. There was no use in making a scene of it. I stood quickly and made my way toward his desk, just as the other students had done with their partners. He was looking around like a fool. He probably wasn't paying attention when our names were called. When he saw me standing next to him, however, his eyes locked onto me, trailing up and down my body as though he were sizing me up. . . and he didn't stop. He just stared.
"What are you gawking at?" I gave his eyes the best glare that I could muster. He seemed to register that I had spoke to him, but he continued his little round of staring at me, which was really starting to piss me off. I took a seat in the desk that was now empty beside him as I waited for an answer. "Answer my question mutt. I'm not in the mood for one of your mindless games." I folded my arms across my chest, tapping the fingers of my right hand onto my left arm to show my impatience.
"I-I'm just in shock that God would punish me by forcing me to live with the Devil's incarnate for three weeks!" Pfeh, the mutt was stuttering now. It was nice to know that I had such an intimidating effect on him. The Devil's incarnate? Yeah, that was pretty much me. I rolled my eyes to signal the end of the conversation and then faced the front of the room.
- - -
Chemistry class dragged on, just as it always does, with my professor spouting out things that I already knew. Then again, I knew most of the material that all of my classes were covering before they even began to cover it. However, the clock eventually ticked away those grueling minutes of boredom and rewarded my patience with the bell releasing everyone to lunch.
I sat at my usual place, in the far corner of the cafeteria by the doors that led outside. Usually I sat outside, but the wind appeared to be a bit strong and so I decided it would be best to seat myself as far away from those immature people called classmates as I possibly could.
Yeah, I was probably the most adored guy in the school, and I could sit with any group I wanted, but I really preferred to be alone. I had sat with a group of girls once. They just kept looking my way and giggling like air-heads, so I decided to make their day. It was ridiculous. They kept using any excuse to touch me. Then they wouldn't shut up with how 'hot' or how 'sexy' I was. If there was anything I hated hearing, it was how fuckable I was.
He never did that. . . he always called me beautiful. . . but he was gone now.
I sat my yogurt on the table and opened it, using the spoon I had swiped from the lunch counter to scoop up a bit of the creamy substance. Holding it up, I used my tongue to take in half of it and swallow, then proceeded to pick up my book. I had read this book about three times already. . . just as I had read all of my other books multiple times already. It really wasn't any good for me to have a personal library. I'd have to look into buying new ones.
As I pretended to read, I allowed my eyes to wander around the room, taking in the various happy faces and giddy groups around me. They were all so happy. Raised in normal households, with normal lives, normal friends, normal families. . . that's why I was so different. My life veered too far from 'normal'. Maybe that was it; or maybe I was just making excuses for myself again. Who else was I to blame? Myself of course. I didn't have to go through the hell that I went through.
A certain blonde mass caught my eyes. Jounouchi Katsuya, the biggest loudmouth in the school. I can't really say that Jounouchi is one of those normal kids, because anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence could see that he had some issues. . . which would be why Yuugi and the others didn't seem to notice. When it came to personal issues, I could see them a mile away.
I caught a glimpse of the midget nodding his head back in my direction, followed by Jounouchi apparently bitching the little one out. They were all looking at each other as though the mutt getting noisy was so uncommon. They were so interesting to observe. The little white-haired boy seemed to join in on the conversation after that, probably to shut Jounouchi up. I couldn't remember that kids name, but I think that he is the most intelligent of them all. . . and gay at that.
I could see the puppy slumping as his best friend Honda began conversing with the albino. I would have to deal with that stupid blonde for three whole weeks. Which reminded me that I had no clue which house we would be staying in for the first week. I think that we should stay in mine first. I'd like to delay my stay in his wretched 'home', if it could even be called that, for as long as possible.
I finished half of my yogurt and decided that I really wasn't hungry enough to devour the entire thing. . . I would regret that later. For the time being, I gathered my things and made my way towards the friendship table, as I had dubbed it.
The evil twins of the table glanced my way and began to bicker. I would never admit it out loud, but those two really gave me the creeps. . . evil twins didn't just appear like they both did; however, I still refused to believe that they came out of those gaudy pendants.
As I came up on them, Jounouchi and Honda had latched onto the one that they called 'Yami no Yuugi' or sometimes just 'Yami'. That's when Jounouchi began to stare again. His brown eyes didn't close even once as he looked me up and down, soon stopping to focus on my face.
I decided to be completely forward, "Jounouchi, bring only clothes, a toothbrush, and your school books, you know, the necessities. The rest will be provided for you." I folded my arms. The blonde didn't even seem to notice I was talking to him. He just looked at me blankly, his eyes trailing up and down my body. That was really starting to make me uncomfortable.
Well, there was always one way to get his attention, "Dammit mutt! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!" I kept my voice as only an angry whisper, so as not to draw unwanted attention to myself, but the emotion in it was enough to make him raise his eyebrows in a questioning manner.
I rolled my eyes in frustration at having to repeat myself, "What I said was, bring only clothes, a toothbrush, and your school books, you know, the necessities. The rest will be provided for you." I allowed for my eyes to drift about the room, already tired of looking at him.
All I got for my trouble was a simple "Okay" and one of his goofy smiles. Annoyed with him, I spun on my heels and walked away. I left the cafeteria to head for the library. Perhaps I would find a book to keep my interest for awhile.
- - -
Math class rolled around. This was the one class that I hadn't learned anything in at all, other than the fact that those around me were extremely puzzled by numbers and variables. How pathetic. I was learning these things when I was 14. I learned a lot when I was young. . . more than any fourteen year old would know.
I gazed around the room in my boredom, amusing myself with the completely lost looks on the faces of the imbeciles in the room. Speaking of imbeciles, a particular blonde was staring again. Either he dazed out a lot, or he found me extremely attractive. . . probably both. That's how everyone was; staring at me, catcalling to me. . .shit like that really pisses me off. He was never like that. Why did things have to go the way they did.
Even throughout my inward ranting, Jounouchi's eyes remained on me. Pulling out a piece of scrap paper, I scribbled down the words 'Hey mutt, what did I tell you about staring at me? Eyes off!' and proceeded to launch it at his head. It seemed to knock him out of whatever sort of daydream he was having, which was my goal. He started looking around the room all frantic-like. He was pretty fucking stupid if he hadn't seen me throw it when he was staring right at me. What a dumbass. He gave up on the search and picked it up, reading the note and realizing that it was me. I rolled my eyes at his ignorance and just faced the front of the room again, bored with his antics already.
Of course, this action was short lived, as I was soon pelted by a paper wad. I leaned down immediately to retrieve it, my eyes scanning the floor for the object. All the while, I could feel those golden eyes burning into my ass. . . actually, it felt like half the room was staring at me. Perverted fucks. The paper was nestled by the leg of my desk, and I snatched it up quickly to avoid giving any more free shows.
As I opened the note, I wasn't surprised in the least. I had expected the less-than-perfect handwriting that appeared to me as pathetic chicken scratch that even a child could put to shame. The message, however, did set me aback a bit. It read 'You better sleep with one eye open for throwin' that at my head, pretty-boy!'. I must admit that I allowed for a small smile to escape my lips at the thought of Jounouchi threatening me. He knew full well that I was stronger, as I showed him back in Duelist Kingdom when he had tried to fight me. What can I say? I've been fighting grown men off for a large portion of my life. The thought made me nauseous.
My eyes wandered up to the clock, trying to keep my mind off of the memories that had just surfaced. A whole 'nother hour of this torture. Math really sucked. It was so boring, even my pen was beginning to look interesting. Oh yeah, ink, what fun. I really was losing it.
I slid down in my seat a bit, crossing my legs as best I could. They really didn't make desks for tall people like myself. Even I had to admit that my legs were strangely long. He loved my legs. I used to love when he would run his hands along them. I shook my head, shook thoughts of him away. There would never be a replacement. Things just didn't seem as wonderful as they had. The sky wasn't quite as blue, the grass not as green. . . making friends just didn't seem important anymore.
What was the saying? "Life's a bitch and then you die, so fuck the world and let's get high." Yeah, something like that. I don't think I'll be getting high though. I have a company to run, and I don't think that pot is going to run it for me.
I tuned into the teacher for a moment. Yup, she was still babbling on about shit I already understood. I don't know why I don't just drop out; it's not like I need a diploma or anything. Then again, I suppose it would look bad if a high school drop-out were running Kaiba Corporation. Plus, it would ruin my reputation internationally.
I could feel eyes burning into me again. Turning slowly, I caught the golden-eyed blonde just blankly staring again. I shot him a glare, but he didn't seem to notice. A wild smirk crept to his lips, the kind of smirk you see on a murderers face in a movie right before he kills his victim. The kind of face a sick man makes before he rapes a helpless child. Again I turned away from Jounouchi. I was probably expressing the emotion of fear, and I certainly didn't want him, or anyone else for that matter, to see it. I turned and shot him another death glare for good measure.
The announcements started over the intercom after what seemed like years, signaling that there were only about five minutes left of class. Our teacher sat behind her desk, and the various students began to pack their belongings. I followed suite. The guys and girls around me were clumping up into groups again, leaving me singled out to write down my homework and pack away the remainder of my things. Not that I minded being alone. No, I didn't need friends or a social life or any of that ridiculous nonsense. I folded my arms impatiently and waited for the final bell.
When the bell rang, however, I didn't get up and run out like the others. I merely turned and faced Jounouchi, making sure to show him that I was pissed. It was a staring contest as we waited for our teacher to speak. The moment she did, that mutt opened his mouth to start his pathetic whining. I silenced him by simply raising up my hand. He shut up and stood, gathering his things.
"I don't want an explanation," I informed him, "If you try to pull any of those stunts at my house, I swear I will-"
"Let's go to my house for the first week. I'd like to delay my stay in Hell for as long as possible." His face looked innocent enough, but I wasn't so sure now.
"Fine, but the same rule applies. . . no funny stuff." I stood, retrieving my briefcase from the dirty school floor, "I'll be over at ten in the morning. I expect to come to a clean place and you'd better have an extra bed for me to sleep in. I refuse to sleep on a couch or the floor." I looked him up and down once more before taking my leave.
- - -
I could smell the rain coming as I stepped outside. Luckily I had my limousine waiting for me as I approached the curb. It was nice having my own personal chauffeur to pick me up and drop me off, wherever, whenever.
We would first stop at Domino Middle School to pick up Mokuba, then I would drop him off at our mansion and then the final destination would be, as usual, Kaiba Corporation. I swear, I was at work more than I was at home, and the sad puppy look on Mokuba's face always made me regret it. Mokuba was thirteen now, and I was always away from him. I always wondered if he secretly hated me. I certainly couldn't blame him if he did.
Mokuba was all that I had left now; he was everything. I worked for Mokuba, lived for Mokuba. . . and I would definitely die for Mokuba. He was practically my own child. I had raised him since he was very small, and I had been strict with him and tough on him, and I had even used him a few times to get my way. . . but I just had to hope that he knew I had done those things for him. I had done everything for him.
The rain began to pelt the roof of the car just as we approached the small, brick building. Mokuba came bounding up to the car, just as he always did, and slid into the seat next to me.
"Seto!" He squealed, giving me the suffocating hug that had became a ritual for him. "How was school today?" He grinned brightly. Mokuba's wild personality was such a sharp contrast to my own. . . and that was what I loved most about him. I flashed a smile that only his eyes were allowed to see, and proceeded to tell him of that dreadful project assignment. I purposely left out Jounouchi's awkward behavior. The last thing I needed was for a hormonal teenager to know.
"You got paired up with Jou? No way! That's so cool!" He leaned towards me in his seat, and I cocked a brow at him, "Well," He began, bowing his head a bit, "To me it's cool. It's gonna suck for you though!" He laughed playfully. "So you're going to his house tomorrow then? Where does he live?"
My mouth fell open and I turned my face toward the ceiling of the car, closing my eyes. This was a sure sign to Mokuba that I hadn't asked.
"You didn't even ask?" He sighed and shook his head, "And people call you a genius." Again he smiled at me, and I smiled back at him. I loved moments like that. Mokuba was the only person who would even keep me company. He seemed to appreciate me enough, and I love him dearly for it. He was my precious baby brother. . . even if he wasn't much of a baby anymore.
I watched out the window at the rain dousing the buildings that dotted the street. A blonde head caught my eye, and apparently Mokuba had seen him as well.
"Driver, stop! Seto, we should take him home and get him out of the rain to keep him from catching a cold!"
"Mokuba, do you really think I care?"
"Besides, you were dumb enough not to ask for directions to his house." He folded his arms and scrunched up his face, in a mannerism that I would have used. He had a point though, and so I ordered the driver to pull up next to him.
Jounouchi turned to look back at the car approaching and came to a standstill. I opened my door once my driver put the limousine in park, and opened my door. Mokuba pulled his head out to look at Jounouchi, "Come on in, Jou! You'll catch a cold if you stay out in the rain like that!"
The blonde smiled a bit, making a step toward the car, when he made a dead halt. Our eyes locked together and his own narrowed a bit, "No thanks, Mokuba. Besides, I don't think I'll be catching a cold this close to Summer." He then spun on his heels and shivered a bit.
"Get in the car, mutt." My tone was flat and at it's usual tenor. I could have sworn that I saw him shake again. He had turned around, but only stood there like a fool. "I said get your ass in the car." I felt like a parent talking to a stubborn child. I put my right leg out of the car, as a sort of warning that if he didn't get in, I would go after him. If it would make Mokuba happy, I would do anything. Anything for Mokuba.
"How 'bout you fuck off?" I was out of the car before I could register what was happening. How dare he say something like that in front of Mokuba! I pin him roughly against the wall. . .well, it was more like a giant glass window, but whatever.
My hands clenched his collar tightly, my blue eyes ablaze and my body seething with pure hatred, "Don't you ever say that kind of shit around my brother!"
"Sounds like you cuss around him all the time."
Was he trying to confuse me or something? "But I don't say fu-"
He covered my mouth with one of his filthy, wet hands and used to the other hand to point behind himself, "I don't think you want to ruin your reputation with the little guys." To my surprise, there were numerous sets of little eyes watching us. The Domino daycare. Just my luck. I flashed a quick smile at them.
I backed away from him, trying to regain my cool, "Get in the car, mutt." The rain began to come down harder, and so I did the only thing I could think to do. I grabbed him by the arm and shoved him next to Mokuba in the limousine, my arm brushing the blonde's as I slid in beside him and shut the door. I was soaked to the bone.
"Do you ever eat?" Jounouchi was looking me up and down. I rolled my eyes at his question and looked out the window. "Seriously Kaiba, you're really skinny. That's not very healthy, you know?" There were small sounds of protest from Mokuba, but Jounouchi seemed to ignore them.
"I have a high metabolism and I eat healthy." I sighed as I stared at him in a bored manner.
"Bullshit."
I ignored his little accusation, "I picked you up because Mokuba pointed out to me that I have no idea where you live. Rather than taking the time to just look your address up, Mokuba insisted that we just take you home. . . this way I can get a feel for the hell-hole I'm going to be living in for the next week, and my driver will already know where to take me tomorrow morning." It made sense really. It was convenient for me, and that was all that mattered. I wasn't into doing charity.
"There's nothing wrong with my apartment." He clenched his fists, but I knew he wasn't about to punch me in front of my brother, "I'm so terribly sorry that not everyone gets a luxurious life handed to them on a silver platter like you did!"
Had Mokuba not been there, I would have slapped that son-of-a-bitch. I was seething at him again, "You know nothing about me, my family, or my life!"
Jounouchi merely turned away. The remainder of the trip was quiet except for when that bastard blonde was spouting off directions to my driver. These next two weeks were going to be pure hell.
He sure lived in a shitty part of town, but that really didn't matter at the moment. I was so fucking tired. Perhaps this project would give me a chance to get some more sleep. . . that would be nice. . .
"We have arrived, master Kaiba." The car came to a gentle halt in front of Jounouchi's apartment complex. My door was opened by my obedient servant, and I began to climb out. Without warning, my surroundings began to spin, causing me to fall backwards onto. . . a person? It didn't really matter. "Master Kaiba!" My employee reached out his hand, but I slapped it away, shaking my head to try and wake myself up.
There was a slamming door, and the sound of feet. Mokuba was coming. . . he was such a sweet little brother. I could feel his hands on my cheeks and I let my eyes fall shut. "Seto?" He was such a good kid. "Seto, if you would stop working so late, this wouldn't happen." He was so bitchy sometimes though. I shook my head at him, and suddenly the 'pillow' I was currently resting on didn't feel quite so soft.
Mokuba giggled wildly, "Jou is enjoying you moving your head around on his crotch."
I leapt from my laying position, suddenly no longer tired, but completely disgusted. I straightened my uniform to try and pretend that such a situation had never occurred, "Alright Jounouchi, get out and go home. I'll be over at eight tomorrow morning." I turned around to glance at the building, "Which one are you in?"
"Third floor, left-hand side." He slid out and stood beside me.
I climbed back into the limousine along with Mokuba, "Well Jounouchi, we'll be taking our leave now."
"Wait Kaiba!" He leaned down, hands on the doorframe, "You'd better be prepared to tell me everything I want to know about you."
I could feel the fluid in my stomach churn at this. I may have shuddered, but I hoped to the gods that I didn't. I didn't want him to know anything, but how would he know if I was lying or not, right? Or maybe I would grow to trust him. . . I did need someone to vent to. . .
"Yes," I told him, my eyes coming to rest almost sorrowfully on his own, "and you will tell me everything that I wish to know." I smirked, and he stepped away from the car. He watched as the limousine pulled off and sped toward the Kaiba mansion.
Mokuba sighed loudly as we pulled onto our long driveway, "So you're going to work all night and then be gone for a week. . ." He eyes looked a bit glossed-over with sadness, "I hardly ever get to be with you." He always had that way of making me feel guilty.
As we came to the house, Mokuba opened his door and I grabbed his arm. "Mokuba, just let me go get the paperwork and I'll come home and spend time with you tonight, okay?" I flashed him the smile that I only showed him and he grinned back.
"Alright Seto! I'll be waiting for you! I'll pick out a video game! Woohoo!" He ran up the stairs and into the house, his excitement obvious to the world. My world.
- - -
Kaiba Corporation was bustling with flustered employees, who took time out of their busy schedule to give me my proper ass-kissing and greetings. I acknowledged them only with simple nods, stepping into the elevator where I was alone. It was a speedy trip to my office on the top floor. It was dark and so I flipped on the lights, not at all surprised when I saw the tower of papers on my desk in a tidy stack.
I sat down to collect them and place them in my briefcase. The room had bookcases on every wall. The books were all business related here. I kept the normal reading material in my personal library at home. So many books with their own little stories. . . How many books would it take to tell my life story? All of the ups and downs, twists and turns. . . my dreams and the ruin of them. How many times had my hopes been crushed? My mind was squeezed and twisted and molded into something that I didn't recognize anymore. . . I was changed into a tool for that bastard.
Now wasn't the time to think about that. I closed my briefcase and stepped out, shutting off the light as I did so. I had to get home and play games with my precious little brother. . . my life.
So I had to live with Jounouchi Katsuya for two whole weeks. . . I had no clue what destiny had in store for me. . .
Yay! Chapter one complete! I must say that writing this story is much more difficult than composing the original. . . probably because I have to match this one so that it mirrors the original. It is all the same dialogue, all the same scenes and all of the same actions. So you're probably thinking 'why bother?' why? Because in later chapters, this change in views with make the story seem completely different. This story is bound to be darker and you will all understand why Seto does the things he does. He won't seem so OOC once you read this. Review! Love ya!