Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, the characters, etc. etc. This is just for fun and no profit. Yowza, the usual yadda, yadda, yadda…
Takane no Hana 高嶺の花
Chapter I
It was dark now and the Domino City Coffee Shop's "open" sign was casting a faint red glow onto the sidewalk. Inside, Jounouchi was wiping down the counter for what he hoped would be the last time that day. He had on the standard DCCS uniform: yellow baseball cap, white shirt, black pants, and black apron. He looked down at himself and thought tartly, I look like a friggin' bumblebee. But, as far as summer jobs went, this one actually paid okay. He wasn't going to blow it.
Mr. Satou, the store's portly owner, was behind the long counter with Jou. He was wiping down a slowly diminishing pile of coffee cups and was carefully stacking them on the floating glass shelf. His back was to the room. Methodically, he took a clean cloth to each cup, thinking his own thoughts.
Jounouchi's heart sank when he heard the door open and the little bell at the top chimed merrily.
Another customer, and at this late hour, too. Ugh! Why don't they just go home?
He glanced up with a tired smile and said, "Welcome. How may I help you?"
It took Jounouchi a second to realize exactly who it was standing on the other side of the counter. The tall figure was wearing dark clothes under a plain, navy coat with no buttons or zipper. He saw recognition in Kaiba Seto's face and his lips curled into a nasty smirk. He cocked his head to one side and admired the uniform with a look of poorly disguised distain.
Jounouchi signed inwardly. Wonderful, just friggin' wonderful, he thought darkly. With a polite cough, he said, "Is there something I can get for you?"
"Is the coffee still hot?" Seto asked with a pointed stare. And, the smirk was still there, too. His voice had a sarcastic edge that made the blond want to grind his teeth.
"It's the best," Jounouchi said, hoping the owner would hear him. Yep, sharp-eared Mr. Satou, glanced in their direction and continued his work.
"For here …or… to-go?" he asked over his shoulder.
"I'm on my way home."
Jounouchi' nodded and moved stiffly to get a Styrofoam cup. He poured the coffee. "Cream?" He motioned toward the small pitcher of cream and Seto shook his head "no." Jou placed the cup on the counter between them.
"How long have you been working?" Seto said, head down and thumbing through his wallet.
"Oh, I've been working twelves. One of the guys called in sick," Jounouchi finished with a shrug, punching buttons on the register.
He took Seto's money and made change.
"Here ya go, Kaiba," Jounouchi said and mentally kicked himself hard. Ugh, he was going to have to say it! Damn! Why didn't he just avoid using the guy's name? "Kaiba-san," Jounouchi corrected himself with his eyes cutting toward Mr. Satou.
"San?" Seto said with curiosity. Both he and Jounouchi skipped honorifics most of the time for just about everybody. For Jou, it was a sign of defiance. For Seto, he just preferred to do some things the Western way. Well, that, and the fact that he saw himself above everyone else. So, why bother?
"Please enjoy your coffee," Jounouchi said in the most formal Japanese he could muster. His voice was flat.
Oh, I'm enjoying more than the coffee, Seto thought with a smirk. He put the cup to his lips. "Not bad," he muttered, before turning to go.
"Katsuya-kun," Mr. Satou said without turning around.
"Sir?"
"It's almost closing time. Why don't you leave now with your friend?"
Friend…? Seto almost choked on his coffee. He'd been called many things before, but not…
"Uh…Thanks, boss!" Jounouchi said in a tone Seto had never thought possible. There was excitement with a thread of gratitude in it. "I really appreciate it, sir." He gave the boss a quick bow. That was something else that Seto had never seen in him before. It felt strange and almost … intimate.
Jounouchi still had his eyes on the boss' back when he approached the front door and held it open.
"After you," he said.
Seto straightened his shoulders and walked out with the cup to his lips. Once the door closed, he turned to look at the man behind him.
"Well, I see that you can be 'trained' after all, Mutt. Did it take a rolled up newspaper?" Again, his voice had a sarcastic edge to it. He took a sip. This was fun.
"When necessary," Jou laughed back.
Jounouchi had his yellow ball cap off in less than a second. He was ruffling his hair and setting it free for the first time in hours and hours. He was tired but had a small spring in his step. Work was over and the cool wind felt great on his face. Jounouchi looked up at the navy sky and saw the moon rising. He closed his eyes for a second and enjoyed it.
Seto watched Jou with discomfort. He held the coffee loosely in his right hand and walked with his head down a little—lost in thought. Suddenly having somebody with him, when he preferred his own company, seemed strange. He did prefer to be alone, didn't he?
They turned a corner and walked half way down the next street. Seto was unusually quiet, which bothered him. Silence, in general, bothered him. But, this time, he had nothing really to say—which made it worse. With some small relief, Jou could sense that they were about to part ways. It was nothing that Seto did, actually. It was just a feeling. He stopped.
"Ummm… Kaiba? " Jounouchi began and felt the earth shake beneath him.
Seto's hot coffee sloshed out of his hand. The half full container followed and left a wet spot on the sidewalk. Both men watched with wide eyes to see the sidewalk splitting towards them. The force pushing the split was traveling fast. Sharp pieces of concrete shot up and out. With a building on one side dropping bricks down, Seto had no choice. He grabbed Jounouchi by the wrist and flung him into the street. He followed after. Struggling to stay on their feet, they looked to see that the corner gas station was shaking and the concrete gave way into a long, narrow trench. The side of the building next to it collapsed and crumbled into dust---sending debris everywhere.
What felt like a second quake, much bigger than the first, rocked them. Seto fell to his knees and Jounouchi grabbed his arm, struggling furiously. There was a green car parked in the street in front of them. It was rocking hard, the rusting metal body moaning in protest. But it was the swinging power line that worried Jounouchi the most. If it hits us, we're dead, he thought furiously. Anywhere but here… Anywhere but here… The park! That's where we'll go---the baseball field.
Seto struggled to his feet only to fall to his knees again---cursing loudly as he fell. Something erupted in a shower of debris. With his arm, Jounouchi tried to block the spray of rocks and dirt from hitting his face. He reached down, pulled again. But, this time, he couldn't lift Seto up. It was all that he could do to stay on his own feet because the road was swaying so hard.
"To hell with it," Jounouchi said angrily and forced Seto down onto the road. Instinctively, Seto fought back and struck the blond hard in the jaw. But, Jounouchi was stronger, using moves from his gang days, Seto was tipped off balance and found two strong hands pushing him down against the white stripe in the street. He could feel Jou crawling on top of him. For a brief second, angry hazel eyes stared down into blue ones.
"Quit fighting me!" he spat and covered Seto with his body.
The ground was shifting beneath him, and the dark haired man stopped struggling. He felt Jounouchi's warmth and weight on top of him--- his face pressing hard against the side of the blond's face. Another shower of debris hit them. Jou shifted his right arm to shield their heads. It blocked Seto's view. The chaotic world was pitch black.
"Go," Seto growled. "Just get out of here, damn it!"
"Make me!" Jou said, seething. Seto could feel the impact of debris hitting Jou and then him tensing up in pain. "Damn, that hurt," he breathed. More debris. Jounouchi groaned in agony, he just couldn't stop himself---no matter how weak it made him feel with Seto hearing him. If he could just block out everything and breathe through the pain… The road shifted again violently. He struggled to keep his grip on Seto.
"Leave me! If not, we're both going to die here," Seto ordered, shouting now. He could feel Jounouchi's ragged breaths against his face.
"Then, I guess, we'll leave this world together."
Seto closed his eyes tightly. No… I don't want that.
The ground shook one last time---and, then, nothing happened. The lights from the office buildings and the corner gas station flickered and went out. Only a weak street light remained. Jounouchi and Seto waited---breathing hard against each other. Nothing. Seto could feel the blood coursing through him. He was light headed and had a strange sense of detachment. Jou's bent arm slipped away, allowing Seto to look up at the sky. Is this a dream? he thought, feeling soft blond hair against his face. No, it's a nightmare. He could see the stars above them shining peacefully as though nothing had happened.
Jou shifted his weight and stood up---very slowly--- pressing palms against his aching back. He stretched. Jounouchi rubbed a swelling lump on his chin with a crooked grin. "Not bad, Kaiba, you really landed one on me. I didn't think you had it in ya." Seto stared back coldly. His mouth was a thin line. "Still, what a ride that was," he sighed to himself, placing a hand to his throbbing head. He wiped off his hand against his black trousers and offered it to Seto. Somehow, Seto had managed to prop himself up on his elbows, but felt the world still shaking sickeningly beneath him. He looked at the hand but didn't take it.
"And I hate rollercoasters, too," Seto said in an annoyed voice, eyes squinched shut for a second.
"Yeah, I bet you do," Jou laughed to himself.
Jounouchi's hand was still outstretched to Seto. "Let's go, huh?" Seto stared at it for a moment longer and hesitated before taking it. The hand was large, callused, and warm. He had a worker's hands. Jounouchi pulled him up with a look of concern.
"Thanks," Seto mumbled.
"Hey, what are friends for?" Jounouchi said with a jovial tone.
Seto gave him a look that he couldn't interpret.
"Ummm….Are you okay?" He eyed Seto. "You looked strange there for a second."
"It's nothing," Seto grumbled and patted his pockets down for his cell phone. "Damn it! My phone's gone! Where, the hell, can it be?" He strained his eyes in the dark—searching. "Damn, it!" He rolled his eyes to the heavens. It was simply too dark to look for it. "Just one more thing for me to deal with tomorrow," he fumed.
The blond walked over to the car, crossed his arms against his chest, and casually leaned his body against it. With the full moon, Seto could see Jounouchi plainly. It annoyed him. "I guess an empty mind has no worries," Seto grumbled. He stared again and shrugged inwardly.
"Well, this place is a total mess." Jounouchi was right. Debris was littered everywhere and small clouds of dust hung in the air. Some of the buildings looked like a total loss. Others would take a few weeks of remodeling to repair.
"At least, nothing caught on fire."
Seto nodded in agreement.
You'd better be going," Jou said casually.
"Yes."
"You need to check on Mokuba."
"Yes…"
"And, then, there's your house and Kaiba Corp... That earthquake was pretty bad."
With a small nod, Seto took four long strides forward and stopped in his tracks. The wind, heavy with the smell of dust and grime, blew against his dirt smudged coat. Jounouchi waited, staring at Seto's back, and the moment suddenly felt… uncomfortable.
Something, Seto thought, doesn't feel right.
Seto turned on his heel and, for the first time, took a serious look at Jounouchi. The eighteen year old hadn't shifted his position since helping him up. The blond was still there with arms folded casually in front of his chest. And he was eager--too eager for him to go, but didn't back it up with the usual banter or insults.
Definitely wrong, Seto thought.
"Do you know," he began and studied Jounouchi's face from a distance. It seemed tired, but a different kind of "tired" than before. "Do you know one of the most important skills in being a CEO?" Seto said abruptly, taking a step toward him.
"Wha-? Bragging are we?" Jounouchi said curiously, but with an edge of worry. Something was up. When he didn't get an answer, the blond shot back, "Do you think that now is a good time to be talking business? Still, no answer. Jou paused for a moment, staring at the ground. His face grew softer, and he opened his mouth to say something else, but changed his mind. This was Kaiba Seto he was talking to. He shook the idea away. Instead, the blond said, "Go home." His voice was sincere.
Seto's heart was pounding hard now. It hurt.
"What did you say?" he asked.
"I said 'go home' and I meant it." In the background, the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances were growing louder.
"What? No 'Moneybags?' Or 'dumb asses" or 'jerks?" No 'baka, baka, baka?'"
The blond shrugged back with a slight smile. "You just insulted yourself better than I ever could."
Seto's eyes grew hard and searching. He approached Jounouchi slowly. "Yes, well, one of the skills you learn from being a CEO is when to negotiate and when to misdirect. And I'm good…really good. It doesn't hurt being born in the Year of the Dragon, either."
"Great," said the blond, covering a fake yawn with his hand. "Is 'story time' over with? I really hope it is."
"Another misdirection," Seto whispered to himself. The tone was soft, but almost a growl. "It's a good tactic. I often use it myself."
Now, Seto was standing directly in front of Jounouchi---staring into his hazel eyes and searching for something. Actually, from Jou's point-of-view, maybe he was a little too close. They were in public, standing in the street, after all. Even if it was dark…and, well, he could feel Seto's presence closing in. Jou's face was growing warmer.
Seto's eyes caught onto something. It took a moment for him to realize exactly what he was looking at. Jounouchi's white work shirt was bright in the moonlight. But, there were small, dark spots on his left shoulder. Seto leaned in and touched one with his index finger before Jou could move away—not that the blond didn't try. It came away wet and slightly tacky. He pushed his finger and thumb together a few times.
Wha-? That's… blood! Seto thought, wanting to dismiss what his eyes were clearly showing him. His face hardened, Damn it…! He pulled himself up to his full height. Once again, Kaiba Seto looked levelly into a pair of hazel eyes and then down to his right hand.
"Exactly when were you planning on telling me that you were injured... friend," Seto growled in an angry voice that sounded nothing like him.
The blond raised the palms of his hands up in an attempt to appease. "It's no big," the blond shrugged back, "so, no worries. I've been through worse.'
I'm sure you have. Then again, you'd probably tell me just about anything so that I'd shut up and go away, Seto thought bitterly. His blue eyes were shining in the dark.
Roughly, Seto grabbed Jounouchi around the waist with his left hand and pulled him into an embrace. Too soon, the moment passed and the hand loosened its grip. It moved with a slow purpose and spread wide against the small of his back. The blond couldn't believe that this was Kaiba and took a sharp breath. Seto heard the sound and held him tighter. He could feel Seto's tall frame pressed against him, and felt his own face burning hot. Seto leaned in, closed his eyes and, with his right hand, he caressed the length of Jounouchi's hair. Jou felt each stroke and rested his head weakly against Kaiba's. Kaiba opened his eyes and his smiled faded.
"This might hurt a little," he breathed.
Jou, heart beating fast, felt a hand brush aside the hair at the nape of his neck. Then, touching the bare skin there, fingers slowly explored his tangled, blond hair. He leaned into the feeling. Jounouchi suddenly felt a sharp, blinding pain on the left side of his head---"Ouch! Don't"--- and instinctively pushed away. Seto let him go. The hand came back wet with blood.
Seto studied his hand with distain. "How long?" he demanded, as drops of warm blood trailed down. The blond didn't answer at first. He watched the path of the dark drops. They were reaching Seto's wrist.
"Okay, okay... I felt something when we first hit the ground."
"When you were on top of me," Seto finished for him. Even in the dark, Seto could see a deep blush. It made him smile inwardly.
"Look, you fell, the world was shaking apart," Jou said with eyes closed to shut out the memory," and I…"
"And I…?"
"And… I…" Jou lost his courage. "…Lost my hat."
"Eh?!" Seto's face twisted.
Jou's eyes lit up with mischief. "Hey, you almost did it! You almost smiled..." Jounouchi, pointed at him. "I mean, a 'real one' and not that usual nasty smirk. I knew you knew how. You just need a little 'training' is all—maybe, a rolled up newspaper..." The blond grinned at him with a full set of white teeth.
Seto rolled his eyes. Misdirection again…when you can't face the truth.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked crisply, taking out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his hand. "Seriously, look at this."
It was another uncomfortable silence. Jou's toothy grin had faded into a guilty expression. "Look, I'm fine. Really." Seto raised an eyebrow.
"Let's just forget…everything."
You know what I mean by "everything." Don't you, Kaiba?
"This night never happened," Jou finished, turning to walk back to the coffee shop alone. Too much had happened anyway. He needed time to think.
Everything? 'Never happened?' Hmmm… You seem to think this conversation is over, Mutt.
"This way," Seto continued in a very business like fashion. He had the blond by the forearm and was leading him in the opposite direction. "Wha-?" Jounouchi looked down at his arm. It would be more than simple to break free and run.
"But…! Hey, Kaiba? Wait!"
"Ignoring you," Seto sighed tiredly in Jounouchi's ear. His voice tickled.
"And we're going…to my house?" His voice sounded hopeful again.
Openly, Seto smirked at the thought. He had heard rumors about Jounouchi's father and the kind of neighborhood that they lived in. As amusing as the thought was to meet the 'old man' and to see what Jou's bedroom looked like…
"To the hospital."
"But, ummm… You know, you really need to check on Mokuba."
"I'll call from the hospital. I'll tell Mokuba that I found an injured puppy and had to take him to the vet."
Jounouchi glared, and Seto kept walking him.
They turned the corner. Jounouchi blinked hard. As a matter of fact, he'd turned that corner a little too fast and his vision seemed to blur, colors ran together, and the pressure on his arm got tighter---lifting him up and keeping him on his feet. He could feel the gentle pressure of a hand on his back, too. No, no, he felt fine---really--- Seto was casting worried glances at him as they walked, but said nothing. They continued on in silence for a few minutes. Jounouchi could feel the firm hand that was resting on his back move down, cautiously, to his waist and stayed there. Seto's fingers pressed into his side very gently. It's been a long time since someone…, Jou reflected, but the pain in his head was hard to think through---it was kind of fuzzy, too. He pressed a hand to his head, hoping the pressure would make it all stop.
No, he just had to get himself out of this.
"Look, I don't have insurance. Okay? So, let's just forget about it," the blond said with resignation.
"I'll pay," Seto said smoothly. But, after another misstep, they took it at a slow, casual pace. The gentle pressure on his forearm was guiding him along. The arm around his waist held him tight.
They approached a department store's large, picture window. The mannequins had fallen down, but miraculously, the window was still intact. There were no cracks or breaks in it. Seto could see a dark reflection of himself with JouHe glared at himself in the glass. He watched himself pass by with dark eyes.
This isn't what is seems like, Seto thought to himself, and there's no way in hell that I'm getting attached to 'Bonkotsu.' I'm not that weak. It's not 'suki' or 'koi,' or 'ai.' There's no part of me that cares about him."
Suddenly, Seto thought he heard a sound from behind them. A trashcan had toppled over and a soda can was rattling in the wind. He cast a glance over his shoulder to see if he was right and noticed that Jou was leaving a spot trail of blood on the broken sidewalk. Kaiba cringed.
"Kaiba?" Jou asked, wondering why they'd stopped.
"It's nothing, Mutt. I just…" Seto avoided Jounouchi's eyes. I have to get a better grip on myself. I'm coming to the point where I don't know what to feel any longer, he thought bitterly.
The couple crossed the street and came to the Kaiba Corp headquarters. The building was a large, modern glassed in structure with a cutting edge design---black steel and mirrored glass. Some of the windows were cracked and bits of shiny glass were littering the sidewalk. Seeing this, Seto sighed to himself impatiently.
Okay, this and the phone to deal with tomorrow…
Then, he led Jou around to the side entrance to the multistory parking garage. With his key card ID badge in the slot, the door rattled open. There was a lone car inside.
"Kaiba, I thought you took the limo everywhere."
"I can't have the driver wait all day. Besides, sometimes, I want to be alone."
"Alone. I know what that feels like."
Seto shot Jounouchi a puzzled look and lead him over to the top of the line ebony Honda. The CEO was relieved to find his keys were still in his coat pocket. He clicked the fob to unlock it. The car chirped back.
Jou decided to give it one last try. "B-but," the blond stammered, "I'm gonna get blood on the seats. And that's leather we're talking about! You'll never get that out."
Seto's sarcastic voice shot back, "It's no big. So, no worries. I've been through worse.'"
"Oh, that was a bad impersonation! You don't sound like me one bit. In fact, that was nothing like me at all."
A smile curled onto Seto's face, and he looked Jou in the eyes as a direct challenge. "Listen, 'bonkotsu'…"
"That's 'Jounouchi' to you…"
"Whatever… You have a choice. You can let me drive you. Or, I'll use the fireman's carry and we can walk the four blocks to the hospital. Your pick." Somehow, Jounouchi felt that Seto would enjoy carting him around in such an undignified way.
Seto opened the car door and, still holding Jounouchi's forearm, guided him inside. Seto leaned in, clicked the seatbelt---tugged at it for a second to pull it tight against Jounouchi's body, and said softly in Jou's ear, "And I sincerely hope that they have to shave your head before putting the stitches in."
"Eh? No way!"
Seto stroked a strand of blond hair. The door shut. Seto got in on the other side and shut his door a little harder than necessary. His companion turned his head. The green glow of the dash lit up Seto's face. His eyes were hard and his jaw was set.
He's scared. He's really scared this time. But he lies to himself. He pretends to be okay. Jou folded his arms against his chest and sighed. I don't think there's anything that I can say to convince him it will be okay. Or, maybe, I can….
As the car turned to exit the parking garage, Jounouchi leaned over to Seto and said, "It's really not an animal hospital that you're taking me to, right?" He laughed at his own joke.
"Oh, I hope they do shave your head." Seto signaled left and the car changed direction. "If I pay them enough, maybe they'll let me have a go at you."
"Hai, hai, Kaiba-san."
"That's 'sama' to you."
"In your dreams, Kaiba, in your dreams…"
"You don't want to know about my dreams."
Literally, "Takane no hana" means "flower on a high peak." What it means is that, for better or for worse, there are some things that are beautiful to look at, but cannot be touched.