Intoxication
folder
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
9
Views:
3,186
Reviews:
15
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
9
Views:
3,186
Reviews:
15
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not Own Yu-Gi-Oh! Making no money.
Intoxication
Intoxication
Author’s Note: This is purely fiction. I hated the way they ended the series and if the series had been mine it would have been chocked full of slashy goodness. Set after Dawn of the Duel with a slightly different ending, cause the original made me cry. All respective songs herein belong to their original artists and I do not own them. For the record, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT a song fic; the songs used are to create depth for the plot and to ascertain how the characters are feeling.
Jounouchi for the sake of my story is a baritone - The Baritone is the most common type of male voice. Baritone range: The vocal range of the baritone lies between the bass and tenor ranges, overlapping both of them. The typical baritone range is from the second F below middle C (F2) to the F above middle C (F4), which are exactly two octaves. In the lower and upper extremes, a baritone's range can be extended at either end.
Fever, Sway and Save the Last Dance for Me – Michael Buble
I’ve Got You, Under my Skin – Frank Sinatra
Smile – Michael Jackson
Unchained Melody – the Righteous Brothers
Kiss from a Rose – Seal
She’s Like the Wind – Patrick Swayze
Behind Blue Eyes – The Who
Italics – thoughts.
. . . italics – flashback
Summary – Senior Year of High School, it was supposed to be the best time of their young lives, but for one of the group, its not. But What lies around the corner at a place of Intoxication, well, suffice it to say Jounouchi finds what he wants behind blue eyes.
Intoxication
By TheDarkSynfulLegend
Chapter One – Chances Are
Another day at Domino High School and already Jounouchi was exhausted. Stretching in his chair made him wince as his father had come home the night before drunk as a skunk. The man was a violent drunk, swinging fists while bitching about how filthy the apartment was. He couldn’t hold down a job and he blamed his only son for his troubles even though it was Jounouchi who worked, and paid the bills keeping very little for himself. Jounouchi had doctored himself as he always did but made a mental note to stop in the nurse’s station today and pick up some more supplies. Jounouchi never saw the nurse, but always made sure she was out of the room before nicking some gauze bandages and painkillers. He hated stealing from the school but it was the only way he was going to survive day after day, and now, he was going to have to find yet another job, having been fired from his last one because of his prolonged absence in running to Egypt with Yuugi.
His honey gaze glanced around, Yuugi was talking animatedly with Anzu who was hanging onto his every word as she always did, listening to him talk about Atemu. The Pharaoh who had been locked in the Millennium Puzzle for so long finally had a body of his own and was presently working at the Game Shop with Yuugi’s grandfather. Watching his best friend, Jounouchi was ecstatic to see him so happy. However, he could feel a pair of eyes boring into the back of him and knew without even turning that it was Seto Kaiba. Pulling out a threadbare notebook, Jounouchi pulled out a pen and prepared to take some notes, that is, if he could stay awake long enough to do so.
Seto Kaiba looked down at his book briefly before angling his gaze so he could watch the blond young man who had taken up quite a bit of his thoughts lately. He couldn’t get Jounouchi out of his head or his heart; a scowl covered the C.E.O.’s lips as he shook his chocolate-colored locks trying to get the images out of his head. But he didn’t have to wait too long as the teacher came in and rapped on the blackboard to start the class. Already he was bored, and turned to his thoughts inwards, as he wondered what was going on with Jounouchi and the fact that today he was so quiet. Usually, the blond was found talking to his friends or dueling but today was different.
“Excuse me, Mr. Jounouchi, am I boring you?” the teacher asked as she happened to glance in that direction where Jounouchi had indeed fallen asleep at his desk, his head slumped forwards. He snapped awake was the teacher turned her attention on him however, “I would appreciate if you would stay awake during my class, and in fact, why don’t you write me an essay on the impact of music and how it can speak to you.”
“Yes, Miss Shintou.” Jounouchi replied in a dead tone, grumbling inwardly at the amount of work he was going to have to do on that subject though secretly music was something he did enjoy. The class ended shortly and they had a ten minute break until the next session, and Yuugi turned to Jounouchi, “I know, Yuugi, I dozed off again.”
Yuugi frowned a bit, “how come you’re so tired all of a sudden? This isn’t like you, Jounouchi. Want to play some Duel Monsters after school? Grandpa got some new boosters.”
Jounouchi sighed, remembering the times he had played Duel Monsters with Yuugi, the tournaments they had entered together; how many times they had dueled together tag-team style and won. Hell, they had even faced each other and that was the only way that he had gotten the money for his sister’s operation, which only a select few knew about. “Can’t, I have some things I gotta take care of.”
“Are you sure? It wouldn’t take long.” Yuugi responded trying to get his friend to play again. After the stint in Egypt, Jounouchi had pretty much stopped playing Duel Monsters and had almost faded out of their sight.
“Positive. I can’t, maybe this weekend.” Jounouchi said with finality. Yuugi sighed in defeat and nodded as he turned to the board where the next teacher was coming in.
Seto Kaiba who during breaks broke out his laptop to talk to those at Kaiba Corp., eavesdropped on the conversation and wondered what the mutt had planned for the afternoon. He himself had plans for tomorrow night, but with the way that things were going, the new duel-disk system they were trying to market may deter him from his plans. “Mr. Kaiba, class has started, put your laptop away please.” Seto responded by rolling his eyes but doing as he was told, tucking the laptop back in the bag it had been pulled from.
As the class droned on, Seto found himself staring at the back of Jounouchi’s head again while taking notes that he wouldn’t even bother going over later. What is going on with you, mutt? It isn’t like you to not want to spend time with the geeks. He thought to himself, as the lunch bell finally rang and students jumped up scrambling for the door. Seto had watched however in fascination as Jounouchi’s head kept going down and snapping back up as he struggled to listen to the teacher and not land in detention or worse, get another essay.
Yuugi and company headed for the door at a more sedate pace, but Jounouchi begged off claiming he’d see them in the next class after lunch. With worried glances the group broke up, and Jounouchi headed for the stairs with a pair of blue eyes following him. Just need a few minutes of sleep. Jounouchi’s mind was saying as he stumbled up to the roof of the school; it was fenced so none of the students could jump but that wasn’t what Jounouchi wanted. He knew that it would be peaceful around now, while most students were down in the courtyard eating their lunches and having fun. His stomach growling, Jounouchi groaned and slumped against the side of the building, crossing his arms over his chest as he hung his head and very quickly went to sleep.
~*~*~*~
Seto walked into the courtyard and glanced around for a quiet place to sit with his thoughts and more importantly his laptop as he had work to catch up on. Opening a small box, a smile crossed his lips at the sushi his cook had prepared for his lunch today. He sat under a tree and quietly began to eat, glancing at the figures that raced across the tiny screen of his laptop, occasionally looking around for Jounouchi.
Sapphire eyes watched as Yuugi was dueling Anzu while eating a rice ball, Honda was hovering and making commentary but every now and again all three teens would gaze at the doors of the school wondering when Jounouchi would appear. “What do you think is up with Jounouchi?” Yuugi asked.
“Who knows, you’d think he’d be happy to be home but he seems more withdrawn now than before.” Honda said as he ran his hand through his hair, “he’s my best friend but there’s something wrong and I can’t put my finger on it.”
Seto eavesdropped on the conversation and wondered where the mutt actually was, the geek squad seemed worried and it wasn’t really like Jounouchi to not be with them. Yuugi glanced over in Seto’s direction, while Seto dropped his head and tried to concentrate on the laptop before him. Answering several emails, he closed the laptop and opened a book and read for the rest of the lunch period; but when the bell rang, everyone headed back inside trooping to their classrooms but Jounouchi was still nowhere to be found.
“Yuugi, do you think he cut the rest of the day?” Anzu asked as she gazed at where Jounouchi usually sat. She idly chewed on the end of her pencil as she watched the door waiting for their friend to appear.
“That’s not like him, Anzu, I’m sure he’ll show up before the teacher arrives.”
Just then the teacher walked in and looked around noticing who was missing. With a shrug, she started the class, her eyes continuously going to the empty seat. Halfway through the class, Jounouchi came stumbling in. “I’m sorry, Miss Semaj. I fell asleep.”
“Take your seat and we will continue this later.” She replied turning away from the board to watch as Jounouchi hurried to his seat and sat down, pulling out his notebook and writing down the notes that were on the board. There was thankfully only one more class to the day and as soon as it was over, the entire class was surprised as Jounouchi collected his things and ran for the door.
“What was that all about?” Yuugi inquired, as he glanced towards his friends. When neither of them could come up with an answer, the petite duelist scowled and wondered if Jounouchi was alright.
Seto rose from his chair and quietly made his way towards the door as he headed to Kaiba Corp, and work. He told his secretary he did not want to be disturbed and closed his office door behind him. The mound of work on his desk made him groan as Seto realized that he was going to be there well into the evening. Picking up his phone, he dialed his home. “Mokuba.”
“Hey big brother!”
“I’m going to be working late tonight it seems, but you get to bed at a decent hour.” Seto said as he could hear the video game in the background, “unless you want to come down to the office and keep me company.” Seto remembered nearly losing Mokuba to Noa in the Virtual World and had vowed to spend more time with his little brother but there was always something coming up that made him put family second and business first.
“Okay, Seto. I’ll be there soon.” Mokuba said as he hung up his end of the line.
Seto set the receiver back into the cradle and stared at the documents in front of him though he wasn’t really in the mood to work on anything. His thoughts were back on Jounouchi and where he was at this moment in time.
~*~*~*~
Jounouchi was walking through downtown Domino City, with a newspaper in hand open to the help-wanted section though at this moment it was covered in red circles, some of them had been hastily scribbled out. The one that seemed promising was a waiter/singer job at a place called Intoxication. When he arrived at the address, he was curious to the see the interior as the exterior was black stone with the name emblazoned on the side in crimson and outlined in a silvery blue. Knocking softly on the door as it was closed with a sign, Jounouchi wondered if there was even anyone there.
The sound of locks turning was evident as a woman opened the door. “How can I help you?” she asked, her almond shaped green eyes taking in the young man before her.
“I’m here to apply for the job in the paper.” Jounouchi replied as he held out his hand, “I’m Katsuya Jounouchi, ma’am.”
She smiled then and held the door open even as she shook his hand, “please, come right in. My name is Arista and welcome to Intoxication.” Her long red hair was braided down her slender back falling on the black blouse she wore. The clip at the base of the braid though was a silvery blue Celtic knot. “You said your name was Jounouchi?” she inquired as she took a seat at one of the tables that were scattered throughout the interior where several folders and other papers were haphazardly placed.
Jounouchi’s honey colored gaze drifted around the interior as he noticed the tables were all spaced out and it felt rather cozy. The bar was in the corner and in an ‘L’ shape; the shelves were stocked with liquors and glasses and were a black wood that had been polished to a high shine. There was a stage in the center, that held a black grand piano, a set of chrome drums, and a few other stools which Jounouchi assumed would seat the other members of the quartet. “Yes.” He said as she waved him to sit down. Taking a seat across from her, he wondered what she would want to know.
“I have a few questions I need to ask you and you will have to fill out this form.” Arista started to speak as she rustled papers and found the one she was searching for passing to Jounouchi, along with a pen. She watched as he started to fill out the application. “Can you sing?”
“In the shower mostly.” Jounouchi replied with a blush, as he glanced over at her. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“Well, in all honesty yes, I’d have to hear you sing in order to know if you’re right for this job.” Arista replied as she watched Jounouchi finished the application and handed it to her, as she looked it over with green eyes. “Would you sing something for me now?”
Jounouchi nodded slowly as he straightened up in the chair a little bit and took a breath, “When my parents divorced, I remembered a song that always reminded me of my sister, since my mother took her and left me with my father.” He started saying then shook his head, “sorry, I have a tendency to ramble.” He finished blushing.
Arista smiled, “its fine, when you’re ready then.”
Nodding, he cleared his throat, “She’s like the wind, through my tree. She rides the night, next to me. She leads me through moonlight, only to burn me with the sun. She’s taken my heart, but she doesn’t know what she’s done…” Jounouchi’s eyes were closed as he sang the verse, lost in the memory of his sister.
Arista sighed almost dreamily as she watched the young man sing, his heart in the song and she made notes on his application form. The door opened to the office and her husband stood in the doorway, listening to Jounouchi as she smiled over at him. He made his way over to her and stopped behind her, “new recruit?”
“Yes. I think he’d do very well. What do you think?”
“If he keeps singing that way, he’ll have the place packed.”
“Jounouchi, you can stop now.” Arista said as she smiled warmly.
Blinking as he came out of his song, Jounouchi blushed as he realized his audience had increased by someone else. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it was beautiful. I’m Draco, Arista is my wife. You are applying for the waiter/singing position then?”
“Yes, sir, I’m Katsuya, Jounouchi.” Jounouchi replied as he held out his hand. “I’ll work real hard for you guys.”
Draco took the young man’s hand in his own and gave it a shake, “hours are from six p.m. till two a.m. is that going to be a problem?”
“No sir.”
“What do you think, should we give him a trial run?” Draco inquired as he glanced down to his wife. She wordlessly held up the application with a nod of her head. Draco took the paper and gave it a glance, “you’re hired. You get to keep whatever tips you make and your regular pay. You have to sing once a night. We don’t ask for more than that for we know that singing too much will strain vocal muscles.”
Jounouchi nodded, at least now he would be bringing in something so the bills would get paid and hopefully he would have enough to pay off some of his father’s debts that he accrued with his gambling. “You just serve drinks?” he queried as Draco shook his head and handed him a laminated piece of paper. “How many do you have on staff now?”
“Seven including you.” Arista said with a smile, “Four girls and three boys, you’ll fit right in.” She pat his hand softly, “don’t worry, you’ll be fine. You start Friday, as it is the first night we’re open, and you go on between ten and ten-thirty. Is that alright?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And none of this sir and ma’am either. We are Draco and Arista to you. Remember Jounouchi, if you have problems with anyone, staff or customer let us know we will handle things. Come about an hour early on Friday and you can meet the staff.”
“Oh, and since my husband forgot, let us know what nights you want off. You only work five nights a week. You automatically get Sunday off, we’re closed that day, so you can choose one more.” Arista finished as she rose from her chair and Jounouchi did the same, “welcome to Intoxicated.”
“Thank you for the chance, ma’...Arista. Draco.” Jounouchi replied as Draco handed him an envelope packet that included the rules, the menu, what wines they had on hand and uniform requirements. “I’ll see you both Friday.”
“Until then.” The couple said together as Jounouchi made his way to the door and through it and headed home to read through the information he had been given.
Arista turned to her husband; “he is in high school. Senior year according to his application.” She spoke, chewing on the end of her pen as she did when she was nervous. “That could be a problem.”
“How so? He’s not in here drinking the alcohol; he’s serving it. And if he seems tired, we’ll just have to be flexible. But, we’ll see how he does the first week and if we have to let him go...” Draco’s voice trailed off.
“I agree.”
~*~*~*~
Jounouchi reached his house on the other side of Domino City and entered the apartment he shared with his father. Thankfully the house was dark, which meant one of two things, his father was either already passed out in bed and asleep or out drinking and gambling. Jounouchi hoped it was the first but tiptoed into his room and closed the door, locking it behind him. Turning on the single light, he sighed as he sank onto the futon mattress that served as his bed and stared at the blanket that had seen better days. Opening the packet that Draco had given him, the brown eyes began to scan and memorize the items within.
A half-hour later, having set the menu aside and read the rules, Jounouchi rose and headed to his closet after toeing off his sneakers. He had black slacks though he couldn’t remember where he had gotten them and a white button down shirt that he wore to class; hopefully he could stand to wash it nightly. The notice on uniforms in the packet said that the vests and belts would be handed out before they opened and satisfied, he settled in to do his homework. Around midnight, his stomach started to growl unmercifully but Jounouchi had to squash it as there was probably no food in the house worth eating, but with the new job on the horizon, there was a sliver of a chance . . . a sliver of hope.
~*~*~*~
Mokuba had long given up fighting sleep and was curled in one of Seto’s office chairs, with his big brother’s long white trench coat covering him. Seto on the other hand was staring at the pile of paperwork that seemed never-ending. Running his hand through his dark hair he glanced to his little brother and smiled. What would I do if you were not in my life, Mokuba? Where would I be if I didn’t have you to remind me to eat and sleep? Seto thought to himself as he rose from the desk and picked up his little brother, coat and all and carried him out of Kaiba Corp., to the limousine that would take them home.
Seto wondered though at the friends that Mokuba had made, especially Yuugi Mutou and company, he had always been jealous that they had family. Even the mutt, who he remembered, had entered Duelist Kingdom in order to win the money for his sister’s operation. He wasn’t supposed to know that but he did. Sighing as he leaned back against the leather interior, Seto closed his eyes and thought on his parents who had died when he was a child, and left it to him to raise Mokuba. Then there was Goroburzo, his stepfather whom he had beaten in a game of chess for their adoption into the Kaiba family and now he owned it all. But was he truly happy?
Family, that was the one thing that Seto longed for more than anything else, but how was he supposed to accomplish that? He couldn’t stand females for one thing as they nattered on about nothing in particular, the secretaries in his own company gossiped worse than magpies seated on a telephone wire. And the one man he truly longed to be with . . . well, Seto wasn’t sure of his orientation and it was more fun to antagonize the mutt then to tell him the truth.
When did the mutt become more prominent in my thoughts? Damn, I’m just screwed. Concentrate on Kaiba Corp., and keeping it the number one gaming company in the world. Though, where did the mutt run off to in such a rush this afternoon? What could he possibly have had planned that he shrugged the geek squad off. Pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache started to form, Seto’s driver announced that they were pulling up to the main house. Climbing out of the limousine, and picking up Mokuba, he quietly took the stairs and then lay Mokuba in his bed. “Sleep well, little brother.”
“G’night Seto.”
~*~*~*~
Author Note: This is going to be a long process, but it will get finished. Promise. as always, please read and review, so the bunnies get their yummie treats.
Author’s Note: This is purely fiction. I hated the way they ended the series and if the series had been mine it would have been chocked full of slashy goodness. Set after Dawn of the Duel with a slightly different ending, cause the original made me cry. All respective songs herein belong to their original artists and I do not own them. For the record, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT a song fic; the songs used are to create depth for the plot and to ascertain how the characters are feeling.
Jounouchi for the sake of my story is a baritone - The Baritone is the most common type of male voice. Baritone range: The vocal range of the baritone lies between the bass and tenor ranges, overlapping both of them. The typical baritone range is from the second F below middle C (F2) to the F above middle C (F4), which are exactly two octaves. In the lower and upper extremes, a baritone's range can be extended at either end.
Fever, Sway and Save the Last Dance for Me – Michael Buble
I’ve Got You, Under my Skin – Frank Sinatra
Smile – Michael Jackson
Unchained Melody – the Righteous Brothers
Kiss from a Rose – Seal
She’s Like the Wind – Patrick Swayze
Behind Blue Eyes – The Who
Italics – thoughts.
. . . italics – flashback
Summary – Senior Year of High School, it was supposed to be the best time of their young lives, but for one of the group, its not. But What lies around the corner at a place of Intoxication, well, suffice it to say Jounouchi finds what he wants behind blue eyes.
Intoxication
By TheDarkSynfulLegend
Chapter One – Chances Are
Another day at Domino High School and already Jounouchi was exhausted. Stretching in his chair made him wince as his father had come home the night before drunk as a skunk. The man was a violent drunk, swinging fists while bitching about how filthy the apartment was. He couldn’t hold down a job and he blamed his only son for his troubles even though it was Jounouchi who worked, and paid the bills keeping very little for himself. Jounouchi had doctored himself as he always did but made a mental note to stop in the nurse’s station today and pick up some more supplies. Jounouchi never saw the nurse, but always made sure she was out of the room before nicking some gauze bandages and painkillers. He hated stealing from the school but it was the only way he was going to survive day after day, and now, he was going to have to find yet another job, having been fired from his last one because of his prolonged absence in running to Egypt with Yuugi.
His honey gaze glanced around, Yuugi was talking animatedly with Anzu who was hanging onto his every word as she always did, listening to him talk about Atemu. The Pharaoh who had been locked in the Millennium Puzzle for so long finally had a body of his own and was presently working at the Game Shop with Yuugi’s grandfather. Watching his best friend, Jounouchi was ecstatic to see him so happy. However, he could feel a pair of eyes boring into the back of him and knew without even turning that it was Seto Kaiba. Pulling out a threadbare notebook, Jounouchi pulled out a pen and prepared to take some notes, that is, if he could stay awake long enough to do so.
Seto Kaiba looked down at his book briefly before angling his gaze so he could watch the blond young man who had taken up quite a bit of his thoughts lately. He couldn’t get Jounouchi out of his head or his heart; a scowl covered the C.E.O.’s lips as he shook his chocolate-colored locks trying to get the images out of his head. But he didn’t have to wait too long as the teacher came in and rapped on the blackboard to start the class. Already he was bored, and turned to his thoughts inwards, as he wondered what was going on with Jounouchi and the fact that today he was so quiet. Usually, the blond was found talking to his friends or dueling but today was different.
“Excuse me, Mr. Jounouchi, am I boring you?” the teacher asked as she happened to glance in that direction where Jounouchi had indeed fallen asleep at his desk, his head slumped forwards. He snapped awake was the teacher turned her attention on him however, “I would appreciate if you would stay awake during my class, and in fact, why don’t you write me an essay on the impact of music and how it can speak to you.”
“Yes, Miss Shintou.” Jounouchi replied in a dead tone, grumbling inwardly at the amount of work he was going to have to do on that subject though secretly music was something he did enjoy. The class ended shortly and they had a ten minute break until the next session, and Yuugi turned to Jounouchi, “I know, Yuugi, I dozed off again.”
Yuugi frowned a bit, “how come you’re so tired all of a sudden? This isn’t like you, Jounouchi. Want to play some Duel Monsters after school? Grandpa got some new boosters.”
Jounouchi sighed, remembering the times he had played Duel Monsters with Yuugi, the tournaments they had entered together; how many times they had dueled together tag-team style and won. Hell, they had even faced each other and that was the only way that he had gotten the money for his sister’s operation, which only a select few knew about. “Can’t, I have some things I gotta take care of.”
“Are you sure? It wouldn’t take long.” Yuugi responded trying to get his friend to play again. After the stint in Egypt, Jounouchi had pretty much stopped playing Duel Monsters and had almost faded out of their sight.
“Positive. I can’t, maybe this weekend.” Jounouchi said with finality. Yuugi sighed in defeat and nodded as he turned to the board where the next teacher was coming in.
Seto Kaiba who during breaks broke out his laptop to talk to those at Kaiba Corp., eavesdropped on the conversation and wondered what the mutt had planned for the afternoon. He himself had plans for tomorrow night, but with the way that things were going, the new duel-disk system they were trying to market may deter him from his plans. “Mr. Kaiba, class has started, put your laptop away please.” Seto responded by rolling his eyes but doing as he was told, tucking the laptop back in the bag it had been pulled from.
As the class droned on, Seto found himself staring at the back of Jounouchi’s head again while taking notes that he wouldn’t even bother going over later. What is going on with you, mutt? It isn’t like you to not want to spend time with the geeks. He thought to himself, as the lunch bell finally rang and students jumped up scrambling for the door. Seto had watched however in fascination as Jounouchi’s head kept going down and snapping back up as he struggled to listen to the teacher and not land in detention or worse, get another essay.
Yuugi and company headed for the door at a more sedate pace, but Jounouchi begged off claiming he’d see them in the next class after lunch. With worried glances the group broke up, and Jounouchi headed for the stairs with a pair of blue eyes following him. Just need a few minutes of sleep. Jounouchi’s mind was saying as he stumbled up to the roof of the school; it was fenced so none of the students could jump but that wasn’t what Jounouchi wanted. He knew that it would be peaceful around now, while most students were down in the courtyard eating their lunches and having fun. His stomach growling, Jounouchi groaned and slumped against the side of the building, crossing his arms over his chest as he hung his head and very quickly went to sleep.
~*~*~*~
Seto walked into the courtyard and glanced around for a quiet place to sit with his thoughts and more importantly his laptop as he had work to catch up on. Opening a small box, a smile crossed his lips at the sushi his cook had prepared for his lunch today. He sat under a tree and quietly began to eat, glancing at the figures that raced across the tiny screen of his laptop, occasionally looking around for Jounouchi.
Sapphire eyes watched as Yuugi was dueling Anzu while eating a rice ball, Honda was hovering and making commentary but every now and again all three teens would gaze at the doors of the school wondering when Jounouchi would appear. “What do you think is up with Jounouchi?” Yuugi asked.
“Who knows, you’d think he’d be happy to be home but he seems more withdrawn now than before.” Honda said as he ran his hand through his hair, “he’s my best friend but there’s something wrong and I can’t put my finger on it.”
Seto eavesdropped on the conversation and wondered where the mutt actually was, the geek squad seemed worried and it wasn’t really like Jounouchi to not be with them. Yuugi glanced over in Seto’s direction, while Seto dropped his head and tried to concentrate on the laptop before him. Answering several emails, he closed the laptop and opened a book and read for the rest of the lunch period; but when the bell rang, everyone headed back inside trooping to their classrooms but Jounouchi was still nowhere to be found.
“Yuugi, do you think he cut the rest of the day?” Anzu asked as she gazed at where Jounouchi usually sat. She idly chewed on the end of her pencil as she watched the door waiting for their friend to appear.
“That’s not like him, Anzu, I’m sure he’ll show up before the teacher arrives.”
Just then the teacher walked in and looked around noticing who was missing. With a shrug, she started the class, her eyes continuously going to the empty seat. Halfway through the class, Jounouchi came stumbling in. “I’m sorry, Miss Semaj. I fell asleep.”
“Take your seat and we will continue this later.” She replied turning away from the board to watch as Jounouchi hurried to his seat and sat down, pulling out his notebook and writing down the notes that were on the board. There was thankfully only one more class to the day and as soon as it was over, the entire class was surprised as Jounouchi collected his things and ran for the door.
“What was that all about?” Yuugi inquired, as he glanced towards his friends. When neither of them could come up with an answer, the petite duelist scowled and wondered if Jounouchi was alright.
Seto rose from his chair and quietly made his way towards the door as he headed to Kaiba Corp, and work. He told his secretary he did not want to be disturbed and closed his office door behind him. The mound of work on his desk made him groan as Seto realized that he was going to be there well into the evening. Picking up his phone, he dialed his home. “Mokuba.”
“Hey big brother!”
“I’m going to be working late tonight it seems, but you get to bed at a decent hour.” Seto said as he could hear the video game in the background, “unless you want to come down to the office and keep me company.” Seto remembered nearly losing Mokuba to Noa in the Virtual World and had vowed to spend more time with his little brother but there was always something coming up that made him put family second and business first.
“Okay, Seto. I’ll be there soon.” Mokuba said as he hung up his end of the line.
Seto set the receiver back into the cradle and stared at the documents in front of him though he wasn’t really in the mood to work on anything. His thoughts were back on Jounouchi and where he was at this moment in time.
~*~*~*~
Jounouchi was walking through downtown Domino City, with a newspaper in hand open to the help-wanted section though at this moment it was covered in red circles, some of them had been hastily scribbled out. The one that seemed promising was a waiter/singer job at a place called Intoxication. When he arrived at the address, he was curious to the see the interior as the exterior was black stone with the name emblazoned on the side in crimson and outlined in a silvery blue. Knocking softly on the door as it was closed with a sign, Jounouchi wondered if there was even anyone there.
The sound of locks turning was evident as a woman opened the door. “How can I help you?” she asked, her almond shaped green eyes taking in the young man before her.
“I’m here to apply for the job in the paper.” Jounouchi replied as he held out his hand, “I’m Katsuya Jounouchi, ma’am.”
She smiled then and held the door open even as she shook his hand, “please, come right in. My name is Arista and welcome to Intoxication.” Her long red hair was braided down her slender back falling on the black blouse she wore. The clip at the base of the braid though was a silvery blue Celtic knot. “You said your name was Jounouchi?” she inquired as she took a seat at one of the tables that were scattered throughout the interior where several folders and other papers were haphazardly placed.
Jounouchi’s honey colored gaze drifted around the interior as he noticed the tables were all spaced out and it felt rather cozy. The bar was in the corner and in an ‘L’ shape; the shelves were stocked with liquors and glasses and were a black wood that had been polished to a high shine. There was a stage in the center, that held a black grand piano, a set of chrome drums, and a few other stools which Jounouchi assumed would seat the other members of the quartet. “Yes.” He said as she waved him to sit down. Taking a seat across from her, he wondered what she would want to know.
“I have a few questions I need to ask you and you will have to fill out this form.” Arista started to speak as she rustled papers and found the one she was searching for passing to Jounouchi, along with a pen. She watched as he started to fill out the application. “Can you sing?”
“In the shower mostly.” Jounouchi replied with a blush, as he glanced over at her. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“Well, in all honesty yes, I’d have to hear you sing in order to know if you’re right for this job.” Arista replied as she watched Jounouchi finished the application and handed it to her, as she looked it over with green eyes. “Would you sing something for me now?”
Jounouchi nodded slowly as he straightened up in the chair a little bit and took a breath, “When my parents divorced, I remembered a song that always reminded me of my sister, since my mother took her and left me with my father.” He started saying then shook his head, “sorry, I have a tendency to ramble.” He finished blushing.
Arista smiled, “its fine, when you’re ready then.”
Nodding, he cleared his throat, “She’s like the wind, through my tree. She rides the night, next to me. She leads me through moonlight, only to burn me with the sun. She’s taken my heart, but she doesn’t know what she’s done…” Jounouchi’s eyes were closed as he sang the verse, lost in the memory of his sister.
Arista sighed almost dreamily as she watched the young man sing, his heart in the song and she made notes on his application form. The door opened to the office and her husband stood in the doorway, listening to Jounouchi as she smiled over at him. He made his way over to her and stopped behind her, “new recruit?”
“Yes. I think he’d do very well. What do you think?”
“If he keeps singing that way, he’ll have the place packed.”
“Jounouchi, you can stop now.” Arista said as she smiled warmly.
Blinking as he came out of his song, Jounouchi blushed as he realized his audience had increased by someone else. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it was beautiful. I’m Draco, Arista is my wife. You are applying for the waiter/singing position then?”
“Yes, sir, I’m Katsuya, Jounouchi.” Jounouchi replied as he held out his hand. “I’ll work real hard for you guys.”
Draco took the young man’s hand in his own and gave it a shake, “hours are from six p.m. till two a.m. is that going to be a problem?”
“No sir.”
“What do you think, should we give him a trial run?” Draco inquired as he glanced down to his wife. She wordlessly held up the application with a nod of her head. Draco took the paper and gave it a glance, “you’re hired. You get to keep whatever tips you make and your regular pay. You have to sing once a night. We don’t ask for more than that for we know that singing too much will strain vocal muscles.”
Jounouchi nodded, at least now he would be bringing in something so the bills would get paid and hopefully he would have enough to pay off some of his father’s debts that he accrued with his gambling. “You just serve drinks?” he queried as Draco shook his head and handed him a laminated piece of paper. “How many do you have on staff now?”
“Seven including you.” Arista said with a smile, “Four girls and three boys, you’ll fit right in.” She pat his hand softly, “don’t worry, you’ll be fine. You start Friday, as it is the first night we’re open, and you go on between ten and ten-thirty. Is that alright?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And none of this sir and ma’am either. We are Draco and Arista to you. Remember Jounouchi, if you have problems with anyone, staff or customer let us know we will handle things. Come about an hour early on Friday and you can meet the staff.”
“Oh, and since my husband forgot, let us know what nights you want off. You only work five nights a week. You automatically get Sunday off, we’re closed that day, so you can choose one more.” Arista finished as she rose from her chair and Jounouchi did the same, “welcome to Intoxicated.”
“Thank you for the chance, ma’...Arista. Draco.” Jounouchi replied as Draco handed him an envelope packet that included the rules, the menu, what wines they had on hand and uniform requirements. “I’ll see you both Friday.”
“Until then.” The couple said together as Jounouchi made his way to the door and through it and headed home to read through the information he had been given.
Arista turned to her husband; “he is in high school. Senior year according to his application.” She spoke, chewing on the end of her pen as she did when she was nervous. “That could be a problem.”
“How so? He’s not in here drinking the alcohol; he’s serving it. And if he seems tired, we’ll just have to be flexible. But, we’ll see how he does the first week and if we have to let him go...” Draco’s voice trailed off.
“I agree.”
~*~*~*~
Jounouchi reached his house on the other side of Domino City and entered the apartment he shared with his father. Thankfully the house was dark, which meant one of two things, his father was either already passed out in bed and asleep or out drinking and gambling. Jounouchi hoped it was the first but tiptoed into his room and closed the door, locking it behind him. Turning on the single light, he sighed as he sank onto the futon mattress that served as his bed and stared at the blanket that had seen better days. Opening the packet that Draco had given him, the brown eyes began to scan and memorize the items within.
A half-hour later, having set the menu aside and read the rules, Jounouchi rose and headed to his closet after toeing off his sneakers. He had black slacks though he couldn’t remember where he had gotten them and a white button down shirt that he wore to class; hopefully he could stand to wash it nightly. The notice on uniforms in the packet said that the vests and belts would be handed out before they opened and satisfied, he settled in to do his homework. Around midnight, his stomach started to growl unmercifully but Jounouchi had to squash it as there was probably no food in the house worth eating, but with the new job on the horizon, there was a sliver of a chance . . . a sliver of hope.
~*~*~*~
Mokuba had long given up fighting sleep and was curled in one of Seto’s office chairs, with his big brother’s long white trench coat covering him. Seto on the other hand was staring at the pile of paperwork that seemed never-ending. Running his hand through his dark hair he glanced to his little brother and smiled. What would I do if you were not in my life, Mokuba? Where would I be if I didn’t have you to remind me to eat and sleep? Seto thought to himself as he rose from the desk and picked up his little brother, coat and all and carried him out of Kaiba Corp., to the limousine that would take them home.
Seto wondered though at the friends that Mokuba had made, especially Yuugi Mutou and company, he had always been jealous that they had family. Even the mutt, who he remembered, had entered Duelist Kingdom in order to win the money for his sister’s operation. He wasn’t supposed to know that but he did. Sighing as he leaned back against the leather interior, Seto closed his eyes and thought on his parents who had died when he was a child, and left it to him to raise Mokuba. Then there was Goroburzo, his stepfather whom he had beaten in a game of chess for their adoption into the Kaiba family and now he owned it all. But was he truly happy?
Family, that was the one thing that Seto longed for more than anything else, but how was he supposed to accomplish that? He couldn’t stand females for one thing as they nattered on about nothing in particular, the secretaries in his own company gossiped worse than magpies seated on a telephone wire. And the one man he truly longed to be with . . . well, Seto wasn’t sure of his orientation and it was more fun to antagonize the mutt then to tell him the truth.
When did the mutt become more prominent in my thoughts? Damn, I’m just screwed. Concentrate on Kaiba Corp., and keeping it the number one gaming company in the world. Though, where did the mutt run off to in such a rush this afternoon? What could he possibly have had planned that he shrugged the geek squad off. Pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache started to form, Seto’s driver announced that they were pulling up to the main house. Climbing out of the limousine, and picking up Mokuba, he quietly took the stairs and then lay Mokuba in his bed. “Sleep well, little brother.”
“G’night Seto.”
~*~*~*~
Author Note: This is going to be a long process, but it will get finished. Promise. as always, please read and review, so the bunnies get their yummie treats.