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Bury It Deeper
folder
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
Views:
4,256
Reviews:
34
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
Views:
4,256
Reviews:
34
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I don't own Yugioh and I don't make any money or profit from this fanfiction
Chapter 2
Now that they'd decided not to report it, Jounouchi felt marginally better. He was sure they could come up with something, some way to get rid of the 'body.' In fact he had an idea. "Hey Yugi? We need ta get him someplace where he won't be seen if someone comes over."
"Huh?" Yugi looked at him blankly for a moment. "Uh... what do you mean?"
"I mean we can't leave a dead body in my front room. If someone comes over or something, they could see..."
"Oh, okay." Yugi continued to look blank. "What... What do you have in mind?"
"Well uhm... I..." Thinking hard, Jou looked around desperately. Then his eyes settled on the side-by-side refrigerator-freezer combo. The freezer was huge and if they removed the shelves it would be the perfect size to hold... anything. "Yugi help me take the shelves outta the freezer. I think we can stuff him in there while we figure it out. I mean... it'll probably take a few hours at least ta figure somethin' out an' we don't want him stinkin'." Sniffing slightly, Jounouchi added, "Stinkin' worse I mean."
Working as a team, they made short work of removing and stowing the shelves. Jou eyed the space. "Yeah, he'll fit just fine. Not like we gotta worry about him bein' comfortable." He shrugged restlessly. "But we gotta get him on ice soon or he's gonna get all stiff an' hard ta handle." He rolled his head, trying to ease his headache. "We gotta clean him up too 'cause he's reekin' and that smell is gonna get worse. He musta shit an' pissed himself bad."
Yugi's eyes were round with horror and terror. "C...Cl...Clean him?" He squeaked even as he swayed, obviously fighting to stay upright.
Seeing that Yugi wasn't going to be much help on this, Jou decided to handle it alone. The last thing he needed was for his friend to break and run. "Yugi go in the bedroom and lay down for a while. Ya look like yer gonna faint. I'll handle this." Seeing the protesting look, the blond shook his head firmly. "He's my dad. I gotta give him some dignity, an' it's up ta family ta prepare bodies for burial. So... let me do this. You go lay down." He forced himself to look reassuring and strong.
Yugi blinked and nodded slightly. "Yeah okay Jou. But first, do you want me to help you carry him to the bathtub?"
Bathtub? For a second Jou was confused, then he just shook his head. "Nah, I got it." No way was that stinkin' corpse goin' into his bathtub. Not only would it be almost impossible to get 'dead weight' in and out of the tub, but it would leave evidence in the plumbing and drains. He wasn't stupid; he'd watched enough crime drama to know better than that.
"Oh I... uhm... If you say so. Of course you have to take care of him." Yugi gave him an uncertain look before slipping into the small hall that connected his bedroom to the kitchen and bathroom without passing through the main room.
With a sharp sigh Jou pulled out his cleaning bucket, sponges and detergent spray. Sure as fuck he wasn't wasting his good herbal soaps on the bastard's corpse. After filling the bucket, he rolled up his sleeves and got down to business – and first order was to move...it … into the kitchen.
The smell of shit and piss hit him as soon as he went into the main room. Ignoring the nausea welling in his throat, Jounouchi assessed the body's position. As luck would have it his father had fallen almost squarely in the middle of his area rug. For the first time he cheered his hard thought decision to stick with polished wood floors and scattered rugs. He'd wanted wall-to-wall carpet that he could sink his feet into, but because of some half-forgotten memory and a deeply buried hope, Jou had chosen to stick with the colorful area rugs. Now he was glad because he could simply move the coffee table off the rug and then use the carpet to drag the body into the kitchen. They'd also have a convenient way to move the body that would disguise it as well. So it was good luck augmented by a good plan.
Jou wasted no time moving the furniture out of the way and dragging his father using the soiled rug into the kitchen. Shuddering and quelling his urge to vomit, the teen stripped off his father’s filthy clothes, rinsed them in a bucket of detergent and water several times and threw them in his house sized washer. While they ran through a quick, detergent-heavy wash, he emptied the first bucket and began to scrub his father's body.
By the time Jou was finished washing and drying not only his father's body but the rug, clothes, and floor where the waste had spilled over, the corpse had cooled and was showing the first signs of stiffness. Gagging and heaving, the blond dressed his father in the now washed, dryer-warm clothes and, using a dead-man's lift, heaved him into the freezer. It took time and a lot of muscle arranging the dead weight, but he managed to do it.
He could still smell the stench of his father's waste coupled with a new smell – death. Without a qualm Jounouchi stripped off his clothes and chucked them into the trash bag he had used to store the sponges, wash cloths, towels, and buckets he had used in the clean up. Naked, he padded into the bathroom to take a long hot shower. To drown out his own thoughts he flipped on his water-proof shower radio.
When he came out, wrapped in a simple robe, the teen found Yugi standing in the hall blinking at him sleepily. “Jounouchi... I had such a bad dream. I...” But the smaller duelist’s voice trailed off as he caught sight of the livid bruising on the blonde's throat. Disappointment and pain filled the amethyst gaze. “Oh it wasn't a dream.”
“No it wasn't.” He agreed. “Yugi... I been thinkin... You can still go home. I can handle the rest of this.”
Yugi didn't hesitate. “No Jounouchi. I... I shouldn't have left this much up to you. We're in this together. I killed him and I'll take responsibility.”
“No need ta worry about it Yugi. I...”
“No we agreed. We are going to bury the body and get it over with.” The spiky-haired young man gave him a small, forced smile. “Do you know where yet?”
Jou stepped past his friend and went into his room. Ignoring his nudity, he dropped his robe and began to dress in black jeans, black shirt, and black socks. “Yeah I think so. I was listenin' to th' radio in the shower an' I heard Kaiba's interview. His place burned down ya know. The foundation for his new place is bein’ poured Monday. According to Kaiba they’re gonna ta pour a meter of cement down at the floor of the basement. If we can bury him in th' ground where Kaiba's cement's gonna be poured nobody will ever find out.”
Yugi's face scrunched up in a frown. “Kaiba's? Won't that have a lot of security?”
“Nah, he's stayin' at his apartment at the KC building. They ain't gonna watch a construction site when Kaiba's in town. Especially if we go really late.”
“We... but... how are we goin' to get out there?”
“I... I didn't get a chance to tell ya about it, but I got a used Kei class. There's a garage around back. I thought we'd go out now and check it out.” Jou nodded as if it were totally normal to go case a place to bury a body.
“What? Now?” Yugi looked flabbergasted “But what about... him?”
“Yes now.” Then a huge cheesy grin. “Not like he can get hurt or nothin'.” Not giving his friend time to hesitate, Jou hustled him to the door. “Get yer shoes on an' let’s go.”
Jou wasted no time getting on the road, quickly, if inexpertly negotiating his way in Domino traffic to the quiet rolling landscape that marked the beginning of the exclusive homes of the city's elite.
Yugi glanced around the upscale neighborhood. “Wow, how'd you know how to get here? I've only been a couple times and Kaiba supplied the ride.”
Jou flushed slightly. “I uh... drove by a couple times to see if the prick was back in town.” That's all he'd admit to, ever, even under pain of death.
“Oh.” Yugi's voice became slightly less funereal. “You missed him too?”
That rattled Jou to the core. “What? Are ya nuts? No I just... I wanted ta keep an eye out an' be ready when he did come back.”
“Oh is that why.” Genuine amusement, the first in hours, threaded Yugi's voice. Jou knew he hadn't fooled the smaller duelist a bit. He hoped his friend didn't figure out just how desperate he was to bring the billionaire CEO back home.
Prudently, Jou changed the subject. “Here we are. And see, no guards at the gate house.” He shrugged pragmatically. “Ya know, Kaiba might be a rich prick, but even he ain't gonna pay someone to watch a burned out wreck.” Pulling onto a small maintenance road, Jou cut the engine. “Let's go. Just follow me.” Showing a surprising knowledge of the grounds, the blond followed an almost invisible trail through the dimly lit garden.
Kaiba Seto blinked and narrowed his eyes. The accent light by the gate had flickered as if something or someone had moved in front of it. A surge of satisfaction coursed through him. He'd known it! He'd known that the arsonist who'd burned down his house wouldn't be able to resist coming back to the scene of the crime. He'd even laid out strong bait in the form of a new home under construction.
Dropping lightly from the tree he'd been crouched in, the brunet silently made his way toward where he'd seem someone pass in front of the light. Not much surprised Seto, but he was completely stunned to see the distinctive pointy hair of his rival Moutou Yugi, accompanied with the moonlight-silvered blond-head of his wannabe rival, Jounouchi Katsuya. Stifling an oath, he started to push forward and snarl at the two. He knew they weren't the arsonist. Why they were on his property was anyone's guess, but he supposed there was some tedious, goody-goody reason. His forward rush was checked by Yugi's artless comment: “Wow, Jou you really missed Kaiba didn't you?”
Seto wasn't the only one pulled up short. He saw the blond falter as well. He decided to hang back and listen for a while. He could pick up some useful or amusing information.
Jounouchi regained his composure after a few seconds. “Yugi why ya keep sayin' that? I tol' ya I only came by here ta keep track of when he was back. Gotta know where yer enemies are; 'specially ice-pricks who got more money than heart.”
Yugi snirked, actually snirked, at that. The sound was another surprise because Seto hadn't known the smaller duelist was capable of such a scoffing, disbelieving sound. “Yeah right Jou. So how do you know this path? And how do you know where the construction site is? Seto's got a lot of land.”
Good point Yugi, Seto mentally accorded, still following them close enough to hear, but far enough away not to be detected. He was interested in the blond's answer.
There was an incoherent murmur then, “Ah shaddup Yugi.”
Seto was surprised when Yugi just chuckled softly. “You should just admit it you know. You miss him. It'll make you feel better.” The smaller man hesitated briefly as they moved through the brush. “Besides, I'll feel less like I'm the only one.”
That made the blond turn and face his friend. Seto ducked behind a handy shrub. “Yugi...” He sighed and gently tugged a pointy lock of hair. “It's kinda different with you and me. Ya think of Kaiba as almost a brother. Not that he cares about you or your feelin’s, but there it is. Ya remember him as Atem's cousin and you have those feelin's. I... It ain't like that for me. To me Kaiba is... definitely not my brother or cousin.”
Seto let out the breath he had unconsciously caught. Yugi thought of him as a brother? Since when? And Jou...? What...'
“I know how you feel, Jounouchi, but I think you've got it wrong. He's definitely not my brother and he may have been Atemu's cousin, but they were not familial at all. If we miss him together, it might be better for both of us.” There was a small hesitation before Yugi's soft voice said timidly: “Jou have you ever thought of me and you... that we could... mend our hearts together?”
Which sounded sappy enough to count as maple syrup to Seto, but he was interested in what the blond idiot had to say. It galled him, but he could almost see a hug coming on. He was surprised when Jou gave Yugi an undeniably affectionate noogie and turned back to the small path they were following. But what shocked him more was the blond's comment. “Yugi, I'm gonna be honest here. As cute and sexy as ya are, ya ain't no substitute for Kaiba Seto. Yeah I miss him because he's just th' type ya gotta love even if ya hate him, but what I miss most is our fightin'. I miss him pinnin' me down and rubbin' all over me. So, okay I miss him, but I miss getting' off ta him as much as I miss seein' him.”
Yugi's embarrassed squeak hid Seto's gasp, thankfully. By the time the frozen brunet had unstuck himself from where his feet had suddenly grown roots, Yugi and Jounouchi had reached the construction site. He just caught the tail end of a comment from Yugi.
“...big house.”
“Yeah, ya’d think he was compensatin' for somethin'.” A chuckle more than slightly naughty drifted from Jounouchi’s lips, “but I know better. Checked him out in gym. He's packin' big lumber.”
Instead of a scandalized or shocked exclamation, Yugi laughingly agreed. “I know. I saw you looking and wanted to see what you were drooling over.”
“Hentai!” Jou teased, but But there was no heat in the accusation, nor was there denial. “Man, he's going to have two stories underground. No wonder he's having so much concrete poured.” There was a moment of silence then: “An' that's perfect for us.”
“Yeah it is. They even left a ladder going down there with a couple shovels. Jou, you go get... well... and I'll start to dig the... hole.”
“Sounds like a plan.” There was something off about both of their voices, but Seto was didn't know what the strange tones meant and wasn't going to waste his time figuring it out. He could guess they were burying something. Knowing them it was probably something stupid and harmless, maybe even one of those ridiculous Egyptian artifacts. Most likely some kind of 'lucky' charm because they cared for him so much. Idiots! Seto could think of better ways for them to show they cared than putting some worthless charm in his basement. He'd let them bury it and then 'catch' them in the act. It should be worth a few laughs before he graciously allowed them to worship him. Now that he knew they 'missed' him, as well they should, he would give them a chance to show him how much. Yugi with a duel or some other game and Jounouchi... well Jounouchi could show it in more tangible ways. If the blond missed getting off with just a few quick tussles then Seto’d be more than willing to...
Seto abruptly cut off his thoughts as the blond he'd just been considering passed close to where he was hidden. He was tempted to follow, but watching Yugi play in the dirt held a sadistic appeal he couldn't resist. Just as he decided to step forward and watch the spectacle, the brunet heard hurrying footsteps rushing back up the small trail. Holding back a sigh, Seto hunkered down slightly and watched as the blond ran past.
“Yo! Yugi I'ma take this wheelbarrow with me. It'll make things easier.” Reflexively, Seto's brows lifted. Whatever they were burying was large or heavy. Interesting.
“Good thinking,” Yugi called back, his voice breaking on a grunt of exertion. “Jou this ground is really hard.” Another audible grunt.
“Yeah it's gotta be. They probably packed it tight because of the weight and size of the house.”
“Oh.” Grunt. “Makes sense.” Then in a small voice that seemed totally at odds with the courageous duelist he knew, Yugi mewled, “Hurry back Jou.”
“You know it.” Still running, this time pushing a wheelbarrow in front of him, Jou took off again. As he passed Seto, the CEO reflected that the blond really was very familiar with his property. A tingle of something warm settled in his chest. Jounouchi had truly missed him. Mentally, he added his own 'hurry back' to Yugi's plea. The sooner he got back the sooner Seto could 'catch' them and make them confess their feelings. Yugi as a brother wouldn't work, but maybe he could accept something more cousinly. Jounouchi was an entirely different story.
A few moments later, his sharp ears caught the sound of a motor starting in the distance. To him, used to the deep purr of hundreds of horses under the hood it sounded almost like an annoying insect - a loud mosquito. How strange that they hadn't brought it with them. Shrugging it off as poor planning on their part, Seto crept as far forward as his concealing bushes would allow and enjoyed watching his nemesis play in the dirt like a grubby child.
He was amused at how the smaller young man worked so hard. Why he didn't simply use the back hoe was beyond Seto. A couple of quick swipes and a hole over a meter deep and wide would open up. He was glad that Yugi chose to do it the hard way. It really was hilarious to watch him struggle with the hard packed dirt, grunting heaving, crying... wait crying? That's when Seto's gaze sharpened. Why would he be crying? Sure enough, glistening tracks of tears, silvered in the moonlight, gleamed as they slipped down his cheeks to fall on the earth he was moving.
No way had he missed me that much! Kaiba mentally scoffed in disbelief as he hunted for an explanation for the other man's tears.
Thankfully, before Seto could feel bad enough to make himself known, the irritating whine of the mosquito was back. Anticipation filled him. Soon - very soon - he'd confront them and he would... well he hadn't gotten so far as planning what he'd do with a new 'cousin' and his new... well whatever it was Jounouchi was going to be, but he would have a plan soon enough. Whatever it was though, he'd make it where the blond could show him all the ways he'd missed him. With images of various 'ways' dancing in his genius brain, Seto melted back into the shrubbery.
The sound of the wheelbarrow trundling heavily across the shrubbery was faint at first, but grew steadily louder. It would stop sometimes, then pick up again after a minute or two. Seto figured whatever Jou was pushing was very heavy or awkward.
The moon lighting the area was briefly obscured by a cloud, hampering his ability to identify the dark, shadowed, lump-looking thing in the wheelbarrow. At least that was all Seto could identify from his vantage.
“Yo, Yugi! Man that's... I'll come down an' help ya out. Shouldn't take both of us that long.” Leaving the wheelbarrow for the moment he clambered down the ladder to help.
“I don't know Jou. The ground is really hard. I can't get more than a little bit up at a time.” Yugi's voice was wobbly, but Seto didn't know if it was from exhaustion or crying.
Jou looked down at the barely-there progress Yugi had made thoughtfully before picking up another shovel and trying to stab deep. The shovel hit the hard packed earth, there was a loud clang as the shovel broke and Jounouchi visibly vibrated from the impact. Only the fist Jou shoved in his own mouth stopped him from screaming at the pain in his wrist and arm.
Seto's own fist was stifling his chuckles at the blond's antics. This was too hilarious. But perhaps he'd better step in before Jou got too carried away and hurt himself, making it impossible for him to shower his affection on Seto in a suitable way.
Still stifling his laughter, Seto shifted forward only to have his gaze caught by the contents of the wheelbarrow as the clouds scuttled away from the moon. All laughter died when he saw the distinctive shape of a hand dangling over the edge of the tub. Eyes widening, he stepped back instinctively, shaking his head in complete denial. It had to be some kind of prank, a mannequin, hell even a blow up doll. Anything, but what it looked like. Probably Jounouchi wanted to bury his sex -toy as some perverted act of devotion because there was no way in hell Moutou Yugi would ever be involved in something that would result in a real body.
Even as one part of his mind grappled with denials, another part of his mind was assessing. Seto knew death; he'd seen dead people. There was a stillness about a dead body. There was no way he could explain it to anyone, but if the thing in the barrow was a mannequin or some other non-living, never-lived 'thing' it would be still, because it had always been still. The stillness Seto recognized wasn't that. It was an absence of movement of something that had never been still. As if whatever it was would burst into movement at any second because it wasn't meant to be still.
It wasn't rational, and even though he was still grappling, Seto knew with a dawning horror that the 'thing' Yugi and Jou were burying under his new house had once been a living... person. Stunned and dazed, Seto sank to the ground, his mind trying to wrap around having his entire perspective on Jou and Yugi change in a heartbeat.
When the brunet rejoined the land of the living, Jounouchi was in the cab of the back hoe flipping on the lights and, after just a few tries, lowering the bucket down towards the packed earth.
Fury and disappointment at his own stupidity for caring about them, for believing they were decent and untainted, made Seto step right up to the back of the industrial sized back hoe. Ready to rip their heads off, the CEO glared up at Jounouchi. The blond was completely oblivious to his presence, focused only on scooping out the second bucket load without hitting his friend. The harsh glare from the white light in the cab threw the blond's head, face and neck in sharp relief. Seto could see the lines of strain around his eyes and lips, see the traces of tears on his cheeks. The blood-shot eyes, whites almost completely obscured by dark red. But what caught his attention most was the dark mottled bruises staining the white skin of Jou's neck.
The harsh brightness showed the hand prints circling Jou's suddenly fragile-looking neck with perfect clarity. Recognizing the distinctive injury was another shock, one that sent Seto stumbling away from the heavy machinery and back into the bushes. Seto’s knees gave way, sending him crashing to the ground as the shock and horror gripped him. Someone had strangled Jou, tried to kill him. And judging by the horrific bruising and horribly blood-shot eyes, had almost succeeded. Primal satisfaction roared through him as he realized what must have happened. Jounouchi had been attacked and had killed his attacker. Because of Jou's record, Yugi had agreed to help him. That was the only scenario that fit because no way in Hell would Yugi be party to something like this unless one of his friends would be harmed very badly by him not helping.
Now that everything was right with his perception of the world, Seto leaned back against a convenient tree and tried to decide the best course of action. He couldn't leave the body under his house. It could be found some day. Besides it could destabilize the foundation. He didn't want to have to tear down his house just because some body rotted away leaving a void. Damn they were a pain in the ass. Jou should have just come to him; he would have...
His thoughts came to a screeching halt and anger of a different sort, fueled by a green-eyed monster, reared it's ugly head, sending rage coursing through him. Jou should have called him. What the hell was he thinking when he called Yugi for help?
He should just let the idiots fend for themselves. They hadn't even bothered to call him. They deserved to be punished for their own stupidity. And Jounouchi! How dare he not call...
While Seto was having a jealous fit and mentally berating them for not calling him, Yugi and Jou were maneuvering the last of the dirt over the top of the body. A few quick pats of the bucket and the earth was packed again.
Jou carefully repositioned the backhoe where it had been and clambered out of the cab. He'd never noticed before, but this place was kinda creepy. He felt really twitchy, like a bug on a pin or something. “Hey Yugi, hand me up the broken shovel and let’s get outta here!” Jou reached for the broken pieces. “We'll toss this in th' construction site waste trailer. Won't be noticed there.” Efficiently, he replaced the wheelbarrow to its previous location. With sharp eyes, he checked over the site. Not a sign that they'd ever been there, but still his shoulder itched like someone was watching them.
Yugi crawled up the ladder on shaking knees and stood next to him swaying with exhaustion. “Can we go now Jounouchi? I... am not feeling very well. I don't want to hurl.” Yugi knew it was weak, but there was just something about watching the body fall limply into the deep hole they'd dug, then see it covered over by hundreds of pounds of dirt. It made the whole thing more real. He had actually killed Jounouchi's father and that fact was making his stomach try to leap out of his mouth.
The faint buzz of the annoying insect brought Seto out of his enraged mental grumblings. Jumping to his feet, he rushed after them, only to pull himself up short as reason finally beat through the green haze shrouding his brain. Of course they hadn't called him. Why would they? Whenever they approached him, Seto pushed them away, belittled them, made fun of them, and told them to get lost. As much as they missed him, they probably didn't trust him. He got that. Didn't mean he was happy about their lack of trust, but he could understand.
But that could change and he would use this situation to effect that change. To prove himself to them, Seto decided he would take care of this little issue, earn Jou and Yugi’s trust and gratitude, and they could all move on. Of course that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun first, just to teach them a lesson about burying dead bodies under his house without permission.
Back at the car, Jou carefully maneuvered onto the quiet road. They were reaching the city proper when Yugi whimpered. “Pull over at the corner store.”
“Huh?” Jou blinked and glanced at his friend. “Wh..”
“I gotta go to the bathroom.” There was a distinct heave, hastily swallowed back.
“Oh... Oh yeah. Okay.” Jou pulled over hastily. The car hadn't stopped rolling when Yugi jumped out and raced to the trash can beside the curb. The blond climbed out and went to his friend, brushing back the spiky hair. He didn't say anything because he didn't know what to say, and to be honest Yugi's puking was making his own gorge rise. If he tried to talk words might not be all that came out.
Jou swore Yugi puked up everything he'd eaten that day and the entire week before. He honestly didn't know where it all came from, or where the littler man could have stored it all and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. He was just relieved when the wrenching heaves finally stopped.
“Here.” Jou handed him the bottle of water he'd gotten from the store. “Rinse and spit even if you don't swallow.”
With hands that shook like a record California quake, Yugi took the bottle, cracking it against teeth because of his unsteady grasp. “Th...Thanks Jou.” His bare whisper was hoarse and raspy.
“You ready to go back ta my place now?” He asked softly. He was really concerned about the vomiting and the pale, luminous look to Yugi's skin, not to mention the wide, shocked eyes.
“I... no... Can we drive around for a little while? I need... I need air.” To prove his point Yugi drew a deep breath only to immediately start to cough and hack as the smell of rotten garbage, cigarettes and his own vomit assaulted him.
“Air... Yeah okay. We'll drive around for a few minutes.” Jou didn't mention they had to still clean out the freezer, dispose of the rug, buckets, sponges, and assorted other things. He'd tell Yugi about that later, when he thought of a plan on where and how. The body was gone so they had time.
Two hours later he pulled onto his street. Jou was too tired to park his car in the back so he decided to park it out front. Yeah there was a risk of it being hit, but honestly he didn't care. “C'mon Yugi, we're here.” He nudged his friend gently. At some point during the drive, Yugi had fallen into a deep sleep. Shock, horror, sickness, guilt and a ton of other emotions had literally knocked him out. Jou only hoped he would be given the same gift.
Seeing Yugi was still sound asleep, Jounouchi sighed and climbed out of the car. After carrying the dead weight of his dad, he didn't relish lifting another load, even one as light as Yugi.
Jou was just opening the passenger side car door when an unexpected weight slammed the door closed again. Spinning around he confronted the person. With a gasp of anger, the blond snarled, “You!”
“Yes me.” Hiata, his ex-boss, owner of the bar Boozee, snapped. “I've been waiting for you.” The man leaned in obnoxiously close. “You took your time getting here.”
“I don't answer to you.” Jou blustered. Why was this asshole here?
“Your father... would say otherwise, after all he... invited me here.” There was an odd note in his voice; one Jou knew meant that the man thought he had the upper hand.
“Well that's tough shit. He don't live with me and can't invite you.” This was too much. This night was too much. He wasn't going to take any more crap from anyone.
“He promised he'd make you come back and I think your father's promises mean something. If you don't want more trouble, I suggest you be on time for your next shift.” He gave Yugi's sleeping face a sneering look. “I'm sure you two will be busy for the rest of the night.” He straightened abruptly and turned away. When he was about two meters away from the car, Hiata turned back. “Oh and Jounouchi... Catch.” The blond instinctively reached out and caught the small package that flew at him in a slow arc. Turning it over in his hands, Jou cursed richly. It was Yugi's house warming gift, the one he'd left wrapped on the table. The asshole had been in his home.
His ex-boss chuckled and said over his shoulder: “I'll expect you tomorrow... and bring your friend.” He disappeared into the night.
Yugi had been awake since Jou's nudge and heard every word. “What did he throw Katsuya?”
Jou held out the package for Yugi to see. “Fuck Yugi, he was in my place. I know I locked the door. I learned my lesson from when my dad barged in earlier. If that bastard stole something or broke even a sweat in my house, I'm gonna kill him...”
Without waiting for Yugi, Jou dashed to his house. With shaking hands he fumbled for the key. Just as Yugi reached the door there was a loud thump from behind the door. “Damn asshole left someone here to do his dirty work? I'll show him I ain't...” Jou pushed the door open with a loud crack and ran into the room with a scared and worried Yugi right on his heels.
A quick glance in the front room showed nobody there. While Yugi checked the closet, Jou checked the bathroom and the kitchen. “All clear in the bedroom and kitchen. Bathroom too.” Jou frowned as he continued to look around. “Nothing to make that noise.”
“Look, the window behind the sofa is open. Maybe...” Yugi looked hopeful as he crossed to close the window. “Whoever was here must have left through the window.”
Leaning over the back of the sofa, Yugi shut the window and glanced down into the space between the couch and wall. What he saw made him scream and back up as if he'd been scalded.
“Yugi? What... Is he hiding behind the couch?” With an excess of energy brought on by the events of the night, Jou lunged forward and pulled the couch out several feet, hurtling over the back and landing in the small area. He went down hard as his feet hit something unmistakably human. In a blink he was pounding the hell out of whoever dared to invade his home.
He'd only landed a few blows when several things became apparent at once: Yugi's cries were now little more than whimpers, there was an overpowering smell of earth with an underlying smell of death and decay, and, most telling, the person was not returning his blows. “What the fuck?” Jou released the housebreaker from his half-nelson and looked down, only to screech and hurtle back over the couch like an airborne crab. Yugi wasted no time crawling up him like a terrified cat on a very tall tree. Jounouchi was too busy hyperventilating to notice Yugi's hair - normally upright, but smooth and tamed - bristling in every direction like the tail of a terrified cat. Not that he would have blamed Yugi. The body they'd buried just a few hours ago had returned to them...
Moaning low, still gasping for air and ignoring his new Yugi-Hat, Jounouchi sank to the ground, his jello-legs completely unable to hold him as the world faded to black.
Unseen to either of them, a small, newly-installed webcam captured every second of it on disk. Kaiba's security team were stunned when their normally cold, stoic boss, who was currently working on who knew what, suddenly burst into hard, lusty guffaws. None of them dared to try and look, much less ask him what was so funny. They'd already dealt with one person who'd displeased Kaiba Seto that night. Nobody wanted to be the next to be dealt with.
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Just a small note, this story is complete. I will simply add the chapters as I get time. MM