Lion's Pride: Rebirth of a Dream
Chapter 2
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Lion’s Pride: Rebirth of a Dream - Chapter 2/?
By Shea Maxwell
Rating - R-NC17
Warnings - Mentions of NCS, mild bondage
do
dominance, mental illness, a waaaaay OOC Seto, but it’s explained.
Pairings - Seto x Joey x Seto, Yami x Yugi x Yami, Honda x Otogi x
Honda, and a smattering of Ryou x Malik x Ryou
Archive – Just let me know if you want it.
if they want.
Feedback – Blessed
Author’s note - Mass replies to everybody that gave
feedback. Unfortunately I don’t have
the time to write individual replies, but you know who you are, and thank you
very much for your support. Fic
note. I mean no offense to anyone who
is or knows, or is related to a truck driver.
Later that night
Jounochi stood at Seto's door. Dressed in his good
pants and a blue button down shirt, he shivering in the cool air as the sun was
setting. Knocking again, he leaned against the doorframe.
given Kaiba enough time to be waiting at the door for him, but no.
“Kitten open up!”
He shouted.
Kaiba opened the door looking like a gothic wet
dream. He was wearing black wool
trousers tucked into tall black boots, a dark blue ruffled poet shirt, and a full-length
black velvet jacket over it. “Hello
Inu.”
“Pretty fancy. So where are we going?”
“A restaurant.”
Seto said moving aside.
“Oh. Maybe I should have worn something
better.” He knew his clothes and his
person were inferior to Kaiba. Jou
wished he could afford better things, but with the situation in his house he
was lucky he had a school uniform that fit and a change of clothes.
“You look delicious just the way you are.”
Katsuya blushed.
“Yeah right. So when are we supposed to be there?”
“Not for an hour.”
The blonde looked down, he began shivering.
for a while?”
“Come inside first of all, you’re shaking.”
“Sure.” Joey followed Seto inside.
Seto closed the door behind them and leads him to
the spacious living room.
“Where's Mokuba?”
Katsuya asked, looking around the large entryway, and antique lined
hallway.
“At Yugi's.”
Seto closed the living room door and headed toward the couch.
“So it's just you and me, here, alone?”
“Yes.”
Jou backed up toward the door in nervousness, is
this a good idea?
“I'm not after anything.”
“Uh huh, that's why we're here, alone, in this
house. Kitten, what are you up to?”
“Nothing. I just wanted us to have a chance to talk
and not be interrupted.” The elder
Kaiba said, artfully draping himself on the couch.
Jou nodded.
“Well ok, what's on your mind?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to get to know you better.”
to him.
“What do you want to know?”
the couch.
“All about you.”
The trench-coated form shifted slightly to the side as the blonde sat
next to him.
“Mom and dad divorced when I was 10... You know
everything else.” Nervous fingers
twisted in the material of his shirt.
“No I don't. I don't know anything about the real
Jounochi Katsuya.” Cobalt bore into
chocolate, willing him to talk and open up a little. It’s far easier to open up to someone who has already opened up
to you.
“Ummm I love my sister, she's the most important
person in my life. I... My dad isn't the best dad in the world but at least he
doesn't bug me.” Jounochi hoped Kaiba
would leave it at that. He wasn’t all
that ready to share everything about his life.
“Okay. What's
your sister like?”
“They really did name her well, Serenity.”
subject. “No matter how upset I get or
how sad I am, when I see her, everything is cool. She loves me, always has, always
will.”
“Mokuba's like that too.”
Jounochi smiled.
“They're special.”
“Yes they are.”
There was nothing in the world that Kaiba loved more that his little
brother. And nothing, not Pegasus, not
the Big 5, and not Kaiba Corp. could come between them.
Jou searched his mind for something else to talk
about. “Ummm, what else.
never really got far with duel monsters until Yugi’s grandpa taught me. As if
you didn’t already know, I actually snuck into duelist kingdom.”
“Oh I knew.
Any two-bit duelist could tell you knew next to nothing about that
game. You proved yourself to be a first
rate duelist though. Mokuba got me
started on them. His friend had them, and got him hooked.
Dragon. I’ve always loved strategy games, and Duel Monsters is no exception.
This didn’t really surprise the blonde boy.
Seto thought for a moment.
“Chess? The biggest strategy I could master is tic
tac toe and I always tie.” Jou thought
back for a second at an earlier comment Kaiba had made.
money together to get a Blue Eyes? They’re
Ultra Rare.”
Seto reached into his trench coat and pulled out a
silver cigarette case emblazed with the Dragon Master’s three Blue Eyes.
things, some cash, ID, and various credit and key cards.
paper. On this paper was a four year
olds rendition of the Blue Eyes.
Handing the case to Jounochi.
Jounochi took the case and studied the image on
slightly yellowed paper.
“He wrote a note with that card.
th
then I would have all the power. Don’t
underestimate your own power. You obviously
can do well enough at the game to be second at Duelist Kingdom.”
Jou shook his head and handed the case back to Seto.
The tall boy took the case back, closed it, and put
it back into his coat pocket. “Everything
has to start somewhere. You have to
have a passion to get that far.”
“At the bottom. Where I’ll always be.
the money to pay for Serenity’s operation.”
“Please stop putting yourself down Inu.
playing right after.”
“Huh? What do ya mean? Just stating facts. When I
graduate, I don't know what I'll do. I don't really have any talents except for
pushing a broom, and winning an occasional duel.” Katsuya knew he wasn’t good for much else.
home, but it wasn’t enough. No matter
what education he got he wouldn’t get more than a third rate job.
“You underestimate your talents. You're loyal,
loving, and good with people.”
“Yeah, that and 20000 yen
will get me a month in an apartment.”
Jou scoffed.
Seto shrugged. “It doesn't really matter what you do as long as you're happy
doing it.”
“Yeah, but I jus don't want to be a bum like my old
man. Maybe I can drive trucks. It means being on the road most days, but the
pay is great.”
“Go to university and see if you find something you
like there before deciding on truck driving.”
Part of Seto was appalled at the thought of Jounochi driving a
truck. It wouldn’t look good for his
CEO image. Then again, Jounochi wasn’t
even in his social status and he still wanted a relationship with him, so
profession didn’t really matter. Though
a desk job would look better than truck driving.
Jou rolled his eyes. “I don't think I’ll be at university. Even if my grades didn't
suck, I couldn't afford it.”
“What about scholarships? Did you apply for any?”
“I'd need better grades. An I don have the smarts
to do it.”
“You don't need grades for most scholarships.”
“Aren't they for guys who need money but have
grades to prove they'd be good at it?”
“No. More often than not all you have to do is have
certain qualifications, like divorcedentsents or single parents. One-income
houses.” The young CEO hoped he was
getting through to his soon to be partner.
“Definitely got that. Not much to brag, about but I
got it. Hmm maybe I’ll look into those.”
“You should.”
Seto began to feel a little more relieved at that.
“What are you gonna do after graduating? Gonna get
a degree or just keep running the company?”
Jounochi knew Kaiba was way out of his league as it was; he just wanted
to know just how far out it was.
“I'll be going for my business degree.”
spoke. “Just so the other idiot
corporations will stop trying to tay coy company out from under me by saying
I'm not qualified.”
“That'll be real easy, you already run this place.”
“I should have my degree in 2 years.”
“Then what you spend your entire life just running
this place?” Having your entire life managed
out before you even graduated high school was a prospect that scared Jounochi
beyond speech. At least with his third
rate jobs he’d have a chance to move around and try new things.
“I guess so.”
Blue eyes were sad and downcast.
“Wow.”
“I don't know how to do anything else really, I’ve
been groomed for this since I was still a child.”
“Maybe you can learn something else. After all you
learned to apologize, I’m sure you can learn something fun at University.
couch. “What are ya thinking right now?”
“That I really am as pathetic as my life sounds.”
me. That I’ll never be anything but
that, and no one will see anything about me other than my company and a lot of
money.”
“Wha? Why would you say that?”
boy. He too had fallen prey to thoughts
around those things. Not too long ago
he had only thought of Kaiba in terms of attitude and money.
“Look at me!”
Seto nearly shouted. “I have no
life outside of school and my company, I'm obviously not as good at Duel
Monsters as I thought, and I have nothing good left to do with my life but work
myself to death, and ensure Mokuba has a better life than I did.”
Jou pulled Seto up a bit, and slid underneath him.
outside of work, otherwise what is Mokuba? or m... other friends? And I don't
think Mokuba will let you work yourself to death.
Seto settled his head into Jou’s lap.
like an obligation than my brother. I don't have friends other than you and if
I stretch it maybe Yugi and Yami. And
no, Mokuba won’t let me work myself to death, but he won't always be here to
remind me to eat or sleep.”
“You need someone to take care of ya.”
“I do.” The
statement was simple, but it spoke volumes about the boy.
“We need to find ya someone, someone special.”
Seto’s hair.
Seto sighed and whispered.
“And I told you that you deserve someone better.”
harder and harder to say. The more he
heard from Seto’s mouth, the more he realized just how hard Seto had it, and
how much he wanted e wie with him, and find the little cub he used to be.
“I don't want anyone else.”
“You deserve someone better. Anyone would be better
than me. What time are we supposed to go eat?”
The blonde hoped the change in subject would shake the melancholy out of
the mood.
“There is no one better for me. We have reservations
for 8.”
“Where we going?”
“The new restaurant Tsunami.”
“Wow. Don’t you have to call like weeks before to
get a table?” The new restaurant had
intrigued the brown-eyed duelist when he walked past it, but the posh place
cost oodles of yen. Yen Jou didn’t have
to spare if he wanted to eat the rest of the month.
“You would if you didn't know the owner.”
A dry chuckle worked its way out of Jounochi.
me this town.”
Grudgingly, Seto sat up and got off the couch, taking
Jou's hand, pulling him up off the couch, leads him outside to the small car.
“You're driving?”
The puppy was learning many new things about his kitten companion.
to sixteen year olds. Then again, money
talks, and Seto had a Scrooge Mac Duck amount of money to talk for him.
“Yes.”
Jou squeezed Seto's hand.
Kaiba led him over to the cobalt and silver Benz
and opened the door. Jou stepped in and
sat down, and Seto closed the door and got in on the driver's side.
the restaurant.
“You keep this up and you'll spoil me. Ruin me for
anyone else.”
“Is that a problem?” The Dragon Master asked as he pulled out of the drive and out of
the property.
if you give up on me, the next person might.”
Jou said with a shrug.
“I won’t ever give up on
you, so you can put that out of your mind.”
“I won't fit into your world.”
“I don't care what those idiots say or think, I'm
on a date with you. That's all that
matters.”
Jounochi whispered. “What if I embarrass you?”
“You can't. Even if you tap-danced naked on the
table while singing “It’s Raining Men”, I'd just laugh.”
“Hmmm.” Jou
began to think about just how embarrassing he could get and stay within Kaiba’s
limits.
“Uh oh.”
“What?”
“I shouldn't have given you any ideas.”
The blonde laughed, not that he needed to be given
ideas. “Well I wouldn't do it naked.
Wouldn't want to scare all the old folks.”
Kaiba sighed.
Katsuya rolled his eyes. “What now? I didn't do anything wrong.”
“I was joking.”
“Still... it's interesting.”
“I know I'd enjoy it.” Seto leered at Jou.
Jounochi
just turned red and covered his face.
TBC