Only In My Dreams

Chapter 3 – Crossing That Gap

Jou was in his math class concentrating on the most difficult of problems. To perform this, he needed absolute silence. That was accomplished as the teacher rambled on about quadratics or something of that effect. He lifted his pencil as Yuugi and Honda looked on, silently cheering him on and mouthing out “Jou, Jou, Jou!” He places the pencil between his lips and his nose, holding it there. Yuugi and Honda laughed quietly as he imitated the man trying to educate them. The instructor turned around.

“Jounouchi-san, may I ask what are you doing?” he yelled.

“Gomen nasai, sensei.” The blonde bishounen apologized as he removed the pencil. He tried to pay attention to the lesson but with all of the complex calculations just flying across the room, he became confused.

His mind unconsciously turned to a certain blue-eyed boy. Katsuya always wondered why Kaiba just hated him. The first time that he met the CEO, Kaiba just brushed off the other boy. There was no justifiable reason. He just did. In the back of his mind, Katsuya realized that the teen had enemies and friends could be used against him. He felt sorry for Kaiba. A child who was never allowed to grow up, Kaiba shielded himself from others to prevent his fragile heart from being broken. However, Katsuya figured, no one can protect themselves from being hurt.

Katsuya reconciled with himself that he never hated the blue-eyed teen. It was really the fact that he would always get on his nerves. In fact, he was the only one who crawled under his skin that way. Why was that, he wondered. The bell rang, signifying the beginning of lunch. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t watch over his sister and keep her safe from the drooling guys.

Jounouchi headed towards the cafeteria. He spied a strawberry tuft of hair as he was walking. Shizuka was talking to some girls. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around.

“Katsu-chan!” she squealed, recognizing the boy with the amber eyes and the blond hair. She hugged him vehemently. “Are you having any problems, Shi-chan?” She shook her head. “I’m all right.”

Jounouchi smiled wanly. She was growing up and that was bittersweet to him. Pretty soon, she’ll be having a boyfriend and… for right now, he wanted to enjoy the remaining time that he had with her.

Mokuba was walking to lunch when he saw his goddess, Kawai Shizuka-san. She was talking to some of the other girls. He sighed softly. Lunch was the time when he would set the second phase of his plan into action. From the corner of his eye, the ebony-eyed teen saw a tuft of blonde hair approaching his strawberry-haired goddess. He placed a hand on her as if he was familiar with Kawai-san. He could almost feel his heart splitting in two when she returned his greeting with a hug of her own. Mokuba felt the tears welling in his eyes. Jounouchi, it seems, has already won over his goddess. “Life isn’t fair.” He sobbed mentally. “Why did I fool myself into believing that my goddess was not taken?” He slunk towards lunch, the rest of his day being shot to hell.

Seto spent lunch in the library, refusing to spend it with the brainless. The blue-eyed teen would rather be typing on his computer. He pulled out his cell phone and placed a call to his personal assistant, who doubled as his vice president. Of all of the people in his company, his personal assistant was someone that Kaiba gave his respect to. She never let him push her around and was not a simpering fool. She even openly defied him, as long as it was respectful and warranted, and although he will never admit it to her, he always liked that in the woman. In fact, if he was truly honest with himself, she would be the only woman that he could begin to like.

Seto went on one date and that was at the discretion of his brother. He said that the cinnamon-haired teen was working ‘too damn hard’ in Mokuba’s own words. He commanded his onii-sama to go out with one of his female co-workers. Seto could not remember the name of the woman, too doting and not independent, relying on Kaiba to tell her to wipe her own ass. After that date, he realized that he was a homosexual or at least a woman hater. Not that he would admit this to anyone, including his little brother. If word did get out that he preferred men to women, who knows what would happen to his reputation and more importantly, his brother. The only other person who had any inkling to his orientation was his personal assistant, who knew enough to keep her mouth shut.

Someone on the other end of the line answered. “KaibaCorp! Kaiba Seto’s office. He isn’t in right now.”

“Sakura, it is I.” Kaiba gruffly responded. Sakura Nicola was a woman of the highest caliber. She was great in an office environment. “Ahh, Seto-kun, how are you?” she crooned, knowing that would get on his nerves. Kaiba growled at the endearment. He absolutely hated when she called him this. However, when he threatened to fire her because of it, she smiled at him and dared him to do it. Kaiba knew that she was the best with spearheading some of his more boring projects, bringing them before the important stockholders. She also stared down many powerful men with a smirk and turned them into obedient servants. He liked independent people, just like his puppy. Seto shook his head a bit violently. Where did that thought come from?

“Have you been watching Industrial Illusions lately?” he asked, getting a feeling that his archrival in business, Pegasus J. Crawford, was going to make a huge gamble.

“I have and you were right. They just came out with a set of new cards. Our analysts predict that they could stand to make five million yen by the end of the week.”

“I thought as much. Anything else from Pegasus?”

“He has mass-produced new ‘interactive Duel Monsters toys.’ On voice command, they will perform a host of techniques. Pegasus is also trying to refine your lovely Duel Disc, making them lighter and the graphics sharper and who knows, they might come in designer colors which might match my outfits.” She joked. Kaiba shook his head in amusement. That sound like something he would do. Not an original thought in his head.

“Keep an eye on him and text me with anything he does.” The blue-eyed teen commanded.

“Aye, aye, Seto-kun.” She agreed with a hint of mocking in her voice. “By the way, how is Mokuba-chan adjusting to high school?” Kaiba knew that Mokuba held a soft spot in Nicola’s heart. She treated him as if he were her son. “I haven’t seen him yet, but I’m sure he’s doing fine.”

“Well, I’m going to let you go now.” The line clicked and went dead. The blue-eyed CEO closed his phone and returned to whatever CEOs type. His thoughts idly wandered to a certain blonde puppy. The dream about him yesterday really unnerved him. Of all the people to have an erotic dream about, why did it have to be him? Not that Jounouchi Katsuya wasn’t easy on the eyes; on the contrary, he was very beautiful. There was no denying it. He did not hate the puppy. However, that is as far as Seto was willing to go. He did not love the puppy either. It was just that the blonde was so interesting. Everything that Seto said condescending towards him caused a burst of emotion from him. Seto realized that whenever he was pissed and was unable to release the anger, he teased the puppy. The blonde, in turn, would get angry for him and he would get to keep his composure. It’s a win-win situation for everybody, … well, except for Jounouchi anyways. In short, the blonde was a conduit for Seto’s anger and hatred.

But now, the dreams were insinuating that there could be a relationship with the blonde. Obviously, dreams are not based in reality because, even if the puppy was gay, Jounouchi hated him with a vengeance. Kaiba was a logical man and Jounouchi was a dreamer. The brunette was like ice but the blonde was like fire. The sapphire-eyed teen calculated every action that he made while the amber-eyed teen went in headfirst, damn the consequences. All of the experts say that in love, opposites attract. However, in Seto’s mind, he and Jounouchi were too opposite and clashed against each other. There could never be a relationship with Jounouchi Katsuya.

Mokuba sat a lunch table in the cafeteria. It didn’t matter where. He lost the will to care. His goddess loved someone else. It would never work out. As much as he loved Kawai Shizuka, Jounouchi was his friend and he would not encroach on someone else’s territory. He was beyond that. However, the ebony-haired bishounen decided that it would be better for the two of them to be friends. That’s at least what he told himself anyways.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he did not notice someone sitting across from him until she waved her hand in front of his face. Mokuba jolted from his inner thoughts and saw his goddess, Kawai Shizuka, smiling at him with a lunch tray in her hands. “Is this seat taken?” she asked with a smile. The ebony-haired imp shook his head and the strawberry-haired woman. Shizuka took the vacant seat adjacent from him. She noticed right away that something was off about him. He was not the same blushing boy from first period. Something happened from then to now that caused him to change and she was determined to find out what that was.

“Is there something wrong, Kaiba-san?” she asked tentatively. She hoped that she was wrong. The kid was cute and she wanted to be friends with him and perhaps become something more.

“I just got some bad news, Kawai-san.” He sighed. It was the truth, or at least portions of it. Shizuka gave him a look of infinite compassion. “Do you want to talk about it?” she inquired, trying her damnedest not to interrogate him. Whether he wanted to share or not was his business. “It’s a bit personal. But thanks anyway for your kindness.”

She gave him a worried look. “I understand if you do not want to come to my housewarming party.” Shizuka was on the verge of tears. It was tearing her apart. Mokuba noticed it and realized that he was making her cry. He placed a hesitant hand on her hand and to his surprise, she blushed. “I made a promise to you that I would go to your party and I’m not about to break it.”

Seeing that the ebony bishounen had promised to attend her party lightened up her face. “Arigato!” she whispered.

Yuugi-tachi, during their lunch period, were sitting a table discussing the intricacies of Shizuka’s housewarming party. “How about an ice cream cake?” Yuugi suggested within the arms of Anzu. After revealing his secret crush to her, they only became closer. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her and showed it by caressing her discreetly in public. He was more assertive in class and more relaxed. The spiky-haired bishounen had yet to kiss her, trying to save that moment for some place private. Right now he had an inconspicuous arm around his love’s slim dancer waist.

“Sure!” Honda interjected. Shizuka was a sore subject with him. He liked her more than a friend should. However, the only things preventing him asking her was his best friend’s reaction and Shizuka’s response to his confession. He did not want to risk a friendship over his sister and so, Honda purposely avoided unaccompanied time with the strawberry-haired girl if he could help it. As the old saying goes, ‘there are more fish in the sea.’ “Only we are going to need two cakes because of the black hole here.” The shark head pointed a thumb at his blonde buddy to accentuate his point. Jounouchi grinned in response. “I can’t help it if I’m a growing boy.”

As if it was an afterthought, Jounouchi spoke up. “Oh yeah! Do you guys mind if I invite my social worker? He is such a cool guy.” The other three agreed and continued their plans.

At the Ministry of Social Services, a man with extremely long silver hair reaching his knees and tied in three braids was typing a report on his computer when the phone rang. His unusual red eyes spied the ringing instrument and he picked it up. “Moshi, moshi. This is Tranae Brittinia, social worker for the Ministry of Social Services. How may I help you?”

The person on the other line introduced himself. “Hey, Bri-kun, it’s Jou!”

The silver-braided man smiled. Of all of the kids in his care, Katsuya-kun was his favorite. Not that he would admit it to his other cases though. He was such a happy kid. When the golden-haired boy’s father died, Brittinia was put in charge of the kid’s case. Katsuya did not seem particularly bummed out about it. When pressed about it, the silver-braided man learned of the father who would spend all of their disability money, which was obtained illegally, on alcohol and had the kid fend for himself. When said kid found a job, the elder Jounouchi, he learned, would bully his son into taking Katsuya-kun’s well-earned money to support his drinking habits. After the death, Brittinia worked the system to get the amber-eyed boy into a posh apartment and have the Ministry pay for it, all done legally. The red-eyed man still checked up on him once a week as the Ministry mandated, but these were more pleasant visits, like those between friends.

“Ah, Katsuya-kun, how are you?” Brittinia responded. An exasperated sigh can be heard over the phone. “I will never get used to you calling me by my given name. Everybody just calls me Jounouchi, or Jou for short.”

“Get over it.” Brittinia laughs. The red-eyed man got serious. “Why did you call me Katsuya-kun? Is there something wrong?”

The blonde laughed over the phone. “No, it’s nothing like that. I am just inviting you to a housewarming party for my sister Shizuka. She is moving in with me.”

“Whew, you gave me a scare. I can’t wait to meet this girl that you spent all of your time talking about. What time is the party?”

Jou rambled off the details and what he wanted his social worker to bring.

The last bell in the school rang, signifying the release of the school’s hold on the children. Kaiba Seto was heading to his limousine, awaiting his ebony-haired brother, when the person in question came barreling towards the vehicle. “Onii-sama!” he yelled. “What is it, Mokuba?” the blue-eyed teen asked in a gruff, but non-confrontational voice.

“I made a friend who is having a housewarming party today. Would it be all right if I went?” He brought into being his most powerful puppy-dog eyes that would make his older brother capitulate to his request, no matter what in may be. Kaiba groaned internally. Whenever otouto-chan plays the puppy-dog eyes, his mental wall was destroyed. He would deny his brother nothing as long as he was safe. “As long as you call me after six.”

Mokuba, although mindful of his brother’s dislike of showing affection in public, hugged his brother’s slim figure fervently. “Okay, see ya ‘round.” He yelled as he ran back into the school.

Jounouchi ran out of the school to head to his apartment. He had worked late last night and was trying to recapture some of his lost sleep. Lucky for him, on Thursday, he had seventh and eighth period study hall, which basically meant free time. The blonde explained to his sister that he was going to sleep for a while before the party and to head home by herself. He found that today, Kaiba was less antagonistic than usual. It was as if he was trying to avoid him for some reason. “Oh well,” he thought to himself. “It’s better that way.”

He reached his apartment and his bed. His eyes drifted into sleep, unaware of the ethereal wisps hovering over him.

Kaiba entered the company that held his name, the one that he rebuilt with his own genius. Taking the elevator to the fiftieth floor where his office was, he was greeted by two sights, one welcomed and the other not. The welcomed sight was his personal assistant, Sakura Nicola, dressed in a simple black work dress and skirt. Her long, golden hair fell to her knees, almost taunting him. She smiled at him. The unwelcome sight was his receptionist, dressing in almost whorish garbs and flirting with him using her eyes.

His personal assistant spoke up. “You need a nap, Seto-kun. You look like shit.” If it was anyone else, the blue-eyed CEO would have fired them on the spot. However, Sakura always told him the truth, even if Seto didn’t want to hear it. That is why he respected her. Kaiba looked over his appearance in a mirror. She was right. His pristine hair was messy like he fell asleep in the car. His clothes were out of place. The receptionist shot Nicola a glare. How dare she say his name with some familiarity with it, she thought. The personal assistant stuck out her tongue at her.

Seto smirked at her. “Perhaps I do. I had a nightmare last night.”

“Pegasus trying to take over your company?” she quipped. “Don’t worry about it.” He commanded a bit snappishly. There was an air of gravity over that statement, as if she better not push the subject. She smirked at him and took him by the shoulders. “Off to sleep, Seto-kun.” Nicola dragged him into his office and made a turn to a hidden door behind a bookcase and opened it, revealing a secret room with a shower, a bed and a fridge. Kaiba made no resistance to her compelling. It was his hideaway when he really needed to rest. Nicola tucked him in like a mother would and smiled at him.

“Never thought that I would be bedding the great Kaiba Seto” she laughed. Kaiba gave her a withering look. The long-haired personal assistant left the room, unaffected by the look and oblivious to the ethereal wisps above Seto.

+++++Seto and Katsuya’s dream+++++

The cherry blossom leaves were dropping from the trees, creating a very romantic scene. Seto and Katsuya seem to come from different directions. Both were unsure of themselves. Finally, the puppy and the dragon met.

“If this is a dream Seto, then I don’t want to get up.” Katsuya smiled at the blue-eyed teen. Seto smiled also, a smile from his heart. “Well, then let’s make the most of this dream, Katsuya.” The brunette grinned at his blonde bombshell. “Who knows when we might have another like it?” He continued as he stared into liquid amber.

Seto took Katsuya’s chin ever so tenderly and melded their lips together. After some chaste kisses, the blue-eyed teen passed his tongue along the younger adolescent’s bottom lip. The amber-eyed beauty sighed, giving an opening for Seto to delve his pink appendage in the other’s mouth. Passing it along cervices, Seto found that its counterpart had tickled his tongue, eliciting moans from the both of them. Their bodies, complete with blazing erections, grinded against each other in a slow, passionate dance. Katsuya’s hands found themselves on Seto’s ass and he grasped them suddenly, causing his lover to whimper in pleasure. It also gave the puppy the chance to plunder the elder’s mouth, not that Seto minded in this power shift. Their tongues waged an endless war against each other, not caring who won. The fire in their abdomens became stronger until they couldn’t hold it any longer.

+++++End Dream+++++

Katsuya woke up suddenly from the dream, finding that he was painfully erect. He looked in the clock. Shizuka would be getting out of school by now. It takes a half hour to get from the school here, so she shouldn’t be here yet. He quickly got into the bathroom and undressed. The shower sprayed him with warm water. His erection was not going away, so he decided to make it go away. Soaping his hand, he grabbed his length and began to pump, trying to get himself off quickly. He remembered the dream vividly and he used it to increase his ardor. And then, his orgasm came in thick jets. He moaned quietly. Finally sated, his arousal deflated and left him alone. When the water removed all evidence of his ejaculation, he shut off the tap.

The dream, however, left Jou in a state of confusion. He swore that he would not dream about Kaiba in that way. Now the dreams intensified into heavy kissing. What did this mean? Was he gay?

“No,” he shouted to himself. “I like girls. I like girls, not Kaiba.” He felt nothing towards the stoic CEO, he told himself. Katsuya was going to prove it to himself. He wrapped a towel around his body and went into his room. Under his bed was an old girlie magazine. “This will be the proof.” He said to himself.

Flipping through the pages, Jounouchi pumped himself as he imagined himself next to the woman. He imagined his organ being caressed by the woman. But try as he might, his length remained flaccid. Being the stubborn teen that he was, he flipped through the pages to a depiction of a sexual act. Instead of looking at the woman as she was impaled by the man, he was looking at the male. His mind was superimposing the man’s face with Kaiba’s. His organ jumped to life at the image of the cinnamon-haired teen. He shut the magazine in horror. “No, no, this isn’t happening.” He told himself. “I hate Kaiba.” However, the physical evidence was damning.

Jou paced around the room, trying to logically solve this dilemma. However, logic was not his strong suit. His heart was though and it was telling him that he felt something more than the bounds of friendship with the blue-eyed teen. His heart had to be wrong this time, right?

“Perhaps,” Katsuya reasoned to himself “the problem is that I need to be around a living girl for me to be aroused.” He quickly got dressed and dumped the magazine in the bottom of the garbage. He didn’t want to expose his little sister to those horrendous images.

He got his clothes on quickly and prepared the house in order. Forcing all thoughts of Kaiba out of his mind, he concentrated on his coming guests. Shizuka-chan said that she was bringing a friend from school. The amber-eyed teen wondered what kind of girl imoto-chan’s friend was like.

There was a knock on his door. He went to open the door and he found Yuugi-tachi standing in front of his door. Yuugi had changed into his black sleeveless shirt with his leather pants. Anzu had on a green turtleneck with some short khaki pants. Honda had his leather biker jacket over a white shirt and denim jeans. They said their greetings and began to set up for the guest of honor, who should be coming home in a few minutes.

Kaiba woke up with a jump and found that his groin was flaring at him again. “Why is it happening again?” This wasn’t happening. Kaiba prided himself on being in control. Why is it that he is losing it? Seto didn’t know, but he was going to find out. But first things first! He had to make himself look presentable. He went into the shower. Stripping until he was nude, Seto stepped into the shower and turned the spray on. His erection wasn’t going away anytime soon so he grabbed hold of it and stroked. He imagined that his hand was Jou and he was pumping him. For some reason, that made him harder. Finally, he came. It was such a sweet release, better than all of the times he did it before. What did this mean?

Drying himself clean, he put on new clothes and exited his secret room. Standing before him was his personal assistant, smirking at him. “Did you have a nice dream, Seto-kun?” Sakura crooned as if she had something over Kaiba. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said impassively. Inwardly, he was concerned about what he could have said in his sleep that she could have overheard.

Sakura Nicola shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever you say, Seto-kun!” she sighed. “By the way, who is Katsuya?” At the mention of Jou’s given name, Kaiba uncharacteristically blushed and she caught. “Aha! You love this Katsuya person, don’t you?” The blue-eyed CEO walked stiffly to his desk and gave her the patented Kaiba Stare-down. Unfortunately for him, Sakura was not affected by it. “If you say a word about this to anyone, I will fire you on the spot.”

The long-haired woman walked to his desk and slammed her hands on it loudly. “Listen, Kaiba,” she shouted in a voice that demanded attention. “What you do beyond this job is your own business and none of mine. Also, when have I given you any reason that I might betray your secrets? I have worked for you since you took control of this company. I have stood by you when the Big 5 sold you out to Pegasus. I have been faithful in my job. I am happy that you finally admitted that you love someone other than your brother. I wish only happiness for you and this Katsuya person.” At the end of her tirade, Kaiba’s eyes softened. She was right. Sakura has always stood by him. That is why he respected her. “Let’s get to work!” Kaiba commanded. He wouldn’t even begin to tell her that the puppy hated his guts.

“Oh, by the way, Seto-kun,” Sakura spoke. “I shall assume that Katsuya is a guy, correct.” “Have you been spying on me?” he snarled. She smiled at him. “Nope, but I have other ways of knowing. Oh, and just so you know I am going to be leaving early today. Someone is going to pick me up.” Kaiba nodded curtly and the two went back to work, doing whatever it is Fortune 500 companies do.

Shizuka and Mokuba were walking towards hers and her brother’s apartment. The journey was a silent one; however, it was for different reasons. Shizuka was unable to talk to Mokuba because of nervousness and Mokuba did not want to indulge in the fantasy of his goddess because Shizuka belonged to Jounouchi. It hurt his heart badly, but the ebony bishounen would not dwell on this for long. He will school his face so that it would not betray his emotions. He learned from onii-sama to do just that. Now, the grey-eyed teen will put it into practice.

Finally, they made it to Shizuka’s apartment. The strawberry-haired goddess turned towards the cute teen and smiled. “I want you to meet my older brother.” She said to him. “He goes to our school.”

Kawai-san had an older brother? Mokuba went through the rolodex of his mind, trying to remember if he knew another Kawai-san in Domino High. However, he came up with nothing. Without warning, the apartment door opened and in front of them was a boy with blonde hair materialized, holding a garbage bag in his hand. The strawberry girl squealed in delight. “Katsu-chan!” she greeted her older brother. Said blonde smiled and kissed his sister on her forehead. “Shi-chan! Welcome home!” Mokuba eyes darkened at the display of love.

Jou turned his attention to the ebony-haired teen and his eyes questioned said teen’s presence. “What is Mokuba-kun doing here?” the amber-eyed teen asked. Shizuka smiled. Since he was already familiar with her friend, there was no need for introductions. “Katsu-chan, this is the friend I am bringing over.” She turned to Mokuba, oblivious to the mental daggers he seemed to be throwing at Jounouchi. “Mokuba-kun, this is my brother, Jounouchi Katsuya, or onii-chan to me.”

At the words of ‘my brother,’ the pieces of the puzzle started to come together. Perhaps he stood a chance after all. His inward smile translated into his outward smile. “Jounouchi-kun, you didn’t say that you had a sister.” He grinned. “Really, I thought I mentioned to you, but I guess I didn’t.” Jou turned to his sister. “Imoto-chan, you can head inside, the party is starting. I’m gonna just throw out the garbage.”

Leading the two inside, Mokuba noticed the welcoming mat and he glowered a bit. It was an unflattering sight to see your older brother at a place to wipe your feet. Jou noticed and smiled embarrassingly. “Sorry, Mokuba-kun! It’s just that your brother gets under my skin so bad that I have to take out my frustrations on something. I’ll remove it if you want.” Mokuba just nodded and the blonde put the welcome mat in the closet. “Are there any other caricatures that I should be aware of?” the grey-eyed teen asked, miffed that Jou would do something like that, although as far as he knew, they were not on friendly terms with each other. “Just a painting. Would you like to see it?” Mokuba nodded slowly, wondering what kind of insult he created.

Shizuka was oblivious to the contention of the ebony-teen. Jou went to fetch the painting. Mokuba and Shizuka escorted themselves to the living room. Inside the room were Yuugi and Anzu sharing a seat, Honda sprawled across the couch, Ryou Bakura sitting on a dining room chair, Otogi Ryuuji leaning against the couch and twirling his jet black hair and Kujaku Mai standing. The teens engaged in friendly conversation until Jou came back with multiple canvases.

There were ten all together. Jou smiled at the group. “All right, guys! Tell me what you think of them.”

The first one was a portrait of Kaiba Seto. He was dressed it his customary white, gravity-defying trench coat and a gunmetal briefcase. He was standing straight, foreboding and menacing, as the entire background was in chaos, a tower of immobility. Above him, there was a rendering of the Blue Eyes, White Dragon, racing as if it could come out of the painting.

The second one was of Yuugi. He was pictured in two ways. The first was of his normal form, with innocent eyes and the second form was the person that he became when the Millennium Puzzle was activated. His eyes were painted a bit sterner and there was a confident smirk on his face. The background was a slew of multiple shadow creatures that he remembered in the shadow realm, but they seem under subject to the creature above them, the Dark Magician.

The third was of Honda. He was on his motorcycle and his jacket was fluttering, indicating movement. Pursuing him was Super-Robo and the Cyber Soldier. The fourth was of Anzu, dressed in a dancer’s ensemble. Around her were strobe lights and she was on a dance floor. Her legs were moving to the beat of an unknown rhythm. Observing her was the Magician of Faith and the Dark Magician Girl. The fifth one was of Mai. She was soaring on the clouds and flying with her were the Harpy Lady Sisters. The sixth one was of Otogi who was dressed in a dog’s costume with Orgoth the Relentless behind him, brandishing his broadsword behind him. The seventh one was of Ryou Bakura. The boy was half covered in light and had an angel wing, showing the innocence of the Brit, and the other half was in shadows and had a devil wing, a cunning eye that glinted of madness.

The eight one was of Shizuka with bandages in her hands. She was smiling as St. Joan was watching over her. In the background was a serene beach where two kids, one redhead and the other blonde were making sand castles. There was another scene were a young boy was holding a baby in his hands like a precious gift. The wind caressed her hair.

The ninth one was of a man with immaculate white wings and long, silver hair and red eyes. He was holding a glittering, silver scythe. He was fighting a demon with pale-blond hair. The demon was distorted and was larger than the angel. However, there were no scars on the angel while the demon was red with blood. In between them, there was a blonde child, cowering from this epic battle, his eyes and cheeks stained with tears.

The final one was blank, waiting to be drawn upon. It wished to be manipulated into whatever the artist wanted. As the guests were admiring (and in Otogi’s case, disapproving) the paintings, the doorbell rang. Jou went to get the door. At the threshold stand a man with long silver hair and red eyes. “Hey Bri-kun! You’re just in time. Just come on in!” The blonde leads the silver-haired man in to the living room.

“Guys,” Jou announces in a clear voice. “This is my social worker, Tranae Brittinia.” The long-haired shakes the hand of Shizuka. “You must be Katsuya-kun’s sister, Kawai Shizuka.” Said little sister nods. “Yep, that’s right!” He turns to Yuugi. “From the spiky head of hair, you must be the King of Games, Motou Yuugi-san. My own daughters say that you are invincible. Perhaps, I should challenge you in a match to see if you are as good as they say.” Yuugi blushed as the silver haired social worker moved towards Anzu. “I shall assume that you are Mazaki Anzu-san, the dancer. Do you play Dance Dance Revolution? Because I will totally school you in that game” The azure-eyed dancer slanted her eyes. “You’re on!” she accepted. The next person on his list was a shard-head teen. “You are Honda Hirito-san, correct? Thanks for being a good friend to him.”

Jou introduces the rest of the guests to his social worker, ending with Mokuba. Brittinia cocks his head. “Are you Kaiba Mokuba, brother of Kaiba Seto, president of KaibaCorp?” “Yep! Are you surprised?

“I know someone who works for your brother.” Brittinia takes a seat on the floor, smoothing out his hair so that he is not sitting on it. “Really?” Mokuba asked. “Her name is Sakura Nicola, Vice President and personal assistant to Kaiba, or as she likes to tease, Seto-kun.”

Only onii-sama, Sakura-san, and himself knew about Sakura-san’s nickname for his brother. That the social worker knew that intimate detail proved that he knew her. Brittinia’s eye went to the canvases and the images portrayed on it. When he looked at the angel fighting the demon, his heart was touched.

The party continued as they played some board games and charades. Yuugi and Anzu always paired with each other and so did Mokuba and Shizuka. As the hours passed by, Anzu looked at the time and said that she had to go. Yuugi, being the perfect gentleman, left to escort her home. The two found their way out. Jou noticed that Anzu left her purse and he ran after them to return it.

Outside Jounouchi’s apartment, Yuugi and Anzu were walking hand-in-hand, unaware that someone left something behind. “Hey, Anzu” the spiky-haired bishounen asked. “Would you like to go to the movies tomorrow?” “Sure, Yuugi!” Anzu responded. “I would love to.” Anzu leaned into Yuugi and bestowed upon his lips a gentle kiss.

As Jou was about call out to them while he was out of the door, he saw the two kissing. He quickly placed the purse on the floor and went back inside. He slumped to his knees at the beautiful scene. “No” he told himself. He was not going to cry.

The blonde teen walked pace towards his room, bypassing the other guests as he went by. Only Brittinia noticed the increased pace and decided to get up. He followed the amber-eyed teen towards his bedroom.

Jounouchi was staring into space when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw his silver-haired savior. He hugged him as if he was some sort of anchor, tears staining the clothes of the red-eyed man. Brittinia rubbed his back until the sniffles ceased. “I just saw my friends kissing.” Jou began. Brittinia held his peace, allowing the blonde to speak without interruption. “It’s not that I wanted either of them in an intimate manner. It’s just, I want what they have, a relationship with the person you love the most.”

“But that’s not the only thing bothering you, is it?” the social worker asked. Jou shook his head. “I just had a disturbing dream. It was a dream about the person I hate the most in a very intimate manner.”

“Perhaps you don’t hate that person?” Brittinia offered. Jou’s face contorted in surprise and flushed red. “No,” he nearly shrieked. “I hate…” He was about to say Kaiba, but the blonde held his tongue in check. “I hate that person.”

The silver-haired social worker shrugged his shoulders and looked at his watch. It told him that the time was ten to six. “Listen Katsuya-kun, I’ve got to go home. Are you going to be all right?” The amber-eyed high-school student nodded and said goodbye to him.

Meanwhile, Mokuba and Shizuka were having a great time when, out of the blue, Shizuka pulled him aside, away from the party. The grey-eyed teen looked at her with questioning eyes while internally, his heart was pounding.

“I just want to be away from the noise.” Shizuka said. It was a bold move on her part, but if he wasn’t going to make the first move, she would. Mokuba observed the party. It didn’t seem like it was particularly noisy. “Would you like to join me in my room?” the goddess asked and Mokuba could not refuse her. Following her into a room colored with white and pink, Mokuba could not help but be in awe of the inner sanctuary of his goddess, Kawai Shizuka.

As Mokuba looked over the room, he noticed that Shizuka averted his eyes to the floor. He walked to the strawberry teen and placed a platonic hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?” he asked. She nodded but continued to keep her head down.

Mokuba made a bold move. Facing the strawberry-haired lass, using his hand, he tilted her chin upwards. He could see her cheek were pink. It was now or never. Mokuba took a big breath. “I…I…I…”

Shizuka was looking at him stumbling over his words and staring into his grey eyes. Mokuba has such beautiful eyes. The ebony-haired bishounen took another deep breath. “I… really… like… you, Kawai-san.” There, he said it. Before he realized it, he found himself being hugged by the person that he wanted as soon as he laid eyes on. In return, he wrapped his arms around her lithe frame. The two embraced for what seemed like an eternity and let go. What was needed was already said.

“Can I see you sometime after school?” Mokuba asked tentatively. Shizuka smiled her brightest smile and kissed him on the nose. “Of course.” She giggled. Mokuba now had a permanent blush on his cheeks as well as a bit of red on his nose. His heart, his conscience and his hormones were doing a happy dance and chanting “Go, Mokuba! Go, Mokuba! It’s your birthday! It’s your birthday!”

“Maybe we should head back to the party?” Shizuka offered. Mokuba dumbly nodded, remembering how soft her lips were against his skin. He was on cloud nine and nothing else mattered. Returning back to the party, it seemed as if no one knew that the guest of honor had left for a moment.

Brittinia also came back and noticed a blush on Mokuba’s face. He also observed that the teen was holding on to Shizuka-chan’s hand. “Well, guys” the silver-haired man announces in a loud voice. “It was nice to meet all of you but now, I have my own children to attend to. So I shall see you around.” He bows low and turns to Mokuba. “Mokuba-san, do you need a ride back to KaibaCorp? I am going there anyways.”

The ebony-haired bishounen looked at the time. Yikes! It was five to six and he had yet to call Seto. He took out his cell phone and dialed memory 1. A calm voice answered him. “Kaiba!” the voice answered. “Seto, it’s me. A friend of Sakura-san is offering me a ride to the office. Do you mind?” There was a slight pause and his cinnamon-haired brother acquiesced to his request. He closed the phone and turned to the social worker. “He said that it is all right.” Mokuba told him.

“Well then, let’s go.” Mokuba said his goodbyes and Shizuka walked him to the door. Brittinia walked out the door, leaving the two teenagers alone. “See you in school tomorrow, Shizuka-chan!” Mokuba held her hand and rubbed it tenderly. Shizuka responded with a kiss on his soft cheek. The both of them blush. “See you tomorrow, then, Mokuba-kun.” Mokuba walks out the door.

Brittinia is waiting for him, leaning against the wall. “Are you ready to go, Mokuba-san?” he asked and Mokuba nodded, the powers of speech haven’t returned to him yet. “Katsuya-kun’s sister is cute, isn’t she?” Mokuba nodded again, not really paying attention to him. Brittinia hands the ebony-haired youth a helmet. “Put this on!” he tells him and leads him to a beautiful, black motorcycle. It has a decal of a lion with wings on the right side and an Egyptian Sphinx with wings on the left side. He attaches his helmet to his head and tells Mokuba to hold on. They ride off towards the skyscraper known as Kaiba

It was six-thirty when the receptionist buzzed Kaiba Seto. “Kaiba-sama, your brother is downstairs and he is coming upstairs.” Kaiba looks up from his work and hits a red button. “All right” he said to the intercom and let go of the button.

Two minutes passed and Mokuba came upstairs, running towards his brother’s office, still having a blush on his face. He saw two people in his office.

“Onii-sama, Sakura-san, I’m here.” He gave a hug to his brother and Sakura-san, whom he treated like a mother. “So I gathered, Mokuba-kun.” She gave him a funny look. “Why is there red on your nose?” Mokuba blushed, remembering exactly why it was there.

Nicola was not dumb. She had an idea why he was blushing like that. Mokuba’s eyes lightened in realization. “Oh, by the way, some guy named Brittinia is waiting for you.” At the mention of Brittinia, Nicola perked up. “He’s downstairs?” she asked. “Yeah, I didn’t know you had a boyfriend Sakura-san.”

“Me either, Mokuba-kun! Well Seto-kun and Mokuba-kun, I will take my leave of you. Oh, and congratulations Mokuba!” she ended cryptically as she ran out of the office. Mokuba blushed and Seto picked up on it.

“All right, Mokie, spill. Why are you blushing?” He inquired with a voice telling Mokuba that he was not going to be denied. “Well Seto…” Mokuba was a bit hesitant on broaching this subject wit his older brother, yet, he had every right to know. “I …” Seto noted the hesitancy in his brother’s voice and decided to let him have all the time in the world. “I … think … that I have a girlfriend.” With that, Mokuba’s eyes averted to the floor. To say that Seto was shocked would be the understatement of the year. Although his facial expression was neutral, inwardly he was floored with the statement. “I am happy for you, Mokie.” Seto told him. “Just be careful. There are some women in this world that would want us for our money.” Mokuba was indignant with that response. “Shizuka-chan isn’t like that, onii-sama.”

Seto looked at his little brother. He was upset. So he walked up to him and gave him a hug. “I’m sure that she isn’t. But I have to protect you, otouto-chan.” Mokuba returned the hug. “Would you mind if I took her to dinner tomorrow night?”

“Of course not. Just tell me the name of the restaurant that you want and I’ll reserve it for you.”

Kaiba, of course, had his own problem. Now that he admitted to himself that he liked Jounouchi, the real challenge would be to confess without getting his heart trampled on.

Nicola was walking past the lobby when she saw a man with long, silver hair that was tied with three braids. She kissed him on the cheek. “I didn’t know that you were my boyfriend, Leon-kun.” Nicola told him, using her pet-name for him. Brittinia looked at her with surprise. “I didn’t know either, Rayne-sama.” He responded. He handed her a helmet and the two rode home on his motorcycle.

Jou, Shizuka and Mai were cleaning up the remnant of the party. Each was in their own thoughts. Shizuka was happy that she had confessed her crush to Mokuba and was ready to see what will become of this relationship. Jou was a bit unnerved about the dream and what his social worker said about the dream. And Mai was wondering how the hell she got on cleaning duty when she just heard about the party today.

Finally, all of the mess was cleaned up. Shizuka headed to her room. “Onii-chan, I’m going to bed. Good night.” She kissed her brother on the forehead and went to her room to sleep, leaving Mai and Jou alone.

Jou was going to prove to himself that he was not in love with Kaiba. The blonde turned to Mai and smiled. “Hey Mai, what are you doing tomorrow?” “Nothing really.” She responded. If the truth be told, Mai had a small crush on the amber-eyed teen. She wondered what he was going to ask her. “How about you and me go out to dinner tomorrow at the Golden Palace?” Jou was chanting in his head, “Please say yes, Please say yes….”

“All right, but you better be there, Jou-kun.” And with that, the Amazon left his apartment. Jou’s plan of proving his heterosexuality was going according to plan. He went to him room and fell asleep with a contented smile, oblivious to the ethereal wisps above his head.

Seto and Mokuba went home after a hard day’s work at the office. They were so tired that they barely made it to their respective beds. Mokuba was so happy and exhausted that he fell asleep immediately, dreaming of a goddess that was finally his. Seto watched his brother fall asleep with a serene smile on his face, devoid of malice or arrogance.

He made to his own room and made himself comfortable on his bed. He wished that Jou was in his bed also. Being the logical person that he is, Seto figured out that, if he was dreaming about Jou, then he must be in love with him. The blue-eyed teen had never had these feelings for another person before. Sure, he loved Mokuba, but not in the way that he loved his puppy. With a worried frown on his head, Kaiba fell asleep, unaware of the ethereal wisps above his head.