Unforgiven

Sorry, sorry! I so hit a dry spell lately! XP

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Honda stayed hidden looking out over the track from his office.

He could see everything, down to where his friends were sitting looking for him.

"What are you doing?", he wondered to himself, "Why are you here?"

"I was wondering that myself." Kaiba had been looking for him. The last place he expected him to be durring the first race on his own track was sulking in his office.

"Well? I'd have at least thought you'd be with your friends..."

"..."

"Of course, could it be you're hidding from your father?"

The question stunned him, and he followed the direction of Kaiba's finger.

There, in the same seats he and his father used to take, was indeed his father.

"Wh-what the hell...?!"

"I don't recall telling him about this..."

"I don't recall getting a chance! I wonder though..."

"??"

"Do you think he knows? That it's mine I mean..."

"Why not ask?"

"Are you crazy?!"

"There are so many witnesses, I don't think he's going to make a scene..."

"You truely do not know him well at all..."

"Try?"

"Why?"

"..."

"That's what I thought..."

"Please. I'll go with you..."

"No, no. I'll go..."

"Wife doesn't know you're here, Honda?"

"Nope. This is my day! Besides, she's been sulking and moaning about... well, she's been moody lately..."

"It's cool they fixed this place up," his friend said changing the subject, "Remeber bringing the kids here? Good times..."

Ha, yea, the good old days when I knew him...

"You ok, Honda? You looked dazed..."

"Ah, yea, I'm fine!"

"I-if you're still upset over this Hiroto thing..."

"No, no! You're right though... I'd love to meet whoever decided to open her again..."

"Nice to meet you." came from behind. The familiar voice causing them both to 'spit-take' their beer across the railing.

"H-Hiroto?!" they gasped.

"Yea, so... what do you think?"

"Wait, wait! What did you mean, 'Nice to meet you.'?"

"This is mine..."

"?!"

"Seto... he bought it for me..."

"You know," Honda-san's friend said, "I need another beer. I'll leave you two to talk."

Once he was gone, Honda took his seat.

Both kept their sites on the track as if they would miss something, unable to look at eachother.

"So, is this a wedding gift or something..."

"Uh, well, in a way..."

"In a way..." he repeated softly, "You know you should give your mother a call..."

"You didn't give us a chance to tell you," he said, ignoring his trying to change the subject, "This marriage... it's just for us..."

"I don't understand..."

"That's 'cuase you didn't give us a chance..."

"Well, here's your chance. Make it quick, you of all people would know the race is about to start..."

Damn it!, "There were no papers signed, no vows..."

"So you're pretending?"

"Pre... I-I guess that's one way to put it..."

"Proving my point all along..."

"What point?" he was trying very hard to keep his cool, as was surprisingly his father. Neither wanting to make a scene.

"You're still kids. Too young."

"Dad, that..."

"You're 'pretending' to be married. You're 'playing house', Hiroto, and you know for a fact this won't last because you a both too young. End of it."

Honda continued to stare out over the track, even able to make out Yugi's hair from across the track, Damn it, I was supposed to meet them...

"Hiroto?"

"You're the one that said 'end of it.'." he said as he got up to leave, nearly bumping into his father's friend, "Kurogane-san." he aknowleged as he passed.

"Um, I'll take that as it..."

"It didn't."

"Honda-kun! Where have you been?"

"Oh, just... you know, I own this place so you get stopped..." he slumped back into the seat, rubbing his temples.

"Where's Kaiba?" Jounouchi asked, scanning the stadium with binoculars.

"I don't know." he answered softly.

Honda was still slumped back, not even looking as the race began. The others looked at eachother, assuming it had to have been a fight til Jounouchi's sights fell on a familiar figure across from them.

Ah. I see.

"Come on, Honda! The race is starting!" Otogi nudged him.

"Huh? Yea, look, I'm... I got to go..."

They watched him the whole way; he was still rubbing his temples.

"Must have been some fight." Anzu said.

"Yea," Jounouchi said, handing her the binoculars, "But it wasn't with Kaiba."

He shifted her in Honda's father's direction, "Oh. His father."

"What are you doing here?!" Kaiba asked surprised, "Sakura-san didn't say anything..."

"I asked her not to. I just didn't want to be there, that's all..."

"It... it didn't go well with your father, did it?"

"No, big surprise, it didn't." he said sarcastically, falling back onto the sofa.

"May I ask what was said?"

"No you may not!" he spat, causing a slight jump in Kaiba's skin.

"..."

"I'm sorry," he got up and hugged Kaiba to him, "It's nothing you need to worry about, ok?"

"It upset you, so it does..."

"I don't want to get into it, ok? I didn't come here to get into it, and I... I really didn't want to upset you, yet again, at work..."

"..."

"I just didn't want to be there... and I didn't want to be alone."

"Well, I am very busy. I can't spend a whole lot of time with you..."

"I understand. I was just hoping you'd let me crash here on the sofa, let me work off this headache..."

"Of course. It will be boring though. Mokuba did a fine job while we were away, but he's still a little rough around the edges..."

"He basically repeated himself." Honda couldn't hold it in any longer.

"??"

"I'm sorry. But that's all. Just for some reason it hurt a little more this time."

Kaiba could see where this was headed. He wasn't going to get any work done with Honda around, but he was so genuinely upset he wasn't about to chase him out.

"Why don't we go home?" he suggested, "Soak in the hot tub? Lay around the pool..."

"What about all this work you have? Oh, gods, Seto, I'm sorry! I'll go..."

"No, no, it's alright..."

"No, I'll go back... I can hang with Yugi and them... I'm sorry..."

Before Kaiba could stop him, he was out the door and down the elevator.

He looked out the window for him and watched him run for his bike.

Kaiba couldn't help feeling responsible; ruining a good parent-son relationship and now...

He really doesn't know if he's coming or going anymore..., "I'm so sorry, Hiroto."

He slowly made his way back to his friends, trying to be as nice as possible about people stopping him on the way.

Just before he made it up the ramp, Otogi was coming in his direction.

Great.

"Hey, Honda! Feeling better?"

"No, not really..."

"I was sent on snack patrol. Want to help?"

Not really., "Uh, sure."

He wasn't sure what it was about Otogi, especially being alone with him, that made him uneasy; aside from the obvious.

Though at the same time, he was easy to talk to and where Kaiba was too busy, at least Otogi was there.

"O-Otogi? You mind if I dump on you a minute?"

"You dumped on me for a week, what's one minute?!" he joked.

"Ah, yea..." *sweat drop*

"Sorry, what's on your mind?"

Trying to keep it down, not needing anyone in the lines, especially his employees, to hear, he unloaded.

"So your parents are pretty much through with you then?"

"I-I don't know. They're through with this... man I hate how he put it..."

"Put what? Your 'marriage'?"

"It's amazing how much better that sounds than 'playing house'..."

Otogi tried to keep back a giggle, "Playing house? What, he think you're five or something?"

"Probably wishes I was. He'd have more control over me..."

"Well, you did try and that's all you can do. You can't force them to accept it..."

"I know. I'm not trying to force them..."

"Wheather you know it or not, you are..."

"Ok, I don't think this is the time, or the place to get into it that deep..."

"You brought it up..."

"You're right. I did ask your help, I'm sorry..."

Without giving a thought to anyone seeing or even caring, Otogi gave him a quick, though not quick enough, reassuring hug, for unbeknownst to them, not only was Honda's father just a few lines over, Kaiba had decided to forgo his plans for taking care of Mokuba's slip ups to join them.

"Should have fricken figured him for one too..." Honda-san slurred before grabbing his fourth large beer from the confused vender, "The hell you lookin' at?" he added before stomping his way back to his seat.

Kaiba stood motionless, It means nothing, Seto! Get it together!, he thought as he tried to get his legs to work, Don't be a fool! They are just friends!, "Just friends."