KaixJou - Like It Or Not - Final Chapter

KaixJou - Like It Or Not - Final Chapter

Jou continued to laugh as he layed exaughsted on dance mat. Kaiba on the other hand just stared at the laughing fool with much surprise and exstened his hand to help the blond up. Jou; still laughing, took Kaiba's hand and lifted himself, "Shit Kaiba, that was fun."

He smirked,"I can tell, you refuse to stop laughing. I have to hand it to you Jou, you can dance. Where did you learn to do that?"

Jou whiped the sweat from his forhead and let out one last heavy breath before answering, "When I would run away from home, which was very often, I always use to go down to the dance clubs or areas in the district. I had to learn how to dance well if I wanted money. I won five, count that five compititions. Most money I ever got was four hundred dollars, I didn't complain cuz most of the times I was dancing on a two or three day empty stomach.." he stopped.

"On water?" Kaiba raised the question, he had finally found out where Jou learn that trick that he showed him in the washroom.

He looked up at Kaiba and gave a small sincere smile, "Ya, on water."

Kaiba's watch went off as it was recording the time, 10:30 pm.

"It's already that late?" Jou asked looking at Seto's watch as well. He looked down, he didn't want the day to end, not this fast.
Knowing that Kaiba would leave tomorrow for America and probably never come back...

"Jou? Is there something wrong?"

He lifted his head with sad eyes but shook his head and answered in a soft tone, "No... nothing's wrong."

Seto sighed and placed his hand on Jou's shoulder, "Dont' bullshit me. You don't want me to leave and... after what you said that night, I understand why. But Jou, this is my life and my work and if you really do care about something.. then you have to know when to let it go."

He didn't understand why Kaiba was talking to him like this, maybe it was just a way for him to tell him nicely that he doesn't feel the same towards him, but he understood. His mother use to tell him stories when he was really young... one he would never forget...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jounouchi layed in his bed, 4 years old and tucked in snug and warm in his bed with puppy blankets as he rested his soft blond head on his pillow ready to listen to another one of his mother's stories in the sweet angelic voice she had.

"Once, in a cold street, there was a little boy walking home from the market, he was an orphan boy that means he had no family and lived at an orphanage with other childer that had no families. It was winter so everyone had on there scarfs
and held their jackets tightly around them. As the boy was about to leave the market place he saw something small on the ground, it was a small, white, injured bird. The boy ran over to check on the bird when he noticed that it had hurt its wing badly and was suffering from the cold. The boy looked around for something to put the bird in to keep it warm for he had nothing much to keep himself warm from the cold winter air. A thin jacket, a tatared scarf and only one glove. He looked down at glove that was keeping his hand warm and took it off. He wrapped the bird in the glove and picked it up slowly making sure he wouldn't hurt it, "I'll call you Cotten Flower," said the child and he quickly took the bird home.

A month went by after the day the boy had found Cotten Flower and treated her wounds. He had used an old cage of rusted iron to keep the little bird in and covered the floor of the cage with his tatared scarf to keep her warm at night. He feed her seed and bits of bread and she quickly grew strong and healthy. He loved the bird and the bird loved him and they were together everyday. One day the boy came home from school and happily opened the cage door to let the bird out so she would hop on his shoulder like always. The bird did so and nibbled at his ear as a sign of affection.

"Guess what Cotton Flower, the best news! I've been adopted, we have a family now!" he said with a wide smile.
The bird looked at the boy and a voice came from the bird, "Then my job is done." and with that the bird flew away, never
to be seen again..."

Jou looked at his mother with a confused look and teary eyes, "Okaasan..."

"What is it Jounouchi? Why are you crying?"

He sniffed, "That was so sad, why did the bird leave the boy after all he did for her?"

She smiled and kissed Jou on the forehead lightly,"That's because the boy didn't need the bird anymore and neither did the bird
need the boy. You see Jounouchi there's an old saying, sometimes the things you love, you have the let them go."

Jou rubbed away some tears with his blankets and looked up at his mother, "Okaasan, do you love me?"

" Of course I do.."

"Will you ever leave me?"

She was silent, this question no parent should have second thoughts about but she was having them. Looking down at him she kissed his forehead once more, "No Jou, I will never leave you. Until the black winged angel known as death comes for me, I will never leave you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


You broke your promise, you left me. You left me with him.. some mother you are.

"Jou? Are you alright?"

He looked up waking from his memories,"Huh? What is it Kaiba?"

"You went quiet all of a sudden, something bothreing you?" His harsh blue eyes then went soft,"Come on it's late, we should head to bed and besides I have to wake up early tomorrow." He turned around and headed for the door. He stopped, "Jounouchi.."

"Ya Kaiba?"

Kaiba hesitated, "Wh.. when you said you loved me... did you mean it?"

The whole room then became so quiet you could hear a pin drop, Jou looked at Kaiba as Kaiba faced the other way then turned to look at the blond, "Did you?"

He took a deep breath as brown eyes, too, went softer than usual, "Yes Kaiba-san. Every word. I ment it."

**********************************************


Saturday morning came around and Kaiba had already woken up at 7:30, checking over his things and packing some last minute supplies. He grabbed his plane ticket and stuck it in his trench coat pocket then walked downstairs for what would probably be his last meal in his house. As he entered the kitchen he smelled the arouma of bacon, scrambled eggs and ... burnt toast which was quickly fallowed by the sound of cursing and yelling.

He looked over and saw Jou yelling at the toaster trying to pick up pieces of burnt toast with his bare hands then dropping them and blowing his hands in a constant motion. He couldn't help but smile, "Need help Jou?"

The blond looked up after throwing the toast in the kitchen sink, "Huh? Oh I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously, you were yelling at the toaster. What are you doing exactally?"

Jou glared at the toaster one last time before giving up and making pancakes instead, "I'm making breakfast, what does it look like?"

Kaiba crossed his arms, tring his best to keep a straight face, "Making a mess of my kitchen?"

He looked up at him with a spatula in his hand, "Just... sit down."

Walking over to the table, Seto sat down and started drinking from the coffee cup that was already placed on the table in front of him. He looked back at Jou and gave a small silent laugh. The boy had his hair tied back, wearing a pink apron and oven gloves to match, that was a sight to behold.

Jou then came in and placed a plate in front of Kaiba containing, bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Jou made himself comfortable on
the other side of dark teen, "Mataki masu!" he said happily before digging into his meal creation.

Kaiba took a bite of his pancake then stopped. He then looked down at his plate and saw that they were still runny, the mixture making its way out of the golden crust of the pancake to the center of his plate. He put his fork down and tasted his bacon; cold and the eggs, even though they were scrambled, was mixing in with the pancake batter in a strange off white-yellow swirl. How could anyone screw up at making scrambled eggs? He looked over at Jou and saw that he was happily devouring his meal, proud of what he had done. Kaiba sighed and started eating once again, he didn't want to upset Jou more than he already was about him leaving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


2:15 came around and Kaiba placed all his things at the door as he servents carried them out to the limo and as he promised, Jou was alowed to come to see him leave. This was going to be the longest, and one of the hardest days Jou had to ever go through.

When they arrived at the airport it was already 2:45 and Kaiba's flight left at 3:15. As one of his servents started putting all his
suitcases onto a trolly, Kaiba looked at Jou and saw a small tear fall down his tanned face as he breathed in and out with much
hesitation. "Stop crying Jou," he said calmly and coldly.

Jou sniffed and wiped away the tear and stood up straight, "I'm not crying. I don't care about what's happening, you're leaving and I'm gonna wish you the best of luck in America."

Kaiba grabbed his trolly, "The waiting room's on the far left in front of the large window on the second floor," he said walking away carring his things to the line up.

Jou took in one last deep breath and let a final tear fall before making his way to the waiting room where at 3:15 he would watch the best time of his life leave Japanese skies.

********

'Why do I even have to wait in line, I'm the owner of a company for Christ sakes,' He thought while waiting to pass through the metal detector. The officer checked a few people over with the hand device as the red light went off and the people took out thier keys, pocket change, jewery, and body piercings. Finally it was his turn.

He passed through the detector; the light and buzzard went off, stupid things, they're so annoying. "Excuse me sir I'm going to have to check you over," said the female in the police uniform. Kaiba sighed and agreed to it, like he had much of a choice. 'Damn thing must of senced my necklace,' he thought, placing is hands behind his head. The hand dectector went off in two places, his necklace and his right pocket where he kept his plane ticket. The officer then checked his pockets letting a piece of paper fall out before grabbing some quaters and dimes, "Ok sir, you're free to go. Have a save trip."
He scuffed. 'It's about bloody time.' Kaiba grabbed the change from the woman's hands and was about to leave when she
yelled back, "Excuse me sir."

"What now?" he said sighing and sounding annoyed.

"You dropped this," she said and handed him a picture of a blond child no more than five, smiling happily holding onto the chains of a swing which he sat on. Hesitently, Kaiba took the picture from the officer's hand and stared at the picture, it was the one he took the night he saved Jounouchi from his father. He had no idea why he took the photograph of the young street boy but he did without a thought.

"Th...Thank you," he studdered to the woman before clearing his voice and quickly pocketing the picture once again.

*****************

Jou was sitting in the waiting room where Kaiba said he should be if he wanted to see him leave, well his plane that is. He glanced over at the clock on the opposite wall, 3:05.

Once again taking a deep breath and hiding his face in his hands tring to calm himself down, making sure he wouldn't break down in public, he repeated the story of the bird in his mind, "Let go of the things you love..."

**************

Kaiba cursed as he looked at the time, he had less than ten minutes to get to his plane and he was only half way there. He half ran and walked his way down the crowed, busy, hallway untill he saw the booth and the entrance door to the plane he was boarding and darted the rest of the way there.

He slammed his hand on the booth counter, startling the young worker.

"My name is Seto Kaiba and I am boarding this plane. I don't have time for talk so just get to the point," he said as blunt, serious and cold as he could while catching his breath at the same time.

The young worker quickly nodded and typed his name into the computer, "Yes," she said, "Seto Kaiba owner of Kaiba Corp., first class seat number 4. May I see your ticket before you board the plane as proof of purchase."

He reached down into his pocket and grabbed the ticket and handed it to her. She quickly took it then stopped for a minute, he had accidentally handed her something else as well.

"What is it now? The ticket's real, it's not fake. Now check me in and-"

"Oh no it's not that sir, it's just you handed me this as well," she said placing the picture of the smiling child on the counter.
'Jou...' slowly he took the picture into his hands and felt something.
"If you don't mind me asking sir, is he your child or a loved one?"

Kaiba looked up at the girl then back at the picture, 'A loved one? Jou? I dont' understand. I haven't seen this since I took it,
why has it showed up twice in one day? Why must it keep falling out and being exsposed?' He didn't know what was happening but he could feel his head spin with questions as he stared at the smiling child when he too couldn't help but smile as well. The girl looked at him, "Excuse me sir, your flight is about to leave in a few minutes. Sir? Sir!"
Kaiba couldnt' hear her nor was aware of his surounding, one thing and only one thing filled his mind... and his heart.

"Jou...."

*******************


He leaned back in his chair when a voice boomed over the speakers, "Flight 1774 at gate 12 has now taken off , I repeat flight 1774..." Jou stood up and walked towards the window placing a hand on the glass as he watched the large flying machine chase down the runway and take off into the sky. More tears made themselves noticable as the plane slowly went out of sight,
"Seto...Kaiba....."
A soft gental hand then brushed away the fallen tears from his left eye. He gasped as he quickly turned his head and his eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.

"You called?" Kaiba said with a smile on his face, gazing into Jou's chocolate eyes with his ocean blue ones.

"K...Kaiba..." Jou studdered in disbelief, "but... how.. you're suppose to be on the plane, why are you here? What are you doing?" he was silenced of questions when Kaiba took him in for a deep pationate kiss. He was more than stunded, more than speachless, he was out of all things, happy and wrapped his arms around Kaiba's neck. His lips were like silk and tasted of honey and spice.

When they broke for air they stared into each other's eyes, as Kaiba took Jou's hand and kissed the palm then rubbing it against his own cheek...

"I'm home."

~Owari~