KaixJou - Like It Or Not - Chapter Five

KaixJou - Like It Or Not - Chapter Five

Jou ran for nearly four blocks down the street before stopping to catch his breath. 'Oh shit. Why did that old man happen to open the door at a time like that? How embarrassing.' He rested his hands on his knees.

Kaiba was getting tired he had thought about forgetting to chase after the boy when he saw him, "Jou!" he sprinted until he was right behind the boy and put his hand on his shoulder.

Jou at the hand on his shoulder caught a glimps of Kaiba, bent over breathing heavily.
"Jou..." he managed to whease out, "W...why did you run?"
"I... I don't know."
"Well that's a good answer." He stood back up, noticing his hand on the boy he slapped it back. 'Why did I do that? Why did I even bother chasing him?'

Jou stood up as well, "It's late. I better be heading home, I'm a few days late for dinner." He let out a small laugh, trying to convince the teen that he was all right, nothing was wrong, no need to watch over him.

Kaiba looked at his watch, 6:20 pm. It was all ready pretty dark and if it wasn't for the street lights, it would've be difficult to see. "I'll see you at school then, Kastuya." and left.

Jou didn't bother to turn around and watch him leave or even say a word, only one thought went through his head, 'What's going to happen to me when I walk through that door..."

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Kaiba turned the corner when he stopped, something wasn't right, ' Hmph. Why should I care about Jou, I never liked the boy.' But something was holding him back, eating away at him, making him feel as if he had to fallow the boy home. 'This is nuts. I'm not going to fallow him, what do I care about were he lives or what's going on.' The image of the bruises that riddled the boy's smooth, tanned skin came to mind; so many of them. As if he had a skin disease. Something was happening
to that boy that Kaiba didn't think even Jou's closest friends knew about.

He pushed that thought aside and continued to walk.
**
"NO! DON'T! DON'T TOUCH ME!! STOP IT!! I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!!"
He was trying to restrain the thrashing, screaming boy....
**

He stopped once again. The wind blew picking up his coat and lifting his hair as he stared to the ground, silence covered the deserted street. As a car drove by, its headlights directed Kaiba's shadow onto the stone wall, alienated with plants.
He looked back up and turned around. He had to know what was happening to Jounouchi.

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Jou walked down the cement path holding himself, rubbing his arms. It was fairly cold that night, he shivered then breathed in his hands seeing if that would work; unfortunitally it only lasted for a second or two. He could tell he was getting close to home as he saw the clean city streets slowly started to fill with the homeless. He knew many of the people on the street from pervious nights when he never bothered to show up home or ran away before the old man had a chance to find him. The sound of police sirens were extremely common in this part of the city. Drugs, alcohol, sex, abuse, prostitution. This was his neighbourhood, his block, his street.

His home.


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Kaiba stayed behind Jou, fallowing him like a hunter trying not to be spotted by his prey. He was entering the worst part of town; people passed out in the street, broken alcohol bottles, needles riddled the ally ways and sides of the road, and he was hit on by at least seven prostitutes both male and female.

'Why the hell is he going down here? This place is a fucking dump, do you think... no. He couldn't possibly live around here, only drug attics, alcoholics and whores live down here. Jou's not any of those.'


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He had been walking for at least half an hour in the cold, dirty streets when he cut through an ally. A cat digging through a garbage can jumped and moved out of the way at the sight of the shivering boy; due to not only from the cold but fear as well. He held his coat tighter letting out a shuddered breath. A man in a cardboard box looked up and saw him, "Hey Jou."
"Even' Tar."
"Where have you been boy?"
He smirked and let out a small laugh, "Locked up in the boy's washroom at school."
"What?" he laughed, his dirty, wrinkled face spread a smile, "How did you get yourself into that mess? Ah it doesn't matter."
"Hey is my dad home?"
"Ya, he just came back."
Jou's smile wiped off his face, "Ok... thanks," he began to walk.
"Take care of yourself Jou," he whispered as he went back into his cardboard home.

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

Kaiba cursed, "Shit, I lost him. Where the hell did that boy go?"
"Lost stranger?"
Kaiba turned his to see the old man, his clothes were ragged, no shoes protected his feet, and his only shelter was a cardboard box with "Maytag" written in large black, bold letters.
"It's none of your business." He snapped coldly, he trusted no one on these streets, for all he knew the old man could be a threat.
"Well that's no way to treat your elders," the man laughed, "It seems you're looking for someone, maybe I can be of some
assistance."

He didn't know whether to trust the old man or not, he knew nothing about this part of the town so it was best to get advice from someone who lived here, but then there was a feeling of danger. He was in no time to be fighting with his feelings,
"Do you know a blond boy with tanned skin, goes by the name of Jounouchi Katsyua."
"Jou? Ya I know him."
"Could you tell me where he went?"
"He went home."
"Oh that answer helps."
The man smiled and pointed down the ally, "That way."

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'Not long... it won't be long... what's going to happen?' The endless thought ran through his mind, 'Will he be awake waiting for me? Or will he be passed out on the couch like usual when I'm not there to beat the shit out of.' He stared at the ground as he walked stopping when he saw the exit of the small cramped ally. He looked up. An old blue shack like house, with a rusted chain link fence, tall uncut grass with a few broken windows and a ripped screen door was across the street.
He shivered at it's appearance and what it ment to him.

Home.

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

Kaiba walked along the small ally, so tight it was almost impossible not to kick something that was leaning against the brick walls of the buildings. He had been walking down the dark path for a while when he noticed the exit of the ally way, and Jou.

The boy began walking across the street to a terrible looking, shack-like house, windows broken, fence rusted, grass not cut, just a dump. Was that where he lived?
He stayed in the dark ally, not to be seen by Jou and watched him slowly open the rusted gate, walked up the path with much
percaussion and opened the broken door. He stopped to check inside before entering trying not to make a sound.

A moment of silence went bye and Kaiba let out a sigh, 'He was home, he was safe.'

All was quiet when till the sound of shattering glass and a bloody scream pierced through the night air.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?!" A man's voice thundered in pure rage as more glass shattered.
"F...Father I...." Another scream rang out as more glass broke and a boy's agonizing cries began.

Kaiba's eyes shot open in fear. He knew this situation all too well himself.

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

He was holding Mokuba, hiding in the closet of one of the many rooms that riddled the large mansion. He could hear his foster parent yelling and cussing away, shouting out threats once he found them, mostly on his brother knowing that was Seto's main weakness.

He told Mokuba to stay and be safe, then left the shelter of the closet to confront the wicked beast.

The man watched as a boy; a tender age of eight years, walked down the stairs towards him; eyes cold and face emotionless. In reality, young Seto was terrified, but showing fear would only make the monster feel more powerful. He looked up at the businessman before him, remembering he was out there for a reason, for Mokuba's sake. He didn't' care what would happen to him, he knew what was to come. More hitting, kicking, pushing, throwing, vases braking at contact to his thrashing
body, but all that didn't matter, just as long as his brother was well hidden. And safe.

The man crouched to the boy's height; the strong smell of liquor lingered in his breath, "Well Seto, it's good to see you came out of hiding and a good thing too." He moved closer to the boy's ear, "If you had made me wait any longer, things would have gotten MUCH worse."

Kaiba flinched at the raised tone in the word "much" before answering, "How so?"

The man smiled a twisted smile and looked up to a much smaller boy with long, black, ragged hair; peering through the gaps in between the stair rails.
"He's growing to be quiet a nice looking boy, don't you agree?"

Kaiba looked to see what the man was grinning at. 'Mokuba?' 'What's he doing? He wasn't suppose to leave the closet!'

He scowled, "Don't you fucking lay a finger on him."

Slap!

His head snapped to the side, his cheek was red and stung with pain.

"Don't talk to me like that boy!" He got up and punched the boy, kicking him to the wall when he fell. "Think your a big man now do you Seto? You're nothing, just a weak little child. If it wasn't for the fact you beat me in a simple game of chess, then I wouldn't have even bothered to take you and your brother."

Seto leaned against the wall, holding his side, "If it was a simple game, then why did you loose?" He let out a scream as he was picked up by his hair.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

He screamed as the torture began. Hit after hit, thrown into walls and glass from crystal and vases fell and left their jagged mark in his young skin. Kaiba was left on the floor, bleeding, sore, and finding it hard to breathe between his own cries when he felt something heavy on top of him, his clothes ripping off to expose his naked form.
"No, don't. Please!"

Another slap across the face, "Shut up boy!"
He made an attempt to push the man off of him, he was going to be raped, he knew it but worse of all, Mokuba was watching.

"MOKUBA! DON'T LOOK! HIDE!"

Mokuba froze as he watched his brother had is innocence ripped from his very hands. Tears formed in his eyes and trailed down his face, "Onii-chan..."

"I SAID LEAVE! DON'T LOOK! GET OUT OF HERE!"

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


He started to run towards the shacked house as fast as his feet could carry him. He jumped over the fence and bashed through the door, "DON'T TOUCH HIM!"
His eyes once again shot open.

Jou was crying his eyes closed, head bleeding; broken pieces of glass covered the floor. He was naked; trying to curl up into a ball while an elderly man was on top of him, fully clothed thankfully.

"Who the fuck are you?" demanded the man.

Jou opened one of his eyes, he was shaking uncontrollably, "K... K.... Kaiba?"

"Jou."

He wasn't paying attention to what Jou's father was doing, he was too occupied with what he saw before him. So this is what's been happening to him. The boy with a short-temper, street wise, and acted happy-go-lucky additude. It was all an act to hide what was going on in his life, his reality.

He was hit and fell to the ground

"Kaiba!"

"SHUT UP WHORE!"

Seto didn't know what came over him that night, it just happened. He sprang up to his feet, grabbing his briefcase and hit the man at the side of his head with all his might. He watched as the elderly man hit the mirror on the dresser, sending pictures in neat frames flying.

"DIE YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He raised his case and continued to hit the man; blood was staining the metallic cover, as the old man fell from the dresser onto the floor.

"KAIBA STOP!" Jou grabbed his arm and held him around his chest, "Don't. No more. He's unconscious, he won't be able to fight back." He started to cry in the teens shoulder once again, "Don't be like him."

'Be like him.' Those words ran through Kaiba's mind like a silver train and made him remember how his foster father use to continue the beatings long after he was knocked out. He dropped his breifcase.

Gathering a minute to collect and regain himself, he turned to look at Jou when the boy's hands covered his eyes.

"Don't look at me... I told you not to look at me!" Jou was afraid, Kaiba knew what his closest friends did not. He was going to think of him more like an animal then a human. He dropped to his knees still crying, holding himself. His naked form covered in blood as he continued to bleed from the large gash in his head, caused by the dishes that were thrown at him.

Kaiba leaned down and covered Jou with his coat, "It's ok... I don't hate you."

Jou looked up.

"We need to get you to a hospital to get that wound checked" He held the boy and encouraged him to get up, before seeing a picture near his foot. Jou could not have been more than five when it was taken, his eyes were closed as he laughed, holding onto the chains of the swing in the park.

He pocketed it before leaving with the injured boy.


End of Chapter Five