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Precocious	By : PupshitDesu Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1861 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Seto stood, his textbook discarded on the bench. He felt like he must be having a dream. It was absolutely insane for him to have run into Jonouchi at his house, of all places. How had he found him? Had he figured out who he was? Heaven forbid.

He approached the fence line. Jonouchi was gripping the bars, looking surprisingly happy to see him. Seto waited until he was in closer range before speaking. He didn't want their voices to carry to the ears of passing staff, should there be any.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. His tone sounded accusing, to his ears, though he was more shocked than anything. And slightly apprehensive. Upon closer inspection, he could see that Jonouchi's clothes were roughed up more than usual. They'd always been a bit loose-fitting and wrinkled, but now they looked as if they'd been violently mussed. There were a couple spots on his face that were darker than his skin tone, which at first had seemed to be smears of dirt. Close up, they looked more like forming bruises. His shirt had marks on it like scuffing from dirt and asphalt rubbing.

"...And what happened to you?"

He'd probably been in a fight. Or attacked, given his neighborhood. Still, that didn't explain how he'd ended up here, at Kaiba Mansion, so far away from the city. If he'd been running to evade someone, why not go to uptown Domino where the police were more abundant? Certainly, running through the woods for miles so he could be somewhere even less conspicuous didn't seem like the best idea when evading attackers.

"Nothing," Jonouchi's expression sobered, and everything in his body language was defensive. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood to discuss it. "I ran into some trouble. No big deal."

"Sure. And why are you here? It's hardly on your way home."

He could see gears turning in Jonouchi's head. Seto was used to reading far more reserved individuals, and even with them he could usually see a lie coming from a mile away. Jonouchi was excessively obvious, his face shifting as he thought.

"I was in the woods, and figured I'd come by to say hello," he grinned. Seto frowned.

"How did you know where I live?"

"Followed you here last time I saw you," Jonouchi shrugged. He was being deliberately nonchalant, no doubt because Seto made his disdain obvious. Jonouchi must still not realize what family he belonged to. If he did, even he would have to be smart enough not to tread near Kaiba Mansion. "I can see your house from here, you know. Shit, I could tell you were rich, but this is a whole other level."

He seemed excited. Seto had been too, when he'd first seen the house. Most people probably were. Until their first time inside. The enthusiasm usually depleted after that.

"It's fine," he responded noncommittally to Jonouchi's bright-eyed gushing. Jonouchi seemed awed and almost offended that he was so flippant about it.

"Fine? No, an apartment in central is fine. That place is something out of a movie," he insisted, "You seriously live there? You're one lucky bastard..."

Seto could feel his mouth twitching. He felt an odd combination of dry humor and a burning desire to tell Jonouchi he was wrong. He kept his mouth shut, however. He'd seen where Jonouchi lived. From his perspective, having a place like Kaiba Mansion to live in was probably beyond incredible. He obviously didn't know that Gozaburo lived there, and Seto didn't want him to know. Considering the effect that Kaiba Corporation had on the city, he doubted knowing would make Jonouchi like him any more.

"Do you realize you're bleeding?" Seto's eyes darted to Jonouchi's shirt sleeve, which had a slowly-growing red stain on it. Whatever injury he had there was only just starting to bleed, and the fabric of his shirt stuck to it if he stayed still for more than a few seconds at a time. His body must have still been in shock before, pumping adrenaline. That meant his oh-so-unimportant scuffle was recent.

"Hmm?" Jonouchi gazed at his arm almost dazedly, and then snorted. "You call that bleeding? It's a little scrape, I got a million of 'em. It'll scab over soon enough."

He didn't even look like he was putting on an act. How often did he get his ass handed to him, exactly? He didn't seem overly concerned with it, even though the bruises on his face were now fully visible and Seto could see a little bit of blood rising from a smudge above his eye. If he observed closely enough, he could see the cut. It was mostly obscured by Jonouchi's hair, which was matted and clinging to his face.

"Don't you know anything about first aid?" Seto asked, regarding Jonouchi accusingly. Why had he come here? Why not go to a hospital, if he'd had his ass kicked? If he had any sense, that was where he'd be. "You look like someone grabbed your face and used it as a punching bag. Did you even go to a hospital?"

"Are you serious?" Jonouchi looked almost amused by the suggestion. "I haven't broken shit. I don't even have a cut worth mentioning, why would I go to a hospital?"

"You could be concussed."

Jonouchi laughed. Seto scowled at him, irritated by how hilarious he found logic to be. No one should look like that and not get some kind of care. He could have at least got some soap and water or disinfectant on the cuts and scrapes, rather than tripping through the woods to find some rich kid he barely knew.

"I know what a concussion feels like, and I'm fine. Thanks anyway, mom."

Seto sneered unpleasantly, but Jonouchi's only response was a broad grin. He was obviously self-satisfied with getting this response. He was such an idiot. How had he survived this long on his own, again?

"You're ridiculous. Just wait here. I'll be back," Seto turned and started back toward the house, grabbing his textbook on the way. Jonouchi seemed shocked, and began to call after him, but then he fell silent. Seto didn't look back. Jonouchi would be there when he returned, or he wouldn't. The latter would be his own loss. He needed to get some kind of first aid, at least, before he got infected. He didn't exactly live in a clean place, and after traipsing through the woods, getting dirt in his wounds, he should at least feel some stinging. Seto could respect that he took his hits like a man, but to be so absolutely indifferent...

It still seemed surreal that Jonouchi was there at all. It was almost as if thinking about him had somehow conjured him. Seto's dream was still fresh in his mind, and he was trying not to let the memory surface. Not while he had to interact with Jonouchi. It was too awkward, and he didn't want to waste energy getting anxious over something so meaningless.

No one stopped him or questioned him about the first-aid kit he was carrying through the house as he headed back outside. The staff knew well enough to mind their own business and keep their mouths shut. There was fortunately still no security in sight when Seto returned to the property line, this time exiting to the other side of the fence. Jonouchi was where he'd left him earlier, shuffling his shoes around in the loose dirt to amuse himself. He had his hands in his pockets, and was staring at his own shoe so intently that he seemed like he must have something important on his mind.

Then he caught sight of Seto, and all that disappeared into his usual bright demeanor. He waved obnoxiously, grinning, as he approached.

"I was starting to think you were just ditching me," was the first thing he said, "But I guess that house is pretty huge. No wonder you took so long."

His bruises had gotten darker. There was blood smeared along the side of his face and down his left arm, as if he'd noticed it dripping and tried to wipe it away. The stains on his skin were mingled with sweat and dirt.

"Hold still. I brought a kit," Seto popped it open and fished around for some packaged sanitary wipes. Jonouchi looked miffed.

"How about you stop bossing me around?" He retorted snippily. "I didn't ask you to coddle me, Richie."

Seto met his gaze, raising an eyebrow. He was more interested by the outburst than anything. Jonouchi seemed irrationally upset for the situation. Perhaps it was driven by embarrassment. Or he just had an irrational hatred for anything he identified as an order.

"And I'm not forcing you to stay," he replied after a few seconds' silence. Then he stopped looking at Jonouchi, turning his gaze back to the supplies in the first aid kit. He wasn't sure how Jonouchi would respond to that. If he was angry or confident enough, he'd probably leave. Otherwise, he might take it as a challenge and stick around. Hopefully with his mouth shut.

Jonouchi didn't budge. Seto could tell he was uncomfortable by how tense he was, probably because he didn't know whether he was winning or losing. It didn't matter. If confusion kept him where he was, then he could stay confused.

"This is going to sting," Seto warned him a split second before lifting his shirt sleeve and wiping away the blood and dirt on the scrape there. It wasn't a light scrape, either. It looked like the skin had been either dragged across a rough surface or scuffed at high velocity. Jonouchi hissed when the wipe passed over him, and his jaw tensed while Seto cleaned the wound, but he didn't pull away or start whining.

They were both quiet for a little while as Seto busied himself with cleaning him up. He went through three of the wipes doing it, due to the abundance of blood and dirt. When he made it to Jonouchi's face, and started cleaning the cut above his eye, he could feel hazel eyes on him. He tried to ignore it. It was making him feel strange, especially when the intensity of Jonouchi's gaze was so clear when their eyes occasionally met.

After he'd applied antiseptic cream to Jonouchi's various cuts and scrapes, he covered the open wounds with appropriately sized band-aids and sticky gauze. He gathered the empty wrappers and packed up the kit when he was finished. Jonouchi was still silent. Seto eventually tired of the tension and looked at him, confronted immediately with emotional eyes. At first, he didn't speak, and simply watched. He worked to keep his own expression neutral, despite how uncomfortable Jonouchi's expression made him feel.

"...What?" He demanded finally. Jonouchi looked away.

"Nothing," he claimed at first, crossing his arms and staring at the ground. Then he sighed. "Shit, it's just...I've always taken care of myself. No one ever gave a fuck about whether I got patched up before."

Seto blinked, feeling very strange about Jonouchi's tone. He couldn't identify it, especially since his blond hair was obscuring his face too much for him to read it.

"So, thanks, I guess," Jonouchi muttered. It sounded like those words of gratitude cost him more than breath to say.

"Don't mention it," Seto replied, waiting for Jonouchi to get his stupid grin back or start rubbing his neck like a moron. Anything but this unexpected sincerity. The way Jonouchi sounded when he spoke was so abnormal. Not just the gratitude in his voice, but the other element that Seto couldn't quite place.

To his good fortune, Jonouchi did return to himself like nothing had happened. He laughed, grinning and clasping his hands behind his neck. Seto noticed the way his muscles shifted under his skin when he raised them, the way his mussed and dirty shirt shifted around his pectorals.

"Like I'm gonna tell anyone that I had some rich kid playing nurse with me," Jonouchi snorted, "No thanks. I'd rather have people thinking I went to a hospital for a few scrapes."

Seto only hummed in response at these words. He didn't care if Jonouchi was putting on an act. It was considerably less awkward than him being strangely emotional with him. Honestly, he only gave him first aid. And he'd only done it because Jonouchi was too stubborn and retarded to do it himself. That was all. He didn't need to start making eyes at him for it, like they were best friends now or something. Like it made him an object of admiration.

Admiration. That was the look in Jonouchi's eyes when he'd been staring at him that whole time. Admiration, and a little disbelief.

"You should get home before the sun sets," Seto suggested quietly. He looked at Jonouchi, who seemed to have completely recovered from whatever emotional state had bubbled to the surface only minutes ago. Now he looked thoughtful, and a little concerned as he nodded.

"Yeah, I need to. It's a long way back."

He gazed into the woods momentarily, as if contemplating the trail ahead of him, then shook his head and grinned at Seto.

"You got rid of me this time, Richie," he teased, "But don't think I won't be back. I wanna see the inside of that house."

"No, you don't," Seto replied before he could stop himself. Jonouchi made a weird face at him, likely due to the almost panicked tone in which he'd said it. He couldn't help it. The image of Jonouchi being on the property with Gozaburo's knowledge was a perfectly reasonable panic trigger. Gods only knew what Gozaburo would do to Jonouchi-to both of them-if he found some Jap trash had been in his house. Even more would he be enraged by the fact that Seto was associating with him in the first place. That Seto favored him.

"What, your parents don't like poor people?" Jonouchi asked, his face scrunched up in offense. He huffed. "Figures."

"My...father doesn't like strangers," Seto half-lied, almost choking on his own words when he referred to Gozaburo as his father, "I can have you over eventually. Just not soon."

Eventually? More like in the distant future. A year, at the very least. That was assuming he even wanted Jonouchi in his house. After it was his house, and not Gozaburo's.

Jonouchi gave him an uneven look, and it was obvious that he had a million questions, but before he could ask, his eyes were drawn to the position of the sun.

"If you say so, Takahashi," Jonouchi snorted, seemingly recovered from his offense, "But I'm holding you to that."

He started to leave, strolling toward the creek so he wouldn't lose his way. He paused for a second or two, and then turned, grinning broadly. Seto had never met anyone who smiled as easily as Jonouchi. Then again, he didn't get out very much.

"Thanks again," Jonouchi called, giving Seto a wave and walking toward town when he got a nod of acknowledgement.

Once Jonouchi was out of sight, Seto grabbed the first-aid kit and walked briskly back to the mansion. There was little that the fresh air could do to clear his head now, as it would only remind him of what had just happened. That, and there was little time left in the day, and he needed to take advantage of Gozaburo's absence. He still had foundations to lay for his plans, and whatever free hours he had during the day were mostly spent on them.

Jonouchi had been an unexpected distraction. How was he supposed to expect something like that? That a poor city boy would end up at his doorstep bedraggled and tired? Sure, he and Jonouchi knew one another, but that didn't mean he expected to see him everywhere. Certainly not at Kaiba Mansion. Jonouchi was something else, following him home to find out where he lived. Seto couldn't believe he hadn't noticed that he was being shadowed. It wasn't as if the woods were full of noise that would obscure distant footsteps. Maybe Jonouchi wasn't the excitable spaz he often seemed to be.

Why had he even been so determined to find out where Seto lived? Was he abnormally nosy, or had it been something else? Maybe he'd been looking for somewhere to hole up if something happened. Like he got his ass kicked.

When Seto got to his room, he locked the door behind him. He didn't want any unexpected disruptions, and since Gozaburo was gone, it was unlikely that he'd need to give any servants passage. Even so, he felt unduly paranoid despite Gozaburo's absence. It was as if his presence still lingered in the house when he was gone. The house staff was no more lax when he left than when he was at the mansion. Seto was more immune to the effects, but the tension wasn't lost on him. Gozaburo had built his reputation and his empire on fear and exploitation. His power, in business and over others, came from control and scare tactics.

That did make him sound simple, in Seto's head. But he knew better. Gozaburo never threw his weight around unless he was bragging or putting someone in their place. Even just as a man, he was so proficient at digging into the deepest recesses of his target's equilibrium that it was almost impossible to know he was doing it. Seto was aware, of course, because he'd had to learn. That was survival. But Gozaburo's business partners were like sitting ducks in comparison.

No one liked him very much. People disliked being made to fear, even if it did take an excessive push to make them fight back. Seto's idea, in part, was to turn Gozaburo's long-time targets against him. The board of directors would be a good start. Unlike most companies, the board at Kaiba Corporation had little to no power over the CEO. They were an accessory. They were pawns posed as generals, unable to make decisions without Gozaburo's approval. If not for that, they would have replaced him years ago. He mistreated all five of them regularly, as he mistreated everyone, but they were powerless against him.

Fortunately for Seto, they were also scumbags. They would be happy to turn on Gozaburo, if they thought the opportunity to be good enough. He would have to ensure that he had credibility to back himself up when he vied for their support. No one really knew much about him, except that he was "educated", and of course the son of the Kaiba empire. Gozaburo didn't tote him as a genius. He enjoyed showing off Seto's accomplishments, and letting others call him brilliant-a prodigy. But Gozaburo himself wanted Seto as something of a secret weapon, when the time came, so to others, he was just a child. A sharp young man with a very powerful father. Nothing more.

The board of directors likely had the same impression. He'd hardly ever interacted with them, and when he had it was at parties. Forced, passive-aggressive socializing at one of Gozaburo's little celebrations was hardly enough to impress anyone.

He leaned back in his seat. He did have Daimon, who was on the board, but he still tried to keep the majority of his plans secret from him. He knew that his "advisor" couldn't be trusted. If he got a whiff of conspiracy, and it didn't suit his desires, then Gozaburo would hear of it immediately. Seto would have to string him along. Impress him with his business prowess and intelligence, so that he, in turn, would express what he'd seen to the rest of the board. Then Seto could speak with them himself, once he'd made enough money for his massive venture, and created enough of a name for himself to be credible.

It was hardly complicated. He'd been trained to control and manipulate since the day he'd arrived at Kaiba mansion. Living with Gozaburo was all the experience anyone needed with social engineering, in itself. The textbooks and tutors, and actual field experience, those were bonuses. Seto considered himself well-equipped to execute his plan, and he already had his eye on where to start.

Obviously, he'd need money. The best and fastest way to get it would be extortion, of course. Legal extortion, but still extortion. He'd explained the idea to his brother a few short days ago, when he'd managed to get a few moments with him. He was going to find small companies and buy out their shares until he owned fifty-one percent, and then he could make them do whatever he wanted. Including threatening them into buying back their own shares at multiple times what he'd paid.

It was a filthy strategy, and he knew it. However, his options were limited. He had a year-less than a year now to take over Kaiba Corporation. Not only take it over, but destroy the current CEO. Gozaburo still had money and power. Just taking the company wouldn't be enough. He would have to take away every connection Gozaburo had ever made and either turn them, or remove them. He would have to make people more inclined to follow him than they were afraid of his adoptive father. It wasn't going to be an easy task.

But he'd played difficult games all his life. This was nothing he couldn't handle.

Seto didn't write down plans. It wasn't a good idea, in his experience. He'd created fully detailed schematics for the Solid Illusion software, and now look. It was being exploited in Libya and the Middle East for its weapon capabilities. Gozaburo wasn't above trying to sabotage him, either, so it was too risky to keep any kind of journal, even in code.

He could store everything in his head. It came easily to him. Every little bit of his plan that he worked out stayed in his memory, in its proper place and order, without the use of memos or notes. If not for that, he knew his chances of success would be close to nothing.

He spent the rest of the evening investigating companies to target, as well as their state on the stock market and the prices he'd have to pay per share. It would take a huge chunk of what he had to purchase fifty-one percent of even one company, but that was what made selling back so effective. His profit would ultimately dwarf his spending. He could make one hundred million with ease before the year was up, but that money wasn't going to be used to pay off his "loan". That would be his treasury for attacking Kaiba Corporation.

Seto didn't stay awake past midnight. Gozaburo would be back in the morning, and of course sleeping past the early morning wouldn't be acceptable. He'd need his wits about him if he was going to return to his constant verbal dance with his adoptive father, especially since he had more to hide every day and Gozaburo's paranoia grew proportionally. It wasn't as if he couldn't detect a secret. It was whether or not he could sniff out what it was that determined Seto's success.

Even though he hadn't so much as thought about it for hours, his mind wandered back to his encounter with Jonouchi as he was falling asleep. He was more tired than he'd known, and his brain was running half-dreamed images past his mind's eye as he lost consciousness. Distorted memories of that afternoon came and went. As he fell asleep, he could almost feel Jonouchi's hazel eyes on him again, staring more intensely than any friend should.
- 7
- 8
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Precocious