Holy shit! Has it really been one whole year!

Wow, I'm lazy. I'M SORRYYYYYY! I WONT DO IT AGAIN!

(Until next year.)

( :P jk )

Jounouchi just stood there, blinking for a few moments. He didn't think; didn't move—he simply stood there, staring at the door that had just been slammed shut with wide eyes. The second bell rang, but it didn't even register in his mind—all he saw were warm, crystalline blue eyes, gazing kindly down on him. . . .

The homeroom teacher came over and shook his shoulders, effectively snapping Jounouchi out of his trance.

"Katsuya-san, the bell just rang. You're late. Are you all right?"

Jounouchi looked at her with confused honey-brown eyes as he seriously contemplated her question. Was he okay?

He really didn't have an answer.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

"Thank you for joining us, Mr. Katsuya, finally," the teacher drawled sarcastically, snatching his late pass out of his hands and pointing to his desk. "Take a seat."

Jou ambled over to his desk, and sat down heavily; he was still in a daze from his encounter with the extremely-out-of-character Seto. 'I don't understand . . . what's happened to him? He's like a different person—a new Seto I've never met before.'

He blinked, as an idea crossed his foggy mind. 'What if I'm still dreaming?' He smiled, positive of the accuracy of his deduction. 'That's it. I'm dreaming. Right before going to bed, I made that silly wish that Seto had never been adopted by Gozaburo, and now my mind is trying to entertain the idea. Well, I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.'

He leaned back in his chair, turning his topaz gaze to the object of his thoughts; Seto Kaiba. 'Well, actually he's not really a Kaiba in this dream. I wonder what his last name is here. . .'

As if feeling the gaze on his back, Seto something turned around in his chair, gaze locking onto Jounouchi's. He blinked once, sent a small glare in the blonde's direction, and then cracked a smile.

And it was the most beautiful thing Jounouchi had ever seen. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as the blood rushed to his face; but then, after thinking a moment, his heart dropped out of his ribcage.

'I've only just realized this is a dream, and yet now I wish I'd never figured it out. That smile looks so at-home on Seto's face . . . yet I know that it is just a fantasy of my imagination . . . that makes me strangely sad.'

The dream Seto turned back around in his chair suddenly, and busied himself eagerly with an unknown task. He bent low over his desk, scribbling something on a small piece of crinkled paper. And then he crunched it up, turned to face Jou once again, and threw it inconspicuously on the blonde's desk. He gave Jou another one of his dazzling smiles, and then turned back to the lesson.

Jou shot the back of Seto's head a curious look, before taking the paper and opening it under his desk, out of his teacher's sight. It read, in messy kanji:

Dear Katsu-chan:

You're lucky. I decided to let the Kaiba comment slide. I was probably just overreacting, anyway, and I apologize for getting so worked up over it. I know you don't mean any harm with your loose lips. Haha! But you better watch out! Next time I'll have to beat you up! Haha!

Well, before you insulted me, I was going to ask if you wanted to join me on the school roof today for lunch. No one but that freak Tsuichi will be there—and we can always beat him up and throw him off the roof if he annoys us. Haha! Don't write back—Takashi-sensei is looking this way.

Seto

Jou would have laughed out loud, if he hadn't been so weirded-out. To see that name in the bottom-left corner of a note addressed to him—it was so unexpected and unnatural, even in fantasy. But that didn't make it any less wonderful, even though it still hurt to know that all of this wasn't real.

He analyzed the note, trying to detect further changes in the brunette. His eyes first roamed over the name bestowed upon him by the taller boy.

"Katsu-chan." Jou murmured softly to himself, testing the foreign name. His face broke out into a wide grin. It sounded fantastic.

'If I like it when I say it, just imagine how much more I'll like it when he says it,' he thought.

Still smiling, he re-read the note. 'He keeps mentioning beating the crap out of people. Ha! I wonder if he's a tough-guy gang member like me in this wacky dream.' The very idea was amusing!

His mind unexpectedly supplied him with a picture of this dream-Seto, dressed in black leather, decked out with buckles and chains, and holding a pistol Charlie's Angels style; his lips quirked in a way that clearly said, "Come and get me . . ."

Jou smiled dreamily, swallowing just in time to prevent a spillage of drool over his bottom lip. He kept enjoying his little mental image . . . until . . .

Until his brain finally registered his thought-processes.

'Oh my God. I'm acting like a love-sick hormonal teenage FEMALE!' He mentally screamed. 'I barely even know this Seto, and yet I'm already acting all gaga over him! WHEN DID I START LIKING BOYS, ANYWAY?'

Feeling suddenly mentally-exhausted, he let his confused head hit his desk with an audible "thunk."

'And besides, this is just a dream. It's not like this Seto is real, or anything.'

"Ow." His head started hurting, from where it had landed on the desk.

Throb.

Throb.

'DAMMIT! THIS IS THE WORST DREAM I'VE EVER HAD! First, my mind torments me with a totally-awesome-yet-imaginary Seto, and now my head hurts!'

Once again, his mind realized what exactly it's owner was saying.

'Hold the phone. If this is a dream . . . then why does my head hurt so badly? Why do I feel anything at all?'

His eyes widened to an impossible size. "I'm . . . not dreaming? This is . . . real?"

Saucer-sized brown eyes met startled crystalline-blue eyes, and then he passed out.

"Katsu-chan!"

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Blue.

That's all he could see, other than the shadows lingering in the corners of his mind. But they didn't matter to him.

What mattered was the blue. Why did it look so watery? Why did it look so worried? Was that even possible? Did color feel?

"Uchihida-san, back up! Give him some air!"

U . . . chi . . .hida?

His head hurt.

Who is that?

The blue was gone. Now he only saw very blurry ceiling panels.

Huh?

"Katsuya-san? Can you hear me?"

Takashi-sensei.

"Ugh . . ."

"Katsu-chan!"

"Takashi-sensei! The nurse is here!"

"Finally . . ."

Jounouchi's vision started clearing up, as colors and shapes started taking form among the blurred cream-colored ceiling panels.

"Out of the way, out of the way! Takashi, get your students away from him!"

"Uchihida-san! Get out of the nurse's way!"

Jounouchi's head was pounding. He wanted to ask someone to bring back the beautiful blue color he had been staring at moments before—this Uchihida, perhaps?—but when he opened his mouth, nothing but a moan came out.

"Katsuya? Give me some sign that you can hear me."

Jounouchi, almost fully conscious of his surroundings, suddenly found his voice.

"W-what h-happened?" He asked thickly.

"Well, well, he lives!"

He felt his body lift into a sitting position. And then hands were on his skull, making soothing circular motions.

"Uchihida-san! How many times must I ask you to get away from him!"

"Actually, Takashi, Uchihida has the right idea. Keep going, boy, it's alright."

"What happened?" Jou asked again, relaxing under the soothing touches of the hands on his scalp against his better judgment. It felt too good . . .

"You fainted! Dead away . . . right in the middle of class! But never mind that, how are you feeling? Can you make it, or should I phone your father?"

Jou immediately panicked. "NO! No, don't call him, I'm fine. Really, I am." To make his point, he slapped the hands away from his head and attempted to stand up.

To his embarrassment and slight confusion, slim hands found their way to his waist, supporting him as he stood. Confusedly, his honey-brown eyes followed the hands up to thin arms . . . lean forearms . . . an elegant, pale neck . . . and . . . oceanic blue eyes . . .

His eyes widened. The object of his astonishment offered him a weak smile, his azure eyes full of concern.

"Katsu-chan . . ."

And then, everything that had happened prior to fainting came flooding back into Jounouchi's mind, from the stupid wish he had made last night to the realization that his wish had come true . . .

Uh-oh.

He felt like he was going to pass out again.

Seto's arms tightened around Jou's waist as the blonde swayed. "Katsu-chan! Are you alright!"

The nurse came behind the two boys, helping Seto to support the dizzy boy. "Right. Let's get him to my office . . ." she stated, and with Seto's help got Jounouchi safely to the infirmary.

Once they arrived at the noticeably-sparse office, the nurse batted the worried brunette away, and pushed the still-slightly-dizzy Jounouchi down on a cot.

"Lie down," she ordered, and went to fetch an icepack out of the office freezer. While she was gone, and with a small grimace, Jou laid himself heavily down on the small bed.

He started when a cool hand found it's way to his forehead.

"Well, you don't feel warm, Katsu-chan, but then again . . . that doesn't mean you can't be sick. You did faint, after all; and just about gave me a heart-attack, too! Well, Katsu-chan? Do you know why you fainted?"

Jou gulped as the answer to the previous question stood before him, sparkling sapphire eyes looking at him with curiosity, amusement, and just a bit of concern.

Jounouchi, still in a daze, felt a brief pang of pride for finally being able to tell what was going on in those blue depths. 'And it only took the reshaping of Kaiba's entire life for it to happen,' he thought. And then, once again remembering his mysteriously-granted dumbass wish, he felt like vomiting.

"Katsuya? Are you still present?" Seto's airy tone was definitely more amused now than anything else, and Jou felt a little like he was being teased.

He welcomed it. Seto was acting—If only vaguely—like his old self and Jounouchi was able to concentrate more because of the familiarity.

"Yes, Kai—Seto. Of course I'm still here. Don't be a dumbass." Jou smirked at the brunette.

Seto raised one elegant brow at the blonde's accusation, and then settled himself into a chair by Jounouchi's cot.

"You have the nerve to call me a dumbass, when you're the one that's been lying there looking like his brains were swapped for stuffing? What an idiot."

And then he started laughing. Warm, bubbling laughter that warmed Jounouchi down to his very soul, and took away any knowledge of a headache he had previously had.

"Seto . . ." Jou murmured dreamily, a goofy smile on his face. He couldn't help it. He felt so gooey inside from that laughter . . . that beautiful laughter . . .

He wanted to hear it again . . . but not only hear it. He wanted to be the cause of it. It was stupid, but he wanted to be the only reason that Seto laughed. Ever.

His common sense caught up with his mouth, a few sentences too late.

'ARGH! DAMMIT TO HELL! I'M DOING IT AGAIN!'

Seto must have seen the frustration flash across Jou's face, for he immediately ceased his laughter and became concerned again.

"Katsu-chan? What's the matter? Do you feel sick again?"

Jou looked up, blushing; he was embarrassed at having been caught daydreaming. And then, shaking his head to clear it of . . . confusing thoughts . . . Jou said, "Kai—err, Seto . . . this might sound weird, but . . . are you real?"

One elegant eyebrow rose.

Jou flushed a deeper shade of red. "Well, I mean . . . am I dreaming? Am I still unconscious on the floor, or not?"

The other eyebrow rose to join its counterpart.

Jou, embarrassed beyond belief, was about to snap a retort to the brunette's reaction, when suddenly the said boy reached over and pinched Jou on the arm as hard as he could.

"OOWW! What the hell was that for!" Jou yelled, scowling as he rubbed furiously at the respective area.

Blinking, Seto answered Jou's question with another question. "Did that hurt?"

Jou was confused and angry and in pain, all at the same time. "OF COURSE IT HURT, IDIOT!" He yelled furiously.

To his surprise, however, Seto cracked a knowing grin and tapped on his temple with a forefinger. "Then I guess you're not dreaming, eh?"

Jou's eyes went wide as the exact proof he had been looking for made itself known. Seto had pinched him, and it had hurt. Like a bitch.

"I'm . . . not dreaming, then." Jou tried and tried and tried again to wrap his mind around those words. "You . . . this . . ." He looked around at Seto, and then the nurse's office. "All of this is real."

Seto's grin grew wider. "Yep. All reality as you know it," he said teasingly.

Jou looked once more. Just once more . . . into two beautiful crystal sapphires . . . watching as they twinkled merrily back at him . . .

And then he lost consciousness for the second time.

Once again, I am sooooo sorry for such a long wait.

But you know . . . (has shifty eyes) if more of you reviewed . . . I might be persuaded to update more often . . .

:D :D Review :D :D

Hope you liked the obvious beginnings of a nummy yaoi story!