Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form do I own any of the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh.

Chapter 15

With the rain pelting down and no direction in mind, Katsuya ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He had no idea how long he had been running for, only that his legs ached and it felt like his heart would stop at any moment.

He had kissed him. He had kissed Kaiba. Why? Why? Why? Of all the stupid things he could have done…

Feeling that his legs would snap if he ran any further he finally stopped, falling down to his knees. He gasped desperately for breath as he held on to the wall for support.

"Are you feeling ill? Did something bad happen?" Kaiba's voice rang in his head. "Please tell me."

Kaiba had sounded so kind, so gentle. There was actual concern in his voice. And then he had kissed him. He had kissed him, and Kaiba hadn't pulled away. So what…what did that mean? Was he just too shocked to respond? Or did he…was it possible that he felt the same way?

He groaned in pain. His body was soaked and hurting all over. What would he do? He couldn't go back. There was no way he could face him. Kaiba, what if he hated-

"Katsuya-kun?"

Turning around, the blond-haired boy saw a woman with long silver hair huddled under an umbrella. His eyes widened as he realised who it was. "M-Maya-sempai."

"Oh my goodness, what are you doing out here? Are you all right? What happened?" she asked frantically, dropping her umbrella and rushing to his side.

"I'm fine, I-" He stopped, interrupted by a cough.

"You're absolutely drenched. Here, come on," she said, helping him to stand up. "Let's get you home."

"No!" the teen declared, suddenly. "I don't want… I mean, I can't go…"

"Then, you can come to my apartment," she replied softly, gazing at him with sympathetic eyes.

He opened his mouth to argue, only to find he hadn't the strength. If he stayed out here, he'd get sick, and he couldn't go running to Yugi or Honda. Not in such a state. In the end, he had no other choice but to go with Maya.

"My apartment isn't far from here," she said, picking up her umbrella. She held it over him, though considering he was already soaked, Katsuya saw little point. Nonetheless, he stayed quiet as he followed Maya home.

Maya had been right; it had only taken them ten minutes to actually get to her apartment.

"Please make yourself at home. I'll go get you a towel and some dry clothes."

Curious, Katsuya gazed around the apartment. It was surprisingly big. Did Maya-sempai live here by herself, he wondered. It seemed rather large for one person. Then again, he supposed his vision of what was big or not was skewed considering the apartment he and his father had occupied had been incredibly small.

"Here you go," she said, handing him a towel. "Make sure to dry yourself completely. We don't want you getting a cold now, do we?"

He couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Maya-sempai."

"Oh, I brought you a clean pair of clothes as well," With a smile, she placed them in front of him. "They'll probably be a little big but until we get your other clothes dried, it'll do. I'll go into the other room while you change."

With that she got up and left, sliding the door shut.

Katsuya removed his damp clothes and quickly started drying himself, feeling incredibly awkward about being naked in his sempai's house.

He gazed down at the clothes given to him, intrigued, wondering who they belonged to. Again, Maya hadn't said anything about anyone else living here. Would it be rude to ask?

Katsuya rolled up the sleeves of the shirt. She was right about it being big for him, but he couldn't complain.

"Uh, Maya-sempai, I've finished changing!" he called, still feeling embarrassed.

The older woman slid the door open. "That's great. How does it-"

She stopped suddenly, her eyes widening slightly.

"Maya-sempai? Are you okay?" Katsuya asked, confused.

"Eh? Oh…Oh yes, I'm fine!" she cried. "I was just about to brew some tea. I think you should have some. It'll warm you up."

Not wanting to refuse Maya's hospitality, he nodded.

Seto's eyes stared emptily at the blank computer screen. Several hours had passed since the mutt had run off, and he had no idea where he had gone. He hadn't been able to bring himself to chase after Jounouchi when he ran out of the office, too shocked to do anything actually. He was unsure how long he had stood there before returning to his senses.

Jounouchi had kissed him. And then he ran off. But what was bothering him most of all, was that he had kissed him back. He hadn't protested, hadn't tried to push him away, he just…let it be.

If he was being truthful, he actually enjoyed it. Unconsciously he put his fingers to his lips. His first kiss… 'Had it been Jounouchi's as well?' he wondered.

No, that didn't matter; he had run off after all. Acting so strangely then doing something like that and disappearing. The mutt was pathetic. But then again, what did that say about him? Allowing it to happen, allowing himself to get led on like that… No, he was just as pitiable.

"Seto, allow yourself to trust no one. Let yourself get involved with someone emotionally and they'll only screw you over. That is weakness. And Kaibas are not weak!"

His adopted father's words rang through his mind. He chuckled inwardly. Looked like the tyrant was right after all…

"Nii-sama!" Seto's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden emergence of his younger brother.

"Dinner's ready!" the raven-haired boy cried cheerfully. "Hey, where's Jounouchi?" he then asked, looking around the room, confused.

"Why would you think he's in here?" Seto questioned accusingly, without even thinking.

"Well, he's not in his room, and I know you help him with his homework, so I figured-"

"He's not here."

Mokuba blinked. "Then where is he? Is he with Yugi or-"

"I'm unaware of where he is," Seto replied blankly, shuffling the papers on his desk in attempt to hide the fact that he'd been sat there staring into space.

"Huh? But…um, is he okay?" Mokuba asked, growing concerned.

"I'm afraid I don't know that, either."

"Didn't you come home from Kaibacorp together?"

"No. He…" Seto paused. "He ran off."

"But why?"

"I have no idea. And frankly I don't really care."

"Liar."

Seto instantly stopped. "What did you say?"

"I said that you're lying. You know exactly why Jounouchi ran off."

The teenager snorted. "That's absurd."

"No, I know you well enough, Nii-sama, to realise when you're lying," the boy stated matter-of-factly. "After all, you used to do it all the time. Only then it was to protect me from that bastard Gozaburo."

"Mokuba, I do not want to be having this conversation," Seto began, trying to dissuade him.

"Too bad that it's already happening."

Seto's eyes narrowed. Mokuba had never spoken to him like this before.

"Whatever happened between you and Jounouchi, you should try to sort it out and bring him back."

Seto laughed. "And why would I want to do that? That mutt has been an unwelcome guest for too long. Bringing him here, taking him in, such an idiotic mistake."

"No, Nii-sama. That was the best thing you ever did."

His blue eyes widened. "What the hell are-"

"Don't you get it! Ever since Jounouchi's been living here with us, you've changed! You've been different! You've finally shown interest in someone else other than me, and that's great Nii-sama! You have a friend!"

"That's absurd. The mutt doesn't-"

"No! He really likes you. He considers you his friend. You've both been getting on so well. Actually, I think he might even-"

"Stop it!" Seto demanded, standing up. "Stop with this nonsense! Especially when it doesn't concern you!"

Mokuba's eyes widened. His brother was yelling at him. Nii-sama, who had never…

Quickly, he shook his head. No, he couldn't give up. "Why are you so afraid?" he cried, clenching his hands tightly. "Why are you so afraid to let anyone in? Everyone needs a friend! Everyone deserves to be lov-"

Seto snorted. "Friends? Friends serve no purpose for me. The only things in this life that matter to me are you and Kaibacorp. Everything else is irrelevant."

Mokuba gazed up at his brother in complete despair. No. How could this be? Nii-sama had been doing so well. He'd finally…He'd finally…

"Nii-sama, you're a complete idiot! Why can't you just accept that you care about him?" he screamed, before storming out the room, tears in his eyes.

And just like with Jounouchi, Seto never went after him.

He bit down on his bottom lip. "Mokuba, I'm sorry. I…I just can't…"

Sat at the small table in the living room with Maya-sempai, Katsuya sipped his tea quietly, having no idea what to say. So far she hadn't asked him what had happened, had just kindly taken him in, no questions asked. He was unsure if this made him more nervous or not.

"You're welcome to stay here tonight," she said, breaking the silence. "Am I right in assuming that you and Kaiba-sama had a falling out?"

Katsuya winced at the sudden reminder of Kaiba and how he had just ran out on him. "Oh, please don't feel like you have to tell me anything," Maya replied quickly, sensing the tension in him. "As I said, you're more than welcome to spend the night."

Not saying anything, Katsuya gave a small nod.

"My, look at how late it is!" the silver haired woman declared, glancing at the clock in the kitchen. "Have you had anything to eat yet?"

Again without saying anything Katsuya shook his head. "Then I'll make us some dinner. I haven't eaten myself."

As she wandered into the kitchen, Katsuya heard her talking to herself, debating what to cook. A sad smile formed on his lips as he remembered his mother. Not as she was now but what she had been to him; when she had still cared about him. As soon as she and his father had divorced she had severed all ties to Katsuya, and part of him couldn't help but wonder if she even still considered herself as having a son.

Maya-sempai, she would make a great mother one day. He was sure of it. From what he could tell so far, she definitely seemed to live alone. He wondered if she had a boyfriend. After all, it seemed unbelievable for someone as beautiful and dependable as her not to.

A few minutes later, Maya appeared declaring to him that she would make a curry-based dish.

Having been told by her to make himself at home, Katsuya switched on the television. Although it had been along while since he had last watched any, he found himself unable to concentrate on anything happening on the screen. Still, the thought of sitting there in silence staring absently into space while Maya cooked seemed kind of sad, so he kept it on.

"Katsuya-kun, would mind setting the table?" she asked kindly about half an hour or so later, placing some mats and cutlery on the table. "Dinner's just about ready."

"No problem," he replied, getting to his feet.

As he started placing the cutlery out, something caught his eye. It was a framed photograph sat in the bookcase. In the photo stood a smiling Maya with an attractive looking man with his arm wrapped around her. Completely forgetting his task, he stopped and stared at it, entranced. She looked so happy.

"Dinner's ready!" she announced, entering the living room carrying with two plates in her hands.

Katsuya jumped slightly, startled. "Katsuya-kun, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine!" he replied, then realised that because he'd been distracted, he hadn't finished setting the table. "Ah! Sorry!"

She gave a small laugh. "That's quite all right."

A minute or so later, the table was set, and they were both sat down to their meal.

Katsuya ate his food slowly. In all honesty, he wasn't all that hungry, his appetite having all but disappeared. But again he would have felt guilty refusing Maya-sempai's hospitality. Geez, when had he become so courteous?

Unconsciously, he found himself staring at that same photograph.

"That's my favourite photograph," Maya chipped in, startling him once again.

"Oh yeah? It's really nice," he responded, feeling strangely awkward as if he had been caught doing something inappropriate. "Who is the other person in photo?"

"That's Keiichi," she said with a small smile. "He's…well, he's my fiancé."

"Ah, so are these his clothes?" he asked, referring to what he was currently wearing.

"Yes, they are. Oh, but don't worry! He won't mind!" she added quickly, noticing the somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

"So uh, do you get to spend much time with him? You know, working late and all," Katsuya enquired, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Oh yes, I visit him every day before work. Or well I try to."

"Wow, you sound like a pretty dedicated girlfriend!" he said, impressed.

"Oh, not really. It-" She paused for moment and Katsuya thought he saw sadness in her eyes. "It's the least I can do."

"You must love him very much," he said, feeling oddly jealous. To love someone and to have them love you in return. He wished things were that simple for him.

"Yes. I love him more than anyone," she admitted. And coming from anyone else, it might have sounded corny, but with Maya-sempai, he believed it to be true.

Still, it was strange, he thought, that in all the time they had worked together, he couldn't recall her having ever once mentioned Keiichi.

"Do you have someone that you are in love with, Katsuya-kun?" she asked suddenly.

His eyes widened slightly. Love? Did he? No, no, he couldn't! He was...

"Katsuya-kun? Are you alright?" the woman asked, a concerned expression on her face.

"I…I'm fine. I just-"

"Could that be why you're here? Because of the one you love?"

"Huh? Of-Of course not! I don't love Kai-" He stopped suddenly, placing his hands over his mouth. The words 'Kaiba' and 'love' in the same sentence; what the hell?

Maya gave a small laugh. "I see. Nonetheless, it's always difficult when you have a fight with someone you care about."

Katsuya opened his mouth to argue, but stopped before saying anything. No, he did care about Kaiba. Although there were times that were incredibly awkward, he enjoyed Kaiba's company. Being with him, it made him happy.

And, of course, he had to go and ruin it.

"It wasn't so much a fight as me screwing things up," he admitted dejectedly. "I…did something I shouldn't have."

"Could apologising not make it better?" Maya enquired.

Katsuya shook his head. "It's not as simple as that. The thing that I did, I still don't understand why I did it. I mean I do but I…" Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. "I just shouldn't have. I've only messed things up."

"Was the thing that you did really that awful? Was it unpleasant?"

"No…It was kind of nice…but…"

"And did Kaiba-sama dislike what you did?"

"Huh? I, uh, don't think so." He had kissed back…

"And what about afterwards?"

"Afterwards? Well, I kind of ran away after that so I don't know, but I'm sure-"

"Hmm, maybe it's not so bad after all. If you liked what you did and Kaiba-sama liked what you did, then perhaps things aren't as troublesome as they seem."

"I…I'm not sure…"

"I'm afraid that the only way that you'll find out is if you ask Kaiba-sama himself." The woman replied sympathetically. "But first you must understand how you feel about it."

"Understand how I feel, huh?" He gave a sad chuckle. Just a couple of months ago Kaiba had been his most hated enemy. He had never had to think about any of this stuff before. Everything had been so black and white then. So simple.

Yes, it had been simple, but had it been better? Throwing insults back and forth at each other for no real reason, getting stupidly frustrated. And now he had, what, a friend? If he did consider Kaiba a friend, it was definitely in a very different way from what he considered Honda and Yugi. For one, he couldn't possibly imagine ever kissing either one of them. And while before he couldn't have possibly considered kissing Kaiba, it wasn't unpleasant. It didn't feel wrong to him. He wasn't disgusted. Really, what he felt was, well, insecure.

"Ma-Maya-sempai, I…I think I understand how I feel, I just-" He clenched his fists tightly on his knees. "I'm scared. I don't know what's gonna happen. I mean what if he doesn't feel the same way?" God, he sounded like a prepubescent girl with a crush.

"You'll only find out if you ask him."

"Yeah, I guess so." he sighed. If only he had actually been a prepubescent girl then he could have just gotten one of his friends to go ask Kaiba for him.

Terrified but full of determination, Katsuya stood up. "Maya-sempai, thank you for the meal. I know I didn't eat much but-"

"It's alright. I understand," she assured him sympathetically. "I hope you find the answer you're looking for."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"I'll bring your dry clothes with me to work tomorrow."

"That's if I still have a job that is."

"Oh, I'm positive that it will work out," she smiled.

"Um, Keiichi, I, uh, I'd like to meet him sometime."

"I'm sure he would love to meet you, too."

"Good night." And with that he rushed out of the apartment, feeling that despite all the things he had faced in the past couple of years, he had never been so afraid in his entire life.

Author's Notes: I can't believe that I've been posting this story for three years now. I truly am the slowest writer in the world. I apologise for the long waits in between chapters, much love to those of you who have stuck by and kept reading. It means a lot!

Also, thank you to my beta reader Sapphy. Constructive criticism and any advice on how I could improve are greatly appreciated!