Changing Opinions

Respect.

That would be Kaiba's downfall.

All of his problems started when Jounouchi gained his respect. Technically, he had beaten his evil opponent Marik in a duel; after watching that tremendous battle, Kaiba had to admit that the blonde had skills.

Of course, he would never say any of this out loud. Subtlety was the key. During his battle with Jounouchi later in the Battle City Tournament, Kaiba actually used the blonde's given name. Gone were the harsh "mutt" and the teasing "puppy" nicknames. Kaiba also honored Jou by using his best moves, the same attacks he used on Yugi. If Jou had been smart enough to pick up on these hints, he would have been flattered.

Yet this sly show of regard had its drawbacks as well. No longer was Jou the inferior weakling duelist of Yugi's group; with a little more practice, he could actually challenge Kaiba one day. Jou had already said that he was going to prove the power of friendship by any means he could, so he was always going to be by Kaiba's side (if only to be that little annoying voice he could mistake as his conscience). Kaiba now had two duelists to face: Yugi, the one he had to surpass, and Jounouchi, the one he had to keep down. The jokes, the taunts, the teasing…those techniques were fine when Jou was nothing more than a dog to him. Respect complicated matters. He could ignore Jounouchi the way he ignored Yugi, but he only did that because he thought of the short boy as a true rival. Jounouchi had yet to reach that point. So what was he to do?

In the end, Kaiba resigned to just leave the blonde alone. Jou should be tremendously flattered that he received the same aloof nature that Yugi received. However, Jou was a straightforward kind of guy, and he missed the hints all together. He was still trying to encourage Kaiba to make friends.

So gradually, Kaiba because accustomed to those annoying talks, and gradually he became accustomed to the one talking. He began to realize that the speeches, while bothersome, still held some truth to them. Though he would never voice it, Kaiba wondered what it would be like to have someone he could trust. Jou gave him that chance.

"Kaiba, don't you ever get lonely?" Jou asked one day after class.

The CEO snorted. "I'm too busy to get lonely. A true businessman must depend on himself to make sure a job's done right, so I always have things to do. Besides, I have my reasons for keeping people away."

Jou smiled knowingly. "So you are lonely…" he trailed off.

"What did I just tell you? Are you deaf, Jounouchi?" came the angry reply.

The smile never left Jou's face. "No, just experienced." He winked as he walked away.

'What a weird guy,' Kaiba thought to himself. If he had been smarter, he would have noticed the subtle way Jou got under his skin. They just had a conversation—short as it was—that was devoid of harsh insults. They simply talked. For once, Kaiba didn't know how to analyze this situation.

Eventually, Jounouchi's presence was no longer annoying, and Kaiba found that he had made a friend even while trying to reject the idea. Jou was always there, always smiling, and Kaiba could no longer resist that infectious laughter of his. The CEO still maintained his indifference, but he knew that Jounouchi could see passed it.

They started to "run into" each other on whenever they had free time. Jou would call and tell Kaiba a place, and Kaiba would instantly refuse. Yet, somehow, at the appointed time, he would always appear. Being with Jounouchi had become a natural part of life; perhaps it was because of the blonde's persistence, or his ability to read between the lines of Kaiba's words despite the near idiotic candor. Kaiba found Jounouchi intriguing, and thus kept him around. Soon he forgot the reason he rejected friends in the first place.

He was quickly reminded. People weren't the ones that Kaiba couldn't trust; it was himself that was most unreliable. Business was completely objective. When a difficult situation arose, Kaiba could handle it with a cold ease that was almost perfunctory. Humans, when viewed as business ventures, were no different. Yet Jou…Jou stood apart. He had transformed into someone special in Kaiba's eyes, and this transcended level was dangerous when dealing with the CEO. Jou unconsciously brought out the monster in Kaiba, the cruel beast that Yugi once defeated, the fiend that had once turned on his own brother.

It was all that damn Hirutani's fault. He just wouldn't give up. Jou was the only person that had ever physically beaten him, and the disgrace was more than he could stand. He bided his time, plotting his revenge. No one in his gang dare tell him to just forget Jou; they wanted revenge as well, yet none of them were foolish enough to face Jou for a third time. Only Hirutani, with the derogatory "Boss Monkey" name in his head, dared to fight again. This time, however, Hirutani was serious. He would resort to deadly measures if the situation called for it.

Hirutani still knew where Jou lived. He knew the old pathways Jou would take to get to his house quickly. So he waited. Jou would come around eventually, and he had been patient for a while. He could wait just a little bit longer.

As expected, Jou came down the quiet alley, cursing about a detention ruining his afternoon plans. This area was usually safe, so he thought he wouldn't have any problems. That is, until Hirutani leapt from the shadows and punched him.

Jou nearly stumbled to the ground, but he regained his balance and stood firm. Upon seeing Hirutani, his eyes widened.

"You…" he whispered, barely audible. Choosing to be stubborn, he refused to show any signs of weakness. "Why are you here, Hirutani?" Jou questioned mockingly. "I thought I beat you. Twice, if I remember correctly. Come to prove your masculinity again, Boss Monkey?"

Hirutani smirked. He knew he had the upper hand in this fight. The knife hidden in his sleeve guaranteed that.

"You always had a big mouth, Jounouchi. Way too confident. Didn't know you're place. I just came to remind you of where you belong."

Jou growled. "I'm not going back to that damned gang, so you can just forget it." His stance became defensive. He could sense a battle in the air.

"Who ever said I wanted you back? I just want to take care of you!" he shouted as he lunged forward, pulling his knife from inside his clothing.

Jou made a quick dodge and barely avoided a direct blow. However, he couldn't escape the backhanded punch that came afterward. His lips now bloody, he tried to take the offensive, only to be pushed back by Hirutani's knife. Jou was in a dangerous position, and he wasn't sure out he could get out of this fight. Hirutani looked blood-thirsty, but Jou wasn't afraid.

He was seriously worried, but not afraid. Death just didn't have that kind of command over him. The alley was cramped and tight, so he couldn't move fluidly. Though Hirutani could never fully pin him, Jou did suffer many scrapes. The blood loss was making his head spin; he was certain that a loss of concentration meant a loss of life, but he just couldn't stay focused. So he ended up with his back to the alley wall with Hirutani leaning over him. The knife glinted beautifully in the golden sunlight of dusk, and Jounouchi's incoherent brain wondered if the evening shadows would find his dead body to be just as beautiful.

All at once sharp steel was in his left hand, and all at once Jounouchi heard a scream. Still lightheaded from his wounds, Jou didn't realize that he wasn't the one screaming; it was Hirutani. And that beautifully glinting knife in his back might be the reason why.

Jou hadn't noticed that the sharp object had been pulled from his hand. He hadn't noticed that Kaiba had arrived, snatching the knife away as Hirutani drove to strike again. All he could see now was a dead Hirutani, a Kaiba with a bloody knife in his hand, and swirling colors that were trying to whisk him into unconsciousness.

"Why…" Jou managed to say as Kaiba pulled him away from the body.

"I had to kill him," Kaiba said smoothly. "He was going to stab you. It was all in self-defense, so don't worry about getting arrested."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jou shouted as he jerked back from Kaiba. "You just fuckin' killed a man! How can you be so cold?"

Kaiba faced Jou and looked him square in the eyes. "I didn't have a choice. It was him or you. I feel no remorse."

Jou could see the truth in those eyes, and it scared him. Not even Hirutani leaning over him had frightened him this badly. Kaiba was killing his heart to tell that lie, and Jounouchi was watching it happen.

They reached the fence that surrounded Jou's apartment complex; feeble protection from the rough world outside. Kaiba pushed Jou inside. "Go home. I'll take care of everything. Don't worry about it." He shut the gate and turned to leave.

"Wait…" Jou leaned slowly against the chain link that separated him from Kaiba. "Tell me one thing. How did you know where I was?"

"'After school, by the front gates. Wait for me there. I want to tell you something.' Isn't that what you said to me?" He hesitated, then continued cautiously. "I was waiting for you. I knew you had detention, so I waited longer. But you didn't show up. And I was…"

Jou nearly fainted; those unspoken words…Could Kaiba have been worried?

"You're so predictable, Jounouchi. I thought you might have gotten caught up in something on your way home from school. You always drop off your bag before you come to see me. So I followed your most likely path. Well-lit calm areas, to limit the possibility of you running into an enemy. Am I right?"

'He knows so much,' Jounouchi thought. "Yes," he answered quietly. "I had no idea that you paid so much attention to my daily habits."

Kaiba snorted, seemingly amused. He casually leaned against the complex fence, the knife—still dripping—hanging leisurely from his hand. The perfect picture of a serial killer.

"You came to get me. To yell at me for being late. Instead, you end up killing someone and blowing it off as if nothing happened. What a way to finish a day." Sarcasm dripped from Jou's voice. He didn't intend to sound sardonic, but Kaiba's nonchalance was worrisome.

Sighing, Kaiba stood up straight. He knew where this conversation was going. Jou, the most straightforward person on earth, was now dodging the question he wanted to ask. Kaiba didn't feel like playing mind games.

"Jounouchi, I told you, I'm not wallowing in guilt over this guy. It had to be done. If I didn't kill him, someone else would have done it later."

"But life and death ain't our choice!" Jou cried angrily. "Those kinds of decisions are left to a higher power than us." His voice softened. "Kaiba, I'm thankful that you saved me, but I'm also upset that you could be so cold. Does human life mean that little to you?"

This time, the answer was quick; there was no hesitation. "Some lives are more important than others. This is not the first time I've killed, and should someone close to me be threatened again, it will not be the last time either."

Jou sucked in his breath. He was close to Kaiba? Close enough to kill for? "Kaiba…"

"I'll understand if you do not wish to see me again. My actions probably don't make sense to you. However, I meant what I said. I feel no remorse for killing him."

Kaiba walked away, leaving those words to hang heavily in the air. Jounouchi, no longer able to support himself, sank to his knees.

"I'm so confused," he whispered. Today was supposed to be joyous. He was finally going to confess his feelings to Kaiba; telling the world's youngest CEO that friendship wasn't enough took courage, and Jounouchi had been planning this day for weeks. Yet Hirutani ruined it all. Jou saw a side of Kaiba that he didn't want to acknowledge; a side that was ruthless and utterly cold. He saw Kaiba freeze his heart, saw him falling into the trap of his own flawed logic.

Jou knew there was a way to save Kaiba, to make his heart warm again. That wasn't the question; he wondered if he was brave enough to take on the task.

"I have to finish this," he said, pulling himself upright. "I can't let him continue to belittle his own feelings." He smiled sadly. "He said we were close. What kind of friend would I be if I just left him in this condition? His heart is surrounded by darkness now; it's up to me to break him free."

"It's not gonna be easy, and I'm scared as hell, but I can't leave him like this. I've got to teach him the true power of friendship. Just like I said I would."

Authors Notes: This fic was done in response to a challenge. I was given a photo and I had to write a story based on that. While the challenge idea--in and of itself--is quite interesting, this particular story was a bitch to write.

For more information, as well as the picture itself, visit my livejournal at:

www. livejournal. com/ users/ reppu/ 26925. html

Just take out the spaces.

Most major thanks goes to Juillet Mercredi, for damn near co-writing this thing.