Honey brown eyes, dulled by the weight that life had put on him, raked over the building in front of him. This was it he supposed. This was his last regret, then he could leave in peace. After this he'd run away to America with the money he's been secretly saving from his father's clutches. Money he'd earned would finally be used to benefit him instead of fill the belly of his dead-beat alcoholic father.

Early today he'd spoken to his friends, smiled senselessly as they showed him how much he'd be missed. They knew, well Yugi did anyways, the reason for his leaving. One: His father's abuse and suppression. And two: His unrequited love for the CEO of the company he now stood before. Yugi knew that the only way Katsuya would stay was if said CEO returned the feelings the blond had been harboring since the day he'd met Mokuba and witnessed what a sight Kaiba was without the masks and pressures.

Even knowing, Yugi just wasn't sure he'd see his best friend again. Kaiba was cold and uncaring for everyone but the only family left to him. And Yugi was sure that had to count for something but for Kaiba to love someone, much less admit it, was highly unlikely and it saddened the King of Games and his partner.

Katsuya remembered what Yugi and Atemu had said before he'd left the game shop.

"No matter what you decide to do, you have a home and a family with us. Don't let anything ever make you doubt that fact."

And he didn't. Not at all, but even if he could move in with Yugi, Yami and Grandpa, he would still have to face the CEO of Kaiba Corp. in school and he'd have to live with knowing he's feelings are not only unrequited but rejected completely and he couldn't finish at Domino High knowing this.

"I guess this is what I get for being a street rat." Katsuya sighed as he spoke to himself, no Brooklyn accent colored his voice, it was just the soft murmurer that Jounouchi Katsuya hid from the world. Like many things he's hid from everyone because of his father. "Well, at least if I move on, I'll be who I am."

There was no more stalling as he took a deep breath and walked silently into the Kaiba Corporation Head Quarters.

~Line Break~

Seto ran a hand throw his chocolate locks in frustration, his mind far away from the current project on opening the new Dueling Academy. He'd thought up the idea from a comment the Mutt made in class one day. He remembered the words spoken that day like he remembered anything the Dog had ever said while he was in hearing range.

"Why do we gotta come ta school anyways! I don' see the point! We never use any of dis shit and if we do we have ta teach ourselves all of it all ova again. Now, if this was a school teachin' ya how ta duel, I'd be passing with flyin' colors and enjoyin' every minute of it!"

It was that little comment five months ago that drew Seto to think deeply about the idea of an Academy for Dueling. He weighed the pros and the cons of the idea the second he got home, running to his laptop after a quick hug from Mokuba who smiled at knowing his brother was exited with a plan.

The pros were simple: Students would be interacting with Duel Monsters in a whole knew way, learning about the history basis and its Egyptian origin. The academy would offer regular courses, Duel Monster themed of course, and with the right teachers, Seto would figure out a way to rise the popularity of what Japan called a 'simple children's card game.'

Seto could also prompt way of teaching life lessons, the ones he himself had learned through the monsters in his deck and the people he's met along the way. People like Katsuya. He was sure that if students learned to respect the cards and monsters they represented, they'd learn a lot about succeeding in life.

"Mr. Kaiba sir, there's a scruffy looking blond boy here to see you. Says to tell you, your puppy wants to play." His secretary's voice broke his thoughts of his blond classmate and admiration. And due to her description, it seemed said boy was here to see him.

It took a moment for him to actually process what she had said though. 'Your puppy wants to play'? Katsuya would never willingly say that, not unless he was blackmailed or threatened so why would he be here telling Seto's secretary to say it?

"Send him in." Curiosity got the better of Seto. He had to thank the blond after all, the Duel Academy idea had been his doing. Not that he'd say 'thank you' out right. Seto would just opt for being a little nicer. Besides that, the blond had been quiet and unheard of for a few weeks now, Seto couldn't stop his wondering mind from thinking of reasons why his puppy looked depressed and lifeless almost.

It had gotten to look so bad that Seto stopped picking on him complete after he stopped yelling back. It hurt a little that the puppy wasn't enjoying their only reason for contact anymore, but he didn't want to say anything for fear of the blond actually finding how what he really felt.

Yeah, Seto was taken with the hot-head, spirited, spunky blond he'd been forced to get to know over the years. It took a while for Seto to notice his feelings, but when he did it was already too late. The blond undoubtedly hated every organ in Seto's body and Seto knew that no amount of regret would change that, so he let it be. Let it grow. He enjoyed the fights, it was the life in his puppy's eyes that made him come back time and again with an insult. He didn't actually believe he was hurting the boy, no he had too much spirit to be hurt that easily, but at times it hurt him to have to spit out insults without thinking them through, and when the flicker of light dies for a second before returning, he regrets it more than ever.

Knocking at the large wooden door he was facing pulled him out of his musing again and he decided to be kind to the Mutt for now. He'd listen to what the youth had to say and he'd respond without cruel retorts.

"Kaiba?" Katsuya's head poked into the office and Seto had to stop himself from smiling and rolling his eyes fondly. The Mutt was in his building and still questioned he'd be here?

"Yes Jounouchi. May I inquire what brought you here?"

Seto frowned at the dullness in those eyes he'd loved to set aflame. Then he'd noticed that Jou had said his name without that god awful accent. That was odd. Seto could tell something big was happening, something big had changed, he just didn't know what.

"Straight to the point and no dilly-dally, that's just like you." It was said more to himself than Seto, but the brunette still heard it loud and clear and now he was certain the accent was gone completely. Jou's speech was not only clean and grammatically correct but his voice sounded smoother, less choppy than it had with the accent present. Seto ignored the thought for a few moments.

"Yes, it is, now answer the question, I don't have all the time in the world to play with stray dogs." Shit.

Seto mentally winced. Damnit, he'd promised he'd lay off the insults and here he was, letting that shit slip just because he was unnerved with the look in Jou's eyes.

Instead of raising to the bait as he would have a few weeks ago, Jou smiled, the emotion absent in his normally beautiful honey eyes. At that moment, Seto felt a loss so great it hurt in his chest. He refrained himself from reaching for his chest where he's heart resided, beating and warm despite the media's assumptions.

"Yeah, you make a good point. Well then, I'll state my business and let you have your time back." Even after he said this, Jou hesitated at the door, unmoving in the stare of icy-blue eyes.

The Puppy looked nervous. Unsure. Like he'd rather be anywhere but standing there, in front of Seto ready to tell the CEO how he felt. And really, he really would prefer to be anywhere but here.

"Seto I..."

His first name? The Puppy had used his first name? What was happening here?

"Spit it out." He replied as expressionlessly as he could, which wasn't much with the anxiety still lingering in the tone. Even Seto could hear it and he had spoken himself.

Jou lingered a little more before stepping forward, one step a second. Soon, he was standing in front of the desk Seto was seated at. Soon he was closer to those piercing eyes than he ever thought he'd be and the thought that he had the right to be harboring a crush for the other rose up again like it did every time. He wasn't worth the CEO's time, he was street trash after all.

"I'm leaving." Jou blurted out.

Wide blue eyes registered the words before Seto's mouth decided to work.

"Excuse me?" The tone was almost panicked, but Jou thought that was wishful thinking more than anything. He decided he'd just throw it all out, wait a few minutes and if nothing happened, like an explosion, his death, or the combustion of the space-time rift, he'd leave.

"I'm moving to America. My plane leaves in four hours. The reason I am here is simple." He paused swallowing and allowing Seto some time to gather his baring. Right then he was staring at Jou with a look a keen to horror or hurt. "I'm here because I didn't want to have any regrets when I leave, I didn't want to be weighed down by anything from the past. I'm here to tell you what I really feel, to show you who I really am."

Silence.

Jou stopped talking and just stared, hoping he wouldn't have to actually say the words. By the slow, but steady, realization that was coming into Seto's eyes, he wasn't going to have to.

He couldn't believe this. His Puppy was leaving him? America? What the hell was waiting for Jou in America? And he was here to tell Seto how he really felt? Could that mean he feels the same? And what did he mean 'show you who I really am' did the Jou he'd known for so long really been just a mask? Like his? What was his puppy getting at exactly? If it was what Seto thought it was, he wanted to hear it, he wasn't going to do anything without hearing it.

"Say it." He stated simply, voice soft and low. It was a tone that both scared and exited Katsuya. So he was going to have to say it after all, well, he wouldn't expect any less from the great Seto Kaiba. With a soft smile and a little more life in his eyes, Katsuya cannon-balled into the water.

"I love you."

There, it was out. It was in the open air fluttering around them. Katsuya didn't let the silence get to him. He was only going to have this chance, then he'd be far from the CEO that the brunette would never find him to pay tribute to what he was about to do.

Without a second thought he leaned forward over the desk and towards the handsome, pale face of the man he loved. And he kissed him.

A simple, soft kiss on the lips that felt like a goodbye to Katsuya. And he took it as just that. A bitter-sweet goodbye.

Before he pulled away, he whispered to farewell to his love.

"Goodbye Seto."

- Ashrel Fury (Yu-Gi-Oh! Two Shot SetoXJoey) This was written during a black out because I had enough battery in my laptop TO write it. I liked it so I posed it. I hope you all enjoy reading it even if it was written out of boredom. I'm serious, my family was about to kill each other, it was our first time without power and it lasted about a week. This was written within the first two days, so thank you for reading and please comment, they feed my will to write.