Venturing

"How did he slip?" the doctor inquired as he lifted one of Kaiba's eyelids and flashed a light over the eye. Kaiba cooperated as the doctor inspected him. Jou merely watched with a concerned eye.

The incident proved to be loud. Once Kaiba was out cold, the waitress screamed loudly, making everyone's head turn and stare in their direction. Used to such commotion, Jou was already at Kaiba's side, trying to snap the young CEO awake. After a few slaps to the face, Kaiba woke up, confused and disoriented. Within a few minutes, Jou was calling the Kaiba Mansion, hoping to locate Mokuba. In reaching the maid, the blonde requested for her to send someone to pick up Kaiba at the café while calling Kaiba's doctor.

By the time Jou had hoisted Kaiba to the limousine, the café owner was nervously telling Jou how apologetic he was. Although Jou knew that the café owner was apologetic in hopes of not drawing a lawsuit from the powerful CEO, Jou simply told the frightened owner that they would be in contact.

Leaving the nervous café owner behind, Kaiba's driver drove to the Kaiba Mansion and helped Jou move Kaiba to his bedroom. Luckily, the doctor was awaiting their arrival, immediately commencing Kaiba's examination to begin.

Jou stared at the doctor for a moment. So the Kaiba brothers had their own doctor? Must be good to be rich. "The snow he tracked in from his jacket and shoes melted and formed a puddle on the floor. He slipped on the puddle."

"Mmm-hmmm," hummed the doctor. Kaiba remained quiet. He examined Kaiba's other eye before clicking the small light off and standing to his full height. The older doctor, with his trustworthy smile and wide range of experience in his wrinkles, gave Jou an encouraging smile. "Seeing that he was unconscious for less than a minute, I can only assume he had a second degree concussion."

Kaiba frowned at his doctor. Jou assumed the frown originated from the doctor's attention to himself, not to his patient, the now annoyed CEO. "I know I had a concussion, but I'm not deaf!" protested Seto Kaiba rudely. The doctor turned to face his patient, the smile still upon his lips. It seemed he anticipated his outburst.

"Of course, but I must address your friend here since we do not know if your memory has been affected." The doctor turned back to Jou, dismissing Kaiba's presence again. "Luckily he does not show any apparent symptoms, but I will have to do another reassessment in twenty-four hours. Until then, please make sure Mr. Kaiba does not fall asleep or does anything stressful."

Jou watched the shock cross over Kaiba's handsome guise. The blonde wanted to grin at the rich man's unluckiness, but he felt himself unable to move his lips into a smile. It was the man's misfortune, all right, but it was wrong to laugh at others' misfortune. After all, Jou was one of those people who crossed misfortune regularly.

Jou felt a pang of sympathy for the brunette. Knowing how much of a workaholic Kaiba made himself out to be, leaving work behind for even one day would be torturous. On top of that, lack of sleep for a full day seemed almost impossible for a tightwad like Seto Kaiba. He couldn't help but frown at the idea of not sleeping and not working altogether, even though it was Kaiba who would really suffer.

The shocked expression on the brunette's face dissolved into one of anger, his eyebrows furrowing together. Sapphire blue eyes pierced the doctor, who was slowly collecting his tools to make his exit.

"I can't stop working, not even for one day! Do you know who I am?! I run a—"

"Yes, yes, Mr. Kaiba, you run a multibillion dollar corporation and you have better things to do," finished the doctor, closing his bag with a resounding snap. He stood near the door. "Mr. Kaiba, if you fall asleep, you may not ever wake up. If you do something too strenuous before my reassessment, I cannot anticipate any residual symptoms that may arise during my absence." The doctor's voice was calm but firm. "I would suggest that you heed my advice. Brain damage due to a concussion does not recover the same."

The lecture made Kaiba close his mouth. He stared at the doctor for a moment before sighing. It was a first for Jou to see the Seto Kaiba defeated so simply. Although it was refreshing for the second it lasted, the usual Kaiba returned, his blue eyes piercing the doctor with icy daggers.

"All right, doctor, I will follow your advice," the brunette replied calmly, "but I trust that you will return to me tomorrow at this time."

The doctor simply smiled at his patient's request. "I plan to, Mr. Kaiba," he answered, opening the mahogany door to Kaiba's room. He turned to glance in Jou's direction. "Ah, and Mr. Jounouchi?" Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, Jou wondered what the doctor would need from him to earn his attention. "Please watch over Mr. Kaiba in my absence. It looks like he trusts you enough."

Before anyone could utter a response, the doctor exited the bedroom, the ominous sound of the door closing resounded loud within the silent room. Jou felt his face warm with emotion. Trust? The only thing between moneybags and himself was a deep rivalry. How could the doctor—

The sound of someone padding across the polished hardwood floors snapped Jou out of his stupor. Kaiba stalked towards another door—one that Jou assumed was the bathroom—before Kaiba all but kicked the door open and entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut with enough force to make Jou jump.

After a few minutes, Jou turned towards the bedroom's exit. Although the Kaiba doctor instructed the blonde to watch over the very angry CEO, Jou figured it wasn't his duty in reality. Kaiba was rich. He could hire anyone for one day, pay them a jillion dollars, and send them on their way without as much as a cold stare. Why would he carelessly let himself suffer at the hands of Seto Kaiba when this wasn't his forte?

Jou hesitated at the door, his hand already on the knob. But if something happened to Kaiba while he was gone, Jou knew he would feel guilty for disobeying some old man's orders.

And Jou knew he wasn't that unkind.

Releasing an exasperated sigh, Jou allowed his hand to fall back to his side. He promised himself that he would stay for a little bit. It was only a day, right? What could it hurt?

Chapter 3: Seto doesn't want to be lonely.