A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! I couldn't find an official name for Jou's and Shizuka's mother, so I chose the name Noriko for her. It means "ceremony, law, or rule" and I thought it would be fitting. It's a shorter chapter, but quite emotional. Enjoy!

The quiet beeping of a phone woke Yuugi from his pleasant sleep. He remained still, keeping his breathing even, as he felt a weight vanish from on top of his head. Yami muttered a few curses as he squirmed around on the seat until he could take his phone out of his pocket. He read the message and sighed, the force of his breath stirring Yuugi's hair. Then there was the sound of keys being tapped and Yuugi forced his eyes to open, too curious to keep pretending he was sleeping. He was lying against Yami, head cushioned on his shoulder, both hands loosely clutching Yami's shirt. Yami had one arm around his shoulders and the other was holding onto his phone. It was an amazingly comfortable position and Yuugi didn't want to move.

"Who was that?" he asked sleepily, looking across the limo. There was no sign of Jou or Seto, come to think of it. He hoped that meant Jou had gotten the chance to see Shizuka, though he suspected that his friend wouldn't have liked Seto coming along for the ride. That was just the sort of thing that would have driven Jou crazy.

"It was Seto." Yami didn't seem surprised that he was awake. He began rubbing absent circles into Yuugi's shoulder with his fingers as he locked his phone and set it down in his lap. "Seems the meeting with Shizuka didn't go as planned."

"Shit," Yuugi muttered, knowing immediately what must have gone wrong. He'd only had the 'opportunity' to make the acquaintance of Kawai Noriko once when he and Jou had gone to visit Shizuka at the hospital after her operation, and it was a experience he hoped he'd never have to repeat. The woman had made it clear that the only reason Jou was even allowed in the room was because he had helped to come up with the money for Shizuka's operation. She'd looked at both of them like they weren't even worth the time it took to stand there and talk, and Jou had just taken it without saying a word.

Yami glanced at him and then sighed. "Yeah, that's pretty much how Seto seemed to feel. He said that Jou wasn't ready to face anyone else yet."

"So he wants us to be gone," Yuugi guessed, almost tempted to say no. Jou never let anyone around him after he'd had an incident with his mother. He became a closed-off fortress that no one was welcome to penetrate, least of all someone he professed to hate. That he was actually still with Seto was interesting… and probably for the best. Seto wouldn't let him do anything too hasty. "Yeah, why not? I'm sure that Seto will get him back to the hotel safely, right? They'll be able to call for a cab?"

"I'd stake my fortune on it," Yami replied, unbuckling his seatbelt. He leaned across Yuugi and pushed the door open, then sat back and gestured for Yuugi to get out first. "Where do you want to go?"

Yuugi paused and thought about it. Some place where they wouldn't get caught would be nice, since there was a good chance that the producers were probably looking for them. He was hungry but he wasn't sure he felt like sitting down to a meal at a restaurant. "How about a movie?" he suggested at last, opening up the driver's side door. It had been some time since he'd driven, but he was fairly confident he could do it. He had to adjust the driver's seat quite a bit to compensate for Seto's long legs. He got into the seat and closed the door. "I heard that there was a really good one playing."

"Sounds good to me. Lead on." Yami smiled, looking pleased by the prospect, and climbed in on the other. He slipped his hand into Yuugi's as Yuugi started the car up. Yuugi shot him a shy smile in response and pulled away from the curb.

YY

"Fuck," Jou muttered under his breath, stomach churning. He hesitated, watching the house closely. Sure enough, a moment later the front door swung open and Kawai Noriko stormed out. She was a short woman, barely taller than Shizuka, but she had such presence that she seemed like she towered over him. She was dressed in black heels, a black pencil skirt, a button-up white shirt, and a black suit jacket: must have just gotten off work. Her short auburn hair bounced around her shoulders as she stalked down the sidewalk, heading in their direction. Jou swallowed hard and shuffled back a step before remembering that Seto was standing beside him. He raised his chin, determined not to show weakness in front of the man.

"Hello, Ma," he said when she was close enough.

Noriko glared at him. "What are you doing here, Katsuya?" she demanded, propping her hands on her hips. This close, he saw that her honey colored eyes – the one feature he had inherited from her – were blazing with anger and her cheeks were flushed. "I distinctly remember telling you that you were not to come near our home or Shizuka. How dare you disobey me?"

"I just wanted to see Shizuka," Jou said, hating how meek his voice came out. Normally he could stand up to anyone, but there was something about his parents that made him feel like a child no matter how old he got. He didn't know if he would ever be able to look at the raw hatred on his mother's face and not feel like curling up into a little ball. It always made him remember how she had once looked at him with love.

"I don't want you to see her. I think I've made my opinion on this perfectly clear."

Yes, she had. She'd said as much on the day she left: "You're too much like your father." Those words had haunted him for years. Sometimes, like when he took so much as a sip of a beer or something alcoholic, they still did. He didn't want to end up like either one of his parents, but especially his father, but for some reason that was all Noriko could see when she looked at him. She didn't seem to possess the ability to separate the two of them in her mind. That's why she had left him behind and taken Shizuka, because she didn't want Shizuka to be 'tainted' by either one of them. Humiliation burned low in his stomach at the reminder, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

"Ma, I wouldn't do anything to her," he mumbled, cowed in spite of himself. "I have a job, you know. An apartment of my own. I don't… I just want to spend some time with my sister. I miss seeing her." He very carefully did not say that he missed Noriko too. It wasn't true, not any more, and she wouldn't have responded kindly to the sentiment, anyway. She'd made it apparent from the moment that she left him behind that she no longer considered him her son.

"The answer is no, Katsuya, and I want you and your friends to stop coming around." She leveled a look in Seto's direction, sweeping her eyes up and down his body like he wasn't fit to be standing on her street. "Shizuka's health is too fragile right now. She might get sick if she goes outside or pushes herself too much."

A dozen different arguments flooded Jou's mind. Shizuka went to school every day, so obviously she was fine being outside; she had even told him in one of their few e-mails that she'd joined a few after-school activities and was thinking of going out for cheerleading next year. The doctors were encouraging her to act like a normal, healthy teenaged girl instead of letting her previous illness rule her life. It was the only way she would ever become fully healthy. And even if Shizuka was feeling a little poorly, why couldn't he just come inside the house and see her? There was no need for her to take even one step outside if it was truly dangerous. She wouldn't have to push herself: Jou would be perfectly fine with just sitting on the edge of her bed and listening to her talk about her school and her friends. All he wanted to do was have the chance to listen and talk to her a little, to see her in person instead of settling for the scant letter.

But instead of saying anything, he closed his mouth. It was useless. There was no way Noriko would let him inside. She was too afraid that his very presence would somehow taint everything she had worked so hard for, like there was a tangible aura of bad luck or filth hanging around him. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard. It hurt. But he didn't want her to see that, even though he suspected it was probably obvious. And besides, if there was the off chance that Shizuka might actually get sick, he didn't want to push it. The thought of her being even slightly ill terrified him. He never wanted to see Shizuka in the hospital again.

"Alright, Ma," he said quietly, lacing his hands behind his back where she wouldn't see him squeeze them into fists. "I understand. I'm glad you're thinking about what's best for Shizuka."

Her face brightened and a parody of a proud smile swept across her lips. "That's a good boy, always thinking about your sister and putting her first," she said approvingly.

Jou managed a weak smile, hating how it actually made him feel good to hear her say that. Any trace of pride in her voice was like a balm and he soaked it up eagerly. He took another step back. "Let Shizuka know that I'll call her tonight," he said, even though he knew she wouldn't. It was far more likely that she would purposely get Shizuka out of the house so that the girl wouldn't be there if Jou did call, or that she would monitor the phone (they had caller ID, no doubt) so that she could ignore the phone. "Bye, Ma."

"Good-bye, Katsuya," Noriko said primly. She didn't move to go back to the house, just stood there waiting, and he knew that she didn't trust him. She would wait until he went back to the car, got in, and drove away, and then she would take Shizuka somewhere just in case he managed to double back.

He gave in. He turned on his heel and walked to the end of the street, refusing to look back even though he might have been able to catch a glimpse of Shizuka if he had. There was a familiar if painful burning behind his eyes and the last thing he wanted to do was to cry in front of Kaiba Seto. The man might have been a stranger to Jou – certainly they were not anything more than acquaintances – but it was already evident that he didn't tolerate weaknesses like emotion. Besides, his pride had taken enough blows for the day. All he wanted to do was go back to the hotel and pretend like everything was alright. He was already concocting a story that he could tell Yuugi that would make it seem like the visit had gone array just by mistake.

His body, though, didn't seem to agree. His vision was blurring and he could feel his breath coming more shakily, stuttering out of his body in thin gasps like he was running instead of walking at a slower than normal pace. He clenched his hands even tighter and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the tears back. There was no need for him to cry. Really, he shouldn't have been pinning his hopes so high in the first place. He should have known that Noriko would put her foot down. Shizuka would never go against her and Jou wouldn't ask her to. He could take a few more years… could wait until Shizuka was old enough to move out… if that ever happened. If Noriko didn't insist that they still live together even then.

A swell of bitterness raged through him and he shivered. "Guess you enjoyed that," he said raggedly, shooting a quick glance over his shoulder at Seto. The brunet was typing something into his cell phone, but when Jou spoke, he looked up. Jou turned hastily away before he could be caught staring and nearly missed the response.

"Sorry?"

Seto's voice was cool and Jou didn't have to turn around to know that those penetrating blue eyes were staring at his back. He ducked his head. "I guess you enjoyed that," he repeated. "Seeing me being taken down by someone else. Just a mutt, right? Probably think that I deserve what I got." Much to his horror, his voice cracked, and he fell silent even though there was a lot more he wanted to say.

There was a moment's pause during which he wondered if he'd be able to run before it became completely obvious that he was officially crying (like it wasn't already), and then two hands landed on his shoulders. He was pulled back against a warm chest as arms wrapped around him, holding him in place and preventing him from running away. Seto's head came to rest against the back of his neck as one hand rubbed soothing circles on his belly. It all happened in a flash, almost before Jou could react. He stared straight ahead, heart pounding furiously, wondering if he should try to pull free. Normally he didn't let anyone hug him like this, and he really didn't like the idea of Seto seeing him at his worst.

But. Seto wasn't looking at him. No one was, so no one could see that he was crying. Jou took a deep, shuddering breath and relaxed, letting his full weight rest against the firm body behind him. The arms around his waist tightened, holding him up. It felt surprisingly good, even if Seto was still an asshole. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back towards the sky, thinking about his little sister and wishing that he could've gotten the chance to see her just once. And if the position allowed him to rest the back of his head on the crook of Seto's shoulder as the tears slid down his cheeks, well, he'd never have to admit it.

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