Thank you for your kind reviews. Just a far warning that this chapter is longer than most of my chapters. I wanted to separate it, but there wasn't a good spot so I left it as one large chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter Ten

A few days later Jounouchi was already moved back into the mansion. The first thing he did was give the stuffed animal to Kaiba who cuddled it every night. The brunet looked peaceful during those times and obviously was having a slightly easier time sleeping. The dark circles were starting to disappear. Jounouchi started a new job as a busboy at a local restaurant. It didn't pay much, but it was enough to still send his rent to Yugi and Honda and have enough spending money left over. He worked during the breakfast and lunch rush every weekday with the weekends off. He wanted to make sure he was there for Kaiba when he needed it. After work each day, he would rush home to make dinner for both Kaibas and then spend the rest of the night making sure Kaiba went to bed at a reasonable time. He moved his original bedroom away from Mokuba's room to the room directly beside Kaiba's. The two rooms connected with a door that Jounouchi always left open. The blond slept lightly, always waking when he heard Kaiba crying in his sleep. Even though Kaiba became the new owner of Jounouchi stuffed animal, he always felt more comfortable when Jounouchi himself was present.

Jounouchi swiped his card at the register, finishing another exhausting day at work. He had only been back to work for a couple of months, and each day he was more tired than when he had two jobs over a year ago. As usual the black sedan sat out front waiting for Jounouchi. He smiled at the young red-head driver. "On time as always, Taki. You do know you don't have to be here so early."

"I want to make sure you get home in time."

Jounouchi chuckled. "Don't worry. I can cook quickly. Plus, Kaiba doesn't usually arrive home until late. Nothing to worry about."

Taki smiled. "I don't mind waiting for you."

The blond slouched slightly in the seat and covered his yawn with his hand. Taki frowned, knowing that the blond was pushing himself too much, but it wasn't his place to say. Just like everyone else, he wanted to see Kaiba back on his feet again. The tired, red-eyed and dark circled CEO wasn't the person Taki used to drive. The man used to be short tempered and demanding but polite to him. Now, Kaiba barely talked and it took a lot to get his temper flared. He shouldn't be complaining. It was nice to see a more calm man, but it shouldn't have been at the cost of his safety. Taki hated to see all the anger being replaced by exhaustion and a slight fear that Kaiba barely showed.

Taki glanced over at Jounouchi who had his eyes shut. He wondered how many nights the blond man stayed awake with Kaiba and how many times he tried to push the stubborn brunet into therapy. He pulled into the driveway of Kaiba's mansion. He was about to tap Jounouchi awake when the blond opened his eyes. He stretched his sore muscles and glanced over at the driver. "Thanks, Taki. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Of course, Jounouchi-san."

Jounouchi got out of the car and unlocked the empty mansion. He was used to the cleaning staff being gone now before he got home. The large, dark building was eerie when he just walked in. The subtle blow of the breeze from the front door creaked some of the floorboards. Like always, Jounouchi went through every room of the house, shutting all the doors that he asked the cleaning staff to leave open. He knew it was pointless because he could never keep track of the whole building, but it made him feel secure. Jounouchi moved down the stairs and into the kitchen. He didn't know what he wanted to make for dinner. There was only a small chunk of ground meat left over from last night's dinner. Shrugging, Jounouchi reached for it and took out a couple of cans of tomato sauce. "Spaghetti it is," he told himself. Once he had all the ingredients in the sauce and the water boiling for the noodles, he heard the front door slam. He glanced at the clock, noting that it was earlier than Mokuba's usual time to come home from school.

He shut all the burners off and came out of the kitchen just as footsteps went upstairs. He quietly followed the sound and checked Mokuba's room first. The young man wasn't in there. Even more confused. He walked further down the hallway and opened Kaiba's room. There the CEO lied faced down with his head buried in a pillow. Jounouchi frowned and walked over to the bed. Kaiba never came home early nor went straight to his room. The blond sat on the edge of the bed, knowing from past experience not to touch Kaiba right away. He watched Kaiba's back rise and fall with each quick breath. Finally when most of the tension seemed to melt away from him, Jounouchi ran his fingers down his back. The two didn't talk for several minutes, and Kaiba rolled to the side. He gently gripped Jounouchi's hand. "I'm okay."

"Flashback?"

"I thought I heard one of them."

"Where?"

"Directly outside the building when I was walking back from lunch."

"Did you see him?"

"No I walked back inside and tried to forget about it. I must have been hearing things."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Do you have cameras outside with audio?"

"Not with audio."

"Were there a lot of people outside?"

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention."

Jounouchi frowned. That wasn't like the brunet to not know everything around him. He couldn't blame him. "We should take a look at the video. Can you access it from here?" Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Okay. I take that as a yes. Let's do it while it's fresh in your mind."

Kaiba got up and moved out of the room and down to his office followed closely by Jounouchi. He sat down at the desk and began inputting his security codes while the blond pulled up a chair beside him. He skipped the video until he saw himself walking from the car that dropped him off after his lunch meeting with another business man. On the screen, Kaiba stopped for a second before walking quickly into the building. "Go back to where you stopped and pause the video. If you have other cameras put them at the same time. There aren't a lot of people at that moment."

Kaiba moved the screens around until he had three angles of the front of the building. "We can eliminate the women automatically."

"Not to sound weird but maybe not. What if he was dressed as a woman just to get close to you?"

Kaiba printed out the screen shots and pulled out a black marker. "What do I do next?"

Jounouchi smiled gently at him, knowing that Kaiba knew what to do next. He was doubting himself. "Do you remember what the body shape of that person was? Was he tall like you? Short? Heavy set? Super thin? Average weight?"

"Tall like me and average weight. He had a lot of muscle in his arms."

"Okay. Cross off the men and women that don't fit those standards."

Kaiba glanced through the small group of people. "That may be difficult. I think this one is almost as tall as me because I know I'm a little bit taller than that hedge. This one is defiantly too small." He crossed off one of the women talking to a taller man. After some thought, he crossed off the man as well. He continued to look at all three pictures until only a couple remained.

"Do you know what he said?"

"I think it was a reply to someone's question."

Jounouchi glanced at the pictures. "You can eliminate these two, more likely. They are not talking to someone and there isn't and ear piece or cellphone. That leaves three tall men. "Do any of them look familiar?"

"This one works in my payroll office. The other two are strangers."

"Roland said something about no one who worked for you could have been responsible. They all passed a polygraph test. Did he always work for you?"

"For several years. I don't think he was the one."

"So those two who are together. They are the closet to you. I think starting tomorrow we should increase the security around you and Mokuba. Who knows if they are planning something."

"And you."

"What?"

"If they are watching me then they know you live with me. We'll need to have you protected as well. I'll have a guard ride with Taki when he's driving you."

Jounouchi knew not to argue with him. It would make Kaiba more comfortable if he agreed to the extra security. The blond stretched and moved the chair away from the desk. "Make sure your security team has a picture of those guys that way they can look out for them. In the mean time, I need to finish dinner. I'm sure Mokuba should be home."

Kaiba moved away from the desk. "It's strange that he didn't come in here."

"He probably didn't expect you to be here and this is a large house."

The brunet frowned. "Do you need help finishing dinner?"

"Not really, but you could keep me company."

Kaiba rose and started for the door. "I think I can give you a couple minutes of my time."

"Oh? Like you're so busy at that this moment."

The CEO chuckled, feeling better now that he told someone about what happened. "My time is very valuable and expensive. You should be happy that I'm giving it to you for free."

"Ecstatic." Jounouchi laughed. "Admit it. You like my food so much you're craving it."

Kaiba smiled gently. "If only you knew." He turned away from the blushing blond and continued down the stairs. He reached the bottom and was instantly tackled by a ball of energy. Jounouchi walked behind Kaiba, keeping him on his feet. "Mokuba, what's wrong?"

"Your secretary said you left early. I thought something happened to you." The raven haired men wrapped his arms protectively around his older brother.

"I'm okay. I thought I heard one of the men from the time I was kidnapped. We're going to increase security around all of us."

Mokuba was shocked that not only was Kaiba talking to him about the kidnapping but that those men were still close enough around them. "We need more security around you more than any of us."

"I know that, but I'm not planning on being anywhere else but here and work."

"Let's continue this discussion in the kitchen so I can finish dinner." Jounouchi suggested, walking down the long hallway to the large kitchen.

Mokuba pulled himself up on one of the bar stools and sat at the island while Kaiba walked over to the stove. He dipped his finger in the sauce and put it in his mouth before Jounouchi could smack his hand. "You're going to contaminate the whole meal."

"Not like there isn't enough food here for you to start over."

The blond rolled his eyes and pushed Kaiba over to where his brother was laughing at them. He turned the heat back on the sauce and water, waiting for them both to boil again while he started on the salads. "Mokuba, you're going to have to be aware of your surroundings. These men could go after you to get to me."

"Nii-sama, I'm more concerned about them coming after you. You said you heard one."

"Mokuba, there were four people. One could be watching each of us. Don't lower your defenses. I want you to promise me you won't go anywhere without an escort."

"I should be telling you the same thing."

Jounouchi walked over and set three plates of salad down. "I think we should all make that promise. I don't want anything happening to any of us."

"Agreed," Kaiba said, drizzling some dressing on the salad.

Mokuba wrinkled his nose in disgust, choosing to eat his salad without dressing. Jounouchi walked back to the toaster oven and took out several pieces of garlic bread. He set those down in the middle of the table before returning to the stove for the spaghetti. Once everything was set, the blond dug into the dinner, scooping a serving for each Kaiba. Kaiba was the first to start eating, enjoying Jounouchi's cooking. "I think we should start writing down our schedules and locations and following it with no exemptions," Jounouchi said, nibbling on his salad.

"That sounds like a good idea," Kaiba answered. "I'll start coming home at the same time everyday."

I can cancel all of my after school activities until everything is settled. Then we can all plan to be back here around this time everyday."

"I think I can handle that as long as Jounouchi continues to make dinner."

The blond chuckled. "I don't see either of you jumping to help."

"I offered this afternoon. You said no."

"Only because it was nearly done."

"We can always hire a chef."

"Then how would I earn my rent?"

"I can think of something better," Kaiba purred.

Jounouchi blushed and glanced down at his food. "Too much information, Nii-sama," Mokuba groaned. "On that note, I'll leave you both alone and go do my homework."

Kaiba waited until Mokuba disappeared upstairs. He cleared his throat. "I didn't mean it like that."

Jounouchi leaned his head on his hand. "I know that. Do you think we still have a chance?"

"I don't think. I know. My feelings for you haven't changed. I'm sorry if in the beginning it seemed like I didn't love you anymore. I just didn't want you getting hurt."

Jounouchi pushed the rest of his food away, glad that they are finally talking. "Deep down I knew you still loved me. I wanted to give you all the time you need to recover, but I wanted to be with you more. I was torn between giving you space and wanting to hold you in my arms. I still think you should go to therapy not because you're not dealing with this well, but because I want you to get better. I want you to feel safe and not have to look over your shoulder. I want you to stop blaming yourself for putting Mokuba and I through all that. But, what I want more than anything else is for you to tell me how you felt during everything they did to you. I want know when you were in pain and scared. You may have even lost hope, but I want to hear all of that from your words."

The CEO frowned and stood from his seat. "This conversation needs privacy and some place more comfortable. I'll help you clean up." He picked up the dishes and packed away the spaghetti for later as well as putting the dishes in the dishwasher. They could handle that some other time. Once everything was spotless, Kaiba led the way up to his bedroom. He was quiet as if he was leading someone to their doom. He opened his door and fiddled with the suit he still wore. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he would be more comfortable without. Once he was in a pair of sweatpants and short sleeve shirt, he moved over to the bed and sat down with his back against the headrest, inviting Jounouchi.

Jounouchi moved over to the bed and sat down beside him. He didn't want to force Kaiba into starting, and he knew better than anyone how difficult it would be to announce that something scared him. He watched Kaiba as he placed his hands in his lap. He could tell through Kaiba's eyes that the man was thinking. His face remained void of any emotions, and his body didn't scream that he was nervous about anything. Finally after a few minutes, Kaiba licked his lips and began. "I don't quite know where to start so no better placed but the beginning."

Kaiba reached down and pulled the blankets over their legs. "After I dropped you off, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. Usually I could tell if someone was following me or if something seemed different. I was thinking about all the places we could go and was excited about finally telling you everything. I don't remember too much about the kidnapping besides being surrounding by vans and someone pulling me into one. I couldn't even tell you if I struggled with the kidnappers. I don't even know if they knocked me unconscious or injected me with a sedative. In fact, I don't even know if there really was a man with a werewolf mask. I said things so quickly during my statement that it sounded right at that moment. My first clear memory after dropping you off was waking to a room of darkness. At first, I was afraid that I was blind. That is one of my greatest fears is to lose my eyesight. After a few seconds, I looked down and could make out the outlining of my legs. I felt relieved that I wasn't blind, but I became confused. I couldn't move from the chair they tied me to. There wasn't anyone in the room. I couldn't believe that they would kidnap me. Most people that wanted money wouldn't kidnap the person who could get it for them. They must have known that Mokuba wouldn't have the authority to get the money."

Jounouchi wrapped his fingers around Kaiba's. The taller man was still not showing emotions, but his voice revealed more than anything. Kaiba gave Jounouchi a warm smile before continuing, loving the subtle form of comfort the blond gave him. "I don't know how long I sat there in the dark. My thoughts ran rampant. I feared that they were in the process of kidnapping you and Mokuba or worse, hurting both of you. I didn't know if we were all in separate rooms or if it was just me. Every second that went by my fear of your and Mokuba's safety grew. I knew that if they only wanted me, they would come immediately into the room. The first person that came was a large muscular man. He wore a black hood that covered all of his hair, sunglasses and what looked like a medical mask over his face. He was the one that I named the leader. He is the voice I thought I heard outside my office. He talked the most.

He told me that he wanted the security codes for getting into my system. I refused. He said that he would kill Mokuba if I didn't do what he said. I called his bluff even though I was terrified doing it. I knew that if he had Mokuba that he would show him to me. That's when he called down a man I named Bruiser. This guy was taller than me, muscles rippled all over his body. He wore basically the same type of mask and hood. At first I thought he would bring in Mokuba, but when he didn't I knew that they didn't have him. I didn't care what they did to me as long as Mokuba was safe. I figured once news came of my kidnapping that Roland would increase security around Mokuba, and it would take an army to get to my little brother. The only person I worried about was you. I had hoped that Roland would notice that you were important to me and would protect you as well, but he wasn't obligated."

Kaiba slid further down in the bed until his head rested on the back of the headrest. "They realized quickly that I knew they didn't have Mokuba. They started at just beating me. I could tolerate that. Bruiser had a strong punch and each hit that landed on me hurt worse than I was used to. But was nothing I couldn't deal with. They kept yelling at me, saying that the pain would stop if I gave them the information. I refused. The security codes would give them access to everything in my company. I would lose everything and all my employees would be affected. They also could use the codes to start a war in my name. I wasn't going to let any of that happen. They stopped after maybe a few hours. They left me there, bleeding and still tied to the chair. They never cleaned the blood up or treated any of my wounds while I was in that room. Oddly enough, I don't think I ever got an infection. Now that I think about it, the doctor never mentioned anything being severely wrong.

I spent a long time in that room. Some times they would throw bread and water at me just to keep me alive. Sometimes I wouldn't see them for several days. I lost a lot of weight, and they weren't smart enough to notice the ropes they tied me with loosened. I managed to squirm my way out of them. The only disadvantage was that I became too weak to do much. I got out of the room that they unwisely left unlocked. The light hurt my eyes, but I kept pushing my tired body up the stairs. I got as far as the next door before someone grabbed me. He was furious. He pushed me down the stairs. I think my arm was fractured. It hurt to move it, but I could still manage to do that. I tried to fight back, but nothing worked. He pulled me back into the room and set me down on the chair. He was different than the others, thinner and smaller. He also didn't wear sunglasses but wore everything else. He held me down while Bruiser and the boss came back in with one other person."

Kaiba stopped not sure if he could make it past the next part. He still had nightmares about it. He shook his head and closed his eyes for a second before continuing. "The boss was more angry at the others than me. He tried again to get my security codes, but the man holding me down had a strong grip on my arm. It sent continuous pain to my head. I could barely focus, but I still shook my head. He told the other two that it was too much of a risk to keep me here. They grabbed my hand." The CEO stopped. Jounouchi figured what was coming and continued to let him talk at his own pace. He pulled the brunet in his arms and gently ran his fingers up and down his back. "I think I could have tolerated them beating me, but the pain from them burning my fingers was excruciating. They didn't do it all at once. No, they had to burn each finger one at a time. I'm sure I screamed. I'm sure I pleaded for them to stop. I wanted to die! I didn't even think of you or Mokuba. I didn't care. I just wanted to die.

I was relieved when they finished. I thought they would stop at that but they didn't. They took a knife and carved the blusters that started to form off my fingers. When they were done, I could barely stay conscious. I never wanted anything more in my life but to die. Pain radiated everywhere from my body. My consciousness went in and out. I could feel them carrying my body and dumping it in an alleyway like some piece of trash. I tried to move at first, hoping to be able to get help, but it was a lost cause. After that, I didn't bother to fight or crawl my way out of the alleyway. I gave up. I'm so sorry. I should have fought more. I should have made my body move out of that alleyway. The hospital was right there. If I kept pushing, maybe I could have been found by some other doctor."

Jounouchi tilted Kaiba's head up. "You are not to blame. No one would be mad at you for wanting to die. What they put you through was horrific. Anyone would have wanted to die. I'm so proud that no matter what they did to you, you still kept them from getting what they wanted. Something inside of you wanted to stay alive and that is why you are still here. Stop beating yourself up for wanting to die. You reacted normally. I would be more afraid if you didn't want to die."

Kaiba sighed and curled into Jounouchi's arms. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me." The tension in the CEO's body slowly began to melt away. "But, I'm not finished."

"Take your time."

The brunet sighed before slowly going through the last of the event. "The next time I remembered gaining consciousness was inside the hospital. I wasn't in a lot of pain just uncomfortable. I felt relieved that someone must have found me. I was excited about seeing you and Mokuba again. I felt like I managed to save everyone. That was until I realized I wasn't alone in the room. That doctor was there and he sat close by. I was confused. He had a syringe in his hand and a look on his face that screamed he was a despicable person. I wanted to get away from him but I slightly trusted him. I never knew an evil doctor could work freely in a hospital. He told me that he wanted those security codes, and until he got them, I wasn't ever leaving that room. He threatened Mokuba, saying that somewhere down the line my security would slip up enough for them to get him. I still refused. I knew Roland well enough to never be far away and to be able to find Mokuba quickly, especially with me missing. I felt arrogant but smart. I knew all these things. When I refused, he injected me with something, and I fell right back to sleep.

This happened several times. Each time I awoke he was there until he slipped one day. I woke on my own. The drug he gave me must only work for several hours. He probably had to give it at the same time everyday. I don't know why he missed it, but it took me several minutes to get my muscles moving. I searched for that button to summon the nurses, but it wasn't there, not that I would trust them. I tried to leave the room. I ripped all the wires off and painfully crawled out of bed. You know that feeling when your foot falls asleep and it's starting to wake. That needle pricking pain was all over my body. I managed to walk halfway across the room before he came in. He glared at me, roughly slamming me back on the bed. He was furious, and I knew he couldn't do much psychically to me because someone might notice. So, I didn't fear him as much as I used to. He injected me again without even asking about the security codes. That was the last time I awoke without him present before you came."

Kaiba shivered slightly and pulled the blankets up to his chin. Jounouchi slid further down until he was lying with the brunet in his arms. "I heard your voice through the darkness. I couldn't will my eyes to open or my body to move. I don't know how you found me, but you were talking as if you didn't know it was me. I struggled and fought my way back. I didn't know who you were talking to but I knew you were close. I pleaded to every god to help me reach you. I feared you would leave before I had a chance to see you. You have no idea how happy I was when I opened my eyes and you were there. I didn't care how you found me. I knew you'd never let anyone hurt me. You proved that several times by not letting that doctor near me. I knew he had that drug. I knew he was trying to manipulate you into believing that I only woke temporarily."

Jounouchi placed a kiss on Kaiba's cheek. "I knew something was wrong. Someone as powerful as you should have alarmed normal doctors. They would have reported you right away if they were a good person. He didn't strike me as someone to trust. Are you feeling slightly better getting all that out of you?"

Kaiba nodded and closed his eyes. "I feel relieved. I knew you wouldn't leave me, but that inner demon was making it difficult to resist what he was saying. I feared that you'd leave me alone before I could ever apologize to you. I didn't want you to learn how badly I wanted to die then. I'm selfish and could never forgive myself for conceding." Jounouchi pushed Kaiba onto his back and propped himself up on his right arm, silencing the CEO. "What is it?"

The blond ran his finger down his cheek and along his chin. "I've never seen that expression on your face before. Someone as strong as you should never show that face."

"What are you talking about?"

"You looked hopeless like you had nothing left in your life. How many times do I have to beat this into that genius mind of yours? I'm not leaving you. Mokuba is not leaving you. You won't lose anything. It doesn't matter what thoughts went through your head. I thought I just told you it's okay to think that way when someone is hurting you beyond anything you've ever experience. All that matters is you fought enough to return to us." Jounouchi leaned down and placed a gentle kiss in his lips. "Please don't ever think that way again. You are still the strong, proud man you were in the past. Do you know how many people in your company told me they were proud of you? You walked back in that door with your head held high. You went through that pain not just to protect yourself and your money, but to protect us and everyone else that may have been affected. I know that each one of your employees would become far more loyal to you if you told them what those people wanted. I know I would have. You saved a lot of lives by going through that horrible event. I don't ever want to hear you call yourself selfish again. You have beautiful soul that matches your physical body, Kaiba. It's time you see it again."

Jounouchi slid off him and gently lifted the brunet off the bed. He made him stand in front of the mirror. "Right now, you have dark circles under your eyes from the restless nights those men caused you to have even those circles don't seem as dark or large as they were. Your cheeks and eyes are red and puff, but that doesn't hide the spectacular blue eyes from glistening through." The blond ran his fingers down Kaiba's back. "You are slowly gaining your weight and muscles back. You're not exactly where you were before you were kidnapped, but that doesn't mean it's stopping you. This brain of yours may be your greatest strength but it is also your greatest weakness. Even through the pain and suffering of being tortured you never stopped thinking. I admire the fact that you were able to call their bluff. However, this mind of yours kept thinking even after you were safe. It kept pushing you into thinking horrible things about yourself. Things that weren't true."

The ex-duelist pulled him out of the room and back downstairs. Kaiba didn't fight him. He was curious on what else Jounouchi had planned. Jounouchi led him into the living room and pulled open a drawer that he hadn't looked at since Kaiba's returned. Inside were numerous articles and pictures. "I kept this from you until the time you needed it the most. You need to see what the world thinks of you." He took the drawer out and walked over to the couch, sitting down with Kaiba next to him. He handed him one article at a time along with several pictures of the events. "When you first were kidnapped, people of all ages came to lay flowers and lit candles outside of the mansion. They held prayer groups of every time. Everyone was praying and hoping for your safe return. We had to clear out the flowers and gifts ever day. I personally did that only because Mokuba wasn't completely mentally there. Ever person that was there when I would come out, shook my hand and made me promise that I would let Mokuba know that they were praying for your safe return. The news had your face plastered on every paper and channel in the world. The amount of support only slowly died when we reached nine months. People began to morn. Everyone one of your employees wore something black and blue every day. The black represented their sadness and the blue was the hope that you would return."

Jounouchi handed him several pictures of all his employees. "They never gave up on you even when the board members pushed them to stop wearing those items. Mokuba put a stop to that instantly. He told them that they had no right to tell them to stop. We received donations from every organization all of which went to a fund set up that paid the police and your private security that continued to search for you. Mokuba and I decided that we wanted to collect everything that said something about you. I didn't know this until the first day I returned to the mansion with you. Mokuba showed me pictures and articles of the day I found you."

He reached inside and pulled out the last of the pictures and news articles. "Countries all around the world held a celebration. They were happy that you were finally back. Your staff here in the mansion cleaned everything up and set new flowers everywhere. They were ecstatic that you were finally going to return home. Your employees changed their black and blue to white and blue. Even though you weren't welcomed home with smiles and everyone telling you how happy they were to have you back, they showed it in less subtle ways. They respected the fact that you would not want to be bombarded with happiness and knew that you might not be ready for so many people wanting to be near you. You see, Kaiba, even though you may have wanted to concede to death and never see this world again, there are people everywhere happy that you are finally home. And, I know every one of them would not think less of you if they found out that you thought once during that whole year you were gone that you wanted to die. That is not what is important here." Jounouchi put all the pictures and articles back in the drawer and placed it at his feet. He flipped Kaiba's hands over and looked at the still scarred fingertips. "These should never be proof of your shame. They should be symbols of your bravery. I love you, Kaiba, no matter what. I will never leave your side nor would your brother."

Kaiba smiled gently at Jounouchi. "I think all my employees need a special thank you from their grateful boss."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I think it should be a surprise even for you. But, first," Kaiba yawned. "I need more sleep. Will you join me tonight?"

"Of course." Jounouchi smiled and walked back up to Kaiba's room hand in hand with his lover. The two settled in each other's arms. Kaiba felt warmer then he had been feeling and safe in Jounouchi's strong arms. Plans of what he wanted to do for all his loyal employees remained in his mind, but he wasn't going to think of it that night. Right now he needed to do something for himself. He needed to sleep and nothing in his mind could stop him from doing that.

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I hope none of that was too overwhelming to anyone. The next chapter will be up on Friday. Thank you all for reading. Please review.

Angel Dove