AbhorsenSabriel87: Let me start off with an apology.
Hiei: For what? You were on sabbatical.
Sabriel: Yeah, but I took off without warning everyone.
Hiei: Who really cares?
Sabriel: All the people who kept PMing and emailing and reviewing that they wanted me to update my stories.
Hiei: ...Again, who cares?
Sabriel: --sighs-- Fine, whatever. I own nothing but my own twisted plots.
Hiei: Thank the gods.
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---Bright white sunlight streamed through the barely shaded windows, and the simplistic harshness of it made Jou wince. True, normally he liked daylight, but in hospitals every seemed so amplified and cruel. Shifting, he noticed Mokuba was still asleep in his lap and smiled, feeling some of the brotherly care return to him. It was so cute; Mokuba with his girlishly long hair and effeminate features sleeping like some enchanted princess.
---"Now you know where I got the game idea from." Snapping his head up, eyes wide with shock, Jou nearly sprang to his feet when he saw the other teen smirking at him. Worse for the wear didn't cover it; while the brunette was awake and sitting up, the detoxing made his skin seem paler than normal and like he'd just gotten off a 20-year addicton to heroine. Even still, he was smirking at Jou with an unusual playfulness and a familiar challenge in those cobalt blue eyes. Chuckling to himself, Jou shook his head, the soft blonde hair flicking about it aimlessly.
---"Nice ta know dat you can read minds, Kaiba," he laughed, grinning broadly. "So, you always think your brother was girly, or was that just lack-o'-sleep inspiration talkin' ta ya?"
---"A bit of both, actually," the other admitted, looking at the sleeping child with an emotion that was rare to cross his features; love. "I always told him that it was too long, but he insisted on keeping it. It's always tangled, too, because he never takes care of it." Shaking his head, Seto smiled, which (in Jou's opinion) brightened his demeanor beautifully. "But ranting while he's asleep does nothing constructive, does it?"
---"Not a damn bit," the blonde agreed, returning the smile. They looked at each other for a bit, not speaking yet understanding and comparing the other's strength. "Listen, Seto, about the other night-"
---"Don't worry about it. I figured it was too quick to expect much." Jou quirked an unamused eyebrow at the brunette, who held up his hands in the universal signal for "don't shoot the messenger". "I didn't mean that I expecting nothing from you; only that I knew this probably wasn't the right time for you to forgive me."
---"Yeah, you're goin' ta have ta work pretty damn hard ta get on my good graces again."
---"My God; I never knew I was on them in the first place. I really have to watch where I step next time." At that, Jou had to laugh. It always was funny whenever the elder Kaiba used sarcasm, even when against those around him most often.
---"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, smartass." Jou shook his head, still chuckling. He wished he'd had someone to share moments like these with when he was a kid. During the past couple of years he had Honda, but the two never exactly got along. It was like putting a housebroken wolfhound with an army-trained doberman; they were on two completely different levels. Even still, he could feel the smile slipping from his face as he thought about what would happen when he had to leave, when they had to go back to their lives as they were before. As if nothing had happened, nor ever would again.
---"Jou?" Startled, Jou looked at his lap to see Mokuba staring at him sleepily, looking so much like Yuugi it was uncanny. Instantly, a reassuring smile returned to his face, almost second-nature whenever someone was worried about him and he didn't feel like showing his moments of weakness.
---"Hey there, kid. Your bro's up; why'n'cha go see how he's doin'?" The first half of the second question was barely off this lips when the dark-haired boy sprang up and ran over to his elder sibling. While the two were preoccupied with their minor reunion, Jou stood and left, not wanting to impose any further on the people he now knew to be just like everyone else; a little lost and afraid with a strong bond with the only people they trusted.
---He didn't say goodbye to Mai as he left the hospital.
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---How many hours had it been? Had it been days? She didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't fuck up again. If she did, they'd do worse. And by all Hell as her witness, she knew how much worse they could be.
---They were smart, she discovered; they left no bruising on her arms or face other than the strap-marks on her wrists from the belt and her busted lip. It left her without visible proof of what happened. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't go to the cops; Julian had a strange way with people, and he'd find a way to keep one or all of them out of the slammer long enough to kill her and run. And as much as she wanted her bastard, faggot cousin to pay for what he did to her, she wasn't quite ready to die yet.
---All she had to do now was wait. Wait until this whole thing with those damn brats was done with, and then she could go back home.
---Then again, what would be the point? There or here, it was the same fucked-up story. Working for whoever needed her just so she could pay the bills, turning tricks every night to keep her damn uncle away from her... It didn't matter that she was in Japan now rather than Scotland; the same rules still applied, which meant that she was powerless.
---Glancing up, she noticed something interesting walking from the hospital and down a street adjacent to her. A thought flashed into her head, a smirk creeping over her lips.
---She maight not be able to take out Kaiba right now, but his little lapdog would work just as well. Turning down the street and following without being seen, she plotted her revenge and strategy.
---After all, with her new hardware, how hard could it be?
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---"But Mr. Kaiba, you're not ready to leave yet-"
---"I'm ready, now move."
---"Mr. Kaiba, you haven't fully finished detoxifying yet-"
---"I don't care. Send the bill to the secondary address in your records; I'll deal with them later."
---"Mr. Kai-" Slam. The door flew shut in the face of the red-haired doctor as Seto Kaiba stormed out of the hospital, completely livid. He couldn't really believe that Jou had just run out like that in his condition. Though it wasn't too much of a far cry to guess why, it still annoyed him. More surprisingly, it worried him, too. So, in order to keep himself under control, he'd take Mokuba to their safehouse and keep him safely there until he could find the blonde idiot. Then, he could have his little blow-up, and they'd all be fine. Flagging down a taxi with a flick of his hand that was known throughout the dueling world, he looked down at Mokuba's expectant face.
---"Where're we going, Anii-san?" Kaiba opened the door for his little brother and climbed in, closing the door behind him as the dark-haired boy strapped his seatbelt on. Looking up at the driver with his infamous icy glare, he gave the address of the safehouse.
---"Right away, Mr. Kaiba," the driver answered, setting the car into gear and pulling onto the main road. The driver glanced into the rearview mirror once and brushed his black hair out of his eyes, keeping the azure sights on the road.
---Just you wait, Katsuya Jounouchi, Kaiba fumed angrily as they drove off. Once I'm through with you, it'll be your half-assed match with Ryuji Otogi all over again; dog-suit, howling, and all.
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---How stupid can you be? Jou thought darkly, kicking a random can on the side of the road with enough force to send it crashing into a pile of glass bottles left out for the night. The people who care about you most are trying to help you, and you just shove them all away. What the Hell are you afraid of, you cowardly moron? Sighing to himself, he looked up as he walked, eyes on the skies of Domino City. He knew what he was afraid of; he was afraid that bastard he lived with would find out he actually had friends and do something about it. Who in their right mind wouldn't be scared of that with his dad?
---Even still, it felt weird. He had actually made friends with the person he'd thought to be his worst enemy, and so long as no one else found out what really happened, they all would be able to live with it. Sighing, he stopped walking, now agitated.
---"Come on out, ya big bastard," he called. "I'm not afraid of ya. I kick yer ass once, I can do it again." He didn't even turn around as the person following him stepped out from alley behind him and chuckled darkly.
---"Nice to know your ears work, shrimp," he called back, something that he couldn't see clicking loudly. "But this time, I've picked a game that involves some skill." Jou turned just in time to catch the Duel Disk thrown at him.
---"How's about see if you're as good as people think you are." Scowling darkly, Jou took the deck of cards from his pocket and put them sharply into the deck slot and clicked the disk onto his wrist.
---"Let's party, jackass."
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Sabriel: I thought there needed to be a few card games, so here's one. It has a twist that you will find out about in the next chapter.
Hiei: Provided you actually write it.
Sabriel: ...You're not helping.
Hiei: Hn. Whatever.
Sabriel: Sorry it's so short, it will be longer next time. 'Till then, au revior.