Title: Erotic Nightmare Summary: Seto Kaiba is in desperation to rid himself of a dream that has been plaguing him night after night. Finally after asking for help, he determines it is more than just a nightmare; but a premonition for Jounouchi's death.
Author: Dvorak
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Kaiba/Jou
Beta: Jennie B with the help of Rienna Hawkes
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, it title belongs to the great Kazuki Takahashi.
Chapter Ten - Guilt
Seto Kaiba stood dumbfounded as he looked at the almost lifeless body sprawled beneath him. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. It was as if some otherworldly force had paralyzed his whole body. As the CEO continued to stare at Jounouchi, he noticed the blonde's chest beginning to move rapidly. The shock coursing through Kaiba was immediately overtaken by extreme worry. Bending his knees, the brunette gently cradled Jou's limp body in his lap. "Jou?" he whispered, trying to remain calm in case the blonde regained consciousness. All he could hear in the deafening silence was the ragged breathing from the pup. "I'll get you to a hospital." Kaiba swallowed the large lump in his throat.
As gently as he could, Seto picked up the blonde and headed to the door where he had come in. 'Bakura might have set another trap and with Jou, I am too vulnerable to follow him now.' Quickly, he made his way down the winding halls which all looked exactly the same every time he turned a corner. It wasn't long before the CEO found himself very disoriented by the darkness and his adrenaline rush. He didn't know which way to turn, or where he had come from. He looked down at Jounouchi, who lay helplessly in his arms. Blood was seeping through his clothes, which made Kaiba's heart race even more. 'I have to get help.'
The brunette continued down the hall, suddenly finding a door ajar. He almost thought that it was from the room he had just been in; but upon closer inspection, he discovered the flight of stairs he had descended earlier. Pushing the door open, the brunette saw the light from the room where Jou had previously been held 'captive,' as Bakura had said. Kaiba thought about going though the window rather than risk losing himself again in the winding halls. "Hopefully this won't hurt you; I have already done more than enough," whispered, deciding on the first option.
As carefully as he could, Seto managed to throw his right leg out the window, pleased that his height made it easier. Now came the hard part: maneuvering his torso and Jou's whole body out of the opening. "Shit!" Kaiba cursed as Jounouchi's head almost collided with the frame. Finally, only the brunette's leg remained on the other side. Swiftly, he pulled his foot out of the window and realized that he was standing outside. Blue eyes searched the premises for their location. 'Where are we?'
Seto gently laid his love down on the grass trying not to cause him any more damage. Then, as if in a perfect world, his cell rang. "Kaiba," he answered.
"What's your position?" It was his head bodyguard.
"We are at the perimeter of the house, I believe on the east end. I need the medics ready immediately to treat gunshot wounds," Kaiba ordered, hoping his medical team would have the proper equipment on hand for Jounouchi. As they waited, the brunette grabbed Jou's cold hand. He mentally pleaded with the blonde for forgiveness - but who Seto Kaiba really needed to forgive was himself.
The waiting room was vacant and cold - Kaiba wouldn't have had it any other way. He needed the solitude and isolation to think. Too soon, he was interrupted by Yugi, Anzu, and Honda. As soon as they spotted the weary CEO, the group immediately started asking the first and only question that came to their minds.
"Kaiba! Is Jou going to be all right?" Yugi demanded, almost hoping that the brunette would outright lie to him, telling him that his best friend would be fine.
"I don't know. The surgeons are working on him. Just sit and wait." Kaiba was blunt and to the point.
Anzu didn't like the direction the conversation was headed. She wanted to know what had happened to Jou, since he was supposed to have been in Kaiba's care. She had heard of the awful dream from Yugi, which had had her worried ever since. "Kaiba, you have been through a lot tonight. You really should talk about it with us; it will help," she said quietly, sitting next to the stoic CEO.
"The only person I want to talk about this with, I can't," Seto whispered, thinking of Katsuya.
Three long hours had passed with still no word from the doctor. Kaiba had the best men on hand; if they couldn't save Jounouchi, then no one could. He thought about the night's events, how the fault seemed to run back to him. The blue-eyed teen thought that Bakura seemed more innocent now than even himself. At least the thief hadn't shot Jou three times. All Seto wanted to do was end the dream so he could have a chance to work with the blonde on their new relationship. 'The stupid mutt made his mistake by trusting me.' Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose, coming to terms with reality. 'Even if he does survive, I don't think I can be with him. I don't deserve his forgiveness.'
"Kaiba?" Yugi said, seeing a doctor approach the waiting room.
The brunette's controlled emotions wavered as he saw Dr. Suzuki's uniform from under the large, white coat. It was spotted with blood on his right side; the man apparently thought he had done a good enough job of covering it up. 'If he wasn't the best damned doctor in Japan, I would fire him,' Kaiba thought, standing to greet Suzuki.
"Mr. Kaiba," the doctor greeted. "Jounouchi survived the surgery." Yugi, Anzu, and Honda sighed as the heavy burden on their hearts was lifted - although, Kaiba's still remained.
"Can we see him?" the girl asked, worried for her close friend.
The doctor cleared his throat. "Well, it will be some time before Jounouchi wakes. He is in a coma now, and we don't know when he'll regain consciousness. There is another potential threat; Jounouchi lost a lot of blood. He had a lot of internal bleeding from a bullet puncturing his artery, so we don't know how much brain damage that may have caused, and there may be some muscle damage from the lack of oxygen. He may also have short-term memory loss when he wakes, but I am not certain. He could wake up perfectly fine."
Kaiba didn't know how he was going to face Katsuya. Would the blonde be mad? Forgiving? Or not remember a thing? The CEO knew what he deserved, but what he wanted was for everything to go back to how it had been before he had met Jounouchi, before the erotic nightmare. He was a bad influence for the blonde, and the best thing right now was for him to leave. 'I caused your pain. Bakura may have played us for pawns, but I was the one who pulled that trigger so recklessly.' The guilt left a tightening in the CEO's throat as he knew what had to be done. He could never see Katsuya Jounouchi again.
He could hear faint voices around him. They seemed very recognizable, but he couldn't place the memory. The blonde tried desperately to open his eyes, to see the familiar faces he once knew. Light filled his senses; pain seared his eyes from the harsh rays, and finally, Jounouchi was open to his surroundings, looking around frantically for any sign of his friends. "Yugi…?" he said very weakly. His throat was dry, and his jaw seemed too heavy to want to form any words.
To his right, he could see Anzu's back as she was talking to Honda. They were dressed in their school uniforms, discussing the assignment from their math teacher. The blonde continued searching, wanting to find Yugi.
"Huh? Oh God, Jou!" Anzu noticed her now conscious friend.
"Doctor Suzuki!" Tristan yelled, running out of the room.
"Jou, are you all right?" Anzu asked, wanting to hug her friend, but not willing to take the risk of hurting him more.
The blonde nodded, not wanting to talk anymore than he had to. "Water," he pleaded, silently. As the girl nodded to his request, Jou saw Honda walk in with another man. "What happened to me?" He hadn't had the faintest recollection of ever being in a serious fight, or playing any Shadow Games
"You were shot…three times," the doctor said reluctantly, shining a light in the blonde's eyes. Jounouchi's body stiffened as he heard the news. Who would shoot him and why? It didn't make any sense. Katsuya tried to remember what had happened. Hopefully, no one else had been hurt, especially Serenity. "Do you remember anything, Mr. Jounouchi?" the tall man asked, pulling away his stethoscope.
"I-" He tried to focus on the last thing he had seen, but the memory was hazy. Then Jou registered what his doctor had said. "Wait; who the hell shot me!" Everybody looked at one another uneasily, knowing that without Jounouchi's memory, the blonde was going to have a fit. "Well someone had better tell me; don't I deserve ta know!" Still, the room was silent. "What? Did I shoot myself or somethin'?"
"No, Mr. Jounouchi." The older man stepped forward, sighing as he took off his glasses. "Seto Kaiba did...you have been in a coma for six months."
The blonde blew up in a rage. "What the fuck! Kaiba! I will kill that son-of-a-bitch as soon as I shoot him three times! I knew he was out to get me!"
A glass shattered to the floor, followed by the quick steps of a dark-haired woman. "Seto, what happened?"
"Just got a chill, I'm fine." Blue eyes turned to the broken shards and the brown liquid that seeped further away from the damage. A new cup of coffee would have to be made.
Hours had passed, and it still seemed that Jounouchi wasn't going to stop until he had dealt with Kaiba. No one knew exactly what had happened between the two teens; that information had been kept confidential by the police. And of course, Seto Kaiba would never share anything so personal with anyone but Mokuba.
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the noise stopped. Yugi boldly went into the large room where Serenity sat at her brother's side. "Ah, Serenity! I was wondering why I didn't hear any yelling." Jounouchi's only retort was to scratch his nose with a well placed middle finger.
A few moments later, Dr. Suzuki walked in with a clipboard and pen. "I am going to have to ask you both to leave the room," he requested. Hastily, Yugi and Serenity walked out, shutting the large door behind them.
"So, what's up Doc?"
"I have come to suspect that you may have some memory loss from the lack of blood to the brain. You blame everything solely on Mr. Kaiba - you have no clue what really happened on that night you were shot."
Jou growled low, "All I know is that Moneybags pointed his gun at me!"
"What is the last thing you remember?" Suzuki interrupted before another outburst occurred.
Jou looked down to his lap, clenching his eyes to try and see an image. "Umm, getting a glass of water and smelling something sweet…It was Bakura! He put a cloth over my face!"
"And that is all?"
"Yes, everything else is blurry and makes my head hurt." Katsuya's right hand lifted to his temple, massaging away the tight, throbbing ache.
"So you do have short term memory loss. I hope for everyone's sake that you get them back soon. Now onto our other problem…"
"What are you talkin' about Doc? I feel perfectly fine…watch!" The blonde swung his feet over the bed, pushing himself off with both arms. As soon as gravity took control, the limp body tumbled to the floor with a thud. Jou tried to move, but only his hands seemed to be working. "What the fuck? I-" Tears welled up in both eyes, dropping down Katsuya's pale face as soon as he blinked. "I can't walk!"
TBC