A faint buzzing noise woke the exhausted teen. He groaned as he saw a slim rectangle vibrating against the shabby end table near his head. 'Jou's phone- seems the dolt forgot it when he left.'

Something the blonde had said earlier that day had caught Seto's attention, and he glanced back at the device. 'I suppose he won't mind if I borrow this for a quick search...' The older teen easily unlocked the smartphone, and began entering certain keywords into a popular search engine.

Only one major story popped up that caught his attention, but he almost dismissed it. After all, it was about a murder trial.

'Tch- as if that could be Jou. That goof couldn't smack a fly with a flyswatter...'

Still, the bored brunette clicked on the corresponding link, and an old newspaper article instantly appeared... with a photo of a teenager being led into a courtroom by a corrections officer.

'Wait...' Two blue eyes grew large in shock. There was no mistaking that golden, oddly-shaped haircut; nor the gangly figure attached to it. 'No...' His gaze drifted down to the accompanying article, his jaw going slightly slack as he read the first paragraph.

'Officer Higashi escorts the juvenile suspect (a known gang member with priors) into Domino Courtroom #3 while the victim's family members hurled insults and even pieces of garbage...' Seto's eyes frantically darted further down the page, '-accused of second-degree murder after killing a rival gang member in a street brawl- the boy died just hours after being taken to Domino General Hospital- only 16 years old at the marked time of death...'

'Holy ****, he killed a kid.' A horrific thought suddenly struck the outpatient as he realized he was alone in the apartment.

"MOKUBA!"

Seto tried to leap to his feet, but he could still barely get up on his own. Panic and nausea threatened to overwhelm his heavily-medicated body, while his inner thoughts began reeling.

'What have I done?!'

His insides gave a violent twist, and he leaned over towards the floor as he retched. He was still in the process of emptying his stomach onto the ragged carpeting when the front door opened.

"-So then I said, 'well that ain't no sandwich I've ever heard of!'" Jou and Mokuba were still sharing a laugh when they noticed the sounds coming from the injured apartment owner.

Jou quickly ran over to the incapacitated teen and knelt down next to the couch. "Whoa- Kaiba?! Wha' happened?! Didja take the wrong meds?! Should I call 9-1-1?!" Jou reached out a hand to steady the other's shoulders, but it was immediately slapped away.

The blonde Samaritan barely had time to react to the rejection before it was followed by a violent screech, delivered at the top of the other's lungs. "GET THE **** AWAY FROM HIM!"

Jou jumped at least a full foot in the air before glancing confusedly at Mokuba. "I- what?" But the younger brother was just as clueless, and rather frightened- his big brother almost never cussed; especially in front of him!

Mokuba glanced nervously at Jou before looking back at his sibling. "Seto?! What's wro-"

The look on the other Kaiba's face was one of pure hatred, and he hissed accusingly at their only visitor. "What's wrong is that this monster has been lying to you- he's a murderer!"

"..." The former street thug said nothing. He shifted his gaze down towards the tainted carpet without a single word.

Mokuba looked as if he'd been slapped across the face, and he blinked in disbelief. "Jou?!"

'You really can't run forever...' The lanky auto mechanic sighed. "... it's true."

Mokuba felt his mouth fall open, but made no effort to close it. "No- what?!"

"That's parta the reason why my gang let me go- liability an' all that. Everyone thinks a body count boosts your street cred; but that's only if you don' get caught."

The older sibling wasn't nearly as stunned, and he summoned his strength to make things perfectly clear. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT. GO NEAR MY BROTHER AGAIN, AND IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU DO!" The brunette's voice started to give out halfway through, but he still managed to get his meaning across.

Jou said nothing as he stiffly marched back outside. He firmly closed the old door behind him before heading down the rusting stairs. He then walked away from the cheap complex, his warm eyes growing moist with regret.

Meanwhile, inside the now closed unit, the two brothers began arguing. Mokuba seemed to still be in disbelief over Seto's claim, and he even said so. "Seto, Jou's not a bad guy! He's just got really bad luck! You know he wouldn't do anything like that on purpose!"

The tired young adult groaned. "Mokuba, he used to be in a gang. He probably fought with other street thugs just for fun."

"But he's not some sort of monster! Don't you care?!"

"Care? Mokuba, did he care when he killed another teenager just because they were in different street groups?!"

The tweens shoulder's dropped as he sullenly retorted, "you don't know he did that..."

Seto let out a sigh as he prepared to give his beloved brother a very harsh life-lesson. "Mokuba, he admitted it to both of us. Innocent people don't admit to things they didn't do- you know that."

But his words did little to pacify the pre-teen, and Mokuba started openly sobbing as he hugged his big brother's (mostly un-injured) waist. "NO! It's not true! It just can't! Not Jou! He's a good guy!"

"It's not always that simple, Mokie." Feeling more and more sympathetic for the heartbroken boy, Seto softened his tone. "Sometimes... people make bad choices."

"Then... do you hate me now, too?! I got caught shoplifting earlier today, and Jou got me out of it!"

For one brief moment, Seto thought that Mokuba meant Jou had 'taken care of' whoever had caught him. But then he remembered how the pair had been laughing when they'd arrived back- obviously he'd found a different resolution...

'In that case, at least.' His emotions still boiling, Seto raised his voice just slightly. "Mokuba, there's a major difference between shoplifting and murder. I'm tired of trying to defend him- he did something terrible and never even told us. Even if it was only by omission, he still lied about what he's done. It was only because I didn't know he was a near-felon that I entrusted him with your safety and care- on multiple occasions. How would you feel if you found out one of your teachers was secretly a killer?"

But the stubborn boy only shook his head from side to side, his black bangs flying everywhere. "He found Auto a home! He got you a job! He saved me from the bullies!"

Seto finally let a faint growl slip into his tone. "Mokuba, none of those things can bring someone back from the grave! He killed someone barely older than yourself!" He could feel something inside himself growing cold as he denounced the kindly blonde. "I don't want to hear another word about that monster, and that's final."

Mokuba looked devastated, but knew better than to try and keep arguing. Seto was tired, injured, and utterly stubborn. Convincing him that he was wrong... would just have to wait.

So the next hour passed in awkward silence. Mokuba occasionally gave a sniffle, but the only other sounds in the apartment came from the spray bottle of bargain 'all-purpose' cleaner Seto was using. He felt his frustration building as he attempted to 'freshen up' the worn carpeting. 'Quite frankly, the stained part looks better than the rest, if only because it doesn't look so completely sun-faded...' the technology expert reflected wryly. He had just finished throwing away the used paper towels when both brothers heard a familiar *buzz* sound coming from the nearby end table.

'Oh, great...' Seto sighed as he grabbed the smartphone.

The caller ID read 'Hige's Auto', which meant the caller was likely 'Uncle' Hige. Seto sighed as he glanced over the name- he figured Jou would eventually tell his Uncle what had happened. 'Hmph- probably calling to tell me I'm now un-employed... joy.' Still, he answered on the third ring with his usual greeting. "Seto Kaiba speaking."
"Hey Kaiba! Sorry to bother ya, I was hopin' to catch your lil' brother- Jou told me you've been needin' your beauty rest lately!" There was a deep chuckle from the other end. "But seriously, I hope you're feelin' better- the main computer's been runnin' like a new Ferrari ever since you worked on it, so we're all lookin' forward to having you back!"

'Wait- he wants me to come back? Even after what happened with Jou?' Something seemed strange, and the brown-haired man listened closely as the other voice prattled on.

"Now, normally I wouldn't wanna trouble ya; but if you see Jou, tell that knucklehead I'm lookin' for 'im, wouldja? He was supposed to drop off a part up by Toshi Street before two, an' now I can't get ahold of 'im. Probably takin' a five-course lunch break!" The second round of laughter convinced Seto that the man was entirely clueless as to what the 'technician' had just learned. "Anyway, he said he was gonna drop by and check in on ya first, but given how quiet things sound on yer end, I'm guessin' he's already left?"

Seto's thoughts began churning as he slowly replied. "Yes, he was here- but he took off over an hour ago."

"Tch- the Buddha himself couldn't keep that boy in one place for long! Well, I'm bettin' he accidentally let his phone drain again- if only there was a way to take some'a his own energy and channel into that dang device; it'd never go dead again!" More laughter followed while the brunette's mind raced. "Anyhow, if he drops by again, can ya tell him to get back to the shop ASAP?"

Seto cleared his throat before replying in his firmest tone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hige, but I'd really rather not have any further contact with your nephew- I feel that he has misrepresented himself and his past in a way that may have put my younger brother in danger. He is no longer welcome in near this family."

There was a pause, as though the old mechanic couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait, what?! Slow down a bit- and speak in simple Japanese; I might've lived here longer than Jou, but even I don't know every word yet!"

"Something your nephew said earlier made me curious, so I did an internet search- and found several links detailing how he was nearly sentenced to life imprisonment after murdering a rival gang member."

The man on the other end suddenly cursed. "Sh*t, so that's why he's not answering... dredging all that cr*p back up again... dammit!"

"I take it the online records weren't fake, then?"

"Nah, but it sure as hell ain't the whole story. That poor, stupid kid- he's been blamin' himself for that for years..."

"..." Unsure what to say, the brunette merely listened as the older man slowly elaborated. There was a deep weight attached to his words, as though they were mired in regret. "That whole mess was so twisted- an' it wasn' even his fault. These three younger idiots from the Hanaka gang knew his reputation, and figured they'd get more respect if they whooped his *ss. But they were still cowards, so they jumped him in a junkyard alley behind a construction zone- Jou had barely time to throw a punch to defend himself, and the first guy he hit tripped over a pipe and landed... well, let's just say the second pipe was wedged at an odd angle in the scrap pile, and it wouldn' budge, even when it went through the idiot's skull. The kid died pretty quick after that- o' course his buddies all ran away, but poor Jou... the idiot stayed behind. Even tried to help the guy, but... well..."

Holding back his revulsion wasn't easy, but the elder Kaiba needed to hear the rest of the story. "That sounds like an unintentional accident without premeditated intent... then why was Jou arrested on harsher charges?"
"It happened right before a major city hall election, an' the officials running for higher offices wanted to show that they were 'crackin' down on crime' or some sh*t. So Jou became a widely publicized scapegoat, 'specially seein' how hard it is to hide from th' press when you're stuck in a hospital. The whole mess became a small sensation, addin' a mountain of humiliation and accusations on top'a his already baseless guilt."

"...I see."

There was another curse on the line, and Seto could tell the mechanic was moving about the shop. "Damn it. I'll have to shut the place down until I find him. If he dies..."

"Dies?" The brunette held back a snort. He knew Jou was reckless, but to seek that sort of revenge on his own? "You actually believe he's going to try and take on the entire Hanaka gang by himself?"

Hige's hesitation soon turned into a blatantly incredulous pause. "Are ya serious? You really don' know? Jou wasn' in the hospital because of any bad injuries from the fight- he was too skilled for that, damn skilled. The Hanaka fools only stood a chance in th' first place because it was an ambush."

"Then why-?"

The old man's voice dropped even further, losing all warmth and expectancy. "He was there because he slit his own wrists. He's been completely guilt-ridden ever since that incident, an' I'm bettin' he's feelin' pretty low right now, as well."

Seto felt a fresh wave of nausea building inside his stomach. "Oh."

"Yeah. It really shook 'im up inside. He only joined that damn gang to escape my brother's depravity- only to run right into a different form of abuse." The old man grunted, no doubt putting on a thick jacket or something. "He only wanted a family, an' it seems every place he looked... well, he only ends up getting more scars." There was a slamming sound, followed by a jingling of bells- the main shop door being closed. "I could never forgive myself if anythin' happened to that dolt, so I'm shuttin' down the shop while I look for 'im." There was the heavy *click* of a deadbolt being engaged, and then silence.

"I... I'm sorry."

"I know a few places he might go- I dunno how long it'll take to find him, though."

"I'll come with you."

This time the man let out a harsh snort. "Not happening, pal. The place's I'm goin' are rough, and you've already been roughed up enough. Got it? Now you rest up, before someone else hits you with another Buick- and if you see Jou, for ****'s sake, don't let him leave before callin' me!"

Seto heard the line go dead, followed by the eerie silence of a lost connection. 'Sh*t...' He could feel a pair of grey eyes resting on him. Mokuba was watching his borther with great intensity. Which was hardly surprising, given that he surely heard at least half of the conversation that just ensued.

Silently cursing everything, Seto sat up and leaned against the faded couch. "...I'm going after that idiot." The tall techie groaned as he made to get to his feet. "Grab those crutches, will you?"

"What?! But big brother, your injuries-!"

"This is mostly my fault, and I won't be held responsible for that emotional fool's reactions."

Mokuba jutted out his lower lip as he handed over the crutches. "Then I'm coming with!"

"NO." Seto froze as he realized the real reason he didn't want his brother joining him. 'I don't want him to find Jou, especially if he's...' He eased his voice to gentler level, and tried to delicately explain his thoughts. "Mokie... I know you want to help, and you care about Jou. But he's in a bad state right now, and I was the one who pushed him there. You know how embarrassed you'd feel if you started crying in public? Well, I don't think he would want you to see him as he (possibly) is right now- got it?"

Mokuba frowned, but nodded in stubborn acceptance. "Fine. But you'd better find him!"

Seto finally made to step away from the ragged couch, one of Uncle Hige's crutches in each hand. "I plan to."

*THWUMP!*

"Seto!"

The elder sibling groaned- it was a good thing he'd just cleaned the carpet, as his face was now squashed against it.

"...just as soon as I figure how to use these stupid crutches."