Yay for me! Twice in a month! Won't happen again anytime soon (anniversaries and birthdays clog the next month or so), but I feel good about it and this part of the story. Enjoy watching the bad guys get bitch-slapped by karma.

~Tawnya

Chapter 21—

The day Kaiba chose to play out his game was appropriately deceptive. Winter break had just started, and while it had snowed several times previously, none of it had yet to stick around. The cold, however, had stayed, leaving a sting in the air despite the bright, shining sun in the clear sky. For some reason (though he suspected Kaiba was trying to isolate him from the events to unfold that night), Jounouchi had the day off. After mindlessly killing a few hours with some mundane cleaning around the apartment, he bundled up and trudged the long way around to Yugi's, trying to clear up his thoughts. Unfortunately, all the long walk did was give him a runny nose and a deeper feeling of exhaustion.

The last two weeks had not been kind to him. Between cramming for finals, trying to find an apartment he could afford that didn't have him living on the other side of the city, and helping the Matsudera girls prepare for the White Gala, he'd running on only a handful of hours of sleep and caffeine for days. He was seriously starting to appreciate Kaiba's coffee addiction. But all the soda and sugar in the world didn't make up for the two in the morning calls for a pick up from whatever bar his father had decided to spend his evening in. The only consolation was that this was usually in conjunction with several other coworkers getting picked up as well. After hour association was expected for even mailroom workers and the loader community was well known for working hard and drinking harder. If it only happened once a week as part of the job, who was Katsuya to complain? His father was employed and in little over a month, he himself would be out of that life and into his own. It was all still a bullshit excuse as far as he was concerned, but he held onto it nonetheless. Honda was right; he wasn't going to get out soon enough.

Instead of a few easy hours of company and maybe a nap, the Kame Game shop was packed with customers shopping for the holiday season. Jounouchi was shoved into the store room with the job of hauling out back stock as it was sold out on the floor. For as tired as he felt, he was glad to be immersed in the work. It meant he didn't have time to let his mind wander, to think too hard about why or when he started feeling flustered in Kaiba's presence, or about how his stomach clenched at the thought of facing Hirutani and Iori again. He didn't have a chance to worry about his father, or his living arrangements, or his grades, or anything other than where he'd put the box with the latest capsule monsters down while looking for the duel monster cards Yugi swore was right in front of him.

Business kept up like that until the early evening, leaving just enough time to grab a bite, clean up, and hit the train station for the twenty minute ride across town to Kaiba Corp. Despite almost missing a transfer in the middle, they managed to arrive about fifteen minutes early. The night guard let them in without a fuss, indicating they were to go straight to the top level conference room. Neither talked much on the elevator ride up. The entire building was wrapped in a dark, expectant air that neither wanted to be the first to break. At the top, Yukiko greeted them with a tired smile before showing them into the room.

Four other people were already there. One of them was Atem. Another was Malik. The one who looked up when they entered had a young face, but a head full of silver hair cut into a shaggy mop. There was a scar over his right eye that intersected with two more that ran parallel on his cheek. Half a head taller than Malik and build solidly under his loose clothing, Jounouchi felt himself respond as if getting ready for a face-off in some alley. The other's pale blue eyes sparked in recognition of a rival, but he ignored the challenge in exchange for examining Yugi. He looked from Yugi to Atem, and the back before a wide grin crossed his face. He nudged Atem, interrupting his conversation with the fourth person, saying something that brought a flash of color to Atem's cheeks even as he turned to see Yugi and Jounouchi. He smiled and held up a hand in greeting before turning back and punching the still grinning man in the shoulder, yelling something in Egyptian.

By the time the two groups converged, Atem was towering over the other, who was laughing and making apologetic sounds at the same time, hands held up in surrender. Malik told them to ignore Anhkhiti and then introduced Mahaado, the fourth man. Tall and relatively thin, Mahaado had dark brown hair worn long but cut bluntly along the ends and the bangs, framing a face that was a strong study in composed restraint. His dark eyes took in everything and revealed nothing. Speaking in soft tones, and using Malik as a translator, they managed small talk until the doors opened once more, this time admitting Kaiba, Ishikawa, and the Yamato family.

Jounouchi stiffened as he matched gazes with Iori. Though they hadn't crossed paths since their confrontation months ago, Jounouchi had heard about the repercussions. The bones had been plated and wired back together, tendons stitched back into place, and several surgeries had eventually lead to the whole mess healing, but the doctors held little hope of the arm ever functioning properly again. Too much nerve damage, too much scar tissue. There was raw hate in Iori's eyes as he glares at the blond, but it was his parent's that voiced the protest. Isshin succinctly told them to shut it about the same time Jounouchi noticed the solid presence beside him. Once the Yamato family had settled, he glanced over to see Anhkhiti flanking him, supporting him in a way he would expect out of Honda. They studied each other again before Anhkhiti smiled, this time a little more sedately. He clamped a friendly hand on Jounouchi's shoulder, saying something he blond had no way of understanding, though one word sounded distinctly like "pharaoh."

Before he could ask for a translation, Yukiko appeared to guide everyone to their seats. Yugi grabbed his hand and pulled him away. A warning look from Kaiba reminded him he was supposed to be playing the part of an office plant. Feeling petulant, he flipped the CEO off as casually as he could and settled down, pleased to see Kaiba smile and shake his head before returning to ruthless businessman. As soon as Akiko arrived with a tray of drinks, the show started.

They were all clustered around one end of the large table. Kaiba sat in the only chair that had no opposite directly at the end, Atem on his right while Isshin sat on the left. One chair was left empty next to them before the supporters filled in the next three. Yugi and Jounouchi sat yet another two chairs behind Mahaado, close enough to hear everything, but far enough away to not be involved. Ishikawa had taken up a position behind Kaiba and was talking while handing documents to Akiko and Yukiko, who then passed them along to the proper individuals. There was a lot of legalese being spoken, mostly by Ishikawa, but every once in a while Atem would speak up with a question, or Isshin would ask for a clarification. The vast majority of it went right over Jounouchi's head, but he understood the gist of it - Isshin was transferring some sort of power over to Atem. A glance around the table revealed most of the Yamato family bored out of their minds, with Isshin's son constantly fiddling with his phone, son's wife completely engrossed in her nails, and Iori scowling at nothing in particular. By contrast, Malik almost couldn't keep up his translation for Anhkhiti and Mahaado, all leaning in close so that their voices didn't carry. Yugi seemed to be in the same boat as he was, attentive and confused. He idly wondered why Kaiba was involved in this at all.

Thirty minutes later (it felt more like three hours), Atem and Isshin were seemingly satisfied with all the papers in front of them and began signing in all the places they were told. After that, another round of paperwork was brought and more legalese was spoken before Atem, Isshin, and Kaiba all started signing their lives away (this took another twenty minutes). Ishikawa then looked over everything, stamping some, signing others before declaring that everything was in order and that it would be delivered to the government offices first thing in the morning. For the first time since arriving, Isshin relaxed in his chair.

There was a handful of quiet seconds before Atem asked, "When will the transfer go through?"

"Half the funds have already been transferred, so if you and Kaiba-sama want to start working on the Free Play program, the money will be there. The rest of the allotted amount will be transferred in on a monthly basis until the total is achieved, or my death, in which case any remaining due will be transferred all at once."

Atem frowned. "Will the remaining be enough?"

"I've already set aside a trust for that," Isshin replied. "Though if you're still worried, stop by sometime later this week. In fact, I insist, so that you'll have a fair idea of where everything is before you must take control of it."

When Atem nodded, the rest of the family finally started to take notice of what was happening.

"Take control-"

"Papa-sama, I don't think-"

"He's friends with that punk-"

"I was not asking for permission," Isshin said tartly, turning a hard glare upon his family. "I am still the patriarch of this family, the president and CEO of my company, and I may do with it as I wish. And my wish is to see my wealth benefit those who have none. Since you have just proven incapable of running my business, I have found a suitable beneficiary."

"But-"

"For the last hour, you have sat there, silent. Through willful ignorance and laziness, you disregarded everything going on right in front of you. This meeting has been months in planning, the steps to this moment obvious and deliberate. Any objections should have been voiced long before the signing of these papers, and yet, you did nothing. There will be no slithering out this time, Ikkaku. You will deal with the consequences of your actions like the man you should be."

Ikkaku paled and licked his lips nervously. His wife was also pale, looking as if she'd just swallowed a bug. Iori was gaping like a landed fish. Jounouchi couldn't tell how much of their reaction was due to Isshin's words versus Kaiba's cold, predatory look. He focused on the table as soon as he realized this was the game Kaiba was playing - the destruction of a family.

"What about the family?" Ikkaku finally asked, sounding breathless.

"If you all work hard and show restraint, you'll live quite comfortably for a significant number of years after my death."

Someone was making a noise very similar to a tea kettle about to boil over. Pale faces had darkened to an alarming hue of red and all three looked like there were going to explode. Yet before the violence could start, there was a sharp knock on the door. Kuroda strode in with a couple of security guards and a small band of Domino's finest, including Detectives Shibuya and Inoue. Jounouchi froze when he noticed Hirutani being held between two of the officers. He threw a look back to Kaiba, who was settled into his chair, his self-satisfied smirk only partially hidden by his steepled fingers resting against his chin.

"Yamato Iori," Inoue said as he walked around the table, "stand up." Ikkaku and his wife were instantly on their feet, but Inoue had to pull Iori to his feet.

"What the hell-"

"Yamato Iori, you are hereby under arrest for extortion, conspiracy to kidnap, wrongful imprisonment, intent to harm a minor, and fourteen counts of battery."

The tea kettle was apparently Ikkaku's wife, who let out a screech that made nails on a chalkboard sound like violins. Chaos erupted. While several of the uniformed officers attempted to subdue Iori enough to get him in handcuffs, several more were trying to hold the woman at bay. Shibuya had come to stand beside his partner, who was explaining the charges and procedures to Ikkaku. There was lots of shouting and hysterical wailing on that side of the room, but stony silence on the other. The police eventually managed to wrestle Iori out the door, still trailing his raving mother and shell-shocked father.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Shibuya said quietly, bowing stiffly. He glanced at Jounouchi, nodding slightly before turning to leave himself.

Realizing this was his do or die moment, Jounouchi jumped to his feet. "Wait!" The two detectives stopped and looked back. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jounouchi pointed to Hirutani and said, "I have somethin' I wanna tell him." Shibuya frowned. Inoue gazed at him for a hard minute before nodding and motioning him over. Yugi had to give him a little push forward to get his feet moving.

Up close, Hirutani looked like death warmed over. His eyes were red-rimmed and sunken in. His skin had a yellowish-green tinge, hanging loosely over the structure of his face. There was definite shake to his body, like he was constantly shivering, even though his lips were dry enough to crack and bleed. Everything about him seemed slightly dirty and unkempt, leaving him hunched, weak, diminished. He looks like an addict too long from his last fix, Jounouchi thought. Hirutani at least had the awareness to recognize him and glare malevolently.

"Want to be alone?" Inoue asked.

"No, anyone can hear this," Jounouchi replied. He took a deep breath, evenly meeting Hirutani's gaze.

"Thank you. For remindin' me of who I was and why I never wanna be that person again. For makin' me accept that nature and givin' me the reason I needed to overcome it. For provin' once again that the people who stand with me will be there whenever I need them, no matter what happens. If you hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't have found the strength to get this far."

He paused, turning to look back at his friends. Yugi and Atem were smiling, as were Akiko and Yukiko. Malik, Mahaado and Anhkhiti were nodding in agreement. Isshin and Ishikawa wore looks of approval. Kaiba's was the only one he couldn't discern, a mixture of everyone else's sentiments, but something else overlapped them, defying description. It didn't help that half his face was still covered by his hands, either.

Holding Kaiba's gaze, Jounouchi continued. "I have somethin' all the power and prestige in the world can't hold a candle to, thanks ta you." His gaze shifted back to Hirutani. "And I feel sorry for ya, 'cuz you'll never understand why I'm already a King and you're not."

When he'd first taken Kaiba's advice and approached the twins about how to verbally eviscerate someone, he'd been skeptical about thanking the man who had honed his temper so sharply. They had spent an entire week convincing him that the perfect way to unsettle someone bent on harming was to take the pain and turn it into strength. He found he couldn't deny any of the examples they had used and had figured at the time that if it confused him, it would confuse Hirutani. But watching the words sink in, watching confusion fade under the slowly increasing force of recognition, Jounouchi knew he'd struck the right mark. Every time Hirutani thought about this conversation, he'd drive the verbal blade deeper, until he eventually bled out emotionally and died, as surely as if Jounouchi had stabbed him and left the body in the mud.

Detective Inoue patted his shoulder with a look that clearly said "Well done" before giving the order to move out. The two suits who belonged to Kaiba escorted the remaining officers from the room, leaving Kuroda free to catch him when Jounouchi suddenly went lightheaded and watched the room tilt. He was lowered gently to the floor before having his head shoved between his knees. Static filled his ears, drowning out the rush of people to his side. The edges of his vision were dark and indistinct, and for a moment, Jounouchi seriously considered letting himself pass out.

The moment passed when Yugi grabbed his hand. "Sorry," he mumbled, hoping that was what he was really saying. "Looks like the last few days finally caught up with me."

Yugi scowled, clearly not happy, but the accusation came from Atem. "When did you eat last?"

"Before comin' here."

"A rice ball does not constitute a meal," Yugi reprimanded. Jounouchi gave a half shrug, almost wishing the static would come back. Then he wouldn't have to deal with questions that made his brain hurt more than it already did.

Kuroda and Anhkhiti got him back to his feet long enough to get him into a chair. The twins the hovered over him until he ate the candy bar and drank the tea they brought to him. It would have been amusing to see Yugi and Atem so ticked off if it hadn't been directed at him. So he submitted meekly to the fussing, as much to appease his friends as to give him a chance to recover, only stirring again when he noticed Isshin preparing to leave.

"I never got a chance to thank you for that letter," he said, approaching the man with Yugi still glued to his hip. Isshin blinked, then smiled tiredly. He looked like every one of his many years had finally crashed into him at once. He had walked in a proud patriarch, a successful man of business. It was painful to watch him walk away a lonely old man. "I'm sorry," Jounouchi said convulsively. "No one deserves to see their family torn apart like that."

"We reap what we sow, young man," Isshin said somewhat sadly. "Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day, we must all face the consequences of our actions." He patted the blond's shoulder. "I would tell you to remember that lesson, but I can see it's one you already know. I'm sorry my grandson caused you such problems before I learned it as well."

There was nothing Jounouchi could say to that, so he was forced to stand aside and let the other leave, feeling sick for playing a part in another man's destruction. Yugi pushed him into a chair, telling him to stay put. Then he turned to talk with Atem about plans for the rest of the night. Anhkhiti said something about takoyaki (at least, Jounouchi thought he heard the word), but he quit paying attention when Kaiba came close.

"You're an asshole," he said quietly when Kaiba stopped beside the chair.

"Yes, I am," Kaiba replied seriously, voice carefully neutral.

"Did you get what you want?" the blond asked roughly.

"Yes." A pause. "Did you?"

"…Yes."

There was a more considerate pause before Kaiba said, "Everything has a price. When I invited you here, I accepted the price you might ask for. All I ask is that you don't hold it over Mokuba's head as well."

The words had to circle a few times before the meaning behind them appeared. Kaiba expected him to be angry… No, not just angry. He was expecting hate, accusation and distrust. He was willing to bear the responsibility of destroying that still new friendship that had somehow managed to develop between them. He had purposefully left himself open to attack, and somehow, Jounouchi felt certain that there would be no counterstrike if the opportunity was taken.

There was a part of Jounouchi that wanted to hate, want to rant and rail at his classmate for tearing people part like paper out of an old notebook…but he couldn't. He couldn't find it in himself to work up the condemnation Kaiba was looking for. Was there really any difference in what they had done this evening? He'd been ready to kill to protect what was his. Kaiba may have devastated a family, but no one was dead for it. More than that, though, was the knowledge that he wasn't really mad at the other for what had been done. No, he was pissed because the whole thing had dredged up the feelings Jounouchi had buried about his own family's split. He saw himself in Isshin, saw the want to do something to preserve what was already dying and broken, saw the knowledge that there was nothing that could be done, saw the pain at being forced to stand aside and felt it twice as strong.

Maybe it was because he was so tired already that he couldn't watch the fall of another person. It was probably because he was so hungry at the point that he couldn't think straight. He blamed stress as his reason for grabbing Kaiba's nice dress necktie and pulling the other down to eye level.

"My price," he snarled, "is the basement of your security housing. I want it gutted and destroyed in the next six months, before summer break begins."

Blue eyes blinked once and then narrowed. "And how exactly would you suggest I do that?"

"You're the genius. You figure it out."

They glared at each other. "And if I don't?" Kaiba finally asked quietly.

"Then I torch the place and leave you no choice."

"And go to jail for arson."

"There's nothing you need there," Jounouchi said firmly. "If it frees you just a fraction more, then it's worth it for me. You don't need him and you don't need that building."

Kaiba studied him for what felt like a long time. When he finally nodded, Jounouchi released his hold on the tie. "Six months," Kaiba repeated. "Before summer break."

That last flash of will cost Jounouchi the last of his energy. The rest of the night sort of blurred together. He remembered been dragged across town, having Yugi push food in front of him to eat until he thought he'd be sick while they celebrated Atem's "graduation." The test results weren't official because the real tests wouldn't be issued until after the first of the new year, but he'd already scored perfects on his last three practice tests, so there was little doubt what the real test's score would be. Since a high school education had been Isshin's only condition for accepting Atem as his proxy, but there would be no opportunity to meet before the end of Japan's fiscal year, they had agreed to do sign paperwork during the winter break. Finding out what was supposed to be happening, Anhkhiti had conned and charmed his way into coming as well, intent on meeting the people his friend had found waiting for him on the other side of the world. Jounouchi got the impression Anhkhiti got away with a lot between his easy smile and quick mind. No wonder Mahaado always looked so bored…anything else only encouraged the silver haired man further.

He also remembered Kaiba being caught up in the revelry. He'd probably been running on empty for as long as Jounouchi had been, realistically probably even longer, and managed even less resistance to Yugi's mothering than the blond. He also ate everything Yugi put in front of him until he gained enough energy to glare back. The night progressed in a light-hearted and easy manner, with lots of loud voices and laughter, a nice diversion from the stresses and problems that had clouded the previous weeks. It was a nice reminder of what was waiting once the sun rose on his birthday, just over a month away. It wasn't until he was settled down for the night (stuffed into a bed, listening to the four Egyptians murmuring to each other in their sleep with snores from Yugi interrupting every once in a while), that he remembered there was one more thing he'd almost forgotten.

...Who had introduced Hirutani and Iori to one another?

To be continued.