Seth: I apologize for the lateness. I don't know if any of you got the message on my profile, but I've been without computer access this whole time and that's the reason for my lack of updating. But I'm back so hopefully we won't have any more setbacks. I hope you enjoy.

Forever Scarred

Chapter 26

There are some things that cannot be explained. The soul can be tainted, but the heart will remain. The air is poisoned slowly; all you see is labeled ugly. There is too much fear inside, when will the darkness subside? Maybe it won't, maybe it'll stay…

Why won't it go away..?

Isono and Kaiba shook hands before parting. Kaiba walked up the long staircase unable to concentrate on anything but the suggestions running through him. He knew what to do. But curiously he wondered the effects of such a situation on them all. He was curious but he wasn't happy, and of course no one else would be anywhere near understanding. 'Alas, sometimes things must happen.'

She stood and stretched. "Mr. Kaiba, I hope you're ready for me." She whispered lowly, shutting down the computer. Removing the hairpins from her hair, she headed towards the bedroom.

The morning didn't seem to be as radiant as it once was. The emptiness inside Jounouchi as he lie there staring into the empty sky outside the window from his bed. What was there to do other than cry the night away? All this time of being safe, of not being given a nightly rape and molestation, where did the time go? He frowned, "I've been freed from it all this long. And now, I'm trapped within a new kind of emotion. Something better I believe, but…" He lifted his hand to the air in front of his face and clenched it into a fist, "So much more confusing, these feelings that I feel. The need to be with him, to understand him." He sat up and glared at the clock beside his bed.

He didn't sleep much, so consumed with his hurt and regret. He thought Kaiba, about everything in the whole wide world going on without his knowledge. He could he was sure but he had chickened out. "He's had to do everything himself this whole time, while babysitting me and comforting me. He was right, it's not his place or job. But the fact that's he's done so," He shook his head and stood to his feet. "It totally captures me."

His eyes softened to the warmth he remembered feeling from his rescuer. "But I'm tired of being me- the victim he's so tirelessly catered to. I know exactly what he wants, what Hinoto wants." Jounouchi swallowed the lump in his throat, "There's just one problem..."

It was a morning of insignificance to Kaiba. There was no happiness in the breeze, in the city. Kaiba stared down from his office, out the window to all the passing spots walking along the sidewalk. The world seemed so incomplete when he let his mind roam the arena of emptiness and thoughtless despair.

He already gathered the papers and notes the blond-haired nuisance had left scattered on the floor. "We are moving at a slower pace than I had hoped but everything is still in order. – "Mr. Kaiba, sir, there is a woman here to see you."

Kaiba snapped out of his daze and walked over to his desk. He pushed the button down on the intercom, "The name?"

"Monuten Lien, sir."

Kaiba narrowed his brow but smirked. "Send her in." He grabbed the folder off his desk and placed it in the bottom drawer of his desk and locked it with his key. 'Perhaps the process isn't so slow after all.' He knew her business wasn't going to be pleasant.

Lien sighed deeply and opened one of the brown doors of his office. She stared at him with a blank expression before shutting the door. "Good morning, Mr. Kaiba." She chimed sincerely.

The blue-eyed CEO was a little surprised by her good-natured tone. He pointed to a chair affront his desk, "Good morning. What brings you to my company so early in this morning? Has something happened that I should know about?"

She smiled and shook her head, "You're so involved in business aren't you? Honestly, do you ever have time for just yourself?"

"My personal time is not of your concern. How about informing me of the reason you have come to visit me." He suggested casually.

Lien sighed, "All right, Mr. Kaiba. I came to tell you that we have Yugi Mutoh currently in our custody. We obtained him last night outside a restaurant. But you already knew that didn't you? My records show you had a phone call with Yami Mutoh right afterward. I'm curious as to if that was the reason for your leave after that phone call you received while in our residence."

Kaiba nodded his head, 'She's good, I'll give her that. But it takes more than a little hardball to get me.' "I heard about Yugi's kidnapping yesterday, true. But I have no interest in pursuing his safety. I'm curious of something, Lien- if I may call you by your first name- are you on some sort of vendetta against me? Because it seems like you oppose my presence in your affairs. Is this true?"

Her smile dimmed a little, "I just don't find it smart to trust people that pop into your business life out of the blue. Mr. Kaiba, I think it strange you show such an interest in such a… preferred sport all of a sudden. All indications point you as ruthless, but with a heart of gold. What's more, you so quickly leaped to Katsuya's rescue when his boorish father went to the school. You seem more like a hero than well, someone like my husband and I."

Kaiba stood up and his smirk fell to a sly smile, "You make some valid points. I wouldn't trust myself so quickly either. Tell me, is it you that holds these reservations or does your husband harbor the same feelings as well? Truth be told, I think you're the only one pursuing my doom. When I want to, Lien, I can read people's attitudes and when we met I knew you're the one I needed to convince."

"Thank you for the compliment. I find it smarter to suspect rather than ignore."

'Indeed.' He nodded, "Of course, I'm not saying your husband is ignoring a significant threat. I have no problem admitting praise when I know they deserve it. You see Hinoto isn't as ignorant as you think. You realize that right now he is having me watched as we speak here today?" He smiled down at her and then towards the window. "You see that building over there, right across from mine? He has some men posted there keeping track of the people I meet with."

She blinked and glanced toward the window. Kaiba walked around to the front of his desk and leaned against it. "Why don't you stand and say hello?" She glared at him. "Perhaps instead of sneaking over here, which I'm fairly certain that you did, you should trust your husband's judgment a bit more."

Lien stood from her seat and faced Kaiba's cool blues, "How do you know if he has spies or not?"

Kaiba's smile grew innocent as he leaned in and put his mouth to her ear, "Because my men are watching his men. So I guess you can say I'm not so ignorant either. I'm aware of your suspicions because I don't quite trust you two either." He pulled away and folded his arms across his chest, "We can make this partnership work. But you know how it goes, he wants me in and I want in, but I don't know him and vice versa. Just call this a get-to-know our styles game."

She shook her head, 'Hinoto is going to know I was here. How wonderful.' She mentally chided. "Well, Mr. Kaiba I admit that you have made a fool of me today. But I still don't trust you and I am certain you are up to no good for my husband's company." She turned away and began heading out.

"Mrs. Lien, you are a very strong business-oriented person. But in all honesty, you know near to nothing about true business lingo. I applaud your determination to find me out but if you're not more careful, Hinoto Monuten might get fed up with you undermining his authority and decisions. It's just a suggestion but maybe you need to be less rash and a little more discreet."

Her eyes softened slightly as she continued walking the way out. Kaiba sighed deeply as the door closed. Sitting back down he sifted through the files of daily work. 'This new opening sounds almost too good to be true. Who knew the wife could become one of my greatest breaks?' He inwardly smirked.

"Sir, phone-call line two."

"Understood." He picked up the phone and there was nothing but silence. "This is Kaiba." There was no response, only the sound of tapping. Kaiba counted the taps 'Tap… Tap… Tap…Three taps. Okay.' "There's no one on the line." He retortedand then hung up the phone. 'Here we go.'

Isono hung up the phone and nodded. He handed the cell-phone back the lady he'd borrowed it from. "Thank you for letting me use the phone, miss."

"It's no problem." The lady walked away.

Isono glanced around until his eyes landed on three men at the other end of the street. The three stared back and Kaiba's loyal employee nodded twice. They crossed the street and stood to the side of him- all dressed in normal attire. "He's given the permission. You may move in now."

"Right. The others are in direction of Mazaki and Hiroto."

Isono nodded again. "Good. Take them all to the location you were given."

"Understood."

Jounouchi bit his lip and thought over it again. It was so hard to remember exactly what with all the numbers and names. "If I had my journal I could do this easily. Where could it have gone?" 'This is great. I wanted to help him and I can't remember the hell I want to tell him.' Jounouchi tapped his pencil against the paper continuously in frustration.

His eyes trailed along the room, to that window again. He dropped the pencil and opened the window once more. "Such a clear blue sky and yet it doesn't feel sunny or happy today. So clear yet so disturbed."

He left it open but went back to the desk. "Kaiba had that big stack of paper the other night, of all the info he'd gathered on them. Maybe he already knows what I know." He pondered for a moment and then something hit him, a horrid fear ran through him, "Maybe he has my journal!" A red blush rushed over him, the humiliation and pain of the thought that he could've possibly read his entire torment and emotions. "He, no it's not possible. Oh man, my luck gets worse and worse." Of all things, he didn't want Kaiba to read that. He didn't want the one person that means the world to him to read the things he'd written.

Jounouchi swallowed hard, "He's gonna know I'm a loser. That I have no strength inside of me- that I really am pathetic and dirty and weak. He's going to know exactly how below the ground I am. How I wanted to die, how much I cried and screamed…" 'But he said he's collected so much information on them… and me. That means he does have it, doesn't it? But how?' He dropped the pencil and it rolled off the desk. His eyes shifted to the old-torn-up thing, "Of course. They brought me my stuff back." 'They could've easily given him my journal for his 'research' into my life.' "I thought he was nice to me but maybe he really did just felt disgusted and pity. What if he thought he had to be nice to me because I'm so 'suicidal'?"

So much was running through his head. Meanwhile, back at Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba pulled out a familiar 'book'. "Jounouchi, you've written such terrible things in here." He frowned sadly. "I'm not going to let them hurt you again like that."

In the darkness I find you crying, Afraid of the laughter and the sneers.

I only want to comfort you, to rid you of the fears.

Like the bleeding dove of sorrow and lament,

I hope yousee the distance I've run to help repent,

The sins of pain and torment you've lived with,

So that you could learn to love and live on.