Chapter 39, Piece 47 * * * * * * * *

"Brown eyes." Seto repeated again, grabbing Jounouchi's arms and hyperventilating. "You have brown eyes." He looked at Mokuba. "Like in my dreams. The man that yells. He has brown eyes."

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Jounouchi struggled, but could not break free. "Get him offa me!"

"Seto." Mokuba stroked his brother's cheek. "Yes, brown eyes. It's Okay. Let him go." He tried to pry Seto's hand loose. "Calm down, nii-sama, it's okay, you're safe. Anzu, get the tranq; I think he's lost this time. He's shaking."

"I'm not lost," Seto responded. He took a deep breath in order to get some control. "Just more confused than normal."

"Whatever!" Jounouchi snapped. "Get the fuck off me!"

Seto let go. "Most of the world has brown eyes, but yours are captivating. Terrifying. In my dreams, someone I can't see is yelling at me, threatening me. I didn't realize it, but he has brown eyes. Your brown eyes."

"Don't you fucking dare put this on me!" Jounouchi snarled. "You attacked me!"

Seto stepped back and bowed. "Then please accept my apology." He took the envelope from Anzu. "Mutou, your contract; I wired the funds this morning."

"Not even gonna deny it?" Jounouchi spat as the rest of the group tried to absorb what was happening.

"Mazaki said I'd called you 'worthless'. In my dreams, it sounded like someone else's voice. But it may have been mine. You, cowering while I hurt you. I'm sorry I -"

"Never happened, asshole. Don't play like you could take me! You may win when we duel, but when you laid a hand on me, it was your ass on the floor, not mine!"

"Jounouchi." Mokuba moved between the two men. His voice carried an undertone of unmistakable menace. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if you hurt my brother, I will take you apart."

"Maybe you should back off, Mokuba." Honda stepped closer.

Mokuba gave the man a cold look. "Maybe you should remember who I am. Seto is not the only Kaiba you should worry about. Or do you really think I'm a nice boy?"

"I think you are a nice boy," Seto said, sounding in full command of his faculties again. "And if Jounouchi hurt me, I'm sure it was merely self defense."

"If?" Jou looked incredulous. "So you really claim you don't know what happened that night, you don't know how you got my pad, you didn't do anything?"

"I claim nothing of the sort," Seto corrected. "I don't remember what happened, therefore, I am taking you at your word."

"Oh, so you can come back later and say I lied."

"I can assure you that will not happen. Take what you want and go."

"I want -" Jounouchi stopped abruptly, suddenly recognizing the expression in Kaiba's eyes as fear. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Terrified." Although the way he said it, it sounded more like a boast. "I don't know what happened between us, but they are right; we could never have been friends."

Jounouchi looked thoughtful for a moment. His mouth twisted, then he nodded. "Okay. I want what you asked for. Five minutes. Alone."

"Not going to happen," Mokuba stated flatly, as Honda said, "not a good idea."

"We were always alone." Seto took a step back. "Brown eyes and pain and no one will know."

Mokuba turned to his brother. "Wait, nii-sama. I don't think you were ever alone with Jou. I think you've got some stuff overlapping." He gently guided Seto to sit on the couch. "Let's try to sort it. Close your eyes, okay? Just breathe. Anzu, get them out."

"No!" Seto tried to move but Mokuba held him down. "Stay. I want them to stay, Mokie. Maybe they can help. Maybe the pieces mean something to them."

"Okay, okay," Mokuba soothed. "Give me - give us - a piece."

"A man. One eye is brown, the other is mechanical. Gold."

"Akhenaden," Yugi supplied.

"Who?" Seto turned toward him.

Mokuba grabbed his face and held it. "No. Not now."

"But -"

"No. Lock it. Put it in the locked room."

"But he knows -"

"I promise, Seto. I promise we will unlock that room, but for right now, you need to lock that one, okay?" Seto nodded, sadly. "Okay. Good boy." He kissed Seto's forehead. "Give me a piece."

"The one who said it won't hurt had brown eyes."

Mokuba threw a quick glance at the others, as if he were reluctant to share this conversation. "Yeah. Yeah, our uncle probably did."

"The one who said it wouldn't hurt had blue eyes," Jounouchi muttered.

"Jou!" Bakura sounded shocked.

"The blonde man that I kissed." Seto went on as if they weren't there. "It was him."

Mokuba looked over his shoulder at Jounouchi. "You kissed him. You said you were afraid of him. Are you still?"

Seto looked at Jounouchi again and seemed conflicted. "I don't know!"

Mokuba stood up. "Jounouchi, make me understand."

"Fuck you!" Jounouchi snapped. "I'm out!" He moved toward the door, but Mokuba blocked him. "Mokuba, get out of my way."

"Jou," Honda touched his friend's shoulder. "Did something happen that night?"

"Oh yeah!" Jounouchi laughed, but the tone had no humor. "You guys got laid - and I got fucked."

"You and Kaiba?"

"Fucked over. It's no big deal, right?" Jounouchi shrugged and pushed Honda's hand away. "Moneybags jumped me while I was asleep. I woke up before he got into it, took care of it, and walked out. And while I was gone, asshole stole my pad and then he left."

"Are you saying -" Honda couldn't finish the thought.

"Katsuya," Yugi stepped forward, "did he rape you?"

"Get real! Girls get raped." Jounouchi replied. "Relax, Yug'. He couldn't take me on his best night."

"No!" Seto shouted. He doubled over. "No! No! No! Not him! No! Mokie? Mokie, I couldn't - I wouldn't - would I?"

Mokuba and Anzu both moved to comfort the distraught man.

"So he jumps me and I'm the bad guy?" Jounouchi scoffed. "Figures."

"Jou, why didn't you say something?" Yugi asked. "Is that why you won't date?"

"No!" Jounouchi stepped away from both his friends. "I just haven't met anyone."

"It's pretty common that abuse victims become abusers," Otogi observed. "It wasn't much of a secret that Kaiba was abused." The group turned to him in amazement. "He was pretty good at hiding it at school, but you attend enough of the high society events, you eventually find all the skeletons."

"What an awful way to confront this," Yugi sighed. "For both of you. Jou, I am so sorry. I should have been there for you."

"You had your own issues."

"They weren't more important than this."

"I handled it." Jounouchi shrugged again. "It was no big deal."

"Jou, you've been mad about it for ten years." Honda voice was gentle. "That's a damn big deal."

"I'm fine," Seto said loudly. "I am perfectly capable of facing the repercussions of my actions. "Jounouchi-san is well within his rights to press charges. If he would prefer a more direct, more cathartic method of justice, well..." Seto straightened his shoulders. "Two of the bone breaks on my x-rays were not a result of the accident. I suspect this will not be the first time such a thing has occurred." Seto took a deep breath. "You all may leave. Jounouchi-san, do not feel bound to a time limit; take as long as you'd like."