Wow… I haven't updated in such a long time.  I feel sort of bad(sorry to those who wanted another chapter up quickly).  But this is my third version of this chapter (;_;)  I had to keep changing them because I kept on changing my plans for the sequel.  But I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do now.

As for the future (when Jou and Se-chan actually try to be in a relationship)… Seto is still a little iffy when it comes to touching (because it's been beaten into him that human contact makes you weak), so he's gotta learn to trust people (not easy).  Jou has to struggle with his hormones(sort of like "I want to cuddle… dammit!  Seto's letting me touch him why do I have to start thinking about sex!"), as well as his self-esteem.  There will be lots of fights.  Yes.

Please give me lots of money, I mean read the chapter.

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Jagged red lines carved into pale flesh and a small child crying for his mother and a Seto who wasn't Seto filling himself with hatred and a cruel smile crossing the child's face as his "father" fell and heartbreak at betrayal by the only family he had left and fragments of glass getting trapped under fingernails and hips and thighs covered in inky bruises and everything was fragmented, it didn't make sense and-

"No…please… not again, please not again," whimpered out so softly that no one could hear, no one but him-

And there was screaming and it was so loud Jounouchi though his ears would bleed and it was Seto but it couldn't be Seto because this one was so much younger and Seto wouldn't scream like that and –

The greedy part of his mind that he liked to hide away and pretend never existed came forward it wanted and he knew he couldn't stop the wanting it would devour the universe if it had the chance and poor Seto, he wanted him, so Seto would be torn to shreds again and then he saw those bruises and the soft whimpering voice turning into a pained scream and-

"Jounouchi!"  Honda?  But Honda wasn't there with him, just the darkness and violence and blood and all those things that made bile rise up in his throat.

"Jounouchi!"  His eyes snapped open and he realized that he had been clutching his knees to his chest, shaking.

"Oh god… oh god…" And he couldn't stop shaking because he kept on seeing it and he didn't even know what he had seen, but it hurt and it made some little part of him want to die.

Honda sighed and dragged Otogi, who had come in with him towards the back of the room.  The black-haired teen was a pain in the ass and he really didn't need the snide comments that he knew were coming.

"Get out."  He hissed it so that Jounouchi wouldn't hear… if the blond duelist was actually even paying attention.

"What?  Why?"

            "You've never seen Jounouchi messed up before.  It's not pretty.  I've gotta snap him out of it and you better go find something else to do because you'll only get in the way." 

            And for once in his life, Otogi actually listened to Honda and left.

Jounouchi realized there was a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see his friend smiling down at him like he was something to be pitied.  But he couldn't concentrate on that, everything was darting around inside his head.

"Oh god… there was blood everywhere… and screaming…"  He knew he was shaking again.

"Jounouchi.  It was a dream."  How could Honda be so calm?

"But I hurt him!  I know I did.  I hurt him and I'm disgusting and you should get rid of me right now for the benefit of mankind-"

"It was a dream."  Jounouchi knew Honda was getting frustrated, but Honda didn't understand, Honda hadn't heard the screaming and felt the blood all over his body.  Honda didn't know what he was going through.

"You don't get it!  I saw things… I did things… and it was so wrong!  And what Malik had said, he was so right-"  That brought Honda to his breaking point.  He grabbed his friend's shoulders and shook him.

            "Damn it Jounouchi!  Stop letting other people tell you what to think about yourself!  For once in your life make your own opinions!  If you did then maybe you would realize that taking personality assessments from a psycho that likes to lick things and put people in comas isn't exactly a good idea!  He can only fuck with your head because you let him!"

The blond sat up slowly, moving his legs over the edge of the bed.

"I feel sick."

"I know."

            "You should go visit him."  Honda was smiling, hoping that the previous crisis was over.

            "No."  Seeing Kaiba was not an option.

            "Why not?"  Honda was starting to get irritated again.

            "I can't."  He didn't know if he could go in there again.  So Malik had been messing with his head.  But he still felt like shit.  And he didn't know if he wanted to see Kaiba like that.  He was afraid of the emotions he might feel.

            "What, did you lose the ability to move and not tell me?"

            "I kissed him."  He felt so guilty about it, and after having seen those things he felt so dirty.  He was scum.  He shouldn't even have gone in that room.  But Honda just laughed.

"So you stole a kiss from unconscious Kaiba.  Your point?"

            "I shouldn't have done it."

            "Maybe not, but it was a kiss, not the end of the world.  I don't think what you did will land you in jail."

"You never know with me."

"Shut up and go see him, you jackass, stop your fucking pity party.  If you don't go in on your own I'll drag you in there, kicking and screaming, and shout to everyone about how hot you think Kaiba's ass is."  Honda grinned wickedly.

That got Jounouchi to his feet.  He knew his friend would do it.

"Fine, if it makes you happy, I'll go.  Do you feel better now?"  He hoped so, because he certainly didn't.

"Shit.  What is all this stuff for?"  Jounouchi sat down on the edge of the bed, and then, exhausted and ashamed, he lay down on his side.

"He's… he's so still…"  Now it wasn't even like he was sleeping.  Mai's facial expression would change every once in a while, tensing at some unseen pain, but Kaiba seemed so… dead.  "You're too pretty to be a dead boy, though."  And it was true.  Even when he was hooked up to machines that Jounouchi didn't even know the purpose of, Kaiba still possessed a tragic beauty.  Jounouchi ran his hand through auburn locks, surprised at their softness, and then buried his face in brown hair.  "You even smell good."  He felt pathetic.  When Kaiba was awake he didn't know how to act around the taller teen, and would always end up angry and frustrated.  But now that he was unconscious, he could touch the other all he wanted, Kaiba wouldn't know.  Yet some part of him knew that it should have been the other way around, he should have been disturbed by this, edging away instead of cuddling the still body.  "Why bother?  This is the most I'll ever get, even if he does wake up.  It's not like he'd actually want me.  And everyone thinks he's gonna die anyways.  Might as well take advantage of him not punching me before he's been cremated."  He closed his eyes and pretended that Kaiba was just asleep, and that he was actually letting this happen.  Jounouchi carefully wrapped his arms around the slender form next to him.  Maybe he was asleep after… he blushed and sighed.  "I am such a pervert.  Honda really shouldn't trust me so much."  Something in his chest hurt so much, it hurt so badly.  It ached and he felt empty and like Kaiba was the only thing that could make him happy right now.

            "I knew you would be here."  Jounouchi sat up quickly at the voice, almost getting caught in the many wires.  He flushed guiltily and glared at the all-knowing voice.

            "What, did your friends on the psychic network tell you?"  His face was twisted into an annoyed frown, not exactly happy with having been interrupted.

            "No, common sense."

            "That obvious, huh?"  Jounouchi hoped not.  Honda was okay.  But now that Otogi knew, everyone else would.  He didn't need another person to know about what he felt for Kaiba.  It was embarrassing.

            "Insults don't hide the fact that you stare quite a bit."  A slight smirk crossed her face.  The others might not have noticed, but to her it was quite obvious.  Especially when Jounouchi's head whipped around as Seto walked past him without his trench coat on. 

Jounouchi sighed.

"I just… I just wanted to know what it felt like."  That was allowed, right?  He was allowed to want to know what it would be like to be with Kaiba.  He was allowed to hope, wasn't he?

"I understand.  You care about him more than the others think you do."

"Yes…maybe… I don't know.  I don't know what I feel.  Besides lust.  I feel so screwed up."  He knew he was supposed to be checking out girls and downloading porn off the internet, not fantasizing about making out with Seto Kaiba.  Jounouchi wished he could make sense of the whole situation.  Why couldn't he be more like Honda?  Honda understood everything

"That's only natural.  You're a teenage boy who's realized that he's attracted to another male.  It's to be expected."  Another smile.

"Yeah, maybe to you."  She wasn't the one who had to feel all confused and torn up inside.  It sure as hell didn't feel natural.  Jounouchi looked back at Kaiba.  "Why did he have to end up like this anyways?"

            "By winning against me in the duel, Seto somehow altered the fate that I predicted for him.  He changed his destiny into something else entirely.  I couldn't see his future after the duel, only the past.  If he had only lost… none of this would have happened."  Isis sighed sadly.  She felt guilty over her role in Seto's fate.

            "You can't blame yourself, it's not your fault.  It's your brother's."  Jounouchi crossed his arms defensively.  "Don't look at me like that you know it's true.  He may be possessed by some evil spirit, but he's still your brother.  I can't see why you still care for him and think he can get better."

            "What would you do if Seto was the one acting like this?"

"Well, he's not, right?"  Jounouchi blinked a couple of times, not exactly understanding the question.  "I don't know.  I guess I would try to help him."  He paused.  "Why did you use Kaiba instead of Shizuka?"

"Your sister is rather… naïve.  Seto is very different.  His soul is… restless.  It has always been seeking revenge against the one who wronged him first, even though lifetime after lifetime the memory of the event has faded away.  Now it's just a feeling that he doesn't understand.  It has always been with him, but he doesn't know what it is.  There are many things that I pray he never remembers.  For his sake."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"  That was the question of the moment.  Isis was supposed to be saying all this cryptic shit to Yugi, not him.  He wasn't part of the whole Ancient Egypt, magical past life thing.

"I'd like to think that someone is capable of… saving him.  Maybe it's you."

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So… what do you think?

*crickets chirp*

Yeah, yeah, I know.

So review(please), because if you don't, the Scapegoat gets it! *holds up a mallet and waves it menacingly in the direction of a pink Scapegoat*

-Nyako-Chan (Magical Girl)

"Wow… Chaosshipping is like one big orgy of fantastic goodness!"- Me