Disclaimer: Am not owning rights to Yu-Gi-Oh. Will not be owning it anytime in the future. Enough said.
Warnings: Yaoi (male/male relationship), cussing, possible lime in later chapters
Pairings: Seto/Jou, Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi, Marik/Malik, one sided Mokoba/Ryou
A.N: Wow, and update after so long. O.o Amazing! Just warning the lot of you now, update may be slow coming, hopefully not as slow as for this one, but still slow. Just letting you know. Also, as I haven't updated for...ooh...many months let's just say, my writing style's changed a little. So I hope you enjoy the update, and that my new style doesn't confuse you too much.
Okay, here are the thank you notes for both chap 7 & 8. To all my reviews, I love you! You've brought my tally up to 61. Hooray!
Thank you to: Jay-chan, Velvetina, Macduff's Mistress, ColeyCarissa, Kumori Sakusha, Lead Tears, Tamer, DaughterofDeath
Angelsoul03: laughs Yes, a long time no update. And even longer for the eighth chapter! As for what Jou discovered, well, you've found that out now, ne?
Sereg'wethrin: Gods –above- Ami! Could your name be any more difficult to spell? . As for making this into a book...well, the writing quality ain't –that- high! . But the story, yes, I could.
JitsaruJakara: Well, I don't know if my updating would save the world. . The world may pass out from shock because I actually got around to it though! And I'm glad you like it.
Animestargirl: Thanks for the ideas! As you saw above, I did have a –little- of that in mind. However, Jou is...well...Jou. Seto being nice to him is –not- going to make him turn to putty in his hands or anything, that just isn't his way. But you'll be seeing a little something more between them soon. As for fluff between Bakky-chan and Ryou, well, you certainly got that!
Jounouchi Katsuya: Hey...I didn't know the characters read my stories! O.o Glad you like it though! No lemons anytime soon...I don't actually know if I can write them. As I say in the warnings though, possible lime sometime soon.
Eternallove91: Thank you for the idea, but I don't think I could stomach writing Peggy/Jou. Interesting idea though, I hadn't thought of it. But I think what I have in mind to happen is reasonably interesting too...well, I hope it is!
TsuyaKK: As I said to Eternallove91, no Peggy/Jou in this story. As for Peggy experimenting with Jou, well, I think the poor boy has enough problems with his headaches!
Fanfan: Thanks for all the help! The ideas are good...I hadn't really thought much about –why- Jou has the headaches, but I'll talk to you more via e- mail. nods And don't worry, this is –very- much a Seto/Jou fic, with a good dose of Bakura/Ryou on the side.
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'Speech' and "thoughts" will no longer be identified in this way. "Speech" will have the double quotation marks, and thoughts will be written in a different way completely.
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Pride. One of the seven deadly sins and one I suffer from acutely. I'll never admit it, but this whole problem is entirely my fault. I made the program therefore the blame is to be put on me. The strange thing is no one does. Everyone seems to be genuinely trying to help, even that blonde loudmouth.
Jou... He's still out cold. The shot to his side isn't particularly lethal but the doctor said he still lost a lot of blood. From the looks of things, he had to walk a fair distance with that wound, after gouging the bullet from his arm himself.
Silly puppy. You'd better wake up soon. Then whoever did this to you will pay.
Dearly.
- Seto
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The small cell was dark, dimly lit only by the light that crept in from a barred window high above the bed. The bed itself was empty, as the soul occupant of the room had not had the strength to crawl to it earlier that night. He lay where he'd been thrown; face down on the cold, hard lino near the door. His once flawless features were now marred by angry bruises and stained with tears, though his expression was one of calm acceptance, of an angel thrown into the unforgiving realms of hell.
The door opened, hitting the frail figure in the stomach as it swung inwards. He didn't wake, however, just simply groaned and rolled onto his less injured side. Bakura stood in the open door-frame looking down at the injured albino that lay before him.
He was a stubborn man by nature, a ruthless, cold blooded mercenary by trade. Killing, lying, cheating; all came to him like a second nature and without guilt. If this was the case, which he knew it was, then why, oh why, was he out here in the middle of the night, making sure Ryou was still breathing?
He felt guilty.
For the first time in however-many years he actually felt guilty for causing someone pain. Why? He wasn't quite sure himself. He'd beaten Ryou to a far worse degree in the past, though on those occasions it had been the boy's fault. Perhaps that was it. The beating tonight had been provoked, not by Ryou, but by one Mr. Pegasus. Bakura's eyes narrowed at the mere thought of the man. It wasn't normal for Pegasus to play with captives, even if they were as pretty as Ryou. He usually stuck to his harem of boys.
Almost unconsciously, the grey haired man hoisted Ryou from the ground, placing him gently on the bed. Ryou groaned slightly at the sudden movement, causing Bakura to wince a little before he caught himself. Wincing? Over Ryou? Unheard of-he really must be going soft. Despite his internal berating, he quickly opened the small first aid kit he had brought with him and unpacked an array of bandages and antiseptic before turning back to his unknowing patient, biting his lip in thought. Most of Ryou's injuries would be around the torso area...meaning somehow Bakura had to remove the shirt, bandage the boy and –not- rape him in the process.
Bakura sat himself gently on the bed, slipping his upper-arm under the small of the albino's back to coax him into a sitting position. The unconscious man made no sound at the change in position, his head lolling limply forward to his chest to rise and fall with steady breaths. This, Bakura decided, was a good sign and he quickly slipped off the thin rag of a shirt that Ryou wore, tossing it away with a look of disgust. No matter what he did, he never had been able to get Ryou to wear anything but jeans and light-colored, cotton shirts. Well, he thought with a quick smirk, if the boy wanted a top at all he would just have to wear what Bakura gave him. None of which would involve cotton, if the grey-haired man had his way.
Seeing as Ryou was showing no signs of waking, Bakura quickly completed his task with little difficulty. Tying off the last bandage around the boy's slim waist, Bakura let his hands linger on the smooth flesh that was riddled with a haphazard pattern of darkening bruises. It always amazed the grey-haired man that Ryou's skin could remain so pristine even after taking a mammoth beating and, with the boy unconscious, he lapped up the sight of his shirtless captive greedily. Unfortunately, while distracted by the eye- candy feast laid before him, he failed to notice Ryou stir.
"Bakura?" Ryou's soft voice shattered the silence of the room, the sound startling his medic. The albino's eyes were still heavy with slumber, his voice betraying the fact that he was not completely awake. "Bakura?" he repeated, sounding a little lost. Bakura bit back panic and a harsh reply.
"I'm here." He replied gently, softening his usually sharp tone. Lord knows, the boy had been through enough already without having his head snapped off. And no, he was –not- going soft.
Ryou seemed to relax a little in his captor's arms, his fingers curling around a loose fold in Bakura's jacket.
"Why...why do you hate me?"
Oh gods, was Bakura's first thought. Ryou truly believed he hated him? He looked down at the boys in his arms, tightening his grip a little. What he did...it was habit. All a habit that he couldn't control. How could he get Ryou to see that?
"I don't hate you." He pulled his precious burden closer to his chest, rocking in what he hoped was a soothing manner and reveling in the fact that his gesture was returned by a slim pair of arms wrapping themselves around his torso. "If you believe anything I tell you, believe that. I'll never hate you."
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Cold blue eyes darted over the yellowing pages of the book in his lap, barely taking in the words before the page was turned. Seto lay the book down on the dresser beside him, pulling off a thin-framed pair of reading glasses and rubbing his eyes. Continuing to read would be pointless, he'd been flipping through that book for a good hour without getting anywhere and there had to be a more useful task to take up his time. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of one. Growling softly in frustration, Seto glanced over to the prone figure lying unconscious a mere two meters away and sighed heavily. It had been a full twenty-four hours since Jou had passed out on his doorstep and since that time the blond hadn't even turned over in his sleep. The doctor said this was normal, that Jou's body was just repairing itself, but the man's silence made Seto uneasy. Silence just didn't suit the blond.
Knowing his attention was now firmly out of his control, Seto allowed himself to rise and walk slowly over to Jou's bedside. Asleep, and with his mouth firmly shut, the blonde was quite pleasing to the eye. Granted, when he was awake and fighting he was just as attractive, however Seto wasn't about to let the chance to study Jou properly slip through his fingers.
The loud-mouthed guard's expression was relaxed in slumber, messy blond bangs splayed across his face and the pillow beneath his head like finely spun gold. Reaching forward slowly, the brunette softly moved a few bangs away from Jou's face with a finger. The movement prompted the blonde in question to scrunch up his nose, mumbling something about candy-floss before blearily opening his eyes. He blinked a few times taking in his surroundings before looking at Seto, who had put a safe distance between himself and the bed as soon as Jou showed signs of waking. Seeing as the other man was confused, Seto decided to break the silence.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, pup." Jou just shot him a withering look.
"Can-it, would you?" The phrase had barely left the blonde's mouth before he shot up into a sitting position, wincing as he pulled at the wound in his side. "Gods damn! How long have I been out?"
"A day." Seto replied earlier. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like an explanation."
Jou, however, wasn't listening.
"A day? Aw crap, that's too long! No time to prepare..." he left his babblings for a moment to glare at his employer. "Well, just don't stand there! Go get Yami, would you? We've gotta get out of here-" He didn't get a chance to continue as Seto cut him off by slamming a fist into the dresser before confronting him.
"I didn't think you hit your head in that fall, but obviously you must have." The brunette seethed, blue eyes darkening in rage. "I sit here for hours keeping check on you and when I ask you a simple question you ignore me and try to usurp my authority!"
This little outburst seemed to have little effect on Jou other then annoying him. "Well, -excuse- me Kaiba, I don't call going out and risking my neck for you usurping your authority! Now, if you don't mind," Jou gingerly swung his legs over the side of the bed, steadying himself against the wall. "I have some important information to give Yami."
This blatant lack of respect from the blonde angered Seto even further and he lashed out, completely forgetting Jou's condition. Grabbing Jou's shoulders roughly he slammed the blonde against the wall, ignoring the groan of pain emitted from the other man.
"I'm completely fed up with you!" he snarled, spittle flying onto Jou's face. "You haven't done one useful thing while you'd been here and I'm sick of it! To make things worse, you go out without permission, have yourself shot and then continue on as if nothing's happened! And to think I was actually worried about you!"
"Kaiba." Jou's reply was strangled. "Can't...breathe...."
Seto eyes widened at the sight of Jou's pained face and he swore softly, letting go of the blonde and sinking to the floor with him. Jou shuddered a little, clutching his side with a small wince and Kaiba felt a wave of nausea hit him as he noticed a dark red patch soaking it's way through the other man's shirt. Not trusting himself to speak, he gently slipped an arm around Jou, lifting him back onto the bed before tugging off the ruined shirt and holding it to the wound. Jou made no complaints at the brunette's actions and let Seto do what he wanted. Feeling the tense silence envelop them, the brunette decided, once more, to break it.
"I...I'm sorry." Seto bit his lip, he wasn't used to apologizing. "I let my frustrations out on you, about Mokoba...the company. It wasn't fair of me."
Jou smiled a little. "Never thought I'd hear you, of all people, apologizing." He took the shirt, ripping it into strips to make a pad and makeshift bandages. "But-" he continued, "Apology accepted. Now, do you want to hear the news or not?"
Seto raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to tell Yami?"
"I was. On second thoughts though, I think you'd better know first." Jou bit his lip before looking straight into Seto's eyes. "They'll be coming here, tomorrow at the latest."
"Who?"
"Pegasus' men, you dolt!" Jou rolled his eyes, "Sheesh, I thought you were meant to be the smart one! But yes, good ol' Peggy seems to have gotten sick of waiting and is sending a mob here to take the program by force and personally, I don't wanna be here when they arrive."
Seto shook his head in disbelief. "That's plain madness!" he exclaimed, his brows furrowed. "Pegasus knows this place is guarded like a fort, there's no way he could get in."
"Apparently he can." Jou replied soberly. "That man's no fool; he won't try something that won't work." At this comment, Seto rose from the bed and began pacing the room.
"We can't stay here." He said finally, looking out the window with a frown. "If what you say is true, then leaving the program here would do as much good as simply handing it over." Jou nodded absentmindedly while Seto continued. "I won't have it. Tell Yami to have your group armed and ready to go by sunset, I'll give more instructions then." Jou was about to comply when Seto quickly pushed the blonde back onto the bed.
"Forget that idea; you're not going anywhere." Glancing at Jou's puzzled expression; Seto flashed him a half-smile. "I'll go tell Yami myself. You, pup, are to get some rest. I'll come and get you when it's time to go." Seeing that the blonde was about to argue, he smirked before cutting him off. "That's an –order- Jou. You're not to leave this room."
He chuckled as Jou did a very good imitation of a goldfish, turning to leave the room before the other man got over his shock.
"Kaiba! Wait!"
Seto glanced back from the door, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Jou shifted, uncomfortable under Kaiba's scrutiny. "Your brother," he finally got out. "He's okay."
Seto's eyes widened. "How do you know this?"
Jou just shrugged, smiling a little.
"Let's just say, I have a contact."
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Otogi walked briskly down the sterile corridors, squinting a little as the fluorescent lights above reflected harshly off the stark walls. He'd left his cards with Mokoba this time as the poor kid was bored enough to learn his times tables by heart. At least the kid could play solitaire now. He stepped into the open elevator, hitting a button before leaning against the metal wall and running a hand through ebony locks. If things went to plan both he and the kid wouldn't have to stay here much longer, a welcome break for both of them.
Otogi had finally been able to get in contact with Jou the day before, to his relief. He'd known the group was in the country, but he'd had to contact Malik to actually get a hold of Jou. The only problem now was that Jou had been seen. Otogi himself was in no danger at the moment, he'd managed to stay out of sight. Jou, he knew, hadn't been so lucky. Well, there was nothing he could do now but follow the plan. If Jou was injured, Malik would do his part. Of course, if they were caught...well, Otogi didn't want to consider that option.
A small cell phone at his waist suddenly went off, startling Otogi out of his internal musing. He cursed softly as he realized the lift had gone right past his stop, and hit another button before answering the shrieking device.
"Hello?"
"Otogi-dear!" Pegasus' cooing voice made Otogi cringe. He gulped, putting on his most complying voice.
"Yes Mr. Pegasus? Can I help you?" he cringed again, this time at his own simpering tone.
"Just the question I was waiting for!" As usual, Pegasus sounded far too happy about everything. "I seem to have run out of champagne, would you be a dear and fetch some more from the cellars?" Otogi covered the mouthpiece of the small phone before heaving a heavy sigh and pressing the cellar button on the elevator.
"I'll be right on it, Mr. Pegasus." He glared at the phone as he hung up. "Stupid horse-man."
Hopefully he'd still be sane by the time they got the kid out.
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A.N: HOORAY!!! CHAPTER 8 IS IN EXISTANCE! Oh hoorah indeed. I hope this is enough to keep you all satisfied for a little while, and I apologize that it's a little shorter then what you're used to getting. But you got your fluff, and the story moved on a –little-. I'll try and make the next chapter more interesting, 'kay? Good! Hopefully it won't take so long next time.... Ja for now!
Warnings: Yaoi (male/male relationship), cussing, possible lime in later chapters
Pairings: Seto/Jou, Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi, Marik/Malik, one sided Mokoba/Ryou
A.N: Wow, and update after so long. O.o Amazing! Just warning the lot of you now, update may be slow coming, hopefully not as slow as for this one, but still slow. Just letting you know. Also, as I haven't updated for...ooh...many months let's just say, my writing style's changed a little. So I hope you enjoy the update, and that my new style doesn't confuse you too much.
Okay, here are the thank you notes for both chap 7 & 8. To all my reviews, I love you! You've brought my tally up to 61. Hooray!
Thank you to: Jay-chan, Velvetina, Macduff's Mistress, ColeyCarissa, Kumori Sakusha, Lead Tears, Tamer, DaughterofDeath
Angelsoul03: laughs Yes, a long time no update. And even longer for the eighth chapter! As for what Jou discovered, well, you've found that out now, ne?
Sereg'wethrin: Gods –above- Ami! Could your name be any more difficult to spell? . As for making this into a book...well, the writing quality ain't –that- high! . But the story, yes, I could.
JitsaruJakara: Well, I don't know if my updating would save the world. . The world may pass out from shock because I actually got around to it though! And I'm glad you like it.
Animestargirl: Thanks for the ideas! As you saw above, I did have a –little- of that in mind. However, Jou is...well...Jou. Seto being nice to him is –not- going to make him turn to putty in his hands or anything, that just isn't his way. But you'll be seeing a little something more between them soon. As for fluff between Bakky-chan and Ryou, well, you certainly got that!
Jounouchi Katsuya: Hey...I didn't know the characters read my stories! O.o Glad you like it though! No lemons anytime soon...I don't actually know if I can write them. As I say in the warnings though, possible lime sometime soon.
Eternallove91: Thank you for the idea, but I don't think I could stomach writing Peggy/Jou. Interesting idea though, I hadn't thought of it. But I think what I have in mind to happen is reasonably interesting too...well, I hope it is!
TsuyaKK: As I said to Eternallove91, no Peggy/Jou in this story. As for Peggy experimenting with Jou, well, I think the poor boy has enough problems with his headaches!
Fanfan: Thanks for all the help! The ideas are good...I hadn't really thought much about –why- Jou has the headaches, but I'll talk to you more via e- mail. nods And don't worry, this is –very- much a Seto/Jou fic, with a good dose of Bakura/Ryou on the side.
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'Speech' and "thoughts" will no longer be identified in this way. "Speech" will have the double quotation marks, and thoughts will be written in a different way completely.
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Pride. One of the seven deadly sins and one I suffer from acutely. I'll never admit it, but this whole problem is entirely my fault. I made the program therefore the blame is to be put on me. The strange thing is no one does. Everyone seems to be genuinely trying to help, even that blonde loudmouth.
Jou... He's still out cold. The shot to his side isn't particularly lethal but the doctor said he still lost a lot of blood. From the looks of things, he had to walk a fair distance with that wound, after gouging the bullet from his arm himself.
Silly puppy. You'd better wake up soon. Then whoever did this to you will pay.
Dearly.
- Seto
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The small cell was dark, dimly lit only by the light that crept in from a barred window high above the bed. The bed itself was empty, as the soul occupant of the room had not had the strength to crawl to it earlier that night. He lay where he'd been thrown; face down on the cold, hard lino near the door. His once flawless features were now marred by angry bruises and stained with tears, though his expression was one of calm acceptance, of an angel thrown into the unforgiving realms of hell.
The door opened, hitting the frail figure in the stomach as it swung inwards. He didn't wake, however, just simply groaned and rolled onto his less injured side. Bakura stood in the open door-frame looking down at the injured albino that lay before him.
He was a stubborn man by nature, a ruthless, cold blooded mercenary by trade. Killing, lying, cheating; all came to him like a second nature and without guilt. If this was the case, which he knew it was, then why, oh why, was he out here in the middle of the night, making sure Ryou was still breathing?
He felt guilty.
For the first time in however-many years he actually felt guilty for causing someone pain. Why? He wasn't quite sure himself. He'd beaten Ryou to a far worse degree in the past, though on those occasions it had been the boy's fault. Perhaps that was it. The beating tonight had been provoked, not by Ryou, but by one Mr. Pegasus. Bakura's eyes narrowed at the mere thought of the man. It wasn't normal for Pegasus to play with captives, even if they were as pretty as Ryou. He usually stuck to his harem of boys.
Almost unconsciously, the grey haired man hoisted Ryou from the ground, placing him gently on the bed. Ryou groaned slightly at the sudden movement, causing Bakura to wince a little before he caught himself. Wincing? Over Ryou? Unheard of-he really must be going soft. Despite his internal berating, he quickly opened the small first aid kit he had brought with him and unpacked an array of bandages and antiseptic before turning back to his unknowing patient, biting his lip in thought. Most of Ryou's injuries would be around the torso area...meaning somehow Bakura had to remove the shirt, bandage the boy and –not- rape him in the process.
Bakura sat himself gently on the bed, slipping his upper-arm under the small of the albino's back to coax him into a sitting position. The unconscious man made no sound at the change in position, his head lolling limply forward to his chest to rise and fall with steady breaths. This, Bakura decided, was a good sign and he quickly slipped off the thin rag of a shirt that Ryou wore, tossing it away with a look of disgust. No matter what he did, he never had been able to get Ryou to wear anything but jeans and light-colored, cotton shirts. Well, he thought with a quick smirk, if the boy wanted a top at all he would just have to wear what Bakura gave him. None of which would involve cotton, if the grey-haired man had his way.
Seeing as Ryou was showing no signs of waking, Bakura quickly completed his task with little difficulty. Tying off the last bandage around the boy's slim waist, Bakura let his hands linger on the smooth flesh that was riddled with a haphazard pattern of darkening bruises. It always amazed the grey-haired man that Ryou's skin could remain so pristine even after taking a mammoth beating and, with the boy unconscious, he lapped up the sight of his shirtless captive greedily. Unfortunately, while distracted by the eye- candy feast laid before him, he failed to notice Ryou stir.
"Bakura?" Ryou's soft voice shattered the silence of the room, the sound startling his medic. The albino's eyes were still heavy with slumber, his voice betraying the fact that he was not completely awake. "Bakura?" he repeated, sounding a little lost. Bakura bit back panic and a harsh reply.
"I'm here." He replied gently, softening his usually sharp tone. Lord knows, the boy had been through enough already without having his head snapped off. And no, he was –not- going soft.
Ryou seemed to relax a little in his captor's arms, his fingers curling around a loose fold in Bakura's jacket.
"Why...why do you hate me?"
Oh gods, was Bakura's first thought. Ryou truly believed he hated him? He looked down at the boys in his arms, tightening his grip a little. What he did...it was habit. All a habit that he couldn't control. How could he get Ryou to see that?
"I don't hate you." He pulled his precious burden closer to his chest, rocking in what he hoped was a soothing manner and reveling in the fact that his gesture was returned by a slim pair of arms wrapping themselves around his torso. "If you believe anything I tell you, believe that. I'll never hate you."
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Cold blue eyes darted over the yellowing pages of the book in his lap, barely taking in the words before the page was turned. Seto lay the book down on the dresser beside him, pulling off a thin-framed pair of reading glasses and rubbing his eyes. Continuing to read would be pointless, he'd been flipping through that book for a good hour without getting anywhere and there had to be a more useful task to take up his time. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of one. Growling softly in frustration, Seto glanced over to the prone figure lying unconscious a mere two meters away and sighed heavily. It had been a full twenty-four hours since Jou had passed out on his doorstep and since that time the blond hadn't even turned over in his sleep. The doctor said this was normal, that Jou's body was just repairing itself, but the man's silence made Seto uneasy. Silence just didn't suit the blond.
Knowing his attention was now firmly out of his control, Seto allowed himself to rise and walk slowly over to Jou's bedside. Asleep, and with his mouth firmly shut, the blonde was quite pleasing to the eye. Granted, when he was awake and fighting he was just as attractive, however Seto wasn't about to let the chance to study Jou properly slip through his fingers.
The loud-mouthed guard's expression was relaxed in slumber, messy blond bangs splayed across his face and the pillow beneath his head like finely spun gold. Reaching forward slowly, the brunette softly moved a few bangs away from Jou's face with a finger. The movement prompted the blonde in question to scrunch up his nose, mumbling something about candy-floss before blearily opening his eyes. He blinked a few times taking in his surroundings before looking at Seto, who had put a safe distance between himself and the bed as soon as Jou showed signs of waking. Seeing as the other man was confused, Seto decided to break the silence.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, pup." Jou just shot him a withering look.
"Can-it, would you?" The phrase had barely left the blonde's mouth before he shot up into a sitting position, wincing as he pulled at the wound in his side. "Gods damn! How long have I been out?"
"A day." Seto replied earlier. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like an explanation."
Jou, however, wasn't listening.
"A day? Aw crap, that's too long! No time to prepare..." he left his babblings for a moment to glare at his employer. "Well, just don't stand there! Go get Yami, would you? We've gotta get out of here-" He didn't get a chance to continue as Seto cut him off by slamming a fist into the dresser before confronting him.
"I didn't think you hit your head in that fall, but obviously you must have." The brunette seethed, blue eyes darkening in rage. "I sit here for hours keeping check on you and when I ask you a simple question you ignore me and try to usurp my authority!"
This little outburst seemed to have little effect on Jou other then annoying him. "Well, -excuse- me Kaiba, I don't call going out and risking my neck for you usurping your authority! Now, if you don't mind," Jou gingerly swung his legs over the side of the bed, steadying himself against the wall. "I have some important information to give Yami."
This blatant lack of respect from the blonde angered Seto even further and he lashed out, completely forgetting Jou's condition. Grabbing Jou's shoulders roughly he slammed the blonde against the wall, ignoring the groan of pain emitted from the other man.
"I'm completely fed up with you!" he snarled, spittle flying onto Jou's face. "You haven't done one useful thing while you'd been here and I'm sick of it! To make things worse, you go out without permission, have yourself shot and then continue on as if nothing's happened! And to think I was actually worried about you!"
"Kaiba." Jou's reply was strangled. "Can't...breathe...."
Seto eyes widened at the sight of Jou's pained face and he swore softly, letting go of the blonde and sinking to the floor with him. Jou shuddered a little, clutching his side with a small wince and Kaiba felt a wave of nausea hit him as he noticed a dark red patch soaking it's way through the other man's shirt. Not trusting himself to speak, he gently slipped an arm around Jou, lifting him back onto the bed before tugging off the ruined shirt and holding it to the wound. Jou made no complaints at the brunette's actions and let Seto do what he wanted. Feeling the tense silence envelop them, the brunette decided, once more, to break it.
"I...I'm sorry." Seto bit his lip, he wasn't used to apologizing. "I let my frustrations out on you, about Mokoba...the company. It wasn't fair of me."
Jou smiled a little. "Never thought I'd hear you, of all people, apologizing." He took the shirt, ripping it into strips to make a pad and makeshift bandages. "But-" he continued, "Apology accepted. Now, do you want to hear the news or not?"
Seto raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to tell Yami?"
"I was. On second thoughts though, I think you'd better know first." Jou bit his lip before looking straight into Seto's eyes. "They'll be coming here, tomorrow at the latest."
"Who?"
"Pegasus' men, you dolt!" Jou rolled his eyes, "Sheesh, I thought you were meant to be the smart one! But yes, good ol' Peggy seems to have gotten sick of waiting and is sending a mob here to take the program by force and personally, I don't wanna be here when they arrive."
Seto shook his head in disbelief. "That's plain madness!" he exclaimed, his brows furrowed. "Pegasus knows this place is guarded like a fort, there's no way he could get in."
"Apparently he can." Jou replied soberly. "That man's no fool; he won't try something that won't work." At this comment, Seto rose from the bed and began pacing the room.
"We can't stay here." He said finally, looking out the window with a frown. "If what you say is true, then leaving the program here would do as much good as simply handing it over." Jou nodded absentmindedly while Seto continued. "I won't have it. Tell Yami to have your group armed and ready to go by sunset, I'll give more instructions then." Jou was about to comply when Seto quickly pushed the blonde back onto the bed.
"Forget that idea; you're not going anywhere." Glancing at Jou's puzzled expression; Seto flashed him a half-smile. "I'll go tell Yami myself. You, pup, are to get some rest. I'll come and get you when it's time to go." Seeing that the blonde was about to argue, he smirked before cutting him off. "That's an –order- Jou. You're not to leave this room."
He chuckled as Jou did a very good imitation of a goldfish, turning to leave the room before the other man got over his shock.
"Kaiba! Wait!"
Seto glanced back from the door, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Jou shifted, uncomfortable under Kaiba's scrutiny. "Your brother," he finally got out. "He's okay."
Seto's eyes widened. "How do you know this?"
Jou just shrugged, smiling a little.
"Let's just say, I have a contact."
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Otogi walked briskly down the sterile corridors, squinting a little as the fluorescent lights above reflected harshly off the stark walls. He'd left his cards with Mokoba this time as the poor kid was bored enough to learn his times tables by heart. At least the kid could play solitaire now. He stepped into the open elevator, hitting a button before leaning against the metal wall and running a hand through ebony locks. If things went to plan both he and the kid wouldn't have to stay here much longer, a welcome break for both of them.
Otogi had finally been able to get in contact with Jou the day before, to his relief. He'd known the group was in the country, but he'd had to contact Malik to actually get a hold of Jou. The only problem now was that Jou had been seen. Otogi himself was in no danger at the moment, he'd managed to stay out of sight. Jou, he knew, hadn't been so lucky. Well, there was nothing he could do now but follow the plan. If Jou was injured, Malik would do his part. Of course, if they were caught...well, Otogi didn't want to consider that option.
A small cell phone at his waist suddenly went off, startling Otogi out of his internal musing. He cursed softly as he realized the lift had gone right past his stop, and hit another button before answering the shrieking device.
"Hello?"
"Otogi-dear!" Pegasus' cooing voice made Otogi cringe. He gulped, putting on his most complying voice.
"Yes Mr. Pegasus? Can I help you?" he cringed again, this time at his own simpering tone.
"Just the question I was waiting for!" As usual, Pegasus sounded far too happy about everything. "I seem to have run out of champagne, would you be a dear and fetch some more from the cellars?" Otogi covered the mouthpiece of the small phone before heaving a heavy sigh and pressing the cellar button on the elevator.
"I'll be right on it, Mr. Pegasus." He glared at the phone as he hung up. "Stupid horse-man."
Hopefully he'd still be sane by the time they got the kid out.
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A.N: HOORAY!!! CHAPTER 8 IS IN EXISTANCE! Oh hoorah indeed. I hope this is enough to keep you all satisfied for a little while, and I apologize that it's a little shorter then what you're used to getting. But you got your fluff, and the story moved on a –little-. I'll try and make the next chapter more interesting, 'kay? Good! Hopefully it won't take so long next time.... Ja for now!