Seto managed to put sleep off as much as possible. While most people found sleeping relaxing and refreshing, it was something that he hated to do. For one, it was such a waste of valuable time; time he could spend working out glitches in programs or going through files. The body wasn't like a battery that could recharge; there was no reason as to why it shut down, physically, at the end of the day. Scientists had yet to find a specific reason as to why the human body even needed rest. There were plenty of theories, but none could be agreed upon or confirmed as fact. A popular one was that the brain needed time to recover from the massive amounts of information it received each day; sort of like a computer compacting files, or deleting unnecessary information. There were times when he could go for days without sleep, but basic human physiology always claimed him in the end, proving that even his mind was not very different from the rest of the human race.

Last night had been one of those nights. It had been only for a few hours, but it was enough to make him feel both revitalized and weakened at the same time. It wasn't the act of sleeping itself that really bothered him; it was dreaming. It was the only time when he had no control over his mind, and that bothered him -- probably a little more than was healthy.

Thoughts of a certain blonde had dominated his unconscious mind, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. Those hands had been all over him last night, and he had been helpless until he had awoken panting, a sheen of sweat covering his body. The dreams started innocently enough; at first they were dueling. He liked the way Jou shuffled his deck, a bit sloppier than most, but light and delicate and the same time. Then they were at his house, and Jou was there, touching him, his hand brushing against him accidentally as he's reaching for the remote to the CEO's large television set, flipping through the channels without permission. Then, those hands were grabbing at his shirt, undoing the buttons, ghosting over a nipple. Seto shuddered as he recalled the dream, the list of what those hands did to him growing dirtier and dirtier.

"Seto, are you coming down? I made omelets!" The brunette was snapped out of his thoughts as the head of his younger brother peeked in through the door.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Mokuba," he replied and went about finishing his morning routine, taking a quick shower to get the traces of sweat off of him. He was grateful for the fact that Mokuba had taken an interest in cooking over the past few years. His own attempts were disastrous at best, so it was a nice change to have a home cooked meal once in awhile.

"So, I called the office yesterday. They said you had taken a two hour break?" Mokuba asked curiously as his brother sat down at the table, placing a plate with slightly steaming fluffy eggs in front of him.

"Yes." Seto knew that it probably seemed odd to his brother. The employees probably found it suspicious, too. He wondered what the looks on their faces would be if they found out that the stuck up businessman they knew was sneaking out of the office to get inked up. It was probably stupid, but he liked knowing that it was probably an irrational thing for him to be doing; it made him feel sort of daring. He rarely got to experience the feeling, and it was quite refreshing.

"I had some…nightmares the night before," Seto answered, thinking it wasn't too far from the truth.

"Oh," Mokuba replied in a soft tone and sat down across from his brother, effectively ending the conversation. Mokuba knew about Seto's nightmares, even though he tried to hide him from them. Shortly after Gozaburo's death, he would hear him during the night, fighting against an imaginary opponent. He had been plagued even worse after their stay at Duelist Kingdom, so he wasn't too surprised by Seto's reluctance to sleep. His distaste for food though, was slightly confusing. "Please brother…eat." Seto looked up from the article he was currently reading.

"Of course…I'm sorry." Seto relented and took a bite of his food, smiling slightly when he saw how pleased his brother had looked. Sometimes the brunette wondered who was really taking care of whom. Mokuba was only slightly disappointed when he emptied half of Seto's plate into the garbage before seeing his brother leave for work.

"You made it," Jou commented as he heard the bell over the shop door ring, announcing Kaiba Seto's entrance. The shop was empty except for the two of them, and Seto found it odd not to find the older man there with him; he seemed to be there every day.

"Did you expect me not to?" Jou didn't respond, probably picking up on the fact that it wasn't a question meant to be answered. "It is the last session after all." For this, the brunette was extremely grateful. After today, he would never have to set foot in this place again, and he doubted he'd have anything to do with Jou for the rest of his lifetime, if he played his cards right. The blonde was already getting to him after just three days. It probably wouldn't have bothered him so much if it was just the blonde's usual, annoying personality. What really was bothering him was the fact that he was actually enjoying the blonde's personality, annoying as it might be.

"Just let me finish my coffee and we'll get started. Wouldn't want to fall asleep on you and miss out on the all the fabulous conversation." Jou winked and took another sip from his mug. Seto stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do with himself alone with the blonde and not having a needle drilling into his back. Usually, he would meet Jou in the private back area and they would get right to business. So why did it seem like today the blonde was stalling for some reason? "You can sit down, you know." Seto hesitated for a moment before taking a seat across the counter from Jou. "Want some?" Jou tilted his cup of coffee towards him.

"No thank you." He wasn't really sure if the blonde was suggesting that he'd make him some coffee or if he was inviting him to take a sip out of his own cup, but either way he didn't want any. What he wanted to do was get into the damned chair and get this finished once and for all. Then he wouldn't have to stare at the blonde's lips with each sip he took, wondering if they were as soft as his hands were. "Where's your boss?"

"Oh, he's come down with a bad flu thing. I was over there last night to bring him some stuff."

"That wasn't a very good idea; you might catch whatever it is that he has."

"Yeah, I realize that. But I wanted to catch something on TV as well. Mine's been on the fritz lately. I can't afford to buy a new one since my car insurance skyrocketed after that accident I had."

"Good to know I'm in the hands of someone who is so careful." Seto smirked slightly.

"Oh, shut up. I haven't heard you complain yet," Jou replied and Seto resented the fact that he couldn't deny it. Had they just been having a civilized conversation? "Allright, let's go."

Seto got settled in a comfortable position on the chair while Jou undid the bandages he had put on the last time. By now, he had become accustomed to the feeling of the needle on his skin; and as weird as it sounded, he almost sort of liked it. The buzz of the machine started up and Seto closed his eyes as Jou got to work. He didn't even notice when he started to drift off, his body becoming completely still. Why was it that he felt more relaxed here than in his own bed?

"You still awake?" Jou asked softly, breaking up the silence after about twenty minutes.

"Yes."

"I'm almost finished," he stated, and Seto nodded his head, sighing softly when Jou's thumb brushed over his spine, hoping that the blonde didn't notice. It felt like he was dreaming again, and yet right now, he didn't mind the fact that his mind was currently being rendered useless. The soft humming of the needle and the sound of Jou's breathing were more than enough to keep his thoughts company.

"Seto?"

"Hn?"

"It looks so good," Jou stated proudly with an underlying hint of awe. Had he finished so soon? Seto felt like he had hardly spent any time there at all.

"I'm glad."

"Do you want to see it before I wrap it up?"

"No."

"Are you-"

"Please," Seto interrupted, and Jou was silent for a moment before he began placing the bandages. When the blonde was finished, Seto sat up and stretched out his arms and back, satisfied with the dull sting he felt. Now he could leave; it was over. Gathering up his clothes, he realized he had a problem.

"Is something wrong?" Jou looked up from the equipment he was putting away to see Seto searching his pockets.

"My wallet..." Seto groaned; how could he have been so careless? He had been stalled by an over extended board meeting and he'd had to hurry to make his 12:00 appointment with Jounouchi. "I must have forgotten it at the office."

"So...you don't have any money?" Seto scowled in response to the question, obviously displeased with the fact that he had screwed up. "Eh, don't worry about it. You can pay me later."

"When later?" Seto asked quickly. Just when he thought he was finally going to be rid of the blonde once and for all, it wasn't about to happen, and he had no one to blame but himself.

"Hm... what time to you get out of work?"

"Six."

"Okay, meet me at that restaurant across the street at 6:30." Jou pointed out the window to a building across the street and Seto nodded.

"Very well. I'll see you then."

"Where is that idiot?" Seto checked his watch to make sure he wasn't early, finding that wasn't the case. He hadn't seen the blonde outside, or in the entrance area of the restaurant. He checked the bar and he wasn't there, either. Fingering the envelope in his coat pocket he was eagerly waiting to deliver, Seto was beginning to grow impatient.

"Excuse me, sir, do you need help finding something?" A woman who was wearing an apron approached him. Presumably, she was someone who worked there, and she probably had noticed Seto wandering around aimlessly for the past ten minutes.

"That would be a someone," Seto sighed. "The name's Jounouchi Katsuya."

"Let's see..." The woman walked over to a nearby booth, checking the open book that lay on top of it. "Yes, he's in the back lounge area, reservation for two. May I escort you?"

"Please." Seto was hoping that whomever Jounouchi was dining with wouldn't be someone who would bother him too much; he had a transaction to complete and he didn't want anyone getting in the way.

"Oi, Seto! Over here!" Jou waved from where he was sitting at the booth, and to Seto's surprise, all by himself. "Have a seat."

"I wasn't planning on staying."

"You should though. Besides, I really hate to eat out alone."

"Is that right?"