A/N: Hi, all! First of all, I want to say thank you soooo much to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it. Some questions will be answered in this chapter, but not all of them. Where would the fun be in that? I don't know how long this fic will end up being, so I don't know when all the questions will be answered. I'm posting each chapter as I finish it and it's not planned out. Even when I plan out my stories they seem to end up going in a different direction. Oh well. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say, so sit back and enjoy!
Warnings: Same as previous chapters. Contains yaoi—male/male relationship. Don't like, don't read.
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Seto/Jou
Dreams, Dread, and Puppies
Chapter 2
Seto watched his puppy walk ahead of him with curiosity and annoyance. What was he doing? His friends were all inside the school, he didn't need to hide anything anymore. Why wouldn't he let Seto help him? Seto stopped that thought before it progressed any further, frowning. Hypocrite.
"You can drop the act, pup," Seto finally said, although it came out harsher than intended. Jou, however, didn't seem to notice.
"No, I can't," was all he said, coming out strained.
"And why is that?" Seto asked crossly.
"It's the only think keeping me walking. Don't distract me."
"Katsuya, if you're in so much pain, stop."
"I'll stop when I get to the car," he insisted.
Seto sighed and shook his head. He marched up to the other stubborn boy and forced him to stop, placing firm hands on his shoulders. "Stop this nonsense. You're hurt and your body's telling you not to push yourself. So don't. You're the only one I care about besides Mokuba and I'll be damned if I let you hurt yourself like this."
Jou looked at him, trying to calm his rapid breathing. "Do you want me to collapse?"
"If it'll make you feel better, yes."
Jou paused, then in a softer voice, "Will you catch me?"
Seto's eyes softened as he placed a gentle hand on is puppy's face. "Have I ever missed?"
Jou shook his head with a small smile. "Never." He moved into Seto, letting the other hold him around the waist. He sighed lightly as he let himself lean on the brunette, taking some weight off his battered body.
Seto led him to the car, gently placing his precious cargo in the back seat. He slid in next to him not a moment later and accepted his pup into his arms. "You all right, puppy?" He frowned when he didn't receive an answer. "Puppy?"
"Hmm?"
"I asked you if you were all right."
"As long as I don't have to move, I'm fine. You're warm."
"I know a lot of people who would argue that," the CEO said amusedly.
"Don't care. They don't know you. They have no right to judge you." Jou frowned in anger, wincing slightly.
Seto noticed and tried to calm him, kissing the top of his head. "Shh. Don't get yourself worked up over me. Just relax, we're almost home."
"I am relaxed," Jou grumbled, moving his head back to rest on Seto's chest.
Seto allowed himself a small smile as he brought Jou closer to him. Had someone told him a year ago that he'd be sitting in the back of his limo holding Jounouchi Katsuya he'd have laughed at them and called them insane. Never before had he ever pictured someone special in his life, let alone the pup. Now he couldn't picture a life without him. Once he found out how had hurt him, that person would pay.
The brunette was brought out of his silent musings upon feeling Jou press his face against his chest. He looked down to see Jou's eyes tightly shut. "Katsuya?"
"I'm fine."
Seto narrowed his eyes. "Katsuya."
"Sorry, old habit." There was a slight hesitation. "I don't know whether I feel like I'm gonna pass out or throw up."
"Hopefully neither." Seto raised his eyes to look at the driver and opened his mouth to speak, when he was cut off.
"We're here, Mr. Kaiba," the driver announced. "Mokuba will be surprised to see you home so soon."
"What's Mokuba doing home already?"
The driver smiled. "It seems he forgot to tell you he had a half day today."
Seto sighed and shook his head. "Indeed." He turned his attention back to Jou. "Come on out, pup."
Jou slowly sat up and blinked at him. "Are we there yet?"
Seto rolled his eyes and got out of the car. "Don't ask stupid questions."
The blonde grinned at his retreating back and slid over the seat toward the door. He paused there a moment to let his protesting body adjust to movement, then swung his legs out of the car and stood up. He paused again as his vision swam, panicking when it didn't clear. There's the answer to his question.
"Seto…"
Seto turned at the sound of his name, just in time to see Jou collapse again. He reacted instantly, catching him and holding him tightly. "I told you to be more careful." He frowned as he realized he was supporting all of Jou's weight and was receiving no answer. "Katsuya? Katsuya!" He cursed as he swung Jou's legs up to hold him underneath the knees and around the shoulders. As soon as he was situated he went to the house, kicking open the door.
Any other time the sight that greeted him would have given him pause, just to look at the content picture his little brother made while playing his video game. Now, however, was not one of them.
"Mokuba, go call the doctor and tell him to come here now! This is an emergency!"
With wide eyes, Mokuba nodded and ran to do what he was told.
Seto went straight to his room to lay Jou down on the bed. He had wanted to get him here, but not like this! As gently as he could, he took off Jou's shirt to see what kind of damage had been done to his puppy. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat at what he saw.
"Katsuya," he breathed, looking over his body. His eyes were drawn to the massive bruise over Jou's chest, extending over his ribs, explaining why it hurt him to breathe. There were matching, smaller bruises all over his torso and arms. One bruise on his upper arm, though, caught his attention. Eyebrows furrowed in curiosity, he placed his hand so it hovered just above Jou's arm. He pulled back with a growl. That last bruise looked suspiciously like a hand.
The CEO gently covered up his puppy's mutilated body as he heard footsteps rushing toward his room. Sure enough, Mokuba stood in his doorway a moment later, panting lightly.
"Seto?" he ventured.
Instead of replying, he held out an arm, beckoning his little brother in. He wasn't sure if he could trust his voice. Almost immediately Mokuba was wrapped protectively in his embrace.
"What happened to him?" Mokuba asked in a small voice.
Seto tightened his hold. "I'm not sure. He didn't tell me. Baka, koinu…"
Mokuba sniffed. "He's gonna be okay, right, Seto? He's not gonna leave like…mom and dad?"
Seto snapped his head around. "What? No! He's going to be fine. I promise, Mokie, I won't let him leave."
Mokuba nodded and hid his tears in his brother's shirt. "'Kay."
Seto held him reassuringly. "Sometimes I forget how young you really are, Mokuba. You're so strong. I'm proud of you, little brother."
Mokuba pulled back and smiled at him. "Thanks, big brother."
Time Jump (the stupid computer won't let me put in anything else...grr)
Seto silently shut the door to his room as he followed the doctor out. He then led the way to the living room where two cups of tea were waiting for them. They both sat down facing each other, one impatient and one weary. Seto took that to be a bad sign.
"Well?" he snapped.
The doctor sighed. "Where do you want me to start?"
Seto narrowed his eyes, suddenly glad he sent Mokuba to his room for this. "What do you mean by that?"
"First I want to say Jounouchi will be fine in a few days as long as he takes it easy. There is no permanent damage, although he'll be in a bit of pain."
"A bit?" Seto asked, eyebrow raised.
"A lot. That's why I wrote out this prescription." The doctor handed Seto a small piece of paper. "You should get this filled immediately since he should be waking up soon; his concussion isn't severe."
"Concussion? How did he get a concussion?" Seto exclaimed.
"Actually, I had been hoping you could tell me, but I see, now, you know no more than I. It amazes me he was able to stay conscious as long as you said he did. Between the pain of his ribs and his concussion I'm surprised he didn't pass out sooner."
"He's a stubborn mutt. What about his ribs?"
"One is cracked and the rest are bruised. I wrapped them, so it should be fine. But should the bandages loosen I left another set on your bed table."
Seto nodded in understanding. "Is there anything else?"
"That's injured? Just minor cuts and bruises. There was one thing I wanted to discuss with you, though." The doctor took a deep breath before continuing. "Many of his wounds seem to be at least a day old. The bruise on his chest shows slight signs of healing, although it hasn't been long enough to notice unless you're looking for it. There is also the issue of a bruise on his upper left arm in the shape of a hand."
"Yes, I noticed that as well."
"That looks to be about the same age of the bruise on his chest, so I'm sure they occurred at the same time. I also found scars that could be years old. I'm guessing whatever's going on with him has been going on for quite a while."
Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am going to find out what's going on and it's going to stop."
The doctor nodded, drained his tea, and stood. "If that is all, Mr. Kaiba, I must get back to my office."
Seto nodded and stood as well, showing him to the door. "Thank you, doctor."
The doctor nodded and started to leave, but paused in the doorway. "Mr. Kaiba…get the bastard who did this."
"I plan to." With that he shut the door and headed toward his room to check on his puppy.
A/N: Sorry if Mokuba seemed OOC, I just don't know how to write him. Besides, I wanted a cute brother moment somewhere in there. :) If you have any suggestions on how to improve on writing Mokuba, please let me know. And, anything else, too. Thankies!
