Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: As I think (I am too lazy to go back and look) I stated at the end of last chapter, this was originally supposed to be part of it, but it was too dang long compared to the other chapters, so I split it in two.

Also, I don't really know what Seto and Mokuba's father did after his wife died. Or, didn't die, as the case is here. So if everything was really all fine and dandy, then don't yell at me. I'm allowed to twist the story to make life suck for them. Kind of like poetic license, only ixnay the poetic part.

A setting sun found Joan wandering through the Kaiba mansion. She had originally been merely looking for a bathroom, but she had quickly become hopelessly lost in the enormous house. She wasn't even on the same floor as the sitting room was; unable to find a lavatory on that level, she had descended to the next one. She could only hope now that someone would find her and lead her back.

In the end, someone did find her, but it wasn't who she was expecting. As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, taking the little bit of light that shown through the windows with it, something cold and wet touched her hand. Startled, she looked down to find Willy sitting at her feet.

He barked at her, gave a little whine, and began to trot down the hall. He stopped, looked back at her, and whined again, showing all the classic, Lassie-like symptoms of a dog demanding to be followed.

Joan walked up to him, and he once again hurried down the hall. This time she followed him without waiting for him to stop. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

She soon became aware that wherever Willy was leading her, it wasn't back to the sitting room. She had never seen this part of the house before.

They stopped when they reached a door. It was open just enough for the golden retriever to squeeze through. He didn't, though. He sat looking at her, as if he wanted to be sure that she would follow.

"Where are you taking me, Will?" she asked.

He didn't answer, of course. Or, perhaps he did. Another whine escaped him; whatever was through the door, he was worried about it.

"All right, boy. I'll take a look." She swung the door the rest of the way open to reveal of set of steps leading down into darkness. Willy eagerly trotted down them, pausing at the bottom to be sure that she was following. As soon as she stepped onto the first stair, he went on ahead.

Reaching the bottom, she could see the dog disappearing into a room that shown with a blue-white light. She was about to approach when she heard someone speak.

"There you are. Where'd you go, hm?"

She froze; she knew that voice. She hurried towards the room.

He was sitting with one hand resting on Willy's head, the other wrapped around a mug. Surrounded by computer screens, his eyes continuously shifted between them, reading the data that came in. They soon found a new target, however. He looked up as she came in, eyes narrowing.

She was momentarily stunned at the look on his face. Not because of the open animosity – she had grown used to that – but from the sheer exhaustion that overrode almost every feature. His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles had formed under them. His skin was pale and was stretched almost painfully over his face.

Tearing her gaze away from his ill appearance, she looked at her surroundings. As she had already noted, the room was filled with all manner of technology, most of which were unfamiliar to her. Seto Kaiba sat in its midst.

There was one other thing that caught her attention. On a cleared space on the desk in front of him, its contents long grown cold, was the tray that Carlson had brought Seto his lunch on. It clearly hadn't been touched, save for the mug in his hand.

Seto looked down at Willy, the hand on the dog's head absently playing with the soft golden ears. "Traitor," he said in a calm voice. The dog licked his hand.

Joan blinked. Had he just made a joke? Seeing as he seemed to hold no grudge against the dog, it would appear that he had. Or perhaps he was just too tired to be very angry.

"What do you want?" his icy tone dragged her back to the matter at hand. Well, so much for being too tired to be angry…

"I was lost," she explained. "Willy found me and brought me here."

"I see. Very well, I'll call Carlson and have him bring you back to your room."

"Wait!" she shouted as his hand moved to make said call.

Raising an eyebrow, he growled, "What?"

"I… wanted to talk to you."

"I don't have time for–"

"No news on Mokuba?" she interrupted.

"…No." He sighed. "I've tried all possible leads, examined all possible abductors, there's no one who could have done it."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Keep trying."

"For how long?"

"Until I find him."

"That's not what I meant."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then what, exactly, did you mean?"

"When are you going to take a break?"

He scowled. "Don't you start that, too."

"Seto, you're going to–"

"I'm 'going to' find my brother. When he's safe, I'll have time to take a break. Maybe. And in the mean time, I don't welcome your attempts at 'mother-son' bonding, or whatever it is you're trying to do." He glared at her, then took a sip from the mug in his hand.

Curiosity overcoming her, she asked, "What are you drinking?"

He frowned, but saw no reason not to reply. "Tea." He took another sip, almost wincing at the bitter taste. "Very strong."

"To help you stay awake?"

"Perhaps. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." He spun around in his chair, pointedly ignoring her, and began to once more absorb the information that his machines provided him.

Joan sighed. So much for convincing him to take care of himself. Carlson had been right. She turned around, but hesitated before leaving. "I wish I knew why you hate me so much," she said quietly. Not expecting a reply, she walked towards the door.

His voice stopped her. "He never recovered, you know."

She stopped, turning around to face him. He wasn't looking at her; his position hadn't even changed. She almost thought that she'd imagined his voice, but she knew that she hadn't. "What?"

"Dad. He never recovered. After you left." His voice was bitter, carrying the pain of over a decade of loss, and he spoke haltingly, as if he was forcing the words out.

'After you left…' Did that mean that he finally believed her? Hope rose in her chest, despite the dismal circumstances. Now all she had to do was get him to accept her.

She walked towards him, stopping at the edge of his desk. "Seto…"

"He shrank into himself," he continued, ignoring her. "He had no more will to live. He woke up in the morning when his alarm went off, ate whatever I put in front of him for breakfast, and went to work. I don't know what he did there. He came home in the evening, collapsed in front of the television, and if I insisted enough, he ate dinner and went to bed. Hardly spoke. Never cared about the fact that he had two sons who still needed him."

Joan was silent as his words sank in, not knowing what to say to this. She wasn't even sure that Seto still knew she was in the room anymore as he continued his narrative, his eyes staring at his computers but not really seeing them.

"I did everything. Even before he died, I did everything. I raised Mokuba. I couldn't stay in school, not with an infant at home that would have died if someone hadn't taken care of him. Because you killed him." He looked at her for the first time since he'd started to speak. "You killed Dad. Just because we wouldn't bury him for three more years doesn't mean he was alive. He was a shell. Just a shell. That's all. He wasn't my father anymore. My father was strong. I can remember my father. And that's not who he was. I don't know who he was, what he was, but he wasn't my father.

"And the same thing will happen to me. If I can't find Mokuba, if I fail him, what will I have to live for? What right will I have to live?" His voice dropped, the force behind it ebbing away, leaving only his pain. "That kid's the only reason I have to get up in the morning."

He drew in a shuddering breath, exhaled, and sat up straight. In an instant, the brief show of the torment that was hidden beneath the cold exterior of Seto Kaiba was gone, replaced by icy eyes and a hard expression. "I will find him. I won't fail; failure is unacceptable."

Joan didn't speak. What could she say? Feeling the need to say something, anything, she took a half step forward. "Seto…"

"'Seto' what?"

"…I'm sorry."

It was the wrong thing to say. He stiffened angrily, his eyes narrowing. "'Sorry?'" he repeated. "'Sorry?' No. 'Sorry' is what a secretary says when they forget to put an important date in my schedule and they don't want me to fire them. 'Sorry' is what a business associate says when they mess something up and they don't want me to terminate the partnership. 'Sorry' is what," he choked, then continued, "is what my little brother says when he breaks curfew, or when he says something he doesn't mean, or when he accidentally breaks the priceless vase in the hall, and he doesn't want me to ground him." He set the tea down, his hands gripping the arms of his chair with a white knuckled grasp as, furious, the forced himself to his feet. "'Sorry' is not what you say after you disappear and subsequently send my life to hell! Because that's where it went!

"…Do you honestly think 'sorry' is going to make a difference?"

He was breathing raggedly, and sweat dotted his forehead. Two days of constant worry about his brother, combined with lack of sleep and food, had left him drained. With a small, most un-Kaiba-like groan, he sank back into his chair.

Worry for him flared up again. She hurried forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Don't–" He jerked away from her. "Don't touch me."

Joan stood up, coming to a decision. He was going to make himself sick or worse if he didn't take a break; she understood how urgent it was to find Mokuba, but this was ridiculous. She and Carlson had both tried pleading with him, Carlson going to so far as to bring him something to eat so that he would not have to stop. Seto had returned their worry with harsh words and a stubbornness the likes of which she had never seen. It was time to try a new method.

"Look at you!" she growled, forcing scorn into her voice. "You can barely stand, and you want me leave you alone?"

"Are you mocking me?" He laughed, acrimoniously. "Of course. It figures. I go and rat you out for abandoning us, and you mock me."

She resisted the urge to bite her lip, not wanting to drop her act. He would see right through her if she did, and her last chance of convincing him to take a break would be gone. She made a mental note to have a long talk with him after all of this was over. Perhaps she could take away some of his pain.

"What did you expect me to do?" she persisted, being sure to keep the ridicule in her voice. "Pity you? Do you want me to pity you, Mr. CEO?"

His eyes flashed angrily. "What I want is for you to leave me the hell alone!"

"And let you kill yourself?"

"I'm not killing myself."

"Aren't you? You're not eating and you're not sleeping. Both of those are essential to sustain human life."

"That's not what matters! Mokuba is all that matters."

"And how will making yourself sick help Mokuba? I repeat, Seto: You can barely stand up. Even if you find him, how do you intend to rescue him when you won't be able to walk? Look at you! You're tired, you're weak, you have to use caffeine to keep yourself functional! How will that help him?"

"First off," he growled through clenched teeth, "it's when I find him, not if. As to everything else…"

"Yes?"

"…I'll deal with that when the time comes."

"Will you?"

"…"

"Seto… What would Mokuba say if he saw you now?"

His eyes grew distant, obviously imagining such a situation. He didn't answer.

"I don't know your brother, Seto. I don't know either of you. But from what I saw the night I came to your office, Mokuba would tell you to take a break. He wouldn't want you to do this to yourself for him."

Seto bowed his head, eyes closed in thought. "Mokuba…"

Joan was silent, watching him hopefully. Was it working?

Seto raised his head again, opening his eyes. She waited for him to say something, but he didn't speak. Instead, he once more gripped the arms of his chair, slowly rising to his feet. He took a few steps towards the door before his knees started to give out. His hand shot out, grabbing the edge of his desk for support, lest he fall. He took another step, then leaned heavily on the desk, trying to find the strength to take himself further.

Joan stepped up to him. "Let me help you, Seto."

He didn't reply, but neither did he protest when she took his arm and slung it around her shoulders, letting him lean on her for support. Slowly, they made their way out of the room and up the stairs, Willy following closely behind.

Carlson sighed in aggravation. He couldn't find Joan anywhere, and he had checked all of the likely places and a few unlikely places several times. He ran a hand through his short hair, fiddled absently with his shades, and looked about him.

He was standing just outside the Kaiba mansion master bedroom, where Mr. Kaiba slept. Joan was certainly nowhere around here.

He turned, about to head down the hall, and was barely able to stop his jaw from dropping in astonishment. There, walking slowly towards him from the opposite end of the hallway, was Joan, supporting a very tired looking Mr. Kaiba. The golden retriever was close behind them, watching Mr. Kaiba with a worry that Carlson hadn't known a dog could possess.

"Mr.… Kaiba?"

The CEOignored him. He walked a few more paces using Joan has his support, before pulling his arm from around her shoulders and staggering forwards the last few paces himself. He stopped when he reached his door, holding onto the knob to keep himself on his feet, breathing heavily.

"Carlson… If I'm not… up in a few hours… wake me. We can't afford to… wait too long." Without even waiting for a reply, he opened the door and stepped inside, pausing only for the dog to slip in before slamming the door behind him.

A/N: Whoo! Go me! I finished it two days ahead of schedule! Booya! Everyone thank Caorann fridh Brónach, because of she hadn't asked really, really annoyingly, er, I mean, nicely, I would have waited 'til Friday anyway...

And if Seto seems a teensy bit out of character, well, I blame the fact that he's gone two days without eating/sleeping and he has no clue what's happening to his brother. According to my dad, that's enough to cause some people to start to hallucinate. Poor Seto-kun's bound to not be feeling himself.

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