Chapter 3 :

"You will do no such thing." Flames seemed to blaze in those azure eyes.

"Wanna bet?" Katsuya crossed his arms over his chest, confidently.

"Is that a threat?" Kaiba's face darkened.

If looks could kill, the blond would have died on the spot and his body mangled to the unrecognizable degree.

"That's right, richboy. I'm threatening you." Katsuya's smirk transitioned into a large grin. He was pleased with the direction that the conversation was going so far. He knew that bringing up the younger brother of the CEO would result in this reaction. Kaiba adored his younger counterpart but only revealed it in his habit of being over-protective.

"You better not say anything to Mokuba or you'll live to regret it, I promise you that." The brunet's reply was laced with anger.

Katsuya's sharp retort was left hanging on the tip of his tongue. Both froze when they heard a knock come from outside the office door. There was a short moment of silence before the CEO finally acknowledged the interruption. "Enter."

Emiko came in. She stopped just in front of the doorway she passed through, appearing to have suddenly noticed the tension in the room. "Pardon my intrusion. I have your coffee, sir."

She waited hesitantly until Kaiba waved her forward. She seemed to appreciate the gesture, relief pulsing from her in waves. Katsuya assumed that she was put at ease, despite the heavy pressure. She set the coffee on the desk, steam coming from the hole of the lid of the cup, before waiting for any further instructions. The brunet nodded. Emiko took that as a signal to excuse herself. She bowed respectfully. Her exit was rushed.

The blond waited a few moments after the secretary left the room, then resumed the conversation between him and the CEO. He paced forward to stand directly in front of the desk again, leaning over it toward the businessman. "You ruin my life, Kaiba, and I'll do the same to yours."

"Is that supposed to intimidate me? You don't have the means to accomplish such a task." The brunet scoffed and leaned back in his chair, seeming relaxed despite Katsuya's intrusion into his space.

"Ya really wanna take that chance? The first thing I'll do is set Mokuba against you." He continued as Kaiba opened his mouth, preventing the businessman from interrupting. "You may not think that I am, but I'm pretty convincing when I wanna be."

Seto Kaiba was beyond furious. He was agitated to the point of committing a murder.

He took a deep breath. Then released it discreetly. If he could pretend that this fool was any other individual, he would be able to control his temper and get exactly what he wanted - how he wanted. But it was difficult. The situation was different. And this struggle was only because the person in front of him was Jounouchi Katsuya. The competition he usually faced was easily monitored and taken care of before problems arose. Katsuya, on the other hand, was more direct and unpredictable, especially when compared to his usual competitors. The CEO could never exactly figure out the blond's motives. The biggest frustration being that the halfwit always seemed to know how to get under his skin… push his buttons (sometimes figuratively and literally)... and seemed to know his weaknesses. That in itself caused fear to surface at the back of the brunet's mind, even though he refused to acknowledge the feeling.

Mokuba was his greatest weakness. Everyone knew it. Kaiba would never be able to hide that fact, and others had already taken advantage of it. His younger sibling had been kidnapped multiple times already. It caused him to become overbearing and restrictive toward his brother in all aspects. He hated that. He wanted Mokuba to have a normal life. But that wasn't possible. Nor would it have been, if they had remained in the revolting adoption agency or under the authority of their previous guardian, Gozaburo. He could only do his best until he could offer that to the teen. And, hopefully, Mokuba would end up alright with the businessman supporting him financially and giving advice when needed. Then again, his younger brother was close to being the same genius that the CEO was, just more gullible.

Katsuya had his full attention now though. The chance that Mokuba would turn against him tore his heart in two, even with only the thought. And it definitely wasn't something that he would ever place a bet on. The risk was too great. He couldn't be sure that his brother trusted him completely. Though admiration was shown to the brunet now, that could almost too easily change with time.

Kaiba's jaw tightened and his teeth ground together. He was going to regret this, but he couldn't find any other way to get the blond to leave without causing a disturbance. And a commotion was the last thing he needed, especially if rumors spread to the nearest news agency. That was not the kind of publicity he willingly staged. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. "Fine."

"I can easily-" Katsuya paused. Those brown eyes blinked before looking at the CEO in surprise. "Ya seriously agreed? I thought we'd argue 'til fists were thrown."

"That can be arranged." His azure eyes narrowed. Sure, preferably, a disturbance should be avoided, but, if it did get out of hand, paying off and threatening his employees would work out too.

"Naw, I'd rather not." The blond grinned sheepishly. "So ya gonna tell me?"

"I have a few conditions. Sit."

"You really had to make a contract?" Katsuya stared down at the parchment that passed over the desk into his hands, dumbfounded.

After the CEO had mentioned having conditions, he returned to typing at his computer. The blond had blinked in confusion before pulling forward a sofa chair from the side of the room to the front of the desk and sitting in it. That had gotten him a snarky comment from Kaiba, who was unable to resist saying that Katsuya listened to commands well for being a stray, to which the blond responded with a 'Shut yer trap!' He had tapped the desk impatiently as the brunet clicked a button and he heard a whirring sound come from underneath the wood surface. Kaiba leaned down and pulled up the document before handing it over. The entire process had taken a few minutes for the businessman to put it together, and it looked official.

He had been surprised when the CEO had agreed to his demand. He should have known that the brunet wouldn't accept it that easily. Kaiba wouldn't let him have the satisfaction. Now, the blond was sitting in a comfortable seat in front of the businessman. Stupid rich people with their perfect furniture.

"Of course. Now sign." The businessman held out a black pen.

"What if I don't?" The younger man glanced from the pen to those azure eyes.

"Then out you go, onto the streets where you belong." Kaiba's poker face had returned. The brunet set the writing instrument on the desk, just above where the parchment now laid.

Just earlier, Katsuya thought he had seen panic hidden behind eyes of rage, but that had disappeared about as quickly as he had registered it. Now, he was almost convinced that his mind had been playing tricks on him all along. "What about my threat?"

"I'll take my chances." They remained with their gazes locked.

The blonde searched for any hints that could reveal the CEO's thoughts but found none. He sighed in defeat. He might as well take the offer while it still stood. He read through the document. It was merely their agreement, in very fancy wording, consisting of a promise that Katsuya would never tell anyone, especially Mokuba, about what was discussed between them. Secondly, Kaiba would answer any question relevant to his health. This second portion had been argued upon. The burnet had not included any allowance for prying originally and eventually conceded to the younger duelist's demand : answering any question he had, as long it was relevant and solely about his health. Katsuya was glad he read it before signing. The businessman amended the contract to what they agreed upon and printed the updated version. The blond reviewed it again, making sure the CEO wasn't trying to pull another fast one, before taking the pen and signing.

"There, it's signed. Now explain." Katsuya pushed the document back to the CEO. The black pen almost rolled off the desk from the momentum. The brunet caught it skillfully, shooting the blond a glare before returning the writing utensil to a drawer. The parchment was dealt with in a similar fashion.

Kaiba seemed to be stalling, taking his time before answering. Katsuya tapped his foot impatiently. Each second felt like a year. He couldn't stand it for much longer.

"Kaiba. What happened? Why did you pass out?" He stated the questions softly, probing in a cautious manner. There wasn't a response from the taller individual. "Kaiba! We just signed yer stupid contract. Answer the questions."

The CEO shifted his eyes to the blond. Those eyes were intense, burning with annoyance… yet there was a small glimmer of fear there. It was small - but there. He must not have imagined it earlier. Katsuya could tell that the brunet was struggling and instantly regretted his approach to push the topic. He didn't know any other way to get Kaiba to respond though. Either way, he refused to leave without an explanation. "...Why?" He asked again, delicately but strong.

The blond forced himself to be more patient, waiting for the businessman to work through whatever he seemed to be struggling to get out. It took several moments, but it finally seemed like Kaiba caved in. The reply was slow, carefully said. "I've been getting headaches."

"Headaches?" Confusion rose in his mind. "What do headaches have to do with you passing out?"

"Intensity, I assume." The CEO looked into Katsuya's eyes. "I've been having headaches for years. This is the first time that I've fallen unconscious though."

"How long have ya been havin' headaches?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"Like I said, years. I don't remember exactly when they began."

The younger man paused and thought back to the incident earlier. He recalled their positioning, blushing briefly before his eyes widened in realization. "Kaiba, where do you get yer headaches?"

The brunet looked at him critically. "I don't purchase them, if that's what you're implying."

"No, darn it!" Katsuya rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I meant, where are your headaches located usually?"

The businessman frowned before responding. "I get them around my eyes and across my forehead."

"What do you eat?" The blond questioned further, leaning forward in anticipation to the taller man's response.

Suspicion arose in those azure eyes. "Why do you need to know what I eat?"

"I promise that it is relevant to your health. Just answer."

"...Coffee."

"And?"

"..."

"Kaiba." Katsuya's voice was stern, similar to that of a parent.

"And… vitamins." The brunet avoided eye contact.

"Vitamins?" He paused. "...Really?" When there was no comment after that, the blond decided to come back to that in a bit. "How often do you take your vitamins?"

"...Once in the morning and before bed," the brunet begrudgingly admitted, leaning back in his chair with arms crossed over his chest.

"Is that all?"

The CEO nodded stiffly, turning his chair slightly to gaze outside his office window. Katsuya took that moment to process everything until Kaiba looked back at him. "What does that have to do with my headaches?"

"Well… you said that yer headaches are in your eyes and forehead. Those are from stress, overworking, or because of a bad diet." He stated this fact hesitantly, worrying over how the brunet would react. "I think that the headaches are from not eating in your case."

Katsuya nervously watched as this was taken in by the businessman to consider.

"Why do you think that my diet is the issue instead of the others?" Kaiba sounded curious.

That was not a question that the blond had been expecting and preparing mentally for. Therefore, he failed to think through his reply before answering immediately. "When ya were unconscious, I carried you over to the couch. You weren't heavy at all; it felt like I was liftin' a girl."

The businessman looked as though he had been electrocuted. It took longer than really necessary for Katsuya to realize what he had said. And then he went as red as a tomato." His brown eyes widened considerably in horror. He stuttered as he fought to distract Kaiba. "Wh-when was the last time ya had a decent meal?"

The CEO seemed to shake himself out of his state of shock and commented on the blond's effort to move on from the subject. "I occasionally go to lunch meetings with my clients and business partners. That happens once a month; I rarely go to more than that willingly."

The blond relaxed and was grateful that the brunet hadn't latched onto his careless comment. Then he realized that the businessman was staring at him. He started to feel uneasy once again. "Kaiba? Why are ya looking at me like that?"

"Why do you know so much about this topic?"

The blond froze. That was personal. There was no way that he was going to admit that he knew because he had taken care of his drunken father, who had suffered from that exact problem until recently. No way was he going to admit that to anyone other than a close friend, let alone Kaiba - who would merely take it as an opportunity to mock and degrade him. "That's none of yer business. Just be glad I do. Anyways, you need to start eatin' soup and other things that are easy on the stomach to get your appetite back."

"I thought that we agreed that you could only question my health."

"...So you're saying that I can't help ya, even after I figure out one of yer problems."

The cocky CEO smirked. "Were you expecting anything less? Now get out."

End of Chapter 3