*12* Seto *12*

Fire. My eyes opened quickly and my hands were clenched into fists. My leg was on fire, the pain was more potent than when it had first began. I sat up quickly and thats when I noticed the Mutt sleeping in the chair next to mine. It was pissing me off, how much I had relied on him the day before.

Well, no more. I shifted and the pain in my leg spread through my entire body. I let out a curse and the Mutt woke up.

"Take it easy, Kaiba." he said and came to lend me his support. I shoved his hands away and glared at him.

"Don't touch me." I said. I didn't need his help.

"Hey, now, just relax. I'll get you more painkillers," he said.

"I don't want them. I want to get back to work so I can get rid of you and get back to my life." I said, suddenly I felt bad for saying it. I ignored the feeling and yanked the covers away and forced myself to stand. My leg gave out and suddenly I was falling.

"Watch out!" the mutt said and caught me by the arm, his other hand was on my chest to steady me. "Careful," he muttered and I noticed his face was too close to mine and i could feel heat rise to my face.

"Shut up." I yanked away from him, ignoring the sharp pain that followed.

"I know you hate this but nothing will get solved by acting so recklessly."

"Look who's giving me the lecture on recklessness." I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

"Just relax."

"Don't tell me to relax!" I shouted and the mutt's face crinkled in anger.

"If not for me you'd be dead, pretty boy. You'd be…"

"Like you? I wont get so careless. I could have made it out of that situation on my own."

"I wasn't careless, it's not my fault I am like this now."

"With your back ground I am sure it would have happened eventually anyway." I said and a look of hurt washed over the mutt's face for an instant and then it was gone. He stood up. "Look…" at his tone of voice I knew I had gone too far and it wasn't how I felt at all.

"No, I know how you feel about me. I know that will never change. I hate this situation too but I am trying to make the best of it. After all what is the point of fighting with you when I am dead?" he said. "I know this sucks but just rest here until you can walk," he said, "we'll fix everything and then you can be done with me," and that was the last thing he said to me for two hours.

I was getting restless and my leg was throbbing more than ever. I reached over for the bottle of painkillers but ended up knocking them over where they rolled onto the floor. I let out a sigh of annoyance and was about to bend over to pick them up when Jounouchi held them out in front of me. I took the bottle, neither of us said a word.

He went back to his place on the chair and glanced out the window though they were so filmy that there was no possible way he could see anything. I could tell that he really hated being near me now. Why was he staying here then? I know that my presence gives him strength but he's been away from me before.

"Why are you even staying here with me?" I asked, my voice cracked from nonuse and I took the bottle of water from the table and took a drink and another to swallow the pills.

"I'm not that type of person," he said.

"What?"

"I wouldn't leave a man while he's down." He said and went back to ignoring me.

So I was finally getting silence from him but it was unsettling and I didn't like it. What was wrong with me? I tried to make myself comfortable on the couch but when I brought my leg up i noticed fresh blood seeping through the bandage.

"Dammit!" I sat up again and tried to bring my leg closer so I could take a look at it but it was impossible. Suddenly I felt a warm hand on my ankle, I looked up and saw Jounouchi studying my bandage. His hand slid up my leg slightly and I shifted uncomfortably, not because of his touch but because it felt nice.

"Just lay back. Let someone else take care of you. I promise you wont owe me anything," he said and left the room to get a fresh bandage.

I won't owe him anything? What does that mean? I stare at the door he left through for some time and wonder before a sudden anger washes over me. Bull shit. Everyone wants something, nothing is free.

"What's with that face?" Jounouchi asked

"You think you know me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you don't. So just…" I started to feel heavy and the air in the room became pleasantly warm. I could feel my body sway slightly.

"Just what?" he pressed, his deep Honey eye's bore into mine but I couldn't look away. "You're being very strange." He said, and, placing both hands on the couch on either side of me, he leaned in closer. My lazy eyes shifted down to his plump lips for a second before I closed them in agitation. "Do you have a fever?" he asked and placed his hand on my forehead. "Sure do."

"I don't have a fever. I don't get fevers."

"I'm sure the fever gods just didn't get the message that you are the great Seto Kaiba." he mocked.

"Shut up."

"You mean to tell me you've never gotten a fever in your life?" he asked. "Let me guess, you would just ignore them and work as usual." And there he goes again. This was getting irritating, how can this mutt talk to me like he knows me?

"Just wrap up my leg and go back over there."

"No, you have a fever. If you don't relax and let me take care of you I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life even after we solve this thing."

"You wouldn't."

"Hey, I have nothing to live or die for, I have plenty of time," he just wouldn't give up.

I did feel a bit warm and the meds were causing my mind to buzz pleasantly. I suppose letting him take care of me wouldn't be so bad. No one would know after all.

Oh. His hand was on my forehead again, it was cool this time. Yeah, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Finally coming to your senses. I don't know what's going on in that head of yours but you need to calm down sometimes," he said.

"Just…"

"Oh, Are those meds kicking in?" he smiled and I looked away. "sweet dreams, boss man."

Boss man? I didn't have time to call him ridiculous before my mind went blank and i fell asleep.

I woke several hours later to the sound of rustling. I sat up and looked around for the mutt but he was no where to be seen. Then I noticed a note on the table. "Went out for ice, borrowed your shirt." I read out loud and found myself smiling. Ugh must be the medication.

"Hey, I'm back." Came a voice from the entrance. "good you are awake. I got us some food too." He placed a back down on the table and touched my forehead again. "Your fever broke. Good." He said.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to a newspaper sticking out of his bag.

"Oh, right. I thought you might be bored so I got you a paper. You like to read boring crap, right?"

"its not boring. You need to know whats going on in the world… why am I trying to explain this to a simpleton."

"Jerk." He said and handed me the paper.

"Where are you getting all of these things? Don't you think someone will notice things flying off the shelves? And how are you able to carry things without being seen."

"Duh, I go to this shop that is closed on Monday's and in this part of town, no one is around. I wont let anyone see me. We don't need that."

"True." I said and opened the paper to give it a read. Shit. The cover was not something I wanted to see.

CORPORATE TAKE OVER

"What's wrong?"

"We have to get back to my company. I don't know what those american's were thinking!" I stood up

"Be careful." Jounouchi said.

"I'm fine."

"What's going on?"

"The american's are feeding the media some bull about how I signed a contract with them to sell my company to them. They are saying that they bought me out."

"What? Like you would ever do that."

"That's not the point. The point is that they are starting with publicity, I guess they assumed that I had died."

"They can't just do that."

"They must have some sort of connection." I said. Damn, I knew I shouldn't have let myself take this little holiday.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head; If you think that you can confront them like that then you are crazy." The mutt glanced up at me with those honey eyes again. No, this look was different… "I wont let you hurt yourself." He said.

"Right, because without me you have no way to move on."

"What? Shut up." Uh-oh, he was angry. Good. This was normal. I smirked.

"I don't give a shit about me. I'm gone so there's no point in worrying. But you… you are still flesh and have people who depend on you and you have a heart… you don't always show it but I know its there."

"Look…" I didn't want to hear any more of this.

"Let me finish. Its obvious that you never take care of yourself and now that you have no choice… I will take on that job." I was taken aback at his words…how did he… I was about to shoot a glare at him when suddenly his body began to fade.

"What's going on?" he asked and before either of us could comprehend it he was gone.