Disclaimer : I do not own YuGiOh or any of its respective characters. I have gained absolutely no money in the creation of this work. I do, however, hold claims to the story's main plot.

Summary : Why would this stupid mutt risk his life to save that of the man he despises most? And claiming to repay someone doesn't always mean you're not getting something out of the situation as well. Yaoi, SXJ, JXS

Warnings : Contains Shounen-ai, abuse, death, physical disabilities, Anzu bashing, and lots more fun stuff. Oh, and swearing.

Who Are You To Tell Me What I know?

Chapter II

"The Week"

The hospital was crowded with people going this way and that. No one was really surprised. It was a hospital after all. Yugi, Honda, Ryou, and Otogi had received the call from the hospital that morning. Jonouchi had finally been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit, and the group of friends could finally come in and visit.

As they approached the main desk just within the hospital doors, it was Yugi who tied to speak to the receptionist nurse, but found he could barely see over the top of the counter.

"We're here to see Katsuya Jonouchi, please." Honda was the one who had spoken in place of Yugi, fighting to hold back his bit of laughter at his friend's short stature. They were directed to the East Wing of the third floor, room 317. Thankfully, there were several elevators scattered around the hallways of the massive building. When they eventually found the room, Honda Hiroto was the one to knock upon the door, then open it slowly. There was Katsuya, laying on his back, tubes and wires running between his body and numerous machines. It was heartbreaking to see him like that.

Shizuka was there, asleep in a chair pulled right next to the bed. It was the same place Jonouchi's younger sister had been for the entire week since the incident. Right at her brother's side. At least, that was, when he wasn't off in surgery, or being resuscitated, or things of the like.

The group of males had all already known how hard it was for her to have been able to be here with her brother. The mother of the two had forbidden any sort of contact between the siblings after the divorce. But they had managed a few hours here and there in secret. Everyone knew how much Joouchi cared for Shizuka. When the girl had learned about the shooting at their graduation, she had done the one thing she had never dared to do. Stand up to her mother. As a result, everything Shizuka owned was now sitting in three large bags on the other side of the hospital bed.

Yugi was the first to move up to the long-haired brunette, touching her shoulder gently. "Hey, Shizuka…" She didn't jerk awake, didn't gasp or anything like that. She had been the one to call Yugi and the rest up to the hospital. Her smile was kind as she turned to the shorter male, sitting up and stretching her aching limbs.

"Hey Yugi. Hope you guys didn't have trouble finding the room." Her voice was soft in hopes of not awakening her sleeping brother.

"Nah, we're good." Honda was the one speaking now, his eyes wracking up and down his best friend's sister's body. He had always had a thing for Shizuka Kawai, but of course, would probably never admit it. "We've only got about an hour though. Anzu's funeral is today…"

An unsettling silence filled the room at that remark. Everyone had been so upset to find out about their friend's death. It had happened with Mokuba's bodyguards had gone after the gunman. He had begun to shoot wildly, aiming at whatever student or faculty he could. The light-hearted girl had been shot in the chest three times, once in the arm, and twice in the head. The medics said she died instantly. Thankfully, she had been the only one to lose a life, hopefully. No one knew if they would be able to handle if Jonouchi passed as well.

"Please give everyone my condolences when you go. I would…" Her eyes, identical in color to her older brother, fell upon his mechanically breathing form, tears glistening in the bronze orbs. "I have to stay here with Katsuya. I have to be here for him…" She wouldn't cry. She refused to allow herself to show weakness when her brother, the only family she had left, was in such pain and hardship.

Slowly, the four males settled around the girl, taking turns giving her hugs, talking, remembering good times before all of this happened. True, it had only been a week, but it seemed like Jonouchi had been gone for years.

Not long before the group had to leave, Ryou looked to the door. There was a presence there that they all knew far too well, but none had expected to show itself here. Everyone else's gaze quickly followed the white-haired males, and there, in the doorway, stood the last person they had expected to see.

"Seto…" Shizuka had been the first to speak, standing from her chair and approaching the tall male. She bowed, offering a gesture for the CEO to come into the room and join them. "I'm sorry to say that Kat-"

"What the hell do you think you're doing here, Kaiba?!" Honda was on his feet, fists clenched at his sides. He knew he had cut off the girl, but at this point, he was too pissed to care. "Come to rub it in our faces about how we have such a weak friend?! Well you can take your snide remarks and shove them up your ass! You're not welcome here!"

To everyone's surprise, Seto didn't raise his gaze from the girl still half-bowing before him. "Jonouchi saved my life. I have every right to be here."

"Like hell you do! Get the fuck out, now!"

"Honda!" It was Shizuka who spoke up now. "You have no right to tell anyone to leave! He has every right to care about Katsuya's well being just as much as you all do!"

"Pft! He doesn't give a rat's ass about what happens to Jou…" It was the last thing Honda said before he stormed out the door. Like hell that bastard had any rights to knowing how his friend was doing! Sheepishly, the rest of the boys followed the fin-haired male, offering slight nods in apologies to the girl.

With a heavy sigh, the teen returned to her seat beside her brother, kicking back the chairs the others had drawn up beside the bed. Her eyes were locked on the blonde as tears threatened her once again.

"I am sorry, Kaiba-kun… I know you all don't get along, but I don't see why Honda has to be so damned stubborn…" It was the first time the brunette girl had ever uttered a curse, but she felt it was acceptable right now.

"I told you before, Shizuka, please, call me Seto…" He was beside her in an instant, sitting in the one chair that had been left upright after the girl's small tirade. They had sat like this several times over the past week, for several hours at a time. During those times, they had spoken of many things, and had grown close. Kaiba, if inclined, might have even divulged that he had actually found a friend. Of course, he would probably never admit to it… "How is Jonouchi doing today?"

"As I was trying to say before Hiroto interrupted…" She paused a moment, swallowing her sudden resurge of anger. "Katsuya has barely made any improvements. There haven't been any close calls today, however. Yet…" The sentences rolled off the girl's tongue in a lull. She had been relaying a similar message to the tall male every day for the past week. But today, there was more. "I spoke to the doctors today… According to them, you should have never been allowed into the ICU to visit Katsuya. Of course, they would probably never confront you about it." With a turn of her head, she flashed a warm smile to the CEO, but it vanished quickly as she returned to watching her brother. Almost numbly, she clasped the sleeping blonde's hand in her own. "He said something else though… He said… H-he said…!" It was everything she could do to swallow down her fear as she tried to relay the message to the brunette beside her.

She was surprised but the gentle hand placing itself on her shoulder. Shizuka turned quickly, locking bronze eyes with sapphire.

"It's okay. Take a deep breath." It was surprising Seto Kaiba could actually be compassionate, especially to the sister of the man that hated him. For all the world, Kaiba knew his little mutt hated his very guts, every last molecule in his body. And the brunette hated himself for it. Maybe, if he had been nicer to Jonouchi, he would have been able to tell the blonde of his feelings. Maybe could have saved him from this pain.

After taking a deep breath, the girl turned her gaze once more to her brother's still body. It was heartbreaking to see her older brother in such a state. But Shizuka knew what had been the cause of it. Seto had admitted it to her the first time he had come to visit. Katsuya had been protecting the brunette beside her. And Shizuka knew, having been so secretively close to her brother, just how much the blonde cared for the unemotional corporate executive. But she had been sworn to secrecy, and she would not break her promise, especially not to the only family she had left.

"The doctors, they said, they said that… That Katsuya may never be able to walk again!" Once the first sentence was finally out, the rest proceeded in a flood. "They said the majority of the bullets hit him just as the base of the spine, most likely paralyzing him from the waist down, and he may never be able to even feel his legs ever again but there are these surgeries they could do, but they're very risky, and very expensive, and don't even always work, and I just don't know how to help Katsuya!" Tears were streaming down her face, coming out of her as fast as her words. She barely took notice of the gentle squeeze the hand upon her shoulder gave, but felt slightly reassured. Turning her dusty brown eyes to the male beside her, she couldn't make any other expression than that of anguish. Here she was, homeless, defenseless, before the man her brother loved more than life itself, while Katsuya lay, nearly incarcerated, upon the metal slab they called a bed.

Without a word, Kaiba was on his feet, stalking over to the closed door. He opened it, stepped outside, and closed the door to room 317 quietly. Two nurses, who had been walking down the hall, paused at his sudden appearance, though only for a moment before they began whispering to each other about the handsome CEO before them.

But the brunette didn't bother to take notice. He walked past the two whispering females, in the direction of the floor's maybe desk, where he knew he could get some answers, and set up some appointments.

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Shizuka stared open-mouthed at the closed door. Why had Seto just left all of a sudden? Had her outburst scared him away? But now wasn't the time to be worrying about something so stupid. Right now, all of her focus, all of her thoughts had to be upon Katsuya, nd wishing for a speedy recovery. Or at least some sort of recovery at all…

A/N : Okay, so there was pretty much absolutely no plot in that chapter at all, and it was rather short, and I hope you can all forgive me! I know, it took a while to get this up, but I was contemplating on just posting what I have here now (Which is what I'm doing) or continuing. But, by stopping here, there will sure to be PLENTY to read come the next chapter! Much in store for this group indeed!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it really does mean the world to me to know you all like this fic thus far. Hopefully I haven't scared you all away by now. So be sure to keep those reviews coming, and see you all next chapter!

Kitsune Seven