After obtaining directions to the condo, and saying an emotional goodbye to Sugoroku, Jounouchi sped off down the street, Jared almost having to jog in order to catch up with him. As they gradually made their way further into the city, all too familiar sights, sounds and smells bombarded Jou with every corner he turned; he couldn't keep the grin from creeping onto his face. Almost leaping round another corner, he stopped, checking the hastily-drawn map.

"It should be on this road, somewhere." Jou said, squinting at the pen lines in order to make more sense of them.

"Sir," Jared panted.

"One seco-"

"JOU." Jou's head snapped up, and he saw exactly why Jared was trying to get his attention. A staggeringly tall array of glass windows and glinting steel stood abruptly in the centre of his vision. A huge, glittering fountain lay impressively in front of the entrance, with cherry blossoms lining the outside, petals floating lazily towards the water's surface. The architecture was modern, intricate and beautiful, the silver tower curving upwards into a magnificent point hundreds of meters above them.

"Woah." Jou had seen impressive buildings in America, but only Japan could produce something like the masterpiece that stood before him. "Do you think that might be it?"

"It's the right address, Jou."

Jou took another moment to register the sight before him, and then began to slowly make his way towards the entrance. Yugi and Yami had clearly made a name for themselves, if they could afford to live here.

The two men made their way uncertainly through the foyer, both feeling intimidated by the luxurious furnishings and apprehensive glances from a couple of the waiting staff. Jou made his way towards the reception desk, feeling somewhat underdressed. He and Jared were both wearing jeans and jackets, obviously not having prepared.

"Hi there, what number does Yugi Mutou live at?"

The woman smirked, taking in his appearance.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Well, no, I just wanted to visit, I'm an old fr-"

"Friend, really? Get out; we've heard that one before. Mr Mutou does not want to be disturbed."

"Look, could you call him? He'll know who I am."

"Sir, if you do not have an appointment, we cannot let you in."

"But I –"

Suddenly, Jared pushed past Jou.

"Excuse me madam, do you know who this man is?"

The woman frowned, taken aback. Then looked Jou over.

"I'm afraid I don't."

Jared turned around, and to Jou's surprise, took off his sunglasses.

"Hey, Jar-!"

"Now, do you recognise him!?"

The woman paused. And then her hand shot to her mouth.

"Jounouchi Katsuya! Oh my gosh. I do apologise, I'm so sorry, I didn't recognise you, I thought you might be paparazzi or a fan or so-"

"Don't worry, don't worry! You were just doing your job!" Jou attempted to calm her down, as her voice began to rise to uncomfortable pitches.

"I-I'll get Mr. Mutou on the phone then, shall I?"

"Thank you, that'd be really helpful." Jou smiled reassuringly. As she dialled the number, he shot Jared a relieved look and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Don't know what I'd do without you sometimes. I owe you one."

As Jou moved away, Jared's face broke out into a violent blush, only just managing a meek smile back. Jou frowned, slightly confused, but had little time to consider it further as the woman had made contact with the condo.

"Mr. Mutou, there's someone here to see you, says he's a friend. No, no, it's no one troublesome, we've checked. Shall I send him up? Yes? Alright. One second, Mr Mutou."

Jou smirked, he'd never thought of Yugi as a 'Mr. Mutou' before.

"It's suite 300, top floor. I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience, Katsuya." The woman still looked horrified.

"Honestly, it's absolutely fine. I have the same procedures back home." Jou smiled again, beckoned to Jared, and made his way towards the lift.

The ride upstairs was a long and nervous one. Jou's heart rate began to rise with the floor numbers, tapping his fingers agitatedly against the railing.

"Si- I mean, Jou?"

"Yeah, J?"

The boy looked as if he was about to say something. His mouth opened and closed, and then the infamous blush returned again.

"What is it?"

"N-nothing. Don't worry."

Jou would have begun to question him, but suddenly the lift doors glided open, and a smart, long corridor interrupted his thought process. Taking a few steps down, the two men came to a pair of steel doors. Intricate hieroglyphics patterned the outside frames, and Jou smiled. Yami had always been a bit of an interior designer at heart. A small button sat imposingly on the wall, and Jou, taking a deep breath, pressed it.

There was a buzzing noise, then a pause. Jou's heart continued to rocket in his chest.

Suddenly a microphone crackled into life, and a familiar voice echoed through the speaker.

"Who eeeeeees eeeet?"

"Yugi, can you TRY to take this seriously, it could be anyone!"

"I know, I still can't get over how awesome this thing is though."

Jou grinned, they DEFINITELY hadn't changed.

There was some scuffling through the mic, and then Yami's voice returned.

"Please state your name and your business."

"Old friend, and catching up." Jou said, making his voice sound as serious as possible.

"Look, we're not going t-"

"YAMI CAN WE USE THE CAMERA?!"

"It's not necess-"

"I'M DOING IT ANYWAY!"

Jou swerved around, as a CCTV camera lens began to focus and refocus.

"Wait, take off your sunglasses."

Jou grinned, and did so.

"JOU?! OH MY G-"

The mic cut off abruptly, and Jou couldn't help but laugh. Rushing footsteps approached the doors, and they swung violently open.

"Jounouchi?!" A blur of gold, crimson and black bounded into Jounouchi, almost knocking him out and making Jared jump back abruptly. The force pushed Jounouchi into the opposite wall, and he had to take a moment to compose himself, before wrapping his arms around the smaller man.

"Yugi!" He looked down, and found a pair of familiar amethyst eyes staring up into his own. "God, you look exactly the same."

"Is that really you?" the younger man still seemed in a state of shock.

"Yeah." Jou grinned, pulling the other into a tight hug.

"It's been a while, Jou." Jou looked up, and saw Yugi's counterpart smiling at him from the open doorway. After Yugi had released him, it was Yami's turn to pull Jou into a hug. "We've been watching all your work, you're ridiculously talented." The pharaoh grinned, patting him on the shoulder.

"JOU, can you make me something? Like a t-shirt or something? Please?!" Yugi tugged at his arm, and he laughed, ruffling the younger man's hair. "Sure, Yug', when the million other commissioners decide to lay off."

Remembering Jared, he detached himself from Yugi and pulled the boy over.

"Jared, I want you to meet Yugi and Yami, two very good friends of mine."

"D-don't worry. I know who they are. I am honoured to meet you." The boy seemed completely out of his element, hands staying awkwardly at his sides and his face glowing a predictable red. Yugi suddenly pulled the boy into a hug, and Jared looked as if he was about to explode with surprise.

"Any friend of Jou's is a friend of ours!"
"W-well, I'm just his secretar-"

"No, J, you're a friend, there are no formalities here." Jou reassured him, winking.

"You going to come in then, guys?" Yugi raced into the condo, pulling Yami with him. "Jou, it's so big, we got it two years ago and now it's got all this awesome stuff in it. I never knew how great having money was!"

Jou whistled as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him and taking in his surroundings. The room was absolutely huge, a mixture of dark reds, golds and blacks, Egyptian artefacts littering the walls and floors, a large sofa sitting in the left corner, and a colossal television hanging on the opposite wall. Glass windows stretched to the ceiling, heralding an exquisite view of domino. On the other side, a kitchen area glistened temptingly, with an antique dining table sitting almost innocently in the middle of the floor, a chandelier hanging impressively above it.

"Christ, guys, this is impressive."

"It was all Yami's idea, it's taken two years but it's so worth it!" To Jou's surprise, the smaller man leaned up, planting a kiss on the pharaoh's cheek. Oh yeah, he'd forgotten about that part. Yami's arm snaked its way around Yugi's small waist, pulling him closer for a more intimate kiss.

Jou decided to give the couple their moment, and took another look around the condo. Suddenly, a door opened on the wall opposite him, and a young man emerged. He was roughly Jou's height, with shaggy, long black hair, and tanned skin, with a skinny build. He looked up, and his eyes widened, and Jou realised just who he was looking at.

"Mokuba! Guess who's just turned up!"

The boy grinned, running over to Jou and embracing him. Jou was genuinely shocked.

"Mokie? Really? Jesus, look at you!"

"Yeah, had a bit of a growth spurt past sixteen. What's up with your accent?"

"Basically the result of working with pretentious fashion executives for a living." The boy grinned, and then turned to Jared, who was standing awkwardly near the door.

"Who's this, Jou?"

"This is Jared, a friend of mine. Jared, this is Mokuba."

Mokuba extended a hand, and Jared took it, blushing a little.

"Nice to meet you, Jared." Mokuba smiled at the younger man. "You can't be as old as these pensioners, how old are you? It'd be nice to have someone my age around for a change."

"I-I'm 18." Jared looked up, seeming to gain some confidence.

"Really? Same! " Mokuba grinned. "So you'll know how to play Mario Kart, right?"

Jared watched him uncertainly. "Y-yeah, I've played a few times."

"Thank GOD." Mokuba took the younger man's hand and pulled him towards the television. "I swear these guys have never played a video game in their LIVES. I've been so bored, you HAVE to race me."

Jou smiled, Jared could probably use a friend his age. Suddenly, his expression changed. If Mokuba was in Domino, why wasn't he visiting his older brother? Did Kaiba know he was here? Did he want Kaiba to know? Considering they had been inseparable five years ago, something big must have happened for Mokuba to be avoiding his older brother. He remembered Larson's words. Kaiba hadn't been the same ever since. Ever since what?

"Jou, do you want a drink or something?" Yami beckoned him over to the kitchen. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee, please, I've got a lot of work ahead of me today." Jou sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Oooh, have you been commissioned by someone in Japan? Who is it?" Yugi jumped up on the surface beside him.

"You know him, actually."

Yugi took a minute to ponder, and then his eyes widened.

"You can't mean – " Yugi glanced tentatively in the direction of the sofa, and then beckoned Jou closer. Confused, Jou leant forward.

"You're working for Kaiba?"

"Yeah, although not by choice. I was just told he was offering a lot, and lived in Japan, and so I saw it as an excuse to come and see you guys. I didn't think for a moment who it would be. So now, I'm kinda stuck with him."

Yugi ran a hand through his hair.

"You might not want to mention your commissioner around Mokuba."

"Why?"

Yami shook his head and handed Jou his coffee, beckoning towards the door with his other hand.

"We'll explain in the sitting room."

Glancing over his shoulder apprehensively, Jou followed the two men through the doorway.

"What's going on, guys?" Jou said, as Yugi sat himself on the sofa opposite, and Yami shut the door quietly.

"Basically, about a year ago, Mokuba had to leave for University, because, well, he's eighteen, right?"

"Yeah, so Kaiba was upset he had to leave. I get that." Jou said, sipping his coffee.

"More than upset," Yami interjected "He tried to ban him from leaving."

"What?" Jou asked, leaning forward. "What did he do?"

"Tried to lock him in his bedroom, told him he'd have to learn from home, told the servants not to let him out." Yami said, taking a seat next to Yugi.

"What? Christ, I knew Kaiba was protective, but not THAT bad. What happened?"

"Well, after almost a month of fighting, and rowing, Mokuba escaped out of his window, and travelled to the University alone. He managed to get some of the staff to send his things behind Kaiba's back."

"God." Jou breathed. No wonder hearing about him would make Mokuba uncomfortable.

"Basically, Seto tried to call him for months afterwards, being apologetic, apparently he was even crying at some points, but Mokuba wouldn't change his mind. And since then, they've had no contact with each other."

Jou sat back in his chair, mulling this information over. Considering how close the two brothers had been before he'd left, this had to have been huge.

"So, what's he doing here?"

The couple glanced uncertainly at each other.

"Well, he had nowhere to stay for the summer break, and so he contacted us," Yugi began. "Of course, we're happy to have him and all, it's just that it's a bit uncomfortable for us since, well, y'know." A blush spread across the small man's face. Yami squeezed his hand and continued for him.

"We think it'd just be healthier for the two brothers to make up, since they used to be so close. But whenever we mention anything vaguely related to Kaiba, Mokuba will either throw a tantrum, or just ignore us. We're not sure what to do."

Jou ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, I dunno, guys. It's a tough situation, no doubt about that."

"How is Seto?" Yugi asked, suddenly.

Jou paused uncertainly. "I, well, when he hasn't been mocking me, he hasn't really been looking all that great. Doesn't seem to be getting much sleep, he's not looking as good as he used to. I haven't seen too much of him yet, I was hoping to keep it that way."

Yugi and Yami glanced at each other.

"Tell you what, Jou, could you, well, at some point, have a talk with Mokuba about it? Tell him how Kaiba is? I think he really does care about Seto, he's just refusing to admit it. After all, even though imprisonment is a bit harsh, Seto was only really doing it out of love." Yugi pressed, leaning forward.

"Yeah. Well, i don't know, I wouldn't know when to bring it u-"

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"When the fuck were you going to tell me you were working for HIM?!" Mokuba's face contorted into a glare, shaggy hair falling over his face. Jared appeared behind him, looking incredibly frightened and gave Jou an apologetic look.

"I – well, Mokuba, I didn't know-"
"Has he sent you here to spy on me, to convince me to go back, is that what this is?!" The boy growled, stalking into the room.

"NO. Mokuba, honestly, I've only just found out about what happened from these guys. Kaiba hasn't said a word to me." Jou was taken aback with the pure ferocity in Mokuba's expression.

"Well, well, you tell him that I d-don't want to hear from him ever again, and- and tell him I don't want to live with another fucking Gozaburo. Make sure he knows that." The boy stood there for a moment, and then stomped out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him.

There was a long silence, until Jared stumbled over to the sofa.

"J-Jou, i'm so sorry, he asked where we were staying and I h-had no idea." Jared looked close to tears. Jou put an arm round him, reassuringly. "Don't worry, J, it wasn't your fault at all. Guys, I don't know whether I can talk to him now, not after that."

The couple sighed simultaneously. "Look, we'll wait until he's calmed down and then we'll let him know what you said about his brother, see if it does anything." Said Yami, tiredly. "I think you just ought to keep an eye on Seto, plus if you could find anything about what he said to Mokuba, it might be easier to negotiate something. Plus, he probably needs some company."

"I'll try, guys, but knowing Kaiba I doubt he'll want any sort of company when it involves me. And I doubt he'd let me know anything that intimate." Seeing the exasperated looks on the couple's faces, he continued. "I'll try guys, I can't promise anything, but I'll try."

A/N: Hey, I'm attempting to update regularly but I might fail. Just gonna warn you now. A lot happening in that chapter, hope you can keep up!