Driving a rental car into the bad side of town, Kaiba chided himself for letting his curiosity get away with him. As much as he was tired, Kaiba also wanted to get a look at where Jonouchi was living, and he wasn't going to chance being seen at night driving around in his favorite sports car trying to find Jonouchi's apartment building.

Using some old beater was much better. Sure, it was a crappy ride compared to the quarter-of-a-million-dollar vehicles Kaiba preferred driving, but he didn't want to risk being carjacked by street thugs. Jonouchi wasn't worth that much trouble, and parking by the curb, Kaiba looked around at the different building addresses before spotting Jonouchi's.

The place looked rundown, with weeds growing around the cement walls, but at least it appeared sturdy. Some of the other buildings looked dangerous, with rusted patios and garbage piling around the alleyways. There were street cats all over, and Kaiba swore he could hear someone singing by a window some horrible rendition of the latest popular J-pop song.

It was at least very dark in Jonouchi's corner of Domino City. Kaiba's eyes didn't hurt so much, and as he scanned his surroundings, he became acutely aware of just how shitty Jonouchi's situation was.

Buses probably didn't dare come that close with all the infamous gang activity that the district was known for. Jonouchi didn't own a car, either, so that meant he probably had to walk through the worst part of town just to get to his job in central. If he wasn't such a rude idiot, Kaiba would have felt a little bad for him.

Oh well.

Putting the car off brake, Kaiba pressed the gas pedal before braking rather quickly as a man jumped in front of his car, yelling and swearing at him before walking away. It startled Kaiba, who only caught a glimpse of light-colored hair and a red varsity jacket before he hunched his shoulders and decided to get the hell out before someone recognized him sitting in the driver's seat. If Jonouchi came out of nowhere like the man in red had, he would be screwed. As if Jonouchi wouldn't approach him for hanging around his apartment suspiciously at night.

When Kaiba thought about it, he didn't even know why he was there. It was a stupid waste of time, spying on someone whom he never before even wasted a second on unless there was some amusement to be had out of bothering him. Jonouchi was a nobody, but now he was a nobody who had beaten Kaiba at his favorite game, and like hell if Kaiba would let that offense slide anytime soon.

Kaiba would figure him out. But hanging around his yakuza-ridden neighborhood probably wasn't the best way to do it. Although the internet research was limited, Kaiba knew he had a lot of the information he wanted to know already. Jonouchi wasn't very secretive about his business, and his mother worked out of Tokyo for a medical office, while his sister was in a private school. It was easy enough to figure out.

Jonouchi's alcoholic-in-remission father was a bit more tough to figure out, but even he had records. Mostly reports from the police over disturbing the peace and being an obnoxious drunk, but there was some interesting stuff like petty crime in it, too. Kaiba even found some satisfaction out of finding Jonouchi's own criminal record from back in middle school, but he didn't think it would help him any to bring it up. Jonouchi didn't get as riled up over dumb shit like he had years before.

Sighing, Kaiba put his car into drive, backed out of the street, and drove off towards the suburbs again. The ride home was at least quick. Domino wasn't as heavy with traffic like Tokyo was at night, and Kaiba sped quickly towards Kaiba Mansion, his mind rapidly processing the night's newly-acquired information.

Jonouchi, to put it simply, lived in a shit-hole. And at twenty-one years old, he still lived with his father. Jonouchi should have had enough money from tournament winnings to ditch the gang-infested neighborhood and live on his own, which meant it was his father keeping him there. Which meant that Jonouchi was likely the breadwinner, and either things with his father had gotten better, or Jonouchi felt some misguided responsibility towards the old man.

It figured. Jonouchi always did have a bleeding heart, and that trait had always kept him as second-best. The idiot just didn't know how to put himself first.

Kaiba scowled as he brought the rental around to the garage, tossing the keys to an attendant. Throwing his overcoat onto the back of an armchair, he stomped upstairs, tugging his tie loose and flopping onto his bed.

He wondered how much better of a Duelist Jonouchi would be had he not had all those distractions. In all honesty, Kaiba hadn't really kept track of Jonouchi's dueling stats; he had just assumed Jonouchi was at the same level he'd last seen during Battle City. But that had been years ago, and it was apparent that Jonouchi had worked hard despite his circumstances to improve.

Kaiba would have to see Jonouchi in action again. Going to a local tournament would be easy, but not being recognized would probably prove somewhat difficult. He didn't want anyone approaching him while he was trying to figure Jonouchi out, and getting any interruptions might come back to him and blow Kaiba's operation. As talented as Kaiba was at sneaking around watching people undercover, Jonouchi probably had enough experience with thugs to know when he was being followed.

He suddenly felt exhausted. His little escapade into the slums had put his body into high alert, and now all Kaiba wanted to do was pass out. Realizing he still had his shoes on (how many times had he gotten after Mokuba for this?), he mentally chided himself but decided he just didn't care enough at the same time. He toed them off lazily, not getting up from bed. He was still fully dressed, too, but he couldn't find himself caring too much about that, either. Kaiba slowly turned over and crawled up the bed, pulling the blankets over his head but not yet closing his eyes.

Kaiba felt a weight in the back of his pants, and reaching behind, pulled out his cell phone. No messages. He sighed and stared at the screen for a while, flipping through his short list of contacts until it rested on his brother's entry.

He could try calling. It would still be the morning in America. Maybe he could reason with Mokuba, since the kid had had enough time to cool down since their spat. Tell him to come home already.

Mokuba's phone number glowed brightly in the dark, burning into Kaiba's tired eyes. He sighed heavily before switching off the phone, tossing it onto the nightstand, and trying to sleep alone against the darkness of the room.

It was early morning when Kaiba woke up, his usual routine now embedded into his internal clock in such a way he always awoke five minutes before his alarm sounded. Shutting it off, he rolled onto his back and groaned for a moment before opening his eyes, the bedroom still dim from closed curtains.

Before, it didn't used to be his bedroom. The master used to belong to Gozaburo, and that thought alone made Kaiba smile when no other happy thought came to mind. His Board of Directors would probably continue nagging at him over losing the Duel, and who knew where Jonouchi was or who he'd spoken to about his win.

Kaiba could feel a headache coming on. Pressing the palm of his hand to his forehead and closing his eyes, he knew he'd probably only slept four hours at best. His eyesight hurt, and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he slowly made his way into the bathroom to take a painkiller before he collapsed onto his bed again.

If only Mokuba would stop being so stubborn and just come back home. Kaiba tried recalling the incident, but his brain felt so jumbled. He couldn't have been that bad to him. Mokuba was probably being overly sensitive or just acting out some kind of teenage angst—Kaiba wasn't sure which it was, or maybe both. Whatever Mokuba was dealing with, he just wished Mokuba would stop and come back before he dropped from exhaustion and worry.

That wouldn't happen, though. Mokuba would return before then, and lifting out of bed, Kaiba forced himself to go through his morning routine despite how horrible he felt. It would take him at least an hour to get through showering, washing his hair, blow drying it, and styling it the way he wanted before getting dressed and arriving downstairs for his breakfast.

Mokuba laughed at him for his more effeminate habits, like Kaiba's vanity-driven hair rituals. At least he did his own hair, unlike his teenaged brother, and at the chance of being photographed or videotaped, Kaiba refused to look unkempt and unpresentable.

It was just such a pain to deal with when his eyes were red and his face looked pale from being unwell. Kaiba narrowed his eyes when he looked at himself in the mirror, then dropped his head into his hands.

Kaiba refused to wear makeup unless he was going on camera. Although that morning, from looking at himself in the mirror, he certainly thought he needed some. The skin under his eyes was dark and haggard, and it didn't help at all that Kaiba needed to shave, too. He frequently got facial hair by the next morning, ever since he turned seventeen, and groaning from frustration, he stripped out of his clothes before stepping into a steaming hot shower.

It would dry out his skin some, but Kaiba didn't care. He focused solely on washing his hair, using overpriced shampoo and conditioner before rinsing and stepping out to shave his face. Unlike the other guys he knew, Kaiba was methodical with a razor. Not since the first time he had ever used one had Kaiba nicked himself with it, and giving himself the closest shave possible thanks to his active OCD, he washed his face before getting into his boxers and working on his hair.

When Mokuba was younger, he used to watch Kaiba work through his routine. He used to make silly comments about it as Kaiba rolled his eyes, but now the silence was just deafening. Turning to look at his empty bed, Kaiba didn't finally check his cell phone until he was done blow drying his hair, finding his inbox empty.

It was happening too frequently for comfort. Mokuba hadn't bothered to communicate now for well over a week.

Staring at the blinking screen, Kaiba thought about just giving up and apologizing. Giving Mokuba whatever silly satisfaction he was looking for, if only to return the peace. His sleep was worsening, and Kaiba could feel his eyes burning from the glow of the cell phone lights before he blinked and felt his face cringe from discomfort.

"I shouldn't have to be doing this. He knows better."

Mokuba was just so stubborn.

Placing the phone down, Kaiba left it on his mattress as he got dressed. He wouldn't allow his younger brother to get the best of him (or at least know he was winning), and after getting his briefcase, Kaiba stepped out before slamming the door behind him.

Unfortunately for the staff at Kaiba Corporation, Kaiba's mood hadn't improved throughout the day. He canceled the majority of his meetings, just hiding out in his office while fumbling through emails and going through the many reports his division directors had sent him. They were dense enough that it took most of Kaiba's time to get through them, emailing back his response to budget proposals and disapprovals over certain projects that hadn't gone according to plan. He also tried to remember to encourage his staff, since Mokuba said he didn't do it enough like he should, but Kaiba could hardly think of anything positive to say when his head felt like it was splitting into two.

It would have felt so good to just sleep on his desk. Forget the rest of the day and try taking a power nap through lunch, but that would be a poor idea. Kaiba didn't want to risk his executive assistant walking in on him, in case he stared snoring.

Twirling his chair around, Kaiba looked out onto the Domino City skyline. The city was bustling with activity, and he thought he saw crowds of people congesting through Main Street, but he wasn't quite sure.

Summer always brought dueling tournaments to Domino City. Some of them were sponsored by Kaiba Corporation, but others had outside influences and small cash prizes that brought the professional Duelists out to compete. Although Kaiba himself didn't plan on playing, the idea of watching was at least more appealing of an idea than continuing his way into getting a migraine.

Buzzing his assistant, Kaiba paused before making up his mind.

"I'm taking the afternoon off," he declared, rubbing his temples before letting out a deep sigh, "If you need me, call my cell phone. And cancel my appointments for tomorrow; I don't plan on coming in."

"Yes, sir. Anything else I can do for you, Kaiba-sama?"

Kaiba took a second to think over that, closing his eyes as he brushed his bangs back with his fingers, "Get me an appointment in with my doctor tomorrow morning and don't let anyone into my office while I'm gone. That's all."

"As you wish, sir."

It was going to be ridiculously hot outside. Kaiba strolled out of his office in all black, carrying his briefcase in his right hand before shutting the door behind him. His assistant just glanced at his direction before falling back to work, not losing a beat on typing away as Kaiba waltzed out, on a mission.

The air was heavy and the sun was beating down on the city as people tried to find cover from the heat. Even Kaiba, who generally didn't let the weather get to him, found it rather unbearable, choosing to ignore the outdoor Duels for the relative comforts of the Kaiba Land Dueling Arena he had created a few years ago. It had been leased out for competition again, and Kaiba found himself the center of attention as he crossed through the crowds to get into his own theme park, cutting the line as he used his CEO status to get instant access.

There were at least several hundred people inside the park, if not near a thousand. Kaiba couldn't keep count. He could tell from the crowds of children that most of the visitors weren't competing, but inside the arena, he was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

Two hundred contestants from all over Domino City fighting for the local-level Domino City Championship. Stealing a copy of the roster before finding a seat far back in the bleachers where no one would spot him, Kaiba glanced through the names, his eyes merely scanning as he snorted.

Insector Haga, that was hardly surprising. Kaiba wasn't even sure if he should consider him any good now that he'd been beaten so many times, but at least the kid still had the spunk to keep trying. Shitty attitude or not.

There was also Dinosaur Ryuzaki, Kajiki Ryota, Esper Roba, and "Ghost" Kotsuzuka, with Mai Kujaku acting as host. Kaiba couldn't even recall the last time Mai had won any sort of major tournament since before Duelist Kingdom, but maybe the sponsors just wanted someone attractive on stage to appease the girl-starved fan nerds.

Whatever.

Kaiba just hadn't counted on seeing Jonouchi Katsuya's name on the roster, too, for some reason. His eyes widened before narrowing back into their usual scowl, his jaw tightening as Kaiba crumpled the paper and tossed it.

Looking at the scoreboards, it appeared like Jonouchi was currently one Duel away from winning the damn tournament, too.

Damn the fool and his gamble cards. Jonouchi was the last person on earth Kaiba had been hoping to see, but at least it gave him a chance to study his deck. Unlike some of the amateurs, Jonouchi seemed to finally find balance between his monster, magic, and trap cards, having memorized them all and using their power to their best potential despite being rather cheap, in Kaiba's opinion. He didn't like Jonouchi's strategy, but he could no longer say it wasn't effective.

Hell, he couldn't even talk down on Jonouchi anymore and call him a shit Duelist. Not only because of what happened in Battle City, but having lost a Duel himself to the dweeb, Kaiba felt silly whenever the desire to insult Jonouchi came over him. Yes, the guy was still an idiot (mostly), but he was now the third-best Duelist in the world―and had beaten Kaiba once.

Thankfully in an unranked match, but it was still a Duel.

Jonouchi had appeared on stage―for all intents and purposes―confident. He waved at the crowd and had his signature stupid grin on his face before turning more serious. The competitor he was facing was an up-and-coming female Duelist from eastern Domino, and they traded their decks to cut their cards before returning them for the actual match.

They both played well. The girl (she couldn't have been older than seventeen) had lots of solid dragon cards and great power boosters, but once Jonouchi played his Dragon Capture Jar and Jinzo, she got stuck. It was a steady decline after that, as Jonouchi blew away her life points and weakened her monsters with his own trap and magic cards, and he'd won with twenty-one hundred life points out of four thousand still intact.

Kaiba huffed. Mai came on stage to present the trophy, and they both looked pleased, standing up there waving like idiots: Jonouchi raising the gold cup in the air just as Mai reached over and kissed him on the cheek.

Blech.

Turning away, Kaiba sat up and dusted his pants before grabbing his case to disappear before anyone noticed him. The last thing he wanted to see was the nerds lip-locking on his stage as his headache started up again.

Mai might have been considered beautiful by societal standards, but Kaiba found her gaudy and fake. Nothing about her interested him, and Kaiba prefered staying away from gold-digger types, anyways.

He was crossing the hallway and had one foot out the door, thinking about calling a limo ride home when Kaiba heard his name being called. It was a male voice, familiar yet far away enough that Kaiba couldn't quite make it out clearly.

However, there weren't many people who had the gall to approach him in public (let alone yell his name without honorifics), which meant it could only be one person...

The very person Kaiba had hoped not to have been seen by.

Jonouchi Katsuya.