Oh, my sweet readers, fear not! I haven't forgotten you, I've just been extremely lazy and caught up in the holidays. But recently I've been feeling some strong inspiration to get back to this story, and a bit of an urge to finish it. I don't want to be one of those authors who leaves a story untouched for years and years and never gets back to it. ^^U So here's chapter eight. I tried to make it better than chapter seven and not to leave it feeling as half-assed.

Jou's breathing was finally regular and strong once more. When Mokuba had arrived in the room, it had been weak and wispy, but after staying with him for almost an hour, watching over him, it was almost back to normal. If there was one thing about Jounouchi Katsuya, he was definitely a fighter.

Seto still hadn't come by. Mokuba had expected that he was out getting a meal and that he would drop in to visit after he was finished, but he was still missing. He was honestly a little worried about his older brother, and just hoped that he wouldn't do something bad if he found out the identity of the culprit. Seto may have been a young genius, but he was an idiot when it came to dealing with people.

"…Please don't figure it out. Please don't do something you'll regret." He whispered aloud, folding his hands together and resting his chin on his interlocking fingers, his elbows on his knees. If only Jou hadn't been stabbed. If only…

"Uhm, excuse me?" The soft, nervous voice coming from the doorway caused Mokuba to look up from the sleeping body in the hospital bed, startled out of his thoughts. Standing with one hand on the doorknob was a rather cute young girl, probably only in her mid teens. Her light brown hair, almost the colour of honey, looked shiny and soft to the touch, her face delicate-looking while still retaining a strong youthfulness. Her eyes were hidden behind a gauze bandage, but Mokuba had no doubt that they were also very pretty. He found himself blushing, and only when the girl spoke again did he stop staring.

"Er, is somebody in here?" She asked again, sounding almost a little scared. Mokuba then realized that she definitely wouldn't be able to see with that bandage on her face, so he quickly stood up and headed to the door, making his footsteps heavy and deliberate.

"Ah, yes, I'm…" He paused for a second, thinking over what he should introduce himself as in his head before he continued. "I'm one of Jounouchi's supervisors at work. My name is Kaiba Mokuba." He smiled, even though she couldn't see it, and the girl seemed to relax a little. This must have been the sister that Jou was talking about. After seeing the older brother, he had been expecting somebody different. He didn't know why, but he had thought that she'd be a bit on the rougher, more masculine side. Seeing her now, he couldn't have been more wrong.

Shizuka stood quietly for a moment, and then reached one of her hands out awkwardly, a small, somewhat lopsided smile of her own appearing on her face. Mokuba just stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, then clued in and shook it, glad that she couldn't see how pink his cheeks were turning.

"Thank you very much for looking after my older brother." She said, bowing her head as he released her hand. "I'm Jounouchi Shizuka.(1)" It was obvious that she was trying very hard to be polite, and it was also easy to tell that she was still a little nervous. For a moment the two just stood in awkward silence, but then Shizuka finally spoke up once more, her tone uncertain and heavy.

"Erm, Kaiba-san, I don't mean to be rude, but my brother won't be able to go to work until he fully recovers. I would offer to do his job for him, but my eyes won't be healed for another few weeks… Please don't dock his pay or think badly of him for this. I will try to compensate your company as best I can—" She was fidgeting as she spoke, and Mokuba finally realized why she was so nervous.

"It's fine. I wasn't considering something like that. It was an accident, wasn't it? I only came here because I was worried about his well-being, it has nothing to do with work." He cut her off, and his words obviously put her at ease. Her shoulders slumped and she let out the breath that she had apparently been holding in. She must have realized it too, because her cheeks turned pink and she turned her head to the side.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything." She said quietly, and then let out a small chuckle. "To be honest, you're not exactly what I expected. From what little my big brother said about his job, I thought he had a scary, cruel boss, but I was obviously wrong."

Mokuba laughed wryly. Well, she wasn't exactly wrong, but the last thing he wanted to do was upset her again, so he didn't mention it. Besides, being called the boss made him feel a little more impressive, so he wasn't going to correct her. Instead, he looked back towards the doorway, noticing a carton of soup and a coffee-cup sitting on the floor.

"Oh, I must have come in while you were getting dinner." He commented, and Shizuka immediately straightened up, her mouth forming into an 'o' as she realized that she'd forgotten about that upon spotting the stranger in her brother's room. Mokuba smiled softly at that, retrieved the two containers and then took Shizuka by the hand, leading her to the chair beside the bed so that she could eat.

***

Meanwhile, Seto had returned home to change his own clothes, which were smeared with blood and other bodily fluids. He hadn't exactly been gentle when dealing with Kanako, and had messed up his outfit during their little fight. He was silent as he stood in his bedroom, pulling off his shirt and tossing it carelessly into the laundry bin. The maids would clean it up later without questions, so he saw no need to wash it himself. Soon the pants followed it, and the tall CEO was reaching into his closet to look for something to change into.

At first his hands fell upon a suit, something he often wore for work beneath his rather gaudy trench-coat, but then he paused. Did you wear a suit when visiting somebody who was ill? Not that Jounouchi was specifically ill, but he had been stabbed. In that case, did you wear a suit when visiting somebody who had been assaulted by some crazy bitch with too many expectations and not enough brain-cells?

Well, when he thought about it like that, it didn't seem particularly appropriate. Still, he was the boss, and he did want to seem professional…

Wait, what the hell was this? He was just going to see Jounouchi, his secretary, while he was recovering from a wound inflicted on him by a jealous woman. Why the hell was he worried over clothes like he was some kind of nervous schoolgirl going on a date? Goddamned dog, lately he was invading his mind far too often, and because of it he was starting to lose his focus. He had been working a lot lately as well, so maybe he just needed to get a good night's sleep and all of this would go away. Hopefully that was it.

Still, he found himself turning away from the closet and heading over to his dresser, pulling out a turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans. He insisted that it wasn't because he was worrying about what would be appropriate, but merely because he didn't want to be confined in a suit any longer and would prefer to go casual when he wasn't working.

Yeah, that was it…

He focused on that thought as he pulled the shirt over his head, zipping up the fly in his pants before he headed back downstairs and grabbed his trench-coat. One of the maids, presumably on her break, was watching television in the other room, and he caught the tail end of the evening news report on his way out.

"…report that the victim was indeed Shirosawa Kanako, the daughter of Shirosawa Hidefumi and the heir to the Shirosawa Communications company, a large corporation that controls a number of television networks and movie production companies across Japan and overseas. Shirosawa-san refuses to identify her attacker, and police are assuming that the attack is related to business. If you have any information…"

Seto shut the door. The police had jumped on it faster than he'd expected, but it looked like Kanako knew that he wasn't joking and wouldn't talk. Much like Shirosawa Hidefumi, Seto was also a very rich and resourceful man, and with a little bit of effort he could quickly steer the public light away from him. The police were also no problem.

The issue, instead, was how Kanako had figured out about his and Jou's relationship. She was stupid, and there was no way she would have figured out something like that on her own. Despite how it may have seemed at times, Kaiba was also doing his part in making sure that it remained secret. The fact that she had still put two and two together was somewhat unsettling. While he was almost sure that he'd solved the problem, there was still a little something gnawing at the back of his mind.

That little something was telling him that while he had won the battle, things were only going to get harder from here on out.

***

It was almost eight-thirty by the time he reached the hospital, and due to a change in nurses he was easily able to get to the room this time. As he had instructed, Jou had been moved to a private room, and when he arrived he noticed that Mokuba was also visiting. He hadn't checked for him at home, so he simply assumed that he had been in his room. Also sitting there, conversing happily with his brother, was the girl he'd seen at Jou's house the day before. His younger sister, if he recalled. Looking at her now, he could definitely see the family resemblance. It made him feel just a little foolish for thinking she was a girlfriend.

That was when he noticed something else. The two weren't just talking to one another, but also to Jounouchi himself, who was still lying down but had his eyes open and would comment and laugh every now and then. That was a surprise. He didn't think that he'd be awake so soon, nor did he expect there to be visitors still in the room. Sure, his sister would be worried, but he thought she would have left already.

So he was all right. This proved it, didn't it? He was already up and chatting, so that in itself should say that he would make a full recovery. Somehow it made him feel relieved, but in another way it also irritated him. He didn't know why, but seeing Jou bounce back so quickly was… annoying. Part of him wanted to see him helpless and struggling for a little longer.

As he was contemplating that, however, he noticed something. Jou was looking at him through the window. Mokuba had also noticed, and after a few unheard words between the three of them, he and the sister quickly left into the hallway, saying nothing to the CEO as they passed. A little thrown off, Seto's eyebrow rose and he looked back to the room, seeing Jou sitting up and staring right at him.

Taking the hints, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, coming face-to-face with the blond, who was staring him down with a look of anger on his face. At first the brunette didn't know why he looked so pissed off, while only a moment before he had been chipper as anything. Then he put the clues together, and his suspicions were confirmed when Jou spoke.

"This is all your fault." His tone was harsh, his eyes narrowed as he challenged Kaiba with his gaze, practically daring him to deny it. He must have been expecting him to disagree, but the vampire was silent as he headed across the room, looking down on the other as he reached his bedside, towering over him. When he did open his mouth, he wasn't denying anything.

"It was a small mishap. I took care of it." He spoke calmly, and Jou's eyes widened at his words. Maybe it was because of how weak he was, but for some reason Kaiba was acutely aware of his heartbeat, and noticed immediately when it sped up. He subconsciously licked his lips as he watched the secretary squirm.

Maybe it was because of his nature as a predatory being, but he had always been somewhat of a sadist. He enjoyed watching others in tight, often painful situations, which was why he had been so turned on when a defiant one like Jou had submitted to him. Watching the frightened and concerned look on his face now made him feel like a kid at Christmas, although he didn't know why the blond was so upset.

"Y-you didn't kill anybody, did you?" The question was quiet, and Seto was only mildly surprised. He tilted his head to the side, staying silent for a moment before he answered. He wanted to savour that fearful, anxious face for a little longer before he put him at ease.

"No. It would be a bother to kill an insect like that. I merely taught it a lesson and corrected some… Misconceptions that it had about my relationship with it." His eyes closed for a second as he thought over the words, knowing full well that the hospital room was far from a private place. That was why he was surprised when he heard a grunt, and a weak fist collided with his chest.

Jou had obviously hoped to punch him in the face, but he was too tired to sit up all the way, and Seto was too tall for him to reach while lying down. The brunette's cold blue eyes opened, a slightly shocked expression on his face as he looked down at the man in the bed, examining his expression silently. Jou, on the other hand, was not about to be quiet.

"You… Do you even know why this happened, you jackass? That girl really liked you, but you treated her like utter crap! It was obvious that she was serious about you! You shouldn't have led her on like that if you had no intentions!" He snapped angrily, and suddenly Kaiba realized why the other was so angry. Hmph. He always hated it when other people tried to give him a lesson in morals like this.

"I never misled her, nor did I ever tell her I had any… 'intentions'." He said flatly, and he felt the weak, almost laughable punch once more.

"Liar! I saw you in that alley, I /work/ for you! I deal with every single one of your whores; I know how you operate! You should have known that something like this was going to happen, the way you treat those women!" His expression was fierce and angry, and Seto felt his eyes narrow as he listened to his little speech.

"In that case, mutt, aren't you just as guilty as I am? You were the one who so stubbornly demanded that I break off my relationships with all women." He scoffed, and the signature smirk that Jou so hated soon came to his face. "Didn't you want me to get rid of them so you could selfishly hog me to yourself? You didn't want to share?" He leaned in a little closer, and felt a wet glob of spit collide with his cheek, the fist pounding his chest over and over again.

At first he was shocked, but it was soon replaced with anger. In one swift movement he grabbed the blond's wrist, pinning it down by his side as he climbed onto the bed, crouching overtop of him and leaning in close. Jou was being a disobedient dog. He needed to be disciplined.

His eyes were focused on his throat as he leaned in, biting the skin and slowly, painfully tearing it back. He avoided the arteries, but a whimper still escaped the other man as beads of blood rose to the surface of the wound. He wasn't gentle as he licked them up, his teeth nicking the edges and causing more whines of pain. He was about to sink his teeth in all the way, to have his meal forcibly whether Jounouchi liked it or not, but he stopped when he felt the body beneath him begin to tremble violently.

Looking up, he felt surprise wash over him once more. Jou's free hand, rather than trying to shove Seto away, was hiding the blonde's face as he bit down hard on his lower lip. Wet streaks stained his cheeks, and his eyes were squeezed shut as he shook once more, trying to hide the fact that he was, indeed crying.

This was different from before. He'd never cried before. He'd never acted like this before. If he didn't want it, he would fight, he wouldn't resign himself to his fate and sob. But then, he'd never been so angry with him before. Really, nothing like this had ever happened in the past, and the fact that Jou was actually crying, looking broken here on this hospital bed, shocked Seto to the bone.

After a moment he grabbed Jou's wrist, pulling his hand away from his face and forcing him to face him. The secretary was obviously trying his hardest not to show the tears, and for a split second Kaiba actually felt something resembling guilt. His desire to bully and hurt him was gone, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Luckily he didn't have to worry about it, as a second later the door swung open and Mokuba burst into the room, grabbing his older brother by the arm and pulling him away from the bed.

"Seto! What the hell are you doing?!" He must have been angry, as he rarely addressed him by his first name. He didn't look so angry as he did worried, however, and the elder brother realized how that scene must have looked to an outsider.

Frowning, he quickly pulled his arm away, heading to the door and saying nothing as he left, stalking down the hallway with his hands in his pockets. Mokuba watched him leave, and then turned back to Jou, who was covering his face once more, trying to regain his composure.

"J-Jounouchi, I'm sorry… I didn't think he would—"

"It's fine. It's… It's fine, Mokuba." Jou's voice was strained, and it most obviously wasn't fine, but the younger boy didn't press the issue as Shizuka entered the room, looking worried as usual.

He didn't want them to worry like this, particularly not his sister. He was always the strong one, and he hated being seen as weak or vulnerable. Still, he couldn't deny what had just happened, and that he was definitely no match for his boss.

No match… No, that wasn't right. He was just a toy. A plaything. Seto had made that more than obvious. The last time that they had had sex, he had actually felt like it was a little something more than that. He was obviously wrong. He was only a dog and a food-source, that was it. And for some reason that both scared and hurt him.

For a while, the room was silent. Nobody asked any questions, so Jou didn't answer them. A doctor was called to treat the wound in his neck, but neither Mokuba nor Shizuka would reveal how it had happened. After that, the three just sat quietly, no longer talking happily. Eventually the visiting hours ended, and the two left. Shizuka headed out first, but Mokuba left something behind in the room, so ran back in to go get it.

Just as he was leaving for the second time, Jou spoke up.

"Mokuba… Tell Kaiba that I quit." His voice was tired and weak, and the sudden request threw the younger Kaiba brother completely off-guard. "I can't do this anymore. I'll pay back his loan another way. I'll get another job."

Mokuba frowned slightly, turning around to look at the bed. At first he planned to convince him to stay, but when he saw how tired and upset the other looked, he decided against it. Instead, he just closed his eyes, forcing a small smile.

"If that's what you want. You're a good secretary, Jou. I'll write you a good recommendation." He offered, and the blond visibly relaxed when he realized his decision wouldn't be fought.

"Thanks, Mokuba. I appreciate it."

Here we go. Kaiba's back to being an ass, after being somewhat sweet for a little while, and Jou gets tired of it. I also had a note in this chapter.

As for Shizuka's last name, I was debating over which to use. Eventually I just chose to use Jounouchi. Hopefully none of you mind.

Anyways, I actually got this chapter up on Christmas Eve! Consider this my gift to all my readers, I hope you all like it! Cheers!