A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update so quickly. I temporarily lost my files...my computer had some issues. Well, there's still more to come. enjoy!

5.

"I don't want to argue with you Mokuba," Jou heard as he came from the kitchen into the living room. Mokuba was sitting on the floor, several papers around him, and obvious displays of the different departments within KaibaCorps. "I can handle reading a few papers."

"The doctor said you should rest. It's better for me to be in control right now. You stressing could cause..."

"Mokuba, this is my company, I can handle it. I've handled worse than this before."

"Nii-sama," Mokuba turned around, noticing that Kaiba had stood, hardly held up by the crutches under his arms. It had been a week since him and Jou had done it without warning in Kaiba's bedroom. "Nii-sama, sit down, you'll hurt yourself."

Kaiba ignored his little brother, coming over to him and easing himself on the floor. Before Mokuba could react, Kaiba grabbed several of the folders that were lying on the floor, looking over the papers that were in them.

"Nii-sama!"

"Why have there already been cutbacks in Research and Development?"

Mokuba furrowed his brow. At this moment Jou walked in with lunch and sat down on the floor next to the brothers. The elder Kaiba gave a sideways glance to Jou who now seemed almost like he was a ghost and it didn't matter if he lingered nearby. Jou pursed his lips, trying to catch a glimpse of the paper that Kaiba was reading. "I'd given plans to the department to be working on. It should have taken them at least two or three months..."

"Nii-sama, it's fine. R and D is fine. I got this," he said, taking the folder away from Kaiba. "I looked them over this morning. There is nothing wrong with them."

"Lunch?" Jou asked, trying to get the men out of their business talks. Kaiba seemed to wake up, turning toward Jou somewhat. He grabbed the glass on the tray and leaned back on the coffee table.

"Remember you have an appointment tomorrow," Jou said. Kaiba nodded.

"If that's all right with Moki," Kaiba semi-mocked, smiling at his little brother.

"Is it...that doctor nii-sama?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Yes. You treat it so awfully."

"I don't think you need to be seeing a..." he paused.

"Go on, say it," Kaiba said, rolling his hand. "Psychiatrist."

Mokuba glanced at Jou, wondering how the blond was reacting to all of this. Jou nodded to Mokuba, and then looked at the elder Kaiba. "That is okay ain't it Moki?" Jou asked, just to be sure.

"Just, make sure he doesn't try and make a break for it," Mokuba laughed. "He seems to think this is a prison," Mokuba managed to swipe the file of Research and Development back from his older brother. In the meantime, Kaiba was playing with the napkin that Jou had put on his tray, his hands working to fold it intricately.

"Din't take you fer the origami type Kaib'," Jou remarked. It didn't deter the CEO from folding the paper until he had made a general crane, showing it to his brother with a smile on his face.

"If I am capable of making this," he said, gazing at his little brother intensely, "I am capable of holding my position, so long as it's from home," he handed the crane to Mokuba and turned back to his lunch. Jou had this sad look stretched across his face as he looked to Mokuba. The boy stood up, gathering all of the information that was scattered on the floor and held it in his arms.

"I'm gonna go look some stuff up," he said, clutching the crane tightly in his hand. "Can I trust him with you Jou?"

The blond nodded.

Once Mokuba left, Kaiba turned and looked at Jou stoically. The blond returned to look, only to see that Kaiba was somewhat repelled. He took his lunch, eating it quickly. Jou knew there was something that he needed to say, but he wasn't sure exactly how to say it to the CEO. He would open his mouth, but only hinge it so far before closing it again.

"I was too forward," Kaiba finally said, as if he had been internally berating himself the entire time. Jou shrugged.

"You just made yer point din't ya?"

Kaiba snorted. "Taking my side mutt?"

Jou stood up, grabbing the empty bowls Kaiba left being, taking them to the kitchen. When he returned, the CEO had placed himself on the couch, staring at the ceiling in intense thought. "I don't understand..."

"Don' understand what?" Jou asked. Kaiba didn't seem to acknowledge him immediately. "Kaib'?"

"Go away."

"Fine, whatever," Jou scoffed. He took a few paces back, but then stopped, watching as Kaiba muttered to himself. Jou wondered if this was a natural occurrence, and he hoped it was. In the least it looked as though Kaiba was trying to solve some difficult problem; emotional no doubt, unless he was secretly doing math.

Kaiba lifted from the couch, reaching over to the coffee table to grab his phone. He thought a moment before he began dialing. "Why are your numbers down?" he suddenly said. Jou could hear that someone was stammering on the other end.

"Well, I hoped I could get an answer, if that was alright with you."

"But...Kaiba-sama."

"I don't care what Mokuba said. I've seen the reports in your department, and I want to know why the numbers and down. We've just started a major project and the funds of Research and Development should be much higher than they are right now."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure Kaiba-sama. Mokuba-sama has been keeping an eye on everything. He hasn't made any sort of thing to change the amount it should be," the person said. "I don't see why it would be like that, sir."

Kaiba rubbed his temples; out of the corner of his eye he acknowledged where Jou was lingering around, almost like a sentinel. He smirked. "I want an answer," Kaiba continued sharply. "I want to know why. You'll have to be my eyes and ears."

"But Kaiba-sama..!" the man nearly shrieked.

"Who are you more afraid of? Me or Mokuba? Because as far as I'm aware, I am still the President of this company," he rubbed his nails on his shirt, looked up to Jou with a smug look crossing his face, then turned his attention back to the man stammering on the other line.

"I completely understand sir," the man said. "I will send you any changes within R and D."

"Good," he said, and hung up. He leaned back on the couch, massaging his leg once again.

Jou entered the room despite Kaiba's immediate glare. "Maybe Moki's right Kaib'," Jou noted that the motion Kaiba made, his hand running along his thigh, was unconscious. "Maybe the job'll stress ya too much. I hate t' take his side and whatnot."

"I'm fine," Kaiba growled. "I'm just...fed up that all this falls apart if..." Kaiba clenched his fist. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

"Well, look at the bright side. Two more weeks."

"Until what?" Kaiba asked, curious.

"Wha-oh, I didn't get t' tell ya did I?" Jou said. "I got a call from yer doctor, and he was saying how you'd have an exam in two weeks. It's likely that-"he said, pointing to the bandaged leg, "might be able to dwindle down a bit."

Kaiba had a look of relief crossing his face, but let it slip away. "Thanks for telling me; you don't fail at your job or anything," Kaiba turned his attention to a magazine at his side.

"Jeez! I only just got that call. You're one bull headed mother..."Jou stopped. "Never mind."

"Go on, say it potty-mouth."

Jou stuck out his tongue. "Maybe I stressed you too much."

"Puh-leaze," Kaiba annunciated like a thirteen year old girl. "I've had a harder time making coffee."

Jou's face tweaked with an interesting look crossing it. "Is that a challenge?"

Kaiba only glanced up and smirked before returning to his magazine. He licked his finger and flipped the page. Jou had to look away to make sure Kaiba couldn't see him blushing.

That morning it was near impossible to get Kaiba to get out of bed. Being it was very uncharacteristic of him, Jou was deeply concerned by Kaiba's behavior. The CEO refused Jou's actions at every turn. There was, however, one thing that Jou had control over it.

"I'm not hungry," the CEO muttered with his face half in the pillow. "Just...give me the pill."

"You wanna puke up some more? Ya gotta eat somethin' or yer not gettin' one microgram."

"I can handle it," Kaiba argued. He finally sat up, looking at Jou strongly. Jou could see there was pain in the man's eyes, but still couldn't use that as reasoning. He stood firm, his fist around the small pill. In his other hand was a bowl of broth.

"Just eat this," Jou said, putting it in Kaiba's hands. The CEO looked down into the murky broth with a curled nose. "Tha's all I ask."

And to prove that he would sit until Kaiba accomplished this task, he pulled up a chair and crossed his legs, staring at Kaiba unwaveringly. Finally, in what Jou was amazed to see, Kaiba gave in, slurping down the bit of the broth. He showed Jou the empty bowl and then held out his hand, to which Jou responded by handing him the pill.

"Wasn't so hard was it?" Jou asked. "You have that appointment you know."

"Yeah."

"You gonna sleep until you have to leave?"

Kaiba thought about the question a moment and then lifted from the bed.

Kaiba arrived early to the appointment, but not by much. Jou was behind him as he stepped into the cozy little clinic. It was so cozy, in fact, Jou wasn't sure it was a doctor's office, but trusted Kaiba nonetheless. He stood at the door, arms crossed, as Kaiba checked in and then sat himself into one of the chairs nearby.

"Ya want me t'..."

"You can go," Kaiba said, waving his hand listlessly. It was amazing how he changed from private to public. Jou nodded, walking out to the car.

Shortly after, Kaiba was called into the doctor's office, tottering somewhat uneasily to a back room. The therapist just looked at him in astonishment. "H-how are you feeling Seto?"

He stood behind Kaiba, offering to help him to a chair. "Don't touch me," he said, which the doctor should have already known, but didn't think when seeing his patient in such a debilitating condition.

"It's strong of you to come."

"It's better than being cooped up in my own home," he admitted. "I'm starting to notice things in the house I didn't notice before."

The doctor realized that this was going straight to session, as it usually did. He swiftly seated himself and grabbed a notepad. "Is that so? Like what?"

"Just how it's been left a little blank. I'm never there enough to actually make it homey."

"And you've just gotten this feeling?"

Kaiba looked up at the man and shrugged. "It'll go away as soon as I get back into routine."

The doctor paused, looking at Kaiba who was, as usual, aloof in these sessions. His attention was taken elsewhere, looking toward the window, or some object of fixation in the room other than him.

"You think so Seto?" he asked. Kaiba shrugged again. "I realize that you've been rather immobilized the last two weeks, but you were mentioning in our last session that you've been noticing strange tendencies you have. I was wanting to delve into that a little more. See if you've been noticing them at all."

Kaiba was slightly more interested, looking at the man before him for a few moments before turning back to the window. "I haven't really been able to concentrate much," he admitted. "Pain killers and just pain in general."

"That's understandable."

"I've let someone..."he said, then stopped and looked at his leg a moment. "I let someone touch me," he finished.

"Really now?"

It sounded as it was. Though, of course, it could have meant many things. Kaiba's disinterested voice made it obvious how he felt on the subject. But then, that was how he felt on every subject it seemed. At least in the presence of his psychiatrist. There were only a few things that really seemed to get him going, but those were things that were seldom touched for fear of losing any progress that had been made. The doctor could say easily that Kaiba's steady progression from a deeper depression to a somewhat controlled and mild... lingering within him made him happy.

"He's just...someone," Kaiba said. "He got caught up in a weird mess."

The doctor nodded. "What mess would that be?"

"Nothing you would understand," the CEO responded. "But it happened."

"You don't seem as upset as you have been in the past."

Kaiba's greatest foible it seemed, though the press was very unaware, was his fright against another human's touch. He was against it for several reasonable excuses, but it came down to the one thing that was the ultimate no-no, which was his adopted father. The times when the psychiatrist tried to extract those feelings out of the CEO, he was met with nothing but anger and contempt. It took a lot of coaxing to get the CEO back on his couch.

"I had to accept it," he said. He finally looked straight at the doctor. "I asked him to."

"You did?"

"Yes. I...it was one of those situations. You have to accept that there are those situations where you yourself are obstructed," Kaiba looked at it objectively, and spoke it objectively, as the doctor could tell. He hardly brought it to a subjective level, especially if he was unsure of it. "And of course the doctors and nurses."

"There was no other way," said the psychiatrist.

"You think I don't know that?" he hissed. "I didn't exactly want to die of blood loss. Over a stupid..."he clenched a fist. The doctor, noticing this burst, felt that it was best to try and follow up on it.

"Stupid? The car wreck?"

"Partially."

"The media's starting to stray away from it. No need to be intrusive, but are you taking the man to court?"

"That's a stupid question," Kaiba replied. "Of course."

"I figured as much," the doctor said, somewhat pleased. "You were saying that the car wreck was...stupid? Somewhat?"

"It's the idiot that walked out in front of me." Kaiba stated. The flare of emotion within him made the therapist curious. "This has nothing to do with it though," Kaiba said, effectively killing anything that could be to the conversation.

A/n: Welp, not much to say. Til next time, KenSan out!