A/N: The wilderness brings out the authorness in me...:) hope you enjoy.

Chapter 8.

Jou kept waiting in anxiety for Kaiba to pick up his phone and call the lawyer back. He waited until the next day, as Kaiba was released from the hospital, Jou at his side as he was taken home and put back to bed. There wasn't a moment where Jou wasn't close to the elder Kaiba, mostly because he wanted to be there when Kaiba called so that he could know about what was going on.

Kaiba was too smart to let that happen. Even as Jou sat around pretending to do his job, Kaiba was watching him with a visible skepticism that he never voiced. Often, it seemed that he would even play with Jou by pulling out his phone but never going farther than that step. In those moments, Jou would flinch in some kind of excitement, and Kaiba was all the more curious as to what would happen if he got further.

The only time when Kaiba was left to his peace was either when Jou was fetching something, or when the night fell upon them. The brunet would bid Jou goodnight, and he could see the tenseness that was in the nurse as they separated. He wanted to know so badly that it was nearly killing him; Kaiba couldn't blame him. He wanted to know too.

Finally, his anxiety could wait no longer. After several days of being home, resting, he sent Jou on an errand to the kitchen hoping that it would take the nurse a long enough amount of time before he got back.

He pulled out his phone and dialed. He was put on hold for several moments before it clicked over and was answered. He smiled.

Jou knew what was going on, but he wasn't about to let Kaiba know that he knew. He kept his cool through his task, and he worked it as quickly as possible before leaving. He would have to be slow and careful so that the tea wouldn't slosh around, but he still was brisk as he walked, and as he approached the door, he slowed.

Intentionally, he had left it ajar. Kaiba didn't change this.

"…I see," Kaiba said from inside. It sounded almost muttered and tired. "Then I guess that means I have to…reverse this scenario don't I?" He waited in silence. Jou leaned up against a wall and peered into the crack in the door. He could see Kaiba where he sat on the edge of the bed. It wasn't too present, but there was a nervous way about him. "No, I'm not really happy with the news, especially since it doesn't tell us anything about the other driver…" another pause, "I've told you all I know. It's the best I can do for the situation because I don't remember everything that happened. I won't say it if this gets to court…but I don't remember if I had a signal to go, but the fact that there was…" He was cut off.

Jou lowered his head a little bit. The inferences seemed clear enough, but he wasn't about to let anything come over him until he heard something definite. He moved to the other side of the wall just to be sure that Kaiba wouldn't look over and see him.

"So what do I do about Jounouchi Katsuya? Does his name just get removed from the docket?"

There it was. With a certain definition, Jou was sure of it. He trembled a little bit, and he began to wonder if maybe Kaiba had set him up all along. Was there even a plea deal in the first place? Or was Kaiba just trying to get the best of him, humiliate him by holding him on a leash of the prospect of facing litigation that he knew would become a burden in the future.

He didn't realize that he'd dropped the cup until he could feel the liquid seeping into his socks. He looked down, his hands still held in the position of holding the cup, but the cup was further down, broken against the wood floor.

"I…I have to go." He heard Kaiba say. He turned his back to the door and knelt down, picking the pieces of the cup up. Then he began to wonder if it mattered. He looked down the hall and figured that there would be a maid nearby. He let the pieces lie on the floor and he stood full.

He heard the door as it opened. "Ya might not wanna come in the hall…might step on glass and blame that on me, too," he said, and he began towards the end of the hall when he saw a maid pass by. Kaiba was blatantly following him, the crutches hardly subtle. There was actually an advantage to the injury for once. Jou laughed at Kaiba, and he felt no remorse.

Kaiba was lingering behind, saying something to the maid about the broken cup. She nodded and said she would be back shortly, departing from them. Jou felt a tentative hand on his shoulder.

He moved away from the touch and turned to look over his shoulder. He had to turn around to be able to get to his room, and the only way he was going to that was to get past Kaiba. Kaiba wasn't going to allow that, not without a fight. He was too stubborn, and so was Jou. The nurse began having images enter his mind that he wasn't too happy about. He was so upset and angry about the whole situation that he doubted he would be able to fully control himself.

"Jou…"

"You're a fucking bastard," Jou snarled.

"Jou just let me talk." Kaiba said, level headed. It was grating.

"All you're going ta do is try and convince me that ya ain't a bad person. That all of this wasn't your damn fault and that you're not a prick by puttin' me through all this shit. And I don't know what's worse, the fact that ya made me think that I might be going ta jail for somethin' that was your fault," he jabbed a finger in Kaiba's shoulder, deliberate, because he knew it would make the CEO uncomfortable, "or the fact that ya toyed with my emotions by tryin' ta pretend that you had a heart."

"I wasn't pretending."

"Ha! Like I believe that for two seconds. Ya won't even let anyone touch ya yer so insecure."

"Jou, just shut up! You don't get it!"

"Yeah? Make me understand why you're such a prick about everything! Why ya gotta dominate everyone and be one top! Why you're not allowed to be wrong!"

Kaiba was silent for a moment, as if he was carefully collecting his thoughts. "Jou, I didn't know any of this until now. In consideration of a legal procedure…"

"Ya made me yer fuckin' servant…no, I wasn't paid for it, so doesn't that make me a slave? Legal procedure my ass…"

"Jou, this isn't to humiliate you," Kaiba said. "Put yourself in my position."

"I'd love ta put myself in yer damn shoes. I would take a broken leg if I had all this," he said, his arms widening as he looked around the hallway. The maid brushed by him and Kaiba and went to the end of the hallway, a few cleaning supplies in hands. "How 'bout this? I'll get my shit and leave and if ya don't say anythin' ta me as I leave, I'll not prosecute you…how's that sound?" Kaiba looked ready to say something, but he was considering the whole situation.

He wanted Jou to see that they shared feelings and this wasn't just something that they were doing for nothing. He wanted Jou to see that this was more than just him trying to be the man on top. Begrudgingly, he would admit that it was like that at first. He would freely say that he was trying to bring some kind of humiliation over the nurse while he had the opportunity. But not anymore. Now all of his feelings, like most of the rest of his being, were balled up inside himself, unable to find the best outlet of expression.

He cursed his own bad luck, unable to say what he felt; unable to make it seem like nothing more than a wager instead of sincerity. It was hard to let go of his pride in front of someone who, for a majority of his life, he loathed. The only thing that he could think was: just let the damn dog go if that's what he wants to do.

He nodded, his teeth clenched together tightly. "Do whatever you want," he said, and he maneuvered out of the center of the hallway so that Jou could go back to his room. The nurse was paused a moment, and he looked Kaiba in the eye sternly, searching. For what he wasn't sure—humility maybe. The only thing that he could see was the same genuine blue eyes the day that Kaiba convinced him to linger around and they ended up going further than Jou ever imagined.

Jou finally turned away and went down the hall to his room. He never made himself comfortable. He was constantly expecting to leave, so he kept everything close and packed together. It took him maybe ten minutes to gather the rest, making sure that he left nothing behind. He didn't want to come back.

There should have been happiness surging through him. It wasn't his fault! And Kaiba was admitting it, amending whatever legal mishmash that he had thrown together because of the whole charade. He wondered how much longer it would be before a trial would come. With the changes, it'd probably be a few more weeks.

Why did he care? He shook his head. There was no reason to be concerned. He hoped that it was all Kaiba's fault and, by some miracle, that was revealed so that he would be stripped of his pride.

Finally finished, he put his bag over his shoulder and walked out of his room. He was expecting Kaiba to be leaning against the wall just staring at him because he had to be silent because he cared too much about his status to risk prosecution. But he wasn't. There were no signs of the CEO; even the maid had disappeared. He looked to the end of the hall, wondering if Kaiba had returned to the safety of his room. The door was still wide open, and Jou took a few steps toward it, wondering if the CEO was sulking on his bed. He had to stop himself. If he went any further he would just look stupid. He turned and went in the opposite direction, going over it with himself of how to get back to the main entrance.

Once there, he looked around at the austerity of the home that he had spent the last few weeks in. There was no warmth except in the rooms that were most frequently inhabited. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Now that he was coming off his anger and there was a little more sanity in his thought, he was beginning to feel guilty. All he could keep thinking about was how sincere, at times, that Kaiba had been to him.

"Jou?"

Jou turned at his name being uttered. It was the younger Kaiba. "Yeah kid?"

"Where are you going?" Mokuba was eyeing the duffle bag over Jou's shoulder.

"Ask your brother," Jou uttered, his voice still holding the angry tone. He turned away from Mokuba and began walking out of the house. Mokuba wasn't following him. Good, no need to make them both angry.

He threw his bag in the back of his car and jammed the keys in the ignition. How long would it take him to fall off of the anger? Every motion he made with some sort of disgust. Then again, every thought was plagued with the enticing blue eyes trying to leave some message behind. Something that Jou couldn't decode. Something that was likely used to try and lure him back because Kaiba wanted to be manipulative some more.

Jou leaned his head on the steering wheel.

How much of it was true? Some of it? All of it? None of it? "Just make it a multiple choice test…"he muttered to himself. Which was it though? Were there actually feelings between them? Sincere, honest, loving feelings? They shared a moment of passion on a whim. He'd even told himself to kiss Kaiba because he thought it would make him feel better. He held the CEO's hand (even being privileged enough to have permission) in comfort during a harrowing time. Could that not be called true?

Then again, if anyone could fake it, it would be Kaiba.

"No…"Jou said, shaking his head again. "He couldn't…never seen a patient do that…"he said. Who would fake being afraid when their life was on the line? Not Kaiba. He didn't show emotions of fear or worry. Still, he had said his peace. He had gone past the point of no return. There was no reconciliation now.

Once assured of that, he put his foot on the gas and turned to go out of the estate. He glanced to his rearview mirror, the image of the grand estate becoming smaller and smaller and he went down the long drive. When he turned to leave, it was completely gone, even from his side view mirrors.

Mokuba watched as Jou contemplated. He sat in front of the window and immersed himself as though it were a television drama, and when Jou finally took off, he was disappointed that it had ended. He could pretty much conjure up the situation, but he did plan on doing what Jou suggested. He went in search of his brother, and he didn't have to search far.

Kaiba sat at the table in the kitchen; he was contemplative. He had his arms crossed and was looking blankly in one direction, nothing there in particular for him to look at. Mokuba noticed that, on the table, his cell phone was sitting out.

"Nii-sama?" Kaiba didn't flinch or even acknowledge his brother. Mokuba walked in closer. "Nii-sama? Are you okay?"

Kaiba's face twitched and he looked over at Mokuba. "I'm going back to work tomorrow. You need to go back to your life."

"Nii-sama…you just had surgery a few days ago."

Kaiba ignored this comment. "You're fifteen; you shouldn't be running a company."

Mokuba sat adjacent from his brother. "Nii-sama, are you even listening to me?" He reached toward his brother, but Kaiba seemed to back away. He also turned his head away from Mokuba's line of vision, his eyes nearly covered by the shadows of his bands. "What happened? Why did Jou leave? Did you let him go?"

"Yes."

"Nii-sama…if you're still in pain, if you're still compromised…"

"I'm going to be in pain," he replied harshly. "There's a high chance that I'm going to be in pain for the rest of my life Mokuba; that doesn't matter."

Mokuba shuddered at his brother's iciness. "But…"

"I can be mobile. I can attend conferences and meetings; I can read documents, take phone calls, deal with employees. As long as I have the medication, I'll be perfectly fine. I've always done things under pressure, what does this matter anymore than that?"

Kaiba wasn't even talking to Mokuba anymore. He was voicing his own persuasive argument, convincing himself why he was okay to go back to work rather than Mokuba.

Mokuba stood up and stood in front of his brother trying to catch a glimpse at whatever it was that was on his brother's face. "Nii-sama, look at me, please?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba wasn't going to budge though. Not if Mokuba kept being meek and childish. His brother was so lost in some little world of berating himself that he wasn't going to listen to anything but his subconscious. "Seto!"

That made him flinch. "What do you want me to tell you Mokuba? Why did Jou leave? I fucked up, okay? That's why he left."

"Seto…"Mokuba was so unfamiliar with hearing his brother speak in a crude manner. "How did you screw up?"

"It wasn't the mutt's fault, and I made a preemptive strike and ended up getting too involved and now…"he sighed, and Mokuba wouldn't have been surprised if he spouted out steam. "Fuck..."he changed from his stony position to leaning forward, his palms covering his eyes as his elbows balanced on his thighs.

Mokuba knelt down beside his brother. "Involved? Do you mean..?"

Kaiba shifted his head the slightest bit. Mokuba was surprised to see the rims of his brother's eyes nearly bloodshot. "Don't be so naïve about it."

"But I thought…"Mokuba pinched his lips together. Now, all of sudden, it made a little too much sense. "I thought you hated Jou."

"Don't worry, that hasn't changed," Kaiba snorted. "It was just a bump in the road."

"Why wouldn't you tell me you were…gay?"

He felt his entire body jolt like lightning had gone through it. "Because I didn't want to talk about it. Because I knew once I told you that it would be all we ever talked about. And besides, Mokuba, I figured that you could tell. I mean, you do live with me don't you? Don't you watch me? You always ask me why I've never been with a woman; don't you think that's a tell-tale sign, hm?"

"No it isn't nii-sama…and you're busy, I figured that was why…but, Jou? I mean, you…you two are like…"

"I know it doesn't make sense. Now it doesn't matter. He's gone and I don't have to worry about what happens to him."

Kaiba reached for the crutches. He didn't want this conversation anymore. "Nii-sama, stay sitting. I want to talk about this. We can't avoid it."

"Yes we can. We can avoid it and not talk about, and that's what I intend to happen."

Mokuba put his hands on his brother's shoulders and pressed him into the chair. Kaiba glared strongly at his little brother. One hand was still on his shoulder as Mokuba took the other and grabbed one of the crutches from Kaiba's grasp. The CEO didn't put up much of a fight, and once one was out of his grip, he let the other slide out of his hand and clatter against the floor.

"It wasn't his fault? Meaning that he was free to walk, right? And you were driving anyways?"

"Yes."

"Were you even free to go? Were you paying attention to the light?"

"I don't know!" he burst. "I can't remember anything expect for the car as it rammed into me! All I can think about when I try to remember is glass shattering…glass and bone..."

Mokuba couldn't help but be sympathetic. The entire time he was speaking to his brother, he tried to not look at his brother's leg. When he did look, it made him realize that this was very taking to the elder Kaiba. That this was more than just blame. Even when the trial was over, Kaiba would still have some kind of lingering pain, some scars as a reminder. Inwardly, he hoped that it wasn't his brother's fault because he could only imagine how his brother would crack if it ended being like that.

Mokuba took his hand away from his brother's shoulder and stood silent for a few moments. He could see the gears as they ticked in Kaiba's brain. He was going over every little detail that he could remember. Kaiba folded his hands together, almost in prayer, and he put it up to his mouth. "I…I was late," he said. He had told this to the police when he was in the hospital, but he was still trying to recollect it. "I was in a hurry, and I was trying to get to the office. I remember being stopped at one light because of school children crossing. I waved to them and then went on," he seemed to have a revelation. "I had to stop because of a red light, because of the children, and then I went on because the light was…changing…"he nodded to himself and smiled.

"So…you did have the right to go? But, how could you and Jou have the right to go at the same time?"

"Because no matter how well timed something is, they'll desynchronize every long once in a while. It's possible that Jou hit it when late, and it was changing as he crossed. So…" He grabbed his phone and began dialing. Mokuba didn't know whether to be happy for his brother, or to be a little bit worried still.

He was in love with Jou, and he had let the man go. Mokuba didn't know what bothered him more. His brother being in love with a man, or the fact that he let go of the opportunity to be with someone who gave a damn about him and could put up with his endless bullshit.

As his brother spoke to who Mokuba presumed to be the lawyer, he walked away and went up to the guest room that Jou had stayed in. Jou had left nothing behind; nothing underneath the bed, in the closet, or in any of the drawers. He sighed.

Jou didn't want to go home immediately, so he drove through Domino until he, unconsciously, came up upon the Kame Game Shop. There really wasn't any rhyme or reason to his visit, but he figured that he needed someone to vent to. He sat outside the shop for several minutes before getting out and going inside. There wasn't any sign of anyone; no Yami, no Yugi, no Sugoroku. There had to be someone, the shop was open.

"Hey!" he called out, his hands shoved in his pockets. He took a few steps forward. Someone made their way down the stairs.

"Jou?"

"Yami? Where's everyone else?"

"Out for a short while," he looked to the shop. "I was…supposed to be manning the station."

"I won't tell them ya weren't," Jou said. "I just…stopped by ta talk."

Yami furrowed his brows. "Is there something wrong, Jou?"

Jou shrugged. "Yeah. You could put it like that." He was trying to hold back any anger. There was no reason to lash out a Yami, especially since it was Yami who saw everything so predominantly. He could look into Yami's red eyes and sense that the truth was already on the table. "I…it's not my fault."

"They found out?"

"Yeah, some evidence came up. Kaib'…"He stopped himself. He couldn't even utter the name without being disgusted. "He played me."

Yami led him to a couch and they sat. "How?"

"I was livin' in his place all this time, and now he goes and finds out that I wasn't even the problem, and he can't even say he's sorry…he jus thought of the legal shit…pardon my French."

"It's okay, you're upset."

"Ya know…I'd forgive him if he could at least admit he was wrong but…that ain't gonna happen. He's not that hard ta read." Jou stopped and took in a breath. "But then, I guess I wouldn't forgive him fer nothin'. I mean…not only was it demeanin' but he just…I feel used…stupid and used…"

"You're not angry at him for making you do work," Yami said, talking it out. "You think he played you're emotions? That he got you in his hands to try and seduce you?"

"Yeah, pretty disgustin' ain't it?" Jou leaned back and crossed his arms. "Between you an' me Yami…I was dumb enough to get involved. I gave him a part of myself," he said, not wanting to outwardly say that he had done it with Kaiba. Yami nodded. "And then I confronted him…an he's jus cool about most it. Jus defendin' himself, coverin' his ass…'cept…"he paused.

"Except what?"

"I said somethin' about him being all…not touchy feely…and that was 'bout the only thing he exploded on."

"Well, Jou, considering how much the world already knows about his past, it's not like he wouldn't be a little sensitive. I'm assuming he shared very little with you about himself?"

"Yeah, he didn't really say anythin'…what's it matter if I know shit about him?" Yami was quiet, pondering. "At least I don't have ta go ta court…all this will just…go away."

Yami stood up. "If you're invested, I doubt that it will go away that easily."

"I know it won't, but I can make it if I jus don't think about it."

"I know you don't want to hear this Jou, but have you considered his feelings in all of this? Even if his plan was to humiliate you, I doubt that he could do that without expending some of his own self into trying to keep it all together."

"I wouldn't care if he did. He's a prick who did this ta get his way."

"Jou, you aren't listening."

"I am. I jus don't give a damn. No one in the whole damn world knew about how I was, but he managed ta find out without me tellin' him, and then use it to his advantage. He reeled me in and then left me on the shore ta suffocate."

"Every man must expend energy to do something," Yami said. "Every man must put something out there once in a while. Kaiba isn't a very emotional person. His world is his own, and he hardly lets anyone inside it. By punishing you, he let the wheels start turning. What might have started as labor became something more. He got himself just as involved as you did, but unlike you, he doesn't know how to properly express those emotions of passion or romance. He knows how to lure something in, but once it was there, he had no idea what to do with it. And then some outside force came and ruined it."

Jou shook his head. "Why am I always the bad guy?"

"Again, Jou, you're not listening."

"I was the bad guy when this started, and it was you guys that pushed me ta do this, and now that I find out that my time has been wasted, I'm the bad guy for takin' myself out of a situation that was in no way beneficial ta me," Jou stood up. "This time I ain't listenin'. I gotta go back ta work tomorrow…I jus hope that he wasn't lyin' about that, too."

Yami didn't dare to say anything else, only watched as Jou left the shop. He leaned against a counter and sighed. "You can stop hiding," he said, knowing well that Yugi had been sitting on the stairs since Jou had come. "What a mess this had become. War is safer than this."

"You know," Yugi began meekly. Yami looked over to him. "I remember when he first came to us about this. After you and Anzu left, I told Honda that they could each hit the opposite emotions than was normal. Kaiba could be nice and Jou could be mean…"

"Predicting the future isn't very hard," Yami said. "Not when you're dealing with love."

"You think they'll get back together?"

Yami shrugged. "Only time will tell."

A/N: The truth is out...now what will happen, eh? Till next time, KenSan out!