A/N: This is another one of those chapters where I tried to delete stuff and did and there was still a lot left. So this is an editted version...just to say...and I don't know why I bother when they're long since at least you get a lot for your wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 13.

"Raymond Keller speaking."

Kaiba closed his eyes and spread a small stack of papers across his desk. "Dr. Raymond Keller, the orthopedist?"

"Yes, can I ask whose calling?"

"Seto Kaiba. I seek your professional opinion in a matter reg…"

"The Seto Kaiba? This must be a prank," Dr. Keller laughed deeply. Kaiba shook his head.

"I'm wanting help in regards to an injury I received about six months ago." Kaiba bowed his head and waited for the response from the doctor. "Are you really that auspicious?"

"No, no certainly not Mr. Kaiba. It's just…very odd that you would be contacting me."

"As I said: I want your professional opinion on the matter."

"Alright, Mr. Kaiba, go ahead and tell me about it," Kaiba nodded. How many times had he had to recite the story to the foreign doctors? How many languages had he said it in? He'd started domestically, talking to many reputable doctors who kept telling him the same thing. Then he fanned out. Germany, France, the United Kingdom. Now it was the U.S.

He looked down to his leg as he spoke. No longer was it in a cast, but it was not free of entrapment either. A brace ran from his thigh down to his ankle, hidden cleanly underneath dress pants, but obvious where it looped around the bottom of his shoe to stabilize his ankle.

"So what is it exactly that you're requesting Mr. Kaiba?"

"I don't mind limping if that's the worst outcome, but I'd enjoy not having to wear a brace or use a cane."

"That's understandable. What it sounds like is a mix of several different problems. Do you have a medical file that I could view?" Kaiba looked down to the papers that he had fanned out and nodded and then, realizing he was on the phone, replied:

"Yes. I could fax them to you."

"That'd be great," and Dr. Keller gave Kaiba the number. How many copies of the file had he sent out? Too many to count.. "You must be calling me pretty early in the morning," Dr. Keller said as Kaiba fed the fax machine. When Kaiba didn't reply, he said: "My son will enjoy hearing this. He loves Duel Monsters. Has a duel disk and everything."

"I've sent all the papers."

Dr. Keller paused before saying: "Got them."

Kaiba leaned forward. "From what I've spoken with others, the trouble is mainly the nerve damage causing weakness in my knee."

"The femoral nerve was damaged, that would make sense," Dr. Keller took on a more professional tone. "Nerve damage is typically irreversible because nerves are large cells that regenerate very slowly. From the looks of it, the damage has caused a loss of sensation in your left leg."

"Correct."

"I have a feeling you already know what I'm about to tell you."

"You can't do anything about the damage. There are no experimental procedures that you could put me through?" Kaiba asked. It was a hardened, monotone question that he had asked several times.

"Nerves are…complicated," Dr. Keller said. "I would suggest, in the meantime, going through rehabilitation. Injuries have a way of bettering themselves. Even nerve injuries. Like paraplegics who manage to walk again. It takes a lot of time and effort."

Kaiba lowered his head. "I understand," and he put the phone back on the receiver, picking himself up, leaning heavily on the cane. There was no need for formalities anymore. He'd been through it enough times, called enough people, that the advice was engraved in his brain.

Mokuba stood outside his door, almost unnoticed, and he walked up beside his brother with his arms crossed. "No luck?"

Kaiba looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing up so early?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I just got up," he said. "Heard you talking, wondered what you were doing."

Kaiba nodded. "He told me the same thing that the rest have," the brunet said. "I've already gone through the rehabilitation at the hospital."

"It never hurts to try," Mokuba sat down at the kitchen table and watched his brother as Kaiba put together his briefcase. He understood why his brother was upset. He could see how rigid his brother's left leg was as he walked, favoring his right side more. Cosmetically, he couldn't understand why his brother was so flustered. There was really only one visible part of the brace, and most people knew that he had been through a car accident. They never said anything, and they never stared. One occasion, however, Kaiba told Mokuba: "I don't like that I can hear it clicking."

Kaiba didn't really need to explain. Mokuba understood what he was saying. Still, there was nothing to hear. The younger Kaiba was only aware that his brother was approaching because of the soft tap of cane, not any kind of clicking in his brace.

"I'm probably going to be home late," Kaiba mentioned.

"Not again nii-sama…"

Kaiba looked up to Mokuba as he snapped down the latches on his briefcase. "Moki."

Mokuba got up from the table and came to hug his brother tightly. Kaiba rubbed his back. "Love you too." He murmured.

The relationship between the brothers had been strained the last few months. Mokuba could tell what happened that day. Having heard his brother saying something to Jou that was less than pleasant, and then Jou leaving with a quiver in his voice, it told him all he needed. He suspected that Kaiba had done less of trying to reconnect and pushed towards reinforcing his mental notion that there was no way that the relationship would stand.

Mokuba tried talking to his brother about this, but Kaiba would hardly respond. Little did Mokuba know that Kaiba dearly wanted a relationship, but he could only perceive any relationship with Jou as something of a constant push and pull where they would be arguing about nothing.

And Mokuba also didn't know about his brother lying in bed at night, staring at the ceiling and trying to fall into the sleep that was shaky, even with the medication. He often found himself thinking about Jou and relieving the tense thoughts of the one round of passion that they had together. It was a hysterical amount of effort and in the end there was little satisfaction. His sheets would end up wet, but it felt all for loss.

He hadn't touched the planner except to look at the notes that Jou had made in his stead. Along with those notes he had little torn out pictures from magazines. He didn't like the tabloids. He didn't like what kind of bad press they gave him. Kaiba knew that he got away with hardly saying anything simply because of his cold 'I don't care' kind of demeanor. After a while, the reporters must have gotten tired of him constantly no commenting them.

Still, he kept those little pages. The small glimpses of Jou that the press had managed to take when the blond were either unsuspecting, or he was so trapped by their sheer madness that the close ups were inevitable.

In the early morning, when reality had to sink back in, he would sigh and put it in the back of his mind. He knew that, ultimately, it was his fault. There were points where he could have stopped and left it alone. Where he could have been kind enough to answer the questions rationally. But there was something about Jou that made him irrational. He couldn't stand before Jou and have the free calculating mind that he usually had.

Kaiba stood before the car that was pulled out in front of the estate. The door was open, but he was standing pensively, lost in his own thoughts.

A wicked grin formed on his face and he pulled out his phone, dialing. "Yes, Kaiba-sama?" his assistant chirped.

"I need you to pull information on someone for me."

"Who sir?"

"Jounouchi Katsuya."

"Yes sir. Would you like it on your desk?"

"That would be wonderful," he said, and he slid into the backseat of the car, the cane leaned across his knees as he looked out the window.

Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Jou kept waiting. For what, he wasn't so sure. He knew that he had screwed up. Well, it wasn't all him, but it was a screw up nonetheless. He shouldn't have brought anything up. He shouldn't have tried to be confrontational. What was worse was that he had brought out a part of Kaiba that he knew had to be completely reserved for Mokuba and no one else.

Maybe not even Mokuba. Kaiba was angry, but it wasn't raged. He looked like he had tears pricking in his eyes that he was ignoring. There was a kind of innocence in admitting what he felt was truth; the kind of fragility that Kaiba ignored for the sake of better business.

He had told himself not to go back, and yet he did. He told himself that it would have been a bad idea, and for once he was right when he didn't want to be. What was worse was that wound in him was healing. He didn't like it healing. Even if it was meant to mean that he was getting better, it felt like it was healing with a tremendous scar. It made him feel lopsided.

Often, Jou would see Kaiba in the media for one reason or another. He'd made it a bad habit to skim through the tabloids when he was in line at the grocery. He'd even bought a few because of the pictures. In the beginning, however, he was bombarded with the fact that his picture was being used and reused. It was uncomfortable, but not intolerable. Sometimes it seemed endearing. Maybe it was a momentary psychosis that made him think that way, but he couldn't help but wonder what it would he like if they were true.

Something that was humorous about all of the madness was how long it took the media to realize that they weren't an item. Jou gauged it about three months after the final argument. It was about that time when his co-workers stopped making snide comments and jokes to him about it.

"Hey, Jou, you busy?"

"Nah. What do you need?"

"Your boyfriend's here." Jou rolled his eyes. Now it was just out of the blue, and though he was unsuspecting he didn't react strongly.

"Ha ha, Naomi. Hilarious. Was there another picture slew or somethin'?"

"I'm serious Jou. Come here." Naomi pulled him by the elbow out toward the reception. As he began to step out of the doorway, Naomi pulled him back and hushed him. "See, look that is Kaiba Seto isn't it?"

Jou sighed. "Stop huffing the laughing gas," he said, and out of curiosity he looked. At first he was confident that she was just joshing, but he had to stop himself from seizing because of the lightning bolt that had shot down his spine. He looked to Naomi, her eyes wide and her head bobbing as she nodded for him to go to Kaiba.

"Go hug him. It'd be adorable."

"Let me guess—you like yaoi?"

She seemed torn and merely shrugged. "Go on. He's right there."

Jou rolled his shoulders and tried to be professional. He looked over Kaiba critically, trying to convince himself that it couldn't possibly be the gaming mogul. But it was. The expensive looking suit and shoes gave him away. Not to mention the sapphire colored tie that was nearly identical to his eyes.

Jou ducked his head and looked at Kaiba's posture; it didn't seem off for him. His back was rigid, his shoulders were flat. He had that same authoritative stance that he always had as he spoke with the nurse at the reception desk. But Jou could see Kaiba' slight favor of his right side. He could see the way that he gripped the head of his cane (custom looking, but nothing ostentatious) as if he were ready to break it. What was most important was he could see the loop around Kaiba's left shoe.

The nurse directed him around the reception desk, and Jou got a good look at the way Kaiba walked. His leg was rigid, and his walk had little authority. He just looked like—God forbid—a dog that had been kicked too many times.

"What the hell's he doing here?" Jou muttered, as if he didn't know already. Naomi found it appropriate to tell him anyways.

"Look at his leg. This is a real good physical therapy center. He probably came here on recommendation."

"Yeah…"Jou nodded. "Look, is there something I could do in the back?"

"Why? Don't you want to say 'hi' to him Jou?" Naomi looked a little confused.

"He ain't my boyfriend, Naomi. He never has been, so leave it alone a'right?"

Naomi pouted. "Whatever Jou. Looks like they're taking him back to Sakamoto-sensei anyways."

Jou nodded. It was best that Kaiba never saw Jou. But he wondered if this was some kind of set up. If there was some way that Kaiba had found out that he worked at this particular clinic. Kaiba had enough power to find out whatever he wanted to know,.

Jou disappeared into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. "Kaiba...damn you…"he seethed a moment, gripping the sides of the sink. "Goddammit!"

It was Kaiba that had thrown him out and expressed that they never see each other again. It was Kaiba that told him that it would never work out despite the hundreds of scenarios that the CEO had concocted. It was Kaiba that was unwilling to break from his own stringent way of living to try and accommodate the dog that he had pulled into his bed. And it was Kaiba that was in front of him now, flaunting the fact that he had found Jou despite all that had happened months ago.

But…had he…?

Jou looked to the door where, just outside, he knew Kaiba was somewhere in the building being tended to like a normal patient. He didn't even look like he was looking around for anyone specific. He was direct with the nurse and kept his eyes solely on her. Maybe he was just at the center because it was recommendation. After all, it was logic.

Jou looked at himself in the mirror and took a deep breath. If Kaiba was just there for treatment, everything would be fine. He would simply request not to be around with Kaiba was scheduled for sessions.

He turned the faucet and cupped his hands beneath the water, throwing it on his face and wiping it on his neck. His heart was finally settling back in his chest. He wondered if there was intention in Kaiba's actions or was it simply coincidence. He had made it rather clear that he didn't want to be around Jou, so why go out of his way and try and make it more difficult?

Jou rolled his shoulders. Only time would tell.

"Did you stop seeing that psychiatrist or something?" Mokuba asked as he followed his brother out to the car. Kaiba stopped and looked over to Mokuba with raised brows.

"What brought this up?"

"It's Wednesday and you haven't gone to see him in a few weeks."

"Are you worried or relieved?"

Mokuba shrugged and got into the driver's side of the car. Kaiba took a deep breath and reluctantly got into the passenger seat. This was something that he had putting off for a while because of the uncomfortable feelings that it brought up, but he knew that about the only person that Mokuba would be most comfortable with was his nii-sama.

"I don't know. I just wanted to know what changed."

He'd been doing a lot of things with reluctance as of late. One of which was weaning himself from both the psychiatrist and his prescribe 'fixes'. There were a few nights where he went without sleep, blips in the road he supposed, but it had been such a long time since he had actually tried to sleep without being medicated.

"I've been tired of my own will," Kaiba said, making sure to pull on his seatbelt. He looked over to make sure Mokuba did the same. "Remember to check your mirrors." Mokuba nodded.

"Is it because of the therapy?"

"I suppose. Pay attention to the little things Mokuba, driving a car can be as dangerous as it is empowering."

"I know." Mokuba didn't need to be lectured, but that was beside the point. He felt obligated to say something. "Is the therapy helping any?" Mokuba asked, his hands falling away from the wheel. He'd asked this several times, but he was never given a direct answer.

"I suppose."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"It seems to be going well," Kaiba tacked on a meek smile to the end of his statement. "They've been trying to get me to walk without aid. It's been difficult." Mokuba got why his brother didn't share things willingly. Fighting with himself, as he seemed to do too often, wasn't something that he tried to endorse around his brother.

"Does it hurt?"

"It burns sometimes," he replied. "Turn on the ignition and get this started if you want to do it so bad."

"Right." Mokuba turned the key and revved up the car. As soon as he did that, an excited, child-like smile spread across his face and his eyes sparkled like they did when he was so much younger.

"Be easy, but put your foot on the gas. Cars are temperamental; you need to get to know it first."

"What do you mean 'burn'?" Mokuba asked as he put his foot on the gas. The car lurched forward, only to stop all of sudden as the raven haired teenager struggled to find the brake just in time. Kaiba braced himself by pressing his hand forward against the dashboard. "Sorry…"

"That's what I mean by temperamental. Gently."

"Yeah." Kaiba laid back in the seat and took a moment to glance at his little brother as he looked down at his feet to see if he was doing it right. He felt a proud smile grace his features. Mokuba had not only childish joy, but also rough determination; his tongue partially sticking out as he pressed his foot back down on the gas and letting the car seem to drift a bit down the drive.

"Better. And I mean burning by just…working out muscles that don't really seem to like being worked at the moment. I can't feel the pain, but I can feel the burning." Kaiba watched as Mokuba eased the car a little faster, turning it as the driveway turned. He nodded to himself, the pride beginning to well up.

"Where do you want me to go?"

"Stay in the driveway. Go to the end of it and then you're going to turn around and come back."

"What if I get in the lawn?"

"The lawn will be fine," Kaiba held it inside him of his intentions behind the physical therapy. Though he was fully participating, hoping that the advice of all the doctors was indeed true, he had his goal set to get Jou enclosed, get to talk to him for whatever reason.

"I feel like there's something I'm missing," Mokuba said.

"Like what?"

Mokuba shrugged, though it was obvious that he was being coy. But then, they were in a situation where he wasn't supposed to be thinking about anything other than said situation. "I don't know nii-sama. Just something. About all of the things that have happened."

"Maybe you're not full well yet," Kaiba suggested. That was a bullshit response and he knew it, but it was the best he could conjure. Their relationship was on the mend, having carefully been growing back together as if nothing had caused the rift, and Kaiba was going to prevent any more turmoil if it was at all possible.

"I'm perfectly fine. It's just another one of those…things. They've happened enough." As Mokuba approached the end of the driveway, he slowed and Kaiba could practically watch him contemplating. He chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Nervous?"

Mokuba stuck his tongue out. "I've only done this a couple of others times," he said, which was reason enough, and then added: "and you're in the car."

Kaiba didn't bat an eyelash at the statement. "When you're turning like this, go a little wide and don't be afraid to actually turn the wheel. Nudging it's gonna ram you into the gate."

"You've been kinda odd," Mokuba said, pulling the steering wheel. Kaiba kept his eyes focused to see if there was some kind of obstacle Mokuba wouldn't catch in time. "I mean, ever since then. You've been through some of the stuff I have and…well…you've just been edgy."

"It brought up a few memories."

That was all that needed to be said. Mokuba nodded curtly, finishing the turn and cruising back up the driveway. Kaiba saw the relief that washed over his little brother, though there was the lingering worry from the final statement he made.

There wasn't a lot that Kaiba shared with Mokuba about the past. This was mostly because he didn't see the need for Mokuba to know the nitty-gritty details. There was no point in making Mokuba go through the mental torment of imagining the precise details (which Kaiba could probably translate to prose if he ever got the time and the urge to do so) that he had gone through while being subjected to the physical and emotional as well. Mokuba knew enough. He knew about the invisible scars that lay like thin layers overtop his brother's skin. The kind that when all put together that Kaiba could repress in a very mechanical fashion and look toward the future instead of wade in the past.

"Does the stuff between you and Jou have anything to do with it?"

Why was it that discussions in a car always seemed to be the most intimate? "Yes."

"What were you yelling at him about?"

"First of all, he started it," Kaiba rebutted childishly. Mokuba couldn't resist a laugh. "But, we tried to talk something out and it didn't end up working as well as I had hoped it might. I told him to leave."

"You mean you yelled at him to leave."

"Either way," Kaiba held to the door as Mokuba hit the brake hard again. "Careful with the brake. It's like the gas."

"Oh, yeah."

Kaiba had an instinct to look over his shoulder. There was a feeling creeping on him that someone was watching. He got out of the car and looked down to the gate, his brows furrowing. He hadn't noticed anyone at the gate before, but now he could see what seemed to be a lone photographer standing at the gate, pressed tight against the bars with the camera squeezed through. Mokuba also got out of the car. "What's the matter Seto?"

Maybe Mokuba didn't see anything strange with the situation, but there was worry in the pit of Kaiba's stomach. "Let's go inside."

"But we just started."

"We can do this another time, Moki."

"It's just one weird camera guy."

Kaiba knew better. After the publicity that had happened a few months before, he had serious reason to believe that this was related, which meant that it was likely someone else was leaking more information. It also told him that whoever was snitching was likely from his end, not Jou's. Not that there was anyone around Jou that really worried Kaiba all that much.

Kaiba had turned and went back up into the manor. Although he was huffing, Mokuba followed his brother. He also knew better. It was usually best to trust his nii-sama when it came to these instances.

Naomi looked flustered. As she entered the breakroom, she looked to Jou with frustration and contempt. "Why is he such an asshole?"

"I don't know. Why do ya keep askin' me 'bout my 'maginary boyfriend?"

Jou knew that it was one of Kaiba's scheduled sessions. "Because you would know why."

"I don't know nothin'," he shook his head. "It's just how he is I guess."

"He came here willingly dammit," Naomi sat across from Jou and huffed loudly. "No doctor referral. Came here 'cause he wanted too. He gets so damn huffy about everything he has to do then won't let anyone touch him when he's having issues. He's like a five year old."

"So ya workin' with him today?"

"The last few days…"

"I can tell."

"Why aren't you ever with him at all? You think they would make you be in there holding his hand all of the time or something."

"Nope. I requested because of conflict of interest." Naomi huffed again. "He still here?"

"Yeah."

Jou stood up from the table and grabbed the trimmings of what was left of his lunch, throwing it away. He stood still in the room for a moment, Naomi's eyes on his back, before walking out with some kind of confidence and going back towards where he knew Kaiba was at.

Kaiba's gravelly voice carried the slightest bit. Not enough to reverberate through the whole clinic, but Jou could hear him nonetheless. For the most part, Kaiba wasn't really talking. Most of what Jou could hear was awkward shuffling and the sound of Kaiba's hands as they slapped against the metal parallel bars to try and steady where he was likely trying to walk without aid.

Jou watched this through the ajar door. Kaiba looked awkward in the baggy shorts and t-shirt. It was too casual. Jou expected at least a white Oxford. The CEO's face was spackled with sweat; his eyes burning as he tepidly moved his left leg forward. He was like a child walking on a high beam for the first time. His arms were out, hovering above the bars, and his feet nearly touched heel to toe. Jou opened the door all the way, walking in without a word.

"I don't need your help you undertrained fool—" Kaiba muttered. Jou went to the end that Kaiba was encroaching and waited to be recognized as someone other than Naomi. For a moment, it gave Jou that satisfaction that he could take Kaiba's insults (the years of hardened skin at work) more than any of the other nurses could ever imagine. "Goddammit," he leaned to his right, holding tight to the bar and lifting most of the weight from his left leg.

When Kaiba's eyes hit his, there was a sudden dosing of the flame, and Kaiba seemed to straighten out, his body balanced, one hand on the each bar. "Glad ya noticed me."

There was little satisfaction when Kaiba said nothing. Jou wanted to know that he had the upper hand, that this was a surprise and Kaiba had unwittingly walked (for lack of a better term) into the same place of work as Jou. But there was no way that Jou could bring himself to think that as he looked at Kaiba who was about the least dignified he'd seen. No nice clothes. No proud expression. Not even a stance of poise or grace.

"Nothin' ta say?"

It was one thing to not hold his pride in front of the people that were trying to help him. They were faces to be forgotten, people that didn't matter. Jou could already see where Kaiba had admitted defeat despite all of his effort.

Jou stepped back as Kaiba took a step forward, his left leg seeming to drag behind as he attempted at bending the knee to do the normal motion. Once again his hands were away from the bars. There was something different about this try. It was as sloppy as he saw before, but there was something in Kaiba that seemed fundamentally different. He kept one hand on a bar and pushed forward. "Ignorin' me, eh? You keep doin' that, I'll keep talkin'. Naomi surely warmed up ta ya after all…"

"Incompetent, undertrained nitwit…"

"She went the same amount of schoolin' as I did."

"She couldn't think her way out of a cardboard box."

"She might as well be my superior," Jou rebutted. He backed away again. Kaiba was looking at the bars as if he was confused since they were ended. His eyes met Jou's and he let go of the bar as he stepped forward. "Oooh, bein' brave there. C'mon, come get me hotshot."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Ya know ya want me…"Jou put his hands out front of him, motioning with his hands for Kaiba to come forward. "Attack me, c'mon. I just piss ya off all the fuckin' time don't I? Me an' all my stupid questions. Stupid friends. C'mon, just try and throw a punch."

Kaiba bared his teeth and pressed forward, trying to gain enough momentum as he reached Jou. But of course Jou was going to move. "That all ya got, really? C'mon! I'm right here Mr. Third-degree black belt. Right here. Jus' try and hit me in the solar plexis."

Jou didn't know it, but both Naomi and the doctor at the clinic, Sakamoto-sensei, were watching as he goaded Kaiba into moving about the room unaided, his hands clenched at his sides. Jou didn't know when Kaiba realized it was a ploy, but he was pretty sure that it was pretty shortly after it began. Still, it was working. Finally, Jou stopped so that Kaiba could grab him, get the rush. The blond assumed he would get away, but Kaiba put enough pressure to pin Jou to the wall. Jou wriggled; he was well aware he could knock the brunet over easy, but stopped at the feel of Kaiba's hand pressed against his crotch.

Jou blushed when Kaiba muttered with some semblance of pride: "I got you, now what do I do with you?"

"Wait till next session to find out." Jou pushed Kaiba's hand away and motioned to the door.

Naomi walked in looking like she was ready to pass out. "Are you ready to continue Kaiba-san?"

The brunet smirked and turned away from Jou, dismissing him as if he never existed in the first place. Jou wondered if Kaiba realized that what he saw was real.

A/N: I hope this wasn't tedious. It's more just...getting everything together and playing with the relationships mostly. I did consider scrapping the entire scene with Mokuba, but I think it held some important information.

By the way, do you all still think it was Mai who circulated the story?