Kaiba's New Assistant

Once the three of them were safely inside the limousine and on the move, Kaiba reached for the phone.



"Who're you calling?" Jou asked.



"Your sister," Kaiba replied as he picked up the handset and dialled the number. "She needs to know that you are OK."



"She saw the news?" Jou asked, knowing that she must be frantic with worry.



Seto simply nodded as the call was answered.



"Kawai residence," the woman at the other end said in clipped tones. She sounded stressed and after the events of the last few hours, Kaiba wasn't surprised.



"I would like to speak to Shizuka please," he said pleasantly.



"Who is this?" the slightly hostile reply came.



"Kaiba Seto," he replied flatly.



"You... You are the one who was on those pictures with... that boy," she spluttered, seemingly outraged that he would dare to call her.



"Excuse me?" Seto was quite taken aback and his eyebrows almost rose into his hairline. "I take it that you are Katsuya's mother? That is no way to speak about your son."



"That boy is NOT my son," the terse reply came.



Seto glanced over to where Jou was obviously wishing that the upholstery would swallow him up. "Putting that aside," he said, "can I speak with Shizuka now?"



The woman was about to argue again, but then someone else could be heard in the background. A few words were exchanged, then finally Shizuka's voice was heard. "Hello? Kaiba?"



"Yes. Is everything alright?"



"Um... as well as it can be," she said. "Do you have news of my brother?"



"Yes, he's right here, but before I pass you over, what is your mother's problem with him?"



"I don't really know." Shizuka sounded sad. "She has always been a bit irrational when it comes to Katsuya. I used to think that it was just down to him being in a gang, but even though he's turned his life around so much she hasn't changed her opinion of him. It didn't even matter that he was the one who obtained the money for the surgery to stop me from going blind. She still doesn't want to know."



"Thank you Shizuka and I'm sorry to hear that," Seto said. Something about the way that Mrs. Kawai had insisted that Jou was not her son had set alarm bells ringing in his mind as it sounded like more than just a disowning. However, that was a puzzle for later on. "I'll pass you over to Jou now." He gave Jou the handset then sat back and watched as he spoke enthusiastically to his sister, assuring her that he was not too badly hurt and not to worry over him.



"What was all that about, Kaiba," Yugi leaned in to whisper to the tall CEO.



"Jou's mother. She's quite..." he paused as words failed him.



"I know what you mean," Yugi said grimly. "I met her once and she really doesn't like Jou very much. She seems to have completely disowned him and no-one really knows why."



"Hmm," Seto pondered some more as they pulled up outside the Game Shop. "Looks like it's your stop, Yugi."



"Yeah. Bye Kaiba. Bye Jou," He paused as he got out of the car. "If there is anything you need help with..."



Normally Kaiba would have snapped something dismissive, but instead he gave a rare smile. "We'll be sure to let you know," he said. "Bye Yugi."



"Bye Yug'," Jou said. "Thanks for coming."



"You're welcome, Jou," Yugi beamed. "What kind of friend would I be otherwise?" He said goodbye again, closed the car door and hurried into the shop as his Grandpa appeared at the entrance.



"Jou?" Seto said, looking back and noticing the other staring at the phone with a look of distaste. "What's wrong?"



Jou sighed. "Ma took the phone off Shizuka and hung up on me." He looked at Seto, clearly showing his confusion. "I don't get it. What do I have to do?"



"Oh Katsuya," Seto slipped into the seat next to Jou, "I can't answer that, but you do have plenty of other people who care for you."



"Yeah, I guess I'm lucky like that," Jou replied with a small smile. "As long as I can stay in touch with Shizuka, that woman can get stuffed."



"Good. Now do you have anything you need to get from your father's apartment?" Seto asked.



Jou mused a moment. "Yeah, I guess I do have a couple of things that I wouldn't like to lose."



"Right. We'll head past there and get what you need before we go back to the mansion." Seto looked at Jou suddenly. "You are OK with that aren't you? I didn't mean to assume..."



"Where else am I gonna go?" Jou said. "But seriously Seto, there is nowhere else I would rather be right now."



"I'm glad to hear that," Seto said as they pulled up outside of the dilapidated building where Jou had lived with his father. "Come on, I'll give you a hand." Seto helped Jou from the car and up to the ramshackle apartment. He could sense Jou's hesitation as they reached the door. "Jou?" he prompted.



"It's nothing, really," Jou said, "It's just that... I'd hoped that you'd never have to see this."



"However bad you think it is, it's not your fault, Jou," Seto replied reassuringly. "I won't think any less of you."



"Yeah, hold on to that thought," Jou muttered under his breath as he placed the key in the lock and pushed the door open. Seto couldn't help but flinch slightly as the stench of stale smoke and alcohol assaulted his senses, but he suppressed his reactions as he followed Jou through the dingy apartment and through a door into what could only be Jou's room. Jou closed the door behind him and Seto took in the meagre space that Jou had called home. An old single bed lay along one wall, one corner propped up with breeze blocks as the leg had been broken off at some time in the past. A broken down chest of drawers was on the other wall and the carpet was utterly threadbare, although it was obvious that Jou had done his level best to keep the place at least somewhat clean.



Seto was brought out of his contemplation of how Jou had been forced to live as said blond fished a tatty carry-all out of an old wardrobe that had definitely seen better days, then dumped the bag on the bed.



"Can I get a hand here please Seto," Jou asked. "I'd do it myself, but..." he waved his plaster cast in Seto's general direction.



"Of course, Jou," he replied. "I'm sorry." He moved quickly to help Jou pack his bag, finishing in a very short time. "Is... that all?" Seto asked, amazed at how little Jou actually had.



"Yeah, almost everything of any value is already over at your place," Jou replied. "It was just those few bits, especially the pictures of Shizuka, that I really wanted to save."



"Alright then, let's get out of here," Seto said, steeling himself for the walk back through the apartment. They quickly left and entered the limo, Jou letting out a huge sigh of relief as they finally pulled away.



"Jou?" Seto asked after hearing that sigh.



"I'm just glad that we got out of there without one of them Social Workers turning up," Jou said. "I really didn't want to deal with them tonight."



"From what I know of them I doubt that they will try to trouble you tonight," Seto said, "but I will be glad when we get home and I can lock the place down." He shook his head, "No, when we deal with them it will be on our terms."



"We?" Jou raised his eyebrows, looking at Seto who was sitting in the opposite seat.



"Yes, we," Seto said with a smile. "We are in this together." He frowned. "They have threatened my custody of Mokuba several times and that is not normal procedure, just as shipping ex gang members out of town isn't. It's never seemed possible to complain through normal channels as things tend to get hushed up, but I do have a plan to deal with them as long as you trust me."



"I'd trust you with my life, Seto," Jou said fervently.



"Are you sure about that," Seto said with a wry smile. "After all, I haven't exactly done a stellar job so far."



"That wasn't really your fault," Jou began, only to be cut off.



"Yes, it was," Seto insisted, sinking to his knees in the well between the seats. "I promised to help you if you needed it," he leaned forwards and buried his face into Jou's neck, "I brushed you off without a thought," his voice lowered to a whisper, "I could have lost you..."



Jou was alarmed. He'd never seen Seto react like this before. "I already forgave you, Seto," he said, but then his eyes widened as he felt a dampness on his shoulder and he realised that it was from Seto's tears. He raised his good arm and carefully hugged Seto to him. "Really, it's OK, I'm still here and I won't leave you if I can help it," he said reassuringly, holding Seto close as he struggled to bring himself under control.



"I'm sorry," Seto said as he finally regained his composure and sat back on the other side of the limo, "I didn't mean to get all maudlin on you."



"Hey, that's OK," Jou smiled at Seto, who was still trying to disguise the slight puffiness of his eyes, "You are just showing that you care."



"I bet I look a wreck," Seto said with a frown.



"Nah, it hardly shows at all," Jou reassured, "Now, c'mere." Seto obeyed meekly and slipped into the seat beside Jou. "Listen carefully. I don't blame you for what happened today and I forgive you for not listening to me. You had a lot to deal with as everything happened at once and I can appreciate that. Now, can we not mention it again? Please?"



"Of course," Seto said. "Thank you for being so understanding." He leaned into the side of his love, burying his face in unruly blond locks and savouring the closeness, but the moment couldn't last as before long they were pulling up outside the mansion and Mokuba was running out to meet them.



"Jou! Are you alright?" Mokuba demanded as soon as Jou was within reach.



"I'm fine, squirt," he replied, ruffling the boy's unruly raven locks. "I got a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises, but I'm still here."



"And that is the main thing," Seto said as he ushered them towards the house, wanting to get the place into lockdown. No-one else would be getting in tonight if he could help it!



They were accosted by Mrs Doyle as they walked through the door. "Oh, Mr. Jonouchi, it's such a terrible thing that happened to you," she flustered, although there was a strained undertone to her voice. "Now come along and I'll make you a nice cup of tea."



"We'll all have one, Mrs Doyle," Seto replied calmly. "Mokuba, can you bring your laptop and hook it up in the lounge? I'm sure that Noa would like to join us."



"Of course, Seto," Mokuba beamed as he ran up to his room.



Soon they were all sitting together and Jou smiled, feeling like part of a family for the first time since his parents had divorced. Of course, he couldn't help but wish that his sister could be there too, but that would only be a matter of time, even if he had to wait until she turned 18. He didn't think it would be quite that long as he was sure that his mother, being the aspiring social climber she was, would be more than happy to encourage Shizuka's association with the younger Kaiba. He was sure that she would be able to tolerate the fact that Shizuka would have to also associate with 'that boy', as she liked to call him, to achieve that goal. He still didn't understand why she seemed to resent him so much, constantly telling him that he was no son of hers.



Eventually, everyone else left the room, finally leaving Seto and Jou alone. Jou sighed, instantly bringing Seto's attention.



"What's the matter?" Seto asked with a hint of concern.



"Just thinking about my Ma, that's all," Jou replied sadly. "I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much."



"You really haven't had much luck in the parental department have you?" Seto put his arm around Jou. "As bad as Gozaburo was, at least I had the good memory of my real parents to sustain me."



"Things weren't always like this though," Jou said. "Yeah, my mother always showed favouritism towards Shizuka, but it wasn't until the divorce that she completely turned against me. I never understood why she left me with dad. Even as cold as she was, she never treated me as badly as he did."



"She probably has her reasons, even though they may not be good ones," Seto said in a conciliatory tone. "But I think the best thing you can do is forget about her for the moment and concentrate on the here and now."



"Yeah, I hear ya," Jou said. "It's just hard, ya know?" He sighed. "At least I should get to see Shizuka a bit more now that she's friends with Mokuba. My mother will probably try to encourage that connection as much as possible."



"Should we be worried?" Seto pulled back and looked his lover in the eyes.



"About gold-digging?" Jou enquired. Seto nodded. "Well, my ma might be that way, but Shizuka definitely isn't. Still, I don't know if she would go so far as to try and make some kind of capital out of the fact that they are friends and possibly push for them to be more." He gave a wry smile, "I'm sure that she would rather Shizuka have had a chance with you, but that's never gonna happen - something else that she'll resent me for." He shook his head, "She might still encourage Shizuka to try and split us up though."



"Well, we'll deal with her if it becomes too much of an issue," Seto replied. "It's not like she has any chance of splitting us up," Seto gave Jou a reassuring squeeze as he said this, "and I'm sure that Shizuka won't give her any help."



"Yeah, you can be sure of that," Jou confirmed. They sat quietly together for a moment before Jou felt the need to speak again. "Seto?"



"What is it, Jou?"



"Does Honda have to lose his job over this?" Jou looked at Seto with puppy dog eyes.



"Well, what he did was a severe breach of protocol," Seto said carefully. "The reason we use that particular courier is because they have a reputation for being secure. To leave sensitive documents of any kind where a competitor can get at them is just not acceptable. Not to mention that if his association with Otogi, the owner of the Black Crown and a known rival to Kaiba Corporation had been known, then he would likely not have been employed in the first place."



"I don't think that last one is going to be an issue any more," Jou pointed out. "Otogi basically betrayed us all tonight and Honda won't stand for that."



"But because of Honda's carelessness I nearly lost you," Seto pulled Jou close once again at the thought of what had nearly happened.



"But I'm still here," Jou said once again. "Honda is my friend. He may have made an error of judgement but I don't want him to suffer over it any more than he is already. He'll be beating himself up over his lapse, that's for sure and he won't have a boyfriend after tonight. Why take away his job too?"



"You do realise that they'll probably sack him anyway once they find out what happened?" Seto couldn't help but point out.



"But you can intercede for him can't you?" Jou was looking at Seto with those damnable puppy eyes again and Seto feared that he could not resist.



"Alright, for you, Katsuya," Seto sighed. "I'll email them tomorrow and I'll also call them first thing on Monday morning."



"Thank you Seto," Jou was truly grateful.



"Talking of the morning," Seto's face turned serious, "we are going to be giving an interview on live TV about our relationship."



"We are?" Jou was shocked. "I mean... are you sure it's a good idea?"



"Jou, those pictures are in the public domain now," Seto said gently "Nothing is going to change that, but we can make it work for us. An interview will help to clear up any misconceptions and it should garner public sympathy, which is always a good thing." He looked at Jou, "Do you trust me?"



"I do trust you, Seto," Jou said, "but I'm not convinced about this."



"I know, and I do understand," Seto said, "but the only other options are for us to get the lawyers onto it, which can be very... invasive for all involved, or for us to go on the run until you turn 18 and not only is that a terribly bad idea, but you don't run, do you?"



"You're right, I would rather put up a fight, but I also don't want all the muck from my past raked up. We'll try it your way," Jou conceded.



"Thank you," Seto said. "We may still end up having to get lawyers involved somewhere along the way, but..." he stopped as Jou yawned. Seto shook his head and stood. "Never mind that now, lets get to bed. We can talk about the ins and outs of what the conference will entail in the morning after I have set it up. For now, I just want to hold you to reassure myself that you are still here."



"Aww, Seto, you say the nicest things," Jou said with a genuine smile, standing and following Seto to their room. Once they were there, Jou went to get undressed, only to struggle to undo his buttons. "Damn. Seto could I get a hand here? Undoing these things with one hand is harder than you'd think."



"Of course," Seto helped Jonouchi to undo the tricky things, gasping as he saw the livid bruises spattered across Jonouchi's torso. "Jou... Are you in any pain?"



"Not really," Jou replied. "They gave me some painkillers at the hospital and although I will need to take some more later, I'm good for now."



"Are you sure?" Seto asked.



"Yeah, I'm fine Seto," Jou said as he stood, heading towards the bathroom.



"Are you going to be OK in there, or do you need me to hold it for you?" Seto said with a smile, attempting to alleviate the mood slightly.



"Very funny, Seto," Jou said wryly as he reached the bathroom door. Before he entered, however he turned back and pierced Seto with a smouldering gaze, or at least as smouldering a look as he could manage with a black eye. "Besides, if you came and held it for me, I'd just end up either not being able to pee or giving us both a golden shower!" Laughing he quickly entered the bathroom and closed the door, leaving Seto with a half amused, half horrified expression on his face.



Soon, both of them were ready for bed. They settled together under the covers Seto carefully pulling Jou close and just holding him, thinking about how close he'd come to losing him, Jou content to lie there and let Seto have his way. Shortly they were slumbering together, not worrying about what was to come. That would wait until morning.



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The next morning, Seto awoke before Jou and spent several minutes simply looking at the golden haired boy in his bed. However, something had been weighing on his mind over the relationship that Jonouchi had with his mother and he wanted to look into it and hopefully get it out of the way so that it would not be on his mind and potentially distracting him during the interview that was scheduled for later on that day.



Carefully, so as not to wake his sleeping boyfriend, he extricated himself from the bed and visited the bathroom. When he returned, he thoughtfully put a glass of water along with some painkillers on the bedside table for when Jou woke up then stepped over to his desk and booted up his laptop.



First of all he made arrangements for the interview to take place later that morning, then he decided to do some research. Several minutes later, he stared at the screen in shock. He had his explanation for Ms. Kawai's behaviour with regard to Jonouchi, but he couldn't dwell too long on the discovery that he'd made as Jou groaned and rose sluggishly from the bed. He gratefully took the painkillers then bumbled sleepily into the bathroom with a yawn and a murmured "G'mornin'". Seto took a moment to shut the computer down, his mind mulling over the information he'd come across, then he entered the bathroom after his lover.



"Hey sleepyhead," he embraced Jou from behind as he washed his good hand, dropping a kiss onto the unruly blond hair.



"Hey yourself," Jou replied, blinking at Seto, still struggling to wake up.



"Do you want to take a shower?" Seto asked. "I'm sure it will make you feel better."



"Yeah, it would, but what about this?" Jou asked, carefully raising his plastered arm. "I can't get it wet."



"Don't worry, I've got some bags that'll do for that," Seto replied as he stepped away and started the shower running.



"OK then, that is as long as you'll join me," Jou said, a blush crossing his face.



"Of course," Seto replied with a blush of his own. It'll be easier if I help you anyway." He cast an appreciative eye over Jou as he shucked off his clothes.



"You keep on telling yourself that," Jou threw over his shoulder as he made sure that the bag Seto had provided was secure over his cast and stepped into the shower.



Seto stepped into the shower a moment later and reached for the shampoo. "And what do you mean by that?" he asked as he lathered up Jou's golden locks.



"I think we both know," Jou said, leaning back into Seto, causing the brunet's prominent arousal to press into his back.



"Jou, I can't help my reaction to your body," Seto apologised.



"Even as bashed up as I am?" Jou asked incredulously.



"Yes, even now," Seto replied matter of factly as he began to rinse Jou's hair, "but we don't have to do anything about it."



"What? And let this go to waste?" Jou breathed, turning around as Seto finished rinsing his hair and grabbing Seto's erection with his good hand.



"Katsuya," Seto gasped, "you are injured and..."



"Shut up, Seto," Jou commanded, slipping easily into his bedroom role as he let go of Seto's cock and pulled him down into a needy kiss. "I fractured my arm," Jou said as he released his partner, "I'm not an invalid and although I'm a bit bashed up I'm not totally incapacitated," he ground his own, very erect penis into Seto's thigh to make his point, "and I think you want this just as much as I do."



Seto, at the feel of Jou's hardness against him, groaned and willingly surrendered himself to the blond who kissed and licked his way lovingly down his body.



"God, Seto, you are so hot," Jou breathed, "and I love you so damned much." He swirled his tongue around Seto's navel, ignoring the erection that was grazing at his chin. He let loose a groan of his own as he caught the familiar scent of Seto's arousal before allowing himself to taste Seto's essence, gently licking and lightly sucking at the tip.



Seto, quickly becoming desperate, bucked upwards, trying to get Jou to take more of his erection into his mouth, but Jou was having none of that and pulled away. "Now now, patience Seto," he rasped out, his own voice becoming thick with need. "There's no rush, is there?" Seto couldn't formulate an answer, only being able to let out a long needy groan as he fisted his hands into Jou's hair.



Jou, recognising that Seto was too far gone to pay any attention, finally took pity on his lover and took the brunet's cock into his mouth, using his good hand to hold the taller boy still. He knew that Seto was close by the way he was reacting and the salty tang of pre-come flooding his senses, but he was still surprised when Seto let out a stifled cry and exploded into his mouth, sending pulse after pulse of creamy seed down his throat. He continued to suck and lick at Seto's cock until he was assured that it was completely spent, then let Seto sink to the floor of the shower cubicle, completely dazed by the force of his orgasm.



"Katsuya," Seto croaked as he slowly came back down to earth," that was..."



"Shh," Jou said as he gently kissed his lover. "I think you definitely needed that."



Seto's eyes widened as he felt Jou's neglected erection brush against him. "But what about you?" He asked.



"I'm fine" Jou said dismissively. "Really, you don't have to..."



"Bullshit," Seto said forcefully. "You need this just as much as I do..." he licked his lips in anticipation, "and... I really want to return the favour."



Jou breathed a sigh of relief. Seto had never done this for him before and despite the fact that he could have told Seto to suck him off and he would probably have complied, there was no way that he would ever force Seto to do something that he wasn't comfortable with. He'd been more than prepared to accept a simple hand-job or even put up with a massive case of blue balls in the event that Seto hadn't been willing, but with Seto's assertion that he was willing, Jou felt a massive surge of arousal as he recognised just how much he really did want this.



Jou got to his feet and waved his erect penis in front of Seto's mesmerised face. "So what are you waiting for?" he taunted, only to end with a gasp as Seto leaned forward and licked languorously up the entire underside of his erection. He felt his cock give a heavy pulse as Seto kissed the head and he knew that he would not last very long at all. There would be time for slow lovemaking later on, this was more of an affirmation that he was still here, still alive, still with Seto and he needed the release now.



From the smirk playing on Seto's lips, he had also felt that twitch and knew exactly what it signified. With a mischievous look up into Jou's passion-flushed face, he took Jou into his mouth and straight down his throat. As he heard Jou gasp, he swallowed around the large appendage and let out a throaty hum, causing Jou to grab his hair and buck wildly, soon shooting thick pulses of semen down Seto's throat.



Once he was sure that Jou was fully sated, he pulled away and let Jou's penis drop from his mouth with a wet sounding plop. He stood and gathered his love into his arms and they whispered endearments as they washed each other down and then exited the shower.



As they finished re-dressing, Jou having opted for a simple t-shirt and sweat pants, Seto knew that it was time to bring something up. "Jou, there is something that we need to talk about."



Jou heard the tone of Seto's voice and knew that it would be nothing good. "What is it?" he asked with concern.



Seto guided Jou to the bed and sat him down on the edge, sinking down next to him and putting his arm around his shoulders. "Jou... there is no easy way to say this, but... you know how your mother keeps on saying that you are not her son?"



"yeah?" Jou said worriedly.



"Well, something about the way she said it struck me as a bit off," Seto continued, "like it were more than a simple disowning. I need to tell you that while you were asleep this morning I did a little research..." Seto hesitated, knowing that what he was about to reveal would change everything for his partner.



"Go on," Jou urged, fearful over what Seto had to say, but needing to know what had him so worried.



"I discovered that... she isn't your biological mother," Seto said bluntly, knowing that there was no real way to cushion the impact.



Understandably Jou was shocked and he rocked back as if from a physical blow, his first thought one of denial. "You're kidding, right?" he blurted out, but one look at Seto's serious expression chased away all thoughts that he could be joking.



"I'm sorry Jou, but it does appear to be true," Seto said gently.



Jou gasped, "But... why did she never tell me?" he wondered, but then his eyes widened as he considered something else. "Does this mean that Shizuka isn't my sister?"



"That was the very first thing I checked out." Seto said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "From what I could find out, your father really is your father, but he didn't marry your mother until you were nearly a year old. Shizuka is actually your half-sister."



Jou got up and began pacing as he digested this information, Seto watching with concern. "Damn it. I guess at least now I know why she never took me with her and why she always said that I was no son of hers." He sighed, knowing what he had to ask next, even if he wasn't so sure he wanted to know. "So... do you know what happened to my real mother?" he asked finally.



"I haven't had a chance to look very far into that yet," Seto said, "but I do have a name at least. Maria Wheeler."



Jou stopped short and looked at Seto incredulously. "That's not a Japanese name," he observed.



"I know." Seto stood and walked over to Jonouchi, "And then comes the reason I am telling you this now rather than after the interview," he looked carefully at Jou to gauge his reaction. "It appears that you were not born in Japan. You were actually born in America."



"Shit!" Jou swore as the implications raced through his mind. "That means..."



"Yes," Seto pulled Jou towards him, "it means that they may try to deport you to America." He lowered his voice to a hiss, "But I won't let them take you. I just hope that you are not upset with me for looking into your past."



Jou sighed. "No I'm not upset with you," he reassured. "It's better that I hear it from someone who cares rather than someone who just sees me as a nuisance to be got rid of." He put his arm around Seto and buried his face into his neck, needing to feel the comfort that the other provided.



"Thank you, Jou," Seto replied. "There is also something else I need to tell you about what the social services have been doing."



"Oh?" Jou stepped back and looked into Seto's eyes again.



"I've had my own reasons for looking into their actions," Seto explained, stepping away from Jonouchi and sitting at his desk. "They've constantly held Mokuba's custody over me in an attempt to keep me... in line. I ended up having to do what they said, or they would take him away."



"They blackmailed you?" Jou was incredulous.



"Yes, I guess you could call it that," Seto confirmed. "They never pushed me too far, perhaps knowing that I would only take so much." He smirked, "It suited me to go along with them for the most part. Yes, I could have rocked the boat, but it wouldn't have been worth the extra work. As I am now 18, they have even less say, but seeing as they have not stopped pushing I think it's past time to put a stop to it once and for all." He looked at Jou intently. "With regard to your case, you know as well as I do that it is not official policy anywhere to ship troublemakers away from their homes," he said. "By insisting on doing things this way, they are putting more children at risk because those in danger dare not seek assistance, knowing that there is the likelihood that they would be sent away from everyone and everything they know." Seto shook his head in disbelief, "This, from those who should be doing what they can to help."



"I get where you are coming from," Jou said, "but... how are we going to stop them?"



"With your permission, I'm going to expose them during that press conference." Seeing Jou's sceptical expression, he clarified his position. "By now, the world will have seen where you were living and there will be much speculation over why you were living like that whilst working for me."



"So this is a face saving exercise for you?" Jou asked, wide eyed with disbelief.



"Not at all," Seto replied calmly, understanding Jou's thought processes may be a little muddled at the moment. "I just want to keep you here and letting people know that Kaiba Seto's personal assistant had to live in such a situation and could not ask for help to escape his father's influence due to corruption in the system will reflect very badly upon them. This is the perfect opportunity to blow the lid off the scandal so that they can't brush it under the carpet as they will if you try to go through official channels." Seto stood and took Jou's hands. "Katsuya, I'm just trying to help you. Trust me, please?"



"I don't know..." Jou said, still slightly unconvinced.



"This will all become public domain anyway as the press look further into your past," Seto reasoned, "At least this way you can control how it breaks and make it work for you."



Jou slumped in defeat. "OK Seto, we'll do things your way. I can't say I'm totally happy about it, but I'll admit that I can see the benefits."



"I'm sorry Jou," Seto said, "This kind of thing was almost inevitable once we became involved, but if it helps you any, just think of the people that this could help."



"Hmm," Jou nodded his agreement. "Once everything is sorted out and the system is back to what it should be, others like me who desperately need help will be able to get it." Jou paused as he saw the guarded look on his love's face. "I know it won't be easy and that these things won't happen overnight, especially where this kind of governmental bureaucracy is involved, but at least it will be a start."



Seto nodded and let the guarded expression drop. As long as Jou wasn't expecting too much too soon... He shook himself back into the here and now and addressed Jou again. "I know this must have been an incredible shock for you, but we will work through it and you know that I'll always be there for you."



"Thanks Seto," Jou said as he embraced Seto gratefully, burying his reaction to the news of his parentage for now. He could rant and rail about it later, then he could decide what, if anything, he was going to do about it, but for now they had an press conference to give. "So... I suppose we'd better get this show on the road." Jou sounded more confident than Seto knew he really was.



"Yes," Seto agreed. "Are you sure that you are going to be OK?"



Jou gave Seto a watery smile, "Yeah, I'll be good."



"Come on then." Seto gave Jou's hand a reassuring squeeze as he led him from the room.



"Um... where is this conference being held?" Jou asked as he noticed that they did not seem to be heading towards the garage.



"It's actually less of a press conference and more of a personal interview and it's going to be held in one of the sitting rooms here at the mansion," Seto said. "We're going for a more personal approach to try and gain more public sympathy than we would otherwise have achieved if we had gone with the expected businesslike approach."



"I see," Jou mused. "Sounds good."



"I'm glad you approve." Seto smiled as they approached the sitting room, then put his game face on. This interview would probably decide their fate – and a lot more besides.



------------------------------

A/N - Poor Jou, life just can't stop throwing him curve-balls.



The next chapter - and I know I keep saying this - may take a bit longer. The further I go through the story, the more needs fixing and changing. The 'last' chapter may need to be re-written almost from the ground up at this rate!

 

Thank you for reading.