Fixation

Chapter 15

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“Stop fidgeting, Mutt.” Seto flipped through emails on his blackberry.

Jou huffed. He was not fidgeting. He might have been bouncing a little bit, and he might have been having trouble sitting still, but he was not fidgeting. Mokuba stood beside him, his posture was slumped so he looked like a brooding teenager, and Seto didn’t bother saying anything about that.

Jou was just uncomfortable being in the center of the room. His place for the last three years had been to find a wall with a good vantage point and stick to it until the world exploded, or to shove his way through a crowd. He wasn’t supposed to be in the middle of the room or anywhere near the middle of the crowd. It just felt wrong. The fact that he was about to meet the very people who had tried to kill him three times did not help his nerves settle. He glanced around the private room of the restaurant. The thin screens that divided their buffet-room from the rest of the restaurant were illuminated by bright halogen lights, making it impossible to see if there was a silhouette behind them. Roland assured him that his men had the restaurant well covered, but Jou didn’t see how that could be possible, considering the number of hiding places he had noticed just by walking in the front door.

“You can sit down and order food, you know,” said Seto, not glancing up at him.

“Not hungry,” Jou insisted. He glanced at Seto’s blackberry, trying to read the screen without the other man noticing. When Seto glanced sideways at him, he smiled. “You should get an iPhone. The software they’ve got is so much cooler.”

“Would you believe I’m locked into a service contract?”

“What?” Jou perked up a bit. “The big bad CEO isn’t willing to drop a couple hundred bucks to get out of a cell phone contract?”

Seto started to chuckle, seemed to catch himself, and schooled his face again. “It’s a commercial contract, Mutt. Kaiba Corp’s liquidated damages would be the full cost of the contract, not a couple of hundred bucks.”

“Full cost of the contract? For your whole company? Ouch.”

“Yes. Besides, if I actually need a new application, I can just write one. Or have a design team write one, if I’m feeling lazy.”

Jou felt stupid. Of course he could write his own. He wrote video games, the software for the Duel Disks, and the new dueling arenas. He could write a ping-pong game for a handheld in his sleep. “Right, right… World’s richest prick… I forgot.”

“Kaiba-sama,” Roland called from the door of the restaurant’s private room, “Your guests have arrived.”

“Thank you,” said Seto, with more calm that Jou thought anyone should be entitled to at a moment like this. Seto made a show of turning his blackberry off, handing it to his brother, and gracefully rising to his feet. He bowed slightly when three large, and strangely familiar men, strolled into the restaurant in expensive pinstriped suits. “Welcome, and that you for agreeing to meet with me.”

The man in front was slender, with a business-like haircut and a weathered face with a single thin scar upon his right cheek. He bowed low at the waist. “It is my pleasure, Kaiba-sama. I understand from your brother’s request that there has been a… miscommunication… regarding little Jou.”

Jou glanced up at the sound of his name. Only one person in his life had ever called him little Jou, and even after all these years, Jou remembered the voice as well as he would his own father’s. Jou stared into the face of the man who had given him odd jobs as a child, desperately trying to keep his mouth shut and to keep any sign of recognition from making its way into his expression. Jou only knew that man as Asano-sama, but he knew that he controlled the street gangs where Jou grew up. He controlled everything and everyone where Jou grew up. But Jou had never thought of Asano as a criminal, much less someone who would agree to kill him for money.

“Indeed there has been. Would you like to discuss it over a cup of tea?”

“Of course.” Asano sat down at the small table with Seto. The men behind him too up stations at his side, opposite of Jou and Mokuba.

Seto waited patiently while a waitress served them tea, waited until she had bowed and backed out of the room, and then looked down at his teacup with a smile on his face. “I’m afraid this is somewhat embarrassing for me, Asano-san. I pride myself of very seldom making mistakes of this nature. But, I am afraid that whatever agreement I’ve made with you regarding Jounouchi was a mistake, and I must retract it. I hope you will accept the consideration I’ve paid as compensation for the burdens you’ve undertaken on my behalf.”

“I am uncertain about the nature of this misunderstanding, Kaiba-sama. Your messenger gave explicit instructions regarding the matter.”

Jou noticed Kaiba’s hand twitch, but he continued without missing a beat. “My messenger acted against my wishes and had no authority to speak on my behalf. That fact does not absolve me of responsibility for this matter, and so you have my deepest apologies.”

Jou held his breath. It could not be that easy. It was never that easy.

At the table, the crime lord sipped his tea and spared Jou a single, sideways glance. “Then you have my thanks, Kaiba-sama. I’m afraid we have both failed in properly restraining our subordinates in this case. I am ashamed to say that your offer would never have been accepted, if I had been consulted on the matter. When your secretary delivered the money to one of my associates, she found him at a delicate point in his career where he was struggling to fund enterprises of his own. The lure of money inspired him to turn his back on the very traditions we honor. Once an agreement was made, I was bound to uphold it, despite my own wishes. Consider the agreement nullified.”

Jou had to admit that he was impressed. Not only was Seto politely controlling the situation, but he hadn’t even flinched when Asano-san mentioned Seto’s secretary. Jou wondered just how much of an effect he had on the brunette, to be able to get a rise out of him at all.

“Thank you,” Seto inclined his head in a small bow. “May I ask, Asano-san, when did my secretary deliver the money?”

“Four weeks ago, or very nearly. She explained that you had only just located him, after searching for years. I must say that surprised me. I have always kept a close eye on little Jou, so finding him was no trouble. He’s caused such a headache for our foreign associates that I’m afraid I have had to take quite drastic steps to ensure his protection over the years.”

“You knew his location? This whole time?”

The old man smiled. “I wasn’t aware that the information was of value to you, Kaiba-sama. In his youth, Jounouchi’s father was a dear friend to me, so I have also taken great pains to see that little Jou was safe. It was hardly surprising that the boy would resume using his real name when he returned to America.” He set his teacup down and dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a linen napkin. “And I would be quite distraught to hear of any harm befalling him in the future, Kaiba-sama.” The threat wasn’t disguised, but it wasn’t advertised either. Mokuba could learn a lot from watching a man like Asano, Jou thought grimly.

“As would I. But, to avoid any miscommunications in the future, could you please inform all of your associates that no one is authorized to conduct business on my behalf?”

“Yes,” Asano smiled as he stood, “You do have a reputation for preferring a hands-on approach.”

“I’m glad we understand each other,” Seto smiled. He nodded as Asano-san bowed but he didn’t bother to stand up.

Seto sat quite still while he watched the old crime lord walk out of the restaurant with his entourage. He sat quite still as Roland paid their bill and the hostess returned to thank them for their patronage. He rose and walked out of the restaurant with all of the dignity and bearing that the Yakuza lord himself had possessed.

Out of habit, Jou hurried ahead of Seto and opened the limo door, ushering both Kaibas inside before following them in. He couldn’t read Seto’s expression, so he took a seat opposite the other man, just in case he decided to explode or try to strangle him. He tapped his feet and glanced at Mokuba, not sure what he was supposed to say or do. Mokuba was just as silent as his brother. The limo started and smoothly pulled away from the curb.

It wasn’t until they were a block from the restaurant that Seto finally snapped. At least, Jou was expecting him to snap. That was the only reason he flinched when the brunette leaned forward. Instead of shouting or reaching for his throat, Seto pulled out a thin notebook, turned it on, and sat back waiting for the system to boot.

“What are you doing?” asked Jou.

“He’s updating Human Resources,” said Mokuba, without looking at either of them.

“What?”

“That should be fairly obvious, Mutt. I need a new secretary. I’m emailing Human Resources to let them know I’ll need a pool of candidates to interview from, and that they need to add Will not implicate boss in a homicide plot to the list of screening criteria.”

Jou chuckled for a moment, and then considered the expression of each of the Kaiba brothers. “You’re serious?”

“It’s a long list,” Mokuba explained, chuckling.

“You’re not surprised? You don’t want to know why she did it?”

Seto shook his head like a tired man trying to deal with a hyperactive three year old who won’t stop asking stupid questions. “No, I’m not surprised. Keade-san is number one hundred and fourteen… She lasted longer than the rest, but I have never been able to find a secretary who doesn’t develop some kind of demented fixation with me. They’ve threatened Mokuba, tried to frame me for embezzlement, had sex with me and sold the details to tabloids, one of them poisoned my dog, one tried to collect my urine by screwing with the toilet in my office, I never did find out why… Every single one of them turns out to be psychopaths who end up trying to destroy my life.” Seto shook his head slowly. “Having a bunch of obsessed stalkers is kind of scary…”

“Tell me about it,” Jou muttered darkly.

“It’s not stalking if the attention is wanted,” Seto insisted.

“You know Yugi offered to take the job,” said Mokuba innocently.

“And I’m starting to think I really should just take him up on his offer, but, well, studded leather, weird hair, and porn do not make for a very professional image. Plus, I’ve already walked in on you screwing a few of my secretaries--it’s not something I really want to encourage.”

“Fine, move on to number one hundred and fifteen. I have to admit, I’ll miss Kaede-san a bit.”

Seto stopped typing, his fingers hovered over the keyboard.

“It was just a few times,” Mokuba said innocently. “It didn’t matter, to me or her. She still flirted with you like she was madly in love.”

“What are you going to do about her?” Jou asked.

Seto glanced at Mokuba for a moment, then focused on his notebook and began to type at a breakneck pace. In his seat by the window, Mokuba smiled. Jou had seen that smile a thousand times before, usually when Mokuba was cheering his brother on in a duel. It meant someone was about to get their ass kicked and didn’t have a clue about what fate had in store for them.

“You know, you’re kind of scary sometimes…”

Mokuba’s smile widened. “Don’t worry, Jou, I’m not going to actually do anything illegal. But I’m going to need help for this one, Seto.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Get me details.”

Seto stopped typing for a moment. “Let’s go visit Nakamura-san, then. She’s good at this sort of thing.”

The Nakamura home looked just as it had eight years before, except for what looked like a small bamboo forest poking up over the roof. The same ornamental junipers lined the front path, the same western-style pillars decorated the façade, and Jou was sure the same housekeeper answered the door, although she made no sign of recognizing him. She showed them to the front parlor and disappeared upstairs. A moment later Sakura came down stairs with the same grace that Jou remembered from all those years ago. The subtle gray in her hair hadn’t aged her beauty or grace.

Her face lit up in a bright smile when she saw Jou. “Katsuya-kun! I was wondering when you were going visit! Welcome home!” She pulled Jou into a tight hug and then turned towards Seto. “Welcome Mokuba-kun, Seto-kun. What brings you by?”

Jou stared at Seto expectantly. He poked his elbow towards Seto’s ribs. “Oh, I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting… But, of course, Jou spent two years working for you.”

“And being a lab rat for some failed domestic experiments,” she said with a smile. “What can I do for you?”

“I have a problem, Sakura-san,” said Seto seriously. “I need your helping tracking down the details of that transaction you asked about.”

“You need my help to trace an expenditure that came out of your own office?”

“Yes,” said Seto, without a hint of embarrassment. “I’m afraid that two million dollars ended up being used to pay for an assassin to target Jounouchi.”

Sakura pursed her lips. Jou thought that it was a little bit demeaning that she had always had exactly the same response every time he slipped up and cursed around her, but he didn’t say anything. She glanced between Seto and Jou, concerned. “I trust you’ve corrected that?”

“I have, but now I need solid proof regarding who authorized the transaction. Who authorized it, whether it was cash or an electronic funds transfer, dates, locations, all of it. Unfortunately, I gave the information about the transaction that you gave me to the person who’s most likely responsible for it… so I need the information again.”

“You have some nerve Seto. You show up, unannounced I might add, and tell you that you’ve nearly gotten my Katsuya-kun killed, and expect me to just had over a date and transaction number?” A sharply manicured nail poked Seto in the chest as she spoke.

Seto smirked. “Actually, I’m kind of worried about how long it will take me to track down enough facts to file a police report. I was hoping I might be able to ask you for help, but it looks like you’ve settled in for the evening.” Seto motioned down at her kimono.

“Nonsense, I can be dressed in five minutes. Katsuya-kun, would you mind making me a cup of coffee while I change? You know where everything is.”

“You got it, Sakura-san.”

“Oh, please!” she called as she mounted the stairs, “You’re a grown man now Katsuya-kun. Just Sakura is fine.”

Jou wandered into the kitchen and found that absolutely nothing had changed there in the last eight years. She still bought the same brand of coffee and she still had a two-week-old quart of spoiled milk in the refrigerator. He set the kettle on the boil and found his way to the window. From the kitchen window, he could glance out into the back yard, and he stood on his tiptoes in order to see as much of it as he could. The raised flowerbeds were filled and professionally color-coordinated, the cherry tree he planted near the waterfall had grown to nearly twelve feet and was just beginning to bloom. Unfortunately, near the back of the garden, at the end of the path, what should have been a balance of bamboo, pine, and plum had mutated into a wild overgrowth of bamboo that towered over thirty feet, with a single pine and two sickly looking plum trees.

“Well, that sucks…” he said aloud.

“What sucks, Mutt?”

Jou was ashamed of how badly he flinched at hearing Seto’s voice right behind him. “Would you not sneak up behind me like that? Do you have any idea how paranoid I’ve become lately?”

“Get over it. What sucks?”

Jou pointed out into the yard. “Three friends in winter…” said Jou, as though that was supposed to be enough of an explanation. “It’s a Chinese symbol of strength and longevity. Bamboo and pine stay green throughout the winter, and that plum blooms in the winter, so they’re combined in gardens to symbolize prospering in adverse conditions.”

“Why does it suck?” Seto asked, staring out at the trees in the dim light of the setting sun.

“The bamboo has gotten completely out of control. It was just supposed to be in that one corner, as a backdrop to the plums and the pine tree. It wasn’t supposed to become an entire forest of bamboo and choke out the plum trees. It ruined the effect.”

The kettle whistled. Seto stared out the window while Jou pulled it off the burner and poured the boiling water over a coffee filter, stirring the grounds as the water seeped through.

“I never noticed that wasn’t how it was intended to look. But I can see what you had in mind, now that you explained.”

“I can’t believe you did all of this while you were in high school,” Sakura said from the door. She was dressed in a clean pantsuit and ready to go. She crossed the kitchen and took the cup of coffee from Jou. Jou handed her the lid to the travel mug without a word.

“It doesn’t count for much,” said Jou at last. “Kaiba built a multi-billion dollar gaming empire in high school. Yugi saved the world in high school. Hell, even Otogi managed to run a successful business in high school. Playing with dirt and mortar doesn’t count for much, compared to the stuff everybody else managed.”

“We were in an unusual class,” Seto insisted. “In the class after ours, the punk voted most likely to succeed never managed anything more impressive than a paper route.”

Sakura stared at Jou, her eyebrows raised. She mouthed the words “defending you?” Jou shook his head. “Well,” she said with resolve, “Let’s go sort this out so we can notify the police accordingly.”

Sorting things out turned out to be the most boring thing that Jou had ever had to sit through. He knew that white collar crime investigations were boring, and that accounting was boring, but combining the two left Jou ready to start hitting his head against the wall just for something to do. Jou found himself stuck in a small office while Seto and Sakura spread out hours of work over a conference room table. They poured through hundreds of pages of account records, then hundreds of hardcopy pages of expense authorizations, then online bank records, too. After six hours of being cloistered in a conference room somewhere in the deepest bowels of the Kaiba Corp building, Jou caught himself chewing on his own fingernails eight times.

“Play a game,” Kaiba said sympathetically. Kaiba loaned him his blackberry to play with, but the only games the bastard had was solitaire.

He tried asking if they found anything, but Sakura didn’t even look up from her work to answer and Seto just glared at him. Eventually, he gave up on asking if they were making any progress. The only answer he got was when Seto said he was just becoming more confused than ever. Apparently, someone had done a bad job of forging his signature on the original documents, and the authorization code listed for each transaction in the accounting database was Seto’s. However, he said he did not remember signing those authorizations, and he wasn’t in the office the date that the electronic authorizations were made or the money was actually withdrawn. The money had been routed through several different transactions so the amounts would look like normal expenses and Seto wouldn’t notice.

“This is getting frustrating,” he complained. “I am going to find proof that I didn’t hire someone to kill you,” Seto insisted, pulling over a stack of account registers that he had already searched.

“I’m going to go find a magazine or something. This is dull.”

Seto didn’t even look up as Jou left the room. He wandered downstairs into the lobby where rows of chairs were set against the large glass windows of the Kaiba Corp lobby. Tables covered in cheap, popular magazines were spaced between every set of three chairs. Jou grabbed a handful of current events magazines from the previous year and began to look for a vending machine. He found a soda machine near a bank of stainless steel elevators.

Near the end of the bank of elevators, a bell chimed. Five men emerged from the elevator, talking in hushed voices. Jou stepped to the side of the soda machine, instinctively trying to make himself as invisible as possible. He did not want to have to explain what he was doing in the building. He intended to stand there until the men passed, but he was so surprised to see Honda in the center of the group that he inched his way out to followed them.

“If he is not in his office than he must be elsewhere in the building,” one of the men said with certainty. “Or he may have already gone on the run. He has always been so unpredictable. I’m afraid a warrant and man hunt may become necessary.”

“An arrest warrant will not be issued until I am convinced that a crime has actually been committed. Kaiba’s has a habit of hiring unstable secretaries, and I won’t arrest the most powerful businessman in Japan based on just her statement.”

“Of course, Detective, of course. As the current vice president of accounting, I alone have access to financial records from Kaiba’s office and special projects. I can show you the records I’ve found of various cash transactions that I believe went to fund this illicit conduct.” The leader stopped and shook his head dramatically. “Such a pity… At first, it seemed only natural that he attempt to find his friend, but I’m afraid that over the years it has become an obsession for him. It is unfortunate that things should come to this… and by misappropriating corporate funds, too.”

“Thank you, Hiroshi-san, but now that a formal investigation has been initiated, I will have to subpoena the records properly, so that a police department specialist may review them. I had a search warrant application approved after taking the girl’s statement, and a forensics team is on the way, so we should be able to get started immediately. I suggest you return home and wait for us to contact you. I am afraid that until this is resolved, Kaiba Corp is to remain closed.”

“You cannot be serious, Detective. Kaiba’s conduct will run Kaiba Corp into the ground if someone isn’t here to step up to the helm! The company cannot shut down!”

From the slump of Honda’s shoulders, Jou could see that he was losing his patience. “Hiroshi-san, you were right to contact us when you learned about the matter, but now the process must run its course. If you interfere in any way, you may face charges for obstruction of justice.”

Hiroshi-san inflated with trembling indignation. “You dare to threaten me!”

Jou heard Honda snort. “I was advising you of the consequences of interfering with a police investigation. The consequences are the same for every citizen of Japan, Hiroshi-san, no matter what uniform they wear to work,” Honda’s dead dipped towards the other man’s suit.

The man bristled but, to his credit, didn’t blow up. “I shall be taking this matter up with your superior, Detective. And I shall not fail to notify him of your refusal to file an arrest warrant when a murderer may be escaping from you at this very moment.”

“Murderer?” Jou could hear the slight humor in Honda’s voice. “There is no evidence that a murder has been committed.”

“You have Keade-san’s testimony! When you find Jounouchi’s body, the only evidence that you will find will link his corpse to a paid assassin! The evidence you need can only be found in Kaiba’s accounts. He is getting away and you are here wasting time threatening me!”

“I am not prepared to arrest Kaiba Seto for murder based on nothing but hearsay,” Honda growled, “But if the only way to keep you out of my way is to arrest you, I’m prepared to do that right now. Would you like to go home this evening, or would you like accompany me back to the Domino Police Department?”

The man straightened, his head shook as though he it took all of his effort to repress his reply. He spun on his heels and stormed towards the lobby door, the other three men following close behind him. Jou watched Honda hold his ground as the men in suits left Kaiba Corp, then strolled around the corner towards him. Honda was half-way through dialing a number on his cell phone when Jou stopped behind him. “Do you think big business turns everyone into assholes, or are assholes the only ones who make it to the top?”

Honda dropped his cell phone and spun around, his hand reaching for the pistol in his shoulder holster. He stopped when he saw Jou standing behind him. “Damn it, Jou! You, of all people, should know better than to sneak up on a cop!” Honda stared at him for a moment. “What are you doing here and why are you dressed like a Yakuza enforcer?”

Jou shifted the magazines in his arm and opened the bottle of Pepsi he’d bought. “Mokuba and Yugi cornered me this morning and insisted on role playing, complete with kinky dress-up shit.”

The look of open-mouthed horror on Honda’s face was priceless. “No, not really,” Jou said quickly. “After six guys broke into the mansion this morning, Mokuba arrange a meeting with one of the local bosses so Seto could call them off.

“Seto actually did hire them to kill you?”

Jou shook his head. “No. Long story. You’re right though, he has some major stupid moments.” Jou filled him in on the break in that morning, and the hastily scheduled meeting with Domino’s crime Lord that Mokuba organized afterwards. “Now I’m waiting for Seto and one of the members of his board of directors to dig through a month’s worth of accounts to find out who actually hired them.”

“Asano,” Honda muttered. “I remember him from when we were kids… He said the secretary brought the money?”

Jou nodded. “He did. I was right there in front of him when he said it.”

Honda sighed and ran his hands over his face, as though tying to wring all of the exhaustion out of his eyes. “And his secretary told us the same thing this afternoon. Jou, she said that Kaiba instructed her to call a number Mokuba gave him, to make a deal to have you found and killed… brutally killed… if the opportunity arose. She brought in evidence, Jou…”

“Kaiba said he didn’t know anything about it.” Jou felt his stomach clench. “Evidence?”

“Not evidence of an actual agreement with Asano, but records of contracts with private investigators to find you, records of assaults Kaiba committed against you when we were kids, records of a cash withdrawal that she says Kaiba told her to take to the Yakuza to pay them, along with his personal instructions on how he wanted you dealt with. She’s painted a pretty convincing picture of him as an obsessed psychopath who’s stalked you since he was sixteen…”

Jou stared at his friend. Honda knew very well that he and Kaiba had fought during high school. Jou himself had told him about Kaiba arranging his class schedule to watch him, showing up at the arcade whenever Jou did, and cornering him in the library.

“Jou, she said that Kaiba wanted to scare you into coming back, to put you in a position where you had to rely on him for protection. As soon as Kaiba showed up at the police station three days ago, someone shot you. Have you stopped to consider that it might not be a coincidence that Kaiba was there? Or that you were just shot in the arm and not killed? I hate to say it, Jou, but I’ve heard Kaiba himself swear that he would drag you home even if he had to bring you back in pieces. I thought he was just being Kaiba at the time, but after everything you told me when you came back… Jou, have you considered that Kaiba might be manipulating you?”

Jou stared at him for a moment. He hadn’t had enough time to take a break and think about things. Kaiba had stalked him, and he had never been the most stable guy in Domino. But would he actually try to kill Jou to force him to come back? He hadn’t acted surprised when Asano-sama had told him that his secretary paid them, and he had been safe from the moment he stepped off the plane in Domino until Kaiba found him at the police station. If the bastard really wanted to scare Jou into coming back, why would he tell Jou about it? That morning he had confessed to being the one responsible for the contract on Jou’s life, although he claimed to be an unwitting participant, and he’d been dragging Jou around Domino ever since trying to fix it. Was it all just a con? Just a game to make Jou run home with his tail between his legs so Seto could save the day?

“His secretary is convinced the hit was successful,” said Honda. “She came into the police station with those four goons to turn Kaiba in for murder.”

Jou chewed on his bottom lip, thinking about all of the crazy shit Kaiba had ever done. Somewhere in the back of his head, he had considered that it might all be a con. He hadn’t been surprised to find out that the felony charges were just a ploy to get him to come back to Domino, so was it really that unthinkable for Seto to create a threat to his life that he had to stay in Domino to deal with?

“I’m not dead,” Jou reminded him.

“I am well aware of that. But, Jou, what she says makes sense…”

Jou glanced at the glass lobby doors. “She came in with those four? You didn’t notice that they seem to have Big Five written all over them?”

Honda shrugged. “You said it yourself, Jou, they’re all assholes.”

“And what would they gain if Kaiba was arrested for murder?”

“And misappropriation of funds,” Honda added. “I’m not sure who would gain what from it, to be honest. I don’t think that Kaiba or his brother would lose their stock, but they wouldn’t be able to exercise any control over the company while they’re in jail.”

“They’re both implicated?”

“Yes,” Honda hissed. “She said that Mokuba was the one who set everything up. So, the board of directors would have to elect a new CEO. I don’t know enough about all of them to suggest who that would be, but that Hiroshi guy seemed pretty convinced that it would be him.”

Jou thought about how easily he had Seto had fallen back into old patterns, how readily he’d slipped right back into the way things were. The only difference was that now Seto was being openly affectionate, and he wasn’t even insulting him that much. It could very easily have been one of Seto’s games.

“Jou, I really think you need to get out of Kaiba’s place, at least. You’re welcome to stay at my place, or get a hotel, but you need to get away from him.”

“You know,” Jou said wistfully, “I don’t think I do. I know it’s not smart, but I trust him. Seto doesn’t lie to me, not about stuff like that. He is a manipulative bastard, but I still trust him. And if he wanted me dead, he’s had plenty of chances to do it himself when we’ve been alone… Besides, he wouldn’t send someone else for something like that… Seto likes to deal with his enemies head on. He’s never been one to hide behind hired thugs or bodyguards. I know him, Honda.”

Honda shook his head. “I know him, too, Jou. Do something for me. If you’re convinced he hasn’t tried to hurt you… leave Domino. Try to leave, anyway. If you’re running for your life again within the hour, well, then you’ll know.”

Jou considered his words. “It’s late. I’m tired. Are you going to arrest Seto, or wait and see what an investigative team digs up? Because if you’re going to arrest him and Mokuba than that means I’ve got to call a cab.”

“You really do trust him, don’t you?”

“Yup. Stupid, I know, but that’s just the way it is.”

“I’m going to find him and talk to him, but I doubt I’ll be placing him under arrest. If Seto Kaiba wanted to hire a hit man to kill someone, he would never be stupid enough to leave a paper trail. In fact, it there was a paper trail, I’d be suspicious of that! That was how we tracked down an embezzlement scheme here a few years ago. Every piece of paper pointed straight to Kaiba, and that was just too obvious for him.”

Jou dropped the magazines in his hand. “Get suspicious, then. From what I’ve heard from Seto and Sakura, you’re going to find the same damn thing this time.”

“We’ll look at everything Jou, you have my word on that. And that’d be the calvary,” Honda announced as a stream of people in police uniforms and suits flooded into the nighttime office, carrying tackle boxes, cameras, and laptops.

“Hiroto!” a large man in a suit shouted, “Who the hell is this?”

“This is the murder victim, Captain,” Honda said with a smirk.

“You’re Jounouchi Katsuya?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t look dead.”

Jou stared at him for a moment, not really sure if he had just heard the man correctly. He didn’t know what to say to a comment like that, so he just stood there staring.

“I thought you said this was a homicide investigation?”

“It’s possible Kaiba’s secretary may have misled us, or just seriously misunderstood the situation,” Honda said simply. “His board of directors seems convinced he’s committed conspiracy, if nothing else. I have a feeling any evidence we find here is going to be suspect, though, either because Kaiba’s covered his tracks or because his board of directors is nothing but a bunch of old scheming bastards who have had access to all of the so called evidence for weeks before they called us.”

“Well, let’s get this over with before he does end up dead. I hate these secretary cases,” the large man sighed. “It was a damn shame what that woman did to that poor dog…”

Jou couldn’t keep his eyes from bulging. “You mean Seto was telling the truth about that?”

“What a relief, the professionals are here!” Seto’s voice came from the direction of the elevators. “I’m at my wits end trying to dig through hard copy! Since I didn’t call you, can I assume you have a search warrant?”

Honda passed him a folded photocopy.

Seto read it attentively, never once looking surprised. When he was done, he carefully folded the paper and passed it back. “What a headache… Detective Hiroto, would you like me to stay and answer questions tonight, or shall we make an appointment for some time tomorrow?”

“Go home, Kaiba. I have to execute that warrant and you’ll just worm your way into my search if you stay.”

“If you insist. Let me guess what’s happened, though… My secretary showed up, at the urging of at least one and possibly four members of my board of directors, and confessed to her role in a murder conspiracy that I allegedly instigated. The target was a young runaway I am well known for being pre-occupied with finding.”

“Something like that.”

“And now they’re demanding my immediate imprisonment, claiming that I’m so dangerous that to wait until I’m convicted would endanger all of Japanese society and lead to the ruin of the free world?”

“Are you that dangerous, Kaiba?”

“I make toys and children’s games for a living, Detective. I build theme parks and arcades. However, I would never dream of impeding one of our cities finest in the execution of their duty. I shall inform my staff that they are to make themselves available to assist you in accessing any areas of the building or any electronic information you might require. Good evening.”

Honda nodded.

“Oh, but a senior member of the board of directors is in accounting at the moment, trying to track down who forged my signatures on the transactions you’ll be looking for. She wanted to stay and check a few more things before she left for the evening. It’s passed midnight and she’s a fairly old woman, so please don’t detain her any longer than you have to.”

“What’s her name?” Honda asked, pulling out a small notebook.

“Nakamura Sakura,” Jou answered for him. “Even though she works for Kaiba Corp, she’s a friend of mine, so don’t be a dick if you can help it.”

“Come on, Mutt, it is late.” Seto strolled through the crowd of police officers, not bothering to look back and see if Jou was following him. Jou lingered for a minute, trying to think of a way to say goodbye to Honda that wouldn’t make him look like he was too close to his case. Honda caught his gaze for a moment and Jou knew that the best thing he could do was walk away and let Honda handle it.

Seto’s limo was double-parked right by the front door. Roland stood beside the open back door, waiting for him. “Where’d Mokuba disappear to?” he asked. He glanced up and down the street, the deserted sidewalks and the dirty yellow light flittering down from the streetlights made Jou feel nervous.

“Master Mokuba left two and a half hours ago. He stated that he needed a drink and that I was to inform his brother not to wait up.”

Lucky little prick, Jou thought as he climbed into the back of the limo. As the door closed, he sat down next to Kaiba and tried not to look at him. He glanced up towards the front of the car. He just hand time to notice that the black privacy screen was up before the doom light turned off.

“Hey, Kaiba, listen—“

Jou felt himself being tugged forward by his collar and thrown unceremoniously onto the floor of the limo. The other man was on top of him instantly, smashing his lips against Jou’s and forcing Jou’s mouth open with his tongue. Jou felt Seto’s fingers grab chunks of his hair, pulled his head back and tilting his chin up. Jou nearly screamed when Seto’s lips, tongue, and teeth worked their way over his jaw and down his neck.

“Don’t you realize that they might arrest you tomorrow!” Jou hissed.

Seto’s growled at him and nibbled his way down Jou’s neck. “It’s after midnight, Mutt. Do you know what that means?”

“Hu?”

“It means,” Seto pulled his hair back again, “that you’ve officially had two days to rest. Now shut up for once.”

Jou shifted his hips, preparing to throw Seto off him, to voice a dozen arguments about why this couldn’t happen. They’d both been through a hell of a day and things threatened to be worse tomorrow. Jou was safe and the warrant was cleared, so he would have to book a ticket home tomorrow. He and Mario would have to go back to work. He had a company to run, employees to take care of, and clients to protect. Kaiba was an obsessed stalker and he might really try to kill Jou if he encouraged him.

Then Kaiba’s teeth scraped the skin over his collarbone. Jou’s world narrowed to a single, focused point of sensation and all of his reasons and concerns evaporated. He ground his hips up, rubbing his cloth covered erection against Kaiba’s body. In that moment the only thing that mattered was that there was no one else in the world who could make him feel as intense as Seto Kaiba.