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In The Name Of Love	By : Rroselavy Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 15411 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
Title: In The Name Of Love (24/25)
Author: Rroselavy
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Jou/Ryou (briefly), Malik/Ryou, Kaiba/Jou, Mokuba/Shizuka, Yami/Yugi, Honda/Otogi
Beta: Akuchan
Spoilers: None, AU
Disclaimer: I do not own or profit in any way from Yu-gi-oh!
Summary: For eight years he has scrupulously avoided the brunet, but now with the impending marriage of their siblings, Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiba Seto are forced to come to terms with the feelings they've secreted away since adolescence.
A/N: Thanks and shout-outs to LilyChan, KeiEn (*blushes* thanks for the compliment!), Wicabeth (yes, as a mom myself, I can _never_ forgive her for leaving him behind ... just can't come up with a decent excuse for that!), catti-dono, Sammei (yw), unknown, kitkattcassy (I've seen images of Cloud, he is most definitely HOTT, have not managed to catch much of House, but what I've seen, I've liked!), nextvictim, Indo, and Luca (not to spoil it for the rest of my wonderful readers, but honestly, I couldn't bring it this far and not have one! :-D). Thanks for all your comments, hope you enjoy the next two chappies, and the epilogue! (I will be posting chapter 25 & the epilogue on 1/30).
CHAPTER 24
It had been three days since the doctors at Domino University Hospital had deliberately placed Jounouchi into a coma, and though this was the day that had been the target date for his lover to awaken, Kaiba knew that it would not necessarily be the case. Still, he'd found himself short-tempered and irritated the entire day in anticipation of a phone call telling him that Jounouchi was awake and calling for him. Now, as he sipped on single malt scotch in his study, he smiled wryly to himself. What had set him on edge all day was the omnipresent worry that Jou would wake up and ~not~ want to see him. No, he thought, that was not right. What he was most afraid of was that Jounouchi wouldn't be Jounouchi when he finally did wake up-that thought terrified him-he raged indignantly against that emotion. Kaiba knew he could repair the rift that had occurred in the fight they'd had; but if Jounouchi had sustained brain damage-if that were the case, then he would find the best researchers and therapists to help Jounouchi regain as much function as possible. He took another sip and closed his eyes, mulling over the events of the last few days.
Dr. Watanabe had been a godsend. Despite her own emotional involvement, she'd scheduled Kaiba in for a face-to-face session the day after Jounouchi had ended up in the hospital, and had patiently counseled him over the phone the previous day when he'd felt that his emotions were out of control--after he'd finally made a public statement to the media. That had gone better than he'd expected. The reporters had behaved in a deferential and sympathetic manner, and had stuck to the agenda that Midori had set. Jounouchi, as Kaiba's love interest, was well liked by the media and his heroics served only to raise him in their esteem. It was rare that Kaiba was able to end a press conference amicably; this conference had been one of those occasions. But the fallout for Kaiba had been that he was forced to confront head on just how important a fixture Jounouchi had become in his life, and how lonely he was without his lover by his side.
When he'd met with Dr. Watanabe, she had been able to help him focus on the underlying emotions that were driving him and causing him to despair, and while he'd been able to keep his toxic thoughts at bay by keeping busy, after three days of non-stop action he was utterly exhausted and as equally depressed. He knew he should get some sleep, but the thought of turning in to the bed that had more often than not in recent months been shared with Jounouchi left him cold and numb.
Instead he thought about the little girl he'd been charged with caring for. Aiko had served to focus the intense feelings of abandonment and anger that had surfaced; through her he was able to alleviate the acute emotions by engaging in the mundane actions of a parent-caretaker. She'd settled easily into her new home despite Jounouchi's absence, and had taken to keeping Kaiba within eyesight at all waking hours. She would play contentedly on the floor of his office while he worked and he had found it immensely comforting to have her nearby.
It had also helped that no one seemed to blame him for the events that had conspired to place Jounouchi at that coffee shop. Dealing with his own guilt had been made all the more easier since he did not feel the need to defend his actions from Jounouchi's friends and family.
Honda had been the first to say out loud that he harbored no ill will against Kaiba, also remarking at the same time that it was so like Jounouchi to act without thought to the consequences of his actions. The brunet had maintained a vigil at the hospital when he was off-duty. When Kaiba would stop at the waiting room, Honda would hug him tightly, words seeming inadequate. Both Yugi and Yami had also voiced their own sentiments about the situation and how unfortunate the timing of all the events had been. But neither held Kaiba culpable for Jounouchi's injuries.
He finished off the scotch and then another, before checking in on Aiko on his way to his own bed, his raw emotions sufficiently anesthetized to the point where he believed he'd be able to slip into unconsciousness. He peeled off his clothes and then slid in between the silk bedding, pulling the pillow Jounouchi usually slept on close, breathing in the scent of Jou's shampoo.
* * *
The first thing he was aware of was a burning sensation that blossomed from just underneath his left ribcage, becoming more and more intense. It stabbed through his torso and encompassed his back. He tried futilely to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy, he could not get them to budge. Gradually he became aware of his surroundings, the beeping of electronic devices, the squeaky wheel on a cart rolling by, footsteps growing louder as they approached and then diminishing as they passed him by. The pain would ebb and he would sink back into unconsciousness, and then it would intensify again, the discomfort would wake him up. He tried to call out, but for some reason he was unable to open his mouth, his muscles refused to do his brain's bidding, and he wondered vaguely if he were dreaming. Then he heard voices. They were muffled and he could not understand the words that were being spoken, and at first, though the sound of them was familiar, he could not identify their owners.
It came to him suddenly that one was his sister, Shizuka's voice he was listening to, and the other was the soft-spoken English accent of his ex-lover Ryou. Why were they here with him, here where he didn't know, and why were they unaware of his predicament. He willed his recalcitrant eyelids to open, struggling against their obstinence, until suddenly they popped open and his vision was flooded with white. He flinched and then blinked furiously at the painful brightness.
"Ryou!" Shizuka exclaimed. "He's awake!" Ryou looked up from the chart he'd been examining, and then smiled warmly at Jounouchi.
"What happened?" Jou asked hoarsely. The intensity of the pain he'd recently become aware of had increased tenfold as he'd regained consciousness.
"You've been in an accident, and you're in the hospital. Do you know your name?" Ryou asked in a serious tone.
Jounouchi looked back and forth between them, noting they both were wearing hospital attire. "Quit fucking with me Ryou, and tell me what's going on," he gasped.
"Are you in a lot of pain?" Shizuka asked, worried. Jou nodded his head. "Here," she placed a switch in his hand. "You are on a morphine drip. You can medicate yourself to scale back the pain, but you won't be able to give yourself an overdose." Jounouchi pressed the button and immediately felt relief. "Better?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes." He croaked. He closed his eyes, exhausted from the effort at keeping them open. "Tell me what happened."
"First, now that you're awake," Ryou continued softly, "We need to assess your brain functioning. I need you to answer a few questions, and then I'll be happy to answer yours. Do you understand?"
Jounouchi nodded, and then as the memory of the horrifying events inside the coffee shop flooded his mind, he implored. "Please, get Kaiba."
Shizuka touched his shoulder, and then laid Rini next to his face so that he could feel her soft fur against his cheek. "I'll call him now, you just need to answer Dr. Bakura's questions, okay?" she assured him, her voice quivering with emotion.
* * *
Kaiba laid the spatula down triumphantly and served a perfectly cooked cheese omelet to the patiently waiting Aiko. He'd finally been able to make an omelet to her liking, and on any day he knew that the sense of accomplishment that he felt would have been far out of proportion to the complexity of the task, but for some reason, it seemed to Kaiba that his success was an omen that things were bound to get better. On the three mornings prior he'd had to call in one of the maids to whip up an omelet for the little girl after he'd failed miserably at the task. He was reminded how effortlessly Jounouchi had moved around this kitchen, turning out meal after meal cooked to perfection without so much as breaking a sweat. Kaiba, for his part, was drenched in it.
"Honey, I'm going to take a shower, if you need anything, Kimi is in the dining room dusting." He told Aiko, referring to the housekeeper with whom he'd entrusted Mokuba to when he was still a child. Kimi had stayed on long after the Kaiba brothers no longer needed her governess services, and had remained a fixture in the Kaiba household. Aiko seemed comfortable with the matronly woman, and Kimi was more than happy to be filling in as a nanny.
Kaiba had just gotten out of the shower when his cell rang. His heart skipped a beat when he heard Shizuka's voice-she'd called to tell him Jounouchi was awake, and as he hung up the phone dumbfounded that the blond was finally awake, the realization dawned on Kaiba that Shizuka had told him that Jou had asked to see him.
* * *
Jounouchi lay back, resting, and grateful for the morphine drip. The pain in his side and chest was at a bearable level and he felt he could breath a bit easier. After an eternity of questions and probing, the doctors had finally determined that there was no residual damage from the gunshots and it was agreed that he would make a full recovery. He'd been moved from the ICU into a private room, and Ryou had filled him in on his injuries and what had been done to help his body heal. Jounouchi still had trouble wrapping his head around the idea that he'd been in a coma for four days, it seemed that it had been only hours ago that he'd been on the floor of the coffee shop waiting to die. That days had gone by without his being aware of the passing of time was unnerving.
Shizuka, who'd ended her shift, sat with him, assuring him that Kaiba would come to see him, and bring Aiko along with him. He's been at the hospital every day. Jou, he was beside himself. He's been worried sick!"
"And he was okay with getting Aiko and taking care of her? He didn't leave her there overnight, did he?" It hurt him that he'd broken his promise to his little girl. His daughter.
Shizuka smiled at her brother. "You trusted him enough to be her guardian. Do you think he'd be so insensitive? He went to get her as soon as he could-when he knew you'd made it through surgery-and they've been inseparable since."
He absently fondled the stuffed cat Aiko had left with him, nervously awaiting Kaiba's arrival. "And you're sure he's not mad at me?"
"God, no!" She exclaimed, "Haven't you been listening to a word I've said? He loves you, onii-san, he's tormented by guilt. He blames himself for all this."
"It wasn't his fault, Shizuka. He was right. I didn't trust him."
Shizuka shook her head in frustration. "You two really are meant for each other."
"My thoughts exactly," Kaiba's baritone echoed from the doorway.
"Daddy!" Aiko squealed, racing to the bed.
"Hi sweetie, Set." Jounouchi smiled weakly.
"Aiko, don't climb on the bed," Kaiba warned.
"S'okay. I want her to. C'mere, honey and tell Daddy what you've been up to while I was sleeping." Aiko happily rattled off the eventful days she'd had with Kaiba, a detailed recounting that Jounouchi listened to with rapt attention. Kaiba pulled up a chair and waited patiently for Aiko to finish. After she had related the story of Kaiba's adventures making breakfast for her, Jounouchi turned to his lover.
"You made her an omelet? I'm impressed." Jounouchi teased.
Kaiba smiled at him. "Even I can be domesticated."
Jounouchi, though tired, could see the love shining in the brunet's eyes. He felt a warm tingle spread over his body with the knowledge that things were going to be all right between them.
"'Zuki, can you watch Aiko for a little bit? I don't think a hospital is the best place for her to spend her last few days before school starts."
"Mokuba and I can take her clothes shopping," Shizuka volunteered, understanding that her brother wanted to spend some time alone with Kaiba. She knew they had some things to work out. "You haven't bought her uniforms yet, have you?" Kaiba shook his head. "Aiko, will you come shopping with me and Uncle Mokuba?" The little girl eyed her solemnly, and at Jounouchi's gently urging, agreed. Shizuka smiled brightly at her. "We'll even buy you some lunch, and have you back to visit Daddy before the day's over. Does that sound good to you?"
"Yes," Aiko assented in a soft voice, reluctantly climbing down from her perch on Jounouchi's bed. "Can I bring Rini?"
"Of course you can! Thank you so much for leaving her here with me, she kept me company." Jou handed her the stuffed cat.
Shizuka kissed her brother on the cheek, "I'm so glad you're back," she whispered. "I missed you so much."
"It'd take more than a couple of bullets ta keep me from walking you down the aisle," he jested.
"If I wasn't so happy to see you awake, I'd smack you for that remark, onii-san," she admonished as she gathered her belongings and clasped Aiko's hand. "We'll be back in a few hours. You two behave," she winked as she left the room with Aiko in tow.
Jounouchi closed his eyes, suddenly bone-tired. The morphine was wearing off and he clicked the button to ease the pain that was beginning to rise above his comfort level. "Set, I know we need ta talk, but I just can't do this right now." He said weakly.
"Do you want me to leave?" Kaiba asked carefully.
"No," Jounouchi reached for Kaiba's hand. "I don't want to be alone. Will you stay with me?"
Kaiba took Jounouchi's hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Of course I'll stay with you," he replied, his voice hoarse with emotion. "You rest, we can talk whenever you feel up to it."
* * *
Jounouchi didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but when he woke up, a tray of food had been left for him. He looked past the tray to see Kaiba's blue eyes staring intently at him.
"What?" He asked, uncomfortable under the brunet's watchful gaze.
"I've been thinking. Thinking about us."
"And?" Jounouchi swallowed hard, worried at the conclusions Kaiba might have drawn.
"And, I think we should get married."
"Married?!?" Jou snorted incredulously.
"Yes, do you think it's such a far-fetched idea?"
"But-we-" Jounouchi fiddled with the plastic top of the broth that he'd found on the tray.
"But we, what? We hardly know each other?" Kaiba challenged. "At times we know each other better than we know ourselves. I'm not asking you to marry me-you're in no condition to make that decision. But you asked me what, and I told you. Here, let me help you with that." Jounouchi obediently dropped his arms to his sides while Kaiba opened the container and then sat on the edge of the bed with it in one hand, and a spoon in the other.
"You don't hafta-"
"Be quiet and let me take care of you for once!" The brunet hissed. "You are impossibly independent, Katsuya, and I love you for it. But right now, you need my help."
He knew Kaiba was right on so many different levels, and gratefully accepted his aid. The broth tasted better than anything he could remember, and he eagerly slurped it up until it was finished. He felt much stronger afterwards.
"Yes." He said.
"Yes, what?" Kaiba asked, his brow knitted.
"If you were to ask me to marry you, my answer would be yes."
"I'll take that under consideration when I do decide to ask." The smile faded from Kaiba's face. "Do you feel like talking now?"
"Only if you'll lay next to me."
"I can't, I don't want to hurt you."
"I'll make room," Jounouchi said, gingerly sliding over in the narrow bed. "Please Set, I didn't think I'd ever see you again, didn't think I'd ever get to tell you-" he felt hot tears falling on his cheeks.
"Shhh, you didn't need to tell me anything. I was a fool to tell you to go-I don't know what I'd have done if I had lost you." He felt the prick of tears at the corners of his eyes, and let them fall freely, letting the pent-up emotions roll over him.
"Please, I need you-" Jounouchi implored, and Kaiba crawled into the slim space Jou had made for him, and lay on his side alternately kissing and stroking Jounouchi's tear-streaked face.
"I'm sorry Katsuya, I promise never to go behind your back again. But you need to understand-I only did it to help you. That is all."
"I know that. I was angry and indignant, and didn't want to believe that my worst fears were true, that I couldn't get past the errors of my youth."
"But you have. Aiko's family were gold-diggers. They were looking to make money off of her good fortune."
"And you paid them?"
"No I wouldn't do that. But I did bequest a modest amount of money to the orphanage."
"How modest?"
"Enough that they will be able to move to a more modern facility."
"Modest to you and you alone." Jounouchi grumbled, causing Kaiba to break out in a smile.
"Baka, it was a mere pittance to make your dream come true. Besides, I didn't do it just for you. Aiko deserved it just as much as you."
"We're lucky, aren't we?" Jounouchi mused.
"Yes, we are. We have each other, our family and friends."
* * *
Hours later, Shizuka and Mokuba returned to Jounouchi's room with Aiko, only to find their brothers both fast asleep in the bed, hands entwined.
- 23
- 24
- 25
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In The Name Of Love