Second installment. I own nothing you recognize. For Reana.

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"What do you mean we can't leave?" Honda yelled at Kaiba's representative, the man mopping at his forehead under the heat of the brunets temper.

"Mr. Kaiba has not boarded the aircraft yet. We can not leave until he is aboard this ship." the suit repeated, glaring at the disrespectful brat from behind his sunglasses.

The entire gang and crew were present and accounted for, minus a certain egomaniac that was probably off sulking somewhere. The room was full of murmurs and the buzz of whispers. So nearly everyone jumped when a loud voice reverberated amongst them.

"He did what?"

Heads turned to find Jounouchi holding up one of Kaiba's hired hands by the front of his suit, the man looking torn between being affronted at the behavior from the blond and wetting himself.

"Jounouchi," Anzu started, before getting cut off by the musical sing song voice of Kaiba's main computer system.

"Self destruction in ten minutes."

Jounouchi cursed and dropped the suit, turning on Mokuba. The raven-haired preteen looked less than intimidated in the shadow of the looming teenager.

"Where do you initiate the self-destruction process in the tower?" he asked the younger Kaiba.

Whether Mokuba was surprised that Jounouchi seemed to give a damn or for some other reason, he answered, "Bottom floor, that's where the main operating system is, but-"

Jounouchi was no longer in front of him for Mokuba to continue talking too.

"He's going after him!" Anzu called out from her position closest to the large cockpit windows, her trembling finger pointing outside to the shape running towards the tower like a charging bull, the years of being in track making the distance between the airship and the building minute to the blond. He paused long enough to grab a thick two foot long piece of metal before disappearing inside the tower, and from his friend's viewpoint.

Inside, Jounouchi ran through the corridors until he came to the elevator. Without breaking pace he swept past the elevator and threw open the door at the other end of the corridor, pounding down the steel stairs in a clatter of noise.

At the bottom, the buzzing and hum of machinery greeted him, along with the mechanical voice once again.

"Eight minutes remaining."

In front of him was a steel door, the only entrance seeming to be the password protected keypad next to where the handle should have been. Rather than wasting precious minutes, Jounouchi held the metal rod at ready, beating on the console until the light in the corner altered from red to a bright green.

Tossing the scrap metal Jounouchi ran into the room that the opened door presented, nearly colliding with Kaiba as he did so. Rather than try and stop, the blond used his momentum to push the brunet against the wall, Kaiba's neck pinned by the blond's elbow, his arms held back by Jounouchi's free arm and the mongrel's body pressed flush against Kaiba's so that the taller teen's legs were pinned as well.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Jounouchi snarled, his nose almost touching the brunets. Kaiba snorted and attempted to push Jounouchi off him, eyes widening in surprise when the blond not only resisted him but blocked off his airway. "Bad idea. It's really hard for you to listen to me when you're unconscious."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and stopped struggling. A moment later he was able to breathe again and the oxygen that rushed into his lungs burned like sweet fire. He was also free from Jounouchi's body bind.

"Go back to your friends Jounouchi, there's nothing for you here." Kaiba rasped, his voice protesting the abuse it just received.

Jounouchi looked outraged. "What are you playing at Kaiba? You have a little brother to look after!"

"Seven minutes remaining."

Seemingly ignoring the blonds comment and the mechanical voice, Kaiba glanced past Jounouchi and sneered. "You have a lot of nerve destroying Kaiba Corp property. I could sue you for every yen you own; but, then again, that wouldn't be enough to bribe a kid to shine my shoes."

The blond smirked. "Won't deny it rich-boy. I have no money." he admitted, taking on a sudden thoughtful poise and glancing at the brunet from the corner of his eyes. "You'd think I'd be able to afford something with the prize money I received from Pegasus' tournament, ne?"

Kaiba looked a bit shaken by this show of nonaggression from Jounouchi, yet seemed to be actually pondering the truth in what Jounouchi said. The puzzlement that flickered in his eyes made Jounouchi feel a sense of accomplishment. He casually leaned against the cold metal wall, arms crossed over his chest against the chill the blue eyed teen sent his way. "Well what do you know? The great Kaiba doesn't know everything."

Kaiba glared at him but didn't respond.

"Holding your tongue? Don't be shy; after all, this is the last conversation we're going to have."

"Six minutes remaining." the computer droned, as if on cue.

"I was rather enjoying the peace, actually."

Jounouchi pushed himself off of the wall, glaring up at the immobile brunet. "Yeah? Well, let me tell you something. I used that money to pay for my little sister's eye operation so she could see the world again. I didn't join that tournament for the fame, or to prove that I wasn't just another second-rate duelist."

"Then why?" The question slipped out with uncanny ease, though it was obvious that the brunet had wanted to stop himself from asking it.

"Why?" Jounouchi parroted back, mocking. "Why? Because I'm the only family she has left Kaiba, and I love her. Now if you are even half the big brother that Mokuba thinks you are you will get your ass out of this building and on board that ship before we all get blown to America!"

Silence followed this outburst, interrupted only by the mechanized recording.

"Self destruction in five minutes."

Jounouchi growled in frustration. "Will you just get moving so I can bash your idiotic head in once you're safely on board?"

Kaiba arched an eyebrow. "The ship is gone. I programmed the hatches to lock at nine and a half minutes and the engines to auto start at five minutes remaining. Autopilot will take them home." He paused briefly. "You must have run out of that ship like a fox being chased by a hound."

"Well, nothing to do about it now." Jounouchi said, shrugging. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat down on it, hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pack of cigarettes. Lighting one, he took a long drag and held it in, calming his nerves down a bit.

"That's it?"

Jounouchi snorted, causing smoke to spout from his nose like a bull. "What did you want; me to freak out on you and beat you over the head with your briefcase? Tempting," He paused to take a drag. "But I'd rather die with a clean conscience." He withdrew his gaze from Kaiba and gave his attention instead to the cigarette in his hand, exhaling slowly. "Guess I'm not going to die of this shit after all."

"Four minutes remaining."

"You are so pitiful." Kaiba growled, but to Jounouchi swore it almost sounded like a sigh. Before the blond could retort, the brunet turned and walked away. Jounouchi swore and jumped up out of his chair, extinguishing his cigarette on the wall as he ran to catch up to the tall teen.

He followed Kaiba through a door on the opposite end of the room that led to a small hallway with a lone door at the end. It was at this door that Jounouchi caught up with the longer legged boy. "Listen, Kaiba, I just wanted to say-"

What he had wanted to say evaporated off the end of his tongue, Kaiba having opened the door and revealed a hangar holding the large form of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Holy shit," Jounouchi breathed, trailing after Kaiba as he neared the life-like replica of the legendary dragon. The blond stopped by the dragons head and ran a hand along its chrome face. "Damn you rich people."

Kaiba turned to look at Jounouchi, and the blond had the sudden feeling he was being evaluated.

"Three minutes remaining."

Jounouchi ran a hand through his hair, sighing irritably. "Listen, about last night - I don't know if you realized it, but we actually got along. I don't know about you, but it was a damned nice change."

Kaiba averted his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about." Jounouchi slammed him into the side of the Blue-Eyes' head, once more pinning the larger teen beneath him.

"Stop it Kaiba, this isn't a game! If I have to stay here to ensure that Mokuba has a big brother to keep him safe from the monsters of the real world for a few more years, I'll wave good-bye to the back end of your fancy lift here, but for Gods sake, stop toying around with me!" Jounouchi yelled, shaking the brunet. With one last shake he released Kaiba and sunk down to the ground, holding his head in his hands.

Sensing Kaiba's gaze on him, Jounouchi looked up, eyes locking onto the twin blue orbs staring down upon him. "I don't know what you want with me, but stop jerking my emotions around."

Kaiba stared at him thoughtfully, looking as though he was mulling things over in his mind. He seemed to come to a conclusion. Expecting another taunt, Jounouchi stared stupidly at the offered hand held in front of his face.

"Kaiba, wha-"

"I can't wait out the next two minutes listening to you bawl. Get in the jet, back seat and don't push any buttons or - On second thought, just don't touch anything." the brunet growled, grabbing the blond and hauling him to his feet.

Jounouchi gawked as the taller teen jumped into the first seat of the dragons head and proceeded to flick switches. Kaiba glanced down at him once. "You coming puppy?"

"Two minutes remaining."

Jounouchi punched the air and yelled triumphantly before clambering into the back seat. There he found it very hard not to push one of the many tempting buttons all around him. The sounds of the engine starting was the only warning the blond had before gravity punched him back into his seat as the jet blasted down the runway and exploded into the sunlight.

The ship turned in a wide arc in the sky, the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon flying the skies once again. Jounouchi watched the island become smaller as they flew further away, until it was just a pinpoint, and then gone altogether. A moment later a brilliant explosion filled the horizon.

Jounouchi turned his attention to Kaiba, who hadn't said a single word since they had left. "You did the right thing Kaiba."

"Are you so sure about that mutt?" Kaiba inquired. "I could still crash this jet, you know."

Jounouchi laughed, earning himself an arched eyebrow from the Kaiba on the monitor screen in front of him. "Stop the crock of bullshit, rich boy; you are stuck with me until we land. And for scaring the shit out of me so badly, I'm going to make the next five hours of your life a living hell."

"I'm going to regret not leaving you back there."

The blond grinned. "Not on your life Kaiba. And I'm not a dog."

Jounouchi could've sworn he saw the brunet smile.

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tbc?