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Seto sighed heavily, before pushing the end button and effectively stopping the call. He wouldn't put it past Mokuba to keep calling, even if he wasn't far from being able to chew his big brother out in person. Seto however wanted to delay this conversation for as long as possible. Wanted to be more in control of emotions, more of a Kaiba, before discussing anything about this day. Handing the phone back to Shizuka he turned and glared at Jounouchi, not for any specific reason, he just didn't know what to do at the moment and venting at Jounouchi even in the tiniest manner always seemed to calm him down.

"Your powers of observation are as pitiful as everything else about you aren't they mutt? I already handed your sister back her phone," Seto replied evenly, "note how it is ringing from her hand and not my own. As for help, I believe your sister already established help was on the way prior to my brother's call. I assume that still remains true." Seto gave Jounouchi a scornful look, just to drive home his complete disdain and feelings of superiority, before walking away from Shizuka. He did not want the phone handed back to him, he felt guilty making Mokuba worry but he did not want to have to face his brother right now. His brother wasn't quite as dense as Jounouchi and would be able to easily see through all the feigned bravado, anger and haughty disdain.

- - -

Shizuka glanced at her screen and confirmed that it was indeed the same number calling her back again. Flipping open the screen she put the device to her and said, "Hello again Mokuba." She noted Kaiba starting to walk away and was unsure whether or not she should chase after him with the phone. She really had no way to make him not hang up on his brother again.

((Kaiba had given the phone back already in the last post, heh, wasn't sure whether to turn that into an insult or just ignore that detail. Being Kaiba, of course I had to go with the former. One step forward, three steps back.))

"Deaf and dumb eh? Afraid I can't help you then mutt, not about to repeat myself to some stupid dog," Seto snarled back, clenching his own hands into tight fists. His internal turmoil was grating on his last shred of sanity. Part of him chastised himself for reverting back to old habits when he and Jounouchi had actually made a lot of progress in the last couple of days. Part of him wanted to smack himself for desiring any sort of progressive relationship with the blond hothead. The rest of him was just high on fear and frustration with their current situation. It was absolutely absurd, but he was dying to go back to throwing punches, throwing punches had made him feel better. He couldn't be the one to throw the first strike again though; he couldn't lose control like that again. He needed to be forced to fight, and so he needed to provoke Jounouchi, as awful as it actually made him feel.

- - -

"Umm sorry Mokuba no, I think your brother might have ended the call," Shizuka answered hesitantly, while her brother and the elder Kaiba glared daggers at one another. Lowering her voice slightly and stepping back a bit so that hopefully neither of the other two could hear her, "the three of us survived the crash alright, however the pilot, the pilot...he didn't." She had to pause a moment as she choked up again at the memory of the tragic sight. Continuing she said, "We are okay medically I think, however I have this feeling that your brother isn't okay, maybe emotionally? I know I don't know your brother well, and from what my brother and his friends say your brother isn't exactly an emotional guy. However maybe that's part of what's wrong now, I don't know. If you want me to try to hand him the phone back I can but I'm not sure he'll take it."

((Hehe, yea I had to double check just to make sure I really did have Seto give the phone back. Poor Jounouchi indeed. xd ))

Seto braced himself for the fight he'd provoked, when his opponent suddenly swayed before able to land that first hit. He instinctively moved to steady the suddenly ill man, wrapping his left arm gently around Jounouchi. Lightly squeezing the other man's right shoulder he pulled Jounouchi against his chest to balance his weight, before lowering him slowly to the ground. Seto let the blond's head and chest rest in his lap once he'd lowered them both onto the grass. It was at that moment he realized how uncomfortably intimate this moment was, however he didn't want to shove an injured Jounouchi to the ground. He did however assume a gruff and more impersonal tone when asking, "hey, what's the matter?"

- - -

"Yea I'll try to control them," Shizuka began, before noticing her brother start to stumble and Kaiba effortlessly catch and cradle him. "Oh, maybe my brother isn't okay either. I need to hang up Mokuba, we'll see you when you get here." Hopefully with medical services close in tow she thought nervously as she pocketed her phone and ran over to where Kaiba was kneeling with her brother.

Seto felt slightly relieved when he noticed Jounouchi seem to refocus. That was immediately replaced with awkward discomfort when he noticed the warm smile directed his way and the suggestion that he did something nice for the blond. Attempting to come off as detached he rolled his eyes and leaned back slightly. "Yea, like I'd help you. You fell on me stupid klutz," he answered, mentally kicking himself when his tone came across as more soft and teasing than insulting and removed.

- - -

"Big brother are you okay?" Shizuka cried kneeling down next to the pair. She somewhat felt like she was interrupting a moment, but she desperately needed to make sure her brother would be fine.

Seto started to reach out when Jounouchi jumped, but swiftly clenched his arms to his sides, frustrated with these instinctively protective feelings that he wasn't accustomed to feeling towards people who were not Mokuba.

- - -

"Don't move so quickly," Shizuka admonished, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder when he leaned forward slightly, clutching his head. She was going to check him over when she noticed not one but two helicopters immediately approaching. "Oh look, help is here," she said happily, pointing up at the approaching beacons of assistance.

The two helicopters landed within seconds of one another. Seto watched his younger brother leap out of the company craft and start dashing over to him. Sighing heavily he pulled himself back up onto his feet to wait for whatever concerns and admonishments were about to come his way.

- - -

Now that help had arrived Shizuka had the time to spare a thought for her mother, whose condition was still unknown to her. She didn't want to voice these thoughts until after everyone was taken care of, so brushing aside her concerns for awhile longer she gently took her brother's arm and helped him onto his feet. "Come on big brother, we need to get you checked out," she counseled, leading him toward the emergency services helicopter before he had a chance to either object to the assistance or to medical assistance.

"I"m fine," Seto muttered. Barring the emotional trauma he refused to acknowledge, the recent realization that he might be being haunted, and the slight feelings of nausea and headache he'd been deliberately ignoring for what seemed like days now. He focused his attention on the medical team who had begun their work with the deceased passenger - completely disregarding the basic rules of triage, though he couldn't be bothered to be particularly agitated by that now. He certainly didn't want more medical attention. He just needed something to look at that was not his concerned little brother.

- - -

"I'm fine brother, you're the one fainting into Kaiba's arms," she lectured both gently and teasingly, refusing to let her stubborn sibling deter her from her goal of making sure he was healthy and safe.

((Hope you had a nice 4th of July! I was annoyed by fireworks that went on for days, I mean tonight sure great, but the 1st, 2nd and 3rd and even some people going nuts at the end of June. That got ridiculous. Spent the holiday evening playing old Playstation games with my best friend though so feeling pretty merry. razz ))