SETO returns with chapter three. It had been way too long, I've even surprised myself.
Two things delayed me: First I had everything typed out and ready to post. Then my computer crashed and it looked like twelve straight pages of: #################. So my laptop went to be fixed for two weeks, and then there were all sorts problems afterwards with recoveries and stuff. Everything finally seems to be working again after three weeks with Windows Seven. Not to mention finals week has been keeping me busy. Three finals and I've been studying so much that I have no life anymore. ;_; So while I was going to upload last month I have been totally swamped with last minute work by my teachers.
So yeah, no more ranting, read. Enjoy. Disclaimer at chapter one, because I don't own Yugioh as mush as it pains me to say.
Chapter #3 – A Small Show of Trust
Isis watched in mild amusement as Marik and Bakura took turns tossing cherry stems at an empty shot glass. Normally she dissaproved of Bakura sitting on top of the counter when they were open, but it was an impossibly slow night and as bored as he was at least Bakura was quiet at present. She left him be as she idly redried glass after glass in the racks. Rishid was upstairs in their living room, quietly reading and resting last she'd seen him. And Seto was in bed.
The thought of his return made Isis giggle to herself. He'd come back about seven thirty looking thoroghly exhausted, probably more from dealing with Pegasus' congratulations than the actual recovery. She'd found herself cornered in the kitchen and Seto had kissed her within an inch of her life as per the usual ritual. No matter how tired or sore or ticked off he was he gave her that much time to send away her worries. Isis, as much as she'd rather he let her look after him, had promised to wake him if she should need his help with the bar.
"Should you go and check on him?" Asked Marik absently as if he read his sister's mind, which he had an uncanny habit of doing. "Make sure he hasn't died in his sleep or something."
"Marik," scolded Isis, appalled.
"I'm only joking," waved off the blonde. He winked at her. "We're all very well aware of what it would take to bring him down."
"Yeah, an entire truckload of alcohol and a dozen or so bullets is the only thing that'd do it," chuckled Bakura. The two dissolved into helpless laughter as Isis glared at their immaturity. Still...
"Please try not to scare off potential customers dear brother," she said drily. Draping her towel over Marik's shoulder as she breezed past him, she allowed a tiny smile to match his wolfish grin. Dysfunctional little family yes, but highly entertaining and completly lovable.
It was almost as quiet upstairs as it was down. Ceratinly much more dimly lit, Isis cautiously felt her way through the kitchen to the hall where the soft glow of the lamps illuminated enough to see without stumbling. She quietly went to their door and was mildly surprised to find it partially open. Isis poked her head int o find the bed neatly made despite the late hour- a weird habit of the perfectionist Seto's- and her boyfriend nowhere in sight. However, she did notice the roll of bandages and medical tape on the bedside table and a loudly striped hooded sweatshirt wasn't on the dresser where she'd last seen it. He only wore that when he wasn't in the mood to deal with appearance.
"I swear, if he's gone out without my knowing I will-" Isis stalked past the only lit room again and was almost in the kitchen before she remembered that Rishid was up there also. She retraced her steps and peeked into the living room.
Rishid glanced up from where he read in a worn armchair by a table light when he felt eyes on him and smiled at his sister. "Hello," he greeted softly, "Are you looking for something?"
"Yes, actually, I am," replied Isis with a sigh, "he's slightly shorter than you, nearly too thin, with blue eyes and hair that is brown this week. I should also mention that he's far too stubborn for his own good."
"Hey, I resemble that remark."
"Seto," gasped Isis when he raised an arm. Seated crosslegged on the floor in front of their couch, Seto leaned back against the piece of furniture with completly relaxed muscles.
"You know, Isis, you passed right by me twice," he said with a smirk in his voice as Isis walked around the couch and sat, taking the hand he'd raised and kissing it.
"I honestly thought you'd gone out," she admitted quietly.
"No, still here with your brother, who's been doing a fantastic job of ignoring me."
"Should I be listening?" Asked Rishid in a low voice. The twinkle in his eyes was teasing despite the tone.
"Not at all. I highly doubt that the ramblings of a mad man would interest you all that much. That's why you have Marik anyway," dismissed Seto offhandedly, "I'm doing a fine job of entertaining myself. Go back to your book."
This was a side to his personality that was equally endearing and disturbingly unlike the normal Seto. It was abnormally upbeat and talkative, at odds with the majority of Seto's usual mannerisms. Bakura and Marik had dubbed it 'Seth' just as they had coined Whisper, Shadow, and all the others. Deciding to treat his personality and mood swings as unique entities had seemed a good way to pass the time when they did it. Now even Seto and certain others they knew could identify by the different names with ease.
"You never said that you were hurt," said Isis evenly, "Don't tell me, a bullet wound? Seto how could you not say something?"
"I didn't see the point. It started bleeding again when I cleaned it up, but now I've bandaged it to be safe," soothed Seto, "It isn't much to get worried over. Barely clipped me in the shoulder, Isis."
"I have seen the minor wound as well, and I agree Isis," added Rishid, "We have seen far worse on Seto, I think he will live."
"I know I'll live, thank you very much."
Isis lightly ran a hand across Seto's knuckles and twined her own quick fingers with his spidery digits. "If you say so..."
Seto shifted slightly, carefully favouring his bandaged shoulder as both Ishtars noticed. "Did you come up here for help with the bar? I wouldn't leave those two alone for that long."
"Tonight is slower than molasses," sighed Isis, "I really only came up to check on both of you. We may be able to close early tonight if few customers show up."
"Sort of... unusal, don't you think?" Rishid closed his book and his brows knit in confusion. " 'The Nameless Pharoah' is always so busy. We thrive in this area. After last night's number of customers, how can we have such a slow night?"
"I've no idea. An occasional change of pace is welcomed, though."
"Still, there's always somebody out to get drunk," pointed out Seto.
"And you two accuse me of thinking too much," laughed Isis. She stood up, pulling Seto along with her and immediately went about lightening the mood. "Come, sing for us. You can be our Piper to draw in more customers. Oh, one of these days we should find a secondhand piano, Bakura used to be so good with it. Rishid, would you join us?"
He smiled up at her, Seto's arm wrapped around his sister's shoulders. "Perhaps I shall. But only if Seto agrees to perfrom the song he honored us with for the last New Years."
"Which one?" Asked Seto drily as he and Isis led the way for Rishid downstairs.
"The one about poor Rosemary, would be nice now that I think about it, but I believe the one I'm thinking of was called 'All For Love' that we so enjoyed. Isis and I in particular. "
"Ugh, are you trying to kill me? I was drunk when I sang it. That song is dull as hell and I've forgotten half of the lyrics!"
"Seto, we all know that's a lie. Lyrics stick in your head as numbers do for some others."
By midnight Marik and Bakura were a little tipsy- not a surprise on slow nights- and Rishid had escorted them back upstairs so the three could turn in for the night. Several customers had ended up showing up, served patiently by Isis and entertained by Seto sitting at the bar and singing along with the soundsystem Bakura had left on. Soon it was just the two with an hour before closing to keep themselves busy.
"You'll be sore in the morning if you don't get a decent amount of rest," observed Isis as the last pair left a generous tip and vanished into the night. She turned off the speakers for some quiet.
"We'll see," said Seto absently.
There was a moment of companionable silence between the two as Isis fussed over the placement of a few bottles. Seto watched her with a small smile before remembering what Rishid had said before coming downstairs.
'Slipping through the hole where the moon don't shine
Spent too long trying to make you mine
Kept on running but I fell behind
Butterfly better fly away this time'
Isis smiled luminously at the sound of Seto's singing filling the void of music. She loved it when he sang. His voice was fantastic and full of emotion, and he could really sing any kind of music he wanted. And better yet, he loved doing it.
'Lost my place in the line again
Put it back on the shelf and let the dust settle in
I always thought we'd that be more than friends
I always thought that we were different'
She started to imagine a room full of people on some of their more hectic nights, everybody listening to Seto fill the room with music without so much as a microphone. He'd done it too many nights to count and it still awed Isis. Not a lot of people could connect the fixer and the singer as one. They'd discovered his talent shortly after he came to live with them and as far as they knew he hadn't been much for singing before that time.
'I'm all for love
But I can't see the light
Tell me how to do it
Tell me how I'm gonna get it right
I'm all for love
I'm gonna try it again
I don't wanna give up
Cause I'm all for love'
Isis barely noticed as the door opened and promptly closed, she was too busy listening to Seto sing a song completly unlike his usual style. Not that the change was unwelcomed. It was only unusual.
'Nobody knows where the hell I've been
Gonna make a fool of myself again...'
Seto trailed off suddenly with a low growl deep in his throat, a sound that didn't sound right coming from his thin, graceful form after the melodic singing. Meek clapping made Isis jump and stare at the two standing by the doors. It was the boy who clapped, but the girl skipped up to Seto with a wide smile. "That was so nice, but last night was better in my opin-"
She found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. Seto's grip was whiteknuckled but his finger wasn't even close to the trigger. "Anzu, right? And your little friend is Yugi? Why did you come back here?"
"We're not here for any kind of revenge," said Yugi quietly. He came up and climbed up onto a stool a few down from Seto as Anzu backed up to stand beside him.
After a moment, Seto lowered the gun and placed it on the counter within easy reach. "How's your brother?" He sighed.
Yugi blinked, clearly not expecting the question after the what had happened the night before. "He's going to be okay... Weak and the painkillers are making him drowsy, but he's going to be fine."
"I suppose that's a good thing," muttered Seto. He looked so weary all of a sudden, not at all threatening or imposing. It caused Anzu to edge closer to him. Isis pretended not to notice her eyes on Seto and bit back the urge to put the girl in her rightful place, turning her back and pretending to adjust the glasses in her favored rack. A habit of hers that couldn't be curbed.
Yugi fiddled with the hem of his too large coat nervously. "Um... We came to... Well, we just came to ask you a question."
Seto tilted his head to one side. "You went out of your way," he said slowly, "Across town from Duelist territory . Back to where you got into a losing fight. All to ask me a question?" He snorted and leaned back against the counter again. "I guess I owe you that much, don't I? Ask away kid, and keep your maneating friend away from me. I think Isis is feeling a little bit possessive right now."
"Seto!" Isis blushed hot red and tossed the nearest dish rag at him. He only caught it easily and offered her a small smile as Anzu took the hint and backed up by Yugi again. They all knew she'd probably try again when Isis wasn't around. The thought amused Seto slightly.
"Okay, erm..." Yugi chuckled anxiously to himself. "I'm here right now and I don't know how to word it."
"Take your time," said Seto drily.
Anzu sighed and clasped her hands together. "We just wanted to ask why you and Atem know each other!"
Isis flinched internally and watched Seto for a reaction. He remained eeriely calm despite the question, something that unnerved her greatly. Seth was lingering still. "What I mean is," continued Anzu hurriedly, "He seemed kind of strange when your name came up and, well, we want to know more about the two of you. Um, together, like your past and why Atem said those things he did. He didn't even recognize you at first."
"I'm not surprised. He probably blocked it or forgot altogether," muttered Seto. They couldn't help but notice that he sounded vaguely dissappointed.
"Please tell us, because I know he won't," pleaded Yugi, "We'll leave as soon as we know a few things."
"You shouldn't be here regardless," began Isis, "You're underage and should not be out after being admitted to-"
"Isis."
She looked at Seto, startled. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, a lock of hair curled in his fingers. "I'd like to deal with this on my own," he breathed, "Please. If... Atem never told him about a very bloody past... Someone new should know the story too. The kid can't stay in the dark forever."
"This isn't like you at all," argued Isis softly.
"Trust me just this once to do something I might regret later," he said, clearly seeking her approval, "Part of me wants to see the reaction, yes, but there's also a part telling me that this could be a good thing. He doesn't seem anything like his brother."
Isis heard the faint plea for trust in his words and that was all it took. She kissed him abruptly across the lips. "I will turn in for the night," she whispered, "Seto... Know what you are doing before you make any moves. But I do trust you, so goodnight."
Anzu seemed delighted as Isis slipped upstairs with the hopes of seeming dignified, when really she wanted to run. The satisfaction wore off somewhat when she realized that Seto was watching after her almost wistfully.
Yugi fidgeted nervously. He looked shockingly like prey in the lion's den. "I had a thousand questions before we came to see you, but now I don't know what I should say or even where to start."
Seto picked up his forgotten glass of water and watched the two teens over the rim. "Choose wisely," he said, " I will only answer what you specifically ask, nothing more. I also reserve the right to withhold some information and not answer certain things. Understood?"
"That makes it harder," pouted Anzu. She recieved a look that clearly read 'not my problem'.
"Hmm... Okay," said Yugi slowly, "I think I know where to start now. So I'll open with this: how did you meet my grandfather and for how long have you known him?"
"Better than once upon a time," chuckled Seto. He took a long sip of water. "Alright kid, that was a good start. I'll just need to work into the question a bit."
"And what's your answer?"
"To start, I was about seven, so that's a bit over twenty years ago, and I was always running away from where I lived."
"Why do something like that? Were you just rebellious?" Pressed Anzu.
"My stepfather was a cruel, abusive man with no rights to look after children. He came to the orphanage that took us in for a publicity stint to promote his image. I... I was always keeping away from other possible adoptive families because I wanted to find the right future for us. A rich man that had the world at his fingertips, the ability to help change the world, seemed like the perfect candidate. As ridiculous as it may sound, I challenged him to a game of chess with some high stakes. I won. And he adopted us."
"Us?"
"It was never about me. Never did I worry about my future. I wouldn't have challenged that wretched Gozoburo Kaiba if it weren't all for my younger brother Mokuba. He was all I had for a long time."
"You were adopted by Gozoburo Kaiba?" Anzu looked positively dumbstruck. "He's owner of the most succesful weapons corporation in the world! You two were so lucky. I didn't know he had any adoptive children."
"Lucky? Hah. Didn't you hear what I had to say about him? The man was a beast to us. More me than Mokuba, anyway, but I was worried about what he would have done to my brother if given the chance. Obssessed with perfection and getting ahead of the rest, he was a heartless monster that only felt obliged to raise a couple of orphans by some pathetic bet. That was my first huge mistake. A mistake that will never leave me alone."
Yugi frowned but didn't comment on the bitter tone. "And my grandpa comes into this how?"
"Ran into him outside of his shop one day. Literally. I was seven at the time and nearly knocked him right on top of me," said Seto simply. He cracked a rare full grin at the expressions he was faced with. "I'd snuck out because none of the staff cared when Gozoburo was on bussiness trips. I did that quite a lot, actually, but Mokuba was never allowed out with me. Kid was prone to illness and I wouldn't risk him getting hurt or lost."
"So you just ran into Mr. Muto and became instant friends," concluded Anzu slowly.
"Not quite. He seemed to take an instant liking to me. I'll admit it took a while for me to trust him, but after he bandaged up my hand and had me sitting in his living room he seemed more like a true grandfather than a threat. I quite enjoyed your grandfather's company, Yugi. He was open, and didn't mind having a scrawny kid like me hanging around all the time. I was happiest when I went out to see him," admitted Seto.
"Next question then. How did you meet my brother?"
"Three years later I come and find him looking suddenly older and more worn out. It was only a couple of weeks after the death of your parents," said Set simply, noticing that Yugi straightened to hear the mention of his long-dead parents, "And there I saw you two in his house all of a sudden. Let's see here, you were barely a year old and I must say you were somewhat cherubic. That means that Atem was six right?"
"He's twenty-three," said Yugi as confirmation.
"My memory hasn't failed me then. Anyway, I guess you could say that your older brother took an instant liking to me. Little devil, though."
Anzu cocked her head to one side. "I can't picture it."
"He was barely a preschooler and I was hanging around every chance I could make for myself. Atem would follow me around like a lap dog, doing anything I said, trying to imitate everything I did. Gozoburo was always away for long trips, Mokuba was getting sick all of the time at the point. I completed all of my studies quickly in the day and assumed the role of babysitter." Seto sipped his water again. "Before I continue, you do know a bit about your parents, don't you?"
"Everybody knows about their parents," sniffed Anzu.
Seto gave her a pointed look. "Do they now?"
"Well, anyone in a gang at any rate. Yugi's father was the leader of the Duelists and his wife was a former Dueslist herself when they married. Mr Muto, his grandpa, was on friendly terms with both sides. The Duelists and the lowly Ghouls have never got along, so it was strange at first."
"Refrain from insults like that again, dear. You're still in a Ghoul house."
"My parents died in a fire set by some enemy group other than the Ghouls," whispered Yugi.
"I remember it. Apparently my boss was staying in the same hotel that night. Not that I believe his garbage," dismissed Seto, "Back to my answer. Naturally, Atem was set up to be the next leader of the Duelists and always knew it. Your grandfather kept a close eye on him but at the time I didn't know anything about his heritage. Gangs had nothing to do with me. Never affected me until I was fifteen."
"What happened?" Reflexive response and the next question. "Why did you two fall apart?"
"I'd brought Mokuba along. First time I'd ever done it. Atem had wanted to meet my brother for the longest time and finally Mokuba was healthy enough to see him. Mokuba was ecstatic to be well and see someone new. You had a doctor's appointment Yugi, and the three of us tagged along with your grandfather. He got a call on the ride home that got his attention. We didn't go back to your place right away. Stopped at some antique bookstore and we waited in the car."
Strangely, Seto's eyes had a suddenly creepy, distant quality that suggested that he was looking back on some horrible event in his memory. There was silence for a moment before he continued. "Fifteen minutes later; gunshot. Later I was told by Sugoruko that he had been called by some old associate to stave off a few members of that same mystery group. Why he parked a block away with children was beyond me at the time. You help your allies no matter the cost, and he even told me before he got out that I was not to let anyone leave and to keep behind the seats. He made it sound like some sort of game. The gunshot meant the associate was killed. You started crying your eyes out and Atem, the moron that he is, knew it was gang activity. I must say, for an eleven year old he was gutsy. Didn't listen much to reason or sense though. He bolted right out of the car and made for the store. I followed, rightfully scared, and was trying to drag him back to the car as one of the men slipped out past Sugoruko and happpened to spot Atem. Recognized him at once from the resembelance to your father and grandfather and headed straight for us. I managed to pull Atem back out of the way and around the car, and even managed to get the attention of the woman who called the cops. It's just... I never knew that Mokuba had gotten out of the car to see what was going on until the rogue grabbed him."
Anzu gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. They knew where this was going.
"The two of us chased after him. I'd taken martial arts lessons mainly for meditation, but I knew how to take down someone unarmed. My stepfather was good for something at least. I didn't know that the rogue had a gun. I don't think Atem did either. My brother was pulled into the nearest alleyway and I just rushed right in to save him. Seeing a kid try to take him distracted the man enough for me to almost grab my brother's hand, but your brother stopped me. He recognized the rogue as an old family friend that had gone bad since. He got right up in front of me and held me back. I remember him saying that he wouldn't let me hurt the rogue. The rogue was really a good person that was just scared by the real villains. The line between fear and ill content is fine and I guess I was the only one that saw it. I tried to push past Atem but the idiot gave up persuasion and showed that he knew how to fight too. Kicked me square in the ribcage and knocked me back against a dumpster. I was so out of it for a moment that I barely registered Atem approaching the rogue with a smile. I'd never wanted to hurt someone so badly in my life." He paused, and the two Duelists realized that the entire time his fingers had been making quick, precise movements like writing on the counter. "The man panicked at the thought of being caught. He heard voices on the street – I still don't know who's – and pulled out a handgun. Then he went for the closest target. Mokuba's scream..."
He shuddered. "Atem just stood there at that point. Too confused to react except stare at my brother's body. The rogue knocked him out of the way a mintue later and began to run for it the way we'd come. I reached out without thinking and tripped him. That went over well. He grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up, seeing as I wasn't all that big at the time. Yelled right in my face but I didn't hear him. Then he pulled out a knife as his second weapon and carved along the right side of my neck, down to my left hip. My brother bled on the concrete and I bled in a dumpster. Atem only sat there."
"Your brother died and Atem didn't do anything about it? He sat there and watched Mokuba die?" Asked Yugi numbly.
"The bullet only piered Mokuba's shoulder. If there hadn't been complications of his illness returning from combined shock and blood loss there was a small chance of his survival. But yes, Atem did nothing. A day in hospital later and my only sibling was dead."
Seto snapped back to reality when Anzu spoke up. "You blamed Atem?"
"He admitted his mistakes too, which set me off when Gozoburo had finally come to reprimand me for my sneaking around. With Sugoruko also watching, I verbally let Atem have it. His faults, his idiocy, the fact that my brother had forfeited his life because of your family's gang involvement. I remember the White Crane stance he used because he didn't appreciate someone shouting out his flaws in a hospital. He wouldn't accept that he was also at fault in the incident. Not even your grandfather would admit that his precious grandson was responsible. My lashing out curbed any punishment that Gozoburo had planned for me. For some reason, he saw an enraged me as a perfect heir for him. Critical, commanding, powerful, determined. As I mourned Mokuba's death, he was working on increasing my study load to cover eventual leadership of Kaiba Corp."
"Cold man couldn't even shed a tear, I bet," murmured Anzu angrily. She looked up at Seto. "How come you're not still his heir?"
"A year later we were at a conference in the mountains. Dismal weather, raining to match my mood. I really don't remember too much of the night except that I'd been so buried in assignments and work since that argument that I was little more than a hollow machine. That night I got mad at the vice president of Kaiba Corp for mentioning Mokuba with harsh words. Caused quite a scene. Gozoburo pulled me into an upstairs room later in the night and yelled at me. Said that if I was going to head Kaiba Corp someday I'd have to get over Mokuba and concentrate solely on the company. Nothing else in my life should matter if I was to be devoted to the progression of its technology and place in the global market."
"Hang on," interrupted Yugi, "Wouldn't we have heard about this before? Kaiba Corp is always in the news, those events would have been heard about. I mean, I knew that Gozoburo had a son that no one knew much about, but one story is that his mother took him out of the country when the couple divorced. Has he ever mentioned you to anybody?"
"I don't think he has since I fought with him," shrugged Seto, "The incident isn't too clear in my mind anymore. I can't even remember half of it. Whatever I said and did must of infuriated him, I know that much."
"How do you know that?
"I ran. Again. Like I said, it was in the mountains and the lodge was fairly far away from any towns. Whatever happened back at the lodge shattered whatever twisted tolerance or respect he had for me. One story I got a few years ago by... questionable means suggests that Gozoburo made a call after he'd calmed a bit."
"A call? What kind of call?" Anzu leaned forward like she was hearing a thrilling story, only far too real.
"I'm not saying," Seto said bluntly. His eyes flashed, closing down that potential conversational turn.
"He made a call and something bad happened, didn't it?" Yugi picked at a stray thread on his sleeve. "Would you tell me what?"
"It was dark, pouring rain, and I was so out of it I had no idea where I was going." Seto sighed before leaning back with eyes closed. "It was hit and run. Sharp turn over a steep drop, speeding heavy duty pickup, driver probably drunk. I was hit full on and the driver left me hanging on the mountain ledge."
While Anzu's hands went to cover her mouth again, Yugi gave him a look of mixed horror and disbelief. "You can't be serious."
"I'm not usually one to make jokes," chuckled Seto coldly.
"B-but why are you still alive? How badly were you hurt? Details, we need details," insisted Anzu, not entirely convinced by his offhanded telling.
"I was found by a working crew the next afternoon. Lucky thing that the one man caught sight of me through some brush, they were convinced that another night and I no doubt would have died of hypothermia if not my injuries. Can you believe my rotten luck in early life?" Seto didn't wait for any sort of response to his sarcasm. "In the beginning I didn't remember too much of anything. I had a cracked skull with some minor swelling, internal bleeding, broken ribs, a fractured wrist, a broken leg, and I think a broken collarbone. Maybe a crushed vertabrae or two, possibly something vital ruptured. Forgive me, apparently even one glass of whiskey fogs that part of my memory even more. Its a miracle I even survived at any rate."
"Did Gozoburo not come to get you?" Yugi already knew the answer to that.
"No. From then on the few people that even knew of my existence thought I was dead. The hospital had no idea who I was until about two months after my admittance." Seto sighed. "Somebody knew somebody else, and for some reason my boss knew who I was before I could remember all the details myself. As much as I hate to admit it, the man is good. Don't know quite how he managed it but I suddenly had two cousins that lived in Domino and were my closest living relatives. Bakura and Marik – he's Isis' younger brother, works the bar most nights - came in one day and pulled off a perfect act of family concern."
"And you believed them," said Anzu flatly.
"Not for a minute," said Seto, "First chance they got the two told me that they had no idea who the hell I actually was but they could offer me a safe home and a chance at finally getting a decent life."
"No one in their right mind would accept an offer like that," blurted out Yugi. He didn't even think about his words.
"True, but I wasn't in my right mind, was I? The mind can only be broken so much before some of the damage can never be undone. That incident, Mokuba's death, my parent's..." Seto cut himself off before finishing the last bit. "I wasn't quite the same after everything, we'll put it that way, and they were still trying to diagnose me when I left rehab for my injuries about seven months after the initial accident."
"Yeah? What's wrong with you, if you don't mind the wording," added Anzu quickly.
"Well, it's not quite a bipolar disorder, multiple personality disorder, or severe mood swings. It's not even schizophrenia or a simliar displacement from reality, really. The best answer we can come up with is that my emotional state of being fractured into a set of near split-personalities that embody my mental and emotional state. Simply put, in certain situations and even day to day life my 'mood' is determined by my taking on a different persona that can easily switch with the drop of a pin. A coping mechanism, per se. A natural defense of my mind so I don't possibly break and enter something like a coma. I have really no control over it. You see, I'm Seto. I'm always Seto. But another persona is always slightly more 'dominant' as long as I 'need' it."
"That's awfully confusing," commented Yugi slowly, trying to digest the information that rolled so easily off of Seto's tongue. It was amazing how much more talkative and open he was compared to the start of the dark telling about his past. Now he could assume that another persona was easing to the front as he grew comfortable with the atmosphere.
The fixer was an entire study in human psychology all by himself.
"It is. To top it off my two very annoying housemates decided to name every single persona. They can recognize every shifting of emotion and identify by name every change in my behavior and personality. I guess that alone is an accomplishment."
They fell into complete silence then. The two Duelists mulled over everything that they had heard and Seto watched them calmly. Finally, after glancing at the clock and deciding that one-thirty was late enough for the night, he downed the last of his now warm water and stood up abruptly. "Alright then kiddies, get out."
The two blinked at him blankly as he leaned across and rummaged behind the bar counter for the cup of pens Isis kept there for orders. He found one that worked, and when he couldn't find the pad of paper from his limited view point opted for a napkin.
"You just told us the story of your life," insisted Anzu, "And you'll let us go and tell Atem everything."
"You won't."
"Says who?"
"You won't," repeated Seto as he scribbled something down, "I don't think you two could bring yourselves to do it, and I personally would want to be there to see Atem's reaction. Go to your homes already, act normal, I don't care what you do. I gave you things to think about and I'm glad that somebody else knows the truth."
"We came asking about the past with Atem, and we ended up finding out about most of your personal history instead." Yugi shook his head in disbelief. "Something doesn't add up here. I thought you hated us and the rest of the Duelists."
"I don't have anything personal against either of you," said Seto, handing Anzu the folded up napkin, "And you'd be smart to keep it that way. I make a very bad enemy."
"I don't understand you at all. I thought that coming here would help us to, and now I'm even more confused," sighed Yugi. He hopped down from the stool and looked up at Seto. "And I think that you enjoy making people guess."
"I always liked you more than your airheaded brother," Seto told him, "You use your head a hell of a lot more than him."
"Why are you giving us your phone number?" Demanded Anzu when she read what he had given her. "And some strange word in – what language is this? Than-in muse-are- ath?"
"Thaneen mus'aara'ath," corrected Seto with flawless pronounciation, "It's Arabic. Means 'Dragon's fight'. And that's actually the number of the bar. Need help with something that doesn't involve Atem or just the Duelists, maybe I'll help you out." He lifted his gun up again, and clicking the safety on, hid it under his sweater again. The hiding places for a gun were seemingly endless. "If I'm in the mood to that is."
At that, Yugi managed a small smile and did something Seto wasn't expecting. He bowed low and smiled up at the Ghoul. "I'm really glad you didn't throw us out when we came," he thanked, "You've really given me a lot to think about, and hearing that you might help us sometime in the future means a lot. So thank you."
"You're not a bad person after all," added Anzu as she clutched the napkin close to her chest. She managed a small smile herself. "For a couple of Duelists and a Ghoul, I'm surprised we kept things so calm. Not that I like Ghouls anymore than I already did. Don't take offense or anything."
"Only if you don't expect me to start loving Duelists," retorted Seto. Still, the look in his eyes was a bit softer than usual.
"Deal," giggled Anzu. She tilted her head to the side and her soft, sad smile returned. "Our first impression of you wasn't all that great. And can you really blame us?"
"I suppose I lose points for being the instigator."
"I don't think you're a bad person at all, if being a fixer for the Ghouls doesn't count. Bad things have just happened to you that made you change. That's what I think," Yugi told him.
The conviction and new trust in his violet eyes was starting to frustrate Seto. Annoy him, even. He disliked it when people got far too trusting. They could be stabbed in the back and left in the gutter and still be smiling about it. Trust was good, but sometimes caution helped you to live longer. When he'd met Isis she'd come right out and threatened that if he did anything stupid to betray the Ghouls or Pegasus for his apparent faith she'd knife him in his sleep. It had taken three years for their powerful relationship to form. .
"You should go," he said, suddenly very tired. Yugi noticed that the man looked older and more worn sometimes. "Don't mention this little therapy session to your hot headed friends or Atem."
"We didn't plan on saying anything if we got you to talk," revealed Yugi.
"Good night," called Anzu as they headed towards the door and Yugi held it open for her like a true gentleman. "Thanks again for telling us everything you did."
"Don't make a habit of coming all the time or you'll end up locked out," warned Seto, entirely serious. He'd reverted back to his normal disposition in a matter of seconds.
The two laughed as they left and the quiet inside returned with the closing of the door. Seto stood there staring at it for a moment before sighing and speaking again, apparently to himself. "Typical that the naive ones are the most curious and decide to come knocking."
"Can't believe you told them all that you did."
Marik stepped out of the stairwell and hopped up onto the stool beside Seto. His predatory eyes were bright and clear. "Faking the alcohol intake I see," muttered Seto irratably, "How long how you been listening in on us?" He didn't bother walking around the bar. Instead, he put a hand on the smooth wooden-appearing surface and vaulted over with practiced ease.
"Long enough to know you only omitted a few minor details," shrugged Marik. He watched Seto flick off the open sign and decided to help out by locking the doors.
"Thanks so much," said Seto sarcastically. He grabbed the half empty bottle of cognac that Bakura had stashed where he hoped no one would find it and headed through the swinging doors to the kitchen. Marik was surprised but pleased to see that he grabbed two glasses and not one. He happily scurried after him, the prospect of good alcohol drawing him in like a lure.
Seto was sitting at the long center counter when Marik bounded in to what was the domain of Rishid, Seto, and sometimes Isis. He was a bartender by license and hobby, just as the bodyguard and fixer knew their way around a kitchen. Rishid had cooked from childhood for the family and for some reason Seto was a pro at anything he tried. Two perfectionists, one kitchen. The two clowns of the household had long since been banned from entering.
"You know Bakura stole that, right?" Asked Marik cheerfully. He swiped the first glass poured and downed half of its contents in one gulp.
"I was with him when he did," said Seto by way of answer. Unlike Marik, he sipped at the cognac slowly, and recapped the bottle to get across the fact that no more would be drunk by the blonde that night.
"Isis was really quiet when she went upstairs," commented Marik, hoping for a reaction.
"I do feel bad about that," admitted Seto grudgingly, "But she knows I actually think before I do things."
"Not all of the time," objected Marik.
"Did you come down to hear what I was saying or just to bug me?" Asked Seto with sickeningly friendly sweetness.
"I little of both, I guess." Marik rubbed the back of his head and stared down into the last half of his glass. "Surprised you told them what you did though. I wasn't expecting your whole life story to be laid out for them like that. If you ask me, I really think you're going soft Seto. Did you hope to get anything out of that?"
"All I want is to see some sort of reaction."
"To what? That lovely story that we call your life?"
"Anything. A reaction to something, a reaction that can turn things in on themselves. I want to see what will happen." Seto swirled the contents of his own drink and examined the amber liquid like it was some sort of experiment. "I have a feeling that won't go away."
"A feeling," repeated the blonde flatly.
Seto tossed back the rest of the glass and placed it in the sink. As he passed by on his way to the bar again, he grabbed the bottle that Marik was reaching for. "Just a feeling. Probably doesn't amount to a whole hell of a lot, but it keeps nagging at me. Like something important is going to happen soon."
"It scares me how casually you can say that," called Marik, "If this is a relapse stay away from me. And if it means something , still stay away from me."
"You can't escape some things," countered Seto. The doors swung shut behind him. Marik only sighed and gulped down his last swallow. He didn't get up just yet. He heard Seto doing the last minute tasks in the other room before it too was quiet out there. Sometimes he hated it when Seto made him really think about things.
