Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor do I own Batman. I just noticed that Kaiba is a lot like Bruce Wayne, and decided to run with this story. So sue me (on second thought please don't)!
Two days later, the October briskness had given way to the welcome interlude of Indian summer. Songbirds twittered in the trees on the outskirts of Domino City, while the carefully cultivated grounds of Kaiba Manor were festooned with balloons and banners under a sky of perfect robin's egg blue. Well-to-do men and women roamed the estate or clustered in small groups to discuss their candidate's prospects in the upcoming election. An elderly butler, ramrod straight in his immaculate uniform, moved tirelessly among the guests, dispensing endless appetizers from a series of silver trays.
District Attorney Bakura stood in the middle of it all, like a prince at the corner of his court, surrounded by a circle of important-looking individuals in business suits.
"We have to come down hard on these criminals if we want this city to be safe fro decent citizens again!" Ryou was telling his listeners as the butler wandered into earshot. The appreciative crowd nodded and murmured in agreement.
A few yards away, a tall dark-haired man stood next to a slender auburn-haired woman and watched Ryou hold forth. The butler approached and extended his bountiful tray. "Rumaki, Master Seto? Dim sum, Miss Wheeler?"
"Thanks, Roland." The tall man skewered appetizers on tiny toothpicks for himself and his companion.
"Seto Kaiba, you are the best friend Ryou ever had." The auburn-haired woman accepted the cocktail napkin from her host. "It was so nice of you to sponsor this fund-raiser for him."
"Well, you fiancé and I go way back. He's been a great DA - and an even greater friend." Seto frowned slightly as Ryou raised his voice pounding his fist into his palm to make a point. "Though recently he seems awfully… intense." He glanced down at his companion. "Is he all right, Serenity? That incident on TV the other night…"
Serenity Wheeler was watching her fiancé with a mixture of pride and concern. "I think the pressure of the campaign are starting to get to him, that's all."
"Yeah, I guess so." Seto dismissed it with a shrug. "Though he doesn't seem quite himself lately…"
The crowd around the DA was growing. A fur-clad woman wearing next month's fashions and yesterday's hairstyle put a gloved hand to her throat and she stared into Radiant Ryou's dark brown eyes.
"Mr. Bakura, I want you to know that I've voted for you two times so far" she gushed.
"Well, ma'am, I'm very honored." Ryou dazzled her with his best movie star smile. "I just hope it was in two different elections."
"Oh, Mr. Bakura!" The woman rolled her eyes and blushed like a schoolgirl, while her friends giggled appreciatively.
"Mr. Bakura?" The voice came from the edge of the onlookers. "I have a question. When are you going to marry that gorgeous fiancé of yours?"
Ryou lifted his head and searched the ring of admirers. His smile broadened as Serenity made her way through the throng to stand by his side. She slipped her arm through his and squeezed his hand. The onlookers smiled and nodded their approval.
Seto Kaiba had followed Serenity to the center of the crowd. "Better set the date soon, Ry," joked the handsome millionaire, "or I just might steal her away myself."
Ryou hugged Serenity close to his side. "You do and I'll prosecute!" The crowd responded to the banter with delighted laughter.
A harried-looking Marik Ishtar approached from the direction of the mansion. He was carrying a sheaf of legal-looking documents in a manila file folder. His expression was grim.
"Mister Bakura, you better take a look at this," he said in a low voice. The DA raised his eyebrows and stepped away from the crowd with the other man.
"The judge just threw out the case against Dartz's men," Marik said somberly. He handed Ryou the folder.
"What? B-but why?" Harvey's expression went from shocked to bewildered as he scanned the documents. "How could-"
"The warrant wasn't complete. Some foul-up in the commissioner's office. The judge said he had no choice. He had to let them go."
"Had to? B-but…" Ryou's chin quivered like a disappointed child's. His face was flushed bright red. Slowly he raised a hand to his ear. He seemed to hear a metallic singing, a source less sound that grew louder and louder.
"Noooo!" Ryou bellowed. Turning savagely, he shoved Marik backward into a nearby buffet table. Food and dishes went flying everywhere. "I spent three months on that raid!" His voice was thick and guttural. He spun around and kicked over a second table. A life-sized swan carved out of ice shattered on the ground. "He can't overturn the case, the fool! He's been bought, like all the rest!"
Seto had been watching in consternation from the edge of the crowd. He moved quickly to Ryou's side and laid a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Hey, take it easy! This kind of behavior doesn't go over well with the voters."
Ryou pulled away from his friend with a snarl. "Let go of me, you rich twit." He raised a fist to strike Seto when Serenity suddenly interposed herself between the two men, grabbing Ryou's hand in both of her own. "Ryou!"
Ryou's face drained of rage like a battery robbed of power. "Serenity… Seto…" His voice was losing its guttural edge. He blinked and rubbed the side of his face. "I'm sorry. I don't know what…" His eyes swept the shocked faces of the onlookers. "Excuse me." He turned on his heel and headed for the manor.
Seto and Serenity exchanged glances then headed hurriedly after Ryou, as the crowd's silent bewilderment began to dissolve into agitated whispers. Near the steps of the mansion, a light-haired woman in a wide brimmed hat turned to watch Ryou as he stalked past her, his friend and fiancé at his heels. Mai smiled, eyeing the DA speculatively above the rim of her punch glass. Maybe Dartz was right after all, she thought. She pursed her lips and sauntered casually up the steps to the large house.
Serenity and Seto caught up with Ryou in Seto's den. The DA was slumped in an overstuffed easy chair, his face in his hands. Serenity stood behind him and began to massage his neck and shoulders. Seto went to stand by the enormous fireplace on the other side of the room, watching his friend with an expression of deep concern.
Ryou rubbed his brow with his fingertips and lifted his face. He attempted a weak smile. "I just flew off the handle, that's all," he said. "Don't worry, I've got it under control."
Seto looked skeptical. "Ryou, you didn't just lose your temper out there. You were like another person."
"I said I was sorry," Ryou said brusquely. He reached back and covered Serenity's hands with his own. "It's over."
Seto left the fireplace and moved closer to the pair. "Ryou, the incident at the raid - and now this. Maybe you should get some help."
Ryou's face darkened. He opened his mouth to respond when Serenity said quietly: "He already is."
"Serenity!" Ryou stared up at her in horror, his hands tightening on her slender wrists. He looked around to see if anyone else was in earshot.
"Darling, Seto is your friend." She pulled her hands free and leaned down to twine her arms around her fiancé's neck. "You know you can trust him."
"Don't be embarrassed," Seto said earnestly. "Lots of people see psychiatrists, Ry."
Ryou disengaged himself from Serenity's arms and got to his feet. He paced up and down on the ornate Tibetan rug, his eyes on the patterns at his feet. "Not when they're running for public office. You know how some voters feel about a guy who needs a shrink."
"Well, I'm a voter, and I for one am proud of you." Seto grabbed Ryou by the shoulders and forced him to stop pacing. "It takes a strong man to admit he has a problem."
"Yeah, yeah." Ryou gave his friend a sheepish grin, managing to look both relieved and worried at the same time. "Just keep it under you hat, okay?"
"Don't worry." Seto gave Ryou's shoulder a light punch. "If there's one thing I know how to do, it's keep a secret…"
Sorry about the delay, but I have to re-type all of the chapters of all of my stories... I somehow lost everything. Personally I blame my siblings... somehow, some way, they are to blame.
On a brighter note I'd like to thank Nightcrawlerlover for the comment. All of my stories are on temporary hold while I re-type all of my chapters, hope I can remember everything.
Cazuuki
