Chapter 28: We're off to see the Wizard

Chapter 28: We're off to see the Wizard!

It was the middle of the afternoon when a sleek blue sports car, parked up outside a relatively normal looking semi-detached house in suburban Domino. With a sigh the brunette driver and owner of the vehicle turned off the engine and turned to his blonde companion in the passenger's seat. To the best of his recollection the pair were having a deep and meaningful discussion about their respective pasts when his friend had jumped up announcing there was somebody she needed him to meet. Begrudgingly the teen CEO had followed her directions until she'd gleefully announced they had arrived. What on earth some total stranger from the city's suburbs could explain to him that Amber couldn't, he couldn't quite fully comprehend. Silently he waited for her to step out of the car and proceeded to make sure the doors were locked before following her up the garden path, the sign stating beware of the dog caught his attention almost immediately. The reason being the word 'dog' had been crossed out with black marker and the word 'yami' had been scrawled across the bottom of the sign in the same black marker. The front door itself was unremarkable if not for the scuff marks along the bottom which suggested somebody had tried to kick the door down. Upon realizing this particular neighborhood might be rougher then it first appeared Seto found himself wishing he called for his driver to drop them off instead of driving his new car. Never one to admit to his mistakes, to himself or any other living breathing human being the blue-eyed teen raised his hand to press the door bell to signal their arrival. He was stopped however by the sounds of crashing coming from inside the house followed by a masculine voice screaming "GET THE FUCK OFF ME YOU BITCH!" both occurrences stunned the normally stoic boy into inaction. Neither fact seemed to faze his slightly older companion, who simply shrugged trying to stifle a giggle before knocking loudly and confidently on the white painted front door. Her knocks were almost instantaneously met with more banging and shouts from inside, and the sound of scuffling and a key being scratched against the lock before it opened to reveal a very flustered boy with shoulder length unruly white hair and chocolate brown eyes. Kaiba had to admit he was a little surprised to find himself face to face with the British transfer student from his current high school Ryou Bakura. However the sign with the strange correction now made some sort of sense but he knew better then to ask. The other teen seemed to light up like a x-mas tree on recognition of his friend standing on the door step of his new house.

"Amber-chan I wasn't expecting you!" he exclaimed happily, seeing his blonde Egyptian friend standing on his door-step. Eagerly embracing her in a warm bear hug before he noticed Seto Kaiba stood beside her and let go with a puzzled expression. It wasn't everyday the stoic brunette even acknowledged the British teen's existence.

"I'm sorry to just turn up here like this Ryou-sama" Amber replied the honorary suffix didn't go unnoticed by her companion however. "It's just I needed to talk to you about the things you normally advise me about? I hope you don't mind Seto being here but it is for him that I'm here." She added quickly. Trying to be as vague as possible so only Ryou would know what she was saying. The white-haired teen nodded and smiled before turning to Kaiba and inviting them both inside his home. The blue-eyed teen practically made to bolt out of the front door again as a louder scream followed by a tirade of expletives resounded down the hallway. His escape attempt was rather short lived however, as Amber quickly and easily caught his arm and gave him a look which pleaded with him to stay. Before quietly whispering for his ears only "Seto please, I promised you I could prove what I said but your going to have to trust me. Stay? Please for me?" She was relieved when she felt him visible relax within her grip on him, signaling his silent agreement to her request. 'Dam it! Why can't I just say no to her?' he silently berated himself for his supposed show of weakness. Having sensed the need for a private moment between the two Ryou had simply excused himself to make some tea for everyone. This left Amber and Seto standing outside another door alone, in a scene mimicking the one outside the front door of the Bakura residence. Silently Kaiba found himself running through their earlier conversation which had led him to being stuck here in this house with one of his only two friends, a boy he barely knew and his psychotic other-half who undoubtedly was torturing some poor sod on the other side of the door.

Flashback – earlier that day

"So you see Amber I understand all too well how people can brain wash you into an abusive relationship and make you think you want it. That it's normal and natural." Seto concluded after he'd just finished explaining about his step-father and was now looking out of the window at the garden again. He'd been taken aback by his realization a few minutes ago about how Amber was able to affect him in ways only his otouto could.

"I wish you would believe me when I say it's not like that at all. I am not brainwashed! True I may have been raised by what you consider a cult…" she didn't get to finish because her friend cut her off.

"That's exactly what cults do! They brainwash people that's why it's called a cult in the first place. I fail to see why your so attached to the piece of jewelry, your not with them anymore your with me, and you have your uncle and you have Amethyst. Also that blasted psycho twin of Bakura's as well dare I admit it." He kept his tone level; there was no malice in his words only concern.

"Give me a chance to prove it then. This has nothing to do with turning into your step-father, and I can prove it to you Seto. Will you give me a chance? Just one chance that's all I ask and if at the end of the day you still don't believe me then fine." She implored the young CEO choosing her words carefully. They'd both stood there in silence while he'd carefully considered her offer in his head, going through the pros and cons of accepting and of not accepting. In the end he'd agreed although he claimed it was against his better judgment to do so.

Flashback end.

However the sight which greeted the young CEO and his blonde companion was a totally different kettle of fish all together. Instead of the usual scene of Yami Bakura bullying some random poor sod, the white haired ex-spirit was actually the one pinned to the floor. His left arm twisted up his back by, to his utter shock Amber's best friend Amethyst! The brown eyed spirit's face was a study in pain as Amethyst yanked it again eliciting another growl of pain and yet more expletives from the thief. The pained growl was almost immediately followed by an angry growl, from his captor.

"Now who's the bitch around here?" she hissed directly into the yami's ear. Placing her knee into the small of the males back when he tried to wriggle out from her grip. Leading to his captor simply tightening her grip on his already sore wrist, eliciting another low growl, but he ceased his current struggles.

"Get off me right now you stupid girl, and I won't hurt you too much when I prove to everyone present that you're more of a bitch then I am!" he spat the words out with venom hoping to intimidate her in a similar fashion to how he could scare others back in Egypt in his hey day as the King of Thieves. Instead of having the desired effect of gaining his freedom the yami earned himself another excruciatingly painful yank of his arm up his back further then it was meant to go. This time however the purple haired girl held it in the unnatural position for a few moments before loosening her hold, causing Kaiba to wonder who truly the more frightening person in the room was. Her or Ryou's lunatic twin she had pinned down, writing and at present howling in pain. The brunette turned to face Amber for some sort of moral support, only to find she had sat down on the opposite side of the room as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence, he didn't know if he should be scared by this or strangely comforted that somebody existed who could control the reincarnated Egyptian thief. Hesitantly he looked back at the scene still unfolding on the floor, the thief quietly cursing under his breath as he continued to try to escape to no avail and quickly decided to seek refuge on the sofa next to his blonde friend. No sooner had he sat down then their 'host' Kaiba mused to himself, came in holding a tray with cups of tea for his new guests and a plate of biscuits for everyone. Curiosity however got the better of him, as he watched Ryou who always deemed to be timid and spineless, bravely strode up to his pinned other half and spoke to him in a gentle but fearless voice.

"Yami-chan, we have guests. Amber has brought Kaiba over to see us so can you please behave and just yield for now? Or do I have to go fetch my little friend from upstairs? Hmmm?" Ryou kept his voice sounding innocent and sweet. Yet the words which he spoke were laced with double entendre that shocked the blue eyed teen. Could it really be possible that Ryou Bakura, the quiet, timid, mouse of an exchange student actually was the controlling presence in their relationship? Not his crazed darker-self as everyone at school who didn't know them had assumed? Also Ryou's use of the female suffix didn't fail to amuse and confuse him, as was the way Amber was either oblivious to it all or just quietly accepting as if this was a common event in the Bakura household. Even more curious was the fact neither of Ryou's parents had intervened to see what all the racket was about, he made a mental note to question them about it later.

"You wouldn't dare" the darker albino twin growled at his hikari, "You really expect me the Thief King to bow down in front of the priest of all people?" the mention of his hated pet name snapped the young CEO out of his thoughts and his attention once again fell on the trio in the middle of the living room floor. The blonde sat beside him had simply sighed and shrugged before choosing a couple of biscuits to dunk in her tea and was happily munching away. Amethyst had a knowing smile on her face which freaked out even Seto just a little, when Ryou stood up to leave the room to retrieve his so called 'little friend' from where he kept whatever it was. However what scared him the most was the way Bakura started thrashing around more violently then before and called out in a fairly frightened voice which the brunette never thought he would hear from the thief's lips, "Alright! Alright I give I give already!" Leading the teenage male to wonder what on earth could Ryou of discovered to gain so much power over the other. Satisfied with her victory Amethyst climbed off her captive and reclaimed her seat on the second couch in the room, swiping a biscuit and her now cold green tea which she was drinking before her little fight. Ryou followed suit leaving his Yami to sit on the floor, Seto noticed at his feet in a similar manner to a dog sitting before its master. The image of Joey in a similar position flashed through his head and a smirk crept across his face but was gone as quickly as it formed. When a quiet voice, pulled him back from his inner cataloguing of all the events which had taken place today.

"So Amber-chan, Kaiba-kun to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I know why Amie-chan is here, she had some business with my Yami." Ryou's enquiry was cut off by the green-eyed girl beside him who started to apologize.

"I know and while we are on the subject please accept my apologies for yet again breaking your furniture. It seems I always get a little carried away during our little scuffles." She laughed nervously. Ryou simply nodded and smiled, and Kaiba thought to himself 'little? If that was little I'd hate to see big'.

"Don't worry about it Amie-chan it was your old coffee table anyway, after all this was your place before you moved in with Pegasus and Amber-chan. However do remember that if you break my next coffee table I am going to have to punish you." The British teen replied in that same unnervingly sweet tone of voice he's spoken to his darker-half with earlier. "Anyway where was I? Oh yes Kaiba-kun you were about to explain to me about why you were here, I assume that my idiot Yami has stolen something from your mansion or your company? Whatever it is I'm sure he'll gladly return it unless he's sold it already and if he has then he can reimburse you with the monetary value of said item?" Gently nudging the other white-haired teen with his foot when he started to complain about always being accused of things.

"Stolen something? No he hasn't stolen anything… that I'm aware of anyway but it's good to know I can count on you to sort it out if he does. Actually it was Amber's idea to come; she didn't give me much choice in the matter either to be honest with you." Kaiba replied rather confused for a few moments before shooting his friend a playful glare for good measure. Amber simply stuck her tongue out at him in response in an equally playful gesture before Seto continued. "So Amber, tell me why and what did you bring me here for?" His blue eyes searching hers for the answer.

"Well you see Ryou me and Seto were having a little chat about my past which everyone here knows about, and Seto was telling me about his. We ended up arguing and he didn't believe me that I wasn't brainwashed and I said I could prove that a loving relationship could be based on dominance and submission." Amber paused in her explanation when she felt the brunette tense up besides her and looked over at him concerned. Before she could ask him if he was alright Yami Bakura filled in the blanks for everyone present.

"So your first thought was to bring him here to see me and hikari-sama?" he waited for Amber's acknowledgement only continuing when she nodded her agreement. "Well well well, I never had the priest down for a uke this is a surprise, I must say Amber I'm impressed." He was silenced not only by an angry glare from the young CEO but a kick to the shin from Amethyst who was seated next to his hikari and seme.

"Bakura I think you've got it the wrong way around. Could you really picture him in a collar? Plus you've seen Amber wearing one or did you forget?" Amethyst butted in before the thief could complain about being kicked again. It took a couple of minutes for the ex-spirit to understand what she was getting at, but he got it eventually. A moment of understanding passed between everyone in the room, making Kaiba shift a little in his seat on the sofa, Amber gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before giving him a small smile which he reluctantly returned. He felt ridiculous, vulnerable even and it was a feeling he'd sworn to never allow himself to feel again. Yet somehow it always seemed to get him eventually, first at Duelist Kingdom, those stupid visions he was having during his own tournament and now here. The silence permeated the room and was beginning to feel heavy when Ryou who had been sitting in quiet contemplation decided on what to do to try and make the blue eyed teen feel more at ease. At least he hoped it would.

"Yami-chan, be good now and fetch yours from upstairs would you?" he spoke softly his words meant solely for the other boy. Barely audible to anyone else but Kaiba could just about make out what was said because he was sat closest to the yami at present. The wide eyed look of surprise on the albino's face was particularly amusing he had to admit, and this day was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. He wondered idly if this was how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole. Surely enough ten minutes later after much grumbling, swearing, stomping off upstairs, loud banging and crashing as he trashed his room, and yet more stomping to announce his return the white haired Yami came back into the living room. Still grumbling and swearing like a champ under his breathe the entire time, but with a definite difference to his appearance. Above the neckline of his plain black t-shirt he was now sporting a rather fetching black leather collar with a silver buckle, silver studs and a circular name tag. Grinning like the mad man he was the dark Bakura decided to do a quick twirl, before doing a couple of poses. Amethyst and Amber both watched appreciatively at his antics however Kaiba was seeing something else completely. Where the others were seeing the reincarnated spirit, he was seeing himself just before his teen years wearing the dog collar Gozaburo used to force him to wear whilst he would personally supervise his home schooling. He suppressed a shudder and tried to keep his breathing normal, as the room started to feel extremely claustrophobic and the air felt heavy around him. Glancing around the room he noticed none of the others seemed to realize something was wrong, 'that's good' he told himself as Amethyst's words from earlier spun round and round in his head "could you really picture him in a collar?" she'd said it innocently, of course she didn't know. She couldn't have known what kind of response those words would provoke in the other teenager; he tried to comfort himself with that fact to no avail. Fighting his innermost urges telling him to get out of their, anywhere but here. Kaiba's didn't run, so he decided to stand his ground and weather it out hoping no-body would notice something was bothering him.

"Wow that's really cool!" Amber exclaimed gleefully as she got up to look at the tag to see what was engraved on there. Yami Bakura simply preened under the attention he was getting from the blonde. This all proved to be much for the young stoic CEO, in his mind he could see Amber cooing over his younger-self. The image his mind was showing him was too hard for him to process and he stood up and quickly strode over to the nearest door, exited through it and found himself in a small kitchenette? In his haste to leave he's gone through the wrong door. Never mind he told himself 'There's the back door I can just wait this out in the garden, I can say I needed some fresh air they wont suspect a thing'. His plan formulated he opened the back door as quietly as his slightly shaking hands would allow and stepped out into the light breeze outside. Only now just realizing the solitary tear which was working its way down his face as the gentle wind dried it against his skin. Slowly he released the breathe he hadn't been aware he'd been holding in as he paced across the garden to the sakura tree at the end of the garden, leaning against it trying to stop anymore tears from falling. With greater success then he thought he could, his vision remained slightly blurred at the edges as a few tears still threatened to fall but he blinked them away. He refused to cry in front of anyone about that… that thing he called step-father. So distracted his mind's little tricks and his self imposed task of preventing any of the others from seeing his discomfort and ultimately in the end his vulnerability, the young brunette wasn't aware of the soft footsteps coming down the garden path. Neither has he been aware of the look of concern on the face of his host back in the living room when he'd fled the increasingly claustrophobic space. However these distractions couldn't prevent him from hearing the voice laced with worry which soon wafted over the gentle breeze permeating the outside air, before it finally reached his ears.

"Kaiba-kun? Are you alright? I'm deeply sorry if me or my yami did anything at all to offend you." The voice sounded far away and distant to his mind, although in reality the young white-haired teen was kneeling right in front of him. Upon hearing the voice he raised his gaze to discern who it was that was talking to him, the image his eyes provided was still blurred from the repressed tears still present. The blue eyed teen blinked once, then twice willing them away and hoping to clear up his vision so he could determine who it was that had followed him out here. To his newly found safe-haven under the sakura tree surrounded by all the fallen pink blossoms all scattered and wilting like so many long ago forgotten childhood dreams. Dreams, wants and desires all left behind after he became a Kaiba. As if awakening from one such dream he shook the fogginess from his brain and looked up into the soft concerned brown eyes of his host and class mate from school, Ryou Bakura.

"I just needed some air" he lied through his teeth with ease. Hoping the other teen would accept his explanation and that the path of the few tears he couldn't prevent from falling would go unnoticed. The other male looked extremely thoughtful for a moment, as if he was examining something Seto couldn't see, curious he quickly glanced around. Not spotting anything of interest he looked back at the other, neither saying anything, silently Ryou decided to take up residence under the tree directly next to the young businessman with a wry but knowing smile. Both boys simply sat there in silence, as Kaiba suppressed a groan. Surely Amber wouldn't have betrayed his trust and told the others? The voice of reason within his mind quickly countered his worry by pointing out he hadn't been sat outside long enough. Seconds passed which felt like minutes, and the seconds turned into minutes which felt like hours. After what felt like an aeon had passed Ryou finally chose to speak.

"It's ok Kaiba-kun you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but I'm not stupid and I'm certainly not blind. I saw the way you looked at my Yami when he came back into the room, you looked terrified. Don't worry the girls didn't notice and I won't tell them. Besides their most likely still fussing over him in there he loves the attention he gets from them totally and utterly shameless." The young Brit picked up a fallen pick flower from the lawn which was lying nearby; he looked over at his companion and gave him a kind smile. "You have heard the saying it's always the quiet ones right?" he prodded gently. Hoping to pull the other out of his self imposed exile for just a few moments if possible. Weary blue eyes searched his for the meaning of his strange inquiry, but came up with nothing.

"Ryou…. I'm not entirely sure I follow" Seto admitted quietly almost as if he was embarrassed by his lack of understanding. It certainly wouldn't surprise him if it was the case, Kaiba was a recognized genius and some would even say a child prodigy. Always top of the class in all his lessons, Ryou who usually not far behind him scoring 2nd or 3rd highest knew of the pressure it could put on you without you even realizing it. His admission was met with a light-hearted chuckle, and another kind smile. Both infuriated him more then he knew he had a right to be.

"It's nothing serious and it's certainly nothing bad Kaiba-kun. It's a saying I heard often when I lived in England. People remark how the quiet ones are sometimes the ones who are plotting something, or are the most deviant, or in your case the ones carrying a great burden. I didn't mean any offense." Was the softly spoken explanation, with slight disinterest the albino plucked the petals from the flower he was holding before blowing them away onto the breeze with the tiniest trace of satisfaction across his features that didn't go unnoticed by his silent companion. "You know I know what Amber wanted me to talk to you about, and I have had some suspicions about you in that regard. With all the belts and leather you wear" Again another light chuckle was heard throughout the garden, only to be met with silence from the other teen, and the faint sound of birds chirping in a nearby garden.

"Why does everyone comment on my dress sense when discussing my sexuality?" Kaiba suddenly wondered out loud, instead of inside his head like he intended. The surprised expression on the other's face was his only indication and he felt a slight blush across his cheeks. "I said that out loud didn't I?" he asked quietly, inwardly cursing when Ryou nodded slowly. With an audible sigh he decided to take a gamble and give the British teen a small clue as to the reasons he sought refuge under a tree in his back garden of all places. "It's because of my step-father ok? No I don't want to talk about it, and would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to your Yami or to Amethyst or to anyone else for that matter. Especially not Mokuba! Got it?" when Ryou nodded for the second time he felt tension he hadn't realized was there slipping away as he lent back against the tree and closed his eyes for a few moments. Opening them again when he heard a thoughtful hmmm coming from the other boy.

"Actually that kind explains a lot, your worried that being overly seme is a unconscious response to a extremely strict upbringing at the hands of Gozaburo. However I can assure you it has nothing to with him at all, in fact any fetishes you may or may not have their routes in your very early childhood, from before you were five. I know you weren't adopted until you were about ten, so you shouldn't let him hold you back from being happy." The albino stopped to smile at the dumbstruck brunette, "If your wondering how I know about Gozaburo well my uncle has had a couple of dealings with him before he died. He used to swear to my father that he was a control freak, almost to the point of having OCD. Of course he was too afraid of him to say it to his face. Anyway we should head back inside the girls will be wondering where you ran off to Kaiba-kun". After finishing his explanation Ryou nimbly stood up and offered a hand to help the young CEO to his feet, which he surprised both of them by accepting. They both walked slowly back down the garden path in a comfortable silence. Ryou not wanting to sound too much of a know-it all by adding anything else, and Seto was at a loss as of what to say, all he knew was he was glad he'd let Amber drag him here.

A few apologies and many hugs from both Amethyst and Amber later and he was back in his previous spot in the living room, being glomped by Amber who was refusing to let go in case he chose to disappear on her again. It wasn't that bad except for his body telling him about it's distinct need for oxygen. Now. Luckily the blonde pulled away before the brunette was forced to push her away so he could get the much needed air into his lungs. Much to his surprise Ryou had been subjected to exactly the same treatment from his Yami, who now had his Hikari perched on his lap in a rather possessive embrace. Glaring at everything and everyone in the room in such a way to suggest he was daring anyone to try taking his beloved Ryou away from him. The gesture didn't fail to make Seto actually smile much to the surprise of both the white haired teens and the delight of the two girls present. Both were always telling him, along with his otouto that he needed to smile more often. To his surprise he felt a little sad when he realized he had to leave to pick Mokuba up from his friend's house, after looking at his watch and realizing he was going to be a few minutes late if he didn't leave he stood up to make his exit. He asked the girls if they needed a ride back to the Pegasus mansion, which both declines on account of Amethyst drove herself and would drive Amber back when she went back. He nodded his acknowledgement and made his goodbyes, he was at the front door putting his shoes on when he noticed Ryou had followed him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked slightly confused. As to why the other teen had followed him to the door.

"No Kaiba-kun, I just wanted to give you this is all" he explained holding out a small piece of folded paper. Curious the blue eyed CEO took it and opened it up to read it, finding a few phone numbers and a couple of e-mail addresses. "Those are mine and my Yami's contact details should you feel you want to talk to me about anything. I'm more then happy to advise you about your relationship with Amber, that's of course if your in one with her that is. She speaks very highly of you and it's clear she's very taken with you as well. Although I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if you hurt her because you've seen what Amethyst can do." Kaiba simply nodded and re-folded the note and placed it in his back pocket before retrieving his coat from the closet.

"Thank-you Ryou, I think I might take you up on that offer once I've thought a few things through. You know I could use a person like you down at Kaiba Corp to deal with public relations." He gave a quiet laugh surprising Ryou a little when he added, "I'd appreciate it if the rest of the group didn't hear about any of this, and you should call me Seto ok?" The other teen just nodded, and being the gracious host he was let the other out before waving goodbye as the brunette started his car. Surprising the white haired hikari a second time when he waved back before pulling out to go and retrieve his little brother from his friend's. Leaving a rather astonished British teen in his wake, who slowly closed the door and made his way back to his friend's and his other half who he'd left in the living room. Muttering quietly to himself as he did so "How on earth did Amber manage to change him into an almost normal person?".

Author's note!: Sorry about the long delay I've had a bit of writer's block and this took me along time to write. I've made it a lot longer then my usual chapter length because I wanted to spend a lot of time introducing Ryou as a more central character to the story I hope you enjoy it as much as I do writing it!

Feed back will be greatly appreciated! Even if it's just a few words.