Authors' Note:  Well, here is the speedy update!  Now Nalan-san can cease to make threats?  Onegai?  Well, probably not… considering how this chapter ends.  *grins*  Fear not!  We have more in the works!  Oh, and our new fic, "Sprayed," is up, as well.  Enjoy!

Shamanic Guardian Lena:  Hee!  I don't think we're very remorseful over the angel's situation, either.  But not everyone is as unsympathetic as we are.  Thanks so much for the review!  We'll keep writing!

The Evil Laugh:  Yup, new chapter this week!  And in the middle of the week no less!  Well, don't expect us to relent on the angel any too soon, though we're not sure that the devil will be any happer.  After all, the angel had years of ruling over Ryou.  It's only fair that the devil get a wee chance.  Thank you!

Nalanzu:  Don't hurt us!  It's updated!  No need to strangle really!  Uh, just don't read the last paragraph, and I'm sure that you'll be fine.  *innoncent smile*  Thanks for letting us know what you think!

Chapter 6

Action

Ryuuji didn't quite remember how it had happened, but apparently he had been talking to Honda when some disease had taken over Honda's mind and caused him to go into something that resembled seizures and convulsions. It didn't take a genius to figure out that there was something behind him that was stressing out his koi, and when he turned around, he was surprised to find himself staring into Kaiba Seto's icy blue eyes. This in itself did nothing but confuse Ryuuji more, since why would Honda be acting this way from seeing Seto?  Last he heard, there wasn't anything going on between the two that he should know about... so what was the problem with the billionaire's presence?

And then Seto turned to speak to someone behind him, and Ryuuji realized exactly what the problem was.

Honda could not believe what he was seeing. In the middle of a perfectly nice date with Ryuuji, one of the most uncomfortable and bizarre things imaginable had practically been seated in his lap. Okay, perhaps it wasn't quite that close, but it nearly felt that way to Honda. It would have been weird enough to have Ryou show up anywhere in the vicinity while he was out with Ryuuji--the break-up was far too recent for that to be remotely comfortable. That alone would have been enough to make Honda feel quite guilty and awkward.

Now, however, there was the added strangeness of seeing Ryou, sweet, shy, I'd-never-ask-anyone-out-myself Ryou, sitting down only a few tables away from them on what appeared to be a date of his own. Honda hadn't really given it much thought, but somewhere inside it appeared that he'd been of the opinion that Ryou wouldn't move on after their break-up for quite some time. Not only was this a little blow to his ego, but it also made him the slightest bit of something that felt all too similar to jealousy.

And then, on top of all of those feelings, there was the person he was with: Kaiba Seto. How in the hell does such a thing happen? Honda wondered, his eyes narrowing a bit. I'll bet he's trying to take advantage of Ryou now that he's hurting... that must be it, Honda decided, watching the scene behind Ryuuji play out.

Honda watched Seto slide Ryou's chair out for him. It was at that moment that the billionaire turned towards Honda and Ryuuji for just a moment. Seto caught Honda's gaze and gave him a smug, knowing little smirk. And then Honda watched the CEO's features go back to normal as he walked around the table and sat down across from Ryou. His hazel eyes widened with surprise as he saw Seto actually smile at Ryou and speak to him in a voice that was too low to be overheard. "That bastard," Honda said in a low growl. "I wish I could hear what he's saying to Ryou..."

Ryuuji didn't bother to reply. He was a bit too busy staring at Seto and Ryou to even hear Honda's angry words.

To be frank, he wasn't sure what he should be thinking at the moment.  Should he be annoyed, perhaps even jealous, that Honda was staring at the other couple hard enough to burn holes through their backs?

Well, he thought to himself, it didn't matter what he was supposed to be doing. Because frankly, he was jealous of the way that his lover was staring at a former… *former*… boyfriend.

*****

"They're staring at us," Ryou mumbled, barely loud enough for Seto to hear him as the brunette glanced casually at the menu.

"Isn't that the point?" he replied simply as he looked up at Ryou long enough to acknowledge his presence before returning to the matter at hand.  The very important matter at hand.

Did he want fish or shrimp in his curry?

"Yes, but…." Ryou blushed as his voice trailed off. Yes, that was precisely what they were supposed to be doing. And shouldn't he be delighted, especially when one considered how angry Honda looked. Well, angry was probably an understatement. He looked as if he had been attacked by a malicious, green-eyed imp known more commonly to mortals as jealousy. So why wasn't he pleased that his plan was actually working, and so well at that?

"But nothing," Seto interrupted. Although his tone was rather sharp, his eyes were quite gentle as he put down the menu. "It's going just as you planned, Bakura. There really isn't anything to be worrying about."

"Okay…" Ryou mumbled as he finally stopped fiddling with his menu and finally began to read it. Still, the characters just seemed to blend together, and shaking his head repeatedly to clear his eyes didn't really seem to be helping. It was almost as if the menu was mocking him… and it was not something that boded well with the white-haired teen. He already had enough things mocking him, thank you very much, and he didn't need an
inanimate object to join in the fun.

For a few moments, Seto simply contemplated the menu in silence, before he glanced up for a moment to see if Ryou was anywhere near ready to order. What he saw brought a faint frown to his lips. Ryou was somehow managing to look uncomfortable, nervous, guilty, and a bit confused all at once.

The way he kept shaking his head and staring at the menu blankly surely wasn't helping their cause, either. If Ryou keeps this up much longer, given the fact that we are being stared at, one of them will start to figure this out. I know that I'd start to get suspicious if I were one of them... The next time that we go out like this, I'll have to be sure that we're seated a little farther away from them.  I suppose that it's up to me to snap Ryou out of this... Seto thought, sighing faintly.

Then he paused, wondering for a moment why he even cared whether or not this enterprise of theirs was successful, especially since he'd been dragged in less than willingly in the first place. The sooner that Ryou gets what he wants out of this, the sooner I'm through with this charade. That's all... Seto told himself firmly.

That didn't quite explain the concern that glimmered in his blue eyes as Seto gazed over at Ryou, catching one of the other's hands in his and drawing it away from the menu. He forced a smile as he gazed intently at the other. "Bakura... it's going to be fine. Just forget about them and try to have fun. Obviously, you're not very good at acting happy when you aren't. So, despite the fact that you are currently on what appears to be a date with Kaiba Seto, you're just going to have to try and enjoy yourself," Seto said, an unexpected note of humor lilting in his voice for the moment. "I suppose that I really should be calling you Ryou now, ne? After all, you're sure to blush quite a bit until you get used to that, unless I'm mistaken..."

Ryou didn't answer, although the expression on his face seemed to suggest that Seto was not really human at all, but a scary alien who had dropped out of a spaceship only seconds before. After all, it was rare for the brunette to express any humor at all… and in the time that Ryou had known him, he had rarely seen Seto smile for any reason beyond Mokuba and dueling. So, it really was of no surprise that Ryou should react in such a manner from the concept of Seto developing a sense of humor.

He wondered, vaguely, how Seto felt about this.

It was an odd thought to have at such a time, but he couldn't help but wonder if Seto knew of his reputation and if it ever affected him. Did he care that people thought of him as a cold-hearted man who seemed to have no life beyond his company, brother, and duels? Did it hurt him to see Ryou reacting in such a manner?

"Ryou?"

As expected, a blush immediately made its way onto his face. Since it was rare for him to see his parents, the only person who had ever called him Ryou was… well, Honda.

And now Seto.

But it wasn't real. He didn't exactly love Seto, and he was quite sure that Seto didn't love him. No, this was nothing more than a complicated ploy to get a reaction out of Honda. And it was difficult for him to accept that somebody who was simply doing him a favor to get rid of him was calling him by his first name.

Just as Honda had done… except Honda didn't care for him like that anymore. Seto did… well, pretended to, at least.

Was it any wonder that he was feeling a little bit less than comfortable?

Then, almost a few moments too late, he realized that Seto had spoken to him and that he needed to respond before the end of the century.

"Yes, Kai… um… Seto?"

"We don't have to do this right now." Regardless of his want of this to end right now, Seto knew that he couldn't push Ryou unless he wanted even more trouble than he already had. And that was really the last thing he wanted right now.  "Do you want to leave?"

Ryou winced from the question. Even though he wanted to take the offer very much, he knew that he wouldn't. After all the trouble he had put Seto through… only to run away? He couldn't do that… it wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

Seto gazed at Ryou intently, assessing his will to go or to stay carefully when the white-haired male across the table fell silent. "It's all up to you. Just tell me what you want to do..." Seto said gently, slowly drawing Ryou's hand up to his lips and brushing a ghost of a kiss over it before he let it go. If they were going to be leaving now, then he was at least going to do his best to give Honda and Ryuuji a few lingering doubts about why exactly they were making such a hurried exit. And besides, Seto found Ryou's blushes rather attractive. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, of course.

Naturally, when that completely unexpected kiss was brushed against his hand, Ryou's blush had deepened into something that could scarcely be properly referred to as a blush. His face had flushed bright red, and his cheeks were practically burning. Perhaps even more embarrassing to Ryou than the fact that it had happened in the first place... was the realization that it felt good... Ryou tried to shake off such thoughts, sputtering incoherently as he strained to remember why he was attempting to speak in the first place.

"Stay or go, Ryou...?" Seto asked quietly, drawing Ryou back from his thoughts.

"S-Stay..." Ryou finally managed, gazing down at his hand as if a completely new extension of his arm had suddenly formed there. The way the skin tingled, he rather expected it to be pink, at a minimum, but his skin was still the same pale hue that it always was. Once his contemplation of the strange sensation was complete (or at least, once Ryou realized how inappropriate it was to continue staring at his hand and saying nothing), he turned his attention to the menu, holding it up before his face for a little while just to hide his furious blush until it died down a bit. Of course, by hiding behind his menu, Ryou was missing quite the spectacle that was going on a few tables away...