(A Year Previous)
(Seto)
"Kentaro-san," I breathed exasperatedly, leaning against my desk and raising one hand to rub my temple. I could already feel a headache coming on, and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to get up and leave. If I didn't need the work, I would've left within the first week. "You can't throw an office party and write off 'hookers & booze' as a business expense." I didn't know how the man was keeping his meager little garage afloat; I had been working there a little less than two months, and just glancing at some of the records made me want to weep.
Not so coincidentally, I'd only been eighteen for two months as well. On my birthday I'd been given directions to my 'new home' as the orphanage had so eloquently put it, and the address of where I'd be working. They told me to have a good time, pay my bills, and prove myself a decent citizen. Despite the months I'd spent trying to convince them to let me take Mokuba with me, I was sent off alone.
Well, I wasn't going to stand for that.
My plans had been in the making since the first night I spent alone, and I had an appropriate contact within the orphanage – I just needed an opportunity to get us the hell away from Domino. Once I did, I'd never look back. I was going to kidnap him the first chance I got.
However, for the time being, I had to be good and do my job, and that involved paying attention to Kentaro. The man was laughing merrily, scratching his head. "Ah, boy, you have no mind for fun, do you?"
"You can have fun when you can afford it," I retorted. "You're going to need to be a little more frugal if you expect to keep this place."
"You're too serious for a kid your age!" Kentaro teased, patting me roughly on the back; I lurched slightly, making sure not to show it. Kentaro was a big guy, and gentle of heart as he might have been, he was a rough. "You should learn to have a good time."
"You have to work to play." I didn't add that I needed the income to get out of Domino. If Kentaro went under, I'd have to find another job, and I didn't want to delay my plans any more than necessary. It was in my best interest to pour myself into work and hope for the best.
"Seto," Kentaro said seriously, wide grin spreading across his unshaven face, "I know you have a soft spot, and I'm going to find it someday."
"Good luck," I replied blandly, looking down at the papers on Kentaro's desk. "Hookers and booze," I murmured to myself, covering my eyes with my hand. I was never going to understand Kentaro, no matter how much time we spent together. If I was lucky, it wouldn't be long.
"Niisama!"
Before I could look up, I had two arms wrapped firmly around my waist, and I looked down into a mess of unruly dark hair. I tried to blink away confusion, but to no avail; I was still lost. Immediately I wound my arms around Mokuba, hugging him tightly. I glanced up to see the nurse from the orphanage – my contact – standing in the doorway, smiling fondly at our scene.
If I thought I could have pulled it off, I would have left right then.
He pulled away from me and blushed, tucking a strand of unruly hair behind his ear. "Hi. This looks so cool!" he said, going to look out the door. "You get to work on cars all day?"
"Not him; he's unofficially taken over the office work around here," Kentaro interjected. He held out a hand, and Mokuba shook it warily, eyeing Kentaro with curiosity. "So who are you?"
"I'm Seto's brother – who are you?"
"Ah, it's nice to meet you, little brother; I'm Kentaro. Supposedly, your brother here works for me, but he's always the one cracking the whip, so I'm not so sure. Would you like to take a look around? I could give you one helluva tour."
Mokuba looked pleadingly to me, and I nodded. I couldn't tell him no; there was no harm in him looking around, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to. Mokuba grinned at Kentaro and nodded. Within moments, I was alone with the nurse.
"I owe you one, Miyuki-san," I said politely. She had always been kind to Mokuba and I, but even I knew that this was an extreme. I'd never asked why she took pity on us, why she'd risk her job, but I didn't complain. After a while, we'd come up with a mutually unspoken policy of not asking too many questions.
"You owe me several," she replied, a soft smile still decorating her face. "I didn't plan this, if that's what you're wondering; he had a doctor's appointment. You just happened to be right along our route back."
"Is he sick?"
She shook her head. "Not that kind of doctor." She hesitated before continuing, "He's been having nightmares. He won't talk to the doctor about what's brothering him, and he won't tell me, but he's been so edgy lately. Seto, I know you love him, but maybe this plan of yours is getting to him. Maybe its better for his health if – "
"I'll talk to him," I interrupted. I wouldn't let her say it; if I'd come so far, if I'd gotten my hopes up so high, I wasn't about to let them fall. "I'll fix it."
"Seto – "
"Don't. You're not going to be able to convince me it'll be better to wait until they let me take him – it's too long. You can't expect me to agree to that." I left the office; I wasn't going to get into a fight with her, I wouldn't risk it – she was too important to risk as an enemy. Mokuba was fawning over a motorbike with one of my coworkers – my only coworker, really: a foreign boy with dark skin and light hair who could swear in at least three different languages. I couldn't remember his name… Assuming I had even bothered to learn it in the first place. "Having fun?" I asked, affectionately ruffling Mokuba's hair. He laughed and ducked out of my touch, smoothing his hair back.
"Yeah! Don't you always want to be here? I'd love it!"
There was something about seeing Mokuba so enthused – or maybe it was just seeing Mokuba at all – that made me feel like there wasn't a problem in the world. I could hardly see how Miyuki thought he was nervous; he looked just as happy as ever.
Then again, I was the one who taught him that hiding emotions was a survival tactic.
"We could trade you in," the coworker said, his voice infiltrating my thoughts. "We'll keep you and get rid of Seto – all he does it bitch, bitch, bitch about money."
Mokuba frowned. "Then you should listen to him," he chided. "Niisama is a genius; he can fix anything. I bet – "
"That's enough, Mokuba," I interrupted. "Come on, I want to talk to you alone."
Mokuba gulped and bit his lower lip nervously, but followed me obediently to Kentaro's office; Miyuki nodded as we entered and left us alone, closing the door behind her. I knelt down to look Mokuba in the eye.
"Are you okay?" I asked seriously.
"Uh… Yeah, I'm fine." Mokuba sounded too cheery, and he was nodding too eagerly.
"Oh? Is that why Miyuki-san had to take you to see a doctor?"
Mokuba looked down at his feet. "I asked her not to tell you," he grumbled. "Really, it's nothing. The only bad thing is that they want to put me on some sort of medication to calm me down. I got lucky, though; the orphanage says I don't need medication for 'growing pains' and won't cover the cost." He flashed me a crooked grin and a thumbs up, but I wasn't buying it.
"What are your nightmares about?" I demanded, one hand landing on Mokuba's shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"Um… you. I'm scared, Seto," he said, looking down at the ground. "I don't want you to get in trouble. If we make it out of here, then what? What if there's nowhere for us after all? Maybe we'll never find somewhere to be happy…"
"Shh," I soothed, touching his cheek. Hadn't I tried my best to assure him that nothing would go wrong? After all, I had spent enough of my time trying to quell my same fears – I should've been an expert. "Don't think like that, alright? We're getting away from here." He looked up at me, and I caught the hope in his eyes. "I promise by this time next year we'll be somewhere better. I'll have a job, you'll go to a normal school, and we'll never have to depend on anyone else ever again, okay?"
Mokuba nodded. "I'm sorry – I'm too old to be acting like such a baby."
"It's fine. I won't tell anyone."
Mokuba wasn't very receptive to the subtle joking. "I'm just really worried," he repeated quietly.
I flashed Mokuba my best smile, something I reserved just for him. "You said it yourself: I'm a genius. I can do anything. So no more panicking, okay? I want you to sleep tonight." Mokuba returned the smile, and I felt the coil of fear in my stomach unwind.
"Okay."
There was a knock on the door, and Miyuki peeked in. "I hate to cut this short, but we really should get going."
I nodded and turned back to Mokuba. "Take care, kid."
"I will. You too." Reluctantly Mokuba retreated, and Miyuki looked at me with solemn eyes. I hated when she looked at me like that; it meant she had bad news. I remember whenever there was something wrong at the orphanage – if someone was sick, or worse – then she had the same look.
"Be careful," she warned.
"Always," I replied cockily, waving her away. The last thing I needed was her waiting around too long; people would get suspicious. She looked like she had more to say, but only nodded and left, Mokuba following at her heels. Once the door closed behind them, I sighed and let my shoulders sag.
It was complicated. Truth be told, I wasn't feeling much better about it than Mokuba; much as I promised him that things would change, I had so many things to worry about: how to get Mokuba away from the orphanage, having the money to get him out of the country, where to go, what to do when we got there…
Well, if my biggest problem was money, then I needed to stop pitying myself and get back to work – and at that moment, work included arguing with Kentaro about business expenses. Unfortunately, when I got out into the garage area, the only person there was my coworker. "Where's Kentaro-san?"
The boy shrugged, looking under the hood of a car that came in that morning. "Fuck if I know; takin' a piss maybe. By the way, cute kid you've got there."
I tapped my toe impatiently, hoping Kentaro would make it back from wherever he was soon; I was never quite sure what to say to the other man.
"So who's the dame? Your mother?"
I cringed and clenched my fists. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but hearing him ask that… "She works at the orphanage where Mokuba is staying."
"Oh. Well, that's a twist." The car made some loud noise, and he swore in another language. "So," he said after a second, "you wanna go out for a drink tonight?"
"Excuse me?"
The boy shrugged. "You know, alcohol? Kentaro suggested that you need to unwind, and that's the best damn unwinder that I know."
"I don't even know your name."
"Malik. C'mon, we don't even really have to go out; we could crash at my place, tip a few back, and call it a night."
"You've got to be out of your mind."
He shook his head and came up from under the hood of the car, looking at me. "No, but look, we work together, right? Believe it or not, I give a damn about this place just as much as you do; the old man has saved my ass more times than I care to count."
"What does this have to do with me or your drinking plans?" I retorted.
"Well, you want to keep this place alive for some reason, and so do I. Doesn't it make sense to become allies? We could get to know each other." He shrugged and went back to working on the car, and I scowled – there was something about him that was disarming… Conniving… I didn't like it, but I had to admit that he was clever, and he had said one word that triggered in my head.
Allies.
I may have considering myself stressed and busy, but the invitation was tempting, if only for that reason – alliances were one thing I sorely lacked. I hadn't done much drinking before, and that set little warning bells off in my head. Still… What did I have to loose? Besides, the guy could be of use, especially if he was foreign; maybe he could suggest somewhere for us to go, would have some contacts out of the country… "Fine," I relented. "After work?"
"Hell yeah," Malik whooped. "My usual drinking buddy has a boyfriend now, so this'll be the first time I've gotten drunk in a while. Here…" He dug into his back pocket, taking out a scrap of paper. "Hand me that pen," he commanded, snapping towards a small workbench. I scowled and did as he asked; he scribbled something on the paper. After a second, he tossed the pencil back in the general direction of the bench and handed the scrap to me. "There. My humble abode."
I could barely make out the scrawl, but once I did, I arched a brow. "I live across the street from you," I said slowly. How was it I had never seen him before? Then again, I usually made it to work a good hour before him; that probably had something to do with it.
"Huh? No shit, really?" Malik grinned. "Then I bet you're that new tenant – I know your landlords. Look, if you see Bakura, tell him I got lonely without him and have moved on."
My eyebrow felt like it hitched another inch up, and Malik cleared his throat.
"Or not. Anyway, yeah, after work."
The warning bells in my head had meant something after all. If I had known that after a couple of drinks, my inner monologue would become dialogue, I would have gone straight home after work. Within two hours, Malik and I were trading horrible childhood stories, just trying to see who had the worst. I wasn't sure who was winning.
"I gotta toast for you," Malik said dramatically, holding up his bottle. I mimicked the action, grinning stupidly; I could feel it on my face and cheeks... "Life's a bitch, and then you die!"
I joined Malik's laughter, knocking back a gulp of my drink. "Perfect. Absolutely fuckin' perfect. You and me," I gestured between us disjointedly, "I bet we'd get each other if we met somewhere else – life dealt you a shitty hand too."
Malik nodded eagerly. "I got scars on my scars."
We both laughed again at the humorless statement. "Well, I'm takin' control of my life." I waved my hand in the air. "I'm gonna run away."
"Ooh, I ran away once; best thing I ever did. It got me here."
"Fuck this place," I retorted. "You can HAVE it! I'm leavin' as soon as possible."
"What about the kid? Looked like you loved him."
"I do; as soon as I have the money, I'm takin' him and we're leavin' the country."
"That's illegal!" Malik giggled. The noise was decidedly odd; it was a little high-pitched… He must have been really drunk… or maybe he was just a fruit.
"Oh well." I shrugged. "It'll be worth it."
Malik snorted and pointed at me dramatically. "Yeah, but you're gonna get caught. I had a hard enough time, and I was by myself, and no one was even lookin' for me! You're gonna kidnap a kid, try to leave the country, WHILE they'll be keeping an eye out for him? You're obviously askin' to die."
"Hey, hey, fuck you!" I shouted, scowling. "What the hell would you know?"
"A lot – think you're the only kid who wanted to run away from home? What kind of asshole denies honest help anyway – sheesh! How ungrateful." He took another swig of his drink and glared at me… Or he tried; it lasted about two seconds before he started chuckling to himself. "I mean, jesus, you could be a little grateful."
I frowned. "Well, it didn't sound like help to me – sounded like baseless criticism."
"Well, it was help, but if you don't want it, then I'm not gonna bother."
I frowned and stretched my legs out onto the coffee table, propping the bottle between my outstretched legs. Maybe he was trying to help… Even I could set aside my pride, if it would help me get Mokuba with less trouble. "Maybe I want it," I said derisively. "IF it's any good."
"Well…" Malik dragged out the word, assumedly thinking. I couldn't be sure. "It WOULD be good." He took a deep swig from his bottle. "Yeah, I could round you up a whole posse."
"That's your advice?" I asked incredulously. "To hell with your advice, then; I don't want a posse – you can't trust too many people with a secret."
"You're gonna have to, if you want to succeed," Malik argued. "It's, like, business or something – have allies. Look, you love business, right? You practically get off on it at work, and you never stop givin' the old man a hard time."
"Sure, I guess I like business." Allies. Right, I had JUST been thinking that earlier, when I had agreed to the stupid drinking date. How could I have forgotten so soon? "What's your point?"
"Well… Fuck, I'm not sure, I just know that it just ain't happenin' alone, okay? I got a lot of friends… Okay, I know Bakura, and Bakura knows Ryou, and Ryou has a lot of friends, and at least a handful of 'em know how to break the law. I bet they'd love to help."
"That's reassuring. I'm not lookin' to make my brother some criminal's pleasure trip," I grumbled.
"They're not THAT sick. Jeez, I never met anyone so… Ugh! Shut up and listen to me: us runaways gotta stick together, that's all." Malik gave me a big smile and turned back to his drink. It all almost seemed friendly. "We'll hook you up, alright? You could never find someone better suited to round you up some delinquents."
"But I'm tellin' you, I don't want people. I said I only wanted your advice if it was good," I argued heatedly, my drink forgotten.
"This IS good. You might be some bastard who hates people, but you're going to need 'em. You wanna succeed, right?"
"Yes."
"Then you'll have to sacrifice a little comfort for this. How about I introduce you to Bakura tomorrow, and we'll discuss it with him. If you don't feel right about it, we'll forget I even said anything, and I'll let you go about this on your own. Deal?"
He was doing it again – that smooth talking, that… damn, that thing he did at work. He stuck his hand out, like he wanted me to shake it, and I stared at the appendage. Was he right? Well, if I agreed, I'd have time to sleep on it – and if need be, I could decline tomorrow. Really, I couldn't lose. I took his hand – well, I caught it after three tries, at least.
"Deal."
notes
Many thanks to purkle dragon for the beta job. bow 'Tis muchly appreciated.
Yeah, see, Malik. blinkblink Hopefully he'll be a little better when he's not drunk. Heh.