(Seto)
I glared at Bakura; the pale man glared back, not all intimidated by my gaze.
Damn it.
We were sitting in my landlord's living room. I was on a couch beside Malik, and Bakura was on the loveseat across from us. As far as I knew, there was another guy in the kitchen. Then again, I didn't really care where he was; I was having enough problems trying to figure the best way out of the situation I had landed myself in, trying to find any quick exits while I still could. Damn Malik and his invitation.
"Bakura, drop the act already; we're going to help him, not murder him," Malik said deviously.
Bakura raised an eyebrow. "We are?"
"No, you're not," I said suddenly, standing. I didn't like the look of Bakura; something about him was wrong, too dangerous for the job. He didn't look at all trustworthy, and I wouldn't put my fate and Mokuba's in the hands of someone I couldn't trust, no matter what the risks were without him. Malik grabbed my wrist and yanked me back down before I could get too far, and it was all I could do not to backhand him for it.
"Hold your temper, Seto; he may act like a hard ass, but he's cool. Besides, he's perfect for the job."
"Oh?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "Is he?"
"Yeah – he's a master thief."
At those words Bakura perked up, and his eyes took on a mischievous glint. "Well," he said smoothly, leaning back in his seat and propping one foot up on his knee, "I like the sound of this already."
Malik nodded. "I thought you would."
"So what does he need? Robbery?"
"Kidnapping."
Bakura smirked. "Same thing, but I don't deal with kids, you know that." I scowled at Malik, my right hand balling into a fist. If he knew that, why the hell drag me there to start with? I opened my mouth to say something – maybe to yell at him, or maybe to announce that I was leaving again – but before I could, Malik was already talking.
"But this is different; this one's his brother."
Bakura frowned; for a moment, I might have considered the idea that he was thinking. "Okay, let's hear it – why?" He cracked his knuckles, his attention turning unwaveringly on me.
As much as I didn't want to say anything, he already knew too much. I was boxed in. "Because I want to get him out of the country with me." Bakura's eyes widened and he held up a hand as though to silence me, but I was undaunted; I'd started, and I had to finish. "He doesn't belong there, and I refuse – "
"I thought I told you two to take your 'fun' somewhere else." Malik and I both turned to see my landlord standing behind the couch, frowning. "I don't like you guys doing this shit in the living room."
"But Ryou, it's not really illegal," Bakura said, exchanging a look with Malik. I was left in confusion, gaze shifting from Bakura to Malik. I could only hope they didn't fuck up. I hadn't talked to him much more than to pay my rent, but from the sounds of it, Ryou wasn't a criminal like his look-alike housemate.
"Yeah!" Malik pitched in. "This is about more than written law, it's…"
"…the law of blood!" Bakura finished, smug look painted all over his face. "And…"
Malik took over. "…love! This is about brotherly love. Think about it, that kid, all alone in that orphanage with no one to care for him. If we don't help Seto, he'll be there alone for years! This isn't about breaking the law, it's about – "
" – helping a desperate man," Bakura finished, still looking smug as hell. I almost interjected that I was far from 'desperate', but I understood what was happening; I saw the pity softening Ryou's eyes. They were toying with his sympathies, and doing a damn good job from the looks of it. I didn't like it, not so much because I thought there was something wrong with Ryou – I liked the look of him more than I liked looking at Bakura – but because he looked innocent. He didn't belong in my business, and I knew it.
Malik continued, "We're obligated to help him, as good people. This isn't about having fun."
Ryou bit his lower lip and shifted on his feet a bit, but anyone looking at him could tell he was sold, no matter how hard he was trying to look indecisive. "You swear?" he asked hesitantly. Malik grinned at him.
"Yeah, on our souls." Bakura snorted, but Malik continued, "Here, take a seat; I bet we'll need more than just us." Finally the attention turned back to me. "So, Seto, tell us about this orphanage – anything important that could make or break this operation?"
I gritted my teeth from saying something about what they had just done, how they had just manipulated someone into this without my consent, and instead said, "What operation? I didn't agree to anything."
"Oh for the love of…" Bakura growled and looked me dead in the eye, and once again I made note of how dangerous he looked. "Look, either you're here for help or you'll do it alone. I don't care whether you succeed or not, but if you're going to be this stubborn about it, then get the hell out and stop wasting my time."
The retort was on my tongue; he was wasting my time just as much as I wasting his. I could get up, leave, and deal with my own issues on my own – as it should have been. But I hesitated, looking over the three of them – Bakura's scowl, Ryou's concern, and Malik's expression just blank. It wouldn't do me any good to refuse their help; I knew I needed it, and they knew too much to become enemies. So, instead of doing the smart thing, I stayed in my seat and said, "The orphanage is strict as hell about visitors; they'd never leave a kid unsupervised, especially with me."
"Why?" Ryou asked. "That's horrible, not letting brothers have some alone time."
"Well, you'd be like that too, if you heard my threats when I left; I've visited a few times since, but it's been such a hassle that they told me to stop coming."
Bakura slapped his head and sighed. "You dumb shit – you admitted to the crime before you even committed it? You can't do anything now."
"Excuse me?" I made a conscious effort not to shout as I continued, "There's no way in hell you can expect me to – "
"I said YOU can't do it," Bakura cut in. "Lucky for you, you have accomplices now; you'll have to settle into the role of ring-leader now, but it can still be done."
"I won't trust someone else with this," I growled. If that pompous fuck thought for one second that I would… "I'm not going to put my brother's life in some criminal's hands."
With a grin and a click of his tongue Bakura reminded me, "You'll have to unless you want to land your ass in jail. Besides, if this all goes well, then you're a criminal too. Now, back to the orphanage – they don't let people in unsupervised?"
"No," I seethed.
"Hmm… Do they ever take the kids out? Like to the park or something?"
"Not during the winter; they have menial entertainment on the property. Sometimes they take the kids to the hospital, but Mokuba isn't sick."
"Shit." Bakura leaned back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, plan not withstanding, what'll we need, Malik?"
"Seto will need a concrete alibi," Ryou pitched in. I was surprised that he said anything at all; I wouldn't have expected him to have the first clue about what a crime would or wouldn't need. "As far away from the scene of the crime as possible."
"And with people," Malik added, looking proudly at Ryou. "He's going to need a kidnapper. You and Ryou won't do, though; you're too close to him. We'll need someone he's never been seen with."
"Yeah." Bakura was nodding. "So, alibi, kidnapper… You'll probably need someone to stow the kid away for a bit too; it'll look suspicious if you disappear right after he's been kidnapped."
Ryou sighed and leaned again the back of the couch. "It'd be too dangerous to keep him here."
"Right," Malik finished. "This is a lot of work for one kid – is he really worth it?"
I glared at him and replied through gritted teeth, "Yes."
"Well, fine," Bakura said, "but this is gonna take more than just us. We'll need a bigger group to pull this off." He looked too excited at the prospect for my comfort.
"Good thing we know enough people," Malik chipped in. "Ryou, what do you think about goin' out and rounding up the group?"
I considered the idea while Malik and Ryou discussed the whereabouts of their friends. I had never intended to let ONE stranger 'help' me, let alone several. Still, they had a good point – the officials at the orphanage were probably already waiting for me to do something drastic. As much as I didn't want to… I cleared my throat, effectively getting the room's attention. "Whomever you bring into this had better be prepared for it," I said – it was the closest to admitting that I needed their help as I intended to vocalized. "If I'm betrayed by one of your friends…"
"Seto, Seto," Malik said disarmingly, patting my shoulder; I shrugged him off. "The first thing that'll help, is if you stop thinking of them as 'our friends' and start considering them your partners in crime. Here, give us a week, and we'll arrange a meeting, okay?"
I nodded. "One week." I stood to leave, and Malik followed suit.
"You guys can stay a while if you like," Ryou said. "Dinner should be done soon, and it can't hurt to get to know each other, right?"
I stood and declined: "I've got things to do."
"But I'll be back in a minute, so don't start without me," Malik said as he followed me out the door. Once it was closed, he whistled low. "I thought we were sunk there for a minute."
"What was that?" I demanded. "You two deliberately manipulated him – I don't want anyone in this unwillingly, Malik."
To my surprise, Malik's expression suddenly turned serious, and he crossed his arms over his chest, much like I had in the living room. "There's no way Bakura or I would do anything to put Ryou in danger. Sometimes he just needs a push off the path of righteousness." A second passed; Malik's glare faltered, and dissolved into a smile, as though he was recalling some fond memory. "I'm goin' back in for food. You sure you don't want to join us?"
"Positive."
"Only fools are positive, but to each his own – you're the one missing out."
I rolled my eyes and went to the steps that led up to my apartment. Even if it was so close to the house that I couldn't practically hear them, it was enough just to be away; I didn't know if I could handle much more of them, which didn't bode well for my future at all. But more importantly than just being irritated with them, I had to let Mokuba know about the change in plans.
"I don't like him," Bakura fumed as I entered the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter, a fork in one hand and a bowl of rice in the other. "He's as self-righteous as Yami, and just as fucking irritating."
"Cut the man some slack," I said, dishing myself some food. "Ryou, you liked him, right?" Ryou shrugged, not looking up from his newspaper as he took a bite of his dinner. I continued to Bakura, "It's not like you'll be dealing with him directly; you won't be doing the kidnapping, and that's who'll get the brunt of his shit."
"I won't?" Bakura balked. "Why the fuck not?"
I jumped up onto the counter beside him and knocked on his head. "Do the words 'outstanding warrant' mean anything to you, oh master thief? It'd be too conspicuous and dangerous, right, Ryou?"
"Uh-huh – don't be stupid, Bakura," Ryou said, finally looking up at us. Bakura rolled his eyes and started eating his rice. "So who do you plan to have do it?"
"I was thinking me and Jou could – "
"No," Bakura interrupted, his fork snapping up to point at my face so quickly that I almost caught it in the eye. "I don't want him anywhere near it."
In the back of my mind I swore, but I knew Bakura – given the right bribery, he could be rational… "Bakura…"
"No."
…except when his boy-toys were concerned. When that was the case, it took more than bribery – it took blackmail. Bakura went back to his rice, eating it so viciously that he might as well have been murdering it. I looked over his head at Ryou, who pointedly shook his head, like he could see what I was planning. I nodded slightly, and he stood, leaving the room.
He didn't want to be part of it. That didn't surprise me; he didn't like it when I had to manipulate Bakura into something, even if it was for the best – good thing he didn't know how often Bakura and I tricked him, or we'd be in for one hell of an ass-kicking. "Bakura, he's perfectly capable."
"He's not a criminal."
"Yes he is. He might not be like you, or even me, but he was a street kid – he's got all the smarts he'll need for this sort of thing. Besides, if I have to, I'll tell him that you doubted his capability – you know he'll agree in a heartbeat if I tell him that."
"But I..." He growled. "I hate you."
I nodded and ignored the statement. "If he doesn't want to do it, I won't make him, so you might as well loosen his leash a little, okay?"
"Fine! But if anything happens to him…" He threw his rice bowl into sink and left the room, shouting something that I didn't quite catch.
"You'll get over it!" I called after him, leaning back against the empty dish rack. I guess I understood how he felt, a little bit. I mean, Seto and his manipulation rant… I didn't understand the guy; every ten minutes he was pulling something different – indifferent, then agreeable, then an asshole, then CARING about strangers? Even Bakura made more sense than that. Still, at the same time, I DID get him. He had an unpredictable streak – as he had proven when he gave in to us – and there was a passion to him; I could see it when he got angry. When he told me he was running away, I saw what I might have looked like to someone else – or at least what I might have sounded like. If someone had offered to help me back then…
With a small grunt I hopped down from the counter, setting my bowl down and looking around the kitchen.
If someone had offered to help me back then, I would have done the same thing that Seto did – tell them to get the fuck away from me. That was why I needed to help him.
notes
More thanks to purkledragon for beta'ing. bow Thanks to the reviewers as well! That made me feel better. :)
Hmm, so now I'm more worried about just how slow it is or is not going. Heh, that, and Malik still worries me. And as for our subtle (and later, not quite so subtle) BakuraxJou hints... Well, there were two reasons behind this, but I only happen to know one of them -- that is, if I didn't do something with Jou, I was afraid that he was going to end up with Kaiba, and that was like murder right there, so I said no. Well, and I like BakuraxJou, for some unknown and probably bizarre reason. But mostly, its a lot like Malik's presence in the story; it snuck in when I wasn't looking. Heh.