Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.
"Would you stop giving me that look?!" I pause with a towel stuck to my head, trying to dry out my long wet locks, and give the annoying spirit a meaningful glare. This just makes him laugh harder.
"Oh, come on now Otogi." He saunters up to me, stretching my name out in a way that I'm not all too comfortable with. "This is a natural thing, that you shouldn't be ashamed of. Are you sure you don't want my help? My offer still stands."
"Like I really need you." I push him away as he tries to wrap an arm around me, grinning like mad. "I can get some anytime I want." He gives me a skeptical look but doesn't say anything. "Well then, how long has it been since you got any? Two thousand...maybe three thousand years?" I leer at him, effectively turning the tables.
"Excuse me?" He frowns. "It so happens that I visited a kinky Egyptian today, with quite a sexual appetite." He grins.
Well that really makes me feel better, knowing that a dead guy could get lucky and I'm stuck by myself with only the shower for company. Then again...if I so wanted to, I could have gotten very lucky indeed, not less than an hour ago.
"So how was he?" Bakura snaps me out of my thoughts. Had I been thinking out loud? I don't think so. Unless that freaky ring of his now had mind-reading powers I never knew about. He sees the confused look on my face and decided to elaborate. "Jou, how was he?"
"What the...how did you know?"
"I was sneaking around the shop before I came in, saw the whole thing, quite the show, I applaud you." He smirks, clapping his hands lightly. "Why did you not 'seal the deal' as they say?"
Figures, now he's taking a liking to spying on me, how nice. "I couldn't take advantage of him like that!" Not to mention what Seto would do to me if he found out I had gotten a piece of his favorite toy.
"How noble of you." He snorts. "Just do me a favor. Next time he decides to maul you, fuck him for me?"
I roll my eyes at him. "Anyway, as you know, we would have been cut short anyway."
"Yes true...Kaiba did not look too happy." Bakura stops to consider this for a moment before adding, "Not that he ever really does...just, more grumpy than usual let's say."
"So, I'm hoping that the 'kinky Egyptian' you visited today wasn't just for the booty call. What about the note?"
"Oh, yes of course, I almost forgot." He grins, taking a seat across from me at the kitchen table and folding his hands. Like hell he forgot, the bastard is just trying to make me wait. "Well, it's quite interesting really."
"Do tell." I raise an eyebrow at him.
"You see, it's not really an note at all. It's more of an incantation." He explains simply.
"Incantation?"
"A love spell if you will, quite powerful too. It doesn't really surprise me, back in the day, he was quite a formidable mage." He replies a tinge of respect and jealously in his voice.
"A love spell?" Now this was making even less sense than before. Kaiba didn't exactly seem like the type to believe in those sort of rituals.
"Don't worry, I am just as puzzled as you. But I suppose maybe you can find out something in your friendly little meeting tonight?"
"Yeah, it should be very enlightening." I roll my eyes.
"Here, take this with you." I reach up my hand just in time to catch the object thrown at me, and glance down to read it.
"Pepper spray? Thanks for the thought."
"No problem."
"You're not coming with me?"
"Or course not, you already rejected my offers earlier." Bakura reaches out to twist a stand of my hair around his finger, giving me a lecherous grin, and all I can do is shake my head and smile despite myself.
X x X
It's almost seven and I look up to see Kaibacorp looming over me. I suppose I should go up now but...hey look! There's a penny! I need all the luck I can get after all. No, I'm not stalling. I'm superstitious ok? Geez, stop looking at me like that. I'm not afraid of Kaiba I just--
"Otogi!" I feel a strong grip on my shoulder and nearly jump out of my damn skin, spinning around and almost throwing myself on the ground.
"Whoa there!" The voice exclaims as he helps me to my feet, and I look up to see Honda standing over me. "Are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah, it's nothing you just startled me is all." I reply, trying to pull back a few stay hairs that had fallen out of my pony-tail.
"What are you doing hanging out around Kaibacorp? You look really pale too, are you sick?"
"No, I'm fine." Just awaiting my inevitable death, that's all. Yeah, ok, I lied. I am afraid. Not only is Kaiba one of the most powerful men in Domino, he also has freaky spell casting powers I've now come to learn about. Really, it's not fair that someone could be that intelligent, that rich, that hot, and have special powers.
What do I have besides a cool dice earring?
"Hmm..." He crosses his arms and gives me a strange look before speaking again. "Are you sure you're not in any trouble?"
I give him a sincere smile and nod my head. His efforts to protect me can only be described as...cute. Like he thinks he's everyone's big brother. Yeah, I guess you could say I like the guy, at least I like him more than of the other Motou groupies.
"Ok, just making sure!" He grins and gives me thumbs up before turning to leave. "I'm off to go pick up Shizuka, see you around!"
Strike that last note from the record. Damn Honda...woman stealing, straight as an arrow...what the hell is beeping noise? I look down to see my watch blinking. Oh, it's seven, I set the alarm for seven. Now I'm going to be late. Shit, if there's one thing I know about Kaiba it's that he doesn't appreciate that sort of thing. Damn perfectionist.
"Excuse me." I get the attention of an attractive red head girl on the first floor. "Could you be a dear and look out for any loud noises coming from the top floor? You know like...gunshots, or...portals to the magical shadow realm? Call the police if you hear anything." She gives me a strange look but nods her head nonetheless.
How does that passage from the bible go? 'As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...' I fidget with the cuff of my sleeve as I watch the numbers of the floors go by. This is one damn tall building, probably because that's how Seto liked everything, bigger and better than everyone else's. Must be a huge fall down from the top. I shudder and shake my head, banishing the thought. A light at the top of the elevator doors blinks red and makes a beeping noise before the doors glide open, signifying I am now at my destination.
I take a few cautious step outside, there I only a small hallway between the elevator and a set of large double doors. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where those doors lead
Raising my hand up to knock on the door...wait, should I knock? I mean he's already expecting me. But I also don't want to walk in on anything I shouldn't be seeing. Who knows what kind of foul things go on behind the door of the CEO of Kaibacorp office?
I guess I'm about to find out.
Finally gathering enough courage to lift up my hand, I rap it three times against the hardwood surface before hearing a monotone 'come in' from the other side.
The office isn't really anything out of the ordinary, the standard desk, computer, and of course, the large fern plant in the corner that looked like it needed to be watered.
"You're late." I hear a voice speak from the armchair sitting in back of the desk. I can't get a look at Kaiba because he has the back turned to me, looking very much like he should have a cat on one arm, stroking it lightly like those cartoon bad guys like to do. I then notice the large open window overlooking the view of Domino. It was quite nice, I have to admit, and I find myself wondering what the view might look like at night.
"Come, sit." Kaiba ordered, swiveling the chair around to face me, looking deadly calm.
I nod my head and comply, sitting down and folding my hand on top of the smooth lacquered desktop. "So...What is this business you have to discuss with me?" I ask, very proud of the fact that I am looking oh so confident and in control.
"Would you stop that, you're shaking the desk." He replies simply. I freeze for a second, brining my hand down on the leg that I was bouncing up and down a few moments ago. I can't help it, it's a nervous habit.
"Why are you so interested in mine and Jou's...relationship?" He askes.
"Because I've got nothing better to do." I shrug and he narrows his eyes, seemingly not satisfied with that answer, but I come back with a question of my own. "What did you write down on that note?" If this statement stuns him it certainly doesn't show, because he answers me back in that same even voice.
"What note?"
I laugh lightly at this, giving him a sly smirk. "Come one now, you know what I'm talking about. I'll have you know that I already know what's on it, and I have a tape of you writing it as well."
"Tape?"
"Yep...and everything that had happened before." I grin, confidence growing with each word I speak, I've got him backed into a corner now...and there's no where to run.
"I..." He starts off and then shakes his head, looking quite disturbed. I cheer on the inside. Finally some kind of response! He finally realizes he's in deep shit!
Clearing his throat, he looks back up, meeting my eyes with his unwavering blue gaze. "I have to hand it to to Otogi, you've set up the perfect blackmail. There's really not much I can do...except try and cover it up when you go public with this."
"Well..."
"Or, I could always have you assassinated."
My mouth gapes open like a fish at that statement before he shakes his head at me.
"Don't wet yourself just yet, I wouldn't to that far." He replies. How comforting, really. I take a moment to fondle the pepper spray Bakura gave to me in my pocket, finding it slightly comforting. "Do what you will Ryuuji, it is out of my control now."
I stare at him for a moment after that, at a loss for words. Is he really giving up that easy? I don't believe it somehow. I mean, I know that this was my intention from the start...but I didn't think that the end outcome would be this...unfulfilling.
"Hey now, don't looks so grim Kaiba! Who said anything about this going public?" He raises an eyebrow at me, looking at me suspiciously, and I continue. "Maybe if you tell me why you decided to write what you did that fateful day...I will let this all stay between you and me."
He stares back at me for a moment, looking like he's battling with himself on the inside, but he finally sighs and gives in. "I can't tell you...because I don't even know what I wrote."
"What?"
"After...you know what happened..." He scowles slightly, obviously not liking the fact that I had seen what was on the tape, "Jou and I had a falling out. After he left, I couldn't follow him right after because then people might see us leavign toghter, so I sat down." He paused for a moment, a strang look coming over his face, like he was unsure if his memory was correct or not. "I had to urge to write so I did."
"Just like that? That's so strange."
"No shit." He grumbles. "When I realized what I was writing I thew it out. I didn't even go back to look at what it was. It was in..."
"Egyptian, yes I know." I finish his sentence for him, since we all know how much our favorite CEO disliked talking about those things, past lives and such. Honestly, you'd think being locked inside a card would make any guy believe in magic, but this was Kaiba after all. Look up 'stubborn' in the dictionary and you just might find his picture. Along with the words 'egotist', and 'antisocial'.
"Would you like to know what was on the note?" I ask him, he doesn't answer, just stares back at me, so I take that as a yes. "It's a spell."
He rolls his eyes at me. "Go to hell Otogi."
"It's true Kaiba!"
"I think this meeting is over, leave my office immediately."
"Wait, I just have one more question for you."
"What is it?" He glares, looking like his patience for me is wearing thin.
"Why did you break up with Jounouchi?" He's silent after that, but I don't move, and I think he realizes that he's not going to get rid of me until he answers the question.
"I didn't. He's the one who ended it."
This surprises me to no end, Jounouchi? He actually had the balls to stand up to Kaiba?
"So you can do whatever you want with him now." He replies bitterly, turning to his computer and began working something, typing away with speed.
"But..."
"Leave." Was the forceful response, and I can do nothing but comply, even though I am now even more confused than when I came in.
Satanic Mechanic: I really have nothing to say I guess...except I think it's safe to assume that the man Bakura went to see was Malik/Marik. I don't know if he's going to be making an appearance in this fic yet or not.
