Note: Sorry for the longer gaps between updates now, I'm back at work after my holiday so I don't have much time on my hands.
Brave New World 5
Yami Yugi POV
Kaiba's limo stops outside his mansion and I get out, staring up at the huge place. He called me an hour ago and sent his car to fetch me, who am I to refuse him? He sounded worried about something, although it's often difficult to tell with him. That's one of the reasons I like him, he's not as easy to read as everyone else.
I can't help but wonder why he called me here, he wouldn't tell me over the phone. He still doesn't talk to me that often, which is quite disappointing. Even after all we've been through together. I've spent a long time trying to get him to admit that we're friends, and we could be more if he'd just stop being so cold and open up a little.
I step up to the door after a flight of somewhat unnecessary marble stairs and ring the doorbell, hearing it echo through the mansion. The place is enormous, I don't know how he can live in somewhere so huge and quiet all alone.
The door opens and instead of some servant to greet me I find myself looking up at Kaiba himself. I must be staring because I've never seen him in casual clothing before. I assumed he always wore that trench coat and all those buckles, but right now he's wearing blue jeans and a black shirt, and his eyes look… different. Perhaps this has something to do with him wanting a child? We had a strange conversation about this a few weeks ago, I hope he hasn't done anything crazy like bought one on the black market… If he wants help with that he can think again.
"Yami. Come in." He leads me inside and closes the door while I look around at all the expensive furniture. I'm glad he's finally stopped calling me 'Yugi' now that I have my own body. The other two yamis have their own bodies too, that was something of an unfortunate side effect. Marik seems to be quite enjoying living for himself, I don't see the thief so I don't know what he's doing with his new life. Probably nothing good.
"What's this about, Kaiba?" I ask, wondering if he'll ever let me call him Seto.
"Keep your voice down," he mutters distractedly, "he's sleeping."
I am confused. Kaiba leads me towards a room on the left of the large staircase and I follow, puzzled.
"Who is sleeping?" I ask, lowering my voice as he asked me to. He just gestures inside the room and I enter, supposing that I will find my answer here. Perhaps he finally got his child? This room is no nursery, though. The walls are lined with books and there's a fire burning in the fireplace, warming the dimly lit space.
Kaiba enters behind me and looks at something near the fire, a strangely concerned look in his eyes. I follow his line of sight and gasp, definitely not expecting this.
Curled up in a chair with his eyes closed and his breathing soft in sleep is the tomb robber, his long, white hair catching the flickering light from the fire. He looks as innocent as Ryou when he sleeps, his skin paler than ever and dark shadows beneath his eyes.
I whirl around to demand an explanation from Kaiba but he raises a finger to his lips, leading me out of the room and up the stairs to one of his offices. Why is that – that thief here? And why did Kaiba's eyes change like that when they looked at him sleeping there?
"Alright." He says as he closes the office door. He seems to be expecting my questions, and I'm not going to disappoint.
"What in Ra's name is that psychopath doing in your house?" I demand, sure that the tomb robber must be up to something. Kaiba's eyes flash with anger for an instant, narrowing at me.
"Watch what you call him." Kaiba growls in warning, and I am shocked.
"Why would you defend him?" I don't understand what's going on here.
"That's none of your business. We have an agreement." He says, choosing his words carefully. "I get a child, he gets to go back to Egypt."
I take a moment to process this, understanding just what their deal entails and the fact that although it's little short of a business arrangement, Kaiba's eyes when he looked down at the thief prove that it's turned into something much more complicated.
"Why would he want to go back to Egypt?" I ask. "There's nothing there for us now." There wouldn't even be ruins after so long.
"He asked me to find Kuru Eruna for him. That's his home?" Kaiba asks, and suddenly I understand why he called me here. He wants to know more about that cursed thief.
"Yes. The village of thieves. My uncle Akunadin had it burned down and the Sennen Items were created there. The tomb robber was the only survivor, he always blamed me." I inform Kaiba. "It was destroyed, there won't be anything there." Doesn't the thief realise that? It'll just be desert now.
"He knows that." Kaiba says, distracted, and I know he's thinking about the grave robber. What could he possibly see in that twisted freak?
"How long has he been here?" I ask, amazed that this house is still standing with him here.
"A little over a week." Kaiba is worried about him. Why?
"And he's not carrying a child yet?" If he'd asked me I would have done this for him for nothing. Why the thief and not me?
"No. He's…not well." Kaiba says slowly, and I raise an eyebrow in question. He sighs and moves to sit in a chair behind the large desk in the middle of the room.
"Have you seen him since the three of you…" He trails off, looking at me.
"Became mortal? No, not really. Well, I've seen him, I just haven't spoken to him." I'd rather not talk to that maniac if I can help it, after all.
"He hates it. He hates this whole world – cars, electricity, everything. He's getting worse, he hardly even talks anymore." Kaiba sounds concerned, and it annoys me.
"Why do you care? He's just a-" I begin, stopping when the door opens and the thief is standing there, looking tired and pale. I've never seen anyone look so ready to die, his eyes are almost completely empty.
Kaiba stands up, forgetting what I'd been saying.
"Bakura, are you alright?" He asks, using the tomb robber's name. It sounds strange, I don't think I've ever heard Kaiba say it before. The thief looks up at Kaiba and then looks down emptily.
"I wish you would stop asking me that." The grave robber whispers in that girlish voice of his, sounding like he wants to lie down and sleep forever. He doesn't even seem to care that I'm here, his enemy.
"Tomb robber." I greet him, not liking being ignored and getting a look from Kaiba for calling him that.
"Pharaoh." The thief replies, then looks back at Kaiba. "I will be in my room when you want me." He says, and I can't help thinking about what the tomb robber means by 'when you want me'.
"Alright." Kaiba says, probably wanting to say more but not in front of me. The thief turns and leaves, closing the door, and Kaiba shakes his head tiredly.
"This deal was a bad idea." He admits, sounding like he wants to go back on it. Again I am surprised; it's rare for Kaiba to regret anything he's done.
"So end it." I suggest.
"I can't. He won't stay." Kaiba says, and I frown. He's admitting he cares about the thief? Then again, the way he says it makes it sound as though the tomb robber will just go ahead and die if he calls this deal off.
If I were Kaiba I'd throw the thief out right now.
TBC