Author's Note: One of my roommates was sick this weekend. My beta reader is deathly ill with a nasty cold. Time to have tons of orange juice and chicken noodle.
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Bon appetite!
Bakura just stared in shock as the guest sitting in his living room. Mai Valentine had a rather devious smirk on her face as he relaxed on the couch, violet eyes locking with Bakura's maroon ones. If his brother wasn't there, Bakura might have started cussing the woman out. This is bad. This is very bad. Bakura didn't look at his brother, but could see his tense form crunching into itself even more, as if trying to disappear. Of all possible scenarios to occur, this was one of the worst that could have happened.
Shit.
"It's been awhile Bakura. I was beginning to think you didn't want to see me again." Mai joked in a light teasing voice. Her words finally broke Bakura from his stupor. He lowered his gaze to glare at Mai, his anger now forcing him to action. "What the hell are you doing here, Mai?" His question went ignored as Mai looked around, a curious and delighted look on her face. "I've always wanted to see what kind of place the almighty Bakura lived at. It's not quite as luxurious as I would have guessed."
Mai turned her head and smiled broadly at Ryou. "But then again, I never would've guessed that the mighty Thief King had such a cute little brother! Seriously Bakura, I could just eat this kid up." Ryou flicked his eyes up, a weak smile on his face as he clenched his hands together. Bakura glanced over at his twin, who remained on guard. Ryou was no idiot – he knew this was bad and Bakura could see how desperately Ryou wanted to get away.
"Ryou." Bakura spoke softly, keeping his eyes locked on Mai. "Would you mind making some tea for our guest? We wouldn't want to be rude." After a moment of glancing between the two criminals, Ryou finally stood up. "S-sure. If you'll excuse me." He muttered softly as he left the room, Bakura catching the audible sigh of relief as he exited. As soon as Ryou left, Bakura heard Mai giggle from her spot on the couch. He whipped his head around to glare at her.
"Well, this is turning out to be a fun little visit?" Bakura clenched his fists at the arrogant look Mai was now giving him. "Why the fuck are you here? What the hell do you think you're playing at?" Mai just shook her head, clicking her tongue on a condescending manner. "Tsk, tsk, Bakura. I believe I told you this would happen. I left several voicemails of the most amiable nature asking you to contact me. I told you I'd come visit you wherever most convenient. I'm not opposed to home visits after all."
Bakura didn't say anything, just watching Mai like she was a cobra ready to strike. He wanted to kick himself for this. He knew this would happen. This happened because he kept pushing off meeting with Mai to talk about work. He had thought himself invulnerable – he figured that Yami would simply have to settle and make do with what little he told Joey. Instead, Yami gave Mai the all clear to do whatever she saw fit.
And now Bakura had to pay the damn consequences for it.
"Look, I don't care for whatever sick plans you might be thinking of. Let's make one thing clear – you hurt Ryou, you die. Slowly and painfully." Mai just shrugged her shoulders, not intimidated by the threat. She ran her fingers through her hair, almost as if bored with the conversation. "Why would I think of hurting such a sweet boy? Is it so hard to believe that I just want to hang out and get to know your twin a little better? He certainly seems like much better company than you."
Bakura glared at Mai, hating the position he was stuck in. One part of him wanted to cuss Mai out for putting him in this position, but with Ryou in the other room, he couldn't risk it. The other more rational side of him told him that he was no position to be making demands – it was best to just appease Mai and get this over with. If he played his cards right, everyone could come out a winner. He just needed to keep his cool and play Mai's game. Damn. This sucks.
Bakura watched Mai as he settled down in the armchair that Ryou had been sitting in. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, crossing his fingers together as he pressed his mouth against his knuckles. There was a few moments of silence as Mai watched back, relaxed and arrogant as always. "…Fine." Bakura mumbled, eyes not leaving Mai's. "What do you want to know?" Mai leaned back, crossing her arms across her chest as she dropped her smile.
"Alright. I want an update. What's the status of the Millennium Items?" Bakura blinked for a moment before glancing off to stare at the carpet. "I've obtained six of the Items. I have visual on the Millennium Puzzle and am currently planning an extraction for the end of February. Next?" Mai gaped for a moment, almost surprised by how quickly and easily Bakura's answer came. "Six? I thought you only had five last time?"
Bakura narrowed his eyes, trying to remember when he last detailed his success and failures in his mission to Mai. It had been quite a while. We talked briefly in… November? Before that was that stupid dinner date at the end of September. I guess it's been two months… When did that happen? "Well, I had the Rod and the Eye when I last talked to you. So by deduction, that means I got the Ring during our time apart. Following okay, Ms. Valentine?" Bakura knew he was pushing his luck, but he keep his annoyance and frustration completely under wraps.
Her expression darkened for a moment, though Bakura suspected it didn't actually have to do with his comment. "I see. How did you obtain those three Items? I want details of what interactions and dealings were made in order to get those relics." Bakura narrowed his eyes. There was something about Mai's tone that worried him. It was almost as if she was searching for something, like she was trying to trip up Bakura or catch him in a lie.
Bakura was about to explain in more detail how obtained those three Items when a thought occurred to him. I'll have to tell her about Marik. Initially when he first realized he would have to tell Mai, he figured he would have died from embarrassment. But suddenly, the issue became much more complex. Mai would want to know what Marik expected as payment for his service. Perhaps this wouldn't have bugged Bakura before, but since he knew that Marik wanted to meet with Yami to get his revenge, he suddenly felt very hesitant with this revelation. If he screwed over his client, he would be screwed in turn.
I can't not mention Marik though. Mai will know that I'm leaving out a big part of the picture since she knows I'm working with another specialist on this mission. He really shot himself in the foot last time mentioning he had a work partner. Now, he would have to own up to it and reveal more than he wanted to. This was turning into a mess rapidly. If I tell Mai about Marik, I'll have to explain that he wants to meet with Yami. When it's finally revealed that he has it out for Yami, not only will they target him, but also me for setting Yami up.
"Well? I'm waiting." Mai's terse words broke Bakura from his thoughts. He knew he had to give an answer, despite his own misgivings. And based on the expression Mai gave him, she was already suspicious of him. Come as clean as I can. Don't reveal too much. Perhaps she won't press some areas. "I got the Rod first." Bakura felt his eye twitch as he recalled those months ago when he first retrieved the Rod. "I knew Marik would try to steal the Millennium Eye, so while he went on that mission, I stole back the Rod thinking he would fail. He didn't."
Mai raised an eyebrow, studying Bakura. "Oh? This Marik kid is the one who interrupted your heist when you originally stole the Rod, correct? How did you know he was going after the Eye?" To Bakura's own surprise, he chuckled. "Because I set him up. I pretended to give him a commission to fetch the Eye to prove that he had what it takes. He took the bait and I was planning on using that as my opportunity to screw him over and get both Items." Bakura leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Fat lot of good that did me."
Mai scoffed, as if not surprised by this turn of events. "So you stole the Rod back from Marik, but then Marik stole the Eye. So – was Marik responsible for what happened to Pegasus?" Bakura blinked, not looking at Mai. Already getting into hot water. Great. Bakura narrowed his eyes as he thought. So Mai had known Pegasus had ownership over the Eye. It was a natural conclusion to make given Pegasus's recent and startling appearance to the public. That raised the question though – had Marik done that?
"…No." Bakura said quietly, more to himself that Mai. "Oddly coincidental, yes, but Marik had nothing to do with that." Mai studied Bakura for a moment before nodding, turning to stare at the wall for a moment. Bakura wasn't sure if he was telling the truth. He didn't know if Marik had injured Pegasus. But he knew that it would serve no purpose in alarming his client that he was working with another thief who decided to gouge out a man's eye.
"Alright. So how did you get the Eye from Marik then?" Bakura rolled his eyes, rubbing his temple as he closed his eyes in recollection. "Well I kinda shot myself in the foot with that. He got the Eye, but lost the Rod, so he would have started guarding it even more carefully. He honestly should have failed that mission but he didn't. And I was wasting time trying to get Items from Marik that could have been spent researching the other Items.
Bakura gritted his teeth as he heard Mai started laughing. "Don't tell me you actually teamed up with this brat!" Bakura held back an army of swears as Mai giggled at Bakura's expense. He knew she was eating this up. Imagine if she knew I was dating the same brat. Good god. "Can we focus please?" Bakura asked diplomatically, knowing it was better to keep Mai in this mood for as long as possible. He opened his eyes to see Mai with a small smile on her face, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. What is going on…?
"Okay, let's focus. Tell me exactly what happened when you extracted the Ring. Leave nothing out." Bakura raised an eyebrow, but complied. "You're familiar with the case. Rex and Weevil were about to make a transaction with the Orichalcos. Thanks to your aid, we were able to plan an interception to steal the Ring from them. However, they knew I was coming and I ended up with a gun pointed at my head." Mai raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Bakura sighed as he leaned back. "Marik distracted them long enough to get me out of the situation, but I ended up getting injured. Marik stole the Ring and lost the two scavengers before coming back to get me. We fled the scene and stayed low for a while until the situation blew over." Bakura watched as Mai's eyes narrowed in thought, almost as if contemplating something. "And what of Rex and Weevil? Care to explain that one?"
Bakura paused, noticing the change in tone in Mai's voice. Where's this going…? "After Marik stole the Ring, they went after him. I focused on not bleeding out when Marik came back. From there, we left. They were still alive when I last saw them. I'm not stupid enough to go murdering people on the job when it's avoidable." Mai leaned forward, a sharp glint in her eye. "And your companion? Is he smart enough not to do something so reckless?"
Bakura blinked, finally realizing what Mai was getting at. "Marik didn't kill them. I gave him his equipment – he used only two bullets and neither were two kill. He didn't try shooting them." Mai gave a short unamused laugh, her expression darkening. "He wouldn't have to. Rex and Weevil didn't die from bullet wounds, though they did sustain gunshot wounds. Their throats were slit. Marik wouldn't have been carrying a knife on him that night, would he?"
Bakura blinked, shocked by this news. How would she know about… Valon. Bakura forgot that Mai had connections with the current member of the Orichalcos, and she wasn't afraid to use what resources she had. He thought for a moment, realizing that the revelation that Rex and Weevil were killed by a knife and not by a gun wasn't inconsequential. In fact, this screwed things up a shit ton more. When he had learned of their deaths, he had confronted Marik, demanding to know if Marik had done the deed. Marik had swore that he hadn't done it. He swore he hadn't shot the two thieves.
But Marik had stolen Bakura's knife.
The thought that Marik had taken Bakura's knife and used it to kill Rex and Weevil was unnerving. It was more unnerving that Marik would lie to him about it. Did Marik… murder Rex and Weevil? A few weeks ago, Bakura would have brushed aside that possibility. Marik may be childish and stubborn at times, but he was also too honest for his own good. There was a naïve innocence to the kid and Bakura trusted Marik. But with the recent discovery of his knife plus the news about Pegasus's eye injury had Bakura far more on guard than ever before.
Logic says I should not trust Marik – he's outrun his use and he's become a hazard. He's probably lying and hiding the truth from me. But I can't say that – this is Marik. For better or worse, we're getting through this together. Bakura knew he had no reason to trust his gut, but he truly believed that Marik didn't commit these crimes. Or at least, he trusted that Marik didn't think he did this. The more Bakura thought about it, Marik's memory had been spotty in times before. When he tried confronting Marik about the Millennium Eye, Marik struggled to recall the events of that night.
Do I honestly believe that Marik has a memory loss issue and that's why he can't recall his crimes? That's pretty out there. But then again – this is Marik. Every time I thought I had him figured out, he somehow managed to defy logic and prove me wrong. What's not to say there's something else at play that even Marik himself is not aware? In any case, wondering about the issue wouldn't provide a solution. Bakura wasn't there and Marik's memory was unreliable – there was no way to figure out the events.
Or was there?
Odion. The elder brother's name came up in Bakura's mind as he tried to make sense of the jumbled mess that was their mission. Odion had been the one to tell Bakura that Rex and Weevil were killed. Had he known that they were killed by a knife, most likely Bakura's knife, and decided to withhold this information? Odion definitely knew more than he let on and Bakura had been growing suspicious for awhile. Perhaps now was as good of a time to discuss this issue with Odion…
"Bakura. Did Marik kill those two?" Mai's terse voice broke Bakura from his thoughts. He realized he had been sitting in silence for quite some time. Bakura met her steady gaze, keeping his face void of any emotion. "No. I was very specific and particular about what equipment we used. I didn't hand him a knife – he had one fully loaded gun that was only to be used in an emergency situation. I'm sure he did not have a knife on him." Mai studied him, suspicious still hanging in the air between the two. "You're willing to risk your life on that?"
Bakura blinked, thinking for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I trust Marik with my life." The doubt on Mai's face fell into confusion, almost surprised by this revelation. Bakura didn't trust anyone and didn't get close anyone. It was probably shocking enough to learn that he had a little brother, but the fact that he had a partner in crime whom Bakura actually trusted said something. And despite knowing the danger, Bakura knew that he did trust Marik. He believed in Marik. Well that's a strange development.
Bakura suspected it was this information that pushed Mai into dropping the issue for the moment. "… Fine. I'll have to keep looking around then to figure out what happened to those two. My client has been rather cautious and skeptical upon hearing that news. Well, more than he usually is." Bakura snorted but didn't say anything. Yami had a reputation of being crazy suspicious of everyone around him. He was like Bakura in that way. Except Bakura had Ryou and Marik. As far as the thief knew, Yami didn't have anyone close to him.
"Is that all you have to ask?" Bakura muttered, keeping his eye downcast. Mai paused for a moment in thought before shaking her head. "Not quite. Why is Marik hunting down the Millennium Items? That I don't get." Bakura blinked, suddenly feeling as if he were thrown into the spotlight. …What do I tell her? Bakura couldn't tell her the truth. Should he make up a lie? He had a feeling that telling her that Marik wanted to meet Yami would be a bad idea. Either Mai would get suspicious and refuse the request – and Marik would be devastated – or she would suggest it to her client.
Bakura wasn't sure why, but he was sure the second option was far worse. His gut told him that until he figured out what exactly was going with Marik, he should not meet with one of the most powerful men in the world. It would be a disaster. So what should I tell her? He just wants the reward money? That would be easiest. But why this mission of all missions? Mai's expression darkened when she saw how long Bakura was taking to respond. "Is there something you two are plotting that my client should be made aware of?"
Bakura shook his head. "No, sorry. I was thinking. Marik wants something from Yami. He figured the best way to get that was to fulfill a commission. That's why he was eager to team up with me – because he knew my reputation and skills would help his chances of getting that wish." Bakura hoped that would be enough to sate Mai's curiosity. Unfortunately for him, Mai's expression remained sharp and analytical as she studied the albino. "Oh? And what does he require from my boss specifically? I'll need details if I'm to see if Yami can fulfill his request."
… Shit. Bakura had maneuvered himself into a corner. It was like there was a metaphorical knife to his throat and Bakura had no defense. If he backed down now, Mai would grow suspicious and tell her client. This was not going at all like Bakura had hoped. "He… wants to meet Yami. Honestly, I have no idea why, but he was insistent on meeting him in person. I guess he has personal business or something with him." Bakura hoped the vagueness of it would come off as Bakura not particularly interested in Marik's business.
Mai sat there in silence, thinking as she watched Bakura squirm in his seat. He noted that Ryou had been gone for quite some time. It was probably for the best that he was – he was probably hiding in the kitchen until the last minute. No sooner had Bakura thought that did Ryou come up with a couple of cups of tea, offering one to Mai first. This broke her from her trance as she gave Ryou a radiant smile. "Why thank you, love. How thoughtful!" Ryou gave a small smile before turning to Bakura with a cup for him.
Bakura locked eyes with Ryou for a moment as he took his tea, noticing the slight tremble in Ryou's hand as he passed the cup. He knew Ryou was worried and panicked, but knowing his brother, it was more for Bakura's well-being than anything else. I'll be fine Ryou. Just take care of yourself. Bakura wished he could offer verbal comfort to his twin, but with Mai in the room, he didn't dare say anything. Mai would find a way to use his own words against him.
Bakura watched as Ryou returned to the kitchen, most likely to stay out of the way as much as possible. He took a long sip of his drink before glancing back over at Mai, the smile gone her face. "Alright. Consider it done." Bakura blinked, confused for a moment. "What?" A thin smile grew on Mai's face before she took a quick sip of the tea. "Marik's request. I'll ask Yami to meet with him should you two succeeded in getting the Puzzle. My client shouldn't have any qualms meeting someone. I expect you still want to receive the commission?"
Bakura blinked, somewhat startled by the sudden compliance by Mai. "Yeah… but wait a minute. You're just going to grant it to him? Just like that?" Mai nodded before taking a longer sip of her tea. "Of course. You said you trusted him. That alone speaks volumes. If you think he can be trusted and has proven himself a capable specialist, then I see no reason why Marik shouldn't meet Yami." Mai continued to drink her tea, keeping her eyes low. Bakura stared at her, trying to see where the catch was. She gave in too easily. What is she playing at?
Bakura took another longer sip of tea, eyes not breaking away from the woman on his couch. Mai finally spoke, that small smirk still on her face. "It's also in your benefit to keep Yami happy and well, so I know you wouldn't do anything that would threaten my client. And if this does happen to be the case, well, it's good to know I have insurance." Bakura had been reaching to put down his cup when it slipped from his hand, clattering for a moment before settling. His expression darkened as he glared at Mai, her violet eyes trained on him.
So that's why she's not concerned. Fucking bitch. Damn it all to hell. Bakura was furious but there was nothing he could do. Any advantage or sway he had over Mai and Yami was gone now that she knew about Ryou. The cat was out of the bag – No matter what he threatened, he couldn't follow through. Not without risking Ryou as collateral damage. Bakura's hands clenched together, his jaw locking as he tried to physically restrain his anger.
Bakura watched as Mai finished her tea before sighing loudly, a pleasant smile on her face. "Well, I don't know about you, but I feel much better. As much fun as this date was, I should probably get going. Yami will want to hear all about my surprise visit today." Bakura remained sitting as Mai stood up and stretched for a moment, raising her arms above her head. He gritted his teeth as he heard her hum cheerfully. He stood up, gripping the arm of the chair.
"You're a fucking bitch, you know? This is low, even for you Mai." He growled, unable to keep his growing fury in check. Mai just grabbed her coat on the arm of the couch, putting it on as she shrugged. "I believe you were given plenty of warning of what would happen if you didn't get in touch with me. I can see from your answering machine that you definitely got my calls. I don't think this meeting was unwarranted. You only have yourself to blame for bringing this upon yourself."
Bakura exhaled, but didn't say anything. He knew Mai had a point. He had ignored her messages, thinking it wasn't worth his time. This was what he got for his arrogance. Before Bakura could reply, Ryou came out of the kitchen almost tentatively, glancing around. "You're leaving Ms. Valentine?" Mai quickly turned to the younger brother, a smile on her face as she giggled. Bakura growled as he stayed close by, not trusting the almost insane woman.
"Yes, unfortunately. Though I'd much rather spend more time with a cutie like you. Thank you so much for the tea, Ryou. That really hit the spot!" Ryou just blinked, noticing the sudden shift in mood from the bubbly woman. "Uh… no problem. If there's anything I can get you before you leave though, let me know." Bakura closed his eyes – Ryou was always excessively polite towards guests. If Mai knew how much of a snarky asshole his brother could be, he imagined she would've dropped the act sooner.
Mai just giggled before giving Ryou a hug. "You're too sweet. We'll have to hang out sometime without your brute of a brother bothering us, what do you say?" Ryou seemed startled by the sudden contact, giving a quick pat on Mai's back as he tried to worm his way out of her hug. "I-I guess we'll have to see." Bakura decided to save his brother from this awkward display of diplomacy. "That's enough Mai. Stop harassing my brother, got it?" He pried Mai away from Ryou, his brother's polite smile appearing rather weak.
Mai just rolled his eyes before giving an exaggerated sigh. "Ruin my fun, why don't you? You're just too cruel, Bakura. If that's the way you're going to be." Mai zipped up her jacket as she walked to the door. "Bye you two! Give me an update every once and while Bakura. And Ryou – let me know when you want to hang out! Just give me a ring!" Mai winked at the two brothers, a perky grin on her face as she saw herself out. Ryou raised his hand to wave goodbye, almost as if in a daze. As the door slammed shut, the two brothers were left standing next to each other, almost as if in shock.
"Well… That happened." Ryou murmured softly, almost confused as if he wasn't sure how to feel or react. Bakura sighed, finally releasing the tension that had been building up. He turned away to walk into the living room, his hands shaking. "Fuck!" He yelled as he grabbed the tea cup sitting on the table – one that had lip stick stained to the side – and flung it at the wall. He gritted his teeth as he heard the cup shatter against the wall. He raised both his hands to grip his hair, not caring about the sharp pain that came from pulling at his scalp. Fuck. This is just… fuck!
Bakura focused on breathing, trying to calm down. He was livid. He couldn't believe things had gotten as fucked up as they did. He pissed off Yami and now Mai was on his ass. If he didn't do as they asked, Ryou would get hurt. If he failed to get the Puzzle, Ryou would get hurt. If Marik was discovered to be an enemy of Yami, Ryou will get hurt. Succeed or fail – Bakura had failed to protect his brother. Things were simpler when the world assumed Bakura was a lone wolf with no ties. But now that the secret was out, now that they knew about his twin brother, everything was going to shit.
I fucked up. And now it's going to Ryou's life at risk.
The thought of his brother broke Bakura from his rage. He glanced behind to see Ryou just shaking his head, staring at the broken teacup on the carpet. "What did that tea cup ever do to you?" Bakura watched as Ryou knelt down to collect the broken bits, seeming more put out by the broken dishware than anything else. "And I even pulled out the good china. This is why we can't have nice things." Bakura watched almost in a daze as his brother went about his business, almost as if ignoring of the past hour of their life.
Finally Bakura regained his senses as he knelt down next to Ryou, staring at the carpet. Ryou glanced up for a moment before returning his focus on cleaning up the broken pieces. "Ryou." Bakura spoke quietly, reaching to take the pieces his brother collected. "Are you okay?" Ryou flicked his eyes over at Bakura, letting his twin taken the broken bits from him before collecting more pieces. "I'm fine. Are you going to be okay? You seem more on edge than myself."
Bakura shook his head, brushing off Ryou's question. "I'm fine. You don't have to lie to me. Did Mai do anything or threaten you in any fashion?" Ryou glanced up, almost in shock at the suggestion. He stood up as he walked to the kitchen. "Heavens no. She would hardly be a professional if she went around threatening civilians, now would she? Hardly makes her a diplomat and the face of her client." Bakura growled as he followed his brother, annoyed at Ryou's evasiveness. "Ryou, I'm serious!"
"And I'm serious too." Ryou grabbed a plastic grocery bag to dump the broken bits he collected before holding out the bag for his twin. "Bakura, I know you think I'm ignorant, but I've been aware for quite some time how risky your position is. For us to make it nine years without people realizing we're siblings is kind of miraculous to be honest. It's only now after all this time that the charade falls apart shouldn't be that shocking." Ryou tied off the plastic bag before setting it next to the trash can, moving to clean the kitchen. Bakura just watched, somewhat in a stupor.
Ryou sighed as he put away his tea set. "Not to sound fatalistic, but I've come to terms a long time ago that I might become a casualty of your work. That used to piss me off, but I realized… after the whole shit show with the mafia a few years back…" Bakura blinked as he realized what Ryou was referring to. "You mean the Orichalcos incident." Back when Bakura had a target on his back for refusing to cooperate and work with the terrorist organization. He refused to mention anything to Ryou and had even spent weeks away, trying to put some distance between the two of them to keep his twin out of harm's way.
"Yeah… You got hurt and I didn't hear from you ever. I realized… losing you would be even worse than losing my life. If I died, I'd be with mom and dad and Amane. If you died, I'd be alone." Ryou ducked his head down slightly. "I don't think I could handle that. I need people in my life. I can't-" Bakura glanced over at Ryou, who despite hiding his face with a curtain of hair, couldn't hide his trembling hands. Bakura closed his eyes, his body tensing in his own frustration.
"Bakura, I'm not strong like you. If something were to happen to me, you'll be fine. You've always been the stronger between the two of us. I couldn't- You'll be okay without-" Ryou's voice finally cracked, the trembling in his hands how spreading to the rest of his body as Ryou gripped the counter. Bakura finally snapped, reaching to grab Ryou by both of his shoulders. "Ryou, shut up." He growled, his hands tight on his twin's shoulders, Ryou kept his head ducked down.
Bakura stared at the mop of white hair as Ryou fought back sobs. "…What?" Ryou finally whispered out once he got his breathing under control. Bakura just growled, his grip tightening. "Just shut up, you idiot. No one's going to hurt you. I'm not going anywhere. Neither are you. Like hell I'm going to ever let anything hurt you, you fucking got that?" Bakura felt his arms shake, so he strengthened his grip on Ryou's shoulders, knowing it would likely leave bruises later. It was better than letting Ryou know how close Bakura was to seeing his world fall apart.
"Bakura, I…" Ryou didn't get far as Bakura yanked his brother into a tight hug. "Just shut up. Nothing's going to happen to you. Because I can't- I can't do this without you, got it? You're not being noble so just shut up, all right?" Bakura practically yelled the words, letting anger be his outlet for his fear. Ryou stiffened, shocked yet again by his brother display of affection. He relaxed as he hugged his brother back, the embrace tightening as Bakura felt the first wave of tears finally break through. Ryou was tough – he rarely saw his brother cry. That last time Ryou cried was at their parents' funeral.
Bakura remembered that the last time he saw Ryou cry was also one of the first time he heard his brother swear at him. This case seemed to bring out the worst in the two brothers. Bakura clenched his brother, not caring if he was holding a little too tight. The thought of losing Ryou, of hurting his little brother… it hurt more than he thought imaginable. Mai had only visited to let him know how fragile this precarious situation was – Ryou was still fine. But just the possibility that Ryou would get hurt because of his older brother caused a sharp pain in Bakura's chest.
"Bakura? You're crushing me." The thief heard his brother's muffled voice as he was finally broken from his thoughts. He rather reluctantly let go, watching Ryou clean up the tears that stained his cheeks. Ryou took a deep breath as he crossed his arms, looking a little embarrassed by his emotional outburst. Bakura, now feeling a bit awkward for his overreaction, shoved his hands in his pockets. "Feeling better?" he mumbled out, glancing around the kitchen as if disinterested.
The blush grew on Ryou's face as he nodded. "Uh, yeah… So now what?" Bakura's eyes furrowed as he thought over the question. Yeah. What do we do now? Their situation had become really messy and dangerous, but it wasn't hopeless. If Bakura played his cards right, he could get still them out safely. But that meant figuring out the clues and little mysteries around them. He needed to know what exactly what he was dealing with before he could move on. And there was one person – or rather one Ishtar – who could help him out.
"You're going to relax and take it easy. You've had a stressful evening." Ryou blinked, before a smile grew on his face. "Since when did you become so maternal, Bakura? That's rather unlike you." Bakura rolled his eyes as he placed the last of the dishes in the sink. "Fuck you. Just get some damn rest, got it?" Ryou laughed as he passed his brother going out of the kitchen. "Fine, fine. I know when I'm not wanted." Bakura rolled his eyes yet again at his dramatic twin.
"Hey Bakura." The thief turned his head slightly to glance at Ryou from the corner of his eye. "You take care of yourself too, okay?" Bakura blinked before snorting, almost scoffing towards his brother. "Yeah, whatever. Stop being such a nag." He heard Ryou chuckle as he left the room. Bakura found himself alone with his thoughts, thinking rapidly. Despite his panic and frustration, Bakura knew he had to figure out a plan quickly. If didn't want this to turn into another shit storm of a case, he needed to take action.
He knew who he needed to talk to, but Bakura also knew he had to do his research before confronting the individual. And the best way to research was to spy. He grabbed a spare sheet of paper from the drawer and pen, quickly jotting down an agenda as he figured out what days and times people were free next week. The issue was made more complicated that Marik was off classes for another few weeks. After a moment's thought, he found a solution to his issue. A few minutes later, Bakura saw a plan take form.
This could work. Now to not screw things up…