A big Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. Special thanks goes out to Lorna Shadows who has reviewed every chapter so far. Please know that i value all your comments and will be eternally grateful to those who do review.

Ok that's enough grovelling for one day. Story time!

Chapter 6

Seto and Jou were as silent as thieves as they made their way towards the tavern on horseback. The tavern's name was 'The Winking Camel' and that was where Jou said his underground informer would be waiting. Seto followed Jou trustingly, presuming that the mutt wouldn't get them completely lost.

When they arrived they tied the horses to a wooden stand outside and then headed inside, straight to the bar. Seto curled his lip in disgust under his hood when the drink was placed before him. Seto had been forced to wear his dark blue cloak with the hood up since someone was sure to recognize him as royalty and kick him and Jou out before they got any information if they let them live at all.

Seto had thought that hiding his identity would make others even more suspicious of him but when he saw that quite a few others were hiding their identity in the same fashion he knew that he was wrong. He was willing to concede that much. He'd never been in such a seedy place as this and so shouldn't be expected to know of such things.

Jou leaned back against the bar casually and looked around at the many faces that were hidden and unhidden. He grinned suddenly and leaned in close to Seto. "I found our man," he whispered.

Seto turned in the direction Jou was looking but most had their backs to them. "How can you tell?" he asked.

Jou's grin widened. "He always wears the same bright green cloak."

There could only be one person who fit that description. The vivid green of the cloak made the man stick out like a sore thumb between the much darker colours everyone else was wearing.

Jou grabbed his beer and strolled casually over to the table the cloaked man was sat at. Seto grudgingly picked up his own mug and followed. Seriously, why was it essential to drink (or at least be seen with) the vile stuff to fit in?

Jou grinned at the cloaked man. "How are you doing Otogi?" he asked.

Otogi was silent as Seto settled himself at the table. "Who's he and what's he doing here?" Otogi said coldly.

Jou sighed dramatically. "Sorry, I know you only like to talk to me when I'm alone but I had to bring him. He's new and I was told to show him the ropes. I tried to brush him off but he was persistent and said he was coming whether I wanted him to or not."

Jou gave Seto's shoulder a friendly punch, loving the way the indignation seemed to radiate off the brunette. Seto, on the other hand, was not as amused by the little stunt as Jou. He would have strangled the blond guard if it wouldn't have drawn attention to them.

Otogi still eyed Seto suspiciously. "I don't know if I can trust him and I'll not say anything until I'm sure that I'm safe. I'm not going to talk if this guy is going to them go and set soldiers on me or, worse, tell these guys that I'm a snitch."

"You can trust me," Seto said in a low voice.

Jou wanted nothing more than to slam Seto's head against the table as Otogi's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in recognition. "You're the pharaoh's cousin," he whispered in shock. Then, in a more controlled voice he said, "There's no way I'm talking to you."

"Oh I think you will," Seto said in a voice so sinister it made the hairs on the back of Jou's neck stand up. Otogi also seemed unsettled by the obvious threat.

"Listen Otogi," Jou said quickly, leaning forwards to gain the man's attention. "The stuff we want to find out is connected to Seto so he has a right to know about it straight away from the horse's mouth, so to say. Trust me he'll do you know harm."

"Then why did you lie to me and say he was a new guard?" Otogi asked suspiciously.

"Because I was hoping that his visit here would remain a secret." Jou glared at Seto to emphasize his annoyance that he had opened his big gob and blown his cover. Seto was unfazed though so Jou returned to Otogi. "You've heard about the robbery at the palace haven't you?"

Otogi nodded. "The soldiers that are swarming all over the city are a major indication that something big happened."

"Well the perpetrator stole something that belongs to Seto and he would really appreciate knowing where this thing is. Whatever you say will be confidential and neither of us will mention our source of information. We've got one lead and we need your help to identify the guy we got in mind. I doubt Seto's going to go blabbing about you with the threat that he'll never see his brother again hanging over his head."

"Jou," Seto growled.

Jou smiled at him sheepishly. "If it'll get him to talk it's worth the loss of a little private info."

"So it's a kidnapping not a robbery," Otogi said with interest. "Fine I'll tell you both what I know; you've convinced me of your silence."

As relief swept over the two interrogators they failed to notice a man at a nearby table stand up and head over to where another group of men were sitting. They also didn't notice the grim look on the man's face or the fact that he had been spying on them from the very beginning.

"Do you have any idea who actually did the kidnapping?" Jou asked as a starter question.

"No, but it must have been someone with a lot of talent to make it in and out alive," Otogi replied.

"Do you know of anyone who has white hair and red eyes?"

Otogi's eyes widened at the description. "Don't tell me he's the one who broke in to the palace." There was an odd hint of fear in his voice.

"You know him," asked Seto impatiently.

Otogi nodded and swallowed. "His name's Bakura. They call him 'Demon Thief' because of his eyes and ability to steal almost anything. He's a loner and doesn't come here often but people are fiercely loyal to him. I don't know why people are loyal but I do know that they'll kill anyone trying to bring him down."

"I hear what you're saying and don't worry. If there's a higher risk then your wage will go up," Jou said with a wink.

"That's good," Otogi said before pausing to sip his drink.

"Where can we find this Bakura?" asked Seto.

"I can't give exact directions to his hideout," Otogi told them truthfully. "He lives in an oasis to the south west of the city. If you want to find him you'll have to search that area. Sorry I can't be more exact but-"

Otogi was cut off when a blade was brought down across his neck, sever his jugular. His body slumped forward onto the table, knocking over his drink and letting the beer mingle with his life blood.

Seto and Jou had been too caught up in the information they were receiving to notice that all had gone deathly quiet and that they were surrounded by a bunch of very unhappy looking people.

"Looks like he'll be selling no more secrets," the man with the blade said, a feral grin on his lips as he wiped his sword on Otogi's stained cloak.

Jou and Seto hurriedly jumped to their feet and drew their swords. The ones surrounding them laughed and brought out their own weapons. "Give up; you're both outnumbered and outmatched."

"We might be outnumbered but we'll never be outmatched," Jou said cockily. To Seto he whispered, "You do know how to fight don't you?"

Seto scoffed. "Do fish know how to swim?"

"Seto, this hardly seems the time to be talking about fish."

Before Seto could reply the ones surrounding them started their attacks. Jou guarded one side while Seto guarded the other. Their skills as swordsman far surpassed that of the enemy and they were able to parry every blow against them until they saw an opening and dealt the ending blow.

By no means were Seto and Jou 'winning' their battle against the thugs but they were holding their own. They had made it so that no-one was at their rear and were fighting shoulder to shoulder. Though they were being pushed back by the enemy by no means were they cornered. They were being pushed towards the exit and that was exactly where they wanted to be.

Jou reached behind him and pushed the door open. He then fled out into the deserted street with Seto by his side. They untied their horses and raced back to the palace, leaving the shouting and cursing thugs behind them.

When they were sure that they were safe both male riders allowed their horses to walk. "That was a close call," Jou said with a relieved sigh. "That was some pretty good swordsmanship back there."

"Thanks, you weren't too bad yourself," Seto replied, a hint of smugness in his voice.

Jou laughed merrily. The fight had been exhilarating and the adrenaline was still coursing through him. Maybe that was why he felt like he was having fun while being in Seto's company for the first time in his life.

Jou had never known that Seto was such an impressive fighter. It had never occurred to him that they might have something in common. Jou had noticed how one of Seto's moves had flowed into the next with natural grace, just like Jou's did. Jou decided he respected Seto for this. That was the only way he could describe his emotions at the moment. Seto's grace had awed him and now he respected him.

Meanwhile, Seto was having similar thoughts as Jou. The blond hadn't royally screwed up the evening and Seto had found that being in his company hadn't been overly draining and annoying. In fact, he might even say that the evening had been enjoyable. He had used his earlier anger at Jou as motivation during the fight and now was less angry with the blond. He still disliked Jou but he didn't feel the need to have him be publicly executed.

There also seemed to be another emotion hidden away that he felt but he couldn't distinguish it nor did he want to. Seto was perfectly happy with the way things were at the moment. He sighed and wished for the good old days when Ryou was there to talk to him and he was free to argue with Jou whenever they came upon each other. If only those days would return to him soon.

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PS. this is T and is going to stay that way so no lemons. Sorry.