Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. I own the plot and the Tide Whisperer.
S2Teennovelist: All right, confusion is fixed. Lol Happy for your critique.
AyaSeth: Well, read on and see for yourself. ^_^
Enjoy! Review! On with the story!
Chapter Seven – Drinking
Atemu was down on his hands and knees, his pant legs soaked through to his skin, scrubbing away the burn shadows from the wood of the deck on the Tide Whisperer, grumbling angrily under his breath. Honestly, he wouldn't mind this job all that much; at least it got his mind off the disturbing dream he had the night before, and it kept him busy so that he didn't have time to think about much except doing the job right. His only problem, however, was that he had his personal slave driver standing close by, barking orders every other minute.
"Don't you dare miss a single speck."
"I want this deck spotless, Cabin Boy."
"Is that all you can do? Put more elbow into it."
"I swear I will have you plucking the barnacles from the hull this time if you don't do it right."
"At'ta boy, Santiago."
"You missed a spot."
"Do I have to point it out to you? It's right in front of your face. If it were a wild animal, it would've bitten you already."
Atemu scrubbed the handheld brush over gleaming oak wood, in every which way he could, and he still couldn't find Seto's imaginary spot. He had a mind to dunk his bucket of filthy water on the captain's head before he pounded his skull into the deck...but he'd have to clean up the mess afterward, and regardless of how appealing the imagery, Atemu wasn't in the mood for a second clean-up task.
"All right. Get up." Seto strode over from where he stood beside the crank, which controlled the platform where the tri-barrel gun was built, toward Atemu.
Atemu tossed the brush into the bucket, not caring that the water splashed across his biceps, and did as commanded. He leveled an indignant glare at the captain and said, "You satisfied?"
Seto scrutinized the deck with a critical eye before he grunted, "It'll do. Come on, I've something else for you."
"The barnacles?"
"Was that a suggestion?"
Atemu thought it best not to acknowledge that question with an answer.
Seto gestured for Atemu to follow, "You can leave those there for now."
"You're far too generous, captain." Atemu said drily as he fell into step behind Seto.
They headed back toward the inn and Seto ordered him to have a seat at the bar. When Atemu reluctantly obeyed, Seto dropped onto the stool beside the boy.
"Another rum, Captain?" The bartender from the night before inquired.
"Two actually." He pointed with his thumb at Atemu, who was busy scanning the crowd.
"Comin' right up."
Seto reached over and spun the stool around so that Atemu was facing the bar again, "Nothing's going to jump out and bite you, kid. Relax and have a drink." He said in a quiet, half-amused voice.
Atemu looked out from the corner of his narrowed eyes before brushing a lock of his blond bangs away from his face and behind his ear. The bartender placed two glasses of a dark, amber liquid before Seto and Atemu, and Seto drank his slowly to savor the taste.
"Have you ever drunk alcohol before?" He asked as he spied Atemu intently studying his drink.
"I have...but nothing that looked like this." Atemu admitted before he lifted the glass to his lips and sipped gingerly at the liquid. The liquid burned as he swallowed, and the bitter tang of the alcohol filled his tastebuds, but the initial irritants faded to make way for a full-bodied, sweetened flavor of a sort. "This is good. What is it?"
"Rum."
"Hmm." Atemu hummed before he took another drink, a larger one this time.
The two men sat in companionable silence as they drank their beverages, refilling them three extra times before Atemu spoke up, "This wasn't what I had expected, Captain. I thought you were giving me another task or something."
"Ah, we're in port. It's better to rest and relax while you can than working yourself to the bone."
"Working myself to the bone? Who exactly gave me all of those stupid jobs? Not that I'm complaining really." Atemu mumbled the last sentence, but Seto still caught it.
"I figured it's what you needed. I know a thing or two about distractions, Santiago." Seto replied and took a drink.
"Is that right? Distraction from what?"
"I don't know, kid. You tell me? What are you running from?"
"I am not running, from anything." Atemu sputtered indignantly.
"Right." Seto's tone implied disbelief.
Atemu drank the remainder of his third glass and signaled for a refill. He drank a few gulps and sighed at the pleasant taste of the liquor.
"I'm not running Seto. I'm just...not allowing myself to feel right now." Atemu's words had an underlying slur.
"Why?" Seto quirked an eyebrow at this.
"Because...because if I do, then I'll...I'll mourn my family. I know that I'll never see them again, and right about now, they think that I'm dead...right now the pain's too raw."
Seto wasn't going to break the kid's train of thought. There was a saying that drunken lips kept no secrets. Atemu might be buzzed, but if Seto spoke up now, Atemu might snap back to his senses.
"My father...I can't imagine what he must be feeling right now. First he lost his wife...my mother...to typhoid fever, and then he learns that his oldest son was raped and murdered by a strange man in the dead of night. What might Yugi be thinking now? I don't even know how his arm is mending, or how he's fairing with the news. Mahado knows...I assume...that I'm alive, but it's not like he can say anything to them...not without blowing the entire plan."
Seto motioned for the bartender to refill Atemu's glass.
Atemu didn't seem to notice the unexplained fullness of his cup, and continued to sip at his drink.
"So...I don't want to think about it...I'll find something to occupy my time with until the urge to revisit the past is gone...at least until I feel strong enough to bear it."
Seto hummed in acknowledgment.
At the sound, Atemu's eyes widened slightly, and his mouth went half-slack, "You did this on purpose." He accused.
"No. I just wanted you to take a break and relax. You were the one who started spewing your life story."
Atemu stood and finished the rest of his drink, since it would be a shame to waste the liquor, before he walked out of the bar toward the entrance to the inn. He would bathe, clean and rewrap his left hand, and then he would go back to sleep.
Atemu couldn't take the words he'd already said back, but at least he could prevent himself from saying anything more damning.
Devious, conniving bastard aren't you Seto? You almost had me fooled...