Play Your Part, Seto

Chapter 9

Warnings for Future

It was with a great effort of will that Seto resisted the urge to look behind him at Katsuya to make sure the blond was still there. He could not know for sure if Katsuya was as nervous as he was; the blond might have been feeling even jitterier for all Seto knew. The brunet was actually worried that his boyfriend might make a break for it as he moved to open the door in front of them. There was a shift from behind the brunet and for a moment Seto’s worry increased, but then the movement continued with a swishing sound and Seto knew that Katsuya was merely working off his nerves through physical movement, moving his weight from one foot to the other.

The door slid open and Seto turned his head to give Katsuya an expectant look. He watched the blond first sigh and take a deep breath and then the shorter teen’s lips turned into a tense smile. Knowing that was the best he could get out of the blond, Seto turned back towards the door and walked in with Katsuya’s steps following right after him.

As usual, the interior of the office was shrouded in shadow with the only sources of life being the computer screen and single table lamp. Seto stepped to the side from the doorway and flipped the switch, the office immediately afterwards becoming illuminated. Occupying the space Seto had a moment before, Katsuya also walked further into the office.

The clattering of a keyboard rang in the room for a while longer, undisturbed by the change in lighting. It was a few moments later that Kaiba Renji was finished and pushed his chair back to properly lock his gaze on the two new arrivals. One thick eyebrow arched and immediately afterward the man blurted out: “For heaven’s sake, Seto, you can’t be serious.” Both of the brown brows lowered into a frown. “He looks like an artist.”

“I assure you, father, that Katsuya isn’t one”, Seto replied testily, not pleased with the man’s reaction. He was not giving Katsuya a very good first impression. Seto turned to the blond in question before speaking encouragingly: “Katsuya, this is my father, Kaiba Renji.”

“U-um, n-nice to meet you”, Katsuya spoke uncertainly, shooting a quick glance at Seto before giving the man a short bow. Seto turned his gaze back to his father to see the man stand up from his seat and move around the table to their side. Seto knew that the man was going to say something.

“He doesn’t seem like your average gold digger”, Renji commented and immediately Katsuya’s body beside Seto’s shifted in something that was probably shock. Seto, in turn, glared at the older man before snapping: “Could you possibly be any ruder?”

“I can say what I please while I’m inside my own house and office”, Renji spoke coldly. “The one who is rude here is your little toy for coming here acting like he’s a welcome part of this family. He is not a part of this family, he’s here only until either you grow bored of him or he has gotten enough luxury out of you.”

Seto was just about ready to explode. There was no ground on which Renji could base his claims on; the man was spouting pure nonsense. And still, that nonsense might hurt Katsuya. The blond was here because Seto had asked him to come and Seto had promised to defend him, not let him get chewed up and spat out when he did not deserve it in the slightest.

“Now you listen here-“ Seto started heatedly, taking a step towards his father to give him a piece of his mind, only to be cut short by the sound of laughter. Seto turned at the sound to see that Katsuya had thrown his head back and was laughing in a manner that told Seto that his boyfriend found something absolutely hilarious. It also had a condescending tone to it.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” Katsuya finally managed to breathe out, after getting his laughter under control. The words were directed at Renji. “Before you continue on that note, I’ll tell you one thing, pops.” Katsuya looked at Seto for a moment, giving the younger brunet the briefest of smiles. “I’m here to stay and you can’t chase me off with words alone.” The blond then turned back to Renji and smirked in an almost malicious way. “I’ve been called a lot of stuff; I’ve heard a ton of insults that have sunk deeper, half of them actually true. You’re going to have to do better than that if you’re planning to break me.”

That had been unexpected. With the bashful behaviour from only moments before, Seto would never have expected Katsuya to have the gall to talk back to Renji. But the blond had done just that and even as Seto found that extremely attractive, he was able to brush those bothersome feelings aside in favour of trying to analyse the situation the blond’s words had led into.

Of course Seto should have seen it coming. Katsuya did not take dirt from anyone, least of all dirt that was completely untrue. Now the blond stood with crossed arms, regarding the elder Kaiba with a level look and an expectant arched brow; the blond was also waiting for the man’s reaction, like Seto. Renji was mirroring Katsuya’s gesture, only his arched brow was part of a thoughtful and calculating expression instead of a taunting one. Seto had expected the man to explode from rage, but Renji seemed to be almost impressed. The day had been full of unexpected surprises, so maybe Seto and Katsuya could get to walk out of the office instead of getting themselves thrown out.

When Renji finally spoke out, it was in a calm tone of voice: “You do understand that as long as you’re with my son, you will be getting comments like that from many people, into your face and behind your back, right?”

“Obviously”, Katsuya said with an exasperated roll of his eyes. The blond then grinned at the elder male. “But they won’t be Seto’s family so I can punch them in the face if they refuse to lay off.”

Renji observed Katsuya in silence for a moment, before stepping back and scratching at his bearded chin in thought. In the end the man only murmured: “Jounouchi Katsuya, so different from what I had expected.” The dark brown gaze of the elder Kaiba turned to Seto. “I will permit this affair, at least for now.”

“As if I came here for your permission”, Seto said with a scoff, grabbing onto Katsuya’s arm. “I just thought I’d do my father the favour of knowing who I’ve chosen to spend my time with.” Seto pulled his boyfriend to his side. “Bye.”

“I’ll be seeing you later tonight”, Renji replied and Seto turned to walk Katsuya out of the office. He was not sure what his father had meant with his last sentence. It could have just been a goodbye of sorts, but it could have also meant that the matter was not closed between the two of them. Seto decided that he did not care about that as the office door closed behind him and Katsuya. They had shown the man that the two of them were capable of holding up a strong united front; surely that would make Renji think twice about trying to separate them.

“You were brilliant in there”, Seto commented to Katsuya as they walked down the hall. “I don’t think I’ve seen ‘tough guy Katsuya’ before.”

“What can I say?” Katsuya replied with a laugh and a shrug. “That guy’s just the kind of person I can’t help but dislike.” The blond glanced over at Seto. “But, since he’s a bit like you on the side too, I think I can learn to live with him.”

Seto had to wonder what it was that Katsuya meant with his words exactly. Knowing that he did not have good chances of figuring Katsuya’s thought processes out, Seto ended up questioning: “Does that mean that you dislike me too?”

“Don’t be silly”, Katsuya laughed merrily. “I meant that Mr Grouch back there is only tolerable because he distantly reminds me of you.”

“Oh”, Seto mumbled and looked back ahead. “Right.” The pair made it to the staircase. “I’ll take you home.”

“Dad will like that”, Katsuya replied with a pleased hum. “It’ll earn you some more movie night points. Once you have enough, you’ll get to choose a movie.” The blond elbowed him in the side gently. “Doesn’t that sound grand?”

“Certainly”, Seto spoke out and then frowned in thought. “Do I need to recollect the points once I’ve chosen a video?” Katsuya only laughed in response but Seto really would have wanted a concrete answer.

&

Renji had barely started working again when there was another knock at his door. A moment later the door in question was opened and Laura stepped inside the office. It had to be her; the woman was the only person in the entire house who had the audacity to walk into his sanctuary unannounced.

Lifting his gaze from the computer screen, Renji looked over the apparatus at Laura’s pale blue eyes. The woman was smiling in a delighted manner and Renji immediately knew that his wife wanted to discuss Seto’s lover.

“Yes, Laura?” Renji spoke, playing dumb since he knew that the woman hated it when he read her like a book. “What do you need?”

“Dear, what do you think about Seto’s new sweetheart?” Laura questioned in the sort of strained voice that told Renji that she was yearning to speak her own mind on the matter. That meant that Renji would have to make his answer brief.

“You’re talking about Seto’s first lover”, Renji spoke, feeling the need to correct that part. “He’s a spirited one, certainly, and not stupid either. It’ll be a shame to see him go.”

“What do you mean ‘see him go’?” Laura asked, latching onto the part of Renji’s words that was obvious to the man. This attitude was evident in his voice as he answered: “It’s obvious that the boy is an outlet; a man with a stressful life such as Seto’s naturally has a kink or two to release the tension. Why do you think I first started to court you instead of a Japanese woman?”

“Because a young foreigner is more open to experimenting in sex life”, Laura replied easily, sliding over to sit on the edge of Renji’s desk. “But you think Seto liking that boy is only a passing phase? A kink he’ll grow out of?”

“I refuse to believe anything different”, Renji spoke sternly, not about to change his mind on the matter. There was no way Seto was going to stick with that Jounouchi boy the same way he did with Laura, and Seto certainly did not have the sort of romance with the boy Renji had shared with his beloved Yoko. That would be unacceptable.

“It’s a shame”, Laura spoke with a sincere tone. “That Katsuya is such a sweet boy.”

Assuming that Jounouchi reacted according to the kind of responses people gave to him, Renji supposed that there was a large possibility of the blond indeed being a sweet boy to Laura. But the man could not help but immediately remember that condescending tone and nasty smirk that spoke of such strong character that it could make stone crack. He decided that it really was a shame the blond was only a passing thing; the teen was almost likeable to even Renji himself.

&

When Seto came back home after dropping Katsuya off, the brunet immediately headed to his room, intending to get some studying done. He had just finished spreading out his materials on his desk when there was a knock at his door.

“Come in”, Seto spoke while frowning at the unexpected interruption. He had barely been home for ten minutes, so the only way for someone to having come to his room so soon was that they had been waiting for his return. The person probably had one of the maids keep an eye out for him.

Turning his chair around as the door opened, Seto had clear view of the doorway. His brows rose in surprise when Renji entered the room. Well, he certainly had not expected the man to seek him out so soon after Katsuya’s departure. Seto certainly hoped it was not because he was too upset about Seto’s choice in partners to wait any longer.

“Father”, Seto greeted stiffly, rising up from his chair. “Is there something you wish to discuss?” If it was about Katsuya, then Seto would tell the man outright that he was not changing his mind. He would not let Renji dictate his life in such a manner.

“Seto”, Renji spoke back, his whole posture somehow awkward: all the more proof of the rift that had formed between father and son. “Actually, I want to give you something.” Now that was very close to being the opposite of what Seto had expected. “It was supposed to be a graduation present but I thought you could use it now with your little lover.”

“What did you have in mind, exactly?” Seto queried, not liking being left guessing at all.

“It’s an apartment”, Renji explained while he handed Seto a leaflet. Seto flipped it over to see a set of pictures taken of the kind of apartment Renji apparently had in mind. “It’s closer to the university campus than the manor so I thought it would have been good for you to live on your own once you started university. But I think you have a need for it now.”

That was just like his father, Seto mused. The man was so very convinced that Seto was going to get into, or even want to go to, Domino University that he felt it was fine for him to make such preparations without consulting Seto. Still, despite all that it was a nice gesture.

“Thank you, father”, Seto said, his tone softening ever so slightly in a rare display of gratitude. “When will I be moving out?”

“I was thinking after new years”, Renji replied. “It’s close to your high school as well, so it will allow you to walk to school. The driver told me you’ve made it a habit to do so.”

“The fresh air helps me wake up”, Seto lied expertly, not about to tell his father that he had actually been convinced to partake in the activity by another person. Such a thing would have been unacceptable. The only reaction he got to his words was a nod and so Seto knew the man had bought the excuse.

“However”, Renji spoke out then. “You’ll be sharing the apartment with your cousin when the new term starts.” The man looked at Seto in a questioning manner. “I hope that sits well with you?”

“It’s fine, father”, Seto assure the man. This time he spoke the truth. Ryou would not be a problem. On the contrary, his cousin has a tendency for solving problems other people had caused. Seto had to fight back a laugh, though (his new sense of humour the influence of Katsuya no doubt), as he realized that Renji was once again absolutely convinced that a member of their family would succeed in everything he tried. Ryou had told him he was aiming for Domino University only a few months earlier and Renji took it for granted that Ryou could make it. Not that Seto thought Ryou would fail. On the contrary, Seto was almost as confident in Ryou’s success as his father.

“It’ll be just like old times”, Seto commented on the topic of sharing an apartment with his cousin. “Only this time we won’t have Aunt Rumiko playing dress up with us.”

“I knew I could count on you, Seto”, Renji spoke then, smirking at the younger male. “You’ve always been well-adapting.”

Sure, Seto was very well-adapting, if you insisted on calling it that. Seto preferred the term ‘enduring’, since there was really no way to adapt to Kaiba Rumiko’s excessive fascination with clothes and accessories. It was disturbing enough to make Bakura seem sane.

Morning of December 12th

Before that morning Yami had never wanted to turn back time so much. As soon as he woke up he had been feeling like everything he had managed to make of himself, his whole new life in Domino, was falling apart. A rueful laugh escaped from the teen as he observed his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He could not help it, not with the way all of the muscles of his face were so tense that it resulted in an almost constant twitching in his features.

It was absolutely ridiculous, Yami mused. During the previous month Yami had not been very bothered about the looming visit from Marik. He’d actually forgotten all about it by the end of November. But now, on the day Marik had promised they would meet, he was a wreck. Yami briefly thought that he would have actually liked to sit an hour in the same room with Yugi’s grandfather listening to the man tell about his past escapades, if it meant that he would not have to face the day that was now beginning.

By the time Yami had gotten dressed for school the teen had not calmed down the slightest. Yami made his way out through the door, tugging his woollen scarf around his neck as he wondered where and when he would run into Marik.

Like the universe itself had decided to put Yami out of his misery, the teen was faced with the most peculiar sight by the time he was halfway down the driveway. Yami wondered why he had not noticed the form standing on the street as soon as he had exited the house; the only haircut that drew more attention than the one he was seeing was his own.

Pausing in his stride, Yami simply stood still as he stared at Marik, who grinned widely at him before raising his arm in greeting. It was not what Yami had expected at all. The other had not cornered or ambushed him, or even thrown any sharp projectiles at him. It was promising but Yami was not going to be caught off guard, so when he started to walk again, nearing the grinning Marik, his stride was slow so that he could keep an eye out for any sudden movements.

“Hiya, Yami”, Marik spoke out, the grin slimming down into a still-amused smirk. “Missed me?”

“Hardly”, Yami murmured back, easily falling back into the familiar conversing pattern he had been used to in Osaka. Why was it that he suddenly felt like no time had passed at all?

“I’m hurt, Yami”, Marik drawled in a whine, only to chuckle immediately afterwards. “Well, almost hurt.”

Had he actually missed Marik? Was it possible that he had never realized how close the tall blond had always been to being his first friend? And why was it that Marik was being so friendly with him? Had the other not been stalking him before for the purpose of getting his revenge on him?

“What’s this all about?” Yami questioned with a distrusting frown. “Why are you stalking me? And what was with that vague note you sent me?”

“Ah, you’re wondering if I’m a threat to you, right?” Marik queried and then continued immediately afterwards, clearly not even expecting an answer. “You never have to fear me, Yami.”

Those words, Yami had heard them before. Marik had told him that, years ago, his hands and cheeks speckled with his father’s blood and eyes wide and wild. It had been a solemn promise, one of the few sane things Marik had ever said to Yami after his father’s death by his hand.

“Why did you come here, Marik?” Yami asked, his tone more sincerely curious now.

“I wanted to see if you were fine”, Marik said but despite the caring words the tone was strangely uncaring. “Just because I allowed you to leave, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anyone out there who would like to see you dismembered.”

“If you were only checking up on me, why did you give me that note and come meet me just now and not before?” Yami asked, wondering just what thought process had transpired within Marik’s mind to result in such a course of action.

“I didn’t see any reason to contact you then”, Marik explained simply. “I had only heard some talk; I didn’t know anything certain about any plans against you. I figured I’d know by this time.”

“Well, do you?” Yami prompted the other, who nodded his head without saying anything at first.

“The whole gang’s coming to Domino this summer”, Marik spoke out finally and Yami felt himself grimace at the thought. “They’ve been recruiting new members. Apparently the big chief’s convinced that you left because you joined a rival gang and wants to take out the whole lot.”

That actually sounded a lot like something Yami would have expected to come from that faction. But now Yami had no idea what he was going to be doing about it.

“Why are you telling me this?” Yami finally queried from the taller teen, who smirked at him.

“I want you to have time to prepare so that I’ll see a good show”, Marik replied and Yami sighed. Had he actually dared to hope that Marik would fight by his side? No matter how averse Marik was to hurting Yami with his own two hands, he had never stopped anyone else from doing so. Marik had never seen anything wrong with practising dual morals.

“I suppose I should thank you for the warning”, Yami murmured in the end, which brought a new wide grin to Marik’s face.

“You’re welcome”, the other said before pulling out a cell phone and glancing briefly at the screen. “Now I think you need to run if you’re going to make it to school on time.” Marik cackled with glee as he tucked the cell away and looked Yami over with a passing gaze. “We might, or we might not see each other again. Ta.” And with that the other walked off in the opposite direction of the one in which Yami darted to in a dead run.

Marik had to be the single strangest person Yami knew. But at the moment the teen did not have the time needed to ponder about the matter. He was in far too big of a hurry to make it to class.

To be continued…

Ending Notes: Yea, I know. That’s a bit anticlimactic of me, to bring the whole thing with Marik into such a conclusion. But that’s the way his character is in this story; the fact whether or not he’s a villain is meant to be a bit ambiguous.

Sorry about taking so long to update. Instead of having loads of free time after summer break started I’ve been really busy with my summer job.

Also, I will be closing the poll about my next story after this Sunday, meaning that this week is your last chance to submit your votes. I’ve been positively surprised by the amount of people who have voted. Thanks, everyone.

Also, I have one word for you all: RYOU!