Kira, Setsuna, and Seto RP
[[Decided to take this from AIM t journal RPing so the log itself doesn't get too long. And since they're walking in a hall, hey, anyone's welcome to jump in. >D]]
Seto hadn't really stormed out - he didn't want to risk Ryuuji stopping him, or Mokuba taking notice and getting overly upset - but he had, definitely, made it clear he didn't want to talk and left. Considering all of his temperamental thoughts of harming Ryuuji, Seto decided it was best to get space, until he could stop thinking of the other as a total moron for not ditching Terry the second Terry left.
He just needed space, that's it. If he got away for a while, Ryuuji would cease to appear such a moron to him, right? In the least, he needed it. Now. Besides, if he was away, Ryuuji wouldn't be able to make him talk about anything. And the last thing Seto wanted to do was talk - because there were things lurking, things that played on his tongue, and stabbed the subconscious of his mind.
Having already been to Kira's room once (and having gained the password into Ravenclaw from Terry a couple of months prior), it was there he headed, laptop in hand - never mind that Ravenclaw was where Terry was. That thought only caused Seto to brush through as quickly as possible, and head right to Kira's room, where he knocked in a business-like fashion. Then hoped Kira was actually there.
Kira was there, lounging on the bed with a book in his hand. "Come in," he said. "It's not warded." Most of him hoped it was Setsuna, who didn't seem to be about right now. Another part hoped it was Methos, or maybe one of the girls in Hogsmeade he'd told to come up and see him. But even if it wasn't, he was always glad to have company.
Accustomed to wards - Ryuuji seemed obsessed with them, honestly - Seto was relieved to hear that and opened the door, quickly. Again, he wanted inside somewhere, fast. After entering, he quickly closed the door, then took a look around, eyes scanning the room, then finally brushing over Kira's figure, curiously. In both hands, he crushed the laptop to his chest, tightly, over his heart.
"I.... I know the other day was a bit awkward, but I was wondering if I could," Seto stopped for a bit and tried to maintain his voice at a consistent, firm level, but it seemed to still be lost in anger, or something unfamiliar, "stay here for a bit. Any objections?" If Kira had any, Seto would walk right out, and possibly retreat to London. Or Tokyo. Just far, far away from Ryuuji and the school entirely.
Kira looked looked up from his book (I, Robot). He was wearing his glasses for once, and pushed them up his nose a little. "None at all. Sit down."
He smiled; he was pleased to see Seto. Perhaps more pleased than he should have been. He'd assumed their last conversation would be the beginning of their distance, which should have been a good thing. But a reunion like this made him surprisingly happy.
Seto had been aiming to pull apart, in fact, but because of his issues with Ryuuji, Seto felt a distinctive need to get away from Ryuuji now. This left with him few options. However, thanks to the time they spent together while Kira was depressed, Seto had learned there was a certain comfort to be had with someone that allowed him hours staring at a computer screen without complaint.
That, and he owed Kira for bringing the Mad Hatter, for putting Sindin's soul away. As Seto still lacked a method for payment, the CEO decided to at least go visit Kira - despite their issue at Setsuna's sorting - and see if anything started from there. And meanwhile it was a reprieve from Ryuuji.
The first thing Seto commented on was, "I didn't know you wore glasses." Then, as though perfectly at home, Seto took a seat and placed the laptop comfortable on his lap, while he watched Kira.
"And thank-you, though I warn you...this might be a few days. Are you sure about this?"
"I wear them for reading, mostly," Kira explained. He could see fine without them, but they didn't bother him, either, and although he wouldn't admit it, they did make reading truly easier, although reading without them wasn't impossible. "And for looks. My original host had them, so back home I wear them." Kira went back to reading. "And sure, I'm sure."
The simple answers and lack of annoying questions couldn't have been more welcome. Most people would have asked why, but not Kira. It was welcoming, as though Seto just belonged there and it wasn't unusual in the least for Seto to just go into his room and stay there for a while.
"I'll need to send house elves for my things then. So thank-you, Sakuya. I owe you as it is." Quietly, he opened his laptop - he'd talk to the house elves later - and went right back to the work he had been attempting when Ryuuji tried to talk to him.
Kira's brow furrowed. "You owe me?" he asked without looking up. "You take money from my wallet when I wasn't looking?"
Seto's eyes widened some as he looked up at Kira - that was almost a humorous assumption, almost.
"I have my own money, thank-you very much, but if you've just completely forgotten, no. I meant for Sindin's soul," Seto explained, blue eyes still staring at him. They couldn't stop. How did Kira's mind jump like that anyway?
Kira blinked. He looked up, finally, peering up at Kaiba through his glasses. "Oh. You don't owe me for that." He smiled a little smile and went back to his book.
There was quite a long moment of silence while Seto continued to stare. Kira couldn't be serious? For bringing Mad Hatter all the way there just to make the deal, and when Kira didn't even know if it was possible. Then for that very incident to lead to Kira being depressed for a few days. Was Kira trying to say that was nothing?
Insistent, Seto shot back, "No. I do. I pay my debts, always, and this time is no different."
Kira was a little surprised to hear that -- wasn't the point of deals like that to get as much as possible from the other person while giving as little in return yourself? But then he shrugged. Kira hadn't intended for it to be the kind of thing that made people indebted to each other, anyway, When you cared for someone, the rules changed. Softly, he said, "It's not a debt. Don't devalue it to that. It's something I did because I care about you and Ryuuji. Nothing more... and nothing less."
This did not help the staring problem, not one bit. Wait, wait, wait. Kira what? Seto had thought Kira was purposefully the type who kept people at a distance, and Seto thought he himself was the type people didn't like.
Voice displaying on a minor bit of confusion, Seto said, "I wasn't trying to demean the effort. At all, I always repay favors, though. I see this as no different, since I made the request to you." It was only after Seto closed his mouth he realized all of those words had purposefully avoided the mention of Kira caring about him.
Kira shrugged and readjusted his position as he turned the page. "What would you repay me with? There's nothing I really want. Besides, you stayed with me when I was..." Wishing I could curl up and die. "you know... and someday I might need you for financial or moral support. So it'll all even out eventually."
"I don't give moral support," was Seto's automatic response, words bland and flat. Next that had to follow was, "And giving money would hardly make me blink and eyelash, so that's hardly a proper return."
After, Seto felt it was partially his request that was to blame for Kira's low emotional period, so he didn't really feel owed anything for staying by Kira's side during that. Not to mention...he had kicked him, hadn't he?
"And are you certain there's nothing you want?" A negative response to that would make Seto highly comfortable, despite his questioning that. It was hard just to know where Kira's joking spirit tread, and where it didn't touch.
Kira's joking spirit touched basically everything. There was nothing in his mind that couldn't be made funny. But he was sincere when he said, "I'm sure there's nothing I really want." Well, maybe Sara for Setsuna, but he didn't think that was within Kaiba's abilities to get that. And he didn't know how Kaiba would react to a request on Setsuna's behalf.
It would have resulted in Seto leaving and taking off to London. This was simply a bad time for any such request, considering the dark cloud hovering over Seto's "conversations" with both Crowley and Ryuuji. This social thing was starting to annoy the CEO.
"Very well, then. I suppose, in the future, if you need anything, then let me know. Until then, whether you like it or not, I am in your debt." Seto was sticking to that, regardless. Though he didn't want Kira to think he was degrading Kira's effort and what he did for him. It wasn't just a mere debt, not at all. It was more than that, so all the more reason to return it.
Kira, of course, just sighed. He didn't like thinking of it as a debt, and that, in his mind, degraded it. Friends just did things for each other. People who cared for each other just did things. But then, there was a lot about human thinking that Kira didn't understand yet. Was Setsuna's way of doing things atypical? "You gave me moral support when I didn't remember my own name half the time," Kira said. "We'll call it even."
Seto shook his head as his eyes finally returned to the computer. Fine. Words were not accomplishing the proper task, so Seto would just have to do this by actions, at the right time.
And perhaps, being Lucifer reincarnated, Kira didn't know how Asians had it smacked into their heads to pay all debts? Or maybe Kira's Japan was different from Seto's? That was possible, the CEO told himself as he started to type away.
No matter, he didn't think things were even, and he didn't consider just sitting there in a chair from the other while Kira went in and out of sleep was all that much of moral support. At least, Seto hoped it wasn't. What would that say about him? ....
Kira, of course, knew little about any kind of human culture. Demons generally didn't. It was considered unimportant. But from what he had gathered, from Alexiel, and from being with Setsuna and Sara and the gang members, was that when you cared for someone, you did things for them to show it. 'Debt' was what happened when strangers did something for each other. He watched with amusement as Seto stared at the laptop screen. It was a cute little habit...
It was silent now, but not the obnoxious silence someone feels a need to break with bringing up some obscure fact in an attempt to generate conversation. Or perhaps that lack of need was more from Seto's personality, and the fact he lavished in silence.
Naturally, it had to break some time, though, with a knock at the door. Kira was popular, huh?
Seto's eyes flickered right from the laptop to look at the door, glaring at it for the interruption, but his eyes quickly returned, and his fingers never ceased to fly over the keyboard, keeping a consistent clicking in the air, despite the overall quiet.
"Come in," Kira called. He never warded the door.
Cheerful, Setsuna's aura seemed to almost enter before he did, causing Seto to look up once more and glare at the other.
Setsuna smiled and gave out a, "Hey Ki...." before trailing off and staring at Seto. "Oh look, Mr. Grumpy's here. You know, you can stop looking at me like that. I've got no interest in sleeping with Kira, really," Setsuna shot at Seto, hoping the other would take that as a hint and knock it off. It was driving him mad, but there was yet a real reason to start a fist fight with Seto. Being that Seto was a friend of Kira's, Setsuna wanted to keep it that way.
"Anyway, Kira, you busy? Am I interrupting anything?" Setsuna asked, sights set on the other now. Comfortable as anything, Setsuna even walked over and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure about being too close to Seto....
"Not at all. Just reading." Kira waved the book at Setsuna. He was really happy. Setsuna was here. It still felt like a dream. "So, how do you like Hogwarts?"
Seto, thankfully, went back to typing - in order to drown out the talking - and Setsuna gladly leaned on the bed, hands propping him up against the mattress.
"It's pretty crazy. The stairs move. I got lost about three times today alone. And in this strange hallway off to the side. It led up to some room where I found a bunch of...well, this is was really weird. There was money and jewelry," Setsuna admitted, eyes glinting a bit as he recalled it.
"But...this is a magical school, and while I need those things to get home, and could use some of it, I didn't think it would be wise to take any. I think it was a treasure room of sorts, and I bet it's got traps in it." Setsuna shrugged it off, and moved on to another topic. "And what about you? How do you like it here anyway? Ever get lost?"
Kira snickered. "Of course not," he lied. "Remember who you're talking to, young padawan. The great Kira-sama never gets lost." The sentence was completed by an obnoxious smirk. He eyed Seto, wondering if he should leave the businessman be or try to loop him into the conversation.
Guaranteed to be just as obnoxious in return, Setsuna retorted, "Oh, I'm pretty sure, if he exists, Kira-sama doesn't get lost. But you, Kira-senpai? I almost know for a fact you can't find your ass sometimes, until it gets handed to you." That was going out on a limb, considering Setsuna hadn't ever done that, and he didn't know anyone that had either. There was a reason Kira was a gang leader, after all. But hey, if Kira could be so cocky about not losing his way, Setsuna could return some of that with playfulness. Seto didn't even notice Kira look at him - his eyes were permanently glued to the screen.
Kira laughed and pulled Setsuna into a headlock. "You sure you want to go down that road, Setsuna?" he said, in the other boy's ear. Of course, Kira wasn't planning to do anything drastic. He knew how powerful Setsuna was, even if Setsuna himself didn't. Besides, he loved Setsuna too much to want to hurt him. "Because as long as we're on the subject of handing out asses..."
There was a light elbow in Kira's side for that as Setsuna tried to squirm out of the headlock, but he decided not to do anything drastic just yet. It was just Kira, and he was just playing around, after all.
Instead, Setsuna settled for smirking and asking, in what seemed almost an innocent tone, "Hey, no need to prove the point in front of your boyfriend, is there?" Just in case, Setsuna was prepared for retaliation after that, and to make the next elbowing hurt, enough to be let go, at least.
"And what about handing them out? Kaiba decide to finally hand his over?"
That question earned Setsuna a dead-level glare, which Setsuna couldn't see properly at the moment anyway.
Kira blushed and squirmed. "Oh, that's it," he said, a little deviously. "I told you he wasn't my boyfriend, but you just wouldn't listen." Kira made a 'tsk'-ing sound, but released Setsuna from the headlock, only to attack his ribs a second later, hoping to tickle his old friend into submission, and maybe even into eating his words. Of course, as long as they'd been friends, he'd never tried that before, and wasn't sure if Setsuna was even ticklish. Well, he'd find out, and if it didn't work, there were other ways of making someone not talk anymore...
Unfortunately - for Setsuna - Kira's attempt worked, and Setsuna dissolved into giggles, though he managed to blurt out - somewhere amidst the bubbling forced mirth - "What am I supposed to think when I come in your room and he's here?"
Tone low, Seto supplied, "You could imagine I'm actually here to visit. Like yourself." He doubted Setsuna would actually listen though. He almost seemed like a Mokuba combined with a Ryuuji, though given a far coarser - and blunt and open - mouth.
Setsuna was unable to say anything return, too busy squirming against Kira, and trying to control his actions. Which, considering was quite difficult. He had enough trouble controlling what he did.
Kira grinned. Aha, so it did work! His fingers working furiously, he said, "At any rate, you aren't supposed to think we're lovers," he said, the demon's tone almost instructional. "Take it back I'll let you go...coochie coochie coo..." Of course, Kira intended to let him go soon enough anyway, but Setsuna didn't need to know that.
Kira looked up from Setsuna for just a minute to focus on Kaiba. "What're you working on, anyway?"
"Nuh-uh," Setsuna tried to sound stubborn, but it was hard laughing like that. "Not taking it back." He couldn't understand what was so wrong about it anyway. Kira and Seto looked kinda cute together. And it was nice to see Kira look interested in someone as something other than just another slut to sleep with.
Slightly narrowed eyes stared right back at Kira as Seto plainly responded, in monotone, "A program," and went right back to work. It seemed Kira had Setsuna under control, for the moment. No telling how long that would actually last, though.
Setsuna's laughter was starting to make Kira laugh, too. Damn, did he have to be so contagious? Even forced glee from him seemed to catch on. "Take it back," Kira insisted, but he stopped tickling after one quick, final jab to Setsuna's stomach. Although he wasn't tickling the other boy any longer, Kira kept his position over Setsuna even as he persisted, "What kind of program? Does it have Bond girls?"
Now that Kira was no longer tickling him, Setsuna's own fingers started to twitch as he launched into his own attack and declared, "No! I'm not taking it back," as his battle cry. Time for a little payback...assuming Kira was ticklish. If he wasn't, this would be a short lived war.
Another dead-level glare was given from Seto. "No. It's a computer program. Code. To make it function. I write them. I build computers." Seto really hoped that wouldn't cause Kira to worry about him further tinkering with the little device he had given him at Kira's sorting. Seto had yet to forget Kira's warnings, and how he seemed to worry Seto would be of interest to angels because of his technical abilities.
Kira positively shrieked with laughter. He hadn't really been expecting Setsuna to do that. "You ass! Leggo!" he yelped between peels of giggles, squirming and kicking for all he was worth. Kaiba's program as momentarily forgotten as the demon sniggered and tried his damndest to worm out of Setsuna's grasp. "HELP!" was all he had to say to Kaiba for the time being.
Blue eyes flickered nonchalantly from the computer screen, and Seto simply shook his head at Kira, then said, "You're on own." From his point of view, this gave him more time to return to the program and type away. And hope Kira just forgot all about Seto's computer capabilities in the meantime.
As for Setsuna - he grinned like mad. For once, he had Kira completely at his mercy, and he rather liked it. "Senpai, I had no idea you were ticklish. I'll have to remember this. And not just in a specific spot, but everywhere."
His fingers displayed everywhere, feathering along Kira's ribs.
Kira wormed and wriggled in vain desperation, howling like a fool. "You bastard!" he gasped, unsure if he was referring more to Kaiba or Setsuna. "Setsuna, stop it right now or you'll be -- !" He tried to sound threatening and angry, but thanks to the ridiculous, unwilling grin plastered across his face, that effect was ruined; and that only got worse when his sentence dissolved into chortles halfway through. He swatted at Setsuna's hands with all the rabid ferocity of a small kitten, laughing and kicking too hard to really exert much energy elsewhere. "Seto, you're a useless -- !" Again the sentence dissolved into hearty laughter.
Setsuna couldn't help but laugh as well - Kira's forced mirth was just as infectious as Setsuna's was, or was it just Setsuna was easily amused? Either one sent him into laughter, but he still maintained enough control to tickle Kira senseless. Easily, he avoided the effortless kicks and attempts to swat his hands away - too easy. Besides, this was too much fun to stop just yet.
Meanwhile, Seto raised an eyebrow at Kira and muttered, "Someone apparently has no use for a virgin. Understood." With that threat taken care of, Seto returned to typing.
Kira was becoming increasingly subdued by Setsuna's tickle attack. He gave up trying to swat Setsuna away, cackling as he hugged himself as tightly as he could, more in the hopes of preventing Setsuna from gaining access to his armpits than anything else. "Oh, nonono! That's not -- fuck you guys!" The sentence became a yelp towards the end, and Kira started gasping for breath in between snickers, chuckles and shrieked-out giggles. Still, Kira promised himself he wouldn't beg for mercy, no matter how tempting it got. "I have -- I have use for a -- hee, hee -- a virgin!"
"Fuck us, huh?" Setsuna asked, now more amused, if that was possible. "You wish you could, but in this position, I don't think you'll be doing much of that.."
Having stopped typing for the sole purpose of massaging his temples, Seto started to wonder if he should just leave these two in peace for a bit. Their annoying, over-joyous moment was becoming a hindrance and distraction, oddly enough.
"Tell you what, senpai," Setsuna started to offer, finally showing a bit of compassion, "I'll stop tickling you if you say, 'I'm Setsuna's bitch.' Say that - word for word - and I'll stop. Promise." The fingers were currently attempting to invade the armpit area.
Kira shook his head from side to side. He was NOT saying that. But Setsuna's fingers tickling his armpits now made him squeal in an embarrassingly high-pitched way, before he started laughing too hard to even squirm much anymore. "Bite me, loser!" he managed to choke as his eyes started to water from laughing, an hysterical tear even sliding down one of his cheeks. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, though, he regretted them immensely. Perhaps that had been unwise...
Very unwise.
"Fine. Suit yourself. I could do this all night," Setsuna said gleefully as his fingers started a full force attack on Kira's armpits.
And just to add insult to injury; "And I don't really see the point in you biting yourself, loser. You know...I think you should be asking Kaiba to bite you."
Once again, Seto's eyes removed themselves from the computer screen, just to momentarily glare in Setsuna's general direction. It was a look that clearly spoke Seto didn't have time to mess around, but if he did, Setsuna would regret his words. Setsuna didn't really care what they claimed.
"Kaiba's not my boyfriend! I told yoooouuu!" Kira gasped and kicked purely out of reflex. He had to do it. He had to just say he was Setsuna's bitch and then bully the other two into not telling anyone else he'd ever said that. He knew how stubborn Setsuna was, and this whole body from chin to toe was one big ticklish spot. He couldn't keep this up forever, and already tears of hysterical, forced merriment were start to fall with some consistency. Kira's shoulders shook as he guffawed. "I'm..." he started to say. "I'm Setsuna's..." He looked up at his captor with pleading eyes, as though begging Setsuna not to make him finish the sentence.
"You're my what? Come on, Kira," Setsuna coaxed, while his fingers demanded the words via an evil tickling onslaught. "And I didn't even suggest he was your boyfriend this time, just that you should nibble on him."
A definite suspicious eyebrow lifted on Seto's face as he looked right at Setsuna. There were questions piling behind those blue eyes, but they would be asked, later.
"I'm... I'm Setsuna's bitch," Kira said amidst loud laughter. He tried to curl in on himself, hoping Setsuna would show mercy now. He'd thank Kaiba for nothing as soon as was in a position to really give them what-for properly.
That's all it took, and Setsuna stopped at once. Smirking with triumph, he leaned back on the bed, giving Kira some space to catch his breath, and watched, glint in his eyes. "Shame I don't have a tape recorder, though. That would have been priceless to -"
A click coming from where Seto was seated stopped Setsuna's words. No way.
Setsuna looked at Seto with slightly wide eyes as Seto explained, "I'm paranoid. I keep one on me, just in case."
Kira took in several deep, relieved breaths of fresh air when Setsuna finally stopped, wiping the water from his eyes. Smirking up at Setsuna. "Everyone knows you're really my bitch, anyway. Nobody'd believe it was re -- " He stopped speaking at the sound of the click and turned to Seto, eyes wide. Oh, for the love of...
"Don't make me tickle you too," was all he could think of to say as a spur-of-the-moment threat.
Seto just grinned, pushed rewind, then play and let the replay of, "I'm... I'm Setsuna's bitch," in Kira's unmistakable voice fill the room.
"You even attempt to tickle me, and this little clip will get enchanted for the entire school to hear. Do you want that?" Seto asked, head slightly tilted as he waited for Kira to respond.
Setsuna stared with wide eyes at Seto, slightly impressed. Maybe Seto didn't look like he could hold a physical fight, but apparently Seto was still dangerous to mess with.
Kira gaped. And then shut his mouth. And then gaped again. And then he switched gears completely. "Seeeetooo..." he whined, crawling close enough to the businessman to rest his head on Seto's shoulder. "Seto, I loooove youuuu," he cooed.
And the second Kira had said Seto the first time, a distinct click had sounded.
Setsuna snickered and wondered if he should help, or leave Kira to fend for himself. It was something he could spend a while debating on, considering the abuse he had suffered from Kira's gang, with Kira watching, no less. It was just desserts if he settled back and let Kira handle Kaiba, Setsuna told himself.
As for Seto, he kept the recorder out of Kira's grasp, then when Kira was done with his proclamation of love, Seto pulled back, face contorting with annoyance. "Keep your distance."
He rewound it, pushed play, and, "Seto, I loooove youuuu," echoed Kira's attempt.
"As endearing as that might be, it's not going to get you what you want," Seto said, placing an emphasis on endearing that subtly said he found it more pathetic. As for Seto...he didn't really want to blackmail Kira - what for? - but he was enjoying the slight amount of power he held in his hands. Just those few words recorded had Kira on his knees. Just how much more could he get?
"Oh? Just to clear things up -- what, exactly, do I want?" Kira asked. He thought it might be prudent to have that cleared up immediately before he said anything else incriminating. He looked at Kaiba with big, brown, kicked-puppy eyes as he sat back a little. "And how do I get it?"
Seto smirked at that. Who did Kira take him for?
With a dark-promising chuckle - something you didn't really want to hear, because hearing it meant evil things were to come, but how evil could it be compared to Kira, being Lucifer and all? - Seto leaned forward, slightly - tiny tape recorder still out of reach - and in a low, authoritative voice said, "If you don't tell me what you want, I can't give it to you. And you were the one that started making exclamations of love over whatever it is. Perhaps you should clarify?"
As for how did he get it...?
Seto's mouth opened, but he didn't get very far as Setsuna broke in to suggest, "Maybe you should say, 'I want you to fuck me,' senpai, to get whatever this is you're trying to get." A large grin marked the end of Setsuna's input.
However, Seto frowned in Setsuna's direction and sighed. Oh well, it would still be hilarious to have on tape, assuming they could get Kira to say it.
"I want your tape recorder," Kira said, making an unsuccessful grab for it. "Pleeeeease?" He thought about it, and added, "I also want a sundae and a pony and..." He grinned made another swipe for the tape recorder in Seto's hands.
He grinned at Setsuna's commentary, but knew better than to actually say that.
Quickly, Seto rose from his seat, taking the recorder with him, and quickly shoved the recorder in one of his inner pockets. "You're not going to get it so easily, Sakuya," Seto informed him.
But...what could he have Kira do? What could he ask of him, or have him say? Well, it was Seto's recorder. He could just promise not to play the incriminating sound clips unless Kira messed up. Or....
"Actually, I see no reason at all I have to give the recorder to you. I'm the one with the upper hand here. I think, in fact, you need to convince me not to play this for anyone."
Kira remembered something Seto'd said earlier. "I'm glad you changed your mind about owing me," he said, with a smirk. "Started to see things my way, I mean. Obviously you must have, if you're prepared to do something like this..." Kira crossed his arms over his chest and stood up. "...to someone you just said that you 'owe.'"
Setsuna's mouth twisted a bit, and he flat out said, "That's a low blow, senpai." Because in his mind, it was. Setsuna didn't think debts should be brought into something this fun.
Seto, on the other hand, didn't stop smirking as he took a step back and explained to Kira, "Not quite. It is a favor if I keep this to myself and don't play for it anyone unless you step out of line, I think. That should easily repay the debt." Not at all, but Seto didn't like the idea of giving up this small bit of power so easily. And besides, if Kira was going to play emotional blackmail mind games, Seto could play right back.
Kira was more subdued by Setsuna than anything Seto said. In Kira's mind, there was nothing sacred, nothing that couldn't be made the butt of a joke, nothing that wasn't funny in the right light. Debts were just as funny as anything else, weren't they? That it upset Setsuna surprised him, although perhaps, given Setsuna's inherent nobility, it shouldn't have. Alexiel probably would have though it was low, too, so Kira sat back down, humbled.
"Okay." Kira pouted playfully a little, not wanting to spoil the mood the mood entirely or ruin it for the other two. "You win."
Seto's eyes widened as he pushed play on the tape recorder once more. "Sakuya...just say that again, and I swear to you, I'll never play this tape for anyone. I just want to keep it for myself, okay?"
Setsuna looked at the other, noticing this seemed to mean a great deal to Kaiba. But why...? Kira seemed so...let down suddenly. Had Setsuna been too rough with his words? It wasn't like Kira to take them to heart anyway.
A look of confused suspicion from Setsuna was given to Kira as he studied the other for a moment.
Kira laughed and avoided meeting Setsuna's gaze. He did not want to discuss anything right now. He to go back to playing some more, though he decided to be more careful about what he said to Kaiba. He knew Kaiba could take it, but he'd only just gotten to see Setsuna again and didn't want to upset his friend so quickly. He looked at Kaiba, contemplatively, happy to have leverage again. Then he shrugged and said into the tape recorder, "Okay."
"No, what you said after that," Seto corrected him, voice stern. His eyes narrowed at the clever little avoidance, showing he wasn't amused. "Say it, or I won't keep that promise, in the slightest."
And finally, Setsuna had to step in. Perhaps Seto had a right to get the words out of Kira, but if Kira found a way around it, that was that. Kira had squirmed out of it, and Seto should let it drop already. Hadn't this little game gone on long enough?
"Actually, Kaiba, I think that's enough. You didn't say just what part he had to say, and you can go ahead and keep the tape for yourself now," Setsuna inputted, unable to stop himself. Kira seemed so downcast...so not himself, and Setsuna could neither ignore that, or let it continue.
Kira laughed. Hearing Setsuna stick up for him seemed to fill him with a new energy. His eyes lit up. "Don't worry about it, Setsuna," he said, scooting a little closer to his old friend. "If it gets Kaiba off, I don't mind saying it." He smirked. "Okay, Kaiba, you ready? I'm not in the mood to repeat myself, so you better be pushing 'play' right now." He folded his hands behind his neck. Better to say this before Setsuna and Kaiba had a fight, anyway. "Seto Kaiba officially wins the argument and I lose it, utterly, in every sense of the word." The smirk deepened. "You get all that?"
A self-important click stated that Seto had, indeed, got it all. Just in case, he nodded his head. "Of course I did. And I promise, I will not use this is blackmail material, or let anyone else listen to it, unless you completely step out of line and I'm given no other option. Until that point, it's for my own personal amusement."
Setsuna gave Seto a slightly narrowed look. "That's not what the promise was before. And he went further than he had to, you know." Uptight, sadistic, ego-hungry, arrogant bastard. That wasn't enough for him?
Kira shrugged. "Do what you want. I don't really care who listens to it," he said. "As long as you delete the other shit." He didn't mind people listening to his admission of losing an argument. But letting them hear him announce he was Setsuna's bitch or profess his love for Kaiba was terribly embarrassing.
Seto's eyes widened, then slipped into a narrow glare as he stubbornly said, "I'm not deleting the other things." The second clip was what I really wanted to keep.
"I said I was keeping the whole tape for my personal amusement."
"Hey!" Setsuna couldn't stop his temper from boiling over, now. What did Seto need the other things for, anyway? His hand reached out, aiming to grab Seto by the stiff neck of his shirt. "I don't see the point in keeping it. He did what you wanted. Can't you just let it go now?"
Seto moved, avoiding the attempted grab. This stopped Setsuna for a moment - Seto didn't seem the fighter type, after all, but...but.... It edged along his mind, and irritated the hell out of him that Seto was taunting Kira like this.
"Watch it, brat," Seto warned as he watched Setsuna carefully. The brat was quick, and Seto was grateful it hadn't been a punch. "I don't like being touched. And I understand Sakuya did as I requested. I have no intention of letting anyone else listen to this tape, so just calm down."
Kira stood, trying to step in between them, holding up his hands. He didn't want this to escalate into a fight. Mentally, he cursed himself; if he'd had better control over himself and hadn't let Setsuna's apparent disapproval of some tiny thing affect his mood, they'd both be laughing at his expense right now instead of going at each other's throats. "That's enough," he said, as soothingly as he could. "I don't want a blood bath in my room." He sighed and turned to Kaiba. "Just get rid of 'em. Please? I'm begging you..." He tried his best to pout cutely, but pouting wasn't Kira's forte and he quickly stopped, sensing that he probably looked more than a little silly.
Silly enough that Setsuna laughed, at least. It had an odd calming effect, but his eyes kept looking back at Seto, warning him to do as Kira wanted. Kira was begging.... Sincerely begging. Kira did not beg. Seto had better do as Kira wanted.
"Senpai, don't you think begging is going a bit overboard?" Setsuna asked, hoping that would help Kira lighten the mood, at least.
"Blood bath? Seems highly unlikely if the brat can't even lay a finger on me," Seto taunted, voice taking on a cruel note as he sneered.
Despite that, the sneer left shortly after - right as Setsuna was seething in Seto's direction - and Seto's lips softened into more of a wistful bit of a regret. I can't keep it?
"I'll delete the rest of the tape, I promise," Seto finally conceded, but unconsciously one hand caressed over tape recorder in his pocket as he said that.
Kira snickered and turned to Setsuna. "All the best actors always go a little overboard. The trick is to go overboard without going too overboard..." He grinned as though he had the slightest idea what he was fucking talking about.
Then, to Kaiba, his tone and expression changed, but not dramatically. He'd seen that cruel sneer directed at Setsuna before by all manners of people. Normally he tried his best to stay out of direct conflict, and this was no different. Still, he knew what Setsuna was capable of... "I don't know about that," Kira said lightly. "Sometimes even Bozo here gets in a lucky punch or two. You don't want to be on the receiving end of his lucky shots, believe me."
When Seto promised to delete the rest of the tape, Kira half-smiled. "It's appreciated. Thanks."
"Hey! I'm better than just lucky," Setsuna defended himself, giving Kira a definite span of tongue in the form of a raspberry. "Kaiba here is the one that's lucky. I decided not to hurt him, because he might play that tape out of spite if I do," Setsuna insisted.
And there was another glare of warning sent in Seto's direction - Setsuna wanted to make sure Kira's request was seen to. If Seto even dared to do other than what he promised, Setsuna would make sure he regretted it. It really seemed to bother Kira, for some reason - Setsuna could tell. So what Kira wanted, he'd get.
Seto rolled his eyes at Setsuna's claims, and Kira's, but in the least settled back down to the chair as he said, "You're welcome. Now, can I get back to work in peace?"
If they were just going to start up again, Seto would need to find another place to retreat to.
Kira was mentally taking note of the fact that they both seemed to get along best when they were laughing at him. When he was more himself, he'd just have to make sure they always had something to laugh at when they were around him.
For the time being, he just turned to Setsuna with an overdramatic sigh and flung his arms around his friend's neck. "Come, Setsuna... Kaiba doesn't love us!"
"Huh?" Setsuna could tell Kira meant for them to leave, but that caused puzzlement. "What are we doing? Leaving? Why? It's your room. We shouldn't have to go anywhere," Setsuna insisted, his arm going under Kira's in a matter of friendly habit.
Seto was, as well, a bit baffled, but he didn't say anything. If they left and it was quiet enough for him to do his work, he really didn't care. Besides, they were too close, and affectionate for Seto's tastes. Their ease with each other grated on Seto's nerves and slipped under his skin like a razor.
Kira pulled Setsuna into a semi-hug. In a loud whisper, he said, "The yakuza, the American FBI and the gray aliens are all out for Kaiba's head. He can't leave this room or..." Kira pretended to glance furtively about before saying solemnly, "he's history!" This was accompanied by an over-exaggerated nod. Kira was starting to feel silly again.
"Actually, I own the yakuza," Seto spoke up, voice confident as it replied on auto-pilot, forgetting that he owned the yakuza from his Japan, not this one.
Setsuna wasn't sure whether to tell Kaiba, "No way," or play around with Kira. Thankfully, he didn't give any of it much consideration and just jumped in with, "No? What did he do? I bet he's a," small pause for a quick look at Seto and his laptop, then, "hacker, right? He hacked into some huge government thing and upset the American FBI, and it was about the aliens, so the aliens want to make sure the information gets erased from his mind? But how do the yakuza fit in?"
"Bingo!" Kira said to Setsuna's version of events. Then, "Like he says, he owns the yakuza," said Kira, happy that Kaiba had fed him the perfect way to bring all his bullshit together. "Or at least, he used to think so. What he didn't realize is that the yakuza are actually double-agents, looking to turn him over to the gray aliens the first chance they get!"
Seto gave a disgusted sigh at the strange story, closed his laptop and rose from the chair. "Tell you what," he said in that final, clipped way of his, "I'll leave, and you two can have the room to yourselves, since you act like you need some alone time so much."
Setsuna was having a few giggles over Kira's tale, but then blanched slightly at Seto's suggestion. They weren't that bad, were they?
Kira was amused by both Setsuna's and Kaiba's reactions. "But Kaiba," he said, "don't you want to hear about how you saved the Great Wall of China single-handedly, only to incur the wrath of all Spain?"
"No," Seto said flatly. "Besides, it should be the wrath of Germany I incur, not Spain."
With that slight correction, Seto quickly walked out of the room, right past Setsuna and Kira, without giving either of them another look.
"You know, I almost feel sorry for him," Setsuna said in an absent-minded fashion after Seto had left. "I mean, doesn't it get lonely, being that much of an ass and always going off on his own?"
"I'm not sure if we should follow him or let him be," Kira admitted. "Following him might be more fun, but letting him go off by himself..." Might be better for Kaiba, which is what Kira really wanted. He felt like he'd been enough of an ass for the time being anyway. "You know, maybe I should apologize for taking such a hard line on his stupid tape recorder. It... wasn't that big of a deal."
"What? You don't need to apologize for anything," Setsuna loyally said, immediately. He wasn't going to hear any of that. "You didn't do anything wrong, and it's okay. If you don't want to say something, or don't want people to hear what you said, then he should listen to what you want and not make such a big deal of it."
For some reason, following Seto now was even more tempting, but maybe Kira knew him best. Setsuna didn't want to really aggravate Seto, but...it seemed as though Seto needed to learn about people more. Needed to be around them more to help him learn.
"And...I think we should follow him. I think he needs to be around people more, and letting him go off on his own will keep him accustomed to being alone, instead of letting people in his life," Setsuna suggested, eyes staring off in the direction Seto had gone.
Meanwhile, far down the hall, Seto nonchalantly pressed play just to listen to, "Seto, I loooove youuuu." Then he rewound the tape and pressed play again.
"Seto, I loooove youuuu."
It was familiar, that sing-song tone and phrase. Where had he heard it before? Not in Kira's voice...but someone else's.
A long time ago.
Rewind.
There was a sudden flicker of happy green eyes in his line of sight, and childish mirth in a giggle or two. So long ago, when it had only been a few short years.
It felt like forever.
Seto pressed play, again.
"Seto, I loooove youuuu."
---
Kira just grinned. "It shouldn't bother me, though." A lot of things that shouldn't were bothering him lately. He needed to get over his current over-sensitivity. The demon turned to Setsuna and kept his arm loosely around the other boy's shoulder. "Aye-aye, captain! Lead the way!"
Setsuna was leading, following in the direction he was sure he had seen Seto take, but he was stuck on what Kira first said, definite worried frown on his face.
"I guess it shouldn't, senpai," Setsuna started, his tone clearly expressing concern as he continued, "but sometimes things happen, and other, little things start to worry people. It's okay, though. There's nothing wrong with that."
Slightly narrowed eyes looked down the hall for a moment, then softened as they turned back to Kira. "No...what is wrong is what happened while I was gone. Who do I need to kill?"
It had to be something serious, didn't it? Whatever it was that had Kira so upset, so happy to have seen Setsuna when he showed up.... Something bad took place when hewasn't there, didn't it?
That was it. He wasn't leaving Kira in that school - no way, and not leaving Kira's side either. Well, as much as he could manage. They did have separate rooms.
Kira turned to Setsuna, face impassive although he was a bundle of emotions inside. He was touched, but he was used to being the one who protected and comforted Setsuna, not the other way around. And Setsuna seemed to think that a specific person had been the cause of Kira's woes. "Nothing happened," Kira said, with a sigh. He couldn't explain to Setsuna his feelings of uselessness at being trapped in human body, his frustration and confusion and not knowing where his depression came from. "I was just being pathetic. Now let's go find Homie the Clown."
Completely unconvinced, Setsuna's arm tightened around Kira a bit. Fine...Kira didn't want to talk about it, or admit what happened. Setsuna could understand that, to a degree. It seemed just like something Kira would do, though. Keep the tough guy act going, of course. Who didn't where they came from?
"Okay, senpai, if you say so. But if that's the case, stop being pathetic, because I'm here, and you need to set a good example for me." There was a bright smile to accompany those words, and a wink, but that arm was still holding tightly to Kira, so that if Kira started to slip, Setsuna could hold him up. He was strong enough.
"I'll try. You never could figure out how to control yourself on your own. Always blowing up about something..." Kira leaned against Setsuna. He didn't put all his weight on the other boy, but he did slip an arm around Setsuna's shoulders, allowed himself to be 'carried' along. He liked Setsuna's smiles. They were so honest and open...
"I've just been down lately." A shrug. "I don't even know why. I got kind of depressed, I guess, for a while, but it wasn't too bad, and anyway, it cleared up and I'm fine now." Kira laughed. He surprised himself when he didn't need to force it.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed with obvious dislike at his temper being brought into this, but he knew it was true, and that Kira was just poking fun at him. "I don't need you to keep my temper," Setsuna insisted, taking note of the comfort of Kira's arm joining his.
Wait.... Senpai...depressed?
Again, suspicion was apparent in Setsuna's eyes and facial features as he started at Kira. "Well, if you think it's gone, okay. But you know, senpai, if anything else bothers you, or you need someone to talk to, you know you can talk to me, right?" offered Setsuna. Kira had been there for him in the past, after all. He would never miss a chance to be there for Kira in return, even without Kira helping him so often. Kira was just...too important to him to watch something eat away at the other boy.
"I broke down completely," Kira admitted. "I don't even know why. Nobody even did anything. I just..." Kira was normally guarded, a liar, anything to keep from revealing too much of himself. Of course, even now, he wasn't being entirely honest, but he couldn't tell Setsuna he was Lucifer. Irony of ironies; the person closest to him couldn't know what the rest of the school did. "I just lost it. I don't know what happened." He sighed. The look in Setsuna's eyes, though, made him smile.
Setsuna stopped walking, loosened his arm and turned. "You...you idiot!" he accused, now facing Kira with slight fire entering his emotions and voice. "Why didn't you say something at the sorting? Did you think I would think you were weak, or less because of that? Well, you're wrong. Dead wrong. We're friends, aren't we? Aren't you supposed to be able to depend on me?"
It was more than that, so much more. Setsuna hated to think Kira had suffered that much, and he wasn't there to help, or do anything for him, and Kira felt he had to cover it up. No...that wouldn't do, not at all.
"If you're going to have a bad spell, no matter how pathetic it is, you should say something to me. Understood?" Setsuna crossed his arms in a fashion that said he wanted a proper answer, and now. And he wanted to know Kira was okay, but he wasn't afraid to poke fun at him for this conversation. There was a time for a play, and this was not it, from the sound of it.
Kira didn't just lose it. Kira didn't get depressed. Kira didn't break down. Those facts grated at Setsuna's nerves painfully. Thankfully, he wasn't the sort to bother with useless guilt, so he didn't feel at fault for not being there - that was his mother's doing. However, he wished he had been.
But I'm here now, so I can make sure it doesn't happen again, or in the least, someone's with senpai when it does.
Kira grinned in response. He toppled to the ground when Setsuna yelled, but he wasn't unhappy about it. He liked the way Setsuna was yelling now, and he imagined that if the positions were reversed, he'd sound much the same as Setsuna did now. "You know," he commented, "this is a real switch. Normally, I'm the one who acts like your big brother."
Setsuna crossing his arms over his chest made Kira's grin widen, and he covered it with a hand. "Okay, okay. Next time I'm going shit-for-brains, I'll tell you, okay?" He shrugged and push himself into a standing position. "I thought it was over. And the worst part is, but I guess there's still some residual over-sensitivity to... everything." Kira rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know why Kaiba keeps saying he owes me. If anything, I'm the one who owes him. He sat with me while I was sad. He wasn't really good at cheering people up, but he did the best he could and it was nice to have someone there and I'm grateful...."
He hugged Setsuna full-force. "But I'm really glad you're here now. I feel better already. Sorry I didn't tell you..."
The hug took him off guard, but Setsuna didn't hesitate to return it, clinging a bit, arms tightening around Kira to remind him how much his senpai meant to Setsuna. And...being told about Seto staying with Kira changed things, put Seto in a whole new light.
"That jerk actually stuck by you...? Heh.... Guess I shouldn't be so hard on him, then." Maybe he wasn't as bad as he appeared?
"And good - next time this happens, you better tell me," Setsuna demand, but after his voice softened, and his hold did as well; "I'm glad you're better, though. And it's okay you didn't tell me, as long as you do next time."
Kira didn't release the hug yet. "You have to know how to work Kaiba," Kira said. "He's not so bad when you've got him figured out." He gave Setsuna a squeeze before letting go and standing back. He was smiling, his eyes were twinkling, he felt a lot better. Setsuna's touch, his smile, his everything made Kira feel at home. Setsuna meant a lot to Kira, too. "And I told you, I'll tell you. Okay? Good enough?"
"Yeah. I already said that. Good enough," Setsuna said, relieved Kira seemed okay, the hug was over, and Seto wasn't so bad. Good. Then he didn't have to worry about Seto spending so much time with Kira. They seemed to have a mutual understanding of each other, and Setsuna would just deal with it, even if Seto didn't like him.
"And now...we've wasted enough time, I'm not really sure where Kaiba went...." He looked around a bit, decided there weren't too many places to go, and put his arm around Kira again to continue walking forward.
"Let's keep going to catch up?"
Kira flung his arm around Setsuna. He liked it best when they were touching. "Me neither. Let's just keep walking till we find him."
Eventually, Setsuna got tired of looking. It didn't seem Kaiba was anywhere in sight.
"Where do you think he would go for solitude? Or do you not know him that well yet?" he asked Kira, noticing that his stomach was echoing a strong empty feeling. "And...more importantly, where's the kitchen around here?"
Setsuna still had a lot of things to learn, and considering the size of the school, it seemed wise to ask Kira. Otherwise, Setsuna would have gone looking for it himself.
[[Tag, reincarnated Lucifer, of course.]]
Seto hadn't really stormed out - he didn't want to risk Ryuuji stopping him, or Mokuba taking notice and getting overly upset - but he had, definitely, made it clear he didn't want to talk and left. Considering all of his temperamental thoughts of harming Ryuuji, Seto decided it was best to get space, until he could stop thinking of the other as a total moron for not ditching Terry the second Terry left.
He just needed space, that's it. If he got away for a while, Ryuuji would cease to appear such a moron to him, right? In the least, he needed it. Now. Besides, if he was away, Ryuuji wouldn't be able to make him talk about anything. And the last thing Seto wanted to do was talk - because there were things lurking, things that played on his tongue, and stabbed the subconscious of his mind.
Having already been to Kira's room once (and having gained the password into Ravenclaw from Terry a couple of months prior), it was there he headed, laptop in hand - never mind that Ravenclaw was where Terry was. That thought only caused Seto to brush through as quickly as possible, and head right to Kira's room, where he knocked in a business-like fashion. Then hoped Kira was actually there.
Kira was there, lounging on the bed with a book in his hand. "Come in," he said. "It's not warded." Most of him hoped it was Setsuna, who didn't seem to be about right now. Another part hoped it was Methos, or maybe one of the girls in Hogsmeade he'd told to come up and see him. But even if it wasn't, he was always glad to have company.
Accustomed to wards - Ryuuji seemed obsessed with them, honestly - Seto was relieved to hear that and opened the door, quickly. Again, he wanted inside somewhere, fast. After entering, he quickly closed the door, then took a look around, eyes scanning the room, then finally brushing over Kira's figure, curiously. In both hands, he crushed the laptop to his chest, tightly, over his heart.
"I.... I know the other day was a bit awkward, but I was wondering if I could," Seto stopped for a bit and tried to maintain his voice at a consistent, firm level, but it seemed to still be lost in anger, or something unfamiliar, "stay here for a bit. Any objections?" If Kira had any, Seto would walk right out, and possibly retreat to London. Or Tokyo. Just far, far away from Ryuuji and the school entirely.
Kira looked looked up from his book (I, Robot). He was wearing his glasses for once, and pushed them up his nose a little. "None at all. Sit down."
He smiled; he was pleased to see Seto. Perhaps more pleased than he should have been. He'd assumed their last conversation would be the beginning of their distance, which should have been a good thing. But a reunion like this made him surprisingly happy.
Seto had been aiming to pull apart, in fact, but because of his issues with Ryuuji, Seto felt a distinctive need to get away from Ryuuji now. This left with him few options. However, thanks to the time they spent together while Kira was depressed, Seto had learned there was a certain comfort to be had with someone that allowed him hours staring at a computer screen without complaint.
That, and he owed Kira for bringing the Mad Hatter, for putting Sindin's soul away. As Seto still lacked a method for payment, the CEO decided to at least go visit Kira - despite their issue at Setsuna's sorting - and see if anything started from there. And meanwhile it was a reprieve from Ryuuji.
The first thing Seto commented on was, "I didn't know you wore glasses." Then, as though perfectly at home, Seto took a seat and placed the laptop comfortable on his lap, while he watched Kira.
"And thank-you, though I warn you...this might be a few days. Are you sure about this?"
"I wear them for reading, mostly," Kira explained. He could see fine without them, but they didn't bother him, either, and although he wouldn't admit it, they did make reading truly easier, although reading without them wasn't impossible. "And for looks. My original host had them, so back home I wear them." Kira went back to reading. "And sure, I'm sure."
The simple answers and lack of annoying questions couldn't have been more welcome. Most people would have asked why, but not Kira. It was welcoming, as though Seto just belonged there and it wasn't unusual in the least for Seto to just go into his room and stay there for a while.
"I'll need to send house elves for my things then. So thank-you, Sakuya. I owe you as it is." Quietly, he opened his laptop - he'd talk to the house elves later - and went right back to the work he had been attempting when Ryuuji tried to talk to him.
Kira's brow furrowed. "You owe me?" he asked without looking up. "You take money from my wallet when I wasn't looking?"
Seto's eyes widened some as he looked up at Kira - that was almost a humorous assumption, almost.
"I have my own money, thank-you very much, but if you've just completely forgotten, no. I meant for Sindin's soul," Seto explained, blue eyes still staring at him. They couldn't stop. How did Kira's mind jump like that anyway?
Kira blinked. He looked up, finally, peering up at Kaiba through his glasses. "Oh. You don't owe me for that." He smiled a little smile and went back to his book.
There was quite a long moment of silence while Seto continued to stare. Kira couldn't be serious? For bringing Mad Hatter all the way there just to make the deal, and when Kira didn't even know if it was possible. Then for that very incident to lead to Kira being depressed for a few days. Was Kira trying to say that was nothing?
Insistent, Seto shot back, "No. I do. I pay my debts, always, and this time is no different."
Kira was a little surprised to hear that -- wasn't the point of deals like that to get as much as possible from the other person while giving as little in return yourself? But then he shrugged. Kira hadn't intended for it to be the kind of thing that made people indebted to each other, anyway, When you cared for someone, the rules changed. Softly, he said, "It's not a debt. Don't devalue it to that. It's something I did because I care about you and Ryuuji. Nothing more... and nothing less."
This did not help the staring problem, not one bit. Wait, wait, wait. Kira what? Seto had thought Kira was purposefully the type who kept people at a distance, and Seto thought he himself was the type people didn't like.
Voice displaying on a minor bit of confusion, Seto said, "I wasn't trying to demean the effort. At all, I always repay favors, though. I see this as no different, since I made the request to you." It was only after Seto closed his mouth he realized all of those words had purposefully avoided the mention of Kira caring about him.
Kira shrugged and readjusted his position as he turned the page. "What would you repay me with? There's nothing I really want. Besides, you stayed with me when I was..." Wishing I could curl up and die. "you know... and someday I might need you for financial or moral support. So it'll all even out eventually."
"I don't give moral support," was Seto's automatic response, words bland and flat. Next that had to follow was, "And giving money would hardly make me blink and eyelash, so that's hardly a proper return."
After, Seto felt it was partially his request that was to blame for Kira's low emotional period, so he didn't really feel owed anything for staying by Kira's side during that. Not to mention...he had kicked him, hadn't he?
"And are you certain there's nothing you want?" A negative response to that would make Seto highly comfortable, despite his questioning that. It was hard just to know where Kira's joking spirit tread, and where it didn't touch.
Kira's joking spirit touched basically everything. There was nothing in his mind that couldn't be made funny. But he was sincere when he said, "I'm sure there's nothing I really want." Well, maybe Sara for Setsuna, but he didn't think that was within Kaiba's abilities to get that. And he didn't know how Kaiba would react to a request on Setsuna's behalf.
It would have resulted in Seto leaving and taking off to London. This was simply a bad time for any such request, considering the dark cloud hovering over Seto's "conversations" with both Crowley and Ryuuji. This social thing was starting to annoy the CEO.
"Very well, then. I suppose, in the future, if you need anything, then let me know. Until then, whether you like it or not, I am in your debt." Seto was sticking to that, regardless. Though he didn't want Kira to think he was degrading Kira's effort and what he did for him. It wasn't just a mere debt, not at all. It was more than that, so all the more reason to return it.
Kira, of course, just sighed. He didn't like thinking of it as a debt, and that, in his mind, degraded it. Friends just did things for each other. People who cared for each other just did things. But then, there was a lot about human thinking that Kira didn't understand yet. Was Setsuna's way of doing things atypical? "You gave me moral support when I didn't remember my own name half the time," Kira said. "We'll call it even."
Seto shook his head as his eyes finally returned to the computer. Fine. Words were not accomplishing the proper task, so Seto would just have to do this by actions, at the right time.
And perhaps, being Lucifer reincarnated, Kira didn't know how Asians had it smacked into their heads to pay all debts? Or maybe Kira's Japan was different from Seto's? That was possible, the CEO told himself as he started to type away.
No matter, he didn't think things were even, and he didn't consider just sitting there in a chair from the other while Kira went in and out of sleep was all that much of moral support. At least, Seto hoped it wasn't. What would that say about him? ....
Kira, of course, knew little about any kind of human culture. Demons generally didn't. It was considered unimportant. But from what he had gathered, from Alexiel, and from being with Setsuna and Sara and the gang members, was that when you cared for someone, you did things for them to show it. 'Debt' was what happened when strangers did something for each other. He watched with amusement as Seto stared at the laptop screen. It was a cute little habit...
It was silent now, but not the obnoxious silence someone feels a need to break with bringing up some obscure fact in an attempt to generate conversation. Or perhaps that lack of need was more from Seto's personality, and the fact he lavished in silence.
Naturally, it had to break some time, though, with a knock at the door. Kira was popular, huh?
Seto's eyes flickered right from the laptop to look at the door, glaring at it for the interruption, but his eyes quickly returned, and his fingers never ceased to fly over the keyboard, keeping a consistent clicking in the air, despite the overall quiet.
"Come in," Kira called. He never warded the door.
Cheerful, Setsuna's aura seemed to almost enter before he did, causing Seto to look up once more and glare at the other.
Setsuna smiled and gave out a, "Hey Ki...." before trailing off and staring at Seto. "Oh look, Mr. Grumpy's here. You know, you can stop looking at me like that. I've got no interest in sleeping with Kira, really," Setsuna shot at Seto, hoping the other would take that as a hint and knock it off. It was driving him mad, but there was yet a real reason to start a fist fight with Seto. Being that Seto was a friend of Kira's, Setsuna wanted to keep it that way.
"Anyway, Kira, you busy? Am I interrupting anything?" Setsuna asked, sights set on the other now. Comfortable as anything, Setsuna even walked over and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure about being too close to Seto....
"Not at all. Just reading." Kira waved the book at Setsuna. He was really happy. Setsuna was here. It still felt like a dream. "So, how do you like Hogwarts?"
Seto, thankfully, went back to typing - in order to drown out the talking - and Setsuna gladly leaned on the bed, hands propping him up against the mattress.
"It's pretty crazy. The stairs move. I got lost about three times today alone. And in this strange hallway off to the side. It led up to some room where I found a bunch of...well, this is was really weird. There was money and jewelry," Setsuna admitted, eyes glinting a bit as he recalled it.
"But...this is a magical school, and while I need those things to get home, and could use some of it, I didn't think it would be wise to take any. I think it was a treasure room of sorts, and I bet it's got traps in it." Setsuna shrugged it off, and moved on to another topic. "And what about you? How do you like it here anyway? Ever get lost?"
Kira snickered. "Of course not," he lied. "Remember who you're talking to, young padawan. The great Kira-sama never gets lost." The sentence was completed by an obnoxious smirk. He eyed Seto, wondering if he should leave the businessman be or try to loop him into the conversation.
Guaranteed to be just as obnoxious in return, Setsuna retorted, "Oh, I'm pretty sure, if he exists, Kira-sama doesn't get lost. But you, Kira-senpai? I almost know for a fact you can't find your ass sometimes, until it gets handed to you." That was going out on a limb, considering Setsuna hadn't ever done that, and he didn't know anyone that had either. There was a reason Kira was a gang leader, after all. But hey, if Kira could be so cocky about not losing his way, Setsuna could return some of that with playfulness. Seto didn't even notice Kira look at him - his eyes were permanently glued to the screen.
Kira laughed and pulled Setsuna into a headlock. "You sure you want to go down that road, Setsuna?" he said, in the other boy's ear. Of course, Kira wasn't planning to do anything drastic. He knew how powerful Setsuna was, even if Setsuna himself didn't. Besides, he loved Setsuna too much to want to hurt him. "Because as long as we're on the subject of handing out asses..."
There was a light elbow in Kira's side for that as Setsuna tried to squirm out of the headlock, but he decided not to do anything drastic just yet. It was just Kira, and he was just playing around, after all.
Instead, Setsuna settled for smirking and asking, in what seemed almost an innocent tone, "Hey, no need to prove the point in front of your boyfriend, is there?" Just in case, Setsuna was prepared for retaliation after that, and to make the next elbowing hurt, enough to be let go, at least.
"And what about handing them out? Kaiba decide to finally hand his over?"
That question earned Setsuna a dead-level glare, which Setsuna couldn't see properly at the moment anyway.
Kira blushed and squirmed. "Oh, that's it," he said, a little deviously. "I told you he wasn't my boyfriend, but you just wouldn't listen." Kira made a 'tsk'-ing sound, but released Setsuna from the headlock, only to attack his ribs a second later, hoping to tickle his old friend into submission, and maybe even into eating his words. Of course, as long as they'd been friends, he'd never tried that before, and wasn't sure if Setsuna was even ticklish. Well, he'd find out, and if it didn't work, there were other ways of making someone not talk anymore...
Unfortunately - for Setsuna - Kira's attempt worked, and Setsuna dissolved into giggles, though he managed to blurt out - somewhere amidst the bubbling forced mirth - "What am I supposed to think when I come in your room and he's here?"
Tone low, Seto supplied, "You could imagine I'm actually here to visit. Like yourself." He doubted Setsuna would actually listen though. He almost seemed like a Mokuba combined with a Ryuuji, though given a far coarser - and blunt and open - mouth.
Setsuna was unable to say anything return, too busy squirming against Kira, and trying to control his actions. Which, considering was quite difficult. He had enough trouble controlling what he did.
Kira grinned. Aha, so it did work! His fingers working furiously, he said, "At any rate, you aren't supposed to think we're lovers," he said, the demon's tone almost instructional. "Take it back I'll let you go...coochie coochie coo..." Of course, Kira intended to let him go soon enough anyway, but Setsuna didn't need to know that.
Kira looked up from Setsuna for just a minute to focus on Kaiba. "What're you working on, anyway?"
"Nuh-uh," Setsuna tried to sound stubborn, but it was hard laughing like that. "Not taking it back." He couldn't understand what was so wrong about it anyway. Kira and Seto looked kinda cute together. And it was nice to see Kira look interested in someone as something other than just another slut to sleep with.
Slightly narrowed eyes stared right back at Kira as Seto plainly responded, in monotone, "A program," and went right back to work. It seemed Kira had Setsuna under control, for the moment. No telling how long that would actually last, though.
Setsuna's laughter was starting to make Kira laugh, too. Damn, did he have to be so contagious? Even forced glee from him seemed to catch on. "Take it back," Kira insisted, but he stopped tickling after one quick, final jab to Setsuna's stomach. Although he wasn't tickling the other boy any longer, Kira kept his position over Setsuna even as he persisted, "What kind of program? Does it have Bond girls?"
Now that Kira was no longer tickling him, Setsuna's own fingers started to twitch as he launched into his own attack and declared, "No! I'm not taking it back," as his battle cry. Time for a little payback...assuming Kira was ticklish. If he wasn't, this would be a short lived war.
Another dead-level glare was given from Seto. "No. It's a computer program. Code. To make it function. I write them. I build computers." Seto really hoped that wouldn't cause Kira to worry about him further tinkering with the little device he had given him at Kira's sorting. Seto had yet to forget Kira's warnings, and how he seemed to worry Seto would be of interest to angels because of his technical abilities.
Kira positively shrieked with laughter. He hadn't really been expecting Setsuna to do that. "You ass! Leggo!" he yelped between peels of giggles, squirming and kicking for all he was worth. Kaiba's program as momentarily forgotten as the demon sniggered and tried his damndest to worm out of Setsuna's grasp. "HELP!" was all he had to say to Kaiba for the time being.
Blue eyes flickered nonchalantly from the computer screen, and Seto simply shook his head at Kira, then said, "You're on own." From his point of view, this gave him more time to return to the program and type away. And hope Kira just forgot all about Seto's computer capabilities in the meantime.
As for Setsuna - he grinned like mad. For once, he had Kira completely at his mercy, and he rather liked it. "Senpai, I had no idea you were ticklish. I'll have to remember this. And not just in a specific spot, but everywhere."
His fingers displayed everywhere, feathering along Kira's ribs.
Kira wormed and wriggled in vain desperation, howling like a fool. "You bastard!" he gasped, unsure if he was referring more to Kaiba or Setsuna. "Setsuna, stop it right now or you'll be -- !" He tried to sound threatening and angry, but thanks to the ridiculous, unwilling grin plastered across his face, that effect was ruined; and that only got worse when his sentence dissolved into chortles halfway through. He swatted at Setsuna's hands with all the rabid ferocity of a small kitten, laughing and kicking too hard to really exert much energy elsewhere. "Seto, you're a useless -- !" Again the sentence dissolved into hearty laughter.
Setsuna couldn't help but laugh as well - Kira's forced mirth was just as infectious as Setsuna's was, or was it just Setsuna was easily amused? Either one sent him into laughter, but he still maintained enough control to tickle Kira senseless. Easily, he avoided the effortless kicks and attempts to swat his hands away - too easy. Besides, this was too much fun to stop just yet.
Meanwhile, Seto raised an eyebrow at Kira and muttered, "Someone apparently has no use for a virgin. Understood." With that threat taken care of, Seto returned to typing.
Kira was becoming increasingly subdued by Setsuna's tickle attack. He gave up trying to swat Setsuna away, cackling as he hugged himself as tightly as he could, more in the hopes of preventing Setsuna from gaining access to his armpits than anything else. "Oh, nonono! That's not -- fuck you guys!" The sentence became a yelp towards the end, and Kira started gasping for breath in between snickers, chuckles and shrieked-out giggles. Still, Kira promised himself he wouldn't beg for mercy, no matter how tempting it got. "I have -- I have use for a -- hee, hee -- a virgin!"
"Fuck us, huh?" Setsuna asked, now more amused, if that was possible. "You wish you could, but in this position, I don't think you'll be doing much of that.."
Having stopped typing for the sole purpose of massaging his temples, Seto started to wonder if he should just leave these two in peace for a bit. Their annoying, over-joyous moment was becoming a hindrance and distraction, oddly enough.
"Tell you what, senpai," Setsuna started to offer, finally showing a bit of compassion, "I'll stop tickling you if you say, 'I'm Setsuna's bitch.' Say that - word for word - and I'll stop. Promise." The fingers were currently attempting to invade the armpit area.
Kira shook his head from side to side. He was NOT saying that. But Setsuna's fingers tickling his armpits now made him squeal in an embarrassingly high-pitched way, before he started laughing too hard to even squirm much anymore. "Bite me, loser!" he managed to choke as his eyes started to water from laughing, an hysterical tear even sliding down one of his cheeks. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, though, he regretted them immensely. Perhaps that had been unwise...
Very unwise.
"Fine. Suit yourself. I could do this all night," Setsuna said gleefully as his fingers started a full force attack on Kira's armpits.
And just to add insult to injury; "And I don't really see the point in you biting yourself, loser. You know...I think you should be asking Kaiba to bite you."
Once again, Seto's eyes removed themselves from the computer screen, just to momentarily glare in Setsuna's general direction. It was a look that clearly spoke Seto didn't have time to mess around, but if he did, Setsuna would regret his words. Setsuna didn't really care what they claimed.
"Kaiba's not my boyfriend! I told yoooouuu!" Kira gasped and kicked purely out of reflex. He had to do it. He had to just say he was Setsuna's bitch and then bully the other two into not telling anyone else he'd ever said that. He knew how stubborn Setsuna was, and this whole body from chin to toe was one big ticklish spot. He couldn't keep this up forever, and already tears of hysterical, forced merriment were start to fall with some consistency. Kira's shoulders shook as he guffawed. "I'm..." he started to say. "I'm Setsuna's..." He looked up at his captor with pleading eyes, as though begging Setsuna not to make him finish the sentence.
"You're my what? Come on, Kira," Setsuna coaxed, while his fingers demanded the words via an evil tickling onslaught. "And I didn't even suggest he was your boyfriend this time, just that you should nibble on him."
A definite suspicious eyebrow lifted on Seto's face as he looked right at Setsuna. There were questions piling behind those blue eyes, but they would be asked, later.
"I'm... I'm Setsuna's bitch," Kira said amidst loud laughter. He tried to curl in on himself, hoping Setsuna would show mercy now. He'd thank Kaiba for nothing as soon as was in a position to really give them what-for properly.
That's all it took, and Setsuna stopped at once. Smirking with triumph, he leaned back on the bed, giving Kira some space to catch his breath, and watched, glint in his eyes. "Shame I don't have a tape recorder, though. That would have been priceless to -"
A click coming from where Seto was seated stopped Setsuna's words. No way.
Setsuna looked at Seto with slightly wide eyes as Seto explained, "I'm paranoid. I keep one on me, just in case."
Kira took in several deep, relieved breaths of fresh air when Setsuna finally stopped, wiping the water from his eyes. Smirking up at Setsuna. "Everyone knows you're really my bitch, anyway. Nobody'd believe it was re -- " He stopped speaking at the sound of the click and turned to Seto, eyes wide. Oh, for the love of...
"Don't make me tickle you too," was all he could think of to say as a spur-of-the-moment threat.
Seto just grinned, pushed rewind, then play and let the replay of, "I'm... I'm Setsuna's bitch," in Kira's unmistakable voice fill the room.
"You even attempt to tickle me, and this little clip will get enchanted for the entire school to hear. Do you want that?" Seto asked, head slightly tilted as he waited for Kira to respond.
Setsuna stared with wide eyes at Seto, slightly impressed. Maybe Seto didn't look like he could hold a physical fight, but apparently Seto was still dangerous to mess with.
Kira gaped. And then shut his mouth. And then gaped again. And then he switched gears completely. "Seeeetooo..." he whined, crawling close enough to the businessman to rest his head on Seto's shoulder. "Seto, I loooove youuuu," he cooed.
And the second Kira had said Seto the first time, a distinct click had sounded.
Setsuna snickered and wondered if he should help, or leave Kira to fend for himself. It was something he could spend a while debating on, considering the abuse he had suffered from Kira's gang, with Kira watching, no less. It was just desserts if he settled back and let Kira handle Kaiba, Setsuna told himself.
As for Seto, he kept the recorder out of Kira's grasp, then when Kira was done with his proclamation of love, Seto pulled back, face contorting with annoyance. "Keep your distance."
He rewound it, pushed play, and, "Seto, I loooove youuuu," echoed Kira's attempt.
"As endearing as that might be, it's not going to get you what you want," Seto said, placing an emphasis on endearing that subtly said he found it more pathetic. As for Seto...he didn't really want to blackmail Kira - what for? - but he was enjoying the slight amount of power he held in his hands. Just those few words recorded had Kira on his knees. Just how much more could he get?
"Oh? Just to clear things up -- what, exactly, do I want?" Kira asked. He thought it might be prudent to have that cleared up immediately before he said anything else incriminating. He looked at Kaiba with big, brown, kicked-puppy eyes as he sat back a little. "And how do I get it?"
Seto smirked at that. Who did Kira take him for?
With a dark-promising chuckle - something you didn't really want to hear, because hearing it meant evil things were to come, but how evil could it be compared to Kira, being Lucifer and all? - Seto leaned forward, slightly - tiny tape recorder still out of reach - and in a low, authoritative voice said, "If you don't tell me what you want, I can't give it to you. And you were the one that started making exclamations of love over whatever it is. Perhaps you should clarify?"
As for how did he get it...?
Seto's mouth opened, but he didn't get very far as Setsuna broke in to suggest, "Maybe you should say, 'I want you to fuck me,' senpai, to get whatever this is you're trying to get." A large grin marked the end of Setsuna's input.
However, Seto frowned in Setsuna's direction and sighed. Oh well, it would still be hilarious to have on tape, assuming they could get Kira to say it.
"I want your tape recorder," Kira said, making an unsuccessful grab for it. "Pleeeeease?" He thought about it, and added, "I also want a sundae and a pony and..." He grinned made another swipe for the tape recorder in Seto's hands.
He grinned at Setsuna's commentary, but knew better than to actually say that.
Quickly, Seto rose from his seat, taking the recorder with him, and quickly shoved the recorder in one of his inner pockets. "You're not going to get it so easily, Sakuya," Seto informed him.
But...what could he have Kira do? What could he ask of him, or have him say? Well, it was Seto's recorder. He could just promise not to play the incriminating sound clips unless Kira messed up. Or....
"Actually, I see no reason at all I have to give the recorder to you. I'm the one with the upper hand here. I think, in fact, you need to convince me not to play this for anyone."
Kira remembered something Seto'd said earlier. "I'm glad you changed your mind about owing me," he said, with a smirk. "Started to see things my way, I mean. Obviously you must have, if you're prepared to do something like this..." Kira crossed his arms over his chest and stood up. "...to someone you just said that you 'owe.'"
Setsuna's mouth twisted a bit, and he flat out said, "That's a low blow, senpai." Because in his mind, it was. Setsuna didn't think debts should be brought into something this fun.
Seto, on the other hand, didn't stop smirking as he took a step back and explained to Kira, "Not quite. It is a favor if I keep this to myself and don't play for it anyone unless you step out of line, I think. That should easily repay the debt." Not at all, but Seto didn't like the idea of giving up this small bit of power so easily. And besides, if Kira was going to play emotional blackmail mind games, Seto could play right back.
Kira was more subdued by Setsuna than anything Seto said. In Kira's mind, there was nothing sacred, nothing that couldn't be made the butt of a joke, nothing that wasn't funny in the right light. Debts were just as funny as anything else, weren't they? That it upset Setsuna surprised him, although perhaps, given Setsuna's inherent nobility, it shouldn't have. Alexiel probably would have though it was low, too, so Kira sat back down, humbled.
"Okay." Kira pouted playfully a little, not wanting to spoil the mood the mood entirely or ruin it for the other two. "You win."
Seto's eyes widened as he pushed play on the tape recorder once more. "Sakuya...just say that again, and I swear to you, I'll never play this tape for anyone. I just want to keep it for myself, okay?"
Setsuna looked at the other, noticing this seemed to mean a great deal to Kaiba. But why...? Kira seemed so...let down suddenly. Had Setsuna been too rough with his words? It wasn't like Kira to take them to heart anyway.
A look of confused suspicion from Setsuna was given to Kira as he studied the other for a moment.
Kira laughed and avoided meeting Setsuna's gaze. He did not want to discuss anything right now. He to go back to playing some more, though he decided to be more careful about what he said to Kaiba. He knew Kaiba could take it, but he'd only just gotten to see Setsuna again and didn't want to upset his friend so quickly. He looked at Kaiba, contemplatively, happy to have leverage again. Then he shrugged and said into the tape recorder, "Okay."
"No, what you said after that," Seto corrected him, voice stern. His eyes narrowed at the clever little avoidance, showing he wasn't amused. "Say it, or I won't keep that promise, in the slightest."
And finally, Setsuna had to step in. Perhaps Seto had a right to get the words out of Kira, but if Kira found a way around it, that was that. Kira had squirmed out of it, and Seto should let it drop already. Hadn't this little game gone on long enough?
"Actually, Kaiba, I think that's enough. You didn't say just what part he had to say, and you can go ahead and keep the tape for yourself now," Setsuna inputted, unable to stop himself. Kira seemed so downcast...so not himself, and Setsuna could neither ignore that, or let it continue.
Kira laughed. Hearing Setsuna stick up for him seemed to fill him with a new energy. His eyes lit up. "Don't worry about it, Setsuna," he said, scooting a little closer to his old friend. "If it gets Kaiba off, I don't mind saying it." He smirked. "Okay, Kaiba, you ready? I'm not in the mood to repeat myself, so you better be pushing 'play' right now." He folded his hands behind his neck. Better to say this before Setsuna and Kaiba had a fight, anyway. "Seto Kaiba officially wins the argument and I lose it, utterly, in every sense of the word." The smirk deepened. "You get all that?"
A self-important click stated that Seto had, indeed, got it all. Just in case, he nodded his head. "Of course I did. And I promise, I will not use this is blackmail material, or let anyone else listen to it, unless you completely step out of line and I'm given no other option. Until that point, it's for my own personal amusement."
Setsuna gave Seto a slightly narrowed look. "That's not what the promise was before. And he went further than he had to, you know." Uptight, sadistic, ego-hungry, arrogant bastard. That wasn't enough for him?
Kira shrugged. "Do what you want. I don't really care who listens to it," he said. "As long as you delete the other shit." He didn't mind people listening to his admission of losing an argument. But letting them hear him announce he was Setsuna's bitch or profess his love for Kaiba was terribly embarrassing.
Seto's eyes widened, then slipped into a narrow glare as he stubbornly said, "I'm not deleting the other things." The second clip was what I really wanted to keep.
"I said I was keeping the whole tape for my personal amusement."
"Hey!" Setsuna couldn't stop his temper from boiling over, now. What did Seto need the other things for, anyway? His hand reached out, aiming to grab Seto by the stiff neck of his shirt. "I don't see the point in keeping it. He did what you wanted. Can't you just let it go now?"
Seto moved, avoiding the attempted grab. This stopped Setsuna for a moment - Seto didn't seem the fighter type, after all, but...but.... It edged along his mind, and irritated the hell out of him that Seto was taunting Kira like this.
"Watch it, brat," Seto warned as he watched Setsuna carefully. The brat was quick, and Seto was grateful it hadn't been a punch. "I don't like being touched. And I understand Sakuya did as I requested. I have no intention of letting anyone else listen to this tape, so just calm down."
Kira stood, trying to step in between them, holding up his hands. He didn't want this to escalate into a fight. Mentally, he cursed himself; if he'd had better control over himself and hadn't let Setsuna's apparent disapproval of some tiny thing affect his mood, they'd both be laughing at his expense right now instead of going at each other's throats. "That's enough," he said, as soothingly as he could. "I don't want a blood bath in my room." He sighed and turned to Kaiba. "Just get rid of 'em. Please? I'm begging you..." He tried his best to pout cutely, but pouting wasn't Kira's forte and he quickly stopped, sensing that he probably looked more than a little silly.
Silly enough that Setsuna laughed, at least. It had an odd calming effect, but his eyes kept looking back at Seto, warning him to do as Kira wanted. Kira was begging.... Sincerely begging. Kira did not beg. Seto had better do as Kira wanted.
"Senpai, don't you think begging is going a bit overboard?" Setsuna asked, hoping that would help Kira lighten the mood, at least.
"Blood bath? Seems highly unlikely if the brat can't even lay a finger on me," Seto taunted, voice taking on a cruel note as he sneered.
Despite that, the sneer left shortly after - right as Setsuna was seething in Seto's direction - and Seto's lips softened into more of a wistful bit of a regret. I can't keep it?
"I'll delete the rest of the tape, I promise," Seto finally conceded, but unconsciously one hand caressed over tape recorder in his pocket as he said that.
Kira snickered and turned to Setsuna. "All the best actors always go a little overboard. The trick is to go overboard without going too overboard..." He grinned as though he had the slightest idea what he was fucking talking about.
Then, to Kaiba, his tone and expression changed, but not dramatically. He'd seen that cruel sneer directed at Setsuna before by all manners of people. Normally he tried his best to stay out of direct conflict, and this was no different. Still, he knew what Setsuna was capable of... "I don't know about that," Kira said lightly. "Sometimes even Bozo here gets in a lucky punch or two. You don't want to be on the receiving end of his lucky shots, believe me."
When Seto promised to delete the rest of the tape, Kira half-smiled. "It's appreciated. Thanks."
"Hey! I'm better than just lucky," Setsuna defended himself, giving Kira a definite span of tongue in the form of a raspberry. "Kaiba here is the one that's lucky. I decided not to hurt him, because he might play that tape out of spite if I do," Setsuna insisted.
And there was another glare of warning sent in Seto's direction - Setsuna wanted to make sure Kira's request was seen to. If Seto even dared to do other than what he promised, Setsuna would make sure he regretted it. It really seemed to bother Kira, for some reason - Setsuna could tell. So what Kira wanted, he'd get.
Seto rolled his eyes at Setsuna's claims, and Kira's, but in the least settled back down to the chair as he said, "You're welcome. Now, can I get back to work in peace?"
If they were just going to start up again, Seto would need to find another place to retreat to.
Kira was mentally taking note of the fact that they both seemed to get along best when they were laughing at him. When he was more himself, he'd just have to make sure they always had something to laugh at when they were around him.
For the time being, he just turned to Setsuna with an overdramatic sigh and flung his arms around his friend's neck. "Come, Setsuna... Kaiba doesn't love us!"
"Huh?" Setsuna could tell Kira meant for them to leave, but that caused puzzlement. "What are we doing? Leaving? Why? It's your room. We shouldn't have to go anywhere," Setsuna insisted, his arm going under Kira's in a matter of friendly habit.
Seto was, as well, a bit baffled, but he didn't say anything. If they left and it was quiet enough for him to do his work, he really didn't care. Besides, they were too close, and affectionate for Seto's tastes. Their ease with each other grated on Seto's nerves and slipped under his skin like a razor.
Kira pulled Setsuna into a semi-hug. In a loud whisper, he said, "The yakuza, the American FBI and the gray aliens are all out for Kaiba's head. He can't leave this room or..." Kira pretended to glance furtively about before saying solemnly, "he's history!" This was accompanied by an over-exaggerated nod. Kira was starting to feel silly again.
"Actually, I own the yakuza," Seto spoke up, voice confident as it replied on auto-pilot, forgetting that he owned the yakuza from his Japan, not this one.
Setsuna wasn't sure whether to tell Kaiba, "No way," or play around with Kira. Thankfully, he didn't give any of it much consideration and just jumped in with, "No? What did he do? I bet he's a," small pause for a quick look at Seto and his laptop, then, "hacker, right? He hacked into some huge government thing and upset the American FBI, and it was about the aliens, so the aliens want to make sure the information gets erased from his mind? But how do the yakuza fit in?"
"Bingo!" Kira said to Setsuna's version of events. Then, "Like he says, he owns the yakuza," said Kira, happy that Kaiba had fed him the perfect way to bring all his bullshit together. "Or at least, he used to think so. What he didn't realize is that the yakuza are actually double-agents, looking to turn him over to the gray aliens the first chance they get!"
Seto gave a disgusted sigh at the strange story, closed his laptop and rose from the chair. "Tell you what," he said in that final, clipped way of his, "I'll leave, and you two can have the room to yourselves, since you act like you need some alone time so much."
Setsuna was having a few giggles over Kira's tale, but then blanched slightly at Seto's suggestion. They weren't that bad, were they?
Kira was amused by both Setsuna's and Kaiba's reactions. "But Kaiba," he said, "don't you want to hear about how you saved the Great Wall of China single-handedly, only to incur the wrath of all Spain?"
"No," Seto said flatly. "Besides, it should be the wrath of Germany I incur, not Spain."
With that slight correction, Seto quickly walked out of the room, right past Setsuna and Kira, without giving either of them another look.
"You know, I almost feel sorry for him," Setsuna said in an absent-minded fashion after Seto had left. "I mean, doesn't it get lonely, being that much of an ass and always going off on his own?"
"I'm not sure if we should follow him or let him be," Kira admitted. "Following him might be more fun, but letting him go off by himself..." Might be better for Kaiba, which is what Kira really wanted. He felt like he'd been enough of an ass for the time being anyway. "You know, maybe I should apologize for taking such a hard line on his stupid tape recorder. It... wasn't that big of a deal."
"What? You don't need to apologize for anything," Setsuna loyally said, immediately. He wasn't going to hear any of that. "You didn't do anything wrong, and it's okay. If you don't want to say something, or don't want people to hear what you said, then he should listen to what you want and not make such a big deal of it."
For some reason, following Seto now was even more tempting, but maybe Kira knew him best. Setsuna didn't want to really aggravate Seto, but...it seemed as though Seto needed to learn about people more. Needed to be around them more to help him learn.
"And...I think we should follow him. I think he needs to be around people more, and letting him go off on his own will keep him accustomed to being alone, instead of letting people in his life," Setsuna suggested, eyes staring off in the direction Seto had gone.
Meanwhile, far down the hall, Seto nonchalantly pressed play just to listen to, "Seto, I loooove youuuu." Then he rewound the tape and pressed play again.
"Seto, I loooove youuuu."
It was familiar, that sing-song tone and phrase. Where had he heard it before? Not in Kira's voice...but someone else's.
A long time ago.
Rewind.
There was a sudden flicker of happy green eyes in his line of sight, and childish mirth in a giggle or two. So long ago, when it had only been a few short years.
It felt like forever.
Seto pressed play, again.
"Seto, I loooove youuuu."
---
Kira just grinned. "It shouldn't bother me, though." A lot of things that shouldn't were bothering him lately. He needed to get over his current over-sensitivity. The demon turned to Setsuna and kept his arm loosely around the other boy's shoulder. "Aye-aye, captain! Lead the way!"
Setsuna was leading, following in the direction he was sure he had seen Seto take, but he was stuck on what Kira first said, definite worried frown on his face.
"I guess it shouldn't, senpai," Setsuna started, his tone clearly expressing concern as he continued, "but sometimes things happen, and other, little things start to worry people. It's okay, though. There's nothing wrong with that."
Slightly narrowed eyes looked down the hall for a moment, then softened as they turned back to Kira. "No...what is wrong is what happened while I was gone. Who do I need to kill?"
It had to be something serious, didn't it? Whatever it was that had Kira so upset, so happy to have seen Setsuna when he showed up.... Something bad took place when hewasn't there, didn't it?
That was it. He wasn't leaving Kira in that school - no way, and not leaving Kira's side either. Well, as much as he could manage. They did have separate rooms.
Kira turned to Setsuna, face impassive although he was a bundle of emotions inside. He was touched, but he was used to being the one who protected and comforted Setsuna, not the other way around. And Setsuna seemed to think that a specific person had been the cause of Kira's woes. "Nothing happened," Kira said, with a sigh. He couldn't explain to Setsuna his feelings of uselessness at being trapped in human body, his frustration and confusion and not knowing where his depression came from. "I was just being pathetic. Now let's go find Homie the Clown."
Completely unconvinced, Setsuna's arm tightened around Kira a bit. Fine...Kira didn't want to talk about it, or admit what happened. Setsuna could understand that, to a degree. It seemed just like something Kira would do, though. Keep the tough guy act going, of course. Who didn't where they came from?
"Okay, senpai, if you say so. But if that's the case, stop being pathetic, because I'm here, and you need to set a good example for me." There was a bright smile to accompany those words, and a wink, but that arm was still holding tightly to Kira, so that if Kira started to slip, Setsuna could hold him up. He was strong enough.
"I'll try. You never could figure out how to control yourself on your own. Always blowing up about something..." Kira leaned against Setsuna. He didn't put all his weight on the other boy, but he did slip an arm around Setsuna's shoulders, allowed himself to be 'carried' along. He liked Setsuna's smiles. They were so honest and open...
"I've just been down lately." A shrug. "I don't even know why. I got kind of depressed, I guess, for a while, but it wasn't too bad, and anyway, it cleared up and I'm fine now." Kira laughed. He surprised himself when he didn't need to force it.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed with obvious dislike at his temper being brought into this, but he knew it was true, and that Kira was just poking fun at him. "I don't need you to keep my temper," Setsuna insisted, taking note of the comfort of Kira's arm joining his.
Wait.... Senpai...depressed?
Again, suspicion was apparent in Setsuna's eyes and facial features as he started at Kira. "Well, if you think it's gone, okay. But you know, senpai, if anything else bothers you, or you need someone to talk to, you know you can talk to me, right?" offered Setsuna. Kira had been there for him in the past, after all. He would never miss a chance to be there for Kira in return, even without Kira helping him so often. Kira was just...too important to him to watch something eat away at the other boy.
"I broke down completely," Kira admitted. "I don't even know why. Nobody even did anything. I just..." Kira was normally guarded, a liar, anything to keep from revealing too much of himself. Of course, even now, he wasn't being entirely honest, but he couldn't tell Setsuna he was Lucifer. Irony of ironies; the person closest to him couldn't know what the rest of the school did. "I just lost it. I don't know what happened." He sighed. The look in Setsuna's eyes, though, made him smile.
Setsuna stopped walking, loosened his arm and turned. "You...you idiot!" he accused, now facing Kira with slight fire entering his emotions and voice. "Why didn't you say something at the sorting? Did you think I would think you were weak, or less because of that? Well, you're wrong. Dead wrong. We're friends, aren't we? Aren't you supposed to be able to depend on me?"
It was more than that, so much more. Setsuna hated to think Kira had suffered that much, and he wasn't there to help, or do anything for him, and Kira felt he had to cover it up. No...that wouldn't do, not at all.
"If you're going to have a bad spell, no matter how pathetic it is, you should say something to me. Understood?" Setsuna crossed his arms in a fashion that said he wanted a proper answer, and now. And he wanted to know Kira was okay, but he wasn't afraid to poke fun at him for this conversation. There was a time for a play, and this was not it, from the sound of it.
Kira didn't just lose it. Kira didn't get depressed. Kira didn't break down. Those facts grated at Setsuna's nerves painfully. Thankfully, he wasn't the sort to bother with useless guilt, so he didn't feel at fault for not being there - that was his mother's doing. However, he wished he had been.
But I'm here now, so I can make sure it doesn't happen again, or in the least, someone's with senpai when it does.
Kira grinned in response. He toppled to the ground when Setsuna yelled, but he wasn't unhappy about it. He liked the way Setsuna was yelling now, and he imagined that if the positions were reversed, he'd sound much the same as Setsuna did now. "You know," he commented, "this is a real switch. Normally, I'm the one who acts like your big brother."
Setsuna crossing his arms over his chest made Kira's grin widen, and he covered it with a hand. "Okay, okay. Next time I'm going shit-for-brains, I'll tell you, okay?" He shrugged and push himself into a standing position. "I thought it was over. And the worst part is, but I guess there's still some residual over-sensitivity to... everything." Kira rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know why Kaiba keeps saying he owes me. If anything, I'm the one who owes him. He sat with me while I was sad. He wasn't really good at cheering people up, but he did the best he could and it was nice to have someone there and I'm grateful...."
He hugged Setsuna full-force. "But I'm really glad you're here now. I feel better already. Sorry I didn't tell you..."
The hug took him off guard, but Setsuna didn't hesitate to return it, clinging a bit, arms tightening around Kira to remind him how much his senpai meant to Setsuna. And...being told about Seto staying with Kira changed things, put Seto in a whole new light.
"That jerk actually stuck by you...? Heh.... Guess I shouldn't be so hard on him, then." Maybe he wasn't as bad as he appeared?
"And good - next time this happens, you better tell me," Setsuna demand, but after his voice softened, and his hold did as well; "I'm glad you're better, though. And it's okay you didn't tell me, as long as you do next time."
Kira didn't release the hug yet. "You have to know how to work Kaiba," Kira said. "He's not so bad when you've got him figured out." He gave Setsuna a squeeze before letting go and standing back. He was smiling, his eyes were twinkling, he felt a lot better. Setsuna's touch, his smile, his everything made Kira feel at home. Setsuna meant a lot to Kira, too. "And I told you, I'll tell you. Okay? Good enough?"
"Yeah. I already said that. Good enough," Setsuna said, relieved Kira seemed okay, the hug was over, and Seto wasn't so bad. Good. Then he didn't have to worry about Seto spending so much time with Kira. They seemed to have a mutual understanding of each other, and Setsuna would just deal with it, even if Seto didn't like him.
"And now...we've wasted enough time, I'm not really sure where Kaiba went...." He looked around a bit, decided there weren't too many places to go, and put his arm around Kira again to continue walking forward.
"Let's keep going to catch up?"
Kira flung his arm around Setsuna. He liked it best when they were touching. "Me neither. Let's just keep walking till we find him."
Eventually, Setsuna got tired of looking. It didn't seem Kaiba was anywhere in sight.
"Where do you think he would go for solitude? Or do you not know him that well yet?" he asked Kira, noticing that his stomach was echoing a strong empty feeling. "And...more importantly, where's the kitchen around here?"
Setsuna still had a lot of things to learn, and considering the size of the school, it seemed wise to ask Kira. Otherwise, Setsuna would have gone looking for it himself.
[[Tag, reincarnated Lucifer, of course.]]