capeandcowllogs | (no subject)

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(no subject)

WHO: Bakura and Alastair
WHERE: Hell Towers
WHEN: Late Friday night after Ben's dinner
SUMMARY: After staying at Ben's for the last few days, Bakura is finally ready to come home and face what he ran away from.
FORMAT: Para

Bakura paused at the door to 1006, his over night bag over his shoulder, Pelor in her travel case. There was a small flutter of his pulse, but it was nothing like it had been before.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door.

"I'm home!"

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Bakura gave a small nod. "That's probably for the best," he said quietly, fidgeting again. "It's going to be quiet in here again, with you and Hiruma-kun gone."

"You're staying?" Alastair almost couldn't believe it. "Even if the place gets full-on attacked? Bakura!"

"Probably..." Bakura said softly, looking down at his hands. "If someone gets hurt and I could have saved them...."

He trailed off a moment. "There are too many people I care about who I don't think would-- or could leave."

"But what about you? What if you get hurt?" Alastair shot back. "Saitou and Kyosuke I can understand because they probably want to fight, but you could get hurt! I don't want any of my brothers to get hurt, including you!"

Deep down he knew it was pointless to protest, since Bakura was a healer and could probably do some good, but he had to express his concern nonetheless.

Bakura fidgeted with his sleeve a moment. "I can't promise that I won't get hurt, because no one can really know how things will go, but I'll be doing my best to avoid any actual fighting. I know I can't fight anyway. That was what--" He broke off. It'd been a long time since Kogenta had gotten Ported out, since he'd had a partner to do the fighting while he'd been the support. He needed to stop dwelling on it. "I'll be doing all I can to stay safe."

He was clearly uncomfortable with the whole thing. He'd much rather be running away with his brother and friends and avoiding the conflict. But he knew he couldn't. He'd come back half way through last time to help. And if someone died because he was afraid...

Alastair sat silent for a little bit, wilting back into the couch. When he spoke again, his voice was much more gentle. "I know. You're more useful than I am. Hiruma and I...we can't fight, we can't heal, we can't do shit." He took a deep breath and let it out, shaking his head slowly. "It doesn't stop me from worrying. You say the word, and I'll hijack the nearest cargo plane and come back and pick you up. On the spot. All right?"

"You're useful too, just in a different way," Bakura corrected with a soft smile. "And I'll keep you on speed dial," he assured, reaching out to cling to Alastair's hand, part to reassure him, and part to reassure himself.

Alastair's lips twitched, but he decided to permit the touch. For now - if Bakura needed it.

"Yeah. Your phone and your comm. Keep 'em on you if stuff starts happening. Hell, if Saitou lets you, stay close to him. He and Kyosuke will protect you." His voice was firm and confident - he honestly believed it, even if both of them had failed, lost, and died before. The passing months since those incidents and now had erased his doubts and rebuilt his trust in them. "I want all of you guys to live, even if I have to come back up here and throw you onto a plane myself."

Bakura laughed softly. "You shouldn't have to do that," he assured. "I think Ben's staying too. I was thinking I might stay back over there, after everyone leaves. Not that I don't trust in Saitou-san and Kiryuu-kun or anything like that! And if Vector is staying too... if I'm with him, I'm sure he'd toss me to safety before I could even reach for my phone," he smiled. "Not that I think anything could get by him..."

Alastair nodded vaguely. "Okay. That's a good enough army to watch out for you. I guess I can let you stay."

A very small part of him wished he had a reason to stay as well, to be there for his family, to have any kind of hand in protecting them, but his realistic and pessimistic sides chimed in together to remind him that he had none. No way of doing anything, good intentions were not enough. Kaiba and Edgeworth could nag him about cowardice all they wanted, it wouldn't work.

"Let's just hope all the panic is premature, and nothing actually happens," he complained. "Then we don't have to talk about things like this."

Bakura nodded. "Yeah... I'd much rather that be the case. Most politicians are all talk, right? So maybe nothing will happen...."

"Yeah," Alastair breathed, squashing down old memories. "Maybe."

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