Promise Me Nothing

Chapter Three: Marik

“I figured it out,” I said to Bakura, pacing and gesturing as I spoke. “Yami’s power comes from his leather shoes, yes?”

“Why not.” Bakura rolled his eyes, shifting his weight to his palms. “I thought we agreed not to go after those, since—you know.”

I pivoted on my heel to face him. “There were no rhyming Lady Gaga songs?”

“Yes. That is obviously exactly why.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page.” I went back to pacing, adjusting my arms to be more imposing as I walked. Crossing them was uncomfortable but leaving them to dangle was awkward and my arms got tired of waving at a certain point. Really, the perfect thing would be a domesticated feline tucked in one arm. “What if we just wait for him to walk straight to us? All we’d have to do was send an address and he’d come over.”

“Or send a bomb. The whole reason we’re here is because he sent a bomb to your last ‘secret’ hideout.”

“Oh.” I paused, slowly winding down. I sat down on my bed, leaning back. A moth circled frantically past me, spiraling upward toward the ceiling light. “I’ve got another idea, then, for how to pay for the flat.”

Bakura leaned in a little closer, scooting up on the sloping mattress. “How?”

“Ryou had a Summer job and sometimes does weekend work. He has money.”

“Not that much. It won’t last long, probably only two months. Maybe less.”

Once more, I stood, looking to the window. “Then we’ll take it as far as it goes, until we get evicted. After that, we’ll go back to Egypt and build a new HQ.”

From behind me, I heard springs creaking as Bakura also stood. “How about a secret arse?” A slight snicker hid behind his words, which were mock-serious.

“We’re not talking about that,” I said, turning up my nose. Or at least trying. I wasn’t exactly sure how you could turn up your nose, but this felt pretty close.

I turned slightly, a glint of gold catching my eye. Fully whipping around, I dove toward the bed, scooping up my Rod and waving it at Bakura. “Now go make my dinner, slave!”

“I have a better idea,” he said, catching the Rod mid-air. His eyes were narrowed down, lips twisted up into a slight smirk that allowed a glimpse of one of his sharp canines. It was the look of a predator.