Rock Bottom: Season Zero

Freedom

They finished their tea in relative silence, and before they went back inside, Seto thanked Ryou, for the tea and the story. Ryou's parents were home by that point; Mrs. Bakura had gone to the grocery store earlier and was just finishing putting away the groceries with the help of her husband and Mokuba. She did have work tonight, unlike last night, so she left soon, after talking with Kenji about what she'd learned that day at the doctor's office.

"Oh, hun, why can't we adopt them? We could give them a good home," she sighed wistfully, putting her arms around her husband's neck as she lay her head on his shoulder for a few moments. He chuckled warmly and embraced her, kissing her forehead.

"You do realize that you say that about every stray dog and alley cat you see, right?" he teased.

"But this time I really mean it. They need help. They need parents, family, stability. Seto needs time to heal and sleep and realize that life doesn't have to feel like a constant cycle of torture and degradation. Oh, bother." She was starting to tear up just thinking about what his life must be like. Kenji handed her his handkerchief and hugged her reassuringly.

"We'll make things better for them, dear," he promised as she dabbed at her eyes. Then he added gently, "There's no need to cry."

"I know, I know," she muttered, pulling herself together and giving him an apologetic smile. "I just cry too easily." He kissed her in answer to that, reminding her that he loved her deep empathy as much as he loved any other part of her.

~~~~~~~~~~

After Mrs. Bakura had left for work, saying goodbye to the children on her way out the door, Seto was pulled aside by Ryou's father for a private conversation. Ryou turned on the evening news once he'd coaxed the younger children into doing their homework, working on his own reading for literature class while paying cursory attention to current events as told by the newscasters. Marik, on the other hand, was riveted to the television, fascinated and repulsed by the stories he heard.

Meanwhile, Seto's conversation with Mr. Bakura was as uncomfortable as it was beneficial. Mr. Bakura offered to let Mokuba stay with his family for as long as he needed in order to get his life together, but Seto had turned him down flat. He wouldn't let himself be separated from his brother, not even temporarily.

"I'll figure it out," Seto assured. "I'll figure it out within the week. I'll find a way."

"Promise me that if you do get into more trouble, you won't hesitate to come to me for help?" Seto hesitated before answering.

"I won't hesitate if I need your help, sir," Seto answered evasively. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not drag your family into danger if I can help it. I do have one friend who knows what's going on, and I may go to him for help instead, depending on the circumstances."

"Will you at least tell me if you've bitten off more than you can chew?"

"Yes, sir, I will."

"And will you tell me once you have disentangled yourself from your current situation?"

"Right away, sir."

"Good, because my wife was right that we do have an opening for an intern to aid in digitizing our research findings and organizing the information, and we can't start you working until your hours are a little more free."

"Thank you, sir." Seto was overwhelmed with a wave of gratitude. This was the most that anybody had ever done for him. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the reason for why he would help him, aside from charitable impulse. He'd never seen such a thing so strong in someone, save Joey.