Dangerous Curiosity [CesareBxRin]

[CesareB]

Mao stopped and looked the boy into his emerald eyes. "Scream, eh? I dare you."

 

Seto wouldn't dare to use Mao's weakness, would he? Mao cursed Haruka for her mischievous ways! What was the point in her meddling? He slammed the boy against the bed with extreme force without breaking the eye contact. Seto wouldn't scream! He knew it! Mao would not believe his ears if that boy did!

[♠[Rin]♠]

He gasped when he was pushed down onto the bed with force, and a hurtful strength. He had closed his eyes then, and now opened them wide, fear lingering in them. They even watered a bit and his lips shivered. He was completely immobilized, like he had feared he would become when Mao touched him. And right now it was like that! He should have stood up from the bed and move away from it. Then he wouldn't have been such an easy aim. Although, he had been all of the time anyway. Now wasn't different from 24 hours ago.

 

Suddenly, Seto impacted his eyes and screamed. It was a really loud scream, even if one could hear that he wasn't used to screaming. His throat hurt after a few seconds already and he stopped, gulping. Had it...had it worked or...? Would he be punished? Locked in? Hurt?

Oh please, God, make that it worked!

[CesareB]

The boy had screamed. In response, Mao quickly retracted from the brunette and made a rush for the door. That scream… it reminded him too much of that baby! He ran into the bathroom and covered his ears. Seto's scream still rang through his head.

 

In response, Mao clutched his ears.

 

"Go away!" he yelled, curling up into a ball.

[♠[Rin]♠]

Seto opened his eyes, seeing that Mao was gone. He sighed in relief, heavily, then rolled onto his side and sat up. Oh God... it worked. It worked!

 

The teen looked at the now open door, then stood up and pushed it more open, looking into the corridor. Sakura and the others were gone....right?

[CesareB]

Mao kept himself in his bathroom, feeling uncertain whether he wanted that boy there. It angered him that Seto used such a cruel method! But, Mao hadn't been any nicer towards the boy. He gave himself an ironic smirk and curled up into a ball.

 

____________

 

Haruka found herself at the door of Mao's expensive penthouse door. She had been waiting for a while. It occurred to her that Mao had most likely told his servants to leave. Then that meant that…

 

She tried opening the door, and to her surprise, it opened. That meant that Mao had carelessly left all of his tons of locks… well, unlocked. She walked inside.

 

"Hey… Mao! I'm coming in!" she called out.

 

As she walked down a hallway, she met face to face with a certain emerald eyed brunette.

[♠[Rin]♠]

Seto stopped instantly as he saw Haruka, taking a step back. He wouldn't dare running off like that if she was there. He hadn't thought about what he should do after this! How could someone be that stupid?

"I...I did...that...and...now he's...I don't know..." Seto muttered. He didn't know where to go, what to do and what to say. Or should he just keep being silent?

[CesareB]

Haruka heard the boy's nervous stuttering. No… was he scared? She neared him and held his hand. The brunette looked absolutely confused. And, he looked like he was ready to run at any given moment.

 

"You screamed? Luckily, you saved yourself, or Mao would have mercilessly ravaged you," she explained. "We'll leave him alone. Why don't we go into the living room and wait for him to relax and regain his composure. Okay?"

[♠[Rin]♠]

"O-okay..." She seemed so friendly at the moment, even holding his hand. Without noticing he softly squeezed her hand, then let go and looked down. Silently, Seto passed Haruka and walked into the living room. He sat on the couch, at one end, pressed against its arm. He started to play with the end of his top, then bent his legs and put them in front of him, tensed against his chest. He just tried to be as small as possible.

[CesareB]

Haruka sat a few feet from Seto. She looked at him carefully, making sure that she didn't frighten him.

 

She sighed and relaxed. "Mao hates to hear screaming and infants for a certain reason. I started when we were at the restaurant, but I'll continue from here. Like I already said, Mao had a little step sibling. This happened when he was ten. His big shot father remarried, and this woman came with a child. Like I already said, kid Mao thought that having a baby brother would be fun, but a certain incident happened. It traumatizes him to this day. Mao… the poor guy… he was having a birthday party when his father got a business call. The party was small, just myself, my parents, and his family.

 

As soon as his father walked away, it happened. Someone had broken into the house and brutally murdered our parents. The only reason us kids got away was because we hid. But Mao's little step sibling cried, which got us caught… God… that day was traumatizing. Mao tried his best to protect us, but he got stabbed in the back. In fact, he still has the scar to this day. But, the baby had been stabbed as well. The knife had gone straight through Mao and had pierced the poor baby. I remember the scream… it was horrid. The people at the hospital couldn't save the infant, but they saved Mao. And now, Mao blames himself for this incident."

 

Haruka wiped away what seemed like a tear and looked at the carpet.

[♠[Rin]♠]

While Haruke explained Mao's situation, Seto stared at his knees. As soon as she was done, silence ruled the room. With empty eyes, deep in thoughts, Seto leaned forward, laying his head on his knees.

 

"And I just--"

 

He was no way better than anyone. What if he had hurt Mao with that very much? Brutally? More than he had wanted?

 

"I am so sorry..." Someone different would've said that it was Mao's own fault, but Seto could only be sorry. He didn't want Mao to suffer like that. It was surely not easy to live with such a blame on oneself. It wasn't his fault yet he still believed it was. It was no fair.

[CesareB]

Haruka gave a small smile. Mao had gone through a lot, and Haruka had witnessed almost all of it firsthand. She knew Mao better than almost anyone else. They were like brother and sister and nothing could sever that bond. She understood that well enough, and as did Mao.

 

Haruka touched Seto's hand again. "It's okay, kid. Mao was being forceful. You were defending yourself. It's okay, I-"

 

"Haruka, again, we have to go through this?"

 

Haruka froze and smiled to the door. Mao stood there, looking rather menacing.

[♠[Rin]♠]

Seto lifted his head to look at Mao standing in the door. His eyes were cold again, his face emotionless. He looked as intimidating as ever. The brunette teen curled up a bit more, breaking the eye-contact. He wanted to say that it wasn't okay and that he was sorry. He wanted to promise that it wouldn't happen again. An important client would come soon and he, Seto, had just wasted the time and made Mao feel uncomfortable in his own territory. He felt like a bad person.

 

Yet, he had bought much time. Mao wouldn't still take him now, would he?

[CesareB]

Mao looked at Haruka and Seto.

 

"Haruka, go home. I'm expecting a guest soon," he said.

 

Haruka stood up, her eyes glimmering. "Oh? That old man? He's a valuable source of money, in my opinion."

 

Mao sighed. "Of course. Why do you think I invited him over. Plus, he's not old. He's about our age."

 

Haruka smiled and headed towards the door. "I'll be going home now." As she approached Mao, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Please, treat Seto right. He's just a frightened little rabbit."

 

Mao looked at Seto after Haruka left. "Frightened little rabbit? I think not. After all, you used my weakness against me."

[♠[Rin]♠]

"..." Seto leaned back on the couch, looking down to his knees. He was silent for a few moments, then spoke up in a mumble; "I didn't know it was so bad... I am sorry... I won't do it again!" His eyes moved to the side, so he could see Mao, but not directly looked into his cold eyes. "And you said 'I dare you'..."

 

He wondered whether he would be in the room whilst this guest would come. Well, Seto knew what the man looked like. He also still remembered the name. But hadn't it been a stupid idea to let Sakura go home just because he had wanted to take Seto? After all, who would serve the two if the client wanted something to drink or if they wanted to eat something? Like, something sweets?

Seto wondered if Mao sometimes cooked or whether he was good or bad at it. Seto himself joined a cooking curse in his school, he didn't consider himself as best, but his meals were good, as he had been told by his family.

[CesareB]

Mao walked closer to Seto and sighed. "My guest will be arriving shortly. Go. And boil some water. Get the tea and coffee ready. Then make dinner. Make sure that it is edible. If you can't do that, then I'll make sure that we finish what we started."

 

He stopped midway and turned back to the hallway. Mao went to his room and put on a clean shirt and trousers, then went back to the kitchen to see the current state of things.

[♠[Rin]♠]

Seto flinched at the thought of Mao finishing what they had started. He had made himself crystal clear...

 

As soon as the man was back in the hallway, the brunette stood up and hurried into the kitchen, looking around. Where, where, where... After a while, he found the things needed. He hurried a bit, not very visibly, but usually he would take more time.

Having boiled the water, he made coffee and tea (the first he found) ready in two pots, closing them and putting them to the side. Then he randomly searched for ingredients... What should he cook for dinner? He figured Mao was used to excellent and extravagant food, so he wasn't sure if he was able to make something like that. He surely wasn't a chef!

 

After a minute of musing, Seto started collecting what he needed for noodle salad with some fowl and cacao sauce... He had cooked it once for a party of his adoptive mother, but it took a long time... Yet it was pretty good.

Seto felt Mao's eyes on him, coldly in his back. He slowly looked over his shoulder, carefully asking: "H-how much time do I have...?"

[CesareB]

Mao smirked and pretended to look at an imaginary watch on his wrist. "I don't know… maybe two minutes?"

 

He was joking. Maybe it was a dark and evil joke, but still. Mao felt like joking at that moment. He slid into the kitchen and looked at the boy's progress. He had done pretty well, and Mao was actually impressed. But he didn't show it.

 

"Look here. Make sure you make enough for everyone. Oh, and the coffee and tea are for when we sit in my office. For dinner, make sure that we get wine. It doesn't matter which kind, just find it and makes sure it's there. On, and you will set up the table. Make me not regret letting you scott free, boy."

[♠[Rin]♠]

He tensed up instantly when Mao said he had, like, 2 Minutes, but somehow knew it was a joke. The man came in and looked at what he had done for the salad already, then tried to remember everything... Wine, enough for everything, tea and coffee for the office... Wouldn't he need to warm it up later, then?

 

"I.. I won't... Y-you won't regret it!" He just went back to cooking. He put himself under pressure, but he found it was understandable why he did that. He still hadn't a time and just hurried up.

The salad was easy and quickly done. Seto then got to the fowl. It wasn't hard to make it ready for the salad, he also added some condiment. In the end he had a dish with the fowl and a big bowl of the noodle salad. He added green salad and corn/maize to it. It looked like it was enough for four people, but better too much than too less, right?

 

He prepared the cacao sauce in the end. He parted it and put some into one bowl, and just as much into a second one.

 

Done... right? The sauce would harmonize with the condiment and the not too hot fowl. In a combination with the unusual salad something sweet and delicious.

 

Wait... There was something left...

Wine! Seto left the bowls onto the counter, then wanted to get a wine, but, "Uhm...where is the wine?" He found Mao was someone who had many different wines. He found that not a too sweet one with a soft flavour/aroma would fit what he had cooked.

[CesareB]

Mao had found himself sitting in his office, smoking. He barely smoked, but at that moment, the cigarette box that sat on his window seal seemed to have been beckoning him. Mao could smell that food from in his office. It smelled like… like food, maybe? Mao sighed and walked back to the front door. Just in time, the doorbell rang. Mao opened it slowly. Standing on the other side was Kazue Fuijoka.

 

"Ah…" Mao began, welcoming in his business associate. "Welcome."

 

Kazue walked in and sniffed the air. "What a nice smell. What is it?"

 

Mao shrugged. "I am unsure. I asked someone to make us a meal. Please, follow me to my office."

 

As he passed the kitchen, he peaked in and spoke to Seto, "Boy, bring the tea and coffee. Prepare to serve."

[♠[Rin]♠]

"Uh... y-yeah... Sir..." Sir? Now he was completely confused. Seto shook his head and walked over to the cans, putting them and four cups onto a tray. Now only the Maid Outfit was missing, but he was glad not to wear it.

Seto left the kitchen and walked to the office, first biting his lower lip. He balanced the tablet on his left hand and knocked with the right one. After hearing a 'come in', at least he heard something like it, he opened the door and walked in with the tray, avoiding eye-contact with both of them. He put the tray onto the table both men were sitting at. Then he filled two cups with the tea, and the other two with the coffee, silently.

[CesareB]

Kazue looked at Seto in curiosity. The young emerald brunette… why was a young kid serving them? Well, he wasn't going to ask that Mao either way. Kazue picked up a cup of coffee and relaxed to its warmth. It was rather bitter, but that was exactly how he needed it. He looked at the brunette again. That boy made the coffee that he had been craving. Kazue wondered how that boy had managed that.

 

He turned back to Mao. "When will we go over this agreement of ours?"

 

Mao looked up from his papers that he had been closely reading. "Agreement? Seto, what do you think?"

 

Kazue looked from the platinum haired man to the brunette again. Why was Mao Ueno asking a child?

[♠[Rin]♠]

"Huh?" The brunette looked at Mao in surprise and shock. He kinda figured that it wasn't a serious question - it couldn't be a serious question. This man was kidding him!

"I-I have no idea of this all... I don't know..." Kazue was surely a nice and friendly person, even if there was something about him that wasn't nice. Seto didn't know what it was but it was there.

[CesareB]

Mao let out a loud laughter. "Well, how about I tell you? You seem to be very interested, after all."

 

He stood up from his chair and walked over to the brunette. "My company, which, to put it bluntly, is a loaning company, has an issue of lending money and never getting it back because our clients run. But, Kazue here wants to help us out, while at the same time, gaining business for his corporation. He has proposed this idea: we lend our clientele their money, and when they can't pay, they will be given a referral to Kazue's company, Bluecorps, which is a guarding service. But of course, they will give us our client when the time comes, and we will happily advertise for his company. And what do you think I should do? Should I take up this man's offer, or should I decline it?"

[♠[Rin]♠]

Seto looked up at Mao as the man walked up to him. He resisted the urge to step back to create a distance between them. He just gulped and listened to Mao's words closely, understanding what he meant. The clients ran, like, ran away or left the country? Understandable that Kazue's offer was a good one. Still, Seto had no idea of all this, but it sounded good.

 

"I... think it's a good offer... To make sure you will get the money back, right?" He answered, glancing at Kazue, before his emerald eyes went back up to Mao. "So, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to accept the offer..."

[CesareB]

Hearing Seto's answer, Mao gave a small smile and turned to Kazue.

 

"Well, you heard the boy. How shall I transact this deal? No, never mind that… why don't you come by my office tomorrow afternoon?" Mao asked, leading Kazue into the dining room where Seto was supposed to have set up dinner.

 

After all, he was going to make sure that Kazue would only think about doing work with his company.