Author's Note: Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate all the comments thus far! I wasn't sure if this type of story would pick up a lot of viewers; glad to know people appreciate the story! So thanks for all the notes and comments!
Now, on with the plot!
Chapter 4 : Fearful Visions
He was still lying on the rough surface when he next woke up, though what was beneath him was close to all he could feel. His body felt numb, and his mind was moving at a slow pace. His thoughts seemed disjointed, mixed up, and he was having a hard time processing what was going on. He knew he was lying on something, and he was beginning to sense that it was a bed of some sort. Other than that, he knew nothing. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a wooden ceiling and an offensively bright light hovering directly above him. He went to move, and his eyes widened as he felt resistance. Looking down, he saw a leather buckle wrapped around his hands, keeping him tied down to the surface. He realized that it was indeed a bed, and he had to wonder how the buckles had been connected to the bed in the first place. He went to try and break free when he suddenly heard movement outside. He glanced over to see the blurry image of two men entering the room.
"How is he doing?" the bigger man asked. The voice sounded familiar, but it was still hazy. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he make out their voices? And why was his vision this blurry? What was going on?
"According to the monitors, the virus is entering his system at a decent pace," the other man responded. "It won't be long before it is fully transmitted into his brain waves."
"Good. I'm sure his idiotic bunch of acquaintances will soon show up, preparing to rescue him. Such nonsense, and after all the trouble I went through with raising him."
Gozaburo! Sensing the true danger he was in, he went to sever the buckles and growled in frustration when they refused to budge. The two heard his attempts, however, and both turned to look in surprise.
"Well, if the brat hasn't awoken from his slumber," Gozaburo remarked, casually approaching the bed as he did so. All he could do was stare at the bastard, but his vision was blurred, and it was painful to keep his eyes fully open with the bright light shining down on him. He merely glared at the man, wishing he could think of some way to leave, when he felt the man slap him hard across the cheek. His head rolled to the side, and he couldn't suppress the groan of pain as his cheek began to sting.
"Sir, what should we do? He shouldn't be awake yet, according to our charts."
"Give him another sedative. That will knock him out."
"I'll fill the syringe with half the proper dosage."
"Half? Fill it up!"
"Sir…?"
"You heard me! Give him the regular dosage amount!"
"Shouldn't we only give him half of the full dosage, sir? Or even a quarter would work, I'm sure. Why a full syringe?"
"Are you questioning me?"
"But, sir, if we overdose him, the damage will be—"
"You think I care about the damage? The whole point of this exercise is to watch him suffer, not to monitor the damage!"
"But…but sir…what about your son, Noa? Didn't you give him the virus as well?"
"Noa will accept the virus. He has to accept the virus; he is my son. This piece of trash is an outsider, one who must be dealt with. Now give him another sedative!"
He tried moving his arms, his legs, any part of his body other than his aching head, but it was futile. His body was frozen, and he could already feel his mind slipping away. He shivered at the touch of the man's hands as they rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. Turning to look, he saw to his horror the man holding a silver syringe, a translucent liquid floating inside. It was a small, thin syringe, yet it glowed in the light of the ceiling lamp. He watched as the man stuck the needle into his arm and groaned once more as he felt the liquid enter his system. A feeling of nausea soon swept over him. He closed his eyes and wished it away, and as the liquid began infiltrating his system, he felt his mind becoming as numb as his body, and the last sensation he felt was that of his stinging cheek hitting the surface of the bed.
Opening his eyes, Seto hastily sat up and examined his surroundings. He was breathing heavily, and his stomach felt as though it was doing somersaults. Groaning in pain, he wrapped his arms around his torso and slowly looked around, realizing to his great relief that he was in his bedroom at the mansion. It was dark outside, and the large windows overlooking the backyard of the Kaiba Manor revealed a clear, starry night sky. It was peaceful, with a full moon shining into his room. Yet his mind was racing, and even though his stomach was beginning to calm down, he still felt dizzy.
Shivering, he placed a hand on his forehead and wiped away the excess sweat. "It was only a dream," he surmised. "It had to have been a dream. And yet…" Glancing down at his forearm, he saw no marks or pricks in his skin. Still, it was strange. He suddenly felt as if he wasn't seeing what should be there. The dream felt real enough, at least to him, but then again, didn't all dreams feel real?
"I need to wash my face." He pushed the dark blue covers back and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet touching the cold, wooden floor. Walking across the length of the bedroom, he opened the door to his private bathroom and turned the light on, flinching at the sudden brightness that greeted him. Most of his bathroom was a beige color, with a white sink and bath tub along the southern wall. He approached the sink and turned the hot water on, filling his cupped hands with the liquid before gently splashing it across his face. He gasped at the touch before taking a nearby towel and wiping the water away. He then took the opportunity to look at himself in the mirror. He was wearing black sweatpants and a dark blue t-shirt, and his hair was in slight disarray. Nobody would ever believe that he, the CEO of KaibaCorp, could ever wake up like a normal teenager every morning. Some mornings he sure didn't feel like a teenager, thinking of all the meetings and reports he would have to fill out during the course of the day. What he would give to wake up one morning without the hassle of worrying over his company and his schedule. God, what he would give…
Sighing, he smirked at his reaction and shook his head. "What a weird dream…and this is the second time. Both times were with Gozaburo… This is just plain weird." He shook his head once more and frowned. "I wonder if it has anything to do with what happened in the virtual reality. Anzu said something about Gozaburo testing something on me, and in these dreams I keep seeing a scientist injecting something into me. It…feels so real, and…and…"
He shivered and returned to staring at his reflection. "It was just a dream. The only time I ever saw anything strange was when that…that scientist appeared, and I quickly determined that it was from exhaustion. It had to have been; I've never seen him before. I'm just panicking because I don't know what happened. That's all… At least, I hope it is."
Placing the towel back on the rack, he went to leave when a sudden flash caught his attention. He squinted his eyes and returned his concentration to the mirror only to see himself in the reflection. But he was sure he had seen something… Or maybe not. Maybe he was still tired. "I did have a rather weird dream," he reasoned. "I'm probably still subconsciously thinking about it. I wonder what time it is. Maybe I'll have time to—"
And there it was again. His eyes widened as he saw what appeared to be the man from before suddenly standing directly behind him. It was the same man he had seen on the blimp, wearing the same attire and smiling the same smile. Seto's breath caught in his throat, and he cautiously reached his hand backwards, attempting to prove that this was indeed an illusion. It both disturbed and comforted him when he felt nothing behind him. It really was an illusion, but then why was this the second time he was seeing this?
He merely stood and waited, as if expecting the illusion to move. It didn't; it just smiled back at him, most likely expecting him to move as well. He blinked his eyes, hoping for the same results as last time, but was surprised to discover that the man had not disappeared. He was still standing behind him, smiling that unsettling smile. And then, just as he was about to move, the man suddenly reached forward, placing his hand on Seto's shoulder. The fact that Seto could not feel his touch but could see him touching him caused him to be frozen to the spot. He had never seen anything like this before… Was this really an illusion? The man leaned forward, and his smile widened slightly before he patted Seto's shoulder. "Sir, I think the subject is awake," he stated in the same voice Seto had heard in his dream.
Spinning around, Seto began panting heavily when he saw no one behind him. He knew there was nobody there, but still…to actually see that there was no one there startled him. He turned to look back at the mirror and was relieved to find that the man was gone. He merely stared into the mirror, doing his best to control his quickening heart rate. "Just a dream… It was just a dream. I'm just tired. That's all that was." But Seto knew there was more to it. He wasn't that dumb. Sure, he didn't believe in the heart of the cards bullshit, and the Egyptian past-life conspiracy theory Yami and Ishizu tossed around was foolish at best, but Seto knew that there was something seriously wrong. This was the second time he had seen that man, a man who he had never seen before but whose voice sent shivers down his spine. And all after Gozaburo's trip…
He had to know what happened, and if his dreams were anything to go off of, he was slowly regaining his memory of the incident. The question was, what good would it do to remember? Even if he could remember, would he be able to figure out what it was that was making him see this man?
"Are you okay, Big Brother?"
The sound jolted him out of his trance, and he jumped in surprise and turned to see his younger brother standing in the doorway. Mokuba was holding a cup of tea, and his eyes were wide with worry. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, his trembling voice holding little authority. Noticing his brother's skeptical stare, he added, "Really, I'm fine. What are you doing in my room, anyways?"
"It's Saturday night, Seto. You know I'm usually up late playing video games."
"Oh…right." Yet his brother's statement startled him. "He usually only stays up until one or two in the morning, which means that it is still pretty late at night. Maybe I can get some more rest before tomorrow…"
"Are you sure you're feeling all right, Seto?" he inquired. "You've been standing here for several minutes now… What were you looking at?"
Seto's eyes widened. "Have you been standing there watching me this whole time?"
"Well, I heard you get out of bed and was worried you had a nightmare or something. I was going to offer you a cup of tea if you wanted one. But you were just…standing there. I wasn't sure if you were just thinking about something or…"
Shaking his head, Seto sighed and smiled down at his brother. "I'm fine, Mokuba. I just…had a weird dream, is all."
"You sure? You looked… I don't know, you looked scared there for a moment."
"Yeah, maybe…" The idea flustered him. Scared of an illusion? He was never one to fear superstitious shit like that. Still, he wasn't one to believe in coincidences either, and this was the second time he saw that man only to have him disappear. "You know, maybe a cup of tea would be good right now," he commented. "Can you go prepare me one?"
Mokuba smiled and nodded his head, rushing out of the room with surprising speed. Seto briefly wondered how his younger brother managed to not spill his drink while running before turning the light off in his bathroom and reentering his bedroom. Slipping into a pair of comfortable, black slippers, he examined his room once more and frowned when he saw no sign of the man.
"Both Mokuba and Anzu have asked about these visions, and my dreams are only getting more and more realistic. They are obviously connected in some way, but the question is, how? I was attacked in the virtual world… Gozaburo did something to me. But physical harm doesn't transfer over into the real world. Only mental harm—"
"But, sir, if we overdose him, the damage will be—"
"You coming down, Seto?" Mokuba questioned. Seto turned to see his brother standing in the bedroom doorway smiling innocently at him.
"Yeah, of course," he replied, following his brother out of his room and down the hallway, their steps echoing against the walls and wooden floor. They soon reached the grand staircase which led down to the main foyer, and, descending to the bottom, the duo made a left and walked through the dining room, entering the brightly lit kitchen where a cup of tea was sitting on the marble counter. The kitchen was established to also act as a barroom; the eastern wall was lined with a stove, microwave, oven, refrigerator, and basically all other appliances required to cook, while a line of counter space was placed in the center of the room, stools lining the western side where people could sit and watch the chef at work. Gozaburo supposedly used it often to show off how well he ate to other businessmen, but Seto never used the mansion for parties and usually used the bar as his dining area. As a result, the adjacent dining room was becoming a dusty shell of its former self, but the maid made sure to keep it clean just in case.
Walking up to one of the many black stools, Seto took a seat and grabbed the blue mug of hot tea, taking a large breath of it to smell its worth. The light illuminated off the white walls and white tiles, and for a second Seto wondered if it really was as late as he first believed. He smiled down at his brother, who smiled back at him and began sipping his tea once more. He suddenly felt like a kid, as if the two were breaking the rules and staying up late at night to drink tea. It was absurd yet humorous at the same time, and it caused Seto's smile to grow significantly. He placed the cup to his lips and felt the hot liquid enter his mouth.
"Syringes are sanitized, sir."
He nearly choked on his drink as he swiftly took the cup away from his lips, slamming it down onto the countertop out of horror. Swallowing what was left in his mouth, Seto took in a large breath of air before turning in his seat. Mokuba's eyes widened considerably, and he quickly asked, "Wh-What's wrong, Big Brother?"
It had been loud. Louder and clearer than he had ever heard it before. It felt as though someone had screamed the phrase into his ear, hoping he would hear it in the next house over. Why had it been louder that time? What made it different? In fact, it had been so loud that Seto could feel a rapid aching in his head. The imaginary scream had given him a headache.
"Uhm, nothing, Mokuba," he answered turning back in his chair to look at his cup.
"Seto, stop lying to me! What the hell is wrong with you?"
Placing his elbow onto the countertop, he set his hurting head in his hand and closed his eyes. "I… I don't know what's wrong, Mokuba," he answered. "I just… I keep hearing this guy's voice, and…and…" But his thoughts were becoming chaotic as his head continued pounding. He had never had a headache like this before; it was as if his very heartbeat was pulsating in the temples of his skull.
"Whose voice? Seto, what's wrong?"
"I…I think I need some medicine, Mokuba." His voice was shaking; he was scared. Something was wrong. Something was—
"Syringes are sanitized, sir."
He went to stand out of his seat, but a shot of pain sent through his skull did short work of his attempt. He fell onto his knees, clasping his head between his hands, listening as Mokuba set his cup down and rushed to his aide. "Seto, what medicine? What's wrong? Please, tell me something! What is happening? Seto!"
His breathing was quickening, and he could feel his pulse rising. His head felt like it was on fire. Opening his eyes, he was unsurprised to see that his vision was blurred. He turned to look at his brother and could only see a vague outline of his features, yet he knew the boy was sitting directly in front of him. He closed his eyes once more and wished for the pain to go away only to see a sudden scene flash before his eyes. An arm…his arm…a syringe penetrating his skin, the translucent liquid being injected into his bloodstream. A sting suddenly nipped his arm; it felt as though it was currently happening.
"Syringes are sanitized, sir."
"Seto, I'm calling a doctor! Just…just hold on!"
Looking up in terror, he watched as his brother ran out of the room, leaving him alone in the silence. Groaning in pain, he saw the scene flash before him once again, and as the man began to speak, his world came crashing down around him. He felt himself hit the tile floor of the kitchen before closing his eyes. It was only a few seconds later that he was enveloped in total darkness.
