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Chapter 11 : Negative Side Effects

Seto looked around in all directions. All he could see was the white light. He felt as though he was lying down on something, a chair or recliner, and no matter what he did or tried, he couldn't get up. His body felt entirely numb, as though a heavy blanket was over him. He couldn't move...and didn't really want to move. Only his mind seemed to be working. Where...where am I?

"What the FUCK is going on?!"

It was muffled, but the anger in the voice penetrated the silence that surrounded him. Seto frowned. He slowly clenched his hands into fists. He had to move. He had to know whose voice that was.

"Put him back in, NOW! Get him the sedative!"

A...a sedative? With all the strength in his body that he could muster, Seto reached up with his right hand. Despite seeing nothing but the piercing white light, he felt resistance. What is this? It...it feels like...like glass…

"DO IT!"

Feeling his heart skip a beat, Seto watched as the white light faded, pixel by pixel, until it completely vanished. The image of his bedroom appeared before him in a flash. He was now lying in the middle of the bed, his arm raised up in mid-air. The white light was gone, as was the muffled voice. Silence filled the room. He blinked as the heaviness he felt before lifted, allowing him to breathe normally. For a few seconds, he merely looked up at his hand. What...what was that? What just happened? I… How did I get back here?

He let his hand fall down to his side as he slowly pushed himself up. Looking around, he saw that he was indeed in the virtual bedroom. He knew it was virtual, as the image of himself and Akume that he set down was still sitting on the dresser. What the hell was that? he thought as his mind began to clear up. Despite the pressure being gone, he suddenly felt lethargic, as though he had taken a long nap. I… Jounouchi and I, we finished the photo. A light appeared, and then...then I was sitting in something. Not the bed. A recliner of some sort. And… His eyes wandered down to his hand. Glass. I know I felt glass there, hovering above me. How? What was I really feeling? Was I… Was I in a virtual pod, in that moment? Was my mind trying to escape this Hell? Did I...almost escape?

His head suddenly ached, and he groaned before flopping back down on the bed. Closing his eyes, he brought a pillow close to him and rested his head on it. What the hell...where is Jounouchi? What is happening? Why is my head pounding like this? Is it because-

"GAAAH!"

Opening his eyes, Seto looked up only to cry out in surprise. Rolling off the bed, he barely dodged Jounouchi as the blonde fell down through the ceiling onto the bed, landing hard on the cushions. Surprisingly, the blonde made no sound other than his cry of shock. The hole in the ceiling immediately vanished, and Seto's jaw dropped at the stunned duelist now lying in the middle of the bed. The blonde appeared to be equally stunned. His eyes were wide, and Seto watched as he inhaled and slowly exhaled, as if catching his breath. "Jounouchi?!" Standing off the floor, he shouted, "What the fuck?! What just happened?!"

It took a few seconds before Jounouchi blinked in shock. He glanced over at Kaiba, and his eyes widened upon seeing the CEO. Bolting upright, Jounouchi shouted, "Dude, what?! Wha... What happened?! Tell me, Money Bags! One minute, we're puttin' that picture together, and the next, you're gone, and I'm fallin' through the ceiling onto your bed!"

Jounouchi's voice did little to ease Seto's growing headache, and he mentally growled before asking, "Wait...did you...see that white light?" His mind was reeling from the past few moments' events. Did Jounouchi almost escape, too? Why would he? He's here of his own free will.

Seto looked up. Jou's eyes widened even more. He pointed at Seto and exclaimed, "Yeah, yeah I did! And then you vanished, and then I began falling! But it was only for, like, a second or so. I didn't see ya or hear anythin', and then the next thing I know, BAM! I'm on your bed!"

Seto wasn't sure what to think of that. So...maybe that white light meant we completed the first puzzle? But then, whose voice was that? The person that I heard? That Jounouchi apparently didn't hear? Releasing a heavy sigh, Seto slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. He turned his back to Jounouchi, placing his aching head in his hands. "Did...did we complete the first puzzle?"

"How the fuck should I know?! This game is so fucking just fucked! Creepy girls and creepier areas and fuckin' ghosts and-"

Slamming his hands down on the bed, Seto sprung up and turned to look at Jounouchi. "Shut up!" he shouted, the headache threatening his very skull. "I just asked a simple fucking question! I don't know anymore than you do as to what is going on! Just how the FUCK should I know what just…what just..." He groaned loudly. The pain in his skull was killing him, dulling his thoughts. He closed his eyes and placed his right hand to his head. "How...how should I…" He suddenly felt extremely light-headed. His words left him. He groaned again as his stomach flipped inside him. "What the...what's going on…"

"H-Hey, hey!" He heard Jounouchi move around the bed and soon felt the blonde's hands on his shoulders. He felt like he was swaying, like he was on a ship. "Come on, man, just sit down. Breathe. Take it easy for a minute." Seto slowly opened his eyes to see Jounouchi's hazel ones staring back at him. A worried expression was painted across his face. Having little energy to resist, he allowed the blonde to sit him back down on the edge of the bed. "I-I'm going to go back to see if Kota is picking up or noticing anything. I'll be right back, I promise. Just...just rest for a minute, okay? You look...you look sick, man."

Seto slowly nodded. Leaning back on the bed, he watched as Jounouchi brought up a game menu and clicked a few buttons. Soon his image began to fade until he was no longer in the game, leaving Seto alone. He groaned. Jounouchi was right. He felt sick, incredibly sick.

For several minutes, he simply laid there, not knowing what else to do and having little energy to consider a plan. As his headache began to fade, however, he recalled what he saw and groaned as his stomach once again turned. That was me...trying to escape, he reflected. I was, for that brief moment, out of the game, or at least trying to get out. It had to be. The glass, the other voices...that wasn't in the game. The sedative...they're sedating me? Whoever kidnapped me is drugging me? Is that how they are keeping me in the game for so long? The thought made him feel even more nauseous. Am I sick because of this game? Or is it because I'm being maltreated in the real world? Maybe it's the sedative. Is that why I feel this way? If they're drugging me...it could impact my mentality in the game. The thought made him shiver. I have to get out of here. Fast. And we only did one puzzle. Didn't the note say there were four?

His eyes instinctively opened and searched out for the bedroom door. Slowly pushing himself up, he managed to stand and, using the bed for support, walked around the room. A white note was placed in the same position as the others directly in front of the door. Reaching forward, he grasped onto the doorknob. Might as well try. He twisted. It didn't open. He sighed and leaned his back against the door before sliding to the floor. Can't say I'm surprised.

Closing his eyes, he merely sat, his hands in his lap, his chest slowly rising and falling. The pain traveled from his head, to his chest, to his stomach, then back to his head, making him feel ready to vomit. He wanted to purge himself of this awful feeling, whatever it was. But until he had the strength to do so, he figured he would merely sit here. There is no need to push myself, especially if Jounouchi isn't here. It isn't like I'm going anywhere without that mutt. He hated to admit it, but Jounouchi had been surprisingly helpful in the library. Yeah, he panicked, but I can't say I wasn't feeling a bit overwhelmed. And if he hadn't chased after that little girl...we might not have found that final piece. He openly scoffed. Now I know I'm exhausted. I'm praising Jounouchi Katsuya.

Sighing, Seto slowly opened his eyes once more. The note on the floor caught his attention, as did the line of photos placed on the dresser across the room. He shrugged. There was no point in worrying about what else was in this room that didn't belong. Instead, he reached forward and picked up the note off the floor.

"Kaiba," he read aloud, "I want to congratulate you. You are resilient; you solved the first puzzle. You are one step closer to being released.

I admit, my notes will be much more sporadic from here on out. I can only give you so much help without attracting attention. Indeed, I fear my notes are already doing so. I will try to write down as much as possible in this one note; be careful not to lose it.

The second puzzle is located in a card and opium den. Unfortunately, it is on the complete opposite side of town, directly south of the library. Travel during the day. The ghosts that haunt the puzzle areas will be there whether it is night or day, but traveling the town by day is much safer. The ghosts that wander randomly throughout the village should be in hiding then. Do not expect a friendly NPC. The little girl in the library was an anomaly. From now on, expect all ghosts to be against you. They all hide during the day. Except for one. One in blue.

Beware the woman in blue, Kaiba. She is somehow stronger than the average spirit that haunts that game. If you see her, immediately hide and wait for her to leave. Do not attempt to fight her. In fact, do not attempt to fight any of the ghosts. They are invincible. Should you attack and paralyze them, they will only get right back up. Use your wits. I'm sure you've learned this by now, but I forgot to mention this. There are so many things I feel I am forgetting… I merely hope this helps.

Go to the card den and complete the second puzzle. While you are gone, I will try to send a note regarding the third puzzle. If I can't, know that the third puzzle is located directly across the street from the second. Do not attempt the third before the second, else you will be locked out of the area. I don't know what would happen then.

I sincerely hope my notes are helping, Kaiba. I hope you are all right. I'm...sorry I can't be more useful.

-A Friend"

Seto sighed as he let the paper fall down to the floor next to him. This friend...just who the hell is this person? I don't know anyone who writes in this style. Kota is always short, sweet, and to the point. Mokuba scribbles like a child with crayons and types the way he speaks. This reads like a manual of some sort. So then who is helping me? He once again sighed in frustration. Go to the town during the day, huh… His eyes instinctively wandered over to look in the direction of the clock. 4:00 am...and time skips forward several hours when we go from the bedroom to the game. He looked around the room. Outside, the moon was beginning to set. Perfect timing. So long as Jounouchi comes back soon, we can head out right away. Until then… Using the door for support, Seto pushed himself back up and walked over to the bed. His stomach was no longer doing flips and turns, but his head still felt heavy, and he knew walking around the town in this condition would not end well. Whether it's a sedative or my real body rejecting the game or even just my adrenaline, I have to be at one-hundred percent if I want to make it through this.

He walked over to the bed and laid down, grabbing the pillow from before for extra comfort. Peeking over at the window, he thought, I wonder what Jounouchi is telling everyone. He frowned. Glancing down at his card necklace, he opened the locket up. The image always caused him to smile, even in the worst situations, and this time was no different. Mokuba... I just want to be out of here. Back home, back with Mokuba… Just...out of here. But there's no point in pining over such things. It just wastes time. I need to focus, and in order to focus, I need to rest. If only...if only for a little bit...

Closing the locket, Seto inhaled and slowly exhaled before letting his eyelids fall. For a split second, it did indeed feel like he was in his bedroom at home, with the comfortable silence surrounding him after a hard day's work. He didn't mean to, but after a minute or so passed, the exhaustion hit him full force, and he fell into a sound slumber.