Disclaimer: Hello hello, and welcome to chapter nine! Dun-dun-dun… It's the dreaded NINE. As in nueve, 9, and also… NINE. Alright, so it's not so dreaded. ^_^;; I was trying to make it sound good. Well, I DID leave quite a cliff-hanger didn't I? And now… for my first ever THANK YOU part of the disclaimer.
I want to first of all thank Ishuzu for continuing to review this fic until I finally got off my sorry butt and updated. You're one of the most dedicated people to my work, and you, being a promising writer as well… well, I'm very happy that my fic continues to entertain and please. ^_^ Also, KaibaFan1! You've also been with us since the beginning! Domo arigatou for your kind reviews. I've looked though your stuff as well, and am very happy with what I found. "Did someone say stupid?" was utterly brilliant… I'm still laughing.
And a big big big big BIG thank you to crazytomboy1, Jherrus, Seto-Kaiba-Rocks, Ada Lee, Adrie, Tetsuo-Shima, ITSAME, seiya5, moonymonster, Mariya, nikki, Yami no Katya, Kaneda-Shotaro and Yami Tetsuo, KaTyA, Yami Princess, Blue Lagoon Loon, and setoobsessed for your reviews. If I missed anyone, gomen nasai… (Just now noticed that there were three pages of reviews… ^^;;;) I've looked through many of your fanfics and am very happy with the creativity and pure gumption shown by all.
I hope I can continue to make this fic better and better and promise to do my best to leave more and more different plot tangents for you all to contemplate. * big grin * And, as always, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All I own is the plot, a soda, and a bag of fish chips. You all know the rest… (if I did Anzu would be dead for those who haven't noticed the trend… ^^;;;)
~Jono's perspective~
Jono stared down at the unconscious form of his bitter enemy. In one hand, he held a metal pipe; in the other, a map of the city. His eyes traveled up to Yami's face. Yami was wide-eyed and unmoving, his startled expression making Jono burst into laughter. Yami sputtered for a few seconds, then began to scream.
"JONOUCHI, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he cried, finally regaining the use of his limbs and stumbling backwards. Jono raised his hands defensively, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of his face as he carefully explained to Yami what the situation was.
"N-now hold yer horses, Yam-boy! It was Yugi's idea! We traced the last call we made to yer cell-phone and here I am!" Jono replied. Yami began to shake, making over-exaggerated motions with his hands and face.
"THAT DOESN'T FREAKIN' EXPLAIN WHY YOU HIT HIM OVER THE HEAD!" Yami continued to shout. By now a crowd had begun to form around the alley. Jono began to speak more quietly, nervous about attracted too much attention.
"Look, Yami… it was Yugi's idea. He said it was a cure for amnesia or whatever… Seto will be fine. We just have to get him home, okay?" Jono smiled comfortingly. Yami began to calm down, his shoulder's drooping a bit. He stared down at Seto, his eyes softening a bit.
"Alright, Jono… But how do we get him out of here?" Yami asked. It was obvious that Jono and Yami couldn't lift the six-footed corporate giant by themselves. Jono smirked deviously.
"Leave that part to me, Yami." Jono snickered.
~Yami's Perspective~
Yami stared down at Seto, unable to speak. What would he tell Yugi? He couldn't protect Seto, so he left him to die? Swallowing hard, he raised his eyes to the figure standing behind Seto, preparing himself for the worst. What he didn't expect to see was…
A blonde-haired Jonouchi grinned at him from the darkness. Yami gasped. Could the rivalry between Seto and Jono be so much as to have them murder each other?! His eyes widened as he began to sputter mindlessly, unsure of what to do. After a few moments, his temper finally was set off.
"JONOUCHI, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he screamed, his eyes flashing dangerously. He began to curse so strongly that he stumbled backwards a bit. Jono raised his hands defensively.
"N-now hold yer horses, Yam-boy! It was Yugi's idea! We traced the last call we made to yer cell-phone and here I am!" Jono explained. Yami searched his brain for a real answer to his question, but finding none, continued on his tirade.
"THAT DOESN'T FREAKIN' EXPLAIN WHY YOU HIT HIM OVER THE HEAD!" he yelled, his shoulders starting to shake in rage and fear. Yami noticed a few people beginning to stop at the entrance of the alley, but he didn't care. He wanted an explanation, any explanation that would explain what Jonouchi was trying to prove.
"Look, Yami… it was Yugi's idea. He said it was a cure for amnesia or whatever… Seto will be fine. We just have to get him home, okay?" Jono said reassuringly. Yami began to calm down; knowing it was Yugi's idea made the situation a bit better. After all, his hikari did not have the best judgment to begin with. He let out a small sigh, and began to speak more calmly.
"Alright, Jono… But how do we get him out of here?" Yami questioned. He didn't think that even together he and Jono could lift Seto. After all, Seto was a very big guy… Jono smirked.
"Leave that part to me, Yami." Jono snickered.
~Seto's Subconscious's Perspective~ (try saying that ten times fast…)
Seto floated through a darkened, endless space. He was unaware, and yet… he was aware. He could hear voices outside of the space surrounding him. They were familiar, but he could not put their sounds to faces.
Seto scrunched his face up, thinking hard to remember. What was his name again? Hmm… How odd. He couldn't remember. After a few moments, a sound popped into his brain. Set. Set? What the hell was 'set'? Maybe a name? A place?
Suddenly he began to fall. He couldn't see anymore. He couldn't hear the voices anymore. Everything was just… black. Seto tried harder to remember something that would help him remember himself, but he continued to draw blanks. Set… must think of set…
"Onisama!"
What? Onisama? Who was it calling to him? Seto couldn't quite put his finger on it. He looked at his hands, but saw only black. Where were his hands anyway?
"Kaiba-kun!"
Kaiba? Was that his name? No… he couldn't place it. It was familiar. Everything around him was familiar. Seto felt comforted in his black space, but he still couldn't remember a thing.
Seto curled up into a small ball, resting his head on his knees. Maybe forgetting everything wasn't quite so bad… After all, he didn't even know if he would ever remember anything about his life. He was confused. Did he even have a life? Maybe the voices were just things that he heard while scrounging for food. Maybe he was just a homeless beggar.
He closed his eyes and began to fade into the background. Seto sighed deeply, and began to fall into blissful oblivion once more.
~Mokuba's Perspective~
Mokuba sat in the pilot seat of KaibaCorp's helicopter. He was sure that Jono would find Yami. Hopefully, Yami had also found his big brother… Mokuba felt tears running down his cheeks, but quickly wiped them away. What would Seto say if he saw him crying?
"Weakling…" Mokuba whispered. He steered the helicopter down towards the lights of the city, his eyes focused again.
dinglingdinglingROARdinglingdinglingROAR… Mokuba reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
"Yes, what is it?" Mokuba spoke into the phone. "Hmm? Jonouchi! Did you find him… yes… Seto is there?! Is he alright?!… yes… You need assistance? Got it. Where are you exactly… alley… 42nd street?… Got it. On my way."
Joy spread throughout Mokuba's body. His brother was alright… Thank God…
He dipped the helicopter low, heading for 42nd street. For the first time in weeks, he felt alive again.
Well? What did everyone think of chapter nine? I hope it was alright. If you didn't catch it, Mokuba's cell phone ringer has a BEWD roaring in the middle of it. I thought it would be cute. I know the entire Seto Subconscious thing was a bit odd… I dunno. I'm experimenting a bit with some new ideas. Please tell me what you thought of them… Until next update…^_^
By the way, did anyone notice that this chapter is in html format?! I finally learned how to do it! Thanks for supporting the other, less html-isk chapters!