Warning: This chapter contains references to drinking, depression, attempt to suicide, dying, and other psychological and angst-related matters.
STORY ARC TWO: THE PARTING OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Four: Revelations from the Past
Two hours had already passed since Emrys was taken in the emergency room.
Two uniformed police officers and a plainclothes individual approached the Kaiba brothers in the hospital's waiting room. The plainclothes individual flashed his badge and identified himself as a police detective. "Mr. Kaiba, may we have a word with both of you?"
Kaiba absentmindedly nodded.
With a scowl on his face, the detective asked, "What happened out there?"
A puzzled Kaiba looked up at the investigator. He also saw one of the uniformed officers pulling out a small notepad and a pen.
As soon as the CEO's gaze returned to him, the detective remarked, "Yes, I know some of our men already asked you questions out there. Work with me here..."
The elder Kaiba sighed. "I walked out of the exit door leading to the street. My brother and Emrys followed me - "
"When you say Emrys, do you mean Alexa?" the detective interjected.
Kaiba again nodded. "A car tried to run me over. She was hit instead. The car sped off."
With his sights focused on the younger sibling, the investigator inquired, "Is that what you saw too, young man? Do you have anything to add?"
"She pushed us out of the way..." Mokuba stammered and then cried as he hid his face and hugged Kaiba's arm.
After seconds of silence, the officer cleared his throat. "Do you know any way to reach her family members?"
"Mokuba and I are her closest friends here in the United States. I will call England and let them know about what happened."
"How about the car? Descriptions? Did any of you see the license plate?"
Kaiba looked down on the floor in controlled frustration and extreme fatigue. "The car was a black BMW. I don't remember the model. I did not notice the license plate."
"Old model or new model?"
"What?" the CEO lifted his head and looked at the detective.
"The car, Mr. Kaiba."
"It was new."
The detective handed him his card. "All right, Mr. Kaiba. If you remember anything that can help us with this case, call me." He then turned around and left with the two uniformed officers.
Once the officers left, Kaiba looked at his brother and asked, "Mokuba, do you still have Yoshiko's business card? It was attached to the concert tickets that she sent us."
The young boy checked his coat pocket, and pulled out the business card. He gave it to his brother.
"I'll let Yoshiko know about what happened," Kaiba explained to the younger sibling.
"What about Yugi and the gang?"
With a frown, Kaiba replied, "Yugi also needs to know what happened. Call him."
Two more grueling hours passed. Mokuba rested his head on Kaiba's lap and fell asleep.
The older Kaiba did not get any sleep. A million thoughts, emotions, and questions plagued him. Who was the driver of that car? Why did the mysterious driver want to run him over? If he was still at Domino City, he would be able to guess a couple of likely suspects - but he was in New York. His stay was relatively too short for him to create enemies - business or personal.
Kaiba's thoughts then drifted towards Emrys. "She's such an idiot..." he repeatedly mused, referring to her attempt on saving them.
A doctor came out and approached the Kaiba brothers. Mokuba stirred from his slumber, got up, and was still rubbing his eyes.
"How is she, doctor?" Kaiba asked. His deep blue eyes could no longer hide his concern.
The doctor straightened his glasses. "She's in a coma. We almost lost her back there, but she has been stabilized. She's under observation to see if she's going to make it."
The CEO's eyes narrowed. "When are you going to find out if she'll be okay?"
"Twenty four hours," the doctor replied.
Kaiba immediately fumed. His hands balled into fist on each side. "That's too long! Can't you find out sooner?"
The doctor shook his head.
Kaiba relaxed his clenched fists, deeply sighing at his helplessness. Barely controlling his temper, he inquired, "May we see her?"
The doctor nodded. "Go ahead...but just for a couple of minutes."
"Come on, Mokuba," Kaiba said as he held his younger brother's hand. The siblings then followed the doctor, who showed them where she was located.
The intensive care unit sent chills down their spines, especially Mokuba. As they walked from bed to bed on their way to see her, each step reminded them that death loomed over the heads of ICU patients. Upon reaching their destination, both brothers gaped at the stationary and unconscious figure that lay on the bed.
The helpless figure before them was not the vibrant Emrys that they remembered. An oxygen mask helped her breathing. Networks of thin tubes were connected through different parts of her body, either via a needle or small suction cups secured by tape. Various monitors keeping track of her vitals emitted different beeps.
As much as Kaiba swore not to get too close to her, he took her hand and sandwiched it between his firm grasp, thinking, "You have to fight this. Don't lose this duel for your life. I will hunt down who tried to kill me and did this to you. That's a promise..."
Mokuba quietly stood besides his brother with silent tears still flowing down his cheeks.
The older Kaiba, still staring at her, asked, "Mokuba, did Yoshiko tell you when she's arriving?"
"She couldn't leave until tomorrow afternoon," the young boy replied as he kept his gaze on her vulnerable form.
Kaiba sighed in frustration. "We still haven't reached Yugi. By that time, it will be too late..."
A puzzled Mokuba looked at his elder sibling. "Too late for what?"
The headstrong CEO placed Emrys' hand down and then met his younger sibling's gaze. "While I'm gone, I'd like someone trustworthy to stay with you."
"No! You can't just leave me again!" an exasperated Mokuba exclaimed.
Kaiba vertically placed his index finger on top of his lips, prompting his brother to keep his voice down. He knelt on one knee, made sure that he had eye contact with Mokuba, rested his hands on his sibling's shoulders, and then whispered, "I'm sorry, Mokuba. It's too dangerous for us to be together on this. I won't leave until I know that you're safe with someone trustworthy."
Mokuba stared at the marbled floor. Seconds later, he looked up at his older brother and then nodded.
The CEO stood up, flipped his cell phone, and then made a phone call to Kaiba Corporation's headquarters in Japan. He then did the unexpected. He called Yugi.
When Yugi got on the phone, Kaiba did not waste any time in explaining what happened to Emrys.
"What?" his rival exclaimed in shock from the other end of the telephone line.
"She's still in ICU. I need you to come here. My corporate chauffeur will pick you up. One of my pilots will fly you to Manhattan."
"When can I leave?" Yugi inquired.
"Now..." Kaiba deadpanned as he hung up his cell phone.
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Twelve hours had already passed since the phone call Kaiba made to Yugi.
Shortly after the phone call, the brothers left to attend matters regarding Kaiba-Land. They also spent a couple of hours catching up on much-needed rest. When they arrived at the ICU to see Emrys, Yugi was already standing beside her.
Kaiba scowled when he saw Yugi's companion for this trip. He dug his hands inside the pockets of his white sleeveless trench coat as he asked, "Why did you bring the mongrel?"
"Watch your mouth," Jonouchi spat as his hands bunched up into fists.
The CEO tensed and prepared for a swift counterstrike.
"Guys - please... This is not the right time to argue or fight..." Yugi pleaded with them.
After a few minutes of glowering at each other, Jonouchi relented and relaxed his guard. Kaiba followed suit, but doing it cautiously.
Yugi then explained to the new arrivals, "The doctor already came. They extended her observation to another twenty-four hours."
Kaiba's eyed widened. Glancing sideways to vent out, he then uttered through gritted teeth, "Shit!" He then turned around and proceeded to storm out of the ICU.
Mokuba ran and blocked his brother's way. "No! You can't just do this by yourself."
"Do what?" Jonouchi inquired.
"It's none of your business, mutt!" Kaiba retorted.
The incensed blonde-haired teen as he felt Yugi's hand rest on his arm. He bit his lip and kept silent.
The younger Kaiba looked at Yugi and Jonouchi. "Someone tried to kill Ni-sama and Emrys got hurt because of it. He wants to know who did it." He then gazed at his older brother, pleading, "If you want me to stay, then have someone come with you!"
"I'll go with you, Kaiba," said Yugi.
The young CEO's blazing blue eyes cooled once his gaze deepened at his younger sibling's slate blue eyes. "All right..."
Mokuba tightly hugged his brother while the latter consolingly patted the young boy's back.
After the tender moment with his sibling, Kaiba then glanced sideways and glowered at Yugi. "If you're coming with me then we're leaving now."
A tightlipped Yugi said, "I'd like to be alone with her for five minutes. After that, we'll leave..."
"Make it quick." Kaiba then spun around and stormed out of the room, giving Jonouchi before doing so.
Yugi approached Emrys' bedside once more, still cringing as his eyes followed the network of needles and gadgets attached to her body. After a couple of minutes, he closed his eyes and switched into his other self.
The other Yugi then looked at Emrys as she lay unconscious. He held her hand, wishing that he could do something to snap her out.
The Millennium Necklace, which he carried in his pocket at all times, suddenly activated. The Necklace and the Puzzle's respective powers combined. The Items' combined energy brought him to a dark and desolate realm somewhere in the past...
Emrys' past...
"This can't be her past," the other Yugi pondered as he saw and felt everything through his mind's eye.
Such shocking scenes in Emrys' life unfolded before the Spirit of the Puzzle. He saw the incident inside the caves of Thera followed by her parent's death. He served as a silent witness to her heartbreaking visits at her parents' gravesite. There were her many near-attempts to end her life. There was her internal and external self-flagellation by pushing too hard in almost everything she did. He saw the times wherein she polished bottle after bottle of hard liquor to drown the pain. He was in shock to see the nights wherein she gashed her upper left thigh repeatedly until scarlet blood mixed with the fragrant waters of her bath. He gallivanted with her in horrid and despicable parts of the world to silently observe and mingle with lowlifes and occultists. He accompanied her in excavations wherein her death-wish recklessness endangered the safety of her peers and most especially herself.
The harsh and cold reality about the person he shared his heart with slapped the other Yugi hard on the face. Until now, he was never aware that a person so young could lose hope. In his eyes, Emrys traded everything precious and dear so that she could see and sink in the world and the mind's darkest side.
The other Yugi was still in utter denial. The visions he saw before him was not the Emrys that came in his life months ago. Yet, he knew that the Necklace and the Puzzle revealed the truth. His lover - the young woman with the angelic face - harbored such dark secrets within her soul.
And everyone was fooled, even the other Yugi...
The other Yugi's amethyst eyes misted as they fell upon Emrys with a mixture of empathy, sorrow, denial, and confusion. He just uncovered another startling revelation about her. As much as everything seemed perfect on the surface, she felt empty inside. In spite of everything she accomplished and possessed, it seemed that nothing was enough to free her spirit.
The Items allowed the other Yugi to share Emrys' dismal feeling...the same feelings that plagued her and eroded her soul for many years.
There was, though, a glimmer of hope through the other Yugi's visions. He saw how Emrys' binge drinking and the occasional cutting stopped. Her midnight gallivants and the self-flagellation, although significantly lessened, continued on times wherein she felt the direst need to escape. The dark scenes that previously ruled her young life were slowly replaced by wholesome ones: introspective walks while enjoying nature's havens, meditation, prayer, music, duel monsters, and other activities that brought some peace within her soul.
The Spirit of the Puzzle felt Emrys' emotional burden become lighter over the last year, proving that she understood and applied some of life's valuable lessons. In spite of all the turmoil and internal pain, he also felt the love and faith residing in her heart. All of these combined now fostered the small seedling that may bring about her salvation - the love and forgiveness that she needed to give herself.
However, Emrys' inner demons were still there...calling for her to come closer, preying on her every weakness, waiting for her to be mercilessly pulled down, pulling her down until her beseeching screams and cries of agony were heard no more.
The other Yugi's worry escalated much more than before he came to see her at the hospital. He now held her limp hand as tightly as ever. He feared that if she allowed those demons of hers to succeed, she would truly get what she wished for in such a long time...
Death...
Although this story arc stands independently from The Encounter of Lost Souls and There Will Come Soft Rain, the three stories are inter-connected. This fact will also apply to subsequent Yu-Gi-Oh fan fiction that I will post in the future.
Normal Disclaimer
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. This fan fiction, as well as the original characters, is the author's property.
Enjoy reading!
PJ Zatken