STORY ARC TWO: THE PARTING OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Seven: Contact
The other Yugi sat akimbo on Emrys' bed as he leaned his back against the headboard. He went through her duel monster deck in the dark after retrieving it from the nightstand drawer, examining each card, and hoping that he would soon hear word from either his rival or his lover.
Referring to his vision of Emrys' past through the aid of the Millennium Items, the other Yugi pondered as he went through her deck, "This helped ease her suffering. Her soul's drenched in these cards and in every card she owns."
From the corner of his eye, the other Yugi noticed lights coming from outside the bedroom. He also heard footsteps reverberating against the hardwood floor.
Frowning, the other Yugi returned Emrys' deck on the nightstand table, stood up, opened the door, and scanned the hallway. Seeing nobody, he descended down the stairs.
The Eye on the other Yugi's forehead illuminated, sensing such a dark aura within the loft.
Following his instincts, the other Yugi's feet led him to the living room. What he saw immediately shocked him...
A robed and hooded figure sat on the couch with one hand clutching and crushing an invisible object.
"This is the shadow that I felt in the hospital," the other Yugi thought with absolute certainty. He then asked aloud, addressing the robed figure, "Who are you?"
A sinister feminine cackle reverberated throughout the living room. With all her might, she tightened her grip on the invisible object she held until it seemed that she finished her mission.
The same pentagram that the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi, and Emrys encountered months ago formed behind the hooded figure. The mystical symbol brought in fog and illuminated the entire living room with its blinding light.
As soon as the blinding light disappeared, the spectral figure and the fog diminished.
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Kaiba froze for a second as Emrys' face turned deathly pale. While frantically administering CPR, he kept repeating in his mind as if it was a mantra, "Damn it, Emrys! Breathe!"
Finally, Emrys gasped and sucked in as much air as her lungs could possibly take.
"She's okay..." Kaiba pondered with such relief. He was so happy and relieved that he planted a long kiss on Emrys' forehead. Afterwards, he then sat stupefied by the foot of her bed as he looked at her. He was still in shock from everything that just transpired.
When Kaiba saw Emrys' listless eyes gaze upon him, he said, "Don't talk. You really need to be hospitalized. I almost lost you a minute ago."
Emrys looked at him, wondering what was going on.
To answer Emrys' question, Kaiba replied, "You stopped breathing."
Emrys' watery eyes widened in shock.
Kaiba said in a reassuring voice, "I'll take you to a hospital. I'll be there. You'll be safe."
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It was four-thirty in the morning.
Two hours had already passed since Kaiba drove Emrys to the nearest emergency room. He filled out the paperwork using fictitious names for both of them. He also paid for the deposit in cash so that the questions would be minimized.
After a while of sitting in the hospital's waiting room, a doctor came out and sat down at the chair opposite Kaiba.
"Broken ribs, bruised liver, sprained left arm, concussion, high-grade fever, amnesia..." the doctor said as he went through Emrys' chart. "Her heartbeat's irregular and she's dehydrated. With the exception of her heart, most of her vitals are good."
A brief silence followed and then the doctor asked, "How did she sustain these injuries?"
The sapphire-eyed CEO responded, "Car accident."
The doctor gave Kaiba a long, probing look. Determining that he was telling the truth, he then asked, "Are you her closest family member?"
"She has no family. I'm a close friend of hers. Both of us are here for a business trip. I am her contact in case of an emergency."
"We placed her in an ice bath to subside the fever. Her potassium crashed to dangerous levels. We administered potassium through her IV. We also gave her something for the pain. She's now resting. We have to keep her here at least until her fever subsides and her potassium level's regulated. Feel free to see her now, if you'd like."
"Thank you. I have to make a phone call before I see her." Kaiba then rose up from the sofa and shook the doctor's hand.
Kaiba then reached for his cell phone and dialed Mokuba's cell phone number. "Don't say anything just yet. Are you alone?"
The young boy whispered, "Yes, I'm alone. You don't sound well. Are you and Emrys okay?"
"We're fine," Kaiba said in a white lie. "Where are the others?"
"Yugi, Jonouchi, and Yoshiko are sleeping. We're all worried about you and Emrys."
"Did you tell them anything?"
"No. You told me not to..."
"Let me talk with Yugi. Wake him up, take him to the balcony area in your room, and then close the door behind you. Keep your voices down. Don't tell him I'm on the phone until you're both alone."
"Okay. Hold on..."
With the cell phone in his hand, Mokuba crept inside the room that Yugi and Jonouchi shared. He tiptoed, woke up Yugi, and motioned the sleepy duelist to keep quiet and come with him.
Yugi relented and followed the young boy while rubbing his eyes.
After they were alone at the balcony, the younger Kaiba slid the glass door closed. He then handed the cell phone to Yugi, saying, "My brother wants to talk with you. Emrys is with him."
Immediately upon receiving the cell phone, Yugi switched into the other Yugi.
The amethyst-eyed duelist's eyes narrowed. His teeth-clenched anger radiated from his voice. "Kaiba...what's Emrys doing with you? She's supposed to be in the hospital!"
A seething Kaiba spat, "She is in the hospital. You have to come here without letting Yoshiko or Jonouchi know. Do you hear me?"
Barely keeping a lid on his temper, the other Yugi retorted, "I don't have time to play games with you! Yoshiko flew a long way to see her. Jonouchi and I came here together."
"I told you to come alone! The last thing you want to do is to have Jonouchi come with you."
"Give me one good reason why I should listen to someone who refuses to be helped?"
"I'll give you three very good reasons. First, someone's been trying to kill us. Second, she is frightened...most especially of Jonouchi. Third, you're endangering the life of anyone who comes with you."
After seconds of silence, the other Yugi incredulously echoed back, "She's afraid of Jonouchi?"
"Listen, Yugi. I really don't like calling you. I especially don't like wasting my time. So are you coming, or not?"
The duelist with the tri-colored mane said, "I'll go."
"I'll call the chauffeur from downstairs. He'll know where to take you. Go downstairs. Don't let Jonouchi and Yoshiko know where you're going. Now, let me talk with Mokuba."
A couple of minutes later, Mokuba took his turn and asked Kaiba, "Yes, Ni-sama?"
"Help Yugi make an excuse so that he can slip away from there."
A brief pause followed.
Kaiba felt a pang of guilt, especially when he sensed his little brother's sadness. "Mokuba..."
"Yes, Ni-sama?"
Kaiba uttered in the gentlest voice that he could possibly muster in his tired and sleep-deprived state, "I always want you to be with me, but it's not safe to be around us right now. Please stay with Jonouchi and Yoshiko until we settle everything. Okay?"
"Yes..."
"As soon as all of this is over, I'll make it up to you."
"Y - You promise?" Mokuba's saddened feelings lightened up.
"I promise. Now take care of yourself."
"Take care, too, Ni-sama. I'll see you soon." Mokuba then hung up the cell phone and asked the other Yugi, wondering what the duelist was thinking as the latter stared at the horizon, "So, what will you tell them?"
The duelist gazed at the sky and noted that it was almost dawn. "I hate leaving Jonouchi like this. Your brother, however, has good reasons why I should go alone."
"Just go. Make it appear that you left in the middle of the night without telling anyone," the young boy suggested.
"I'll leave a note for Jonouchi and slip it under our door. I have to go now."
Mokuba ran inside the room. He handed the other Yugi a notepad and pencil. The latter scribbled a note and handed it to the young boy.
"Good luck, Yugi. Be careful..."
After giving the younger Kaiba a slight nod, he then crept out of the loft to meet the chauffeur downstairs.
It was already five thirty in the morning.
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Emrys carefully and painfully stirred from bed. Glancing sideways to her left, she noticed that Kaiba fell asleep by her bedside. The CEO had his left arm resting on the bed while holding her hand.
Kaiba also woke up as he felt movements.
"Hey..." Emrys whispered with a faint grin as she saw Kaiba's sapphire eyes gaze at her.
Kaiba withdrew his hand from Emrys, stretched a little, and refocused his attention on her. "How are you feeling?"
"It burns..." Emrys replied, referring to her left arm.
"Potassium," Kaiba responded as he pointed at the smaller bag hanging with the dextrose container.
"You haven't slept well because of me," Emrys weakly and compassionately commented, noticing Kaiba's tired eyes.
Reaching out for Emrys' hand again, Kaiba said dismissively, "Don't worry about me..."
Emrys closed her eyes and felt somewhat at peace.
As Kaiba kissed Emrys' hand, her foggy and incoherent pieces of memory jogged up. She remembered closing her eyes just as she was doing now. She recalled how she allowed her senses to swim freely and vulnerably to such emotions that no words could ever capture.
Pondering about Kaiba, Emrys wondered if he was that person she shared those moments with.
Author's Note
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 most of the subsequent Yu-Gi-Oh fan fiction stories that I will post in the future.
Normal Disclaimer
Yu-Gi-Oh is the property copyrighted by Kazuki Takahashi. This fan fiction, as well as the original characters, is the author's property.
Enjoy reading!
PJ Zatken