STORY ARC TWO: THE PARTING OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Nine: Let The Truth Be Uncovered
"Would it be okay with you if I invite Jonouchi, Yoshiko, and Mokuba to join us here?" the other Yugi asked Emrys.
"Yoshiko?" Emrsy asked with her forehead crinkling.
"Yoshiko's your manager. She flew all the way from England to see you. She's also a good friend of yours."
"Oh..." Emrys then briefly paused as she pondered on the other Yugi's suggestion.
Emrys then looked into the other Yugi's eyes and replied, "Okay..."
An appreciatively warm smile crept from the other Yugi's face. "I'll talk to Kaiba about it before I tell them to come here."
"Where is Kaiba anyway?" Emrys inquired as her eyes narrowed. She winced in pain when she slightly moved.
When his concern was being echoed, the other Yugi responded, "I'm beginning to wonder that myself. He's been gone for a while now."
After excusing himself, the other Yugi walked out of Emrys' room to search for Kaiba. He thought as he stood by the doorway and scanned the perimeter, "I hope he didn't walk out again just as he did at the loft..."
The other Yugi then went to the reception area and asked the nurses whether they - or anyone - had seen Kaiba.
Everyone said that he or she did not see Kaiba pass by.
Walking back to where he started and seeing that the closest accessible door outside the hospital was the side entrance, the other Yugi walked out to look for his sable-haired rival. He then noticed a small metallic-colored object at the right-hand side of the entrance.
A cell phone lay behind the large potted plant.
The other Yugi's heart sank. He bent down, reached for the cell phone, and examined it closely. It was badly scratched from its impact against the concrete wall. After getting mental instructions from Yugi as to how to access the phone list, he confirmed that the cell phone was indeed Kaiba's.
Musing, the otherYugi noted, "He wouldn't be this careless to leave this behind."
Fearing for the worst, the other Yugi walked around the half-filled parking lot searching for more clues. Since everything seemed peaceful, he determined that whoever kidnapped Kaiba did the deed a while back.
Using the cell phone with Yugi's guidance, he called Mokuba at home. He told the younger Kaiba what happened to his older brother. He also advised the boy to come right away at the hospital with the others.
Mokuba, with anxious and abrupt immediacy, said "yes" and hung up.
The other Yugi placed the CEO's cell phone inside his pocket and walked back to her room. His heart became heavy once more as he remembered that Kaiba was about to kiss her had he not walked in. His mind troubled him and he could not blame Emrys because of her predicament. He wanted to pin the blame on Kaiba for somewhat taking advantage of her amnesia, but he still tried giving his rival some benefit of the doubt that caring for and protecting her from harm brought them closer together.
For the first time, the other Yugi felt something he never felt before...jealousy.
The Spirit of the Puzzle never felt so unsure and so vulnerable as he did now. He wanted to ask Emrys so many questions so that he did not feel so hurt and confused. However, he also knew that she was currently not capable of giving him a straight or coherent answer. Two things were now pending: Kaiba whereabouts and Emrys' lost memory. Everything must be resolved before he could get any answers for his peace of mind.
Upon approaching Emrys' bedside, the other Yugi saw her sleeping. He now truly noticed the toll that the accident took on her. She lost weight which made her collarbone and cheeks unhealthily prominent. Her eyes had dark circles under them and were sunken. Her skin was pale.
The other Yugi could feel the tension in his body from lack of sleep and worrying. He heeded these symptoms, especially since this body was Yugi's...not his...to use and abuse.
Quietly pulling up a chair and placing it near Ermrys' bedside, the other Yugi sat down and rested his head on the bed where her hand lay...grabbing a few moments of much-needed rest before Mokuba and company arrived.
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"Yugi... Wake up..."
The other Yugi slowly opened his eyes. He then lifted his head, seeing Mokuba and Jonouchi at the corner of his eye. "I'm glad you're both here..." Observing someone missing, he then asked, "Where's Yoshiko?"
The younger Kaiba replied, "She left a note saying that she needs to take care of something here in the city for Emrys' upcoming CD. She said to leave a note for her if we hear any word about Emrys."
"God, she looks bad," Jonouchi muttered as he saw Emrys' sleeping and haggard form.
"Her fever still hasn't broken down," the other Yugi sadly remarked. "It'll take a while before she gets back on her feet."
Mokuba explained to the amethyst-eyed duelist, "I told Jonouchi what happened to her - the amnesia and everything else."
Jonouchi gave his friend a deep probing gaze which communicated his need for answers as well as an explanation as to why he was kept in the dark.
Standing up, the other Yugi told Mokuba, "Would you kindly watch her for now. Jonouchi and I will just be outside for a minute."
The young boy quietly nodded.
Seeing the deep-rooted concern in Mokuba's expressive slate blue eyes, the other Yugi said, "We'll get your brother back...no matter what it takes..."
The young Kaiba gave a gentle smile and nodded once more, acknowledging that he trusted the other Yugi's words.
The two friends then quietly walked out of Emrys' room.
"I'm sorry, Jonouchi. Kaiba requested me to come here without telling anyone. Mokuba didn't even know where we are until now."
With hands deep within his pockets and leaning against the wall, the blonde teen deeply sighed. "That jerk just didn't want me around, that's all."
"It's not that... They've been on the run since Emrys disappeared from the hospital. Someone tried to run them over with a car as well as shoot them. Now, Kaiba's been kidnapped."
There was a brief moment of silence between them. A dawn of understanding slowly sank into Jonouchi as his expression turned somber.
The amethyst-eyed duelist then said, "To make matters worse, someone's been trying to kill Emrys supernaturally. Kaiba and I saw it with our own eyes."
"Is it those robed men again?" Jonouchi asked while trying to stifle a cringe he felt radiating within him.
"Yes, it is."
Chestnut-brown eyes blazed in anger. "The bastards! What do those idiots want with them?"
The other Yugi leaned against the wall beside his friend and then crossed his arms over his chest. "I know why they've been pursuing Emrys before. I have no idea why they want her dead now. The part that's making me more confused is why they're trying to kill Kaiba, too."
Changing the topic, Jonouchi asked, "Did you figure out why she's afraid of me?"
A tightlipped other Yugi responded, "She remembered your last duel..."
Jonouchi's eyes widened in realization and a hurt expression crept on his face. "That's not fair! I was brainwashed. I had no control over that - "
"I know, I know... Just like you, she has no control over her fears right now either. She only remembers fragments of the past. She doesn't remember her name. Someone's been trying to kill her since she woke up. I already had a talk with her. She believes me when I said you're her friend and you would never hurt her."
"Does she remember you?"
Another brief moment of silence followed. Jonouchi saw the other Yugi sadly look down at the floor and then slowly look up to him again. "No..."
"How about Kaiba? Does she remember him?"
The other Yugi combed his tri-colored hair with his fingers and stroked the back of his neck to release some tension. "She doesn't remember anyone. She trusts Kaiba, too, because he's been keeping her safe all this time..."
It was the way that his friend said his last words that widened Jonouchi's eyes and made him incredulous. "Are you trying to tell me that Kaiba likes her and he's trying to steal her from you while she's sick?"
"Shhh!" the other Yugi warned Jonouchi, hoping that Mokuba did not hear them. He then whispered, "I don't know, but Kaiba has good reasons for keeping her from us. He doesn't want anyone else to get involved or hurt, especially Mokuba. I trust him because he called me to come here. He entrusted Mokuba to you, even though she was already afraid of you."
Still shaking his head, Jonouchi told his friend, "I can't believe you're taking everything so well..."
"There's no choice. The danger's all too real...for them and for all of us. Now that Kaiba's missing, the danger hits closer to home."
"By the way, Mokuba has his laptop with him. He said that he could locate Kaiba with it."
The other Yugi's eyes lit up with hope. "Good! We can start from there. The sooner we find out where Kaiba is, the sooner we'll all be safe."
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Darkness was all that Kaiba saw at first as he fluttered his eyes open to adjust his vision within his current and unknown surroundings. As soon as he stirred from his slumped position, he noticed that his hands and feet were shackled.
Kaiba was in a dungeon much similar to the one where Pegasus held him at Duelist Kingdom.
Just then, fog rolled in Kaiba's cell and a brightly illuminated pentagram appeared on the right-hand cell wall.
From the pentagram emerged a shadowy robed and hooded figure that began its approach, along with an audible voice commenting with quiet sarcasm, "Kaiba Seto. I hope you find our accommodations to your satisfaction."
"Spare me from your crappy smoke and mirrors routine," Kaiba sarcastically said, but the strain his body still felt as well as the grogginess was prominent in his voice. "You still have a few months before Halloween comes."
By the time Kaiba finished his words, the figure was already standing before him. The hooded individual slapped Kaiba with such force that he felt his lower lip split and his right cheek immediately throb. He could taste the blood from his split lip.
"I'd watch your words if I were you. Such insolence got you in this mess."
"What the hell do you want from me, Yoshiko?" Kaiba hissed, still defiant.
The hooded figure, upon hearing her name, took off her hood. "That's good. We can keep the pretenses to a minimum."
"You haven't answered my question! What the hell do you want from me?"
"Plenty..starting with revenge. I'm going to relish tormenting you before my master gets what he wants - your death."
Kaiba's azure eyes narrowed as he glowered at Yoshiko. "Revenge? What did I do to you?"
"You've disgraced my father and doomed him in that virtual world. You and Mutou Yugi killed him."
"I don't..." Kaiba then stopped and tried to analyze everything before him.
During Kaiba's contemplation, Yoshiko closely observed him.
Kaiba's expression finally changed into one of astonished awareness. "No! It can't be! Your father is one of the Big Five?"
"Yes, he was! He was in charge of your military operations until you humiliated him by having him dismantle his own life's work...Alcatraz. He took great pride in everything he did and served your father well. Every thing was fine until you came along. You've crushed my father's life and dreams. You've reduced him to a ruined shell of a man until he died."
"The technology I created was not to be used for war!"
"You're such a childish fool to think that the world can be better through games! It's you who lacks vision, not my father! You'll pay for ruining my father's life with your very own."
"What about Emrys? Why are you trying to kill her?"
"The crest-wielder? My mission was to be around her all this time. I befriended her and knew her every move for my master. We were aware of who she was way before she knew it for herself."
Seconds of silence followed and then Yoshiko continued, "If she didn't jump in to save you and your brother, like the do-gooder idiot that she became, she wouldn't get hurt. I have you to thank for that. Because she is injured and weaker, you made our job of supernaturally reaching out to her much easier. We can mess with her mind and soul as much as we damn please."
Noticing Kaiba's rather surprised expression and realizing that he did not fully understand what she was talking about, Yoshiko said with mocking amusement, "I keep forgetting that you don't believe in ghosts. She was your opposite. She naively left herself wide open for the dark powers. When she couldn't get enough, she even sought for it. Your respective views were your greatest strength as well as your worst weakness."
Yoshiko snorted as she gave Kaiba an equally defiant look. "My master ideally wants her alive and well, but she lacks perspective just as you do. She constantly refused to join us, so she now has to pay for her stupidity. Because she is linked to Yugi, I'll get my revenge against him by killing her slowly but surely."
"After I kill both of you, I'll laugh as I sit back and watch your friends and loved ones grieve. Then, we'll kill everyone else one by one. All your pathetic souls will then become my master's...forever locked in the Shadow Realm to provide us with the power we need."
Kaiba spat as he struggled to break free from his shackles, "You traitor! I don't give a shit about you! But why did you hurt Emrys? She trusted you!"
"I'm not that cold-hearted, Kaiba. There were times that I felt sorry for her. I felt so sorry that I thought twice about continuing my mission. I did, however, appreciated her friendship and kindness all these years. I truly did..."
Yoshiko's soft tone then changed into one of fanatical certainty. "There's something greater than friendship. I believe more in the power that I can get from my master. Friendships, kindness, and games do not...and will never...grant greatness. Only absolute power grants greatness to those who crave it. My father had it before until you took it away from him."
Sharpening her malevolent glare at her captive, Yoshiko grabbed Kaiba's face and planted a forceful kiss. She bit his upper lip until it split and bled. She then licked the blood coming out from the new wound.
Hissing intently, Yoshiko then smirked as she admired her handiwork. "Now, that same vision and power you both refused to embrace will be your own undoing. So now that you know everything, you'll take this knowledge to your grave. She, on the other hand, will die not knowing the truth..."
End of Chapter Nine
About Yoshiko
If you're wondering who Yoshiko is, she is the stage manager, personal assistant, and Emrys' long-time friend. She appears in Chapters 6 and 7 of The Encounter of Lost Souls (entitled The Prelude and The Night to Remember respectively).
Her primary mission is to keep Emrys - the crest-wielder - close to her, and has been involved with the sinister group before knowing and befriending Emrys. Just like her father, Yoshiko is bent to get power - even in the cruelest of ways.
But since fate has a way of intertwining things, she includes revenge against Kaiba and the other Yugi in her agenda after her father dies.
Kaiba, through the course of making arrangements for Alexa's concert at Kaiba Corporation's Domino Arena, meets and deals with Yoshiko. And the other Yugi meets Yoshiko for the first time in Chapter 6.
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