Title: Soul Reversal
Author: Arasoi
Rating: R: Strong language, some non-con implication, male/male relationships (yaoi, slash, etc.)
Pairing(s): Seto/Jou, Jou/Seto
Spoilers: Duelist Kingdom (in a weird, AU way)
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and this isn't making any money. Just torturing the characters for shits and giggles.
Summary: Slightly AU of the ending of Duelist Kingdom. Kaiba was Pegasus' prisoner, and his soul was taken. What can he do when his soul returns and he finds himself in a world of trouble?
Soul Reversal: Chapter One
It wasn't like a quiet sigh, or a small cough. It didn't feel like a gentle caress, or a soothing massage. Hell, it wasn't even like a tough day at the gym or a backbreaking day at work.
It was agony. It was ripping and tearing and screaming; like red-hot pokers diving into your flesh, or someone tearing all your nerves out of your body and stomping on them. Really, there is no way to describe that level of pain; the horror and torment of having your soul, your very essence, taken from you in a brutal and jarring way.
Seto Kaiba was screaming. Not because his soul was being stolen, but because it was being returned. His senses were ablaze as everything rushed back into the shell of his body. Lights, sounds, textures, feelings, memories all warred with one another for his attention, all reconnecting at the same time. He could not process it, could not understand it, so he let it rule him and did what he could; he screamed.
Time was not a factor of concern for Kaiba, but it passed anyway. His throat became raw, and he was panting; his eyelids flickered, but he did not see. His body heaved as he gasped for breath, but the pain had passed, along with time. His body settled; the parts once again a whole. Only a soreness lingered, a bone weary ache that screamed of the stress his body had endured.
Since everything wasn't screaming at him all at once, Kaiba started to put together what had happened to him; to pull himself together. As his body recovered, the memories demanded his attention first. He remembered his brother; the light and joy of his life chained in a dungeon. His eyes were vacant; an empty container that had once held so much life. He remembered his anger…the rage he held for Pegasus. He remembered cards and monsters; the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon mocking him with his laugh-- a duel of humiliation, loss, and despair. And finally, swift pain and nothing except for darkness.
Mokuba…what had happened to Mokuba? Seto took a deep breath and forced himself to open his eyes. A big blur greeted his vision, then slowly solidified into a room. The lights were dim, but enough to see by. He was no where he recognized. It appeared to be a…museum of some kind. There were display cases all around, holding expensive and ancient looking objects. Everything from armor to tablets to vases; there were even paintings and tapestries on the walls. The selection was very eclectic, represented by every time period and culture; Egyptian, Greek, Japanese- it was all there.
He shifted slightly, trying to get a better view, and discovered the inability to move and the sound of clinking chains. Oh, that's not good, his dazed mind surmised. Panic setting in, he tried to move his limbs…only to discover that he was bound.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK! He swore to himself. He was kneeling on the marble floor, his wrists bound above his head by a long length of chain. Groaning, he rolled his head, letting it rest on his shoulder and arm. Pegasus was dead. He was going to find him, and shove those God Damn toon cards of his down his lying, sleazy throat.
Kaiba shivered, the cold of the room finally settling in his bones. He tried not to think too much on his state of dress-- or lack therefore of-- and what it may have meant. His own clothes were obviously gone, replaced by a simple white oxford that hung open and was not helping to keep him warm at all. The pants were still his, but they were undone, and hung low on his hips. He seemed to have been dressed in a hurry. He could also feel something pressing against his Adam's apple, but he could not see it, so he did not concern himself with it.
What did concern him was how he was going to get out of this hellhole he was in and get to his brother. Shutting his eyes tightly, he gave a hard yank, testing the strength of the chains. No give. He pulled again and again, twisting this way and that, only to work himself to frustration.
"ARGGGGGHHHHHHH!" he shouted, giving one final tug before hanging his head. Well, if he couldn't get free, he was damn well going to let them know he wasn't happy about that fact. "PEGASUS! YOU FUCKING COWARD! Let me go NOW or I'll make sure your life is a living hell! Pegasus! Do you hear me? PEGASUS!"
Nothing. No guards, no Pegasus, no Mokuba, no Yuugi or his goody-goody friends—no one. He was alone. At this point, horrible thoughts started to run through his head. What if no one came? What if he rotted, starved to death, hanging like a piece of art…or meat… in a creepy fucking private collection?
Heh. That thought amused him. Is that the way Pegasus saw him? As some kind of prize? A rare collectible to be displayed and kept in a fancy room? Figured. The man was as loony toons as his cards. Still chuckling to himself at the insanity of it all, he turned his head, looking around the bizarre room.
In any normal situation, he may have been interested in the pieces of art, but the situation was far from "normal". Well, at least in Seto Kaiba's world. His eyes roved over the room, and stopped upon the display case closest to him. His eyes widened slightly as he studied the object.
It was an ornate dagger, ceremonial looking. It had a golden hilt, and looked very costly. But none of that really interested Seto. It was sharp, and it was close. And hopefully, it was his ticket to freedom.
Twisting around, he stretched as far as he could, using the long lankiness of his body to his advantage. His toes ran against the base of the display case. Wincing, he struggled some more, extending his arms past their limits. The chains clinked, as if they were angry at his attempt at escape. Just a little more…a little more…
There. His foot was completely flat against the base.
Taking a deep breath, he lashed out, kicking the case. The glass shuddered, then went still. Gritting his teeth, Seto repeated the motion, kicking again and again. The display teetered and tottered, and finally gave in, the knife and its protective shell tumbling to the ground. The CEO gasped and buried his face into his sleeve as the glass shattered, the shards spinning through the air and dancing across the ground. He bit his lip when one piece found a home in his thigh.
When the silence was restored once again, he lifted his gaze, shaking his head to clear the diamond dust pieces of glass from his hair. Ignoring the rather large chunk of glass sticking out of his leg, he scanned the ruined display and found his prize. The knife was within reach.
Once again seeking forth with his feet, he clamored for the dagger, ignoring the sharp bites of the glass littering the floor. For Mokuba… For Mokuba…. He repeated the chant in his head. Then, when his toes pushed the dagger away instead of bringing it closer, his frustration and anger added a line to the chant. For Pegasus…for Pegasus…
Finally, his foot landed squarely on the blade, and he pulled, bringing his feet and the dagger back to him, the dagger resting between his legs. He studied the knife for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Sweat beaded on his brow and dropped to the ground, despite the chill in the room. When the dagger went from being one to being three, he knew he was in trouble. His vision blurred, and he felt sick to his stomach. Oh, shit…he thought weakly. This is not good. His vision tunneled and he passed out.
...Time Passes....
It was a small dripping sound that brought him back. Odd, that such a small noise could bring about such a large response. But that was often the way, wasn't it? Groaning, he struggled back to consciousness. With a quick look around the room, he was able to determine that pain was still his only companion. Well, that, and the dagger. He stared at it; glared at it, as if it held the answers to the universe…or perhaps as if it was the cause of all his misery, instead of his best hope.
As he kept from trying to be sick all over himself and the floor—the small stream of blood dripping from his leg was not doing wonders for his appetite—he considered his situation. Why hadn't anyone come to see to him? Why was his soul back (for now, he had no doubt that the searing processes that he had been through had indeed been a soul taking and a soul returning)? Where were the others, and his brother? Were they dueling? Was everyone gone? Had they left him behind?
He couldn't help but feel abandoned and forgotten. But it didn't surprise him. He was always alone. He protected his brother, not the other way around. And why should anyone else care? He made a point of not making any friends or trusting anyway. So why would they care about him when he treated them like scum, with less respect than he treated his property? So, once again, it was up to him to get himself out of trouble. Or die trying.
Shifting his weight, he used his knees to grab the dagger. Leaning down, he tried to grab it with his mouth, but the chains resisted. Tucking his knees higher, he tried everything he could get the knife up, but nothing worked. The chains holding his arms hostage were just too tight. His head could barely move. Closing his eyes in defeat, he realized what he had to do.
Taking deep breaths, he threw his weight down and away, twisting as hard as he could against the chains. A silent scream escaped his lips as a loud POP echoed in the room. Seto's arm was now dislocated from his shoulder joint with that quick, violent motion. Little white dots danced in front of his eyes, and his body trembled with the level of pain heaped upon it.
A small sob left him, and he was ashamed of it, and very glad no one was there to hear it. But still, he would know, and he was ashamed.
But now, at least, he had the little extra slack he needed. With all the strength left in his body, he drove his head down while raising his knees; the blade of the dagger settling between his teeth and slicing his tongue, the cooper taste of his blood rushing into his mouth. Raising his head, he fought to remain conscience, knowing that if he passed out again, he would loose his tool, and it all that effort would have been for nothing.
Fighting his way through the pain, he considered his next move. He had gotten this far, but now, he wasn't sure what to do. Picking the lock seemed like a hopeless task, what with his wrists so far up. Maybe he could toss the dagger and grab it with his hands? Seto groaned around the knife's sharp blade. As a businessman and a master duelist, he understood odds better than most. And his weren't looking so great. But still, he refused to sit around and wait to die…or for Pegasus to come back. It was a long shot, but perhaps, his only one…
Just as he was about to give it a try, the double doors to the room swung open and a figure ran in--a very familiar figure. Shocked, Seto dropped the dagger; its heavy weight clattering as it struck the marble at his knees.
Katsuya Jounouchi stood in the doorway, framed by the harsh fluorescent lights of the hall. He was panting hard, as if he had been running. The young man blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room. He looked around quickly, searching for something. His gaze swept right past Kaiba, and then, as if it took a moment for him to process what he was seeing, swung back again to Pegasus' prisoner.
"Kaiba!" he shouted, running towards the CEO. As Jounouchi got closer, the glass crunched under his worn tennis shoes. "God! Are you okay? What the Hell did that freak do to you? You look like shit!" Kaiba's head swam as Katsuya's voice bombarded him with questions. He looked at the younger duelist, trying to focus on him, and half-wondering if this wasn't a hallucination.
He opened his mouth; to answer the questions, to ask about Mokuba, to ask why him what he was doing here. But then the mutt touched his shoulder, and there was fire, and pain, and then… nothing.
End Chapter One
Author's Notes:
This was originally written for the Dragon's Lair Plot Bunny Freeze Frame challenge. I was given an image to work with, and had to build a plot around it. The image had Seto chained up with the tip of a dagger in his mouth. It was not easy, and I ended up busting canon up all over the place, so I made it an "Alternate Universe" story. ::coughcopoutcough::
Anyway, this is will be a short series of fics that deals with Kaiba's recovery regarding what happens to him at Duelist Kingdom. Soul Reversal is two parts. The other parts will be named after the "soul" cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh CCG, as well. Ummm…the character names are Japanese, but in English order (first names first, last names last), since the fic is in English. I think that's it for the technical stuff. Hope you enjoyed it!