A/N- Hi. This is Lanse's cat standing in for Lanse. She is presently in hiding and refuses to come out for fear that she may be clobbered to death with kitchen utensils by her dear fans for her new found love of cliffhangars. However, she did want me to inform you all of the fact that this story will actually prove to be longer than The Possession page-wise but not chapter-wise. She took extra care in making sure that her chapters were longer, none being less than seven pages and some as many as twelve. And she swore on a deck of duel monster cards that she would endeavor to update on a weekly basis. ::hack cough:: Hairball. Sorry.
Disclaimer: Lanse does not own YGO or any characters thereof. The original characters found here are of her own creation and if you borrow them without asking I will personally throw up on your pillow. Meow.
Limbo
Chapter 3
Sojo looked up when he heard footsteps sounding down the hospital's sterile tiled hallway.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba."
"Hi Sojo," Mokuba smiled. "How is she?"
"I'm afraid there has been no change, sir."
Mokuba nodded sadly. "It's been six weeks, Sojo. Do you think she will ever wake up?"
The usually stolid bodyguard stared at the younger Kaiba sympathetically. He knew what the boy was feeling. They were all feeling it. Everyone at Kaiba Corp adored Ari and the accident had rocked the company back on its heals.
It was like someone had reached in and torn the heart from Seto Kaiba's chest. Never had anyone seen him so cold, so shut off from the world around him. He had become obsessed with the investigation, determined to discover what went wrong and heaven help whoever loaded the Blue Eyes White Dragon into the holo-duel system.
Even Mokuba had been avoiding the presence of his brother, apprehensive of the fiercely wretched man he had become.
"I hope so, Mr. Kaiba," Sojo finally spoke.
"Me too." Mokuba glanced up at the closed door next to the bodyguard. "Has he been by?"
Sojo frowned. "Not for a few days, I'm afraid, but then I do share shifts with Yuki. He may have come when I was not here."
The expression on Mokuba's face told the man they shared the same thought. Seto Kaiba had not been in to see Ari Nieche in two weeks.
"I'm going to sit with her for a while," Mokuba said softly as he reached for the door.
Sojo smiled slightly and nodded, returning half his attention to the magazine he had been reading. Usually he sat inside the room, but lately it had become oppressive watching her day in and day out, never waking. Young Mokuba Kaiba seemed to be the only one with the fortitude to remain faithfully by her side.
The room was dimly lit which seemed to lend a softer appearance to her still figure, especially since all of the bandages had been removed. She was merely sleeping…a sleep she may never wake from. Mokuba strode across the room and climbed up onto the bed.
"Hi, Ari," he spoke softly, managing to maintain a semblance of his usual cheer despite the fact that he knew she couldn't say hi back.
"I got a new book at the bookstore," he told her. "It's a science fiction, Orson Scott Card. I'll bring it with me tomorrow and read it to you if you want. I have a feeling you'll like it."
Silence answered him and he dropped his gaze to her limp hand. Gently he curled his fingers around hers.
"It's gotten really cold out but we still haven't had any snow. It's never been so dry this far into the winter before. It's January seventh today, if you were wondering."
He frowned at her hand. "The technicians said the energy transfer through the fiber-optic cable was exceeding their estimates and that's why the blast that struck you was so powerful. Production has been halted until they can figure out how to control it. Seto says that the information and energy your cable is capable of handling surpasses anything he has ever imagined. It will open up new possibilities he never dared to consider before. I think we may be able to create an entire virtual gaming amusement park. Seto's virtual software is pretty amazing. Maybe he'll let you head up the project."
Silence.
Mokuba stroked her fingers thoughtfully. "I don't want to worry you or anything, but I think you should know he's going crazy. I've never seen him so distant before, even when Gozaburo was around. It's like he's dead inside and the only thing he can think about is finding out who put the Blue Eyes in the holo-duel system. I have a bad feeling that if he finds that person, it's going to take an army to keep him from killing them. I swear, Ari, I'm really worried! If you don't wake up soon…"
He sighed and bowed his head. "You have to wake up, Ari. We need you. Seto needs you. You're the only one who can reach him. When you're around, he's, well, he's the real Seto, the one I remember growing up with."
Tears began to stream down his young face and he leaned over to hug her still body. "Please, Ari," he sobbed. "Come back!"
Kaiba glared at the list of names he had managed to secure of everyone who had access to the lab and holo-duel system immediately prior to the accident. A permanent scowl framed his face ever since and people seemed to scatter like cockroaches when he entered a room. Just as well, cause he would stomp on any who didn't.
There were eight suspects but no one in their right mind would admit to having tampered with the duel system prior to the test. It would be career suicide. It would be suicide, period. The paper crumpled as he tightened his fist and squeezed until his knuckles blanched white.
It had become unbearable sitting beside her, holding her limp hand, staring into her expressionless face. He needed to do something. If he could shake her until she woke, he would. Instead he would find the one responsible and shake the life from him instead.
He clenched his teeth in frustration. What if she never wakes up? I can't lose her now! I've only just found her!
With effort he uncurled his fingers and smoothed out the crushed paper and glared at the names again. Three stood out, the three technicians who had been in the observation deck during the test. Kazu, Azuma, and Inou. But the others were not above suspicion, since all eight were viewed in the security cameras as having entered the observation deck at one time. Everyone was questionable, even the janitors. He would eliminate no one without complete certainty.
I'm going to find who did this to you, Ari, and I'm going to make him pay dearly. How many times have I sworn that I would never let anyone hurt you and how many times have I let you down? You've protected me far better than I have ever protected you. You… he swallowed hard at the memory he knew still troubled her. You saved my life. So help me, I'm not going to lose you again.
The phone beeped and his secretary's voice warily interrupted him. "Mr. Kaiba?"
"What," he growled.
"I know you asked not to be disturbed unless it was the hospital or Mr. Sojo."
He felt his blood freeze.
"Your brother is on line one, sir, from the hospital."
Seto snatched up the phone. "Mokuba?"
"Hi, Seto," the voice that reached him was calm and quiet, drenching Kaiba in a chill. No good news.
"What is it, Mokuba?"
"I was wondering if you could stop by and pick me up on your way home. Sojo's replacement had to call in sick so he can't take me."
Seto sighed and glanced at the clock. Mokuba had gone over to the hospital hours ago. He could just as easily send for a car, but there was a double meaning hidden in Mokuba's request. It has been awhile since I've seen her.
"Okay, Mokuba. I'll be over in a few minutes."
"Thanks, Seto." The boy's voice was decidedly lighter in cheer.
"Is he coming?" Sojo asked when Mokuba handed the cell back to him.
"Yeah. He didn't sound good though."
"He's been working hard with the investigation," the bodyguard reminded him.
"I know," Mokuba sighed. "I know."
True to his word, Kaiba strode down the hallway less than half an hour after Mokuba had called. The temporary relief found outside the confines of Kaiba Corp headquarters dissipated quickly the moment he entered the hospital. Each step felt as though a knife was being shoved deeper and deeper into his chest as he neared the room.
"Evening, sir," Sojo greeted respectfully.
"Any change?"
"I'm afraid not, sir."
Kaiba nodded grimly and stepped forward. Sojo and Mokuba exchanged glances, but neither followed the man into the darkened room.
The soft click of the door latching seemed to shatter the silence like a gunshot. No change indeed. She lay as she had the day she was checked in, minus the sterile white bandages since her fractures and burns had healed. It had been six weeks since the day, but he still remembered how she had felt in his arms, lifeless.
"Why did this happen to you," he murmured as he stared at her from across the room. "You shouldn't be here."
As always when he stood there, he half expected her to sit up and smile, telling him he worries too much. She didn't. So he closed the distance and sat in the chair pulled close to her bedside. As he did only in her presence, he allowed the exhaustion to show in his face. His shoulders slumped and he sighed wearily.
"I feel so helpless, Ari. I hate this feeling. I hate seeing you like this. I miss you so much." He grasped her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Tell me what to do."
The silence wrenched at his heart and he bowed his head. The mighty CEO of Kaiba Corp was broken inside over a woman he once saw as nothing more than property.
"I should go," he murmured after a moment and glanced up at her, "and take Mokuba home." As he tried to untwine his fingers, hers flinched. His stare froze and waited for a second reaction but none came.
"Don't tease me, Ari," he whispered, his voice hesitant with hope.
A second twitch and Kaiba was out the door. Sojo was startled to his feet by the wild look in his boss's eyes.
"Get the doctor," Kaiba ordered. "I think she's waking up!"
"You're wearing a hole in the floor, Seto," Mokuba warned and Kaiba paused his pacing long enough to cast a vicious glare on his brother.
Mokuba sighed and continued his own restless fidgeting. It had been two hours since the doctor had arrived to check on Ari's possible awakening and run more tests.
"What do you think they're doing in there," Mokuba murmured anxiously.
"They will want to be certain before they inform you of any changes," Sojo replied as Kaiba continued to pace, suffocating in his own thoughts.
Mokuba fell silent, afraid to say anymore, afraid that it might jinx the reality. What if it was a false alarm? His eyes followed the restless pace of his brother, terrified of what a false alarm would do to the already tormented man.
A creak made them all jump and they turned to face the doctor and nurses exiting Ari's room. The doctor closed the door behind him and lifted his gaze to confront the three waiting.
"Well?" Mokuba broke the silence first.
"She has suffered severe head trauma—"
"We know that already," Kaiba snapped and the doctor's eyes flickered across his face.
"Please let me finish, Mr. Kaiba. The films show that some of the swelling has subsided, but not all of it. The trauma has not been erased from her brain so there is no telling what kind of danger this may pose."
"Are you saying she was only having a muscle response," Kaiba asked.
The doctor stared at him for a moment. "At first, yes."
"What do you mean, 'at first'?"
"Her brain has been notably active in the last few hours, this no doubt contributing to her sudden response to stimulus. It is progressive, Mr. Kaiba. She has awakened."
Seto stared at him wide eyed, struck speechless for the first time in days.
"She's awake?" Mokuba gasped.
"There's no telling of the condition of her conscious thought, but yes, she is awake."
"I want to see her," Kaiba stated and the doctor nodded.
"Of course."
The room was brighter than usual and Ari seemed far more pale in the excess light. Seto and Mokuba quickly crossed to her bedside.
"She doesn't look any different, Seto," Mokuba whispered.
Kaiba clenched his jaw. What if this isn't real? What if the doctor was wrong?
"Ari," he spoke softly as he reached for her hand.
Her fingers flinched at his touch and he drew back instinctively. After an agonizing minute, her eyes fluttered open, a paler blue then he had ever seen before. They wandered in sight until she finally focused on the man who leaned above her.
"Ari!" Mokuba exclaimed happily.
Confusion settled over her pale features as she locked eyes with Kaiba. It may have been only in his mind, but he imagined she shrunk from him in that moment even as her words reached his ears.
"Who…who are you?"
JadeGoddess- regarding the energy spike…when a monster is summoned or a magic/trap card used, a certain amount of energy is drawn from the power source. Ari's hologram program requires more energy because the monsters take on more mass so that when one attacks, more energy than normal is used and this is measured in a power spike. It's like the energy level stays at a two but when an attack is made the energy required zips up to an eight. Since the BEWD in itself is an eight star monster, just summoning required more power than normal and since the holo-duel system was only supposed to be fed a specific amount of energy (a safety measure) it resulted in general havoc.
