Disclaimer: ::yawn::
Target
Chapter 11
"You have to try to eat something, Mokuba," Ari scolded gently.
He merely moaned in response.
"Come on, Mokuba. Just a few sips. It's only chicken broth. You aren't going to get any better if you don't eat something. Please, for me?"
Mokuba pulled the covers down from over his head and glared at her, his eyes puffy and glazed from the exhaustion of spending a sleepless night tearing through a box of tissues. His poor nose was redder than a stop light and Ari smiled sympathetically.
"Maybe you'll listen to me next time I tell you it's too cold out."
Mokuba groaned again and pulled the covers back over his head. With a reluctant sigh, Ari set the bowl of broth aside.
"Well, at least take your medicine."
A hand poked out from under the covers and she dropped two tablets into the open palm. The hand disappeared and reappeared empty again and she put the glass of water into it. The glass disappeared and reappeared in a matter of seconds and Ari took it with a wry smile, setting it on the nightstand.
"Okay, I'll let you rest, then," she murmured as she stood and patted the lump she knew to be his head before leaving.
Two days gone, and Mokuba had a full blown sinus infection. He was down right miserable and Ari felt for him. The time she had anticipated spending playing games with him had turned into intermittent staring out the window and pampering him as much as he would allow. Focusing on him helped her to bear the fact that he was gone. There was something unnerving about the fact that he wasn't there should she need him. But when had she ever needed him?
The mansion was eerily quiet and she was far from tired. Shrugging on a coat, she decided to take a walk on the veranda. She wouldn't dare go far from the house. In the house she was safe. No one was permitted in the house, except for Sojo. At least three times in the last two days she had glimpsed him at a distance. Always he seemed to be intent on something having nothing to do with her. It was almost like he didn't see her at all and that was all right with her.
The sky was already darkening, the remnants of what must have been a spectacular sunset fading off on the horizon when she stepped out. The veranda had been shoveled clear of snow, bits of white still clinging to the natural seams in the gray stone like she clung to the few vague memories she had found. If there was one thing the Kaiba mansion was not lacking, it was silence. It thrived in the long empty halls, the numerous unused rooms. If not for Mokuba, laughter would never break the oppressive silence.
How does Kaiba stand to live here? Doesn't the immensity of his home make him feel his loneliness more keenly? Ari shivered and rubbed the softness of the coat protecting her arms from the chill. Such pain and loss in those beautiful eyes. Unspeakable sorrow… I've never seen such sorrow as if it stares him in the face day in and day out, taunting him. What could possibly pain a man as strong and unreachable as he? Or am I mistaking in thinking he is unreachable?
Am I a part of it?
This last thought startled her. After all, there were still no answers as to why she was so important to him as to warrant such avid personal protection. Important to Kaiba Corp, she reprimanded herself. He never said I was important to him, only to the company.
He is the company.
"You are as pretty as they say."
Ari turned swiftly, her ankle twisting obstinately at the sudden action but she kept her feet, her eyes finding the one who dared to intrude on her brooding.
"Did I startle you? I'm sorry," he apologized, raising his hands non-threateningly.
"Who…who are you," she managed to ask as the panic threatened to swallow her. Observe. Be observant. Take notice of your surroundings, of the situation… The voice was Dr. Saruka's advice on how to control the fear. So she observed.
There was something magnetically attractive about him. He had perhaps one of the most innocent faces she had ever seen, a smile tugging away at the corners of his lips. But the brown eyes…too sharp, too…aware.
"My name is Ito Nozaki, I'm a reporter—"
"Reporter?" Ari blinked for a moment. "H-how did you get in here?"
He offered a sloppy grin. "I have my ways. One must, to get the story sometimes. I just wanted to get yours, Ms Nieche."
She took an uncertain step back. There was still some distance between them, but not enough for comfort considering she was alone and he had already demonstrated that he had the ability to sneak past Kaiba's guards.
"Y-you know who I am?"
"Everyone does, but Kaiba Corp refused to make any comments regarding your unfortunate accident."
He suddenly had her interest. No one will tell me anything about it. Maybe he will.
"Tell me," she said hesitantly. "Tell me what you know."
His expression fell. "You mean it's true? You don't remember anything at all?"
"Tell me what you know," she repeated. "Please."
His strange eyes drew into sharp focus on her face. "There was an accident during a preliminary test. You were testing a new holographic display unit for Seto Kaiba. It was too powerful and…" he faded off, leaving the rest for her to fill in.
"H-how do you know this," she spoke softly, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that as he spoke he had closed the distance between them.
"Information leaks. I heard Kaiba knew there was a flaw and he still let you test it. He let you get hurt," he murmured, his gaze taking in her features.
Ari took a step back. "Leave," she said.
"Huh?"
"I said leave. Now. You never should have come."
"But I didn't get my story yet."
"Th-there is no story. Leave now or—"
"Or what?"
Run! Run now!
She tried to turn, pain shooting through her ankle as she slipped on a patch of ice. A strong hand latched onto her arm and yanked her back up before she could fall completely.
"Let me go!" she demanded as she pushed away from him, the pain of her ankle only minor compared to the fear that overwhelmed her.
"Not until I get what I came for," he said, his fingers clenching still harder around her arm. The tone in his voice made her freeze. Gone was the harmless reporter and the eyes that bore into her spoke of deeper intent, one she could not even fathom.
"You know as well as I do, Ari," he spoke softly, his voice never rising or falling as he stared down into her wide, terror-stricken eyes. "That you are alone."
How does he know this?
"K-kaiba—."
"Is out of town and his security guards are blinder than bats and quite a distance from the house." She felt the steel grip on her arm reach painfully into her bones. "Now… where were we?"
Ari stared at him frozen in fear beyond the reach of hysteric panic. No one. There is no one. There is…
"Sojo!" she shrieked with power she didn't know she had. "Sojo!"
A harsh hand clamped over her mouth smothering her cry and she struggled to pull away.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nozaki demanded.
Ari kicked his shin viciously, pain shooting through her ankle as he cursed and stumbled back.
"Why you—"
Cold stone rushed up to meet her and she flung her hands out to protect her face as she crashed to the ground. A strangled gasp pulled her gaze away from the stone and she glanced over her shoulder at the reporter.
He dangled a good six inches above the ground clawing at the hand that clenched the front of his shirt and held him like a helpless puppy.
"Are you all right, Ms Ari?" the bright-eyed bodyguard asked as he glared at the man dangling from his fist.
Had he really been that close? "I-I think so," she managed to say, still in shock.
He turned his gaze down on her, the crinkling around the corners of his bright green eyes speaking of a smile that never reached through his formidable expression, a smile only meant for her.
"You should go back in the house, Ms Ari," he suggested. "I will be in shortly to see that you are well, once I have dealt with this trespasser."
Ari nodded as she struggled to her feet with some difficulty. Sojo's eyes narrowed as he took in her injury. When Ari looked up at him again once she was standing, she suddenly feared for Nozaki's life.
"D-don't—"
"Don't worry, Ms Ari," Sojo told her as he turned his gaze on his captive. "We're just going to talk."
"O-okay," she murmured and turned to limp inside without a backward glance. Somehow she knew that talk was going to involve more than words.
El met her halfway on the stairs. "I thought I heard something—," she cut off when she saw Ari's strained expression, the tears beginning to stream freely and her shoulders shaking.
"Oh Ari!" she swept her into her arms and half carried her up the stairs and down the hall to her room. The forceful sobs shook her and Ari struggled for breath, her vision fading into red as her body suddenly reacted to full fledge panic.
"Breathe, Ari," El ordered sternly. "Breathe!"
Ari collapsed to her knees gasping helplessly. I can't! I can't!
El wrapped her arms around the woman and wrestled her head back, forcing two pills into her resistant mouth and forcing her to swallow. Ari gagged violently, but the pills went down even as she continued to struggle against the nurse.
"Just breathe, Ari," El ordered. "Breathe for me. Breathe."
It wasn't the words or the exhaustion, but the heavy sedatives that won out over the panic and finally Ari slumped limply against the nurse. El released a weary sigh as she shifted the woman to the floor and fell beside her, breathing heavily from the exertion spent in restraining the hysteric woman.
"There had better be a good reason behind this," she muttered to the ceiling. By the time she wrestled an unconscious Ari into bed, a shadow fell across the doorway.
"What did you do to her?"
"Sedation. I've never seen her in such a state," El replied as she turned to face him. "What happened?"
"An intruder accosted her outside," Sojo explained. "You should check her for injuries. I believe she may have twisted her ankle."
El nodded and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear wearily. "So much for making progress. Mr. Kaiba will be far from pleased."
Sojo's bright gaze drifted to Ari's limp form. "Just see to her."
Nights Child- The fire was not set on purpose. It was just a convenient occurrence for the plot and it seems like the kind of thing that could happen when Kaiba has so many people and labs working for him.
X. Of The DamnedX.o.X- There is a great deal of truth in the method of facing your fears in order to overcome them. However, facing your fears can yield two results. One, it can help you to overcome the fear, two, it can shatter you completely. The deciding factor between these two results is this: the person must be ready to face their fear. Actually, that is the title of the next chapter. Face the Fear. Since Ari has no memories, she doesn't have the personal strength to face the phobia. However, she finds the motivation elsewhere.
YamiWestley- I gave it a lot of thought, but I have to say that I'm not comfortable with the idea of someone else writing with my original characters. I'm sorry, it's a writer thing I guess. But I really appreciate you asking me.
