Disclaimer: Not mine, YGO that is.

His Possession

Chapter 19

Sojo hazard a glance at the seething woman beside him. There was something heartwarming about her anger and frustration. It had been missing for so long and the absence of docility yielded her confidence. But he kept his thoughts to himself and turned his gaze back to the road.

"Sojo," she said suddenly and he almost started from the unexpected break in silence.

"Yes, Ms Ari?"

"Take me to my apartment."

"Mr. Kaiba told me to—"

"I know what he told you, Sojo."

"Ms Ari—"

"I just need to pick up something, Sojo," she said softly.

He glanced at her staring out the window and sighed. "All right, Ms Ari." He took the next turn and was soon braking in front of her apartment complex.

"I'll only be a second, Sojo," she said as she unbuckled her belt. "You can just wait here." Before he could reply she was out of the car and jogging up the steps.

"Well, I can see the door from here in any case," he murmured as he watched her. She paused to unlock the door and disappeared inside, leaving the door slightly open for his benefit no doubt.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited, frowning with each passing minute. After five minutes, he pulled the keys from the ignition and got out of the car. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, he just got really nervous about her these days, ever since that so called reporter accosted her on the veranda.

"Ms Ari," he called as he pushed open her front door and stepped into the foyer. The answering silence was unnerving and he reached inside his jacket to touch the grip of his 9mm to reassure himself.

"Ms Ari," he called again as he glanced into the empty living room and then the kitchen. Still there was no answer and he quickened his steps down the hall to the bedroom. He was in full blown panic when he saw this room too was empty. His eyes alighted on the open window and he frowned deeply. No one leaves a window open in the dead of winter. The temperature of the room told him it hadn't been open long. With a scowl he noticed there were no signs of a struggle either.

Crossing the room, he glanced through the window at the easy access fire escape. "Oh, no," he breathed as he stepped back and reached inside his jacket for his cell phone. "Mr. Kaiba is going to kill me."


"I have thought of nothing else since we crossed paths yesterday," Corrin Abachi said as he stood beside Kaiba in the elevator.

"It is very rare that I permit anyone to view our technology while still in its preliminary stages," Kaiba replied as the doors opened and he stepped out. "But I am making an exception in your case."

"I understand completely," Abachi grinned.

A pertinent ring emitted from Kaiba's jacket and he reached inside for his cell. It was not a good time to be bothering him.

"Kaiba," he snapped. After barely a second, his face blanched completely white. Abachi frowned thoughtfully at the notorious CEO's sudden stricken expression.

"Say that again," Kaiba growled through clenched teeth. Swearing softly under his breath, he snapped the phone shut and turned away from Abachi back towards the elevator. "We are going to have to reschedule, Abachi."

"Something come up?"

Kaiba glanced over his shoulder, his sharp blue eyes alight with intense fire. "My secretary will make the arrangements."

It wasn't a pretty sight. People were practically leaping out of his way to avoid contact with the barely contained hurricane of rage that stalked down the halls of Kaiba Corp headquarters. Slamming the door on his office so hard his secretary nearly jumped out of her skin, Kaiba took a shaky breath to steady himself before securing his cell once again. The bodyguard answered on the first ring of course.

"Tell me how this happened," Kaiba snarled and he could have sworn he heard Sojo swallowed hard before he began his explanation of Ari's disappearance.

She ran away? That little… Kaiba couldn't finish the thought because beneath his anger was a terrifying fear of what could happen to her out there alone.

"I'm sending every available man to assist you. No one eats or sleeps until she is found, and you can only guess what I will do to you if she isn't." With that he snapped his phone shut and glared at nothing in particular.

Why would she do this? She must have been angrier than he thought over their little argument, but he never would have expected her to do something like this. Of course, as of lately her behavior had become far from predictable. It was different when she first came home from the hospital. She had been timid and shy, easily controlled and obedient. But lately she was becoming more determined, more defiant, more…like herself, except she didn't have her memories to assure her of what she should and should not do. In searching so fervently for the truth, would she fall prey to whatever had gripped her before the accident?

Ari had built a wall between them. He knew she felt guilty over Matzu Omaka's death. It had been self-defense without a doubt. Had she not defended herself not only would she be dead, but so would he. But a woman like Ari, so compassionate and kind was never meant to bear such a heavy burden. He allowed her to distance herself in hopes that she would find a way to accept the past, but after a month she had only become more detached. Always she had been his Ari, gentle, intelligent, and defiant when he pushed the right buttons, but her affections were turning colder every day. It was like she was slipping away right before his eyes.

But she didn't remember this. She didn't know that it was okay to love him. She didn't know beyond doubt that he would do anything for her. No matter how much she wanted to, and he knew she wanted to, she didn't trust him. There was a war going on inside her, he felt it every time he held her and kissed her. Something inside her remembered the love she was willing to kill for, but it wasn't enough. Ari had never been the kind of woman to trust a feeling.

Kaiba smirked slightly as he recalled how long it had taken her to admit that she loved him, only when he had cornered her and forced her to admit her feelings. Yes, remembering everything was vital to Ari. But he was afraid. He was afraid the truth would be more than she could bear, reliving that nightmare once again. He had already lost her too many times before. He couldn't bear to lose her again.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

"Cancel the rest of my appointments," he told his secretary. I won't be able to get anything done until she is found.


"What did I do to deserve this?" Sojo sighed softly. Six hours after Ari's disappearance and there still was no sign of her anywhere in the city. Darkness had settled in and the search had become exceedingly difficult.

Where could she have gone? Any number of things could have happened to her and for the sake of his sanity, he tried to avoid entertaining the worse case scenario. Seto Kaiba had many enemies and Ari's value to him was well known. If anything has happened to her… Sojo clenched his fists in anger. Ms Ari, I hope you're all right.

Glancing up into the rearview mirror, he saw Kaiba's limo pull up behind him. Here we go, he thought grimly as he got out to meet his boss.

Kaiba's expression had fallen throughout the day. He had joined his men in the search, which hadn't surprised any of them. Sojo had been partially surprised he hadn't been fired right off the bat, but he supposed Kaiba was more interested in finding Ari first and every man was needed for the search.

"I'm afraid we still have no word, Mr. Kaiba," Sojo spoke when he stood before the cold eyed CEO.

"She would have taken shelter by now," Seto murmured as he shrugged off the chilling wind.

"If she had come back here, I would have seen her, sir."

Kaiba glanced up at the apartment building and frowned. Sojo had parked so that he had a clear view of the door. There were no windows on this side of the building. "Could she have gone in the back the way she left?" he asked.

"I closed the window, sir, and it can only be opened from the inside."

Kaiba nodded and started walking away. Sojo decided not to follow since Kaiba had not told him too. Ari's apartment was on the end of the building and he didn't have to walk far to view the length of the apartment, his eyes drawn to the dimly lit window on the far back. Could it be…

Sojo watched with interest as Kaiba suddenly made a beeline for the steps and strode up two at a time until he reached Ari's door. There was a slight pause as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the few keys that he carried. The main gate to the mansion, the headquarters, his personal lab, and of course Ari's apartment. When would he have ever needed to let himself in was beyond him, but it had pleased her so much to give him the key. There was so little she could give him beyond her love and her life and to see her smile as she did the day she gave it to him had warmed him more than a hot cup of coffee ever could.

The lock clicked and he stepped into the dark apartment. Light filtered down the hallway from the back bedroom and he strode slowly, silently down the hall. The bedroom door was wide open and he stopped in the doorway, emotion he had ceased to feel as the search had lengthened filtering into his eyes.

She didn't even look up. Sitting there on the floor leaning against her bed, an album spread out in her lap holding her attention. A box had been dragged out of her closet, one he vaguely remembered her mentioning before the accident, something about going through and organizing it. Photographs, old books and files, near as he could tell at first glance. After a moment, she closed the album in her lap and pushed herself to her feet, clutching the book to her chest. He didn't move when she came towards him, her eyes still downcast and hidden beneath a few strands of golden brown. He blocked the doorway and he wasn't going to move until she looked up at him.

They stood like that for several minutes, her head bowed before him and him waiting for some reason, some explanation to why she had put him through this pain, why she wouldn't meet his gaze now.

"Ari," he spoke finally.

She stiffened and then reached into the album and pulled out a long envelope. "I understand now," she said softly as she slapped the envelope against his chest and raised cold pale eyes to his face. "Sir."

Without effort, she brushed past him and he let her as he stared down at the familiar envelope in his hands. Oh no. He didn't have to open it to know what it was. With a weary sigh, he slipped it inside his jacket and turned the light off. This was going to take some major damage control.

Ari had already left the apartment and was standing beside Sojo, waiting like an obedient puppy for Kaiba to join her. Sojo. He would have to deal with him later. It had been a long day and he felt like he was ready to collapse, even if it was barely nine o'clock.

"Call the men in," Kaiba ordered when he reached them.

"Yes, sir."

Ari silently stepped away from them towards the limo as if she read Kaiba's mind. Shaking his head, Seto followed. He didn't know how he was going to deal with this now. So he said nothing and this seemed to sit well with her since she obviously had no desire to explain her actions.

She hugged her album protectively as she stared out the window, avoiding all eye contact, which suited him just fine. He didn't want to see that look again. Anger, hate, anything was preferable to the cold emptiness she had looked through him with. It was a look he had grown used to when she first started working at Kaiba Corp, when she signed away her life to him in contract. Her personal copy of that contract now burned into him from where it was tucked within his jacket.

I'm never going to be able to explain my way out of this one. He glanced sideways at Ari who remained intent on ignoring him. What could she be thinking? Does she remember when she signed this contract, or is she only reacting to what she has found but doesn't remember? Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and scolded himself for being so foolish as to not anticipate this.

"Please don't fire Sojo," her soft voice startled him. He hadn't expected her to speak at all. It took him a moment to register what she had said.

"I won't," he said finally. No need to give her another reason to hate me, he told himself to alleviate the self-accusation that he was going soft. Well, maybe he was a little soft where Ari was concerned. He couldn't quite explain what she did to him. Whenever she entered a room everything went still and he was oblivious to the entire world around him, seeing only that one woman, that one divine creature. Then his heart would start beating again and he felt stronger than he ever had before. She did that to him with her presence alone. No, she didn't make him soft. She made him feel invincible.

He glanced at her again. And scared. She made him feel very, very scared.


Ari stared blankly into the mirror as she brushed her hair out. The thought of running away had never occurred to her, not exactly. Where would she have gone? The answers she sought were right at her fingertips but hidden by the shadows of doubt and that man. Beyond all else, she wanted to know the one thing he was intent on keeping from her.

She felt bad about deceiving Sojo, but it had been necessary. She stayed hidden under the bed long after he left to be certain that he wouldn't come back. After that, she delved into the search of finding out who Ari Nieche had been in her own eyes, and she had found out more than she bargained for.

It all made sense now. She had the proof to verify the feeling she had suffered earlier that day when they argued. She belonged to Seto Kaiba. She was property, just like his deck of duel monster cards. He owned her and controlled her. Every thought her mind conjured would serve Kaiba Corp alone, for as long as she lived. What she didn't understand was how he ever got her to sign such a contract in the first place. It was like…it was like selling your soul to the devil. Only someone completely and utterly desperate would do something like that.

Was I in trouble? Did I need money? Even if I did, how could I be so foolish as to give myself up so completely?

Setting her brush down, she walked across the room to the album she had left on her bed. Flipping it open, she stared at the newspaper clipping of the man whose face seemed familiar but she could not place him in her memory.

Kaska Ashine, owner and CEO of Nihm Fiber-optics. She hadn't had the chance to read all of the articles in the album, just enough to know that Kaska Ashine had been a wealthy and shrewd businessman. There were other clippings, but she had lingered on this first one, the one that described Ashine as an innovator in fiber-optic science. Such a man as this would be responsible for, say, a fiber-optic cable of unmatched capabilities? So how did Kaiba get a hold of the fiber-optic cable and why did he say she was responsible for its existence? Why did she have clippings of Kaska Ashine? Did she work for him at one time?

With a weary sigh, Ari closed the book and moved it to the nightstand in between two large bouquets of jasmine. Her already unstable world had been turned upside down when she found the copy of the contract. She didn't know what to think anymore.

I'll just sleep on it, she decided as she crawled into bed, noting grimly that Kaiba had been certain to take excellent care of his little possession. Why all the pretence? Why all the talk about starting over, the promise of a future together, promises of the world on a silver platter? Was it all just a tactic of seduction?

Does he hope that I will give myself to him willingly, having forgotten that I am nothing more than property? Seto Kaiba was a powerful man, a possessive man and whatever he desired became his eventually. But even when the opportunity presented itself, he never tried to take her. Was there more that she wasn't seeing? Was this one piece of paper blinding her to a greater truth? After all, she still remembered nothing.

Ari rolled on her side and stared off through the glass doors leading onto her balcony, taking a deep breath of the honey sweet fragrance filtering through her room. He has cared for me and protected me, and when he kisses me I feel complete. When I defy him, his eyes ice over but when my fears are too great for me he is gentle and kind.

Are you certain he is the one you should trust?

Ari's eyes widened at the unexpected voice ringing out inside her mind. Corrin Abachi had not been the first to call into question Kaiba's honor. There had been also the reporter, Ito Nozaki who while proven less than trustworthy himself, still raised doubts within her mind. How much did she know about Seto Kaiba really?

I know I love him, she sighed as a wayward tear slipped down her cheek. Touching the cool gemstone around her throat, finally she understood the emotions locked within the stone. The Ari of before had suffered greatly for the love she bore for this man, for it is a lonely desperation for a slave to fall in love with her master.


Josephine Jekyl- Abachi is an overseas distributor and Kaiba has an awesome product (Ari's holographic program) that will need to be distributed worldwide. He was intending on letting Abachi see a demonstration and then bargain a very lucrative deal (for Kaiba of course).