Disclaimer: Of course YuGiOh is not my creation.

The Face in the Darkness

Chapter 21

"NO!"

She screamed into darkness and was heard only by white petals. Ari jolted up gasping for breath, clutching her hands over her frantically beating heart. So real, so intense, so vivid.

Throwing the covers aside, she leaped out of bed and stumbled to the desk in the corner. Her fumbling fingers flicked on the lamp before flipping through the drawers for the tablet she knew was there. Her pulse never stopped racing as she scratched the image into the paper with pencil, her hand flying in panicked frenzy.

Only when she finished did her gasping breaths calm, but her hands and body still shook. Was this another manifestation of her memories, or a haunting dream meant only to confuse her? I must know.

It was just after three in the morning, but Ari did not feel the silence of the mansion as she left her room and padded quickly down the hall. It had been many nights since she had ventured here, but she must know and only one had the power to dispel the fear that clung to her and made her heart pound as though death stood outside her window.

"Seto, wake up," she whispered frantically, not knowing exactly why she whispered when she was trying to wake the man in the first place.

"Ari?" he murmured sleepily and suddenly he was wide awake when he realized she was not part of a dream.

She turned the lamp on and he blinked against the harsh light. "I didn't mean to wake you," she said.

"Obviously you did," he said wryly as he pulled himself up. "What's wrong?"

"Why does something have to be wrong?" she asked evasively.

Seto stared at her perched beside him on the edge of the bed and tried hard not to laugh. Ari was never very good at lying. "It's three in the morning, Ari. Did you have another nightmare?"

Ari glanced down at the paper crumpled in her hands. After a moment of indecision she flattened the paper out and held it up for him to see. "Do you know this man?"

It was not a face he desired to ever see again. "Where did you get this," he demanded as he took the sketch from her.

"I drew it, just now. Who is he?"

"Did you dream about him?"

"Yes. Tell me, please," she pleaded with wide eyes.

I must tell her eventually. "His name is Matzu Omaka."

"Matzu Omaka," she echoed as she took the page back from him and stared at the image. The name meant nothing to her, but the face…

"What did you see, Ari?" Seto asked softly.

"Do you remember the dragon and the snake."

That dream again? "Yes," he said warily.

"I dream it almost every night," she murmured, "always the same. This time the snake had a face…his."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. Her dream, it must be her mind trying to make sense of broken memories. The symbolism uncannily resembles the reality.

"It was just a dream, Ari," he said.

"It couldn't save me this time," she spoke as if she never heard him.

"What couldn't save you?"

"The dragon," she whispered as tears slipped from her eyes onto the paper she held, her hands trembling with vivid recollection. The snake had taken everything from her, everything that she loved and the dragon that was suppose to protect her and sometimes would hurt her, could not save her.

The sketch was pulled from her hands and she glanced up at him in surprise as he set the paper on the nightstand. The light flickered off and Ari blinked several times in the darkness. Before her eyes could fully adjust, Kaiba's arm swept around her waist and she was pulled over his body, landing softly in the blankets beside him. Recovering from shock, she struggled to get up but his hold tightened firmly.

When she ceased her struggle, his arm pulled away from her and before she could even think of moving he dragged a blanket over her, his arm once again slipping around her waist to hold her securely against his warmth.

"He can't hurt you anymore, Ari," Seto whispered in her ear, his breath brushing across her skin. "Now go to sleep."

Ari found herself relaxing against him, the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back easing her tension. The power was his to break the fears into dust, to slaughter the demons hovering in the shadows of her dreams. It was an illogical strength. Why him? Why did no one else possess this power, not even the boy sharing the same blood?

"Why do I feel safe with you," she murmured.

"Because you are," he answered and Ari smiled into the darkness. Ah yes, that was why.

"Seto," she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"It's not true."

Seto frowned deeply. "What isn't?"

Ari was silent for a moment, sleep tugging at her senses. "That I would rather remember Mokuba," her murmuring began to fade, "than you."


The warmth of the morning sun pulled her from her pleasant dream and she was reluctant to let it go. Never had she seen Seto smile so sweetly, laugh so freely. It wasn't complicated, just a regular evening spent playing a simple game of chess. Even her and Mokuba's combined skill had not been enough to defeat the indomitable Seto Kaiba. Only when she opened her eyes to the new day did she realize it had not been a dream at all but a memory.

Seto had taken her to a cozy little café after visiting the cemetery the day before. There he had begun telling her the story of her life, the story of Ari before. That's what it was to her, a story about a woman she shared a face with. There was much he had left out, she was certain, but he had given her plenty to think about.

They had not started on good terms in the least. His emotions were held completely in check behind that familiar wall of ice as he openly admitted how he had forced her into signing the all encompassing contract, the one she found in her scrapbook album. Her stomach clenched as he recounted her desperate physical state followed all too quickly by her desperate act to escape him, which led to her hospitalization for self-starvation. In yet another attempt to escape his domination, she had begun selling out behind his back.

She must have really hated him to want to betray him like that. If she could face that woman now, she would have slapped her. Guilt was not an emotion she had expected to herald the return of her memories but it had worked.

In the few hours until morning, her dreams had been thick with scattered memories. Still she did not remember everything, like the secret behind the scars crisscrossing the palms of her hands, but she remembered enough to know that Seto Kaiba had never lied to her. The jewel around her throat was tangible proof of a memory she had remembered all on her own.

Stirring slightly, she became aware of a weight draped over her. Glancing down, she saw his arm had never moved from its place around her waist. At first intending to untangle herself from his grasp, she laid her hand over his but instead wove her fingers through his own and pulled his arm snuggly around her. Yes, she felt very safe with him, the man she loved, despite what she did not know. She longed for more memories of him but was satisfied with what she had reclaimed.

There were still many puzzles like who Matzu Omaka was, the face of the snake in her dreams. And if the snake had born a face, would the dragon do so too? And why did the dragon who seemed to protect her try to hurt her as well? Or was it all just a random dream…that she happened to dream every night?

"Are you awake?" She felt the deep rumbling against her back before the words became audible.

"Yes," she murmured, still studying his fingers tangled with hers.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes."

There was something in her voice, a faint note of amusement that woke him completely. Pushing himself up on his elbow, he stared down at her still turned away from him, but the hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Ari?"

She rolled onto her back and stared up at him innocently. "Yes?"

He freed his hand from hers and brushed silky soft strands of gold away from her face. "You're happy," he stated with slight amazement.

A shy smile broke through her reserve. "Yes," she said softly.

Seto smirked mischievously. "If that is the only answer you have for me today, perhaps I should ask a different question."

That look in his deep blue eyes should have frightened her, but she couldn't be afraid knowing what she knew now, knowing the secrets her dreams no longer kept from her. Tentatively she reached up and gently touched his face, her slender fingers lingering on his cheek. His eyes softened severely at her touch and Ari knew she would never need to hear the words from him as long as he gazed at her like that.

"You are an arrogant man," she said. And I love you for it and despite it.

A perfect brow arched at her statement. "Because I always get what I want or because I know I always get what I want?"

"Ah, but you haven't have you," her pale eyes brightened with challenge. "At least, not yet."

"I've learned to be patient," he maintained his smirk, amused that she dared to play with him for a change.

"Not your strongest virtue, I believe."

"Perhaps not," he admitted, "but you are worth it. Worth the battle, worth the wait," he secured her hand and softly kissed her scarred palm. "Worth the pain."

Her fingers curled over the kiss, startled by the implication of his words. "Tell me," she whispered.

"Not today," he shook his head.

"You promised you would tell me everything," her eyes darkened in accusation.

"And you promised to do as I say."

Her answering silence was enough of a confirmation that she understood. The scars were an off-limits topic and she must wait for him to broach the subject first.

"Fine," she said finally. "What are your orders for today, master?"

Kaiba winced at the inflection she put into the word. Oh yes, that was his miffed out Ari for sure.

"You are going to spend the day with Mokuba, as far from Kaiba Corp business dealings as you can get."

"If you're worried about me finding out—." The soft pressure of his fingers on her lips stopped her short. If that had not worked, the warning shadow creeping into his eyes would have.

"We've been over this before, Ari. I will protect you in my own way and you must trust me." He stared her down for a moment and when certain the point had been made, he pulled his hand away. But before she could launch her protest, she was silenced once more with a kiss that unerringly scattered her senses so completely she forgot why she was arguing with this man in the first place. After all, he only sought her safety…and maybe a little side bonus for a job well done, she thought as she felt his hand slip beneath her and pull her against him.

Not good. This…is…not… She was losing herself too quickly and reality, sensibility, screamed that this was a place she could not go, not yet. Not when there was still—

A face flashed before her mind's eye, one that should never have been able to break through when Seto controlled her senses so effectively.

He felt the change long before she began to push him away and he instantly broke the kiss to study her expression intensely for a hint to her sudden revolt, for that had been exactly what he felt. Pure and absolute revulsion, and fear.

To his complete confusion and utter surprise she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his night shirt. After the second shudder he realized she was crying and his arms instantly went around her, pulling her up into his embrace.

"Ari—"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "It's not—it's not you."

Seto's eyes darkened in fury as he held her. "Matzu," he growled.

Ari stilled suddenly when he spoke the name. Pulling back slightly, she gazed up at Kaiba, noting the firm set of his jaw and the flamed-licked expression in his eyes. This Matzu, the man in her dreams and the face she sketched onto paper, was he the reason behind all of the nameless fears?

"Why do you hate him so much," Ari dared to ask between sniffles.

His arms tightened around her until she feared he might crack a rib. "He tried to take you from me." Blue fire snapped and crackled with the vehemence in his voice and Ari laid her head against his chest. So the fear is real. What manner of person would dare take anything from Seto Kaiba? A snake. The snake is Matzu Omaka. That means the dragon must be Seto…but this time he could not protect me. She shivered.

"He's dead," Seto said suddenly and she glanced up to meet his gaze. The fire had quelled some.

"Dead?" she echoed.

"He can't hurt you anymore," Seto smiled slightly, for her benefit but it did not completely reach his eyes. There was something more he was not telling her. Ari forced herself to return the smile, hoping hers was more successful than his and it seemed to have the desired effect when he dropped a tender kiss on her forehead and released her.

Ari blinked in surprise and watched him stride across the room to disappear into his walk-in closet. It was a new day, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, a perfect day.

Ari slid out of the bed and steadied herself against the nightstand, her hand brushing against stiff paper. Glancing down, her eyes fell upon what had brought her into Seto Kaiba's arms the night before in the first place.

If he is dead, then why am I still afraid? Why do I feel like he is still trying to hurt me, still trying to take away all that I love? If he is dead, then why does peace still escape me?

Kaiba faintly heard a door open and close and smirked with the thought that Ari probably wanted to get back to her room before anyone realized where she had spent the night. She was such a simple girl and rumors against her reputation would only give her one more thing to worry over. The woman was a growing addiction. Just having her presence in the same room as he slept eased his nerves far more than any drug ever could. But to hold her softness in his arms, to breath her scent all through the night and to wake with her still there, still with him…

Yes, this accursed patience was paying off. It had been an unconscious response for her at first, how she would react to his kisses, his attention, but not so anymore. Her memories were returning more swiftly and regardless of the sketchy proof within her own mind as to whether she could trust him or not, he was certain she still loved him. Ari was afraid of losing him and that was all the proof he needed.

She rose to challenge, much to his delight and frustration. Honestly you would think she would have learned by now what not to take a stand on…but then she wouldn't be his Ari.

Pulling a black trenchcoat off a hangar, he slung it over his arm and strode back into his room to confirm that Ari had indeed left. His sharp eyes drifted around the room for anything he might have forgotten, and settled on the nightstand. The sketch of Matzu Omaka was gone.

There was no way around it. He knew the moment he had been avoiding was looming ever closer. Either tell Ari what had happened, what she had done and let her pretend it was done by some other woman in some other existence…or wait for her to remember the worst moment of her life and to crumble beneath the weight of her guilt once again. It nearly destroyed her the first time, a second remembrance could only be worse. Even before the accident, Ari had been struggling to come to terms with the death of Matzu Omaka by her own hand. It was what drove them apart and now that he was just beginning to reach her heart again, that single memory could nullify everything.

If that man were still alive today I would kill him myself!


"So what do you want to do today, Ari?" Mokuba asked as he watched her tie her shoelaces with unusual care.

"I would like to go out, if that is all right, Moki," she said without raising her gaze. She could not betray her intentions to anyone because they would only try to stop her.

"Where to? I promised Seto I would keep you away from work, so if that's what you're thinking…"

Ari smiled up at him. "I was thinking of going to the library."

"The library? I could get you any book you want at—"

"I wanted to do some research," she interrupted. Not a lie.

"On what?"

"Quantum mechanics. I have this theory I want to explore…" One lie and a half truth. I can live with that.

"Okay," he grinned. "If that's what you want. I'll go get Sojo and Washiro."

She watched him prance off and smiled sadly to herself. She didn't like deceiving Mokuba but if she was going to find out what she needed to know, then it was a necessary evil.

Slipping her coat on, she stepped out into the cold March morning and glanced around. It was unusually silent and Ari comforted herself with the fact that she actually had the confidence to stand out there all alone. But by the time Mokuba returned accompanied by his bodyguard Washiro, the unease of the morning had resettled itself on her shoulders.

Ari could think clearly now, much more clearly than she had been able to think for months. Much of her memory was still fragmented, but being half of a person was better than being a blank slate, especially when she knew her heart was not betraying her after all. But she could not permit herself to love Seto as freely as he desired. Unfinished business hovered on the fringes of her existence and she would never be a whole person again until it was settled.

Matzu Omaka. That name was the answer to everything. Now if she only knew the question.

"Ari?"

"Hmm?" she murmured absently as she stared out the window.

"Are you okay? You seem kind of preoccupied," Mokuba said.

Ari smiled down at him as she ruffled his crazy hair. "You worry too much. I'm just pondering my theory is all."

Reassured, he sat back in the seat and chattered aimlessly for the rest of the ride. Domino City Public Library was a massive two-story building. After being certain that Mokuba found something to keep himself occupied, Ari sought out the Librarian, all the while aware of Sojo's distant shadow.

"How can I help you?" the prune-faced woman asked when Ari caught her attention.

"I was wondering if I could look through your newspaper films."

"Is there a particular day or year that you are looking for?"

Ari frowned thoughtfully. From what Seto told me, we've only known each other for not quite a year yet and he said Matzu tried to take me away from him so if he is dead now… "It would be this past year. Before—," when did my accident occur? November 22. "Before November twenty-second and after June first."

"Okay, follow me."

A few minutes later, Ari found herself scrolling through Domino's most popular newspaper on the film machine. Later she would pat herself on the back for starting in November and moving back because it was in early October where she found the article. An obituary wasn't necessary because it was front page news.

Matzu Omaka plunges to his death from the twenty-third floor of Omaka Enterprises. Bystanders witness two others present at the time of his fall later to be identified as CEO of Kaiba Corp Seto Kaiba, and Kaiba Corp employee Ari Nieche. Police refuse to give a statement regarding foul play.

Her eyes widened as she realized the implications. She was there. She was there when that man fell to his death. Why was she there? Sitting back, Ari's gaze fell to her hands and she opened her palms to stare at the scars.

This one…she traced her finger along the deep red scar through the middle of her right palm. Above it across her fingers of the same hand was another scar equal in length and color. No! Oh God, it can't be! I—. She trembled uncontrollably as she heard the screams, felt the fire slice through her flesh. Murderer!

A hand settled on her shoulder and she jumped with a startled cry.

"Ms Ari," a familiar voice spoke in surprise and she raised her panicked stare to meet the concerned green eyes she knew so well.

"You scared me," she breathed as she wiped a hand across her face.

"I'm sorry," Sojo said as he studied her intently. It had been some time since she had exhibited such signs of extreme stress. "You don't look well, Ms Ari," he said softly. "Maybe we should return to the mansion."

Ari nodded absently but did not move, slipping into a daze between reality and memory. The screams…the terror…

Sojo gently grasped her arm and was relieved when she allowed him to lead her away. Her pale eyes were unfocused as if she were sleep walking and she offered no protest as he took charge of her. Washiro and Mokuba were easy to find and Sojo didn't allow himself to breath again until he had Ari safely secured in the car and on the way back to the mansion. This was no time for a relapse. She had been doing so well, becoming lively and happy once again and now…what went wrong?

Sojo glanced up in the rearview mirror at Mokuba trying to break through Ari's stupor.

"What happened?" Washiro asked softly beside him.

"Don't know," Sojo replied as he returned his eyes to the road. "She was just sitting there and when I touched her she nearly flipped out."

"You don't think someone got to her, do you?"

"No. I was with her the whole time. She was just reading…" Sojo frowned. That was it. Something she read must have triggered some kind of a memory. I should have looked at what she was reading, dammit!

"The boss isn't going to like this," Washiro murmured as he glanced over his shoulder at Ari.

"Nope." Sojo's gaze flickered across the mirror again and he felt somewhat relieved to see Ari finally turn her attention to Mokuba. Good. Looks like she's coming out of it. Now, what am I going to tell Mr. Kaiba?