Disclaimer: If only.

Breathless

Chapter 22

She looks…okay. Seto quietly set his briefcase down outside the archway of the living room. Sojo had called him at work to forewarn him about what had occurred and no doubt what could be expected when he came home. But at the moment, Ari seemed rather peaceful. Of course he could not see her face, but she didn't seem tense.

Walking softly so as not to disturb her, he entered the dimly lit room and discovered as he neared the couch she occupied that she was not alone. Ari was curled into a corner of the couch with Mokuba asleep, his head pillowed on her lap. Her arm was draped over the boy's stomach, his fingers tangled in hers. Her other hand was occupied with a book and it seemed to have her full attention until she suddenly turned and looked up at him standing there above her.

He expected her to jump, but she merely smiled and for a moment Kaiba wondered if Sojo had imagined the events of the afternoon. Ari hardly looked like a woman on the verge of panic.

"I know it's past his bedtime," she said apologetically.

"It's all right," Seto said as he sat on the coffee table and smiled softly at his brother's peaceful face.

"Am I permitted to inquire about work?" she asked softly and he glanced up. It was only when he looked directly at her did he see what she was hiding. He had seen that look in her eyes before and knew it too well.

"Later," he said as he kneeled and carefully gathered Mokuba into his arms. The boy murmured something but remained asleep. "Stay here," Seto told her as he carried his brother away. Ari watched him for a moment and then let her gaze fall back to the book in her hand. The words blurred before her eyes and she closed it. She hadn't really been reading for the last two hours anyway, just absently turning pages as her mind played, rewound, and replayed the fuzzy images in her mind. She couldn't see the memory clearly yet, but she knew what it was and what it would tell her. Matzu Omaka was dead…and she killed him. Why?

Would his memory ever leave her? No. She was certain now. He was the wraith that lingered in the shadows of her dreams always haunting and hunting with the promise that one day he would seek her in revenge. Dead he was, but vengeance never died. It would find her somehow, someway.

Seto's soft steps broke her from her thoughts and she wiped any hint of a torn expression from her face. He sat beside her on the couch and when she turned towards him, her face was captured and her lips crushed in a passionate kiss. Everything inside her stilled and her fingers curled into his shirt, holding on while letting go.

"I love you," he breathed when their lips parted. Ari's eyes widened as she looked up at him, never having expected the words to ever be said.

Seto stroked her cheek tenderly as he stared down into her pale eyes. "No matter what," he said.

No matter what. Ari buried her face in his shirt and his arms pulled her securely into his embrace. Leaning his head against hers, Seto took a deep breath of her vanilla scent mingled with the lingering hint of jasmine. It was home to him, regardless of everything that tried to tear them apart.

"Tell me," she whispered softly after a few minutes had passed.

"It was self-defense, Ari," he murmured, his breath brushing loose strands of golden brown across her forehead. "If you had not done what you did, not only would you be dead…but so would I."

"I can still hear him scream," she whispered painfully and Seto hugged her tighter.

"I know," he kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I know."

"I can still feel him trying to hurt me."

"He can't hurt you anymore, Ari," Seto spoke firmly.

I want to believe you but I can feel him all around me, in my dreams every night. He won't rest until I join his fate. Ari shivered.

Feeling her tremble in his arms, Seto reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch and wrapped it snuggly around her. With this added warmth, Ari curled into him even more, comforted by his solid strength.

"It was all about the holographic program, wasn't it," she spoke after a moment.

"Yes," he admitted. "And the fiber-optic cable."

"And the day of my accident?" she prompted.

She felt him tense against her and then relax with a resigned sigh. "We underestimated the rate of laser/energy transfer."

"Power surge. That's what Mr. Azuma told me."

"There was a little more to it than that," he said softly and Ari glanced up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You were dueling with low level monsters and everything was working exactly as you had planned, or at least we thought it was because we could not detect the miscalculation on low level attacks. They just weren't powerful enough to do any notable damage."

"I don't understand."

His eyes darkened slightly. "The attack that nearly killed you was by an eight star monster." He hesitated for a moment as he stared into her wide pale eyes. Might as well go all the way. "It was a Blue Eyes White Dragon."

A Blue Eyes? There's only three left in the world and Seto has them all! She pushed away from him and fixed him with a wide-eyed stare.

"How did a Blue Eyes get into the holo-duel system?"

Cerulean eyes chilled. "You put it there yourself."

"What? I would never use something that powerful in a preliminary test!"

I know…but the proof… "The security camera doesn't lie, Ari. It was your access code on the record, you on the camera, and you with the ability to access the card." Not to mention that the camera footage was doctored to hide that it was you.

"No! I wouldn't have done that. I would remem—." She cut herself short and her eyes widened. No, I wouldn't remember, would I. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before meeting those cold accusing eyes. "I didn't do it," she stated firmly.

Of course she wouldn't remember if she had done it and the woman he knew would never have put herself at such a risk. But it was her code, her face… Kaiba didn't know what to believe any more.

"You've had a long day," he said finally. "You should get some sleep."

Ari felt her eyes tear but obediently turned away, dropping her attention to folding the blanket neatly before draping it over the arm of the couch.

"Goodnight," she whispered as she stood and left him without looking back.


Ari mechanically brushed her long hair over her shoulder, staring blankly at the woman sitting across from her imitating her actions without deviation.

It isn't possible. I would never have done anything so foolish. Does he…does he think I did it on purpose? Does he think I meant to try to kill myself because of guilt over Matzu's death? Ari wiped angrily at the tears that would not cease, dropping her brush to the floor.

"I wouldn't do that," she insisted and raised her eyes to her reflection. "I wouldn't!"

Hugging her knees to her chest, Ari glared at the floor trying to make sense of Seto's vague accusations. She couldn't explain the fact that she was seen on the security cameras accessing the system and she could have gotten the card easily from Seto…but she would never have done that!

Shaking her head in frustration, Ari looked up at her reflection again and realized that this woman was far different from the one she had been months before. Fire burned in her eyes and her heart. The fire had been ebbed by pain and remorse not yet accepted, but it still simmered. This was not a woman who was finished with life.

Pulling herself up off the floor, Ari tossed her brush onto her nightstand and climbed into her bed. She needed to sleep alone tonight. She needed answers and if they came in the shadows of her dreams, so be it. Clicking the light off, she sunk into the sheets and curled her hand over the diamond pendant she always wore.

I am not going to be afraid anymore.


"I'll make you pay for what you did."

Ari looked uneasily over her shoulder but saw nothing and no one behind her.

"You know what I will enjoy the most?"

Ari stiffened as she felt warm breath against her ear. "What?" she dared to ask, forgetting for a moment that this voice was different from the first.

Soft laughter beside her made her shiver. "The knowledge," the voice spoke, "that I've taken Kaiba's precious possession beyond redemption."

Pale blue eyes widened for a moment and then narrowed in anger. "You can't hurt me anymore," she snapped. "You're dead."

"Am I?" The voice laughed as it drifted away, repeating its question in chant. "Am I?"

Ari turned around and squinted to see the form lingering in the darkness. It was beyond massive and moved with a strange weaving grace coming ever closer and closer. She kept telling herself it wasn't real but the fear gathering within her, the helplessness to protect herself, was very real. She was able to save herself before, both herself and the man she loved with a mere shard of glass…

Feeling fire splice through her flesh, Ari glanced down, shocked to see blood dripping from her fingers. Opening her palm, she stared at the large piece of glass, her only weapon against the imminent danger. Clenching it more firmly, she raised her eyes with defiance and determination to shatter this nightmare once and for all.

But when her eyes rested on the enemy, she suddenly felt weak, powerless, and the glass slipped from her fingers, breaking to pieces at her feet. It wasn't enough. Useless, helpless…

"I will make you pay for what you did."

"Ari?"

Opening one sleepy eye, Ari stared up into Mokuba's concerned face and smiled. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's almost noon. You haven't slept this late in a long time," he said.

"It was a difficult night," she smiled to reassure him as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Difficult was an understatement. She had awakened more than once, always from the same exact dream, the same voices, the same words, but she had been unable to finish it. So she kept making herself fall back asleep, to face the fear if only to gain one answer more, if only to finish the dream.

"Did you and Seto have a fight?" Mokuba asked with a slight scowl and Ari chuckled. Mokuba might be Seto's little brother but he would always be in her corner.

"No, not really, Moki. I just had a lot on my mind. What's on the schedule for today?"

"Well, if you're not feeling well, you should stay here and rest. I was going to go see a friend I haven't seen in a while—"

"That's a good idea, Moki," she interrupted. "You've been spending so much time with me that your friends must be feeling ignored."

"You really don't mind?"

"No, go on. I'll just read a book or something, okay?"

"Okay," he grinned, but he hesitated for a moment and Ari forced a wide smile on her face as she pulled him to her and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be fine, now go," she ordered and this time he listened.

Ari fell back on her pillows and stared up at the canopy for a moment trying to make sense of the dream Mokuba had interrupted. In a way she was glad he had chosen that moment to wake her. It was getting too intense again, too scary. Every time she reached the point when she realized she could not defeat the darkness on her own, she would wake breathless. One massive building-tall snake she could handle, did handle with a simple piece of glass. But she had miscalculated. There was more than one snake.

The mansion was abnormally quiet with both Seto and Mokuba gone. The staff went about their business as usual, cleaning and what not while paying little mind to Ari. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she barely even noticed when a maid wandered by every now and then.

Ari tried to read as she told Mokuba she would, but title after title failed to keep her content. Tossing a fourth book aside, Ari leaned back in the sofa chair and sighed. A glance at her watch told her it was almost four and she wondered how she managed to squander so much time already when a familiar voice broke through her boredom.

"Excuse me, Ms Ari."

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the green-eyed bodyguard who seemed immediately put at ease to see her pleasant mood. "What is it, Sojo?"

"This just came for you," and he handed her a small envelope.

Frowning curiously, Ari tore it open and stared at the scrawled handwriting.

"I have questions about the holographic program you developed. I know you work for Kaiba, but I want to talk to you, the creator. Please meet me at six thirty, Domino Park. Corrin Abachi."

Corrin Abachi? The overseas distributor that Seto was going to demonstrate the program to. Seto didn't want me to meet with him as I recall. Ari's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Ms Ari?" Sojo asked hesitantly.

"Is Seto working late today?" she asked him.

"I believe he intends to stay until seven," he replied.

That will give me enough time to meet with Abachi then. Good. "I'll need you to take me somewhere around six-thirty, okay?"

He frowned curiously and then nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you, Sojo," she waved him off and continued to stare at the note. So where you do fall in, Mr. Abachi?


It didn't show in his face, but Sojo felt his nervous system jitter full of adrenaline. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. A sideways glance at the young woman walking beside him failed to reassure him that nothing was in the air. More was going on in the mind of Ari Nieche then she was letting on. She seemed unnaturally calm after discovering her past history with Matzu Omaka the day before.

As of late her memories had begun returning in rapid succession and while becoming more and more the woman she used to be, there was still something very uncertain remaining. She hadn't told him why she wanted to go to the park at such a late hour when darkness was on the verge of overshadowing them, or why she was following this secluded path and to what destination it would bring her. All of this not knowing was making him nervous.

A figure loomed up ahead on the path and Sojo instinctively reached inside his jacket for his gun. Before his fingers could even graze metal a shot rang out and pain exploded through his body. Eternity froze as he fell and all that rang in his ears was the scream of terror from the angel he had failed to protect.

"Sojo!" Ari cried as she dropped to her knees beside him. "Oh my God," she gasped and instinctively pressed forcefully on the wound oozing blood.

"Don't waste your time," a voice spoke and Ari looked up at the man approaching her, eyeing warily the gun he still held in his hand.

"Abachi?" she asked hesitantly as she raised her gaze to those familiar brown eyes, eyes she had seen on a previous occasion…

"You're the reporter!" she accused as she suddenly stood to face him, fists clenched in rage.

"Reporter, overseas distributor, killer for hire," he shrugged. "I'm a jack of all trades. Don't feel too sorry for your bulldog there. He got off easy after what he did to me. I doubt he felt any pain at all."

Tears threatened to cloud her eyes but Ari forced them back, determined not to lose control.

"You snake!" she hissed.

"No need to get nasty, Ari," he smiled disarmingly. "This is business, nothing personal. Well, not to me anyway. As for the guy who hired me…it's very personal to him."

"Tell me who he is," she snarled.

"You should be more worried about yourself. Or little Mokuba for that matter."

Mokuba? "What have you done with him?" she demanded.

"Nothing, yet. He is somebody else's problem right now. Relax, Ari. It's not like you are the target in all of this. Kaiba is."

He raised his gun and steadied it as he took aim. "Now stand real still and I promise you will barely feel a thing."

Wide-eyed and paralyzed, Ari stared past the barrel into his emotionless eyes. I was never the target. It was Kaiba…

Her body jerked violently as the shot rang out and for the longest 3 seconds of her life, she watched as blood oozed from a small black hole in Abachi's forehead. Silent in death, he crumpled to the ground at her feet. The sound of metal clattering to the ground broke her from her shock and she dropped swiftly beside Sojo.

He blinked his bright eyes a few times and then smiled slightly when he focused on her face. "I'm sorry," he gasped weakly.

"Don't speak and don't die on me. Where's your cell? I'll call for help," she said as she searched his jacket and found the phone.

Ari froze suddenly as she heard footsteps sounding on the now night cloaked path.

"You have to get out of here," Sojo ordered.

"I'm not leaving you here like this," Ari argued.

"Take the phone and go. Call Mr. Kaiba—" he coughed roughly and gasped for breath and all the while Ari could hear the running steps coming closer.

"Just don't die on me," she ordered tearfully as she forced herself to stand and run. "Don't you dare die on me, Sojo," she cried as she sprinted through the dark park, her heart in her throat. How was she ever to know? Because it had all been planned and she had been used and deceived. Whoever hired Abachi, Nozaki, whatever his name was wanted revenge plain and simple and anyone who wanted revenge on Seto Kaiba had to take her out of the equation. Could it be that her accident had been a part of it?

Her legs felt weak and she stumbled into the bushes and fell to the ground, desperately trying to catch her breath and listen for a pursuer at the same time. She heard nothing except the sounds of night all around her. Pulling herself up to her knees, she flipped open the phone and dialed 911.

Please don't die, Sojo.

"My name is Ari Nieche and I'm at Domino Park and someone shot—"

Her words cut off sharply as a strong arm wrapped around her throat and yanked her to her feet. She kicked wildly gasping for breath as the arm continued to constrict tighter and tighter around her throat, slowly crushing her windpipe.

No, please no. Seto, someone, anyone…please! It can't end like this!

"Hello? Miss, are you there? Please answer me!" a voice called out to her from the cell on the ground beneath her feet but Ari could not answer as death reached out to her, promising everlasting peace from her suffering once and for all.


JadeGoddess- Her memory was fuzzy at first but after Seto's brief synopsis and assurance that what she remembered was true, Ari now has all of her memories back except for those immediately preceding the accident. Of course, she does not remember putting the Blue Eyes into the holo-duel system or the actual attack of the dragon.