Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Wrath of White Lightening
Chapter 23
Seto Kaiba dropped a few papers into his briefcase and snapped it shut. Glancing at the clock, he groaned inwardly to see it was after seven thirty. He hadn't wanted to stay so late, not after what happened the night before. He had been hoping he and Ari could talk things out. All night and all day had been spent considering the conversation they had and he could kick himself several times over. He never should have led her to believe he suspected her of sabotaging her own duel. Despite the facts before him, and they were many and concrete, within his heart he could not believe she would ever do such a thing. That was all the proof he needed.
Now to get home and tell her that.
Picking up his briefcase, he strode out of his office and was halfway to the elevator when the phone began to ring. His steps hesitated and he scowled fiercely before turning back. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but his secretary had already left and anyone who called at this hour usually had something of value to say. Besides, it was his personal office line that was ringing. Not many had that number.
"Kaiba," he growled as he picked it up. It took less than a second for all the blood to drain from his face. The briefcase dropped from his fingers and he staggered against the desk.
"Are you sure?" He asked when he found his voice again. "I'll be there in five minutes."
He carefully placed the phone back on its base and turned to the door. Before he could take one step, his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, his head in his hands. It can't be real! She can't be dead! Not Ari, always laughing and smiling… His fists clenched in his hair and he began to tremble violently. Murdered! By who?
Blue fire flashed as he glared at the floor. "Omaka," he hissed through his teeth. With renewed fury, Kaiba leaped to his feet and ran out of the office, his work and world forgotten.
"Get those people out of here," Inspector Otsuki ordered one of the policemen nearby. "We don't need them messing up the crime scene."
"Yes, sir."
With a weary sigh, Otsuki turned back to face the grizzly scene that now marred the beauty of Domino Park. It hadn't been his night to work in the first place. A 911 operator had sent a patrol car into the area after receiving a desperate call that was interrupted prematurely. After a thorough search of the park, the source of the call was located and shortly after, he had been called in from home.
Floodlights lit the area for the crime scene investigators and the photographer snapping shots of the bodies. Otsuki watched somewhat distantly and impassively, not permitting himself to feel a single emotion until the job was done.
A slight commotion pulled him from his observation and he glanced over his shoulder at the police line.
"Let him through," Otsuki ordered when he saw the source of the commotion. Begrudgingly, the policemen parted ways and the tall civilian stalked across the grass towards Otsuki. If the inspector had been expecting any expression beyond cold indifference to shadow the face of Kaiba Corp's CEO, he would have been disappointed.
"I'm sorry to be the one who had to tell you," Otsuki said when Kaiba reached him.
"Where is she," he demanded.
"Over here. One of the men with her was taken to the hospital not long after they were found. He still has a chance to live. He carried Kaiba Corp ID so I assume—"
"Sojo," Seto interrupted him. "Her personal bodyguard."
Otsuki nodded. "He was shot through the chest. The other guy took a bullet between the eyes at close range. I was wondering if you could tell me who he was."
Kaiba nodded stiffly and followed Otsuki to the pathway flooded with light. There was blood everywhere and he felt his stomach turn into knots and pummel itself viciously. One body was covered over with a white sheet and his heart stopped, knowing what lay beneath it.
"This man had no ID on him," Otsuki drew his attention to the other corpse.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Corrin Abachi," he growled.
"So you do know him."
"He claimed to be an overseas distributor. I doubt very much that is his true profession."
"Can you think of any reason he might have a grudge against you?"
"He's just a hired dog, Otsuki," Kaiba snapped. "Know anyone else who would want Ari dead?"
Otsuki frowned and turned towards an officer on his right. "Get me a twenty on Joko Omaka and make it quick."
Kaiba's eyes drifted back to the white sheet. Everything inside him felt cold and empty, dulled and numbed except for the anger and hate that lit his eyes.
"I want to see her," he said.
Otsuki stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay, but I have to warn you, it's pretty ugly. She took a bullet at close range."
Her throat burned as if she had swallowed fire and her head throbbed mercilessly. It hurt to move, but the moment she did she realized with immeasurable relief that she was still alive.
Sojo! Her eyes snapped open to darkness and no matter how hard she tried, she could not focus on anything. Could it be she was still asleep, still dreaming, still…dead?
A muffled sound from nearby made her crane her neck but she still could not identify any shapes within the darkness. Swallowing made her eyes water and when she tried to reach up and wipe the tears away she realized she could not move her arms. Concentrating on what held her still, she felt something rough cut into her wrists and understanding came crashing in on her fully.
It was no accident. The Blue Eyes White Dragon had been loaded into the duel system on purpose the day before she was to test it. It would have been a glorious revenge against Seto Kaiba, killing the woman he loved with the Duel Monster he loved. But the blast didn't kill her. So plan B had been put into effect. They tried to get close to her, lure her into a false sense of security until the perfect time to act, when Seto could not help her. But she wasn't dead yet.
Why am I still alive? Who captured me and why didn't they kill me yet? Was Abachi, Nozaki, whoever he was not supposed to kill me in the first place? He said Mokuba was someone else's problem. That means there is more than one person involved. Wait a sec…how did they get the Blue Eyes into the holo-duel system in the first place and make it look like me?
Her eyes widened in the darkness. "Traitor," she breathed hoarsely. There was a traitor in Kaiba Corp.
As she spoke, the muffled sound repeated itself and Ari peered into the darkness but still could not see.
"Is someone there?" she whispered tentatively and it sounded again.
Maybe… "Oh please, Mokuba if that is you knock on something twice."
She waited in the darkness with her heart in her throat, listening to a faint shuffling until she heard a quiet tap, tap. Closing her eyes against tears of relief, Ari took a deep shaking breath.
"Okay, just hang on," she whispered as she tested the rope that bound her hands. It was tight and unwilling to give, but Ari refused to give up. Rolling onto her stomach, she managed to shift her knees under her and sat up slowly. She had no idea where she was, but there had to be something she could use to get free.
Shuffling her way back, she banged against something metal and hissed sharply. From the dimensions, she decided it must be a shelf of some sort. Fingering the metal, she winced when a sharp edge sliced through her finger. Ignoring the new pain, she went to work on her bindings and felt them fray and give. Her arms and wrists ached from being tied up like that for so long, but she paid little mind as she untied her ankles and stood shakily in the darkness.
If there were shelves, then this might be a storage closet of some sort, which meant that there should be… Her searching hands stopped as she traced the outline of a light switch. Without hesitation she flicked it and flinched at the sudden change in lighting as the bulb in the ceiling flickered on. Taking a few seconds for her vision to adjust, Ari turned slowly and stared into the wide blue-violet eyes of Mokuba Kaiba.
Unlike her, he was gagged and bound securely to the shelf itself whereas she had been thrown carelessly on the floor just inside the door. Apparently no one expected her to wake so soon.
Ari made short work of Mokuba's restraints and he hugged her fiercely once his arms were free.
"Oh, Ari! I was so scared! He told me they killed you and Seto and—"
"Shh," she warned. "It's okay. I'm all right and I'm sure your brother is fine too."
Mokuba smiled up at her gratefully and she kissed his forehead.
"Now we must be quiet," she said as she glanced around the room for something, anything that she could use as a weapon. Her eyes settled on a mop and she walked over to it and began to unscrew the handle.
"Ari," Mokuba spoke and she looked up at his ghostly pale face. After a moment he pointed and she glanced down at her clothes, still covered in Sojo's blood.
"It's not mine," she assured him. "Now, tell me what happened to you."
"I don't really remember. Washiro was driving me home and I was drinking the juice he brought me and next thing I knew I was here."
Ari's eyes narrowed. Washiro. I never liked that guy in the first place. Cocking her head suddenly, she signaled Mokuba to be quiet. Pressing her ear to the door, she confirmed her suspicion. Someone was coming.
Waving Mokuba back, she turned the light off and clenched the mop handle in tense anticipation. When the footsteps stopped outside the door, she sunk to one knee and waited. The handle jiggled slightly and then the door swung open. With a vicious cry, Ari swung and connected solidly. As her victim fell forward she slammed up, breaking the stick under his jaw. He fell into the hallway with a thud and remained unmoving as she leaped over him, ready to deliver another blow with her bare fist if necessary.
"It's Washiro!" Mokuba gasped behind her.
"Come on," she said as she dropped her broken stick and grabbed his arm. It was hard to breath, her throat still feeling bruised. Mokuba's shorter legs were hard put to keep up with her, especially having been tied as he was, so she had to slow her pace. After running for what seemed forever, Ari skidded to a halt at a junction.
"Mokuba, we're at Kaiba Corp, aren't we," she said.
The boy glanced around thoughtfully. "You're right. This must be the customer service offices or something because I barely recognize this floor."
"Come on," Ari said as she turned the corner and ran for the stairs. Just as they reached the door a shot rang out in the hall and Ari instinctively ducked, pulling Mokuba protectively against her.
"Don't move," Washiro ordered as he began to stagger down the hall towards them. Ari met his glare knowing that was the one thing they couldn't afford to do. Tightening her grip on Mokuba, she slammed herself back against the door and tumbled into the stairwell even as another shot rang out.
"You go up and I'll go down," she said as she shoved Mokuba towards the stairs.
"But—"
"I'll draw him away from you so you can call for help," she said. "Now go!"
He didn't argue any further and scrambled up the steps. Ari watched him for a moment longer before heading down. The moment she heard the door slam open she turned and faced the seething bodyguard, one flight of stairs between them.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance," he growled.
"But you didn't, because you can't," she returned, eyes afire. "Your boss wouldn't like that, now would he."
Washiro leaped forward even as Ari spun. He had expected her to run, so her kick caught him completely off guard, connecting solidly with his stomach and slamming him back onto the stairs. By the time he recovered with a curse, she was gone.
That face… so beautiful and set in permanent peace. Seto touched her cheek tentatively to find it absent of warmth. Everyone had stepped back and given him space, but he barely noticed. There was no one else in the world at that moment, just him and the woman he loved.
This can't be real. She can't be dead. II would have felt it. I would have known!
His fingers left her face and trailed down the length of her arm to grasp her limp hand. Wasn't it just a few months ago that he had held her lifeless hand while she lay inert in a hospital bed? No, this could not be happening again.
How could I have failed you so completely? I swore I would always protect you and now… He raised her cold hand to his face and closed his eyes. Please forgive me.
Gradually, the sounds around him began to register and the secluded world he had dwelled in for a moment began to fade. The scent of blood was strong in his nostrils. Lights flashed with each picture taken by the crime scene photographer, and just a few steps away, Inspector Otsuki talked with the officer he had sent to find out about Joko Omaka.
Slowly he let her hand slip from his and it dropped limply onto his knee. He stared at it laying there, so lifeless, so…
"I've got bad news," Otsuki spoke as he stepped up behind the kneeling CEO. "It would seem Joko Omaka escaped this morning while being transferred."
Kaiba barely heard him as he reclaimed the limp hand from his knee. His fingers traced lazy patterns over the palm, staring but not seeing.
"Mr. Kaiba," Otsuki spoke again and Kaiba flinched. "We need to finish here. I will call you personally if anything new comes up."
"Okay," Seto said numbly as he stood. As if in a fog, he walked through the police line and past the reporters without seeing any of them. There was only her face and her hand, her beautiful, flawless hand…
Kaiba stopped short and his eyes widened with awareness. Flawless. Not one single scar. It wasn't her! His long legs leaped into a flat out run that to any onlooker would have been reckless and directionless. Fire flashed in his eyes, anger and hate smoldering into a determination that could not be broken, would never be broken. In the core of his heart he had known and still knew he had a chance. Ari was still alive…but for how much longer?
"Come on! Open you stupid door!" Ari swore toggle futilely on the handle. Every door on the way down had been locked and she only hoped that Mokuba was having better luck. She could hear Washiro thundering down ever closer and her only chanced was to get out of the stairwell and lock him in. Forfeiting the door, she hurried down to the next floor and tried that door. Much to her surprise, it opened. Ari stumbled back having pulled on it harder than necessary but recovered quickly. Slipping through the door, she hit the locked and turned to see where she was.
The floor was unusually familiar and Ari stepped forward uncertainly, trying to get her bearings. Further down the hall, pass several doors with keypad locks, she found another set of stairs. Hovering there trying to remember just where in Kaiba Corp she was, she flinched when she heard a loud crash that could only be…
Not waiting to find out, Ari bolted down the steps, throwing open the door at the bottom with unnecessary force. She was halfway into the room before she realized her mistake. The door she had run through was the only way in or out, she realized as the massive room lit itself up. The sound of the door slamming shut spun her around to see her escape had been cut off.
"I should have known," Ari said softly as she took several steps back, putting as much distance between her and him as possible. There was a lot of space to maneuver for the room was bigger than any she had seen before, but the gun in his hand said she would never leave alive.
"You should have died at the hands of your own creation, but you denied me even that," Joko Omaka snarled. "How could I kill you then when you wouldn't have even known why? No, I had to wait for your memory to return, but I enjoyed the frequent in depth reports on your suffering in the mean time. Kaiba didn't know what to do with your empty head, but now that things are finally perfect between you," he broke off in laughter. "I wish I could have seen his face when he found out you were dead."
"You're talking nonsense," she said.
"Am I? How did the Blue Eyes White Dragon get into the system, Ari? You put it there. It was your access code on the records, your face on the cameras…only it wasn't you, was it and it didn't have to be. Just someone who looked like you. And now that she's dead, no one will come looking for you until it is too late." He started stalking towards her and she kept stepping back.
He made a duplicate of me? He had been planning all of this from day one! Her heart cringed as she realized the full meaning of Omaka's words. Seto would believe her dead when he saw the duplicate and no one would come for her. This was the enemy she could not defeat alone. This was the part of her dream she never finished…but she would soon see how it ended.
"He will realize that corpse isn't you eventually," Omaka grinned. "With renewed hope he will search and find the real you, dead again of course. My revenge will be complete. I will let Kaiba live in the same misery he left me, once I take everything he loves!"
She wanted to cry but couldn't. Tears would do nothing but cloud her vision and this lunatic didn't deserve her tears.
"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, stopping her retreat.
"What?"
"I'm sorry Matzu had to die."
"He didn't have to die, Ari," he growled softly. "You should have died instead of him."
"It was not my life I killed him for," she said, her eyes hardening with acceptance. "I couldn't let him kill Seto."
"You should have. Do you really think Seto Kaiba is worth all of this?" he asked as he raised his pistol. This time there was no Sojo to interfere.
"On your knees," he ordered and Ari shook her head.
"Never," she growled through clenched teeth.
Omaka squeezed the trigger and Ari flinched as sparks flew just inches from her feet.
"On your knees," he ordered again as he aimed the pistol higher. "And beg me for mercy."
Ari glared at him heatedly even as her body trembled. A cruel smile twisted his lips as he watched her, waiting for his oh so precious victory. Ari longed to wipe that smile off his face, but it disappeared on its own as a soft whirring sound filled the room. A startled cry tore from her as a blast of light exploded above her and she ducked, shielding herself from the intensity.
"What the—"
Ari uncovered her eyes to see what could possibly distract Omaka even for a moment from killing her. The ground beneath her trembled as she followed the man's gaze up, up, up above her own head…
Fierce teeth filled her wide-eyed vision and she fought the urge to step back from the massive beast. The eyes glinted menacingly as it arched its great neck and peered down at her with a look she could only describe as intelligent intention.
How is this possible? A delayed error in the holo-duel system? Maybe…but this monster has only one master…
A soft chuckle drew her attention away from the dragon to the man across from her.
"Impressive, Ari. So this is the final product of your holographic program. I would have loved to have heard your screams when you lost to its power. But I grow tired of these delays," he growled as he raised the pistol again and pulled the trigger.
The explosion of the shot was ear-shattering and Ari collapsed to her knees with a desperate cry folding in on herself as if so simple an action might protect her from death. Her ears rang as the echoed died and in the ensuing silence she heard Omaka gasp.
"What the—?"
Ari lifted her head slightly and dared to peak through her wildly strewn hair but saw no sign of Omaka who had been standing right before her just a moment ago. Brushing her hair back, her wide eyes stared at the bluish-white sparkling scaly wall that had suddenly formed between her and her enemy.
Another shot rang out and Ari flinched.
"What is this Ari?" Omaka screamed out to her.
Shakily pushing herself to her feet, Ari looked up at the great dragon crouched above her, its magnificent wings wrapped protectively around her, shielding her completely from Omaka's attacks. Several more shots rang out, but none of them penetrated the dragon's thick scaly skin. Finally she heard the gun click on an empty chamber and Omaka swore violently.
With a vicious snarl, the Blue Eyes White Dragon whipped its wings apart, the force of wind blowing Ari's long hair away from her face and she found herself staring into Omaka's startled eyes. A pile of spent shells lay just a few feet in front of her where the dragon's wings had been.
"What did you do," he growled as he glared at her.
Ari blinked for a moment. "It would seem the boundary between dreams and reality has been erased."
His expression turned thunderous as he pulled a fresh clip from his jacket and snapped it into his pistol. "Why won't you just die!" he screamed as he took aim again.
The ground trembled with the force of the dragon's fearsome roar as it arched itself high and spread its wings full length. Standing at the feet of the furious beast, Ari did not flinch as a supernova of white lightening consumed Joko Omaka.
A/N- Yes, the cop Otsuki is the same one from The Possession.
