A/N: Hey hey and welcome to Chapter 17! Oh my god, have I been blocked on this! I am so so so sorry! Hopefully I'll be able to update more often, as I do have a few ideas on how I want this to go now. Anyway, this isn't going to be a very long chapter, and it's going to be Seto-centric (just to let you Jou fans know!) So, on with the fic!
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh…NOT MINE!
Cold. That was the first sensation that he noticed, the cold seeping into his bones and freezing him from the inside out. Shivering violently, Seto opened his eyes slightly and tried to lift his head. His whole body felt heavy and leaden, an invisible force pressing down upon him, holding him down, and he found it impossible to move. With a low groan, he tried to focus his blurry vision, tried to take in his surroundings and gain back some small measure of control, when the darkness came again quickly, and he sank back into the nothingness.
(--)
A burst of light, before his body exploded with pain, his limbs being pulled in four different directions – he really couldn't remember what happened. A flash of shaggy black hair, a half-remembered glimpse of laughing golden eyes.
Falling. Falling fast outofcontrol byebyereality!
What the hell was happening? Where was he going? When was this nightmare going to end?
Who was he? What was he looking for? Why couldn't he remember?
Why…
(--)
With a gasp and a cry, Seto sat upright, his breathing labored and slightly ragged. He glanced wildly about, trying to determine where it was he now found himself, his brilliant eyes darkening with a touch of panic.
"Where am I?" he murmured quietly, as he pulled himself slowly to his feet. A blast of icy cold wind washed over him, and he shivered, dragging the ends of his silver trench coat around himself, huddling into its meager warmth, and wrapped his arms around his body.
"What the hell is going on here?" he said softly, his teeth chattering wildly. "Where…who am I?"
Fear gripped his heart, as he struggled to quell it. Don't panic, he told himself firmly. It won't do you a damn bit of good. Just…try to remember. That's all.
Closing his eyes, he tried to take several deep, calming breaths, the cold air biting at his lungs and freezing in his throat. He opened his eyes and exhaled, watching the thin smoke created by his breath wisp around him, twisting into a tiny cyclone, before dissipating into nothingness.
"Jou," he whispered. "This has something to do with Jou, and –" His thoughts broke off abruptly.
Frustrated, his frozen hands rolled into loose fists, and he clenched his teeth in anger.
What else? Goddamn it, what else? What about Jou? Who is that? Who the fuck am I?
He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in a large, empty chamber, the walls made of a rough, shiny stone. A thick sheet of ice and snow covered the entire area, and a flat platform graced the center of the chamber. Three heavy looking stones acted as stairs that led up to the platform. There was only one exit in the area, and that was blocked by four large menacing spikes of ice that grew out of the floor, reaching nearly to the top of the cavern. There was no way around, through, or over.
No way out.
The wind whipped again, Seto's eyes burning as the coldness stole the moisture out of his body, and he felt panic firmly digging its claws into him. His heart sped up rapidly, as his breaths came quicker. He began to hyperventilate, his body shivering wildly and his pulse speeding out of control.
Oh god, where am I? He thought. There's no way out. I'm going to die here. I'm going to die here. There's no way out. I'm going to die here, alone.
"No way out, no way out," he muttered over and over, chanting it almost like a mantra. "No way out, going to die, no way out."
Just as Seto felt t hat he must either give up or go mad, a calmness washed over him, filling him with warmth, and a soft voice echoed in his head.
There is always hope. Do not give in, my precious one, for I am here with you as I have always been.
"What the hell?" Seto said softly. "What…who…"
You must only remember. Remember why it is you are here, and what you must do. I will help you, my chosen, if you will only allow me to do so.
Seto stood stock still, his eyes open wide with wonder and a touch of fear.
"Am I going crazy?" he murmured. "Fuck it. If I am, it can't be any worse than this. Ok, help me then. Help me to remember."
A blinding blast of white light burst behind his eyes, and Seto shouted in sudden pain and surprise. His head felt like it must explode, as countless flashes of thought danced through his brain. He closed his eyes and clutched at his head, as his memories flooded over him like a continuous, endless stream. He cried out once more and then fell silent.
When he opened his eyes, the sapphire orbs held no touch of fear or pain. Instead, they shone with a brilliance of determination.
"I remember," he said firmly. "I remember everything. Jou…Mokuba…Bakura…Marik. I remember. Seto Kaiba. That's who I am."
Wonderful, my precious one. And now you must do what it is that you came here for. Find the answers in the rock, chosen. You will know what it is that you must do.
"And I hear voices in my head now," Seto sighed to himself. "Wonderful, just wonderful."
He looked around in frustration. "This whole damn place is stone," he said angrily. "Find the answer in the stone? Could it be any more vague?"
Do not let anger control you, chosen. Patience is a virtue, and apparently one you are lacking in.
"Great, and they're sarcastic," Seto muttered. "That's the icing on the cake. I'm stuck in a damn frozen tundra, supposedly inside the Millennium Ring, alone, AND I've invented a wise cracking voice in my head."
Sarcasm is only wasted on those who do not recognize it, precious one. I said rock, not stone, but perhaps you can be forgiven for not realizing the difference. Look about you, chosen, and you will see.
Seto growled softly, but looked closer at his surroundings. And suddenly, he did see. He could have smacked himself in the forehead for his blindness, had he not already had his arms wrapped around himself for warmth.
There, standing in the center of the chamber, in front of the platform, was a giant rock carved about with symbols.
(--)
Seto stood in front of the rock and stared down at it in frustration. The symbols were deeply ingrained into the face of the stone, but they were unfamiliar to him, written in a language he did not comprehend.
I'm fluent in six languages, and can read and write three different forms of programming, he thought in anger. This freaking rock holds the key to what I need, and I can't even read what the hell it says.
He slammed his hand down in frustration, howling in pain as it met the bare stone.
"Smooth, Seto," he growled, shaking his hand back and forth. "Real damn smooth. Hey, voice? Got any suggestions now? Or is this something that I must 'see'?"
Do I detect a rebuke, chosen?
"Not at all, voice," Seto said, rolling his eyes. "I just figure that even though I've obviously gone over the deep end, I can still create pretty intelligent voices that seem to know what to do better than I do. So when I ask for a suggestion, if you have one, please share, oh voice."
Believe what you must, chosen, but know that you did not create me. I have always been within you. It is your destiny.
Seto sighed. "Fine, whatever, I didn't create you," he said. "Maybe I'm schizophrenic. Hey, whatever it is, I'm just going to roll with it. And as I once told Yugi, if I had a dime for every time I heard the word 'destiny', I'd be even richer. I don't believe in destiny, voice."
Though you don't believe in destiny, chosen, it believes in you. So, would you like to know what it is that is written on that stone?
Seto felt like screaming. Isn't that what I've been asking all along? He thought.
Out loud, he calmly replied, "I would love to know, voice. Please share."
Very well, chosen. In the language of the ancients, it reads thus: "You who enter within, seeker of the Chamber of Answers, know this: Only the purest and bravest may pass. Those who would find their desire must first face the truth within themselves. Face the demons and conquer the anger within. Only then will you find what it is that you would seek."
Seto stared dumbfounded at the unreadable rock in front of him. "So what you're basically telling me, voice, is that in order for me to find this so-called Chamber of Answers that will somehow miraculously lead me to Jou, I have to fight some demons or something?" he said. "Well, that sounds simple enough. I mean, they can't be any worse than facing Pegasus or some of the other creeps I've faced."
Chosen, it says you must face the demons within, not fight a battle. Though you may have to battle yourself.
"Voice, could you please make sense once in a while?" Seto growled. "Ok, whatever. Just tell me how to start this crappy challenge. The sooner I beat it, the sooner I find my angel. Come on, let's go."
Step upon the platform, chosen. But I tell you once again, patience is a virtue. Please, chosen, remember that. And remember this as well: no matter what happens, there are many people who love you, precious one. Do not forget that.
Seto swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Alright voice, I will," he said, as he stepped upon the first stone leading up to the platform. "Let's do this."
He climbed the remaining two stairs and strode with determination to the center of the platform. The walls of the chamber began to bend inward, and everything around him began to spin. He felt himself falling again, falling in a swirl of muted colors, and where he would end, he knew not…
A/N: Whew! Like it? Hate it? Bleh about it? Oh please tell me! I really am so sorry that it took so long to get this out! Life really, really stinks sometimes, you know? But to make up for it, I've got 75 percent of Chapter 18 done, and should have it out within the next week or so! And Jou will be back…I so promise! (But not till Chapter 19!) See ya later, my friends!