Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter 2: Kaiba's Undoing

"Get out! Listen to me—"

"No, I'm not leaving you!"

"You idiot! Shit, just get out of here before—"

"No. NO!"

The shard of memory, if that was what it had been, had only created more questions. There had been no context or mention of anything specific – only two voices, presumably belonging to Jounouchi and himself, arguing as usual, only with a terrified and desperate tone. Clenching his teeth against a pounding headache brought on by trying to force his brain to impart more details than it was willing to give, Seto shoved away from the table and stood up to pace. It could be an important memory and if he could recall more, then it might help him understand how he had come to be wandering in a deserted city with only Jounouchi Katsuya as a companion.

Pausing in the center of the room, Seto turned his head to glare at the unconscious twenty-year-old sprawled on a bench seat in a nearby booth. Of all the people to be stuck with right now, it just had to be the one who couldn't be relied on to find his way out of a paper bag, much less this maddening alternate reality. If only the idiot would wake up and explain what in the world had just occurred in the game shop where he'd almost given Seto a heart attack. When Jounouchi had come out of that bedroom crying Yugi's name repeatedly, Seto concluded that they must not have witnessed the same thing because he was certain he had not seen a single soul in that house aside from Jounouchi; which, of course, made just as little sense as everything else he'd experienced in the past few hours.

At least nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the little café he'd chosen as their hideout, aside from the lack of employees or customers. It was only six or seven blocks from the game shop, but with Jounouchi's weight on his back, Seto had decided it was better than collapsing in the middle of the open street. It had a door and a lock, which at least gave some small sense of security against whatever was outside. The interior was fairly typical – polished tables set in an orderly fashion around the dining area with booths against the windows and walls. At the far side, there was a counter with barstools, and a door behind it leading to the back room. One of the first things Seto had done was check behind the swinging door, but the back room had been as empty as the rest of the establishment.

Muttering a curse, Seto resumed pacing until a soft groan interrupted his thoughts. When he looked over to see Jounouchi peering blearily around the shop, Seto crossed his arms and glared scathingly until the wide, brown eyes finally landed on him and stared in confusion.

"Did you sleep well?" Seto asked mockingly.

Jounouchi blinked slowly before frowning. "I was having a bad dream…" He sat up awkwardly, still staring at Seto as though unsure of what to make of his rival standing over him. In the dim light that crept in through the window shades it was difficult to discern the details of the other's facial expression, but Seto thought he could see a hint of fear.

"It… it wasn't a dream, was it?" Jounouchi quietly realized.

"No." Seto scowled, but relaxed his posture a bit to walk over and slide into the seat across from Jounouchi. "What do you remember?" No point in beating around the bush, he decided.

Jounouchi let out a shaky breath and stared down at the table, picking at the wooden surface with his fingernails. "Yug'… I was talking to Yug', and then Atemu…"

"Him? He's gone." And while he had come to accept and even respect the Other Yugi by the end, Seto hoped never to see him again in this life.

"I know that," Jounouchi snapped. His fingers stopped scratching and instead began tapping steadily. "Of course, I know. I was there, remember? But… but I saw him in Yugi's house. He led us up the stairs…?"

"I saw nobody. I turned away to check the living room and kitchen while you were mumbling to yourself, and by the time I was done you were already upstairs in that bedroom."

"E-eh? But... Well, he was there. And Yug', too. A-and Atemu… he put a kn-knife... I couldn't… there was blood. Yugi's…" Jounouchi trailed off, his eyes wide and pupils dilating as the memory took hold.

Sensing an impending panic-attack, Seto headed it off by snapping, "You stabbed yourself, mutt. I watched through the doorway as you picked the knife up from the floor and shoved it through your own gut. And when you escaped the room, there was not a scratch on you. We each saw something different, but I doubt either actually occurred otherwise you wouldn't be here right now. The Yugi you spoke to was not real. And stop tapping; it's irritating." He reached out and slapped Jounouchi's offending hand away from the table.

Jounouchi gaped. "Huh? But…"

"If Yugi had truly been there, I would have seen him as well." Secretly he would have preferred it if Yugi had been in the bedroom as Jounouchi believed. Not only because it would have been easier to deal with the real thing rather than an irrational hallucination, but also it would have spared him the sight of the empty-eyed duelist unflinchingly sheathing a long, silver dagger into his own stomach.

Blood poured out of the wound, pooling rapidly around Jounouchi.

An expression of sudden anguish, terror and fear as brown eyes finally sparked with awareness.

Seto didn't think he would ever forget that dreadful scene.

"So then that must be why he…" With a thoughtful frown, Jounouchi leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Yug' said he couldn't tell me anything that I didn't already know. Makes sense if he was just a figment of my imagination, right?"

Seto nodded, hiding his surprise at the other's unexpected insight. Then he considered the other's words more carefully and asked, "You actually conversed with this 'Yugi'?"

"Uh, yeah. I wanted to know what the hell was happening to us, but he couldn't tell me. Although he did say something funny…" He closed his eyes, trying to recall the words. "He said that, um, I should trust my heart. Oh, and," he looked up again at Seto with a slight wince, "something's after us so we hafta stick together."

"Wonderful," Seto muttered, his mind already working at lightning speed. 'Yugi' had said that he could not give Jounouchi any new information, so that meant that it had really been Jounouchi giving himself that advice. He knew something about what was happening, even if it was on a subconscious level. It had to be a crucial piece of the puzzle, but where did it fit?

"Hey, Kaiba," Jounouchi said, pulling Seto from his thoughts. "What're we gonna do? We can't stay in this café forever, right? But out there it's like some… some messed up Domino City from the Twilight Zone. This is just so…"

"I will be heading to Kaiba Corp," Seto abruptly informed him, having just made the decision that moment. "You may tag along, if you wish."

Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks. But what's at Kaiba Corp that you think can help us?"

"Among other things, my computers and virtual reality technology." Seto slid out of the booth and automatically reached for his briefcase, only to grasp at empty air. Now that he thought about it, it had been missing ever since he'd unaccountably come to be at the orphanage. He frowned, feeling somewhat naked without the bulletproof case, and the laptop and duel cards contained within. Wondering if anything else was missing, he warily brought a hand up to his chest, and when his fingers touched the cool surface of the familiar card locket, he swallowed a sigh of relief. At least he still had a reminder of Mokuba with him.

Mokuba. Please be safe. I swear I'll find you and get us out of this mess.

When he looked up again, he found Jounouchi staring at him with wide eyes.

"D'ya think we're trapped in the virtual reality world again? Is that why you wanna-"

"Quit yapping," Seto snapped. He stood and walked to the door, which had a window with the blind drawn. By peering through the slats, he was able to see some of the street out front. He heard Jounouchi come up beside him.

"I was just askin'. No need to bite my head off," Jounouchi was grumbling.

"If you're coming with me, I need silence and obedience from you," Seto told him seriously, although not truly expecting either to happen.

Jounouchi, unsurprisingly, ignored him. "So, you see anything out there?" he asked, using his elbow to nudge Seto aside to get a peek out the window. "Damn, it's so quiet. Maybe the Apocalypse happened and they forgot to tell us."

Now it was Seto's turn to roll his eyes – except that he was too mature to do something so childish. With one finger he hooked the back of Jounouchi's shirt collar and sharply tugged him out of the way. Paying no mind to the other's half strangled curse, he unlocked the door and swung it open, causing the little bell above it to tinkle. There was no point in lingering in this place any longer.

Chilly, damp air washed over him as he scanned both directions of the street. The low clouds let through only minimal light so that the city appeared to be stuck in perpetual dusk. Unfortunately, it severely limited the visibility, so Seto couldn't be absolutely sure that there was nothing lurking just beyond.

"Stay close," he muttered to Jounouchi and then strode resolutely down the street in the direction he knew his office tower to be. He nearly stumbled when he felt something solid press into his shoulder. Glancing sideways, Seto growled out, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Jounouchi, who was practically huddled against Seto's side, peeked up with a shaky grin. "Hey, you said to stay close."

"I didn't mean quite…" Seto shook his head, giving it up for a lost cause, and focussed his gaze straight ahead again. "Idiot."

"'Think there're zombies around? I always figured the Apocalypse would involve a whole lot of 'em. And soul-sucking demons, of course, and-"

"I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There was something very eerie about walking into the lobby of Kaiba Corp and finding all of the employees mysteriously absent. Kaiba Corp was never empty. Even when most people had gone home for the night, there were still the security guards patrolling the building and keeping a sharp lookout for intruders. When Seto and Jounouchi walked through the large glass doors and into the lobby area, however, no one came to challenge their authority to be there.

Seto frowned at the front desk where the secretaries should have been and wished he knew who to blame for this mess. If this wasn't merely some frustrating nightmare, then it would mean that everything he'd worked so hard at all these years had just vanished in the blink of an eye. "This cannot be happening for real."

"You sure?" Jounouchi said, his voice hushed.

Seto was unable to find a satisfactory response to that, so he just turned away and headed to the end where the elevators were located. The silence of the building weighed heavily on them and even the faint echo of their shoes scuffing the tiles did little to alleviate it. There was a slight metallic smell in the air that did not belong. They approached the elevators warily.

"I hope they're running," Jounouchi whispered, as though afraid of attracting the attention of whatever might be prowling in the shadows. "I'd hate to have to climb up all those stairs."

Seto glanced up at the floor indicators above the doors. The L for lobby was lit up, so he reached out and pressed the button at the side. Fortunately, the doors glided open without hesitation. "You're in luck," he informed, leading the way into the car.

The shorter man followed, but not without a worried glance around. "Suppose it decides to stop and trap us between floors?"

"It's a machine. It does not have the capability to 'decide' anything." Seto snorted and jabbed the button for his office's floor. He wasn't about to admit that he shared a similar concern that they might become stuck halfway to the top.

Even Jounouchi was still as the contraption began its long ascent; however, their fear was unrealized and they were carried quickly and smoothly to the correct level. Two minutes later, they stepped out into an empty reception area with a corridor running off to the left and, straight ahead, the huge, mahogany doors leading to the CEO's office. There was the same metallic odour as downstairs, with a hint of… Seto's nose twitched.

Is that antiseptic?

"Looks like the zombies have been here too."

Seto started, then looked over his shoulder to glare. "Zombies do not exist."

Jounouchi shot him a dirty look. "Duh, I know that. I was joking. I'm not stupid."

"Right."

"Hey, you—"

Seto ignored the spluttering blond in favour of proceeding ahead to the doors. When he entered his office, it appeared to be just as he'd left it, at least insofar as he could recall considering his lack of recent memories. His antique, oak desk was to the left where it had always been, placed strategically to give him the advantage of having a split second to study any person walking through the door before they spotted him. Behind it was a black leather executive high back chair and windows that stretched from floor to ceiling lining the wall, which let in the somber light from outside. The air conditioner hissed softly in the background.

Seto went straight to his desktop computer after ascertaining that there was nobody, real or illusion, lurking in the corners. A moment later, soft footsteps padding across the carpet let him know that Jounouchi had followed.

"Is it working?" Jounouchi asked.

"If you would shut up for a moment, I could concentrate on starting it up." Seto glared when the other man sat on the edge of the desk.

"All ya hafta do is hit a button! Doesn't take a genius to do that. Here, let me." Jounouchi reached out before Seto could stop him and pressed the power button. Nothing happened. The monitor didn't flicker and there wasn't even so much as a murmur from the machine. Seto jabbed the button again, holding it in for a few seconds in hopes something would catch, but still the computer refused to turn on.

"Is it plugged in?"

Seto didn't reply, but began checking the power cord, cables and everything else he could think of. After a while, he had to admit that it all appeared to be in perfect working order and yet he couldn't get the infernal thing to run.

When Seto slammed a hand on the keyboard in frustration, Jounouchi hurriedly stood up and said, "I'll go check the computer on the secretary's desk." Seto was left alone to scowl at the uncooperative machine.

"Well, that one's not doing anything either," Jounouchi reported back a few minutes later.

Seto cursed and ran a hand distractedly through his hair, feeling his stress levels rising. He'd been counting on the use of the computers to gather some information about whatever it was that had landed them in this unimaginable situation. Without technology, they were just as blind and clueless as rats stuck in a maze.

With a gloomy-sounding moan, Jounouchi again perched his rear end on the desk, only this time he twisted sideways and pulled his feet up as well. Hugging his knees, he stared at Seto, who barely refrained from snapping at him to remove his dirty shoes from the polished surface. Considering the circumstances, it didn't seem all that prudent to be worrying about a few scratches and smudges on his furniture.

Finally, there was a muttered, "Now what?"

Now what, indeed. Seto shook his head and stood up from the chair. "The VR equipment is in the basement."

The other man scrambled off the desk and jogged after him. "You don't seriously think any of that will help us, do ya? I mean, if the computers aren't working, then why should anything else?"

Seto stopped, turned and pointed up in one swift motion. "What do you see?"

Jounouchi blinked and looked up. "Um, the light?"

"Correct. The lights are on. The elevator and the air conditioner are running. That means there is still electricity in this building." He didn't wait for a response, but continued through the reception area to the elevator.

"Well, I think this place ain't following the rules we're used to," Jounouchi said quietly as he joined Seto in the car. He stood facing Seto while the doors slid shut and they began their descent. "Kaiba… what do you really think is really goin' on? I'm so lost. Everybody's gone and… and… What if we never see them again? What if…"

Seto's hand shot out and covered the other's mouth before he could blurt out anything else. Frightened, golden-brown eyes widened in surprised and stared at him uncertainly. "We will see them again, so don't talk about the 'what if's.' The entire population did not just vanish and leave you and me as the only two exceptions. For the moment, the only answer that makes sense is that, despite appearances, this is not Domino City."

Seto took back his hand but kept eye contact. It wouldn't do to have a panicking puppy on his hands, so he hoped that sharing some of his thoughts would serve to put Jounouchi at ease. "A virtual reality program is one possibility; therefore, we'll check on the system and computers in my laboratory to see if they can provide us with any clues. We'll just take things one step at a time and you will be back with your loser friends before you know it."

"Kaiba…" Jounouchi stared before lowering his gaze as though embarrassed. "Thanks, I guess."

Fortunately they reached their floor right then, saving them from an awkward silence. The doors opened with a soft ping and the two men stepped out into a dimly lit corridor. They were in the third basement level and, with Seto in the lead, they advanced down the corridor, passing doors on either side.

"VR-project-584C"," Jounouchi read out loud the plaque on the door that they halted in front of. "I don't remember the VR pods being down here. Did ya move 'em?"

"We're in the process of modifying the old system to be more portable and user-friendly," Seto informed as he used the number pad to the side to input the security code. A double-beep sounded, which meant it had been accepted, and then he bent his head to let another device scan his eye.

Jounouchi whistled lowly from behind. "Wow, talk about tight security."

The door clicked and slid open with a hiss. "It's necessary. In this business, you can never be too cautious."

Seto walked in and did a quick survey of the room. Everything appeared to be in its normal state. The lab had the main VR equipment in an area enclosed by sheets of Plexiglas. To his right was a large set up of computers and other various tools. "Go and see if you can turn on any of the computers. I will test the VR system."

"Sure thing, boss."

Seto entered the enclosed section and began examining some of the VR helmets, cables, power sources and other bits. All of it was dead. No matter what he did, he could not garner the slightest response from anything. He growled and threw another useless device to the ground. Why was nothing important working? It didn't make an ounce of sense that some things like the elevator would operate, but others wouldn't. It seemed that Jounouchi had been correct when he said that the rules had been changed.

"Damn it." He stormed back out into the main area. One look at Jounouchi's face told him that there had been no success there either. "There must be one functional computer somewhere!"

Jounouchi shrugged uncomfortably and studied the floor. "Maybe we aren't allowed to get information that way. It'd be too easy… or something."

"Allowed?" Seto glared icily. "This is not a game. There is nobody controlling us."

"Then what the hell is it?" the other man challenged.

Seto clenched his fists. He didn't know what was going on yet, but he was not about to give up. Reaching out, he snatched Jounouchi's arm and pulled him along out of the lab.

"Hey! Let go. I—"

"Wait by the elevator." Seto forcibly shoved him in that direction.

"Hold on, what? Where are you going?"

"To test the computers in the other labs." There were twenty-eight all together on this level. He was bound to come across one that would boot up.

Jounouchi did not move right away, wasting precious time as usual. "But… why can't I come along? We're supposed to stay together."

Sneering, Seto said, "You slow me down. Now get over there and don't move." He turned away, his trench coat flaring out behind.

"But, Kaiba!"

He blocked out the shouts and began entering the security code for the first door he came across. Jounouchi listened for once and stayed put, which was fortunate since Seto was starting to have a difficult time controlling his temper and he did not want to get into a fight with the other man. This wasn't the time or place for that. In addition to searching for an operational computer, he used the alone time to calm down so that he would not lose himself to anger and frustration.

About twenty minutes later, he was still searching. Every computer he'd tried had been exactly the same – dead. He came to a halt in the middle of the hallway after exiting the twelfth room. Nothing. How could there be nothing? His fingernails dug into his palms as he fiercely tried to understand. Lost in thought, he at first took no notice of a whisper of sound where before there had been only silence. Gradually, however, he became aware of it and raised his head sharply. The whisper floated to him from somewhere up ahead, soft and wordless. Suddenly wary, Seto took a cautious step towards it, wondering about its source. It couldn't be Jounouchi as he was in the opposite direction.

The whisper grew in volume until finally one word could be made out. Seto froze.

"Big brother!"

"Mokuba…?" It was impossible. There was nobody here aside from himself and Jounouchi. Seto retreated a few steps. It was not real. It couldn't be. It had to be an illusion such as Yugi had been earlier.

"Brother! Big brother!"

Seto shook his head in denial, trying to remain firm. "No." He should head back to Jounouchi now. He'd been gone for too long already.

But then the next shriek reached his ears and his protective instincts kicked in and took over.

"Help me, Seto! I need you!"

Without having made a conscious decision, he was running forward, completely disregarding the voice in the back of his mind that insisted it was only a hallucination. It was Mokuba's voice and it was begging for his help. There was nothing else he could do but go to his brother. Seto ran until he came to an open door from which a strange light spilt out. Knowing better than to rush headlong in, he moved stealthily up to it and peered in, hoping he wouldn't find a gun pointed at his face. There wasn't one, but when he caught a glimpse of the interior, it felt like he took a punch to the stomach and the air abruptly left his lungs. Inside was one of his worst nightmares come to life.

"Mokuba!"

"B-brother?" The young teenager turned his head in the direction of the door, but a white cloth blindfolded him. He was sitting with his back against the opposite wall, curled up as much as possible while his ankles were tied together with a heavy rope. His hands were behind his back, presumably bound as well. Completely stripped of every last piece of clothing, Mokuba was shivering and sobbing. Red lash marks littered his exposed skin.

"Seto?" He whimpered again.

"Oh god. Mokuba!" Seto flew in with little regard to his own safety. He had to get Mokuba out of here. In his distress, he had momentarily forgotten that there could be someone else in the room.

Several feet in, Seto was jerked to a halt, grabbed and held from both sides. "No, damn you!" He tried to pull away so that he could get into a fighting stance, but the arms that held him were as solid and unbreakable as stone. Looking to each side, all he could see were two large men with bulging muscles and masked faces. They didn't make a move or a sound as Seto struggled and threw expletives right and left. Instead they remained staring straight ahead with twin blank expressions as though they were merely holding a sack of potatoes between them.

A third man peeled away from the shadows in front of them. His face, too, was masked. In one hand he held a short riding crop, and he ignored Seto while boldly approaching Mokuba, who cringed away at the sound of the footsteps.

"You bastard! Stay the fuck away from him!." With renewed fury, Seto struggled harder, but his captors didn't so much as flinch. They seemed to have inhuman strength. "I'll kill you!" If he could just get one arm loose…

"Brother, help! Don't let him hurt me again!"

"Don't you fucking dare touch him!" His own strength ebbing, Seto could only watch helplessly as the masked man reached down and grabbed a handful of Mokuba's hair at the back of the head. "No! Bastard!"

What followed nearly destroyed Seto. The things that man did to the poor boy went beyond cruel and, even though he was only a few feet away, Seto could do nothing. Whips, knives, and worse… He couldn't save his little brother from the unbearable torture, but could only watch, powerless to stop it, as the one light in his life was gradually snuffed out. Mokuba's terrible screams of pain and fright, mixed with the sour smells of blood, vomit and cum, broke something in Seto. Limp with exhaustion and dismay, he hung uselessly between his captors. There was a numbness creeping up from his feet and what felt to be a noose tightening around his neck, choking him. He had failed Mokuba in the worst way. He'd failed to protect him, to be the big brother he was supposed to be. He might as well be dead.

"Mokuba…"

"Big brother!"

"Kaiba!"

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews (and story favs/alerts) for last chapter! I really appreciate them and I hope I live up to your expectations! ;)