Greetings! This chapter is a day early, but I didn't think anyone would
mind. I was supposed to update this one, wasn't I? I think I updated
Intruders last time.
I'm on limited time, so I can't reply to reviews. It seems that most people don't like the cliffhangers. Imagine that *ponders realization carefully ^_^*. I'm not evil, I swear! The chapters just seem to end that way. Thank you to everyone who replied. I'm just giddy with excitement at all the good things you guys have to say *cyber hugs to everyone*. I do hope no one minds the length. There's still a bit of it to go before the story is over.
Please read the note at the end of the chapter. It's important!!
On to the story!
**~~**
Part 19: Darkness Falls
He heard his young employer rush through the house, yelling at the boy that had come in with him. This was not unusual, as Mr. Kaiba tended to yell at most people. Harris had come to know and expect that over the years he'd been working for Mr. Kaiba. When both teens ran out of the front door, however, the situation became Harris' business. After all, he wouldn't be much of a body guard if he wasn't around to keep his employer safe.
Harris rushed out of the house, running after the teens. He saw a black sedan pass the front gates just as Mr. Kaiba exited the grounds, and he immediately pulled out his gun. It was too late at night for casual traffic, especially when Harris heard the squeal of tires as the car came to a sudden stop. His pace, as well as his heart beat, quickened at the sound. He was expecting the worst as he cleared the front gates and he raised his gun, ready to fire at any threat to Mr. Kaiba.
What he saw made him momentarily halt. A tall, well built man was carrying a blonde teenager into the waiting car. Harris looked around, but he didn't see the other teenager, the one that had come in with Mr. Kaiba earlier.
All thoughts of the boy were forgotten as Harris saw Mr. Kaiba slumped on the ground on his side. He fired a couple of shots at the man with the boy, hoping to injure him while not wanting to harm the boy in his arms. Harris succeeded in hitting the man in the leg, but he still managed to get into the car. Harris shot at the car, but it sped away too fast for him to be able to do anything.
Cursing himself for his carelessness, he put his gun back in its holster and made his way to Mr. Kaiba. Harris noticed a white, dart like thing protruding from Mr. Kaiba's right shoulder and immediately took it out. He reached out to Mr. Kaiba's throat and sighed in relief when he felt a strong pulse. He'd been shot with a tranquilizer dart and did not seem to be seriously injured. Gritting his teeth, Harris put the dart in a pocket of his jacket so he could give it to the doctor later.
Gently, he picked up Mr. Kaiba and made his way back to the mansion. The teenager wasn't heavy, despite his height. Harris looked at the boy's face, noting that it looked much more at peace than it did during his waking hours. He had always wondered why the boy was always so serious and reclusive, but had never dared ask. He hadn't been hired to wonder about his employer's emotional state. He'd only been hired to keep the boy, and his brother, alive.
He reached the house quickly and started up the stairs to Mr. Kaiba's bedroom. Halfway there, Harris heard another door slam shut, before the younger Kaiba raced down the stairs. He stopped when he noticed that Harris was carrying his brother.
"Seto? What happened, Harris?"
Mokuba's voice, which had been made hoarse by sleep, suddenly rose in pitch, giving the young boy an even younger appearance.
"I don't know what happened, young Kaiba," Harris said as he continued to make his way to his employer's bedroom. "Mr. Kaiba's friend ran out the door, and then Mr. Kaiba followed. By the time I reached the front of the house, Mr. Kaiba was on the ground, unconscious. A man was putting a blonde teenager into a black car, but I couldn't stop him."
He reached the bedroom and Mokuba quickly opened the door for him. Harris entered and gingerly laid Mr. Kaiba on his bed.
"Will you wait here with him? I'm going to call the physician."
He waited until Mokuba nodded, before making his way out of the room. Once he had reached the door, he turned to see that Mokuba had stretched out beside his brother and had put his head on Mr. Kaiba's chest. Harris smiled, the sweetness of the moment temporarily making him forget their current circumstances. With a strong shake of his head, he left the room. He had more important things to take care of.
**~~**
Shadow watched his operative enter the room, a slightly frightened look on his face. Things had not gone according to plan, of that Shadow had no doubt. If they had, Jenkins wouldn't look so jumpy.
"What happened?"
Jenkins swallowed, but recovered his calm façade.
"You were right in insisting we keep a watch on the Kaiba mansion. The target showed up shortly after midnight with Kaiba himself. A short while later Jomei Asami ran out of the house. Ruso decided to take the opportunity to grab him, but wasn't counting on Kaiba and another boy to come running after Jomei. He had to bring the boys in.
Shadow's fist landed on the desk, sending papers sliding out of control and onto the floor.
"Ruso brought Seto Kaiba here? Is he out of his mind?"
Jenkins shook his head, and it was all Shadow could do not to throttle him for his incompetence.
"No. Kaiba is not here. Jomei and the other boy are. Ruso left Kaiba unconscious in front of his mansion."
Shadow took several deep breaths, attempting in vain to control his quickly rising temper. He hadn't thought that things could get worse.
"Were there any witnesses?" Shadow finally asked through clenched teeth.
Jenkins paled considerably and avoided looking at him.
"Yes. One of Kaiba's security guards got in a couple of shots before Ruso took off. Ruso is not sure whether or not the guard saw his face."
Shadow willed himself to remain calm. He needed complete control or the situation would spiral out of his reach.
"So we've got Jomei and another kid, presumably a friend of Jomei's, locked up in the basement?"
Jenkins nodded.
"Send Kano in to welcome them. I believe he's familiar with Jomei, since they both lived with Asami for a short while. He's cruel enough to scare anyone into submission, which is why I didn't have him permanently removed when Asami sent him back. Our guests are secured, I presume?"
Jenkins nodded. "Of course. They're not going anywhere."
Jenkins stood silently in front of the desk for a while, before finally speaking.
"What are you going to do with the other kid?"
Shadow shrugged. "I have no need for him, but I don't want to complicate our situation any further by killing him. Have Kano remove Jomei from the room the other kid is in and place him somewhere else. Then I'll inject him with the drug and throw him in a dumpster somewhere."
Jenkins nodded once and exited the room. Shadow sat on his chair and examined his surroundings. All of it would be gone by dawn. His boss had ordered a complete evacuation to avoid further problems. He'd decided to start fresh in another country, which suited Shadow just fine. Jomei Asami was the only one who knew of his involvement in this operation, but he was going to take care of that in a few hours. After that, there would be no one left to threaten him.
**~~**
The first thing Joey noticed when he woke up was that he was cold. The second was that his hands were tied together. He was lying on his side, his knees up to his chest. He moved his head a little, wincing at the throbbing pain that suddenly assaulted his senses. He attempted to sit up, when a voice caught his attention.
"Get away from me."
Joey's eyes snapped open and he found himself starting up at a towering man that reminded Joey of that bully that Yugi had tried to defend him and Tristan against all those years ago. Yugi had ended up getting just as beat up as he and Honda, but it had been enough to show Joey that Yugi meant to give his friendship feely, and he'd only been too happy to take it.
The guy he was staring at wasn't facing him. Instead, he was standing a few feet away, holding someone against the wall. From the cry he'd heard earlier, he knew that it was Jomei.
"Come on, Jomei, lighten up! We're old friends, remember?" the guy said. He seemed to be having some difficulty staying on his feet, which Joey took to mean that Jomei was struggling. "I promised you I'd finish what I started with you that night, and this is my chance."
Jomei's reply was muffled by something, and it turned Joey's stomach to imagine just what that something could be. As quickly as he could, Joey gathered his wits about him and stood up. His hands were tethered to a pole attached to the wall, but the chain holding the cuffs around his wrists was long enough to allow for some movement. Without thinking, he threw himself at Jomei's attacker. The chain went taut, jerking Joey back to where he'd come from, but not before throwing the guy a few feet away from Jomei. Joey landed painfully on the ground and turned to look at Jomei, who had slid down the wall and was now sitting on the floor. Jomei was looking down, his face almost completely covered by his bangs.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Joey looked up to see the bully heading for him, his face a mask of rage.
"Stay away from my friend," Joey managed to ground out, hissing as his wrists throbbed.
He managed to get to his knees, but before he could stand up again, the bully grabbed him by the shirt, picked him up, and slammed him against the wall. The guy's eyes were bright with anger, and his grip was strong. Joey tried to break it, but found that he was unable to. He was used to being on the other end of a situation like this, and it frightened him to think that he couldn't control this one. He did, however, manage to raise his leg and hit the bully right below the knee. The guy screamed in anger, before backhanding Joey. Joey landed, stunned, on the ground.
"You're in no position to argue here, blondie," the guy said.
He kneeled in front of Joey and looked at him. Joey's skin crawled at the way the guy's eyes darkened. He jerked Joey's head up so that he could see it, and licked his lips.
"Well, what do you know? Your friend here is pretty cute too, Jomei. Since you don't want to play with me, why don't I just play with him?"
Joey jerked his head out of the guy's grasp, feeling sick at the implication. No way in hell was he going to let this overgrown creep touch him. He slid back so that his back was to the wall, his legs in front of him.
"No!"
Joey turned to see that the younger teen had turned to look at the bully. His face was pale in the darkened room, but Joey could see the terror in his face.
"Leave him alone, Kano. He has nothing to do with this."
The bully, Kano, laughed. He looked at Joey once more, before he stood up and headed back to Jomei. He pulled Jomei roughly up to his feet and then leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Jomei's eyes went wide, and they glanced briefly at Joey, before they closed. Jomei sighed and slowly nodded, a single tear sliding down his cheek.
Kano released Jomei, who once again sank to the floor.
"That's better. Well, then, I'll be back for you shortly, Jomei."
With that, Kano left them alone.
Joey looked at Jomei, who refused to look at him. Instead, the younger teen had brought his knees up to his chest and had rested his head on them. Joey could see his shoulders shaking slightly, but there were no sobs.
"Jomei, what was that about? Where are we?"
Jomei didn't say anything.
Now that they were both out of immediate danger, Joey took the time to look around. They were in a small, dimly lit room with no windows. Both the floor and the walls were made of concrete and there were no furnishings in the room. Crates and metal containers lined the walls of the room, but not much else.
Joey inspected his bonds carefully but found no way to unlock them. The cuffs around his wrists were metal and so was the chain tethering him to the wall. The only way to get out of them was with a key. Defeated for the moment, Joey made his way to Jomei. He sat in front of the other teen and put a hand on his shoulder. Jomei jerked his body away, moving as far as his own chain allowed.
"Talk to me, Jomei," Joey stated. "Why did you leave the house? What's going on? Who was that guy that just left?"
Silence again greeted his questions.
Joey didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on, but it was obvious that Jomei did. Why wouldn't he say anything?
**~~**
He couldn't stop shaking. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Kano's last words out of his mind. As if from a tape recorder, they played over and over until he wanted nothing more than to lose his hearing so he wouldn't have to face the reality of what he'd just agreed to.
'Let me finish what I started in Tokyo, without fighting me, without struggling, and I'll leave your friend alone. Otherwise, I'll take him instead.'
Jomei clenched his hands, hissing slightly at the pain in his palms. The pain helped draw him out of his recollections, so he clenched his hands even tighter, noting with detached interest that he felt something wet in his palms. He opened one and saw a small trickle of blood rolling across his palm. He smiled ruefully, knowing that by the end of the night, the small trickle of blood would be the least of his worries.
How incredibly unlucky was he to run into his worst nightmare in the place he least expected? Asami had never told them what had happened to Kano, and Jomei had definitely not expected to see him in Domino. Why was Kano here? Had he been brought in specifically to torture him, or was it sheer coincidence? His past and his present were colliding and Jomei had no idea how to make sense of it all.
"Who was that guy, Jomei?"
Jomei sighed. He'd heard Joey ask that question, along with several others, a few times already, and he'd chosen to ignore him every time. He felt anger towards the blonde. It was inexplicable, but it was there. After all, Joey had been brought in here because of him, not the other way around. He hadn't wanted to say a word for fear that he would let his anger show.
"Come on, Jomei. The silent treatment doesn't suit you. I'm in this just as deep as you are, so don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
At those words, the anger finally managed to break through the weak wall Jomei had managed to erect, the wall that was keeping his emotions in check. He looked up and pierced Joey with a glare that made the taller teen scoot away from him.
"I didn't ask you to come, Joey. I didn't ask you to follow me," Jomei practically screamed. "Why do you think I left? I left because of this, because I didn't want to get you or anyone else involved in my problems. You made my decision worthless when you decided to invite yourself along!"
Joey's face contorted with emotions Jomei couldn't identify, and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he was the cause.
"What did you expect me to do? Did you really expect me to stay home and pretend nothing had happened, when something was so seriously wrong that you had to run away from it? Are you out of your mind?" Joey yelled right back at him "You're my friend, Jomei. You don't remember being my friend, but I do. If it'd been me, you would have done the same thing. You wouldn't have let me deal with this stuff on my own, and I wasn't about to let you do the same."
Jomei looked away from the sadness in Joey's eyes. He wished that he could remember. He wished that he knew what he'd done to deserve such loyalty from Joey, and friendship from Seto. Maybe then he could deal with everything better, maybe then he'd be willing to let them help him, instead of running away.
"What about that guy, Kano? What did he say to you? How do you know him?"
Jomei shook his head, refusing to look at Joey. He was afraid that his eyes would betray the fear he had for Kano.
"It doesn't matter, Joey."
"Like hell it doesn't! Do you think I'm stupid? I know what he was doing to you when I woke up, Jomei. I'm not blind." Joey said. "Has he done that to you before?"
"Drop it, Joey."
"What did he say to you before he left? What did he threaten you with? Did he tell you to agree to something? Did you do it because of me? I saw you look at me before you nodded, I saw you cry. Whatever he said, don't agree with it. We'll deal with it together"
"Stop it"
"Stop what, Jomei? Stop what?"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Joey and believe me, you don't want to know. Just let it go!"
Joey didn't understand. He couldn't understand. He may know what Kano had been doing, but it didn't mean that he was ready to face the consequences. Joey was a big guy, but not strong enough to defeat Kano. If Kano decided he wanted Joey, there was nothing Joey was going to be able to do to keep himself safe. Kano really didn't want Joey, and Jomei knew that. It was his fault Joey was even involved, which made it his responsibility to deal with Kano and make sure Joey stayed safe.
"How can you be so sure I don't want to know? You're my friend, Jomei. If that bastard has hurt you or threatened you, I want to know it."
"It's none of your business," Jomei finally said, his voice strong and determined. He wasn't about to drag an innocent bystander like Joey into this. Suddenly, something hit him. "Where's Seto?" He'd been with Seto when he'd been knocked out, right? Could Seto be here?
"Kaiba? I don't know. The last thing I remember was seeing him unconscious on the ground a few feet behind you. I don't think they brought him. Kaiba would be too prolific of a hostage."
Jomei nodded, hoping that Joey was right.
The door opened, and Jomei looked up to see the man he'd seen in the hospital and Kano walk into the room. The mad made his way over to him, while Kano waited by the door.
"You've caused me quite a lot of trouble, young man," he said, glaring at Jomei. "That's all going to end tonight."
The man left Jomei and walked over to Joey.
"You are a complication, but I can fix that."
The man reached inside his coat pocket and retrieved a syringe. The sight of it made Jomei tense, and he was suddenly bombarded by a similar image:
*~*
He was on the floor, watching as the man came near him. The man reached down and roughly pulled him closer.
"There's nothing you can do about it, Yugi. Say goodbye."
**YAMI! YAMI, HELP ME! He's going to. . .**
His mental concentration was broken as he felt a burning pain in his left arm. He looked down to see the man emptying a syringe into the upper part of his arm. Immediately, he began to feel faint. The man laid him on the ground and stood up. He walked a few steps and then stopped, remaining there to watch.
** I'm sorry. I'm so sorry**
'I can't lose myself, I have to be me. I can't let them take away my life, my freedom, and my memories. I won't! I am Yugi Moto, I am fifteen years old. I live at the Turtle Game Shop with my grandfather. I love Duel Monsters and my favorite card is the Dark Magician. I have four best friends named Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Ryou, and have a spirit protector named Yami. I love my family, I love my life. I will remember this forever.'
*~*
Jomei shivered. The desperate chant to keep his memory had been so crystal clear that he could still hear it in his head. He remembered the desperation and fear of that moment, but nothing else. The words made sense, and then they didn't, because they didn't really mean anything to Jomei. He wanted to remember. He could see that image so clearly and felt that if he could reach just a little further, he would remember more. He wasn't given a chance to, however, as the man's next words brought a chill down Jomei's spine.
"This will make sure that you won't have anything to tell anyone, young man. I am going to be kind to you, however. I am going to release you. Once you have no memory of what has transpired here, you'll be on your own to do what you like. All of this is will be wiped from your memory."
At that moment, Kano walked forward, pulled Jomei up from the floor, and unchained him. Kano's arm went around Jomei's chest, which left him immobile.
"What about Jomei?" Joey asked, fear evident in his voice.
"Jomei? Oh, he's going to get the same treatment you are. Except for him, it won't be as much fun." The man turned to Kano. "Take him to another room and stay with him until I get there."
Kano nodded and dragged Jomei out of the room. Panicked, Jomei dug in his heels, trying to stay with Joey.
"Joey, remember who you are!" Jomei yelled. "Please!"
The man laughed as Jomei struggled against Kano, but it was no use. Kano was much stronger. Kano easily picked him up and carried him out of the room. Behind him, he could hear Joey yelling after him, until everything was silent. Tears fell down his face as Joey was silenced, and he said farewell to his friend and asked for forgiveness for getting him involved in this mess.
Kano pushed him into another semi darkened room. He closed the door behind them and Jomei quickly got as far away as he could. He looked around the room, looking for any possible means of escape, but he found none. He turned back to Kano, who was still standing by the door.
"Remember what you agreed to, Jomei," Kano said, his face triumphant.
Jomei shook his head. "Joey is being hurt in there so it doesn't matter what I agreed to. The deal was that you could have your way with me and Joey would be safe."
Kano nodded. "Exactly. Once Shadow is done with Joey, he's going to ask me to dump him somewhere. I'll have plenty of time to play with him in the mean time."
"I'm hardly going to be around to do anything about it or even know if you've kept your word, so the deal is off. I'm not going to let you do anything to me."
Kano's face darkened, and he advanced towards Jomei. The smaller teen sidestepped the bigger one, but his victory was short lived. Kano lashed out and hit Jomei on the side of the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, dazed. By the time he'd regained his bearings, Kano was on top of him, his weight pinning Jomei to the cold floor.
Jomei opened his mouth to scream, but Kano's hand clamped roughly over it, effectively silencing him.
"I gave you a choice, but you decided to play it rough. Now you're going to pay the price."
Jomei's hands were now free, but no amount of hitting or pushing dislodged Kano from him. His heart was racing a mile a minute, and it was difficult for him to breathe. He didn't want this to happen. He couldn't let this happen. He struggled as best he could, with no results.
'Help me! Someone please help me!' Jomei yelled mentally, because it was the only voice he had left.
Kano finally got tired of his squirming, and he lifted Jomei's head, slamming it down onto the floor. Jomei was stunned. His entire body went limp as it tried to cope with the agonizing pain in his head, and that was all Kano needed. Jomei felt his clothes being torn, and at that moment realized that it would take a miracle to stop his worst nightmare from happening.
**~~**
The first thing Kaiba became aware of was a heavy weight on his chest. The second was that he felt as if he'd been run over by a car, several times. His eyes widened, and he was about to shove the heavy weight off his chest when a soft sniffle caught his attention. The weight moved, giving Kaiba a good look at a red, puffy face.
"Mokuba?"
Mokuba's eyes snapped open, and he smiled widely.
"Seto, you're awake!" the boy exclaimed.
He sat up, giving Kaiba room to get to a sitting position. He groaned as his brain seemed to swim inside his head, making his stomach clench with nausea. He successfully fought the nausea, but was left with a pounding headache.
"What happened?"
Mokuba's puffy eyes widened. "I was hoping you could tell me. I was so worried. I woke up and was going to the kitchen when I saw Harris carrying you to your room. I don't think even he knows what happened."
Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember what had happened. He'd been at the office. . . he'd driven home. . . but wait, he hadn't gotten home alone, had he?
"Jomei, where is he?"
Mokuba shook his head. "I don't know, Seto. I didn't even know he was here. I thought Joey was here."
Kaiba frowned. "Why would the mutt be here?"
"Harris told me that the man that shot you with that tranquilizer dart had put a blonde teenager into a black car. I just assumed it was Joey. I didn't know Yugi had been here too."
Kaiba's stomach clenched with uncharacteristic fear. They'd been attacked. He remembered now. Whoever it was had taken Jomei, he was sure of it. Where had Joey come from? He got up and swayed a bit as dizziness overwhelmed him.
"Where are you going, big brother? The doctor said you had to rest."
"I have to talk to Harris, Mokuba. I have to see the security tapes. Yugi is in trouble and we have to find him."
**~~**
Just remember, if any harm comes to me, the story won't get finished :o).
***Important note***
Okay, because I treasure and respect all of the people who are reading this story, I am giving you a choice. As far as Kano and Jomei are concerned, should Kano have his way or shouldn't he? I'm leaving it entirely up to you. I had originally intended to write it one way, but decided to let you guys choose instead. Majority will rule, so if you have an opinion on the matter, please vote. Besides, if I'm going to have to defend myself later on whatever it is I end up writing, I want to know that you at least made your opinion on the subject known.
I don't have any previews for the next chapter. What happens with Jomei will pretty much dictate how the rest of the chapter goes, so it's up to you.
I'm on limited time, so I can't reply to reviews. It seems that most people don't like the cliffhangers. Imagine that *ponders realization carefully ^_^*. I'm not evil, I swear! The chapters just seem to end that way. Thank you to everyone who replied. I'm just giddy with excitement at all the good things you guys have to say *cyber hugs to everyone*. I do hope no one minds the length. There's still a bit of it to go before the story is over.
Please read the note at the end of the chapter. It's important!!
On to the story!
**~~**
Part 19: Darkness Falls
He heard his young employer rush through the house, yelling at the boy that had come in with him. This was not unusual, as Mr. Kaiba tended to yell at most people. Harris had come to know and expect that over the years he'd been working for Mr. Kaiba. When both teens ran out of the front door, however, the situation became Harris' business. After all, he wouldn't be much of a body guard if he wasn't around to keep his employer safe.
Harris rushed out of the house, running after the teens. He saw a black sedan pass the front gates just as Mr. Kaiba exited the grounds, and he immediately pulled out his gun. It was too late at night for casual traffic, especially when Harris heard the squeal of tires as the car came to a sudden stop. His pace, as well as his heart beat, quickened at the sound. He was expecting the worst as he cleared the front gates and he raised his gun, ready to fire at any threat to Mr. Kaiba.
What he saw made him momentarily halt. A tall, well built man was carrying a blonde teenager into the waiting car. Harris looked around, but he didn't see the other teenager, the one that had come in with Mr. Kaiba earlier.
All thoughts of the boy were forgotten as Harris saw Mr. Kaiba slumped on the ground on his side. He fired a couple of shots at the man with the boy, hoping to injure him while not wanting to harm the boy in his arms. Harris succeeded in hitting the man in the leg, but he still managed to get into the car. Harris shot at the car, but it sped away too fast for him to be able to do anything.
Cursing himself for his carelessness, he put his gun back in its holster and made his way to Mr. Kaiba. Harris noticed a white, dart like thing protruding from Mr. Kaiba's right shoulder and immediately took it out. He reached out to Mr. Kaiba's throat and sighed in relief when he felt a strong pulse. He'd been shot with a tranquilizer dart and did not seem to be seriously injured. Gritting his teeth, Harris put the dart in a pocket of his jacket so he could give it to the doctor later.
Gently, he picked up Mr. Kaiba and made his way back to the mansion. The teenager wasn't heavy, despite his height. Harris looked at the boy's face, noting that it looked much more at peace than it did during his waking hours. He had always wondered why the boy was always so serious and reclusive, but had never dared ask. He hadn't been hired to wonder about his employer's emotional state. He'd only been hired to keep the boy, and his brother, alive.
He reached the house quickly and started up the stairs to Mr. Kaiba's bedroom. Halfway there, Harris heard another door slam shut, before the younger Kaiba raced down the stairs. He stopped when he noticed that Harris was carrying his brother.
"Seto? What happened, Harris?"
Mokuba's voice, which had been made hoarse by sleep, suddenly rose in pitch, giving the young boy an even younger appearance.
"I don't know what happened, young Kaiba," Harris said as he continued to make his way to his employer's bedroom. "Mr. Kaiba's friend ran out the door, and then Mr. Kaiba followed. By the time I reached the front of the house, Mr. Kaiba was on the ground, unconscious. A man was putting a blonde teenager into a black car, but I couldn't stop him."
He reached the bedroom and Mokuba quickly opened the door for him. Harris entered and gingerly laid Mr. Kaiba on his bed.
"Will you wait here with him? I'm going to call the physician."
He waited until Mokuba nodded, before making his way out of the room. Once he had reached the door, he turned to see that Mokuba had stretched out beside his brother and had put his head on Mr. Kaiba's chest. Harris smiled, the sweetness of the moment temporarily making him forget their current circumstances. With a strong shake of his head, he left the room. He had more important things to take care of.
**~~**
Shadow watched his operative enter the room, a slightly frightened look on his face. Things had not gone according to plan, of that Shadow had no doubt. If they had, Jenkins wouldn't look so jumpy.
"What happened?"
Jenkins swallowed, but recovered his calm façade.
"You were right in insisting we keep a watch on the Kaiba mansion. The target showed up shortly after midnight with Kaiba himself. A short while later Jomei Asami ran out of the house. Ruso decided to take the opportunity to grab him, but wasn't counting on Kaiba and another boy to come running after Jomei. He had to bring the boys in.
Shadow's fist landed on the desk, sending papers sliding out of control and onto the floor.
"Ruso brought Seto Kaiba here? Is he out of his mind?"
Jenkins shook his head, and it was all Shadow could do not to throttle him for his incompetence.
"No. Kaiba is not here. Jomei and the other boy are. Ruso left Kaiba unconscious in front of his mansion."
Shadow took several deep breaths, attempting in vain to control his quickly rising temper. He hadn't thought that things could get worse.
"Were there any witnesses?" Shadow finally asked through clenched teeth.
Jenkins paled considerably and avoided looking at him.
"Yes. One of Kaiba's security guards got in a couple of shots before Ruso took off. Ruso is not sure whether or not the guard saw his face."
Shadow willed himself to remain calm. He needed complete control or the situation would spiral out of his reach.
"So we've got Jomei and another kid, presumably a friend of Jomei's, locked up in the basement?"
Jenkins nodded.
"Send Kano in to welcome them. I believe he's familiar with Jomei, since they both lived with Asami for a short while. He's cruel enough to scare anyone into submission, which is why I didn't have him permanently removed when Asami sent him back. Our guests are secured, I presume?"
Jenkins nodded. "Of course. They're not going anywhere."
Jenkins stood silently in front of the desk for a while, before finally speaking.
"What are you going to do with the other kid?"
Shadow shrugged. "I have no need for him, but I don't want to complicate our situation any further by killing him. Have Kano remove Jomei from the room the other kid is in and place him somewhere else. Then I'll inject him with the drug and throw him in a dumpster somewhere."
Jenkins nodded once and exited the room. Shadow sat on his chair and examined his surroundings. All of it would be gone by dawn. His boss had ordered a complete evacuation to avoid further problems. He'd decided to start fresh in another country, which suited Shadow just fine. Jomei Asami was the only one who knew of his involvement in this operation, but he was going to take care of that in a few hours. After that, there would be no one left to threaten him.
**~~**
The first thing Joey noticed when he woke up was that he was cold. The second was that his hands were tied together. He was lying on his side, his knees up to his chest. He moved his head a little, wincing at the throbbing pain that suddenly assaulted his senses. He attempted to sit up, when a voice caught his attention.
"Get away from me."
Joey's eyes snapped open and he found himself starting up at a towering man that reminded Joey of that bully that Yugi had tried to defend him and Tristan against all those years ago. Yugi had ended up getting just as beat up as he and Honda, but it had been enough to show Joey that Yugi meant to give his friendship feely, and he'd only been too happy to take it.
The guy he was staring at wasn't facing him. Instead, he was standing a few feet away, holding someone against the wall. From the cry he'd heard earlier, he knew that it was Jomei.
"Come on, Jomei, lighten up! We're old friends, remember?" the guy said. He seemed to be having some difficulty staying on his feet, which Joey took to mean that Jomei was struggling. "I promised you I'd finish what I started with you that night, and this is my chance."
Jomei's reply was muffled by something, and it turned Joey's stomach to imagine just what that something could be. As quickly as he could, Joey gathered his wits about him and stood up. His hands were tethered to a pole attached to the wall, but the chain holding the cuffs around his wrists was long enough to allow for some movement. Without thinking, he threw himself at Jomei's attacker. The chain went taut, jerking Joey back to where he'd come from, but not before throwing the guy a few feet away from Jomei. Joey landed painfully on the ground and turned to look at Jomei, who had slid down the wall and was now sitting on the floor. Jomei was looking down, his face almost completely covered by his bangs.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Joey looked up to see the bully heading for him, his face a mask of rage.
"Stay away from my friend," Joey managed to ground out, hissing as his wrists throbbed.
He managed to get to his knees, but before he could stand up again, the bully grabbed him by the shirt, picked him up, and slammed him against the wall. The guy's eyes were bright with anger, and his grip was strong. Joey tried to break it, but found that he was unable to. He was used to being on the other end of a situation like this, and it frightened him to think that he couldn't control this one. He did, however, manage to raise his leg and hit the bully right below the knee. The guy screamed in anger, before backhanding Joey. Joey landed, stunned, on the ground.
"You're in no position to argue here, blondie," the guy said.
He kneeled in front of Joey and looked at him. Joey's skin crawled at the way the guy's eyes darkened. He jerked Joey's head up so that he could see it, and licked his lips.
"Well, what do you know? Your friend here is pretty cute too, Jomei. Since you don't want to play with me, why don't I just play with him?"
Joey jerked his head out of the guy's grasp, feeling sick at the implication. No way in hell was he going to let this overgrown creep touch him. He slid back so that his back was to the wall, his legs in front of him.
"No!"
Joey turned to see that the younger teen had turned to look at the bully. His face was pale in the darkened room, but Joey could see the terror in his face.
"Leave him alone, Kano. He has nothing to do with this."
The bully, Kano, laughed. He looked at Joey once more, before he stood up and headed back to Jomei. He pulled Jomei roughly up to his feet and then leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Jomei's eyes went wide, and they glanced briefly at Joey, before they closed. Jomei sighed and slowly nodded, a single tear sliding down his cheek.
Kano released Jomei, who once again sank to the floor.
"That's better. Well, then, I'll be back for you shortly, Jomei."
With that, Kano left them alone.
Joey looked at Jomei, who refused to look at him. Instead, the younger teen had brought his knees up to his chest and had rested his head on them. Joey could see his shoulders shaking slightly, but there were no sobs.
"Jomei, what was that about? Where are we?"
Jomei didn't say anything.
Now that they were both out of immediate danger, Joey took the time to look around. They were in a small, dimly lit room with no windows. Both the floor and the walls were made of concrete and there were no furnishings in the room. Crates and metal containers lined the walls of the room, but not much else.
Joey inspected his bonds carefully but found no way to unlock them. The cuffs around his wrists were metal and so was the chain tethering him to the wall. The only way to get out of them was with a key. Defeated for the moment, Joey made his way to Jomei. He sat in front of the other teen and put a hand on his shoulder. Jomei jerked his body away, moving as far as his own chain allowed.
"Talk to me, Jomei," Joey stated. "Why did you leave the house? What's going on? Who was that guy that just left?"
Silence again greeted his questions.
Joey didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on, but it was obvious that Jomei did. Why wouldn't he say anything?
**~~**
He couldn't stop shaking. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Kano's last words out of his mind. As if from a tape recorder, they played over and over until he wanted nothing more than to lose his hearing so he wouldn't have to face the reality of what he'd just agreed to.
'Let me finish what I started in Tokyo, without fighting me, without struggling, and I'll leave your friend alone. Otherwise, I'll take him instead.'
Jomei clenched his hands, hissing slightly at the pain in his palms. The pain helped draw him out of his recollections, so he clenched his hands even tighter, noting with detached interest that he felt something wet in his palms. He opened one and saw a small trickle of blood rolling across his palm. He smiled ruefully, knowing that by the end of the night, the small trickle of blood would be the least of his worries.
How incredibly unlucky was he to run into his worst nightmare in the place he least expected? Asami had never told them what had happened to Kano, and Jomei had definitely not expected to see him in Domino. Why was Kano here? Had he been brought in specifically to torture him, or was it sheer coincidence? His past and his present were colliding and Jomei had no idea how to make sense of it all.
"Who was that guy, Jomei?"
Jomei sighed. He'd heard Joey ask that question, along with several others, a few times already, and he'd chosen to ignore him every time. He felt anger towards the blonde. It was inexplicable, but it was there. After all, Joey had been brought in here because of him, not the other way around. He hadn't wanted to say a word for fear that he would let his anger show.
"Come on, Jomei. The silent treatment doesn't suit you. I'm in this just as deep as you are, so don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
At those words, the anger finally managed to break through the weak wall Jomei had managed to erect, the wall that was keeping his emotions in check. He looked up and pierced Joey with a glare that made the taller teen scoot away from him.
"I didn't ask you to come, Joey. I didn't ask you to follow me," Jomei practically screamed. "Why do you think I left? I left because of this, because I didn't want to get you or anyone else involved in my problems. You made my decision worthless when you decided to invite yourself along!"
Joey's face contorted with emotions Jomei couldn't identify, and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he was the cause.
"What did you expect me to do? Did you really expect me to stay home and pretend nothing had happened, when something was so seriously wrong that you had to run away from it? Are you out of your mind?" Joey yelled right back at him "You're my friend, Jomei. You don't remember being my friend, but I do. If it'd been me, you would have done the same thing. You wouldn't have let me deal with this stuff on my own, and I wasn't about to let you do the same."
Jomei looked away from the sadness in Joey's eyes. He wished that he could remember. He wished that he knew what he'd done to deserve such loyalty from Joey, and friendship from Seto. Maybe then he could deal with everything better, maybe then he'd be willing to let them help him, instead of running away.
"What about that guy, Kano? What did he say to you? How do you know him?"
Jomei shook his head, refusing to look at Joey. He was afraid that his eyes would betray the fear he had for Kano.
"It doesn't matter, Joey."
"Like hell it doesn't! Do you think I'm stupid? I know what he was doing to you when I woke up, Jomei. I'm not blind." Joey said. "Has he done that to you before?"
"Drop it, Joey."
"What did he say to you before he left? What did he threaten you with? Did he tell you to agree to something? Did you do it because of me? I saw you look at me before you nodded, I saw you cry. Whatever he said, don't agree with it. We'll deal with it together"
"Stop it"
"Stop what, Jomei? Stop what?"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Joey and believe me, you don't want to know. Just let it go!"
Joey didn't understand. He couldn't understand. He may know what Kano had been doing, but it didn't mean that he was ready to face the consequences. Joey was a big guy, but not strong enough to defeat Kano. If Kano decided he wanted Joey, there was nothing Joey was going to be able to do to keep himself safe. Kano really didn't want Joey, and Jomei knew that. It was his fault Joey was even involved, which made it his responsibility to deal with Kano and make sure Joey stayed safe.
"How can you be so sure I don't want to know? You're my friend, Jomei. If that bastard has hurt you or threatened you, I want to know it."
"It's none of your business," Jomei finally said, his voice strong and determined. He wasn't about to drag an innocent bystander like Joey into this. Suddenly, something hit him. "Where's Seto?" He'd been with Seto when he'd been knocked out, right? Could Seto be here?
"Kaiba? I don't know. The last thing I remember was seeing him unconscious on the ground a few feet behind you. I don't think they brought him. Kaiba would be too prolific of a hostage."
Jomei nodded, hoping that Joey was right.
The door opened, and Jomei looked up to see the man he'd seen in the hospital and Kano walk into the room. The mad made his way over to him, while Kano waited by the door.
"You've caused me quite a lot of trouble, young man," he said, glaring at Jomei. "That's all going to end tonight."
The man left Jomei and walked over to Joey.
"You are a complication, but I can fix that."
The man reached inside his coat pocket and retrieved a syringe. The sight of it made Jomei tense, and he was suddenly bombarded by a similar image:
*~*
He was on the floor, watching as the man came near him. The man reached down and roughly pulled him closer.
"There's nothing you can do about it, Yugi. Say goodbye."
**YAMI! YAMI, HELP ME! He's going to. . .**
His mental concentration was broken as he felt a burning pain in his left arm. He looked down to see the man emptying a syringe into the upper part of his arm. Immediately, he began to feel faint. The man laid him on the ground and stood up. He walked a few steps and then stopped, remaining there to watch.
** I'm sorry. I'm so sorry**
'I can't lose myself, I have to be me. I can't let them take away my life, my freedom, and my memories. I won't! I am Yugi Moto, I am fifteen years old. I live at the Turtle Game Shop with my grandfather. I love Duel Monsters and my favorite card is the Dark Magician. I have four best friends named Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Ryou, and have a spirit protector named Yami. I love my family, I love my life. I will remember this forever.'
*~*
Jomei shivered. The desperate chant to keep his memory had been so crystal clear that he could still hear it in his head. He remembered the desperation and fear of that moment, but nothing else. The words made sense, and then they didn't, because they didn't really mean anything to Jomei. He wanted to remember. He could see that image so clearly and felt that if he could reach just a little further, he would remember more. He wasn't given a chance to, however, as the man's next words brought a chill down Jomei's spine.
"This will make sure that you won't have anything to tell anyone, young man. I am going to be kind to you, however. I am going to release you. Once you have no memory of what has transpired here, you'll be on your own to do what you like. All of this is will be wiped from your memory."
At that moment, Kano walked forward, pulled Jomei up from the floor, and unchained him. Kano's arm went around Jomei's chest, which left him immobile.
"What about Jomei?" Joey asked, fear evident in his voice.
"Jomei? Oh, he's going to get the same treatment you are. Except for him, it won't be as much fun." The man turned to Kano. "Take him to another room and stay with him until I get there."
Kano nodded and dragged Jomei out of the room. Panicked, Jomei dug in his heels, trying to stay with Joey.
"Joey, remember who you are!" Jomei yelled. "Please!"
The man laughed as Jomei struggled against Kano, but it was no use. Kano was much stronger. Kano easily picked him up and carried him out of the room. Behind him, he could hear Joey yelling after him, until everything was silent. Tears fell down his face as Joey was silenced, and he said farewell to his friend and asked for forgiveness for getting him involved in this mess.
Kano pushed him into another semi darkened room. He closed the door behind them and Jomei quickly got as far away as he could. He looked around the room, looking for any possible means of escape, but he found none. He turned back to Kano, who was still standing by the door.
"Remember what you agreed to, Jomei," Kano said, his face triumphant.
Jomei shook his head. "Joey is being hurt in there so it doesn't matter what I agreed to. The deal was that you could have your way with me and Joey would be safe."
Kano nodded. "Exactly. Once Shadow is done with Joey, he's going to ask me to dump him somewhere. I'll have plenty of time to play with him in the mean time."
"I'm hardly going to be around to do anything about it or even know if you've kept your word, so the deal is off. I'm not going to let you do anything to me."
Kano's face darkened, and he advanced towards Jomei. The smaller teen sidestepped the bigger one, but his victory was short lived. Kano lashed out and hit Jomei on the side of the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, dazed. By the time he'd regained his bearings, Kano was on top of him, his weight pinning Jomei to the cold floor.
Jomei opened his mouth to scream, but Kano's hand clamped roughly over it, effectively silencing him.
"I gave you a choice, but you decided to play it rough. Now you're going to pay the price."
Jomei's hands were now free, but no amount of hitting or pushing dislodged Kano from him. His heart was racing a mile a minute, and it was difficult for him to breathe. He didn't want this to happen. He couldn't let this happen. He struggled as best he could, with no results.
'Help me! Someone please help me!' Jomei yelled mentally, because it was the only voice he had left.
Kano finally got tired of his squirming, and he lifted Jomei's head, slamming it down onto the floor. Jomei was stunned. His entire body went limp as it tried to cope with the agonizing pain in his head, and that was all Kano needed. Jomei felt his clothes being torn, and at that moment realized that it would take a miracle to stop his worst nightmare from happening.
**~~**
The first thing Kaiba became aware of was a heavy weight on his chest. The second was that he felt as if he'd been run over by a car, several times. His eyes widened, and he was about to shove the heavy weight off his chest when a soft sniffle caught his attention. The weight moved, giving Kaiba a good look at a red, puffy face.
"Mokuba?"
Mokuba's eyes snapped open, and he smiled widely.
"Seto, you're awake!" the boy exclaimed.
He sat up, giving Kaiba room to get to a sitting position. He groaned as his brain seemed to swim inside his head, making his stomach clench with nausea. He successfully fought the nausea, but was left with a pounding headache.
"What happened?"
Mokuba's puffy eyes widened. "I was hoping you could tell me. I was so worried. I woke up and was going to the kitchen when I saw Harris carrying you to your room. I don't think even he knows what happened."
Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember what had happened. He'd been at the office. . . he'd driven home. . . but wait, he hadn't gotten home alone, had he?
"Jomei, where is he?"
Mokuba shook his head. "I don't know, Seto. I didn't even know he was here. I thought Joey was here."
Kaiba frowned. "Why would the mutt be here?"
"Harris told me that the man that shot you with that tranquilizer dart had put a blonde teenager into a black car. I just assumed it was Joey. I didn't know Yugi had been here too."
Kaiba's stomach clenched with uncharacteristic fear. They'd been attacked. He remembered now. Whoever it was had taken Jomei, he was sure of it. Where had Joey come from? He got up and swayed a bit as dizziness overwhelmed him.
"Where are you going, big brother? The doctor said you had to rest."
"I have to talk to Harris, Mokuba. I have to see the security tapes. Yugi is in trouble and we have to find him."
**~~**
Just remember, if any harm comes to me, the story won't get finished :o).
***Important note***
Okay, because I treasure and respect all of the people who are reading this story, I am giving you a choice. As far as Kano and Jomei are concerned, should Kano have his way or shouldn't he? I'm leaving it entirely up to you. I had originally intended to write it one way, but decided to let you guys choose instead. Majority will rule, so if you have an opinion on the matter, please vote. Besides, if I'm going to have to defend myself later on whatever it is I end up writing, I want to know that you at least made your opinion on the subject known.
I don't have any previews for the next chapter. What happens with Jomei will pretty much dictate how the rest of the chapter goes, so it's up to you.