Greetings!
My, so you all do have strong opinions about this fic. That's pretty cool! Thank you all for your feedback. As I promised, majority ruled. You'll have to read the chapter to find out which majority it was ^_^. Or you could read some of the reviews :o)
Reviews:
Sorceress Vanessa: Thanks for the vote! Actually, the vote turned out to be the same as what I'd originally planned, so that was neat. Then again, I did have it written both ways. The more I thought about it, the more both made sense.
Tes and Krysta: Thank you very much for your review! I'm happy to hear from you. Thanks for the suggestion as well. I'll look the fic up and give it a try. Kano will get what he deserves in a few chapters. Your English is very good! Don't apologize for it at all. I know the feeling, though. English is my second language as well. . . Spanish is my first.
Far Waters: Thanks for the vote!
Adrienne: ^__^ Angels and demons indeed! Sadly, your vote only counts as one. . . but I did take into consideration all the different parts of it. Believe me, I had figured out a way to do the rape and not risk the story being taken down before even offering to give you guys the vote. I just believe in being prepared. Read the chapter to find out what eventually won.
Starheart: Hey there! Thank you for your vote!
Amiasha Ruri: Yup, I heard it loud and clear ^_^ A memory less Joey is a really interesting concept. Just think of all the things I could do to him! Oh, yes, there's definitely hope. . . stay tuned!
Hobbit13: Thank you for your vote! I'm glad that you liked Harris. I kind of got attached to him myself, so he'll be making another couple of appearances.
Cyberkat: You have a very interesting (and true) point, and I usually don't allow reader feedback to influence a major part of the story. The little stuff I can change, but the big stuff I usually have set way before I start writing. This time though, because of what it was, I decided to let people give me their opinion because I really didn't want to alienate anyone. It turns out that either choice worked for the story and would accomplish what I wanted. One would have done it much faster, but it will work either way. Thanks!
Nenya85: You're a Kaiba/Yugi fan? Cool! Kaiba coming to the rescue is always cool. I love writing for him, so the more he's in the story the better. I'm very glad that you're enjoying the story.
Celtic Guardian 7: Thank you for your vote!!
Reffie: Thank you for your vote! I think you'll be pleased with the chapter, then! I like that, a reader who is open to anything. Well, almost anything.
Vathara: Exactly! Joey can't make Jomei believe his words, but it'd be hard to mistake his actions. He's such a good friend. Thanks for your vote!
Vappa: Thank you for your vote! My mind tends to wonder to the darker side of things, so it's not always a good idea to let me be the judge. I want to entertain, not disgust people, which is why I asked about this particular thing. Don't worry, you're not sadistic. You're actually pretty close. Read the chapter and find out just how close!
Chibi Chibi Tenshi: I've learned enough Japanese to know what your nick means. yay me! I completely agree with you about cliffhangers. I'm definitely more inclined to want to read a story when it leaves me hanging and wondering about what's going on. Joey is going to have an interesting time in the chapters coming up. I can't say much because it'll spoil the story, but I think you'll like where it goes. Thanks!
Miss Sera: Thank you for your vote! A lot of things are happening to Joey and Yugi. They're just so fun to torture, aren't they?
Niasha Athalwolf: Thanks for your vote!
Dark angel: Thanks for the vote, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Red: Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I can't say much about Joey because I don't want to give anything away, but I will say this: Joey is going to have some difficulties coming up. How's that? Thanks again!
Digitaldreamer: ^__^ The image of Kano getting hit with the bible was just way too funny! Thanks for the vote!
Lizzy: Cruelty to midgets?? Very funny! Poor Yugi. he can't help being short. No lessons in picking up subtle hints necessary. . . I got it just fine all by myself.
Ginger Ninja: You're so sweet! You have a very true point about what difficult situations do to people. I definitely took that into account. Thanks!
Fin-Phoenix: Thank you very much for your reply! I can't help the cliffies. It's as if they write themselves. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story.
Tsuki Koumori: Thanks for the review! Yugi and Joey torture is just so fun. . . don't worry, they're strong characters. They usually find a way to bounce back. Most of the time, at least. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Kyuugi: Thanks for the vote! Actually, both ways will work with what I had planned. I had written it both ways and then decided to let you all tell me which way you'd rather have it, so I'm not sacrificing anything in the story. It was good to hear from you, so thanks!
Morgane: Thank you very much for your vote! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Millennia Star: Thanks for the vote! I'm glad you're still enjoying the fic. ^__^
Lady Elfskye: Thanks for your opinion! Ultimately it is up to me, but I wanted to get opinions first. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
Whew! Thank you all for giving me your opinions. This is the most response I've gotten to this story so far, so it's nice to know that you all care! A few of you had some very insightful comments, and I appreciated them very much.
No warnings, except to say that the first part is fairly violent and bloody (read before you make any assumptions). Enjoy!
**~~**
Part 20: Torn
**Peace is what they tell me Love am I unholy Lies are what they tell me Despise you that control me
Though peace is dead in my soul I have blamed the reasons for My intentions poor Yes I'm the one who The only one who Would carry on this far**
He felt strong hands tearing at him, touching him, hurting him. He heard the sound of cloth tearing and then felt chills as the cold air hit his newly exposed skin. The weight on top of him was crushing, suffocating him, making his vision blur and become distorted. The hand on his mouth drew blood, making him choke on its coppery taste. He fought blindly, unwilling to simply give up. He lashed out with his hands, feeling his fingers become wet as he drew blood, but even then, Kano did not stop.
Jomei felt his fingers come into contact with something soft, and he pushed his fingers into it. Kano screamed in pain, and removed his hand from Jomei's mouth to presumably cradle his injury. Once the hand had left his mouth, Jomei screamed.
"Help! Someone help me!"
Kano growled in irritation and backhanded Jomei a couple of times, effectively shutting him up. Jomei tried to squirm away from the larger boy, but the weight pinning his legs onto the floor was unmovable. He looked up to see that Kano was clutching his left eye, which was bleeding profusely. With his good eye, Kano glared at him.
Kano shifted his position, which left one of Jomei's legs momentarily free. Jomei used the opportunity to bend the leg and slam his knee into Kano's groin. The older boy screamed in agony and bent forward slightly. His entire weight was now off of Jomei, and Jomei crawled away from him as fast as his aching body would allow. He was beginning to think he'd gotten away when Kano grabbed his legs and pulled him. Jomei fell onto his stomach and could do nothing but slide along the floor.
"Stop, Kano! Let go of me."
His pleas fell upon deaf ears. Kano slid Jomei's pants down to his ankles and spread his legs, while Jomei tried desperately to slip free.
"No! Please, don't do this! Stop it!"
The sound of a door slamming open surprised Jomei and for a moment he thought that he was imagining things. The thought was discarded when he heard a string of expletives, followed by Kano being pulled to his feet and thrown halfway across the room. Since Kano had been clutching Jomei's legs, Jomei was thrown with him.
As soon as he landed, Jomei curled into a tight ball and desperately tried to cover himself. He pulled his torn pants back onto his hips, but they didn't cover much anymore. His shirt was all but destroyed and barely hung onto his small frame by one shoulder. His breathing was fast, and he felt himself shaking uncontrollably. His teeth were chattering painfully and loudly, and he was afraid that the noise would draw Kano's attention again. He looked down at his hands and noticed that they were covered in blood. Idly, he wondered if the blood was his own.
*Torn, I'm filthy Born in my own misery Stole all that you gave me Control you claim you save me*
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The strong voice caught Jomei's attention. He turned in the direction of the sound, and saw the man that had been with Joey earlier standing over Kano, who was still covering his bleeding eye. Jomei was surprised to see that the rest of his face was also bloodied. That must be where the blood on his hands had come from. Kano did not look at the man. Instead, he looked at the floor.
"Is this why Asami sent you back? Did you try to do this to him before?"
The man's voice was loud and Jomei could hear the venom and disgust in it. The man turned away from Kano to look directly at Jomei, and Jomei quickly avoided the glance. He didn't want to draw anyone's attention. He didn't want the man to finish what Kano had started. Instead, Jomei buried his head in his knees and tried to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. If they forgot he was in the room then they wouldn't want to hurt him anymore
"Jomei, has he done this to you before?"
Jomei didn't answer. 'Please go away,' he thought. 'Leave me alone.'
"Jenkins, take Kano away. Show him how we feel about would be rapists."
Jomei looked up at that and saw two men carry Kano out of the room. Kano didn't struggle; he just hung between them. Jomei took deep breaths, trying to control his shaking and harsh breathing. His hands were wrapped tightly around his legs, but even that didn't lessen the tremors coursing through him. Tears began to fall down his bloody cheeks, followed by sobs.
Footsteps coming towards him finally got through to Jomei, and his sobs stopped. He had forgotten that he was supposed to be quiet and not draw attention, so he swallowed the strong emotions that wanted to make their way out. He bit his lower lip tightly to keep quiet, and it began to bleed from the renewed abuse to it. He had to be strong and in control. He couldn't let anyone else take advantage of him again, or think that he was weak.
He tensed when he felt the presence in front of him, and jerked away when he felt a hand on his arm. He slid backwards until he hit a wall. He jerked his head up, looking for a way to escape, but again found none. His eyes finally focused on the man in front of him, who was looking at him as if he were an interesting specimen under a microscope. There was no sympathy in the man's eyes, nor was there any malice either. Instead, he seemed disinterested in the whole situation.
The man wasn't his savior, of that Jomei was absolutely sure. He hadn't stopped Kano because he cared; he'd only done it because he seemed disgusted with the whole situation and probably wanted to kill Jomei himself, instead of having someone else do it.
At that moment, Jomei felt as if he was slipping underwater. He was tired. For as long as he could remember, he'd been treated harshly, cruelly, and had lived in fear of what others might do to him. He didn't want to be tired anymore, and he didn't want to live in fear. A strange, but welcome, numbness descended upon Jomei and he welcomed it with open arms. He knew what he had to do now.
*The peace is dead in my soul I have blamed the reasons for My intentions poor Yes I'm the one who The only one who Would carry on this far*
"Go ahead," Jomei finally said, his voice flat, dull, and devoid of emotion.
The man frowned. "Go ahead and what?"
"Kill me. Isn't that what you're here to do? Go ahead, I won't fight you anymore."
The man kneeled in front of Jomei and regarded him carefully. "I could have let Kano rape you, but I chose not to. Doesn't that win me some points?
Jomei shrugged, feeling uncharacteristically peaceful and uncaring. Both his tears and his sobs had stopped, along with the shaking. A deadened calm had descended upon him when he'd made the decision to give up and let the man kill him. It was so simple that he wondered why he hadn't done it earlier. It would have saved him a lot of pain and suffering.
"You've already hurt Joey and said you'd do the same to me. That doesn't win anyone any points."
The man chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Are you that eager to die, little one?"
"I'm tired. I don't want to be afraid anymore."
The man regarded him again, and then shrugged. "Very well. Who am I to deny a man his last wish?"
He took out a syringe, uncapped it, and showed it to Jomei. Jomei, for his part, simply held out his arm. He was ready to go. He didn't want to suffer anymore, didn't want to be scared anymore. More importantly, he didn't want to bring misery upon any more people who cared about him. Losing Joey had been a big blow, and he didn't want to endanger anyone else.
The pinch of the needle was slight when it punctured his skin. The medication burned its way into Jomei's bloodstream, and he closed his eyes in anticipation of the end.
"You'll very likely not survive this dosage," the man said. "Then again, that's what you want, isn't it?."
Jomei was no longer paying attention. He was looking for the blackness that would come and claim him. After a while, he felt himself leave his surroundings and for the first time in a long time felt free. The darkness wasn't around very long, however. Jomei was shocked to find himself standing in a darkened corridor, flanked by two doors. Both were closed, and one looked a lot more sinister than the other. One was dark, while the other was light.
"You are the chosen one, you can not give up."
Startled, Jomei turned around to find a dark skinned, robed man standing in front of him. He took a few steps back in alarm, but stopped when the man spoke again.
"I mean you no harm. I am simply here to prevent you from doing something the whole world will regret."
Jomei shook his head. He didn't know where he was, but he did know that he wanted to keep as much distance between him and the dark man as possible.
"Who are you?" Jomei asked.
"I am Shadi. You and I have spoken before. I realize that you do not remember that now, but you will."
"How can you be so sure?"
Shadi chuckled softly. "Look around you. What you see is how you picture the inside of your mind. You picture it exactly as you did when I first visited you. Your soul room is the lighter one; the spirit of the puzzle's soul room is the darker one. That proves to me that your memories are not entirely gone. If you want further proof, just look at yourself."
Jomei did as he was told, but instead of finding the tattered remains of his clothing, he found himself wearing a pristine navy blue coat and matching pair of pants, a white shirt and black boots. A belt was slung over his hips, a small pouch hanging from it. He opened the pouch and found a deck of cards inside. Confused, since he'd never seen those clothes before, he looked up at the intruder.
"That is your school uniform. It is what you were wearing the last time we spoke. Your subconscious mind still remembers the small details of your life, as it should. The drugs you have been given have blocked your memories for the time being, but it is within your ability to unblock them."
Interested despite his fear, Jomei took a step closer to the man. "How?"
There was a flash of light, and then Jomei found himself standing in a big room surrounded by walls dotted with doors.
"These are your memories. Each door represents a different one. Go through them, own them and the feelings associated with them. Only then will they become a part of you, and only they will you regain yourself."
Jomei took a deep breath and held it for a while, before releasing it. "What if I don't want to remember?"
Shadi took a few steps closer to him.
"I believe that you do. If you did not wish to remember, you would not have remembered even this much," he answered, motioning to his surroundings.
Jomei felt the familiar fear pierce his gut at the mention of his past. What if it was something he wasn't going to like?
"What do I have to do?"
"All you have to do is look through those doors. The memories will find you."
Did he really want to do this? Was he ready to remember? A sudden flashback to the room where he'd last seen Joey made up his mind. He had to find Joey and take him home again. He had to get out of here to do so.
"Okay, so where do I start?"
Shadi pointed at the room in general.
"Chose your destiny."
**~~**
Seto Kaiba rewound the tape for the hundredth time and watched it yet again.
Over and over, he had seen Jomei get knocked unconscious, followed by his own brush with the tranquilizer gun. He had watched as Joey Wheeler threw himself at the man carrying Jomei and succeeded in knocking them both to the ground. Joey had been no match for the much bigger and older man, though. He had easily subdued and tranquilized Joey as well. Kaiba watched as Harris ran out of the grounds and tried to stop the man from taking Jomei and Joey, to no avail. Kaiba clenched his jaw every time he saw the car driving away. Why couldn't he have done something? Why hadn't Harris done something more? Why had Harris stopped and made sure he was okay instead of going after the kidnapper?
Kaiba sighed. There were so many questions running through his head and no answers. He had spent a majority of the night berating himself for making Jomei run out of the house. If he hadn't, they'd all be fine right now. He'd also spent a majority of the night yelling at Harris for not being good enough, for taking time to check on him instead of keeping the two boys from being kidnapped. Harris had stood before him, unblinking, listening to him yell and had said nothing. Kaiba had finally stopped yelling when Mokuba had pointed out that he was being unfair, because Harris' job was to protect him at all times, and he'd done so. Of course, Kaiba had immediately sent Mokuba to his room and Harris out of the house, preferring to be alone with his rage instead.
There was one thing that Kaiba didn't understand. The kidnapper had enough time to examine all three of them before Harris had gotten to the front of the house. In that time, the man had decided to take only Jomei and Joey. Not that Kaiba was unhappy at not having been kidnapped, but he didn't understand why he'd been left behind. He had an answer in the back of his head, but he refused to give it any consideration. If he did, he would have to admit that the man that had kidnapped two people right in front of his house, and the ones who had set up the whole thing, were much smarter than he'd given them credit for.
"Big brother, did you find what you wanted? It's already morning."
Startled, Kaiba turned away from the computer screen he'd been studying and faced his brother.
"All I have is the license plate of the car and a grainy picture of the man. So far, I haven't had much success with either of those. There doesn't seem to be a car registered with those plates."
Mokuba glanced at the screen, which currently showed a still image of Kaiba lying on the ground, unconscious, while Harris shot at the moving car. He frowned, and Kaiba could see fear and worry in Mokuba's more expressive eyes.
"It could have been you, Seto. They could have taken you, too."
Kaiba reached up and ruffled his brother's hair, then pulled him in for a hug.
"I'm fine, Mokuba. See, nothing happened. I'm still here." Kaiba released Mokuba, who glanced at the screen again. Finally, Kaiba shut it off, not wanting to give his little brother anything more to worry about.
"Who are those people? What do they want with Yugi?"
Kaiba sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to get rid of Mokuba until he'd answered all of the younger boy's questions. He motioned for Mokuba to take the nearest chair, and then began his explanation.
"I don't know, but I think that they want to keep him from telling anyone else about them and their operation. He escaped from it, and they don't want him to run to the police and say anything."
"Yugi wouldn't do that, Seto. Besides, he doesn't remember anything."
"That's true, but I doubt they believe that. If they have Yugi, then they think they're safe."
Mokuba nodded, but Kaiba could see that he didn't completely understand the answer. "What about Joey? He had nothing to do with what happened to Yugi"
"I don't know what they could possibly want with Joey. They could have left him behind and only taken Yugi, but they didn't."
Mokuba narrowed his eyes in thought. "Maybe they're going to do to Yugi what they did to him the first time so he'll forget again. Maybe they want to do the same thing to Joey."
Kaiba nodded, amazed at his brother's perceptiveness. He was tired. He'd been up all night going over the tape and was irritated that he hadn't gotten anything out of it. He was no closer to finding Yugi than he had been last night.
"Where is Harris?"
Mokuba smiled sheepishly. "He's right outside the door."
Kaiba frowned in annoyance. "Didn't I fire him last night? I clearly remember telling him to get lost."
Mokuba nodded and managed to look both guilty and smug at the same time.
"I called him back and told him you'd been overreacting and wanted him to come back, and that you'd told me to call him for you."
Kaiba's annoyance turned to anger at having been disobeyed. "Why did you do that, Mokuba? I don't want him around anymore, because he can't do his job."
"You didn't see him when he was carrying you up to your room, Seto. He was worried about you and afraid because of what had been done to you. You may not believe it, but he did do his job last night. You hired him to protect you at all costs, and he did that. It's on that tape, so I know you've seen it."
Kaiba slammed a fist down onto the console, and then regretted it when he saw his brother jump slightly at the sound, his face showing a trace of fear.
"He let two teenagers be kidnapped right outside my front gates. That does not count as him doing his job."
"He made sure nothing happened to you," Mokuba insisted. "He brought you in and called the doctor. He stood outside of your bedroom door until the doctor said you were going to be fine. I'd call that doing his job. Besides, he's been loyal to both of us ever since you hired him. Not only that, but I like him. I think you should hire him back."
Kaiba was silent for a long while. He did not like his decisions being overruled. It made him look bad and indecisive, and that was unacceptable. On the other hand, Mokuba did have a point. What good bodyguard would leave their charge for something or someone else? Mokuba rarely wanted to get his way on anything, and the fact that he was defending the bodyguard let Kaiba know that he really liked the man. If there was anything Seto liked to do, it was please his brother.
"I thought you'd already rehired him," Kaiba commented, hiding the small smile that had broken out over his face.
Mokuba grinned. "Yeah, I did. But he thinks you did it."
Kaiba shrugged. "He doesn't have to know the difference. But the next time he screws up, I'm going to fire him for good."
**~~**
Yami paced inside his soul room. He didn't know how long he'd been doing it, but it felt like an eternity for him. He wanted to leave the puzzle and watch over Jomei, but he didn't want to smother the boy and give him a reason not to want to have him around at all.
It had been very hard for him to try to understand Jomei. Jomei looked like Yugi and talked like Yugi, so Yami kept expecting him to treat him as Yugi had done. Not that he was selfish, but it was hard not to want things to be as they'd been before. It seemed so long since that fateful night, but Yami had a feeling that it would be haunting all of them for a long time to come.
Jomei was troubled, of that Yami had no doubt. He'd restrained himself from trying to access his thoughts, because he hadn't wanted Jomei to be further spooked by him. Yami could not imagine what the last six months had been like for him, but he wanted very badly for Jomei to tell him. He wanted to help, to comfort, but he couldn't do that if Jomei didn't let him. Sighing, Yami decided that he didn't have to have Jomei's permission. He could look out for the teenager and offer comfort from a distance, without him even realizing it.
Having made up his mind to watch out for Jomei, he willed himself out of the puzzle. He expected to find Jomei sleeping in his bed, but instead found the bed empty. It was still neatly made, which signified that it hadn't been slept in. Frowning, Yami headed for Joey's room. Maybe Jomei had gotten scared during the night and had wandered over to Joey's room. Once there, however, Yami was again surprised to find Joey's bed empty. It was early morning, so there was no way Joey was up. Even on a school day, Joey didn't get up until he absolutely had to. He stepped out into the hallway and saw that the bathroom door was open, so they were not in there.
Worried, Yami quickly made his way back into Yugi's room. A breeze ruffled his hair, and he frowned. The window wasn't usually left open in the room. Yami walked towards the window and found that it was wide open. He looked at the desk and saw the Millennium Puzzle lying on top of it. Had someone broken into the room and taken Jomei? Visions of the last time someone had broken into the room rushed into Yami's mind, making his worry elevate a notch.
Upon closer inspection, Yami discarded the thought. The room was spotless, not a sign of a struggle was evident. A few of the books on the desk had been knocked over, which led Yami to believe that Jomei had walked out of the room on his won through. Had Joey gone with him? Had he tried to stop Jomei?
Yami quickly left the room and went downstairs. He tried to never bother Mr. Moto, preferring instead to let Yugi talk to him. Yugi was no longer around, so he had to do it himself. Something had definitely happened last night, and Mr. Moto had to know about it. He let himself in the room without having to open the door and saw that the elder Moto was still asleep on his bed. Yami recited a short spell that gave his form temporary solidity, and then shook the man.
"Mr. Moto, you must wake up."
The elder man stirred, and then his eyes shot open.
"Yugi?"
Yami shook his head, while Mr. Moto tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
"Yami, what's the matter? What's wrong?"
The man slowly sat up and focused on Yami.
"Jomei and Joey are gone, Mr. Moto. I think Jomei left and Joey went after him. I am sorry, but I did not know about it until now."
Mr. Moto's eyes widened, fear clearly evident in them. "We have to go out to look for them. I'll call the rest of the kids and see if they're willing to help. Have you tried to contact Jomei?"
Yami's eyes widened, surprised that he hadn't thought about doing that. "I have not. Let me attempt it now."
He concentrated on the link between him and Yugi, but felt nothing. Usually, even if Yugi was blocking him, Yami could feel the presence of the link. Now, there was nothing.
"The link is gone. I do not feel him."
"What does that mean? Is he okay?"
"I do not know. Hopefully, they will be fine. If Joey went after Jomei, I have no doubt that he will take care of him."
Mr. Moto nodded, but Yami saw that he wasn't very convinced.
"I hope you're right, Yami."
**~~**
Song credit: Torn, performed by Creed.
See, that wasn't so bad, was it? Next up: Jomei's memory chapter.
My, so you all do have strong opinions about this fic. That's pretty cool! Thank you all for your feedback. As I promised, majority ruled. You'll have to read the chapter to find out which majority it was ^_^. Or you could read some of the reviews :o)
Reviews:
Sorceress Vanessa: Thanks for the vote! Actually, the vote turned out to be the same as what I'd originally planned, so that was neat. Then again, I did have it written both ways. The more I thought about it, the more both made sense.
Tes and Krysta: Thank you very much for your review! I'm happy to hear from you. Thanks for the suggestion as well. I'll look the fic up and give it a try. Kano will get what he deserves in a few chapters. Your English is very good! Don't apologize for it at all. I know the feeling, though. English is my second language as well. . . Spanish is my first.
Far Waters: Thanks for the vote!
Adrienne: ^__^ Angels and demons indeed! Sadly, your vote only counts as one. . . but I did take into consideration all the different parts of it. Believe me, I had figured out a way to do the rape and not risk the story being taken down before even offering to give you guys the vote. I just believe in being prepared. Read the chapter to find out what eventually won.
Starheart: Hey there! Thank you for your vote!
Amiasha Ruri: Yup, I heard it loud and clear ^_^ A memory less Joey is a really interesting concept. Just think of all the things I could do to him! Oh, yes, there's definitely hope. . . stay tuned!
Hobbit13: Thank you for your vote! I'm glad that you liked Harris. I kind of got attached to him myself, so he'll be making another couple of appearances.
Cyberkat: You have a very interesting (and true) point, and I usually don't allow reader feedback to influence a major part of the story. The little stuff I can change, but the big stuff I usually have set way before I start writing. This time though, because of what it was, I decided to let people give me their opinion because I really didn't want to alienate anyone. It turns out that either choice worked for the story and would accomplish what I wanted. One would have done it much faster, but it will work either way. Thanks!
Nenya85: You're a Kaiba/Yugi fan? Cool! Kaiba coming to the rescue is always cool. I love writing for him, so the more he's in the story the better. I'm very glad that you're enjoying the story.
Celtic Guardian 7: Thank you for your vote!!
Reffie: Thank you for your vote! I think you'll be pleased with the chapter, then! I like that, a reader who is open to anything. Well, almost anything.
Vathara: Exactly! Joey can't make Jomei believe his words, but it'd be hard to mistake his actions. He's such a good friend. Thanks for your vote!
Vappa: Thank you for your vote! My mind tends to wonder to the darker side of things, so it's not always a good idea to let me be the judge. I want to entertain, not disgust people, which is why I asked about this particular thing. Don't worry, you're not sadistic. You're actually pretty close. Read the chapter and find out just how close!
Chibi Chibi Tenshi: I've learned enough Japanese to know what your nick means. yay me! I completely agree with you about cliffhangers. I'm definitely more inclined to want to read a story when it leaves me hanging and wondering about what's going on. Joey is going to have an interesting time in the chapters coming up. I can't say much because it'll spoil the story, but I think you'll like where it goes. Thanks!
Miss Sera: Thank you for your vote! A lot of things are happening to Joey and Yugi. They're just so fun to torture, aren't they?
Niasha Athalwolf: Thanks for your vote!
Dark angel: Thanks for the vote, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Red: Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I can't say much about Joey because I don't want to give anything away, but I will say this: Joey is going to have some difficulties coming up. How's that? Thanks again!
Digitaldreamer: ^__^ The image of Kano getting hit with the bible was just way too funny! Thanks for the vote!
Lizzy: Cruelty to midgets?? Very funny! Poor Yugi. he can't help being short. No lessons in picking up subtle hints necessary. . . I got it just fine all by myself.
Ginger Ninja: You're so sweet! You have a very true point about what difficult situations do to people. I definitely took that into account. Thanks!
Fin-Phoenix: Thank you very much for your reply! I can't help the cliffies. It's as if they write themselves. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story.
Tsuki Koumori: Thanks for the review! Yugi and Joey torture is just so fun. . . don't worry, they're strong characters. They usually find a way to bounce back. Most of the time, at least. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Kyuugi: Thanks for the vote! Actually, both ways will work with what I had planned. I had written it both ways and then decided to let you all tell me which way you'd rather have it, so I'm not sacrificing anything in the story. It was good to hear from you, so thanks!
Morgane: Thank you very much for your vote! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Millennia Star: Thanks for the vote! I'm glad you're still enjoying the fic. ^__^
Lady Elfskye: Thanks for your opinion! Ultimately it is up to me, but I wanted to get opinions first. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
Whew! Thank you all for giving me your opinions. This is the most response I've gotten to this story so far, so it's nice to know that you all care! A few of you had some very insightful comments, and I appreciated them very much.
No warnings, except to say that the first part is fairly violent and bloody (read before you make any assumptions). Enjoy!
**~~**
Part 20: Torn
**Peace is what they tell me Love am I unholy Lies are what they tell me Despise you that control me
Though peace is dead in my soul I have blamed the reasons for My intentions poor Yes I'm the one who The only one who Would carry on this far**
He felt strong hands tearing at him, touching him, hurting him. He heard the sound of cloth tearing and then felt chills as the cold air hit his newly exposed skin. The weight on top of him was crushing, suffocating him, making his vision blur and become distorted. The hand on his mouth drew blood, making him choke on its coppery taste. He fought blindly, unwilling to simply give up. He lashed out with his hands, feeling his fingers become wet as he drew blood, but even then, Kano did not stop.
Jomei felt his fingers come into contact with something soft, and he pushed his fingers into it. Kano screamed in pain, and removed his hand from Jomei's mouth to presumably cradle his injury. Once the hand had left his mouth, Jomei screamed.
"Help! Someone help me!"
Kano growled in irritation and backhanded Jomei a couple of times, effectively shutting him up. Jomei tried to squirm away from the larger boy, but the weight pinning his legs onto the floor was unmovable. He looked up to see that Kano was clutching his left eye, which was bleeding profusely. With his good eye, Kano glared at him.
Kano shifted his position, which left one of Jomei's legs momentarily free. Jomei used the opportunity to bend the leg and slam his knee into Kano's groin. The older boy screamed in agony and bent forward slightly. His entire weight was now off of Jomei, and Jomei crawled away from him as fast as his aching body would allow. He was beginning to think he'd gotten away when Kano grabbed his legs and pulled him. Jomei fell onto his stomach and could do nothing but slide along the floor.
"Stop, Kano! Let go of me."
His pleas fell upon deaf ears. Kano slid Jomei's pants down to his ankles and spread his legs, while Jomei tried desperately to slip free.
"No! Please, don't do this! Stop it!"
The sound of a door slamming open surprised Jomei and for a moment he thought that he was imagining things. The thought was discarded when he heard a string of expletives, followed by Kano being pulled to his feet and thrown halfway across the room. Since Kano had been clutching Jomei's legs, Jomei was thrown with him.
As soon as he landed, Jomei curled into a tight ball and desperately tried to cover himself. He pulled his torn pants back onto his hips, but they didn't cover much anymore. His shirt was all but destroyed and barely hung onto his small frame by one shoulder. His breathing was fast, and he felt himself shaking uncontrollably. His teeth were chattering painfully and loudly, and he was afraid that the noise would draw Kano's attention again. He looked down at his hands and noticed that they were covered in blood. Idly, he wondered if the blood was his own.
*Torn, I'm filthy Born in my own misery Stole all that you gave me Control you claim you save me*
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The strong voice caught Jomei's attention. He turned in the direction of the sound, and saw the man that had been with Joey earlier standing over Kano, who was still covering his bleeding eye. Jomei was surprised to see that the rest of his face was also bloodied. That must be where the blood on his hands had come from. Kano did not look at the man. Instead, he looked at the floor.
"Is this why Asami sent you back? Did you try to do this to him before?"
The man's voice was loud and Jomei could hear the venom and disgust in it. The man turned away from Kano to look directly at Jomei, and Jomei quickly avoided the glance. He didn't want to draw anyone's attention. He didn't want the man to finish what Kano had started. Instead, Jomei buried his head in his knees and tried to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. If they forgot he was in the room then they wouldn't want to hurt him anymore
"Jomei, has he done this to you before?"
Jomei didn't answer. 'Please go away,' he thought. 'Leave me alone.'
"Jenkins, take Kano away. Show him how we feel about would be rapists."
Jomei looked up at that and saw two men carry Kano out of the room. Kano didn't struggle; he just hung between them. Jomei took deep breaths, trying to control his shaking and harsh breathing. His hands were wrapped tightly around his legs, but even that didn't lessen the tremors coursing through him. Tears began to fall down his bloody cheeks, followed by sobs.
Footsteps coming towards him finally got through to Jomei, and his sobs stopped. He had forgotten that he was supposed to be quiet and not draw attention, so he swallowed the strong emotions that wanted to make their way out. He bit his lower lip tightly to keep quiet, and it began to bleed from the renewed abuse to it. He had to be strong and in control. He couldn't let anyone else take advantage of him again, or think that he was weak.
He tensed when he felt the presence in front of him, and jerked away when he felt a hand on his arm. He slid backwards until he hit a wall. He jerked his head up, looking for a way to escape, but again found none. His eyes finally focused on the man in front of him, who was looking at him as if he were an interesting specimen under a microscope. There was no sympathy in the man's eyes, nor was there any malice either. Instead, he seemed disinterested in the whole situation.
The man wasn't his savior, of that Jomei was absolutely sure. He hadn't stopped Kano because he cared; he'd only done it because he seemed disgusted with the whole situation and probably wanted to kill Jomei himself, instead of having someone else do it.
At that moment, Jomei felt as if he was slipping underwater. He was tired. For as long as he could remember, he'd been treated harshly, cruelly, and had lived in fear of what others might do to him. He didn't want to be tired anymore, and he didn't want to live in fear. A strange, but welcome, numbness descended upon Jomei and he welcomed it with open arms. He knew what he had to do now.
*The peace is dead in my soul I have blamed the reasons for My intentions poor Yes I'm the one who The only one who Would carry on this far*
"Go ahead," Jomei finally said, his voice flat, dull, and devoid of emotion.
The man frowned. "Go ahead and what?"
"Kill me. Isn't that what you're here to do? Go ahead, I won't fight you anymore."
The man kneeled in front of Jomei and regarded him carefully. "I could have let Kano rape you, but I chose not to. Doesn't that win me some points?
Jomei shrugged, feeling uncharacteristically peaceful and uncaring. Both his tears and his sobs had stopped, along with the shaking. A deadened calm had descended upon him when he'd made the decision to give up and let the man kill him. It was so simple that he wondered why he hadn't done it earlier. It would have saved him a lot of pain and suffering.
"You've already hurt Joey and said you'd do the same to me. That doesn't win anyone any points."
The man chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Are you that eager to die, little one?"
"I'm tired. I don't want to be afraid anymore."
The man regarded him again, and then shrugged. "Very well. Who am I to deny a man his last wish?"
He took out a syringe, uncapped it, and showed it to Jomei. Jomei, for his part, simply held out his arm. He was ready to go. He didn't want to suffer anymore, didn't want to be scared anymore. More importantly, he didn't want to bring misery upon any more people who cared about him. Losing Joey had been a big blow, and he didn't want to endanger anyone else.
The pinch of the needle was slight when it punctured his skin. The medication burned its way into Jomei's bloodstream, and he closed his eyes in anticipation of the end.
"You'll very likely not survive this dosage," the man said. "Then again, that's what you want, isn't it?."
Jomei was no longer paying attention. He was looking for the blackness that would come and claim him. After a while, he felt himself leave his surroundings and for the first time in a long time felt free. The darkness wasn't around very long, however. Jomei was shocked to find himself standing in a darkened corridor, flanked by two doors. Both were closed, and one looked a lot more sinister than the other. One was dark, while the other was light.
"You are the chosen one, you can not give up."
Startled, Jomei turned around to find a dark skinned, robed man standing in front of him. He took a few steps back in alarm, but stopped when the man spoke again.
"I mean you no harm. I am simply here to prevent you from doing something the whole world will regret."
Jomei shook his head. He didn't know where he was, but he did know that he wanted to keep as much distance between him and the dark man as possible.
"Who are you?" Jomei asked.
"I am Shadi. You and I have spoken before. I realize that you do not remember that now, but you will."
"How can you be so sure?"
Shadi chuckled softly. "Look around you. What you see is how you picture the inside of your mind. You picture it exactly as you did when I first visited you. Your soul room is the lighter one; the spirit of the puzzle's soul room is the darker one. That proves to me that your memories are not entirely gone. If you want further proof, just look at yourself."
Jomei did as he was told, but instead of finding the tattered remains of his clothing, he found himself wearing a pristine navy blue coat and matching pair of pants, a white shirt and black boots. A belt was slung over his hips, a small pouch hanging from it. He opened the pouch and found a deck of cards inside. Confused, since he'd never seen those clothes before, he looked up at the intruder.
"That is your school uniform. It is what you were wearing the last time we spoke. Your subconscious mind still remembers the small details of your life, as it should. The drugs you have been given have blocked your memories for the time being, but it is within your ability to unblock them."
Interested despite his fear, Jomei took a step closer to the man. "How?"
There was a flash of light, and then Jomei found himself standing in a big room surrounded by walls dotted with doors.
"These are your memories. Each door represents a different one. Go through them, own them and the feelings associated with them. Only then will they become a part of you, and only they will you regain yourself."
Jomei took a deep breath and held it for a while, before releasing it. "What if I don't want to remember?"
Shadi took a few steps closer to him.
"I believe that you do. If you did not wish to remember, you would not have remembered even this much," he answered, motioning to his surroundings.
Jomei felt the familiar fear pierce his gut at the mention of his past. What if it was something he wasn't going to like?
"What do I have to do?"
"All you have to do is look through those doors. The memories will find you."
Did he really want to do this? Was he ready to remember? A sudden flashback to the room where he'd last seen Joey made up his mind. He had to find Joey and take him home again. He had to get out of here to do so.
"Okay, so where do I start?"
Shadi pointed at the room in general.
"Chose your destiny."
**~~**
Seto Kaiba rewound the tape for the hundredth time and watched it yet again.
Over and over, he had seen Jomei get knocked unconscious, followed by his own brush with the tranquilizer gun. He had watched as Joey Wheeler threw himself at the man carrying Jomei and succeeded in knocking them both to the ground. Joey had been no match for the much bigger and older man, though. He had easily subdued and tranquilized Joey as well. Kaiba watched as Harris ran out of the grounds and tried to stop the man from taking Jomei and Joey, to no avail. Kaiba clenched his jaw every time he saw the car driving away. Why couldn't he have done something? Why hadn't Harris done something more? Why had Harris stopped and made sure he was okay instead of going after the kidnapper?
Kaiba sighed. There were so many questions running through his head and no answers. He had spent a majority of the night berating himself for making Jomei run out of the house. If he hadn't, they'd all be fine right now. He'd also spent a majority of the night yelling at Harris for not being good enough, for taking time to check on him instead of keeping the two boys from being kidnapped. Harris had stood before him, unblinking, listening to him yell and had said nothing. Kaiba had finally stopped yelling when Mokuba had pointed out that he was being unfair, because Harris' job was to protect him at all times, and he'd done so. Of course, Kaiba had immediately sent Mokuba to his room and Harris out of the house, preferring to be alone with his rage instead.
There was one thing that Kaiba didn't understand. The kidnapper had enough time to examine all three of them before Harris had gotten to the front of the house. In that time, the man had decided to take only Jomei and Joey. Not that Kaiba was unhappy at not having been kidnapped, but he didn't understand why he'd been left behind. He had an answer in the back of his head, but he refused to give it any consideration. If he did, he would have to admit that the man that had kidnapped two people right in front of his house, and the ones who had set up the whole thing, were much smarter than he'd given them credit for.
"Big brother, did you find what you wanted? It's already morning."
Startled, Kaiba turned away from the computer screen he'd been studying and faced his brother.
"All I have is the license plate of the car and a grainy picture of the man. So far, I haven't had much success with either of those. There doesn't seem to be a car registered with those plates."
Mokuba glanced at the screen, which currently showed a still image of Kaiba lying on the ground, unconscious, while Harris shot at the moving car. He frowned, and Kaiba could see fear and worry in Mokuba's more expressive eyes.
"It could have been you, Seto. They could have taken you, too."
Kaiba reached up and ruffled his brother's hair, then pulled him in for a hug.
"I'm fine, Mokuba. See, nothing happened. I'm still here." Kaiba released Mokuba, who glanced at the screen again. Finally, Kaiba shut it off, not wanting to give his little brother anything more to worry about.
"Who are those people? What do they want with Yugi?"
Kaiba sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to get rid of Mokuba until he'd answered all of the younger boy's questions. He motioned for Mokuba to take the nearest chair, and then began his explanation.
"I don't know, but I think that they want to keep him from telling anyone else about them and their operation. He escaped from it, and they don't want him to run to the police and say anything."
"Yugi wouldn't do that, Seto. Besides, he doesn't remember anything."
"That's true, but I doubt they believe that. If they have Yugi, then they think they're safe."
Mokuba nodded, but Kaiba could see that he didn't completely understand the answer. "What about Joey? He had nothing to do with what happened to Yugi"
"I don't know what they could possibly want with Joey. They could have left him behind and only taken Yugi, but they didn't."
Mokuba narrowed his eyes in thought. "Maybe they're going to do to Yugi what they did to him the first time so he'll forget again. Maybe they want to do the same thing to Joey."
Kaiba nodded, amazed at his brother's perceptiveness. He was tired. He'd been up all night going over the tape and was irritated that he hadn't gotten anything out of it. He was no closer to finding Yugi than he had been last night.
"Where is Harris?"
Mokuba smiled sheepishly. "He's right outside the door."
Kaiba frowned in annoyance. "Didn't I fire him last night? I clearly remember telling him to get lost."
Mokuba nodded and managed to look both guilty and smug at the same time.
"I called him back and told him you'd been overreacting and wanted him to come back, and that you'd told me to call him for you."
Kaiba's annoyance turned to anger at having been disobeyed. "Why did you do that, Mokuba? I don't want him around anymore, because he can't do his job."
"You didn't see him when he was carrying you up to your room, Seto. He was worried about you and afraid because of what had been done to you. You may not believe it, but he did do his job last night. You hired him to protect you at all costs, and he did that. It's on that tape, so I know you've seen it."
Kaiba slammed a fist down onto the console, and then regretted it when he saw his brother jump slightly at the sound, his face showing a trace of fear.
"He let two teenagers be kidnapped right outside my front gates. That does not count as him doing his job."
"He made sure nothing happened to you," Mokuba insisted. "He brought you in and called the doctor. He stood outside of your bedroom door until the doctor said you were going to be fine. I'd call that doing his job. Besides, he's been loyal to both of us ever since you hired him. Not only that, but I like him. I think you should hire him back."
Kaiba was silent for a long while. He did not like his decisions being overruled. It made him look bad and indecisive, and that was unacceptable. On the other hand, Mokuba did have a point. What good bodyguard would leave their charge for something or someone else? Mokuba rarely wanted to get his way on anything, and the fact that he was defending the bodyguard let Kaiba know that he really liked the man. If there was anything Seto liked to do, it was please his brother.
"I thought you'd already rehired him," Kaiba commented, hiding the small smile that had broken out over his face.
Mokuba grinned. "Yeah, I did. But he thinks you did it."
Kaiba shrugged. "He doesn't have to know the difference. But the next time he screws up, I'm going to fire him for good."
**~~**
Yami paced inside his soul room. He didn't know how long he'd been doing it, but it felt like an eternity for him. He wanted to leave the puzzle and watch over Jomei, but he didn't want to smother the boy and give him a reason not to want to have him around at all.
It had been very hard for him to try to understand Jomei. Jomei looked like Yugi and talked like Yugi, so Yami kept expecting him to treat him as Yugi had done. Not that he was selfish, but it was hard not to want things to be as they'd been before. It seemed so long since that fateful night, but Yami had a feeling that it would be haunting all of them for a long time to come.
Jomei was troubled, of that Yami had no doubt. He'd restrained himself from trying to access his thoughts, because he hadn't wanted Jomei to be further spooked by him. Yami could not imagine what the last six months had been like for him, but he wanted very badly for Jomei to tell him. He wanted to help, to comfort, but he couldn't do that if Jomei didn't let him. Sighing, Yami decided that he didn't have to have Jomei's permission. He could look out for the teenager and offer comfort from a distance, without him even realizing it.
Having made up his mind to watch out for Jomei, he willed himself out of the puzzle. He expected to find Jomei sleeping in his bed, but instead found the bed empty. It was still neatly made, which signified that it hadn't been slept in. Frowning, Yami headed for Joey's room. Maybe Jomei had gotten scared during the night and had wandered over to Joey's room. Once there, however, Yami was again surprised to find Joey's bed empty. It was early morning, so there was no way Joey was up. Even on a school day, Joey didn't get up until he absolutely had to. He stepped out into the hallway and saw that the bathroom door was open, so they were not in there.
Worried, Yami quickly made his way back into Yugi's room. A breeze ruffled his hair, and he frowned. The window wasn't usually left open in the room. Yami walked towards the window and found that it was wide open. He looked at the desk and saw the Millennium Puzzle lying on top of it. Had someone broken into the room and taken Jomei? Visions of the last time someone had broken into the room rushed into Yami's mind, making his worry elevate a notch.
Upon closer inspection, Yami discarded the thought. The room was spotless, not a sign of a struggle was evident. A few of the books on the desk had been knocked over, which led Yami to believe that Jomei had walked out of the room on his won through. Had Joey gone with him? Had he tried to stop Jomei?
Yami quickly left the room and went downstairs. He tried to never bother Mr. Moto, preferring instead to let Yugi talk to him. Yugi was no longer around, so he had to do it himself. Something had definitely happened last night, and Mr. Moto had to know about it. He let himself in the room without having to open the door and saw that the elder Moto was still asleep on his bed. Yami recited a short spell that gave his form temporary solidity, and then shook the man.
"Mr. Moto, you must wake up."
The elder man stirred, and then his eyes shot open.
"Yugi?"
Yami shook his head, while Mr. Moto tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
"Yami, what's the matter? What's wrong?"
The man slowly sat up and focused on Yami.
"Jomei and Joey are gone, Mr. Moto. I think Jomei left and Joey went after him. I am sorry, but I did not know about it until now."
Mr. Moto's eyes widened, fear clearly evident in them. "We have to go out to look for them. I'll call the rest of the kids and see if they're willing to help. Have you tried to contact Jomei?"
Yami's eyes widened, surprised that he hadn't thought about doing that. "I have not. Let me attempt it now."
He concentrated on the link between him and Yugi, but felt nothing. Usually, even if Yugi was blocking him, Yami could feel the presence of the link. Now, there was nothing.
"The link is gone. I do not feel him."
"What does that mean? Is he okay?"
"I do not know. Hopefully, they will be fine. If Joey went after Jomei, I have no doubt that he will take care of him."
Mr. Moto nodded, but Yami saw that he wasn't very convinced.
"I hope you're right, Yami."
**~~**
Song credit: Torn, performed by Creed.
See, that wasn't so bad, was it? Next up: Jomei's memory chapter.