Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Yami Virus ❯ Breaking Free ( Chapter 25 )

Tari Helyanwe: *hugs plushies* Thank you!!! I have plans for the yamis. *laughs* BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Kura Magician girl: Glad you loved the lemon. Mmm…lemon.

Valea: That prom sounded like fun. Wished I could have gone. I was stood up on my prom night…even after I bought the dress and everything.

Broken Time: I kinda feel sorry for Yami, too. Bakura and Marik needed that, but I still feel bad for Yami.

I Is Me: *hands Bakura and Marik plushies* You can cuddle these.

Crazy kins: That scene was really good. Go me!

Breaking Free

Seto sat behind his desk, staring blankly at the business card of Dr. Diane Flemming. He held it in his hands, swearing to himself he was not going to give in to his emotions this time. It had already failed twice.

Joey entered the office. "Aten and Aria are asleep." He saw Seto staring again at the business card. "Seto, why torture yourself over it?"

"I want to go to her, Joey. I want to…..confront her about what she did to Aria."

Joey sat on the edge of the desk. "Well, if you think that is a good idea, then go for it. But, what about confronting her about what she did to you?"

Seto sighed. "I can't. I just can't, Joey. I have to do this for Aria's sake."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're doing this solely for Aria? Seto, I've known you for ten years. I know you too well to know that that you're lying to me…and you're lying to yourself."

Seto narrowed his eyes. "I am not lying to myself, pups."

"Well, I can't believe you're willing to face the woman who raped you ONLY because she kidnapped Aria. There has to be a deeper reason why you are going to see her."

"Believe what you want."

Joey folded his arms. "You are still haunted by what she did to you. You are frightened by the thought of meeting her."

"Not true."

Joey crossed his legs on the desk. "So, even though you are still torturing yourself over what she did to you, you feel you can just waltz into her office and confront her about Aria? Do you expect me to believe that you won't be scared shitless when you walk into her office and see her again?"

"She's a woman. I can handle her."

Joey laughed. "Please, Seto! You can't even handle Miranda when she puts a finger on you! Miranda's the most non-threatening woman I know. She'd never hurt you and yet I see you cringe every time we see her! Seto, you know you are afraid. And you know what?"

Joey took Seto's hand gently and kissed it.

"It's okay to be afraid. It's normal for you to be afraid. But she doesn't have the same power she did over you nine years ago. You're older and a hell of a good fighter. I know when I saw my father again, I was scared, too. I won't love you any less if you are afraid, Seto."

Seto stood up. "I am Seto Kaiba. I'm not afraid of anything, Joey! I thought you would have learned that already!"

"Don't raise your voice to me, Seto!"

Seto took a deep breath. "You're right, Joey. I am nervous. Scared."

"It's okay. You just went into 'Old-Seto' mode. I don't blame you for it. If you want to go to this woman, please tell me you'll take Donny or Alex with you."

"Donny goes wherever I go. Why Alex?"

"Alex helped you with Gozuboro, didn't he? He used to comfort you after your stepfather hurt you, right? Wasn't Alex with you after Diane, too? Maybe you should take him with you."

Seto sighed. "Yeah. I guess I should."

"What about me? Do you want me to come along? For moral support? I have a few things to say to this woman, too!"

Seto shook his head. "No, puppy. This is my fight. I'll fight it alone."

"Well, I'm there for you, love."

The sound of a dog pawing at the door interrupted them. The dog whimpered as a tiny knock was heard. Joey ran to the door and opened it.

"Aria, baby, what are you doing out of bed?"

"Are you going to see the lady from GeneTech who took me away from my mommy and daddy and gave me this on my right arm?"

Aria lifted her sleeve to reveal the tattoo.

"Yes, Aria, but you have to go back to bed, sweetheart. You're sick."

Aria walked to Seto. "I want to go, too."

"Aria, there's nothing there that you would want or need to see. I'm going to go and talk to Diane."

Aria crossed her arms and her hair twitched. She stuck her left foot slightly forward and her eyes narrowed. "I'm going!"

Seto shook his head as he looked at the eight year old girl. 'My god….she's chibi me! Chibi Seto. This isn't good at all.'

"Aria, you will stay here and rest. You need to rest."

Aria's hair spiked as she growled. Her hand pat her stomach. "I'm not puking like Aten, so, I'm going!"

Joey's eyes widened. "Aten's throwing up? Uh-oh." Joey ran out of the office.

Seto gave a resigned sigh. "Okay, Aria, you can come." Seto phoned the Public Relations Department and told Alex and Donny to "take preventative measures." Donny and Alex grabbed their weapons and slipped them under their suit jackets. "You can come, Aria, but you have to stick with me."

"I will, Unkie Seto."

Seto pocketed the business card and put on his trenchcoat. He walked Aria to Aten's bedroom where he heard Aten coughing in the bathroom.

Seto and Aria walked in to a naked Aten kneeling in front of the toilet with Joey holding his hair and rubbing Aten's back. Aten's back was covered in a rash and red patches covered him sporadically around his body.

Joey looked up, his eyes full of worry. "He had a nightmare about----Him again."

Aten rinsed his mouth out with a glass of water. "No…I didn't. I…felt sit to my tummy."

Seto and Joey exchanged glances. They were too familiar with Aten to know he was lying through his teeth.

Seto put a hand on the scarred part of Aten's back without thinking. "Aten, I understand."

"NO, YOU DON'T!" the sick chibi snarled at him.

Aten struggled to his feet, slapping Joey's hand away as he reached down to help him stand. "Don't touch me!"

Aten stood up and he wavered, grabbing the wall. He leaned on the wall and looked up at his two uncles standing above him looking worried.

"Dizzy….."

Aten's legs gave out underneath him and Aria caught him before he could fall. Joey and Seto kneeled down to Aten and saw the chibi had fainted.

"It's not like Aten to strike out like that," Joey said picking the naked chibi up and holding him in his arms.

Seto pressed two fingers to the side of Aten's neck. His heartbeat was normal. "You know how he gets when he's sick, pups. He gets moody. Let's try to get him back into his clothes."

Joey put Aten back on the bed and Seto replaced the boy's boxers. They tucked him back into bed.

"Seto, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"No, baby. This is something I have to do alone."

Aria let out a shriek. "Sekhmet! Come!" Aria's puppy ran into the bedroom and licked Aria's hand. "We have a score to settle with that mean lady at GeneTech. She'll never try to touch Aria Kanika Itemri again!"

****************************

Seto's limo pulled up to the front of GeneTech. His hands wrung nervously as Alex watched him.

"Don't worry, Seto. Donny and I will be right with you," Alex said calmly.

Seto heaved a sigh as he crossed his arms in front of him. "I know I can count on you both. That is why I brought both of you."

Donny called back. "We won't let her lay a finger on you, Mr. Kaiba, sir."

"Let's do this," Seto said cracking his knuckles.

Alex opened the door for Seto and Donny opened the door for Aria.

Aria jumped out, her puppy standing by her side. She growled at the building. Seto took Aria's hand and lead her through the doors.

Behind the desk stood a guard. "Welcome to GeneTech."

"I demand to see Diane Flemming now!"

The guard snickered. "Really? Do you have an appointment, Sir?"

"I don't need an appointment."

Aria stamped her foot loudly. "This is my Unkie Seto! You let us in to see the meanie lady who was mean!"

The guard leaned over the desk. "Look, kid, nobody gets in to see Diane without an appointment!"

Aria's eyes darkened. Her eyes became black and red spikes decorated her corneas. She lifted her hand and the guard levitated.

"Hey! Let me down!"

Aria turned her hand upside down and the guard turned, facing the floor. "Let us in…..please."

"Okay! Okay! Let me down!"

"As you wish," she said calmly.

Aria clenched her fist and the guard fell face-first onto the desk. A loud crack echoed through the room and the guard laid lifeless on the desk from a broken neck.

Donny and Alex's eyes widened like saucers.

"Did she…?" Donny asked in disbelief.

"How did…?" Alex continued.

Seto pet Aria's head. "That's my girl."

Aria smiled up at Seto, her canines sharp. "Let's go!"

The dog ran by her as he ran to the elevator. Donny and Alex followed. Seto pushed the number for the floor to Diane's office.

The elevator doors opened and Seto narrowed his eyes at the sight of Diane's office at the end of the hallway.

Aria stepped out and the dog gave a bark. Two doctors scurried from their offices to see her standing by the dog.

"GT5459-B is back!"

Aria growled as she recognized the doctor who covered her mouth when Donny had first came to investigate the place.

"You hurt me!" Aria snarled at the doctor. "You covered my mouth!"

"You little brat!"

Aria raised her hands and both doctors had disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Donny asked.

Aria looked up. "My Nightmare Dragon isn't hungry anymore."

Alex looked at Donny quizzically. "Who or what is a 'Nightmare Dragon?'"

"My dragon in the Shadow Realm. He's not hungry anymore. He's having doctors for dinner."

Aria proceeded down the hallway and stopped at Diane's door. Seto opened the door and saw Diane sitting at her desk.

"What is the meaning of….oh. Well, well, well." Diane smiled and stood up, leaning forward on the desk so her breasts could be seen.

"If it isn't my old conquest…I mean, companion, Seto Kaiba!"

Seto and the group walked in. "What is the meaning of kidnapping Aria?"

Diane moved to the front of her desk and sat on it, crossing her legs. "Oh. You know her? I didn't know that, Seto."

"You will address me as Mr. Kaiba!"

Diane laughed. "We're too close for formalities."

Seto clenched his teeth. "We were never close!"

"We're closer than you think, Kaiba. We had something….magical."

"No we did not! How dare you attempt to hurt Aria! I thought you closed this place down!"

Diane brushed her hair back and saw Seto cringe from the memory. "I never said I would close the place down. We got funding from somewhere else. Who needs KaibaCorp funding anyway? It's only good for one thing…like you, Seto."

Donny and Alex reached for their weapons, but Seto raised a hand.

"I will see to it that your place is closed for business…permanently."

Diane's eyes narrowed and she slid off of her desk. She took a step to Seto and Aria jumped in her way.

"You are a mean lady! How dare you hurt me! I hear you hurt Unkie Seto, too. I don't know what you did, but you are not a very nice woman!"

Diane grinned. "I didn't hurt your Uncle Seto, Aria." Diane smiled. "I made him feel good."

Seto grit his teeth. "You did not!"

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it, Seto. I know you enjoyed it. I remember it distinctly. Can't you? I have proof that you enjoyed it."

Seto turned to Donny. "Donny, get Aria out of here. Take her back to the limo. She doesn't need to hear this."

"Yeah, Donny. Seto doesn't want Aria to hear about the rape."

Aria turned to Diane. "What are you talking about, meanie lady?!"

Donny took Aria's hand. "Let's go, Aria."

"But, I want to hear what the meanie lady has to say! I can't leave Unkie Seto alone!"

Donny picked Aria up into his arms. "It's not something for you to hear, Aria."

"Donny! Let me go!"

Donny and Aria left the room. Seto turned to her.

"She's only eight years old! She doesn't need to know!"

Diane laughed. "It's never too young to talk to a kid about the realities of the world, Seto."

"I don't think Aria should be exposed to that so early!"

Diane shrugged. "'To each his own.' Right, Seto? Now. Where were we?"

"What makes you think you have the right to kidnap an eight year old girl and perform experiments on her like a god-damned guinea pig?"

Diane grinned. "Aria's blood had healing properties. She can cure cancer, Seto."

"That's bullshit!"

"I shit you not. Aria's blood has healing properties. We kidnapped her for the greater good."

Seto burst into laughter. "You kidnapped an eight year old girl for the 'greater good'? I wasn't born yesterday, woman!"

Diane smiled as she walked toward him. "Of course you weren't born yesterday. You're a young, handsome, strapping young man."

Donny stepped in front of his boss. The hair stood up on the back of Donny's neck. "Stay away from Mr. Kaiba."

Diane winked at Donny and pat his arm. "I wasn't going to touch him. I've already done that….and more."

Seto felt a shiver run up his spine at the sight of the woman's smile. "You are nothing, Diane Flemming! By the time I get done with you, you won't work in this country again!"

Diane smirked. "Where am I going to go? It's not like it's only myself I have to move."

Seto took a deep breath. "Donny, wait outside for a moment."

"Sir, I--."

"Go."

Donny reluctantly left, standing outside. Seto shut the door behind him.

He turned coldly to Diane. "How could you do that to me, Diane?"

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"How could you…..do ….THAT….to me?"

Diane smiled and stepped toward him again. "I felt like it. Didn't you feel like it?"

Before Seto could react, his back was against the wall of her office and Diane was pressed up against him.

"I wanted to have a little fun, Kaiba. Don't you want to have some fun now?"

Diane grabbed Seto and pulled him down for a kiss. Seto's body stiffened.

"Diane….get your hands off of me."

Diane grinned. "Why is that?"

"I am not letting you have power over me anymore!"

Diane laughed as her hand moved to the front of his pants, rubbing him through the material. "I know you want to have some fun, Seto Kaiba. Your goon is by the door. Your kid is taken care of. What do you say we do it on the desk…for old time's sake?"

Seto gathered every inch of strength and pushed her away. "You are finished, Diane! I'm not letting you rule me anymore!" Seto raised his hand.

Donny heard a loud slap come from the room and saw Diane on the floor, her cheek cherry red. Seto stood over her.

"I'm finished with you!" Seto growled as he felt the foundation of the building shake slightly.

He and Donny looked down and they could see Aria slowly raising her hands.

"Oh shit! Donny, we have to get out of here!"

Seto and Donny ran down the hallway, feeling the floor begin to shift under their feet.

They ran to the emergency steps and ran down, afraid to be caught in the elevator.

Donny and Seto ran outside quickly, joining Alex and Aria. Aria raised her hands and the building started to shake.

"This is for my Unkie Seto!"

Aria snapped her fingers and the building suddenly collapsed.

Aria grinned, seeing the building crumble before her eyes.

Alex put a hand on Donny's shoulder. "I was afraid you both wouldn't make it."

Donny panted. "Tell me about it! I think I'm going to need to give my wife and kids extra hugs tonight." Every night he went home, his wife and kids always had a hug and a nice cuddle. Tonight, he knew the cuddle time with his family would be longer

Aria turned to Seto, her eyes back to brown and her hair less stiff.

"Unkie Seto? What's ra--?"

"You don't want to ask me that question, Aria," Seto said turning away from her and getting into the limo. "Malik should be home soon to pick you up. I want to go home."

Donny opened Aria's door and she climbed into the limo. As Donny drove home, Aria kept her eyes on Seto. The CEO kept his gaze out of the window as they drove back to KaibaCorp.

When they arrived, Seto lead Aria up the elevator. Seto found Monique cleaning Hayden's room. "Where's Joey?"

"Master Wheeler is in his studio, Mr. Kaiba, sir."

"Where's my brother?" Aria asked.

Monique looked down at the chibi. "He's sleeping."

Aria ran out of the room and ran into the room where her brother slept. Aten slept on his side, his fingers twitching in his sleep, his body jerking.

Sekhmet jumped onto the bed and licked Aten's cheek. The dog curled up beside the sleeping boy.

"Malik……gantfatter……," the boy whimpered in his sleep.

Aria rubbed Aten's side. "Poor brother…."

Seto looked into the kids' room and saw Aria and the puppy sitting by Aten. Seto continued down the hall to Joey's studio.

Joey was listening to some violin concertos and putting finishing touches on the cityscape.

Joey turned and saw Seto stagger to him. "Seto?"

Seto looked blankly at Joey until he stood in front of the blond. He reached out his arms slowly. "Joey….I need…."

Joey dropped his paints and wrapped his arms around his lover.

"Joey….I…."

"You don't need to say anything, my dragon. Just let me hold you."

Seto buried his face in the golden strands of hair. "Don't let me go, baby. Please."

Joey held onto Seto, stroking his lover's brown hair. "It's okay, Seto. I won't let you go."

Joey and Seto held each other tightly. How long they were standing there, they couldn't tell. Monique knocked on the door.

"Mr. Kaiba, Malik Ishtar is here to pick up the kids."

Malik walked into the studio with a limp that he tried to hide.

"You feeling okay, Malik?"

"Yeah…fine. I came to get the kids."

Seto released Joey. "Aten had another nightmare."

"Oh no. Is the little monkey alright?"

Joey sighed. "He fought us a little bit, but he's sleeping now."

Malik shook his head. "He has to go see Dr. Chapman."

Joey and Seto lead Malik to Aten's bedroom. Aten was on his side, cuddled into Aria, coughing.

Aten looked up at Malik. "Daddy?"

"No, Aten. It's Malik. I'm going to take you home to your own bed. Does that sound good?"

Aten nodded. "I want my daddy."

Malik picked up the limp chibi. "Let's get you home and you can see your daddy."

"Daddy."

"Mommy's home making you some Jell-o and some Sugar-free juice."

His purple eye half-closed. "Yum."

Aria's nose curled. "I hate Jell-o."

Aten yawned. "Lite Jell-o."

"Let's get you home."

Sekhmet stood beside Aria.

"I have to take Sekhmet with me."

Malik bit his lip. "Honey, we haven't discussed having a pet."

"But…But…But….Sekhmet is my puppy. We can't let him go! He has no where to live!"

Aria's eyes watered and she pouted at Malik.

Malik sighed. He couldn't resist the pout of Chibi Bakura. "We'll bring him home. Come on, baby girl."

************************

The little boy sat by the window waiting for his mother to arrive home. He wrapped his arms around the blue bunny plushie. After nine years of cuddling, the plushie had lost one eye and its arms were attached by safety pins.

The bunny plushie was dirty, his mother seeing it pointless to wash the only soft object he owned. The nine year old boy clutched the bunny plushie to his chest, pretending it was his mother who was hugging him.

That's all he wanted….needed….was a hug.

Nine years later…..not even a single kiss on the forehead.

He scratched the back of his neck, grateful his mother didn't put the collar and leash on him, which she sometimes did to keep him in one spot while she was away.

The only object which offered him any kind of comfort was this stained, tattered, bunny plushie with one eye and a torn right ear.

Jaimen jumped off the windowsill and ran to the toybox. He tried to pull at the lock.

His mother allowed him to keep one toy out of the box to play with all day. The rest of his toys were locked away for fear that he would "make a mess."

Jaimen sighed sadly. "When's mommy coming home? I can't microwave my dinner alone."

Jaimen went into the kitchen and hopped on the chair. He took a potato chip from the paper plate on the table. That was his lunch. His breakfast was cold cereal left in a paper bowl.

Jaimen went to the cabinets to fumble with more locks. Diane didn't want him "overeating like a pig" while she was out at work, so she locked the cabinets.

School? He didn't even know the meaning of the word.

His mother never sent him to school. But, she taught him all he needed to know in life: He was the product of rape by one of the richest men in the world….and he was just an unfortunate consequence of taking her pleasure from his unwilling body.

According to his mother, that is all he needed to know in life.

So, it was pointless to send him to school.

She gloated proudly about her crime…and loathed the fact that he was the price she had to pay.

His bedtime stories were her tales of her "fun" with Seto Kaiba. Her favorite bedtime story centered around his existence as an unfortunate consequence. 'Once upon a time there was a princess who saw a big CEO. She had his way with him as he cried and begged her to stop. The princess left the big CEO and ran away without getting pregnant and without having a baby. Then, the princess lived happily ever after. Now get your ass to sleep.'

Jaimen heard the screeching of tires in front of the house. "Hey, bunny! Mommy's home!"

Jaimen ran to the front of the house and saw his aunt step out of her car.

"Aunt Gerty?"

His Aunt Gertrude opened the door, taking a puff of a cigarette. She gave a hacking cough as she entered.

"Aunt Gerty?"

The morbidly obese woman took a deep breath of her cigarette and coughed in the child's face. "Your mother is dead."

Jaimen clutched onto his tattered bunny plushie. His bottom lip trembled. "My mother…..my mommy…is….dead?"

Gertrude grabbed the boy by the ear and pulled him to his room. "Get your things packed, you little mistake! You'll be staying with Uncle Todd and I until your mother's will goes through and we don't want to hear any bullshit coming from your lying mouth! To think I have to take care of my sister's problem! If your mother didn't fuck your father, I wouldn't have to worry about your sorry ass now! Hurry up, you little mistake!"

Jaimen scurried to gather his old, tattered clothing.

"Just fill a pillowcase with something to clothe your bony little body and let's go."

Jaimen pulled the pillowcase off of his pillow, sobbing. "My mother is dead….why did she have to die? I never…she never…..She never kissed me….She never told me that she loved me."

The obese woman laughed, hacking up tar and spitting it on the child. "Love? You? Ha! She didn't love you! You were an inconvenience! A thorn in this family's side! The quicker you learn to accept that, the happier you'll be! Hurry up, you lazy bunch of bones!"

Jaimen fell by the bed, crying into his red, dirty comforter. "My mommy is gone!"

"Gods, child! If I have to pack you myself, I will do it! Give me that pillowcase! If your mother would have just aborted you or drowned you at birth, I wouldn't have to worry about you right now! I could be sitting on the couch watching my soaps! But no! You had to exist and screw up our lives!"

Jaimen's aunt grabbed him by the ear again and pulled him. The little boy opened his watery eyes to see his bunny plushie still on the floor by his bed.

"Wait! My bunny!"

"Leave it! It's as useless as you are!"

"MY BUNNY! It's my only soft toy! Please!"

"Shut up!"

The child's wailing sounded through the house. "My bunny! Please! It's all I have!"

Gertrude threw the child and the pillowcase in the car. Jaimen watched as the car pulled away.

"Bye, Mister Bunny……Goodbye, forever." Jaimen rubbed his eyes. "My mommy is dead," the child sobbed again.

Gertrude looked at her watch. "Oh! If I can get home in ten minutes, I can catch the last ten minutes of my soap opera!"

**********************************

Yugi stepped out of the shower, his tri-colored hair dripping wet and with a towel around his waist.

He heard Yami throwing around the pots and pans again in the kitchen, trying to organize them.

Yugi shuddered as he heard Yami's frustrated voice call from the kitchen. "Ra-forsaken pots and pans! Why do I have to organize these things?"

Yugi sighed and shook his head. What Bakura had told Yami spiraled around in his head. Yami was a cruel pharaoh….and he tortured Bakura. Yugi couldn't face Ryou and the others after what Bakura had told Yami.

He was ashamed.

The Yami he loved was no longer the Yami he knew.

And he wanted his old Yami back….the one he loved.

He grabbed the deodorant and applied it. He looked at himself in the mirror for the first time in days. Yugi had become afraid of looking at his own reflection. His lip trembled as he lifted his hand to brush at the corner of his eyes.

Yugi had developed wrinkles around his eyes!

He noticed a subtle streak of grey around the edge of the blond hair.

Yugi saw some gray patches of hair developing by his ears.

"Oh my gods…..what's going on?"

Updates: Thursday

Note: Next Chappie, I'm skipping ahead 4 months. So, by this time, it's going to be July when the chappie begins.

Next Chappie: Jaimen arrives at KaibaCorp. Will Seto accept his new son, knowing where he came from?