Chapter 14: Edward's Promise
Credit: I own absolutely nothing!! Not FMA, nor YGO, nor TB!!
panmotto: I know its been a while since I updated this story. A lot of things have happened for me the past fews months (college, family deaths, ect). But finally I am done this chapter!! Thank you all for the reviews on the past chapters and I hope you enjoy this chapter!!
Note:
-'Talking' - Talk between Host and Spirit (ex: Ed and Noa, Yugi and Yami Yugi)
-"Talking" - Flashbacks, or memories
Edward didn't understand the whole concept between 'dueling' with cards. He was impatient to begin with, so watching the long duel between Crump and Kaiba made him uneasy. To him, whenever one monster would appear on the field, it would soon disappear soon after… So what was the whole point of this?
Even though Noa still had the control over Edward's body, Edward still could watch the duel from his materialized position beside him. Tapping his invisible foot against the ground, Edward crossed his arms. 'Noa, how long do these 'duels' take?'
"Depends" Noa replied casually, causing Edward to be taken aback puzzled.
'Depends on what?' Edward pressed on, raising an eyebrow at how causally this statement was said. Noa glanced over at his host and smiled.
"It depends on many things Edward. So it might take a while" Noa answered, sighing at Edward's evident impatience of the whole ordeal. Yes, Edward wasn't used to seeing or resolving disputes with a game of playing cards; he used violence instead.
Although violence is the wrong answer, Noa had to wonder if violence would have been a better choice in this situation.
Groaning with frustration, Edward glanced over at Kaiba and seen him sending one of his monsters to attack Crump's monster. It was getting really monotonous after a while seeing this routine played over, and over… AND over again…
Darting his yellow cat eyes to the side, Edward narrowed his eyes seeing the helpless face of Mokuba gazing at the duel that would determined whether he lived or died.
"Ah, Mr. Kaiba has more points than Crump!" Alphonse announced becoming excited at watching a card game. Raising an eyebrow at his larger small brother, Edward sighed. "Does that mean Mr. Kaiba will win?!"
'…..What the heck is wrong with Al? How could anyone get excited over a card game?' Edward muttered bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest, ignoring the look of disbelief on Noa's face.
From the moment Noa was small, and even in the virtual world; card games were a part of his life. He couldn't imagine a world without duel monster cards. It was unbelievable and unheard of!!
However, Noa had to take into account that Edward had never seen duel monsters in his life, so naturally he wouldn't be able to see the beauty of playing a children's card game. Only those who grew up with the card game would understand!!!
"It is a possibility that Seto will win. But anything can happen" Noa easily replied, glancing at his step-brother fondly. Although Kaiba wasn't considered the best big brother or the best guy to be around with, Noa still admired his on-going loyalty to Mokuba. Even when he trapped Kaiba and the others in the virtual world, Kaiba still risked everything for Mokuba. After that incident, Noa realized that Kaiba was not someone who was run by money and power (although he doesn't mind it at all).
Kaiba was someone who achieved all this for the safety and the well-being of Mokuba.
"Edward! Alphonse! Kaiba!!" All three men heard coming from the entrance of the room. It didn't sound like one voice, more like a collection of voices. Turning his head, Noa's eyes widened upon seeing Yugi and the others running towards them.
"..You guys? What are you doing here?" Noa asked, puzzled by their presence in this room. Glancing over at Alphonse and Edward who stood near him, Noa looked back at Yugi.
"We are here to help you" Yugi replied, looking over at Kaiba in the duel arena. Since Yugi and the others were here, Edward figured Fai took care of Spinel with no trouble at all. The State Alchemist didn't have any doubts of the potential of Fai's skills, so he knew he didn't have to worry.
Pausing in his thought, Edward glanced at the gang with his transparent form and sighed. 'How in the hell are they suppose to help? I thought no outsiders can interfere with a duel…' Edward trailed off, placing a hand on his chin.
Noa glanced over at his host and sighed. "… Its called 'moral support' Edward. My, I didn't think you were this dense…."
Fuming at the insult, Edward clenched his fists and glared hatefully at the being controlling his body. 'W-What did you say?!!!' Although Noa could have retaliated, he chose to ignore the fuming Alchemist which only enraged the blonde boy even more. At this point, Noa could clearly see why both his step-brother and Edward Elric could not get along..
They were too much alike it wasn't even funny.
"Noa" The voice of the spirit of the Millennium puzzle startled Noa out of his trance as he turned to see Yugi's alter-ego in control. "Do you really think Crump is going to give up so easily?"
Well, at least someone out of Yugi's group wasn't brain dead all the time. Chuckling softly at the matter of the question, Noa sighed. "…I highly doubt it. Even if Seto wins this duel, I don't think Crump is going to take this defeat lightly"
At this statement, it seemed that the rest of Yugi's gang seemed shocked at that realization. Noa found it highly amusing that these people didn't see the reality of the situation. Did they really think that Crump would take losing a duel so easily after all he has done?
Kidnapping, attempted murder, fraud; if Crump were to lose, he would be sent to jail for the rest of his miserable life, and the man knew this all too well!!
'…..You don't have to be such an ass about that, Noa… I don't think they realize how truly twisted Crump really is…' Edward pointed out, narrowing his yellow cat eyes at the spirit in control of his body. Scoffing at this, Noa rolled his eyes.
"Your one to talk, Edward. Do you honestly believe that you can help Mokuba?!" Noa snapped, his feeling of being pushed down rising again from within the corridors of his memories. Taken aback by this blunt question, Edward turned his head towards the caged Mokuba across from him.
Just looking at Mokuba reminded Edward of a caged animal, begging to be released from its prison.
'I promised-'
"-Talk is cheap, Edward Elric!" Noa interrupted, his furry level rising each moment he spoke to the optimistic Edward Elric. To be honest, Edward didn't really understand why Noa was having such a fit about this all. The State Alchemist knew that Noa was worried about Mokuba, but the green-haired boy didn't need to take that frustration out on him.
"I promise we'll be together again, Noa. Just be patient"
"I promise you'll be the one to take over this company"
"I promise not to leave you, son"
Edward's yellow cat eyes widened at these images and voices that suddenly just appeared in his mind. Again, it felt like he was reliving someone life through their eyes. He could almost feel the pain and sorrow that small green-haired boy felt in these 'visions'.. Or whatever there suppose to be called.
Glancing over at Noa, the blonde haired teen sighed. He would be lying if he denied that statement 'talk is cheap', but he definitely was not lying when he said that he was going to do whatever it took to protect Mokuba and Alphonse.
Because of his stupidity, both Mokuba and Alphonse have been put in danger. Alphonse lost his body, so he would be damned if Mokuba lost his life because of him.
'…I'm not your father… Noa' Edward simply said, ignoring the feeling of shock that seemed to fill his entire system at that moment. Since both Ed and Noa were connected, both of them could feel what the other was feeling. 'I'm not going to let anyone down, again..' Grinning like a cherish cat, Edward jabbed his thumb in the air confidently. 'That I can promise you'
Although Noa had his doubts, he gave in to Edward's whole 'happy' attitude. "Very well… But if you break this, I'll make your body jump off a cliff"
…And so the argument began again between both boys as they were totally oblivious to the fact that they were talking out loud and everyone was just staring at them in shock.
"…….Who is Noa talking to?" Bakura asked, after a long awkward pause between the group of friends. From what they could see from their position, it seemed like Noa was talking to the empty space of air beside him…
Alphonse looked away from the duel in progress and sighed. "Oh, he's done that one before… Mr. Kaiba said that both Ed and Noa talk to themselves from time to time"
"…." No one could deny that awkward air that seemed to surround the group as they tried to figure out why Noa or Edward would be talking to themselves. But, luckily for Edward and Noa, Yugi's alter ego had an inclination on what was going on.
Instead of reassuring the group that Edward or Noa was not losing their minds, and that they were communicating to each other; the dark spirit of the Millennium puzzle did not say a word. Grinning slightly, he glanced back at the duel between Crump and Kaiba.
'That's for calling me a 5000 year old man' The spirit stated proudly, his grin increasing in amusement.
---------------
After a while…..
At the rate it was going, it seemed that Crump would soon be defeated by Kaiba and his powerful deck.
"I sacrifice my three monsters to summon the all powerful Blue Eyes White Dragon" Kaiba proclaimed loudly and sounding somewhat proud of that fact. Edward raised a thin eyebrow at this proclamation, and was about to add a snide remark at that, until he was silenced by the appearance of a large blue dragon that suddenly appeared on Kaiba's side of the field.
'Holy shit! That thing is huge!!' Edward wasn't joking. The hologram of this dragon almost hit the ceiling of the warehouse they were in. Even if he didn't know the 'attack' points of this card, Edward could almost guess that it was powerful by just looking at it.
Edward recalled seeing this giant dragon before; both at Kaiba Land and at the mansion itself. By these two points, Edward concluded that this probably was Kaiba's favorite card. '….Figures that would be Kaiba's favorite card… The size of it clearly matches his giant ego'
Noa stifled a chuckle at this, and tried not to look amused by this comparison Edward just made. Raising an eyebrow at the spirit in his body, Edward smirked. 'Don't you agree, Noa?'
Trying to not to look to amused to the others, Noa nodded. "Completely"
"Now taste the bitter sensation of defeat, Crump! Attack his life points directly!!" Kaiba commanded, his voice echoing in the warehouse catching everyone's attention instantly. This was the moment everyone was waiting for, the defeat of Crump and the rescue of poor Mokuba.
The large towering dragon reared its head and a long stream of white lighting came out it instantly, lighting up the entire area in an instant. The monster on Crump's side disappeared in a flash of light, and so did the remainder of Crump's life points.
"No!!" Crump yelled out in agony of his utter defeat against Kaiba. Falling to his knees dramatically, Edward had to chuckle at the sight of a grown man being a drama queen about losing. It was just a card game for pete's sake, it wasn't like it was the end of the world.
Well….Maybe for Crump it was. He was probably going to go to jail for the rest of his life for committing those crimes… And he probably going to lose everything he had.. So yeah, maybe for Crump it was like the end of the world losing a children's card game.
Although the others were cheering with glee of the victory Kaiba just made, Edward still felt very uneasy about the whole situation. Yes, he was happy that Kaiba won, but something about Crump's actions and whole demeanor made the State Alchemist anxious.
'Let me take over, Noa' Edward commanded sharply, startling the green-haired boy slightly. Staring over at the transparent image of Edward, Noa nodded slowly. Although Edward did not voice his worries, Noa could certainly feel it within him. Without any protest, Noa reverted back into the corridors of Edward's mind while letting the blonde teen control of his body again.
Narrowing his yellow-cat eyes at the sight of Mokuba in the cage, Edward readied himself for anything that Crump would pull on them. He knew that the fat man would not take defeat so easily, and he also knew that with Mokuba in hand, Crump could make Kaiba do just about anything.
"Let Mokuba go" Kaiba ordered coldly, glaring hatefully at the man across the arena from him. Although Kaiba seriously doubted that he would follow that order so obediently.
Crump didn't say anything for the longest time, but Edward had a feeling the man was up to something very…. Sinister would be the word. Standing up from his fallen position, Crump looked up with a sinister smirk on his face.
….Oh how Edward hated when he was right…
"Did you honestly think I would listen to you, Kaiba?" Holding up the large remote with a giant red button in the center, Crump smirk increased ten-fold when he noticed everyone's expression at this point. The fat bastard knew he had the upper hand, or so he thought…
Stepping forwards towards the gaping hole, Edward narrowed his eyes at the button then looked over at the frightened Mokuba. Using all the brain power he had, he tried his best to formulate a plan in his head that would save Mokuba from certain death.
Although Edward wasn't so good with thought-out plans.. So it wasn't going so well. Instead of hurting his brain again, Edward decided to do the next best thing; taunt the hell out of Crump.
"…Give it up, man" Edward called out in disbelief, raising both of his arms and putting it behind his head. "Kaiba's whipped your ass good. So be a good loser and give the kid to us"
'…What the hell are you doing?!' Noa shrieked in shock in Edward's head, making his ears bleed slightly. 'If you want Mokuba back, you don't taunt him-'
"-Have faith in me, Noa" Edward interrupted quietly, a small grin on his lips. Noa's green eyes widened slightly at this statement, and reluctantly he nodded.
'…I hope you know what your doing' Noa pressed on, sighing afterwards with disbelief. No matter how many books he read to indulge his mind, there were still two puzzles in the world that he couldn't figure out.
One of them was women…. Enough said.
And the next was Edward Elric. No matter how much logic Noa tried to apply to Edward's mind, nothing seemed to work. Noa was a reasonable thinker who had a thought-out plan for everything he did. Edward on the other hand…
He seemed to be more of a 'hands-on' kind of guy. Someone that acted first and thought later…
A very dangerous type of person to share the same body with…
"So… What do you say, old man?" Edward drawled out, smirking in victory upon seeing Crump's face flush red in furry. That was one of the many things that Edward was good at; making people angry very quickly. And this time that trait came in handy.
"W-What?! How dare you speak to me that way, you little child!!" Crump bellowed out, his attention completely off Mokuba and Kaiba for the moment. Sticking out his tongue childishly, Edward chuckled.
"Is that the best you've got? I thought old men were suppose to be smart… Guess you must be so old that your losing brain cells…" Edward commented, pacing back and forth on his side of the gaping hole. Each time Edward would say something, Crump would get even more furious at Edward Elric only.
Grinning slightly at the situation, he glanced over slyly at Kaiba and seen the blue-eyed CEO gawking at Edward in confusion. Trying to be as discrete as ever, Edward slyly winked at Kaiba. He was hoping that the smart CEO would realize what he was trying to accomplish and what he wanted Kaiba to do.
It only took a few seconds for Kaiba to realize what Edward was planning, before he nodded his head slightly.
By getting Crump angry at the State Alchemist; he was diverting all the attention away from Mokuba. In turn that meant that it would be easier to save Mokuba.
"You little brat!! How dare you speak to me that way?! Have you forgotten that I have the power to kill you?!" Crump bellowed out, referring to Spinel Moon's near attempt at murdering Edward. Edward's sharp yellow eyes narrowed at the memory. Yes, Spinel would have finished off Edward if it hadn't been for Noa Kaiba.
But, now things were different. Edward wouldn't let himself feel that helpless ever again.
"Damn old man. Are you really that stupid?" Edward asked mockingly, smirking with arrogance. From the point of view to Yugi and the others, they could have all sworn that they seen a mirror image of Seto Kaiba; well not compared to height anyways. The look in his yellow cat eyes almost reflected how Kaiba would look like when he was taunting someone intensely.
"I can't die" Edward stated simply, shaking his head in pure disbelief at Crump's lack of knowledge. Again, Crump became more furious at the State Alchemist thus not noticing Kaiba who mysteriously disappeared from his side of the arena.
"You have no idea who your dealing with, boy?!" Crump seethed out, glaring hatefully at the short blonde haired boy who was getting him angrier by the second. Edward paused for a moment or two and crossed his arms over his chest. Looking up at Crump, Edward grinned.
"Neither do you" His grin increased ten-fold when he noticed that Kaiba was inching closer and closer to Crump's position. This was all working out very nicely.. For a plan thought up the last minute, Edward had to admit that it was a plan fit for geniuses.
'…..You really are something, Edward Elric' Noa bluntly exclaimed, sighing deeply. Yes, it did seem like the plan was working out perfectly, and Noa was surprised that Edward actually thought of this the last minute.
As planned, Kaiba made his presence known behind Crump and without delay both men began struggling over the control of the remote that would determine the fate of the younger Kaiba.
Edward knew Kaiba was strong; the CEO did almost beat Edward in a fight before. But against such a fat man, Kaiba had a run for his money if he wanted to the victor of the fight. Turning his head towards the young Kaiba brother still caged, Edward had a really bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach all of a sudden.
Not waiting to explain to Noa what he was planning to do, Edward rushed forwards towards the cage and narrowed his eyes sharply. Pushing off the solid ground, he jump through the air and towards the cage.
Landing on top of the cage with no problem, Edward grinned victoriously as he grasped the chain with his Automail. This was the easy part. '…Please warn me before you risk your body and life like that again?' It almost seemed to Edward that the green-haired boy was stunned by his rash actions, which made Edward's grin broaden.
"E-Edward!!" Mokuba cried out in shock, placing his hands on the bars of the cage and glancing up at the State Alchemist. Looking down at the terrified boy, Edward jabbed a thumb in the air.
"I'll get you out of here, kid" Edward assured, glancing over at the struggling pair of men who was still grappling for the remote control. Turning his attention back to the cage he was on, he paused for a moment before scratching his head.
"…Let me get this straight.. You jumped onto the cage with no plan on what you were going to do next.." Noa trailed off, but was silenced when he noticed that Edward had absolutely nothing planned in his mind. '…Of all the bodies I had to choose…'
Frowning at this statement made by Noa, Edward tried his best to focus on the task at hand. He needed a way to save Mokuba without endangering both of them in the process. Slowly, the gears in his mind began turning while he attempt to devise a plan. Noa could only watch in wonder as his counter-part used all of his brain power to do this task.
It almost made the green-haired boy laugh when he spotted the evident smoke trails that was drifting from Edward's ears. '…You really are a hopeless case' Although it was a amusing sigh for the Kaiba brother, Noa also respected Edward for trying his best in his attempt to save Mokuba.
They were just mere strangers. The Elric brothers were in no way related to the Kaiba brothers. But even so, Edward was still trying his best to save both Seto and Mokuba.
Even though Noa found a lot of faults with Edward, their was one thing about the blonde haired boy that Noa envied greatly.
His unbending loyalty to those he cares for.
---
"What the bloody hell is Edward doing?" Bakura questioned after a long period of silence between the remainder of the group that wasn't helping Kaiba. After Kaiba got in a struggle with Crump; Joey and Tristan rushed over to try to lend a hand to the tall CEO.
Thus they left Bakura, Tea, Yugi and Alphonse still standing at the same spot watching these events take place. The taunting, the surprise for Crump, and plus Edward's leap of faith towards the cage Mokuba was in; all of this was witnessed by these four people on the side.
With no response in hand, the four people watched Edward curiously and seen him pausing in his step. "…I think Brother is thinking about how to save Mokuba" Alphonse clarified, turning his head towards the other three. For some reason, Alphonse felt a swell of pride that Edward was risking his life for the sake of Mokuba. It meant that Edward was getting closer to others besides him.
"….You think he could have done that before jumping onto the cage?" Tea asked in disbelief, scratching her head slightly. Both Yugi and Bakura nodded in agreement as they turned their heads back towards the State Alchemist still on the cage.
"Should we help him? I mean, he does look quite confused…" Bakura questioned, voicing the question that had been plaguing their thoughts for a while.
Sighing deeply, Alphonse shook his head. "I don't think that's such a good idea.. If we attract too much attention to Edward, Crump might push that button" Although Crump was clearly unmatched by the other men, he was still holding his ground by keeping the remote away from the prying hands of the guys.
Funny how a man who worked his whole life behind a desk could gain so much stamina in a few minutes?
"I-I can't just stand here and watch my friends get hurt" Yugi's alter ego explained sternly, his eyes trailing over towards Edward and Mokuba. The last time the spirit ever felt this helpless was when he was dueling the mind-controlled Joey at the Battle City Tournament. Back then, he was able to help Joey overcome Marik's powers.
….But now… The spirit was taken aback on how helpless he truly was in this dire situation.
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Unknown to all those on the bottom, two pair of eyes on the railings of the warehouse near the roof watched these events play out before them. "Do you think its about time, Kuroin?" Fai questioned his partner, ignoring the death glare that followed in suite.
"My name is Kurogane for the last time!!" Kurogane spat out, his blood red eyes burning at the sight of the blonde still grinning like a cherish cat. When he realized that his glare was having no effect on the magician, Kurogane rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the situation down bellow.
Although he did agree with Fai that it was the time to act, he had his doubts about their boss' plan. When Syaoran told them the process of the plan, it shocked the kanta-wielding man on how very rash this plan was.
But both him and Fai knew better than to question the boss' orders.
Placing a warning hand on the hilt of his kanta, Kurogane narrowed his eyes slightly. "What if it doesn't work?" Fai turned his head slightly towards his temper-riled partner and smiled.
"Have faith in Edo-kun" Scoffing at this casually put statement, Kurogane turned his attention back to the plan in mind. Standing up from his sitting position on the railing in the warehouse, Kurogane narrowed his blood red eyes at his target.
"Hold back the brother" Was the last thing Kurogane ordered before leaping down from his perch leaving Fai alone to his own thoughts. The result of the plan would need Fai to hold the group, including Alphonse, back away from Edward and Mokuba.
Fai didn't say anything for the longest time, but anyone could tell that he was thinking very deeply about something. Fingering the long staff in his grasp, Fai lips curled into an all-knowing smile.
"…And so it begins"
------
For Edward it all seemed to happen so fast. Too fast. One minute he was pulling Mokuba out of the hole that he slashed out of the bars, the next he staring at the long, but very sharp kanta that seemed to come from above them.
Edward didn't even have time to react, all he could hear was the voices of his brother and Yugi's friends yelling at him to watch out. Without thinking about his own safety, Edward shielded the young Kaiba's body with his own and braced himself for the worst kind of pain he would ever feel.
But surprisingly, he felt nothing. No, all he could feel though was the sensation of floating in air…. Or in Edward's case it would be better to say falling in the air. Yes, whoever came down to slash at Edward had actually slashed at the chain holding up the cage. Which as a result sent poor Edward and Mokuba falling down the deep dark hole that seemed to have no end.
'E-Edward!!!' Noa shouted, desperately trying to think of a plan to save his host and his younger step-brother. But alas, nothing came to the bright eyed Kaiba, and so he had to watch in horror as both the people he cared for fell to their deaths. 'E-Edward think of something!! Y-You're an Alchemist right?! You have to think of something!!'
But for an answer, all Noa could hear was Edward chuckling lowly. "I-I promise I'll protect M-Mokuba" Hugging the small boy tighter to his chest with the intent to protect him at all cost, Edward's lips cracked a small smile. "I-I promise"
Noa couldn't believe what he was hearing, or feeling for the matter. The State Alchemist wasn't feeling fear, horror, or he wasn't even anxious about his oncoming death. No, all Noa could feel was a strong overwhelming presence of courage. It was so overwhelming for the Kaiba brother that he, Noa Kaiba himself, could feel tears stinging his eyes.
Although Noa knew that the likelihood of Mokuba surviving was slim, Edward was still willing to give it his all to make sure that he keeps his promise. 'W-What a fool' Noa choked out, clenching his fists at his side with furry.
He had never met anyone so stubborn and hotheaded as Edward… And he had a feeling he would never meet anyone else like that either. Life wasn't very fair to Noa Kaiba. Not only did his father dessert him, but now he was going to lose the only two people in his life that actually made a difference.
"I-I promised" Noa heard Edward whisper again quietly. But before Noa could react to anything else, a bright white light temporarily blinded his eyes. Covering his eyes with his arm, Noa Kaiba tried his best to identify what the source of this mysterious light was.
They were falling in a hole; there was no light in this dark hole…. So what the hell was it?
Although it was extremely bright, Noa oddly felt a warm feeling emitting from this light. It was like a reassuring warm feeling that seemed to soothe Noa's nerves… Was this what heaven felt like?
Squinting his eyes at the light, Noa could have sworn he seen a lone figure standing before the light. He couldn't tell who or what this figure was because of the bright light behind it, but he couldn't help but feel at ease.
He was on the brink of death's door, but he felt relaxed? His eyelids felt really heavy all of a sudden as he began to fall slowly towards the ground of Edward's mind.
All Noa could hear before he blacked out was the figure's soothing voice repeating a phrase over and over again.. "The High Priest needs you, you cannot die here oh noble Alchemist"
panmotto: I know, a how was it? Good? Bad? Please let me know!! Oh and one other thing I need to ask you readers. I have been told I have bad grammar (I know its true), so does anyone want to help me check over the chapters to make sure I don't have such bad grammar( I think its called a beta-reader..).