Noa Kaiba's First Appearance
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
Aisling: I'm back again!!
Yami: Oh, dear Ra, no.
Aisling: Yami-chan, be nice, or I'm telling Bluefire your little secret.
Yami: You wouldn't dare, hikari no baka.
Aisling: You honestly willing to bet on that?
Yami: *Mutters, 'no'* and leaves the room.
Ryou: You're at it again, aren't you, koi?
Aisling: Yeah. *Looks innocent*
Noa: *To Ryou* Why is she dragging me into this now?
Ryou: *Shrugs* It's hard telling with her.
Aisling: *Pout* Oh, come on, it's not that bad. Will one of you please do the disclaimer for me?
Ryou: *Sigh* Fine. Aisling does not own YGO, but any original characters and the Millennium Star are hers, but Bluefire owns herself and Demona.
Aisling: *Glomps him* Thanks, Ry-chan! And now, on with the fic!
Pairings: Several, too many to mention, but they're really obvious once mentioned in the fic.
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Chapter one: Noa's Return, And A Secret Revealed
Noa Kaiba sighed to himself as he stepped out of the taxi that had stopped in front of the Kaiba mansion. It had been forever since he had been back here, but it didn't look like the place had changed that much in the last few years. He turned back and grabbed his suitcase from the backseat of the taxi, paid the driver, watching as the vehicle disappeared into the traffic again.
He made his way up the driveway, and knocked on the front door. A moment later, he heard a girl's voice calling out, "Just a minute!"
When the door opened, he saw a girl about the same height as Seto, with startlingly piercing sapphire blue eyes, soft, pale features, and long brown hair that fell down her back. She looked like a female version of Seto.
"Can I help you?" the girl asked.
Noa shook off his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, I'm looking for Seto Kaiba," he said.
"Oh, okay. Hold on a second, I'll go get him. Would you like to come in?"
"Huh? Oh, sure, thanks," Noa replied as the girl stepped aside to let him in.
"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the living room," she said, shutting the door, before she turned and walked away.
~Strange girl. She looks so much like Seto, but I don't remember him mentioning that he had a sister. Hmm, this place hasn't changed at all. It still has the same look.~ he thought to himself as he sat down on the couch, putting his bags down on the floor in front of him.
Meanwhile, Aisling was trying to find her brother, but was having no luck. Muttering about him having an annoying tendency to disappear at the worst times, she headed for his workshop where he kept all of his inventions, figuring he'd probably be there. Sure enough, she was right. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she walked in, not even bothering to knock on the already open door.
"Hey, Seto. There's someone to see you, he's downstairs in the living room," Aisling said, waving one hand in front of her twin's face to get his attention.
"Who is it? I'm busy right now, Aisling," Seto said, looking up from whatever he was tinkering with.
Aisling shrugged. "I don't know, he didn't tell me his name, but it sounded like it was important. Surely you can go see what he wants," she said off-handedly.
Seto sighed and stood up, putting his newest invention on a shelf behind him so that it would not get damaged. Then he followed her out of the room and downstairs to the living room. Mokuba came out of his room and followed them, wondering what was going on.
When they entered the room, the visitor stood up, his expression unreadable. In turn, Seto and Mokuba both stopped dead in their tracks, both looking like they had seen a ghost. Aisling glanced back and forth between her brothers and the newcomer, more than a little bit confused.
"Hello, Seto, Mokuba. It's been a long time," the other said quietly, his tone giving away nothing.
"It has, Noa," Seto answered.
Mokuba grinned suddenly and rushed over to the other boy, practically glomping him and nearly knocking him over in his excitement. "Noa!!"
Noa smiled and ruffled Mokuba's smoky black hair. "Hey, kiddo. You miss your brother?" he said. Mokuba nodded.
Seto smiled a little, laughing at the younger one's antics. Aisling's reaction, however, was something entirely different. She turned confused blue eyes on Seto, wanting to know why Noa would have called himself Mokuba's brother.
"Brother? What's he talking about, Seto?" Aisling asked, her tone somewhere between hurt and confused.
"I'll explain in a minute. Noa, you never met her, but this is our sister, Aisling. Aisling, this is Noa," Seto said.
Noa glanced over at them, startled. But that explained a lot...the two older siblings were obviously twins.
"Nice to meet you, Aisling," Noa replied.
Aisling just nodded, still dumbstruck. Her gaze turned stormy and a glint of accusation shimmered in her sapphire depths. "Would someone *please* tell me what in the Shadow Realm is going on?!" she blurted out before she could stop herself.
"I...guess I'm your step-brother," Noa said.
"Whoa, whoa. What do you mean, step-brother? I didn't know dad remarried after the divorce..." her voice trailed off, her eyes going very wide.
Seto, feeling the obvious rising of tension in the room, stepped in. "Why don't we go talk somewhere else? I don't want anyone else around here sticking their noses into this," Seto offered by way of an explanation.
"Can we go to the park, big brother? Please?" Mokuba asked, giving Seto the sad puppy eyes.
"Others?" Noa piped up.
Aisling, however, was having none of this. "No, we are not going anywhere until I get some answers, damn it!" She glared at Seto. "When the hell were you going to tell me, Seto? Don't you think I deserve to know if I have another brother?! I swear, sometimes you can be so fucking inconsiderate, Seto Kaiba!" she yelled.
"Seto never mentioned me?" Noa said, glancing over at t other brunette.
"No, it seems he neglected to say anything to me about it," Aisling said, her eyes cold and shimmering with unshed tears.
With that, she turned and ran, only glancing back once before she ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her, not caring that it was snowing outside and that she was barefoot and had rushed out without a coat. The others watched her leave, and Noa started to go after her, but Seto stopped him.
"No, let her go. She'll be back. She just needs to sort things out," Seto replied to the younger one's unasked question.
"Seto, you could have at least told her. She deserved to know. I get the feeling she's been through just as much pain in the past as we have," Noa said.
Seto sighed as he stared at the closed door. "I know, but I can't change the past. I'll explain everything when she comes back. Mokuba can help you with your things," he said quietly.
Mokuba, who had watched the entire exchange in silence, merely nodded. "Come on, Noa. You can have the room next to mine," Mokuba said.
"All right. Lead the way, kiddo," Noa said, following Mokuba out of the room.
Meanwhile, Aisling was still running as far as she could from the mansion and her brothers. She didn't know where where she was going, really, just that she had to get away from them. Up ahead, she saw the park through her tears and slowed down, heading for one spot in particular, a hidden clearing behind some thick foliage that overlooked a very pretty waterfall and a lake. Both shimmered brilliantly in their frozen form, but she was blind to it all. She fell to her knees and let her tears fall.
Suddenly her Millennium Star flashed for a moment, and her Yami, Iris, appeared in front of her. The silver-haired spirit knelt down in front of her hikari and gathered the smaller girl in her arms, holding her and trying to calm her.
"Shhh, shh, it's okay. It's all right, little one. Let it out," Iris whispered.
Aisling hid her face in her Yami's shirt and let out her frustration. Iris shook her head sadly as she gently smoothed back the other girl's hair from her face. She tilted Aisling's face upwards slightly until the two were eye to eye.
"What's wrong, hikari?" Iris asked quietly.
"Seto and I got into another fight. Turns out I have a step-brother who no one ever bothered to tell me about, and I got pissed off and left. I don't get it, Iris, it never used to be like this with me and him. We used to tell each other everything. I just wish he'd stop doing shit like this to me. All I want is just to be a part of our family again, but every time I try, it's like I get pushed away just because we were separated for so long. He wasn't always this way. Not when we were younger. We used to be like best friends. Now, it's almost like, he doesn't even want me around. I don't know what to do anymore, Iris. I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do? Just let him treat me like shit? He didn't even recognize me at Duelist Kingdom, Iris. It was almost as if he'd forgotten about me completely, like I didn't exist anymore. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just leave. Maybe they'd be happier without me being here," Aisling said through her tears. "After all, they don't need me there. I'm just a lost soul who happened to get caught up in a world that I could never be a part of, not anymore."
"I understand how you feel, hikari. Maybe you should talk to Seto before you think of leaving. I highly doubt they'd be happy if you were gone. And perhaps you should give the other a chance," Iris offered quietly.
"I don't know. I've tried several times to mend whatever rift there is between me and Seto, and it just never seems to work, no matter what I do. I'm just tired of hurting like this. My soul feels like it's being torn apart a little more every day. It has ever since the separation. I thought that maybe we could all start to heal when we found each other again, but I think I was just kidding myself. He doesn't seem to want to even try," Aisling whispered in defeat. "I just don't even want to go back right now. I can't face them.
"Okay. I'm sorry, Aisling. I wish I could do something to help you," Iris said sadly. "It hurts me to see you like this."
Aisling offered a sad little smile, staring at the ground. "It's okay, there's really nothing you can do. This is just how it's meant to be, I suppose. I'll always be the odd one out. Seto, Mokuba and Noa have each other. They don't need me," she whispered.
"Noa?" Iris asked, giving her aibou a slightly confused glance.
"Hai, my step-brother," Aisling answered.
To be continued, since I'm having some serious writer's block with this. A little note here, I know next to nothing about Noa, so I'm just improvising with his personality here, k? Reviews and *constructive* criticism is welcome, but any and all flamers will just be ridiculed at their expense and then very cheerfully ignored. I haven't been feeling good lately, so that's why I haven't been able to update my stuff lately, that, and I kinda got grounded from the comp for a few days. Grrrr. Anyway, I'll try to update this and some of my others asap, so please be patient with me here. Ja ne, minna-san!
*Aisling Kaiba*
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
Aisling: I'm back again!!
Yami: Oh, dear Ra, no.
Aisling: Yami-chan, be nice, or I'm telling Bluefire your little secret.
Yami: You wouldn't dare, hikari no baka.
Aisling: You honestly willing to bet on that?
Yami: *Mutters, 'no'* and leaves the room.
Ryou: You're at it again, aren't you, koi?
Aisling: Yeah. *Looks innocent*
Noa: *To Ryou* Why is she dragging me into this now?
Ryou: *Shrugs* It's hard telling with her.
Aisling: *Pout* Oh, come on, it's not that bad. Will one of you please do the disclaimer for me?
Ryou: *Sigh* Fine. Aisling does not own YGO, but any original characters and the Millennium Star are hers, but Bluefire owns herself and Demona.
Aisling: *Glomps him* Thanks, Ry-chan! And now, on with the fic!
Pairings: Several, too many to mention, but they're really obvious once mentioned in the fic.
**********************************
Chapter one: Noa's Return, And A Secret Revealed
Noa Kaiba sighed to himself as he stepped out of the taxi that had stopped in front of the Kaiba mansion. It had been forever since he had been back here, but it didn't look like the place had changed that much in the last few years. He turned back and grabbed his suitcase from the backseat of the taxi, paid the driver, watching as the vehicle disappeared into the traffic again.
He made his way up the driveway, and knocked on the front door. A moment later, he heard a girl's voice calling out, "Just a minute!"
When the door opened, he saw a girl about the same height as Seto, with startlingly piercing sapphire blue eyes, soft, pale features, and long brown hair that fell down her back. She looked like a female version of Seto.
"Can I help you?" the girl asked.
Noa shook off his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, I'm looking for Seto Kaiba," he said.
"Oh, okay. Hold on a second, I'll go get him. Would you like to come in?"
"Huh? Oh, sure, thanks," Noa replied as the girl stepped aside to let him in.
"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the living room," she said, shutting the door, before she turned and walked away.
~Strange girl. She looks so much like Seto, but I don't remember him mentioning that he had a sister. Hmm, this place hasn't changed at all. It still has the same look.~ he thought to himself as he sat down on the couch, putting his bags down on the floor in front of him.
Meanwhile, Aisling was trying to find her brother, but was having no luck. Muttering about him having an annoying tendency to disappear at the worst times, she headed for his workshop where he kept all of his inventions, figuring he'd probably be there. Sure enough, she was right. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she walked in, not even bothering to knock on the already open door.
"Hey, Seto. There's someone to see you, he's downstairs in the living room," Aisling said, waving one hand in front of her twin's face to get his attention.
"Who is it? I'm busy right now, Aisling," Seto said, looking up from whatever he was tinkering with.
Aisling shrugged. "I don't know, he didn't tell me his name, but it sounded like it was important. Surely you can go see what he wants," she said off-handedly.
Seto sighed and stood up, putting his newest invention on a shelf behind him so that it would not get damaged. Then he followed her out of the room and downstairs to the living room. Mokuba came out of his room and followed them, wondering what was going on.
When they entered the room, the visitor stood up, his expression unreadable. In turn, Seto and Mokuba both stopped dead in their tracks, both looking like they had seen a ghost. Aisling glanced back and forth between her brothers and the newcomer, more than a little bit confused.
"Hello, Seto, Mokuba. It's been a long time," the other said quietly, his tone giving away nothing.
"It has, Noa," Seto answered.
Mokuba grinned suddenly and rushed over to the other boy, practically glomping him and nearly knocking him over in his excitement. "Noa!!"
Noa smiled and ruffled Mokuba's smoky black hair. "Hey, kiddo. You miss your brother?" he said. Mokuba nodded.
Seto smiled a little, laughing at the younger one's antics. Aisling's reaction, however, was something entirely different. She turned confused blue eyes on Seto, wanting to know why Noa would have called himself Mokuba's brother.
"Brother? What's he talking about, Seto?" Aisling asked, her tone somewhere between hurt and confused.
"I'll explain in a minute. Noa, you never met her, but this is our sister, Aisling. Aisling, this is Noa," Seto said.
Noa glanced over at them, startled. But that explained a lot...the two older siblings were obviously twins.
"Nice to meet you, Aisling," Noa replied.
Aisling just nodded, still dumbstruck. Her gaze turned stormy and a glint of accusation shimmered in her sapphire depths. "Would someone *please* tell me what in the Shadow Realm is going on?!" she blurted out before she could stop herself.
"I...guess I'm your step-brother," Noa said.
"Whoa, whoa. What do you mean, step-brother? I didn't know dad remarried after the divorce..." her voice trailed off, her eyes going very wide.
Seto, feeling the obvious rising of tension in the room, stepped in. "Why don't we go talk somewhere else? I don't want anyone else around here sticking their noses into this," Seto offered by way of an explanation.
"Can we go to the park, big brother? Please?" Mokuba asked, giving Seto the sad puppy eyes.
"Others?" Noa piped up.
Aisling, however, was having none of this. "No, we are not going anywhere until I get some answers, damn it!" She glared at Seto. "When the hell were you going to tell me, Seto? Don't you think I deserve to know if I have another brother?! I swear, sometimes you can be so fucking inconsiderate, Seto Kaiba!" she yelled.
"Seto never mentioned me?" Noa said, glancing over at t other brunette.
"No, it seems he neglected to say anything to me about it," Aisling said, her eyes cold and shimmering with unshed tears.
With that, she turned and ran, only glancing back once before she ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her, not caring that it was snowing outside and that she was barefoot and had rushed out without a coat. The others watched her leave, and Noa started to go after her, but Seto stopped him.
"No, let her go. She'll be back. She just needs to sort things out," Seto replied to the younger one's unasked question.
"Seto, you could have at least told her. She deserved to know. I get the feeling she's been through just as much pain in the past as we have," Noa said.
Seto sighed as he stared at the closed door. "I know, but I can't change the past. I'll explain everything when she comes back. Mokuba can help you with your things," he said quietly.
Mokuba, who had watched the entire exchange in silence, merely nodded. "Come on, Noa. You can have the room next to mine," Mokuba said.
"All right. Lead the way, kiddo," Noa said, following Mokuba out of the room.
Meanwhile, Aisling was still running as far as she could from the mansion and her brothers. She didn't know where where she was going, really, just that she had to get away from them. Up ahead, she saw the park through her tears and slowed down, heading for one spot in particular, a hidden clearing behind some thick foliage that overlooked a very pretty waterfall and a lake. Both shimmered brilliantly in their frozen form, but she was blind to it all. She fell to her knees and let her tears fall.
Suddenly her Millennium Star flashed for a moment, and her Yami, Iris, appeared in front of her. The silver-haired spirit knelt down in front of her hikari and gathered the smaller girl in her arms, holding her and trying to calm her.
"Shhh, shh, it's okay. It's all right, little one. Let it out," Iris whispered.
Aisling hid her face in her Yami's shirt and let out her frustration. Iris shook her head sadly as she gently smoothed back the other girl's hair from her face. She tilted Aisling's face upwards slightly until the two were eye to eye.
"What's wrong, hikari?" Iris asked quietly.
"Seto and I got into another fight. Turns out I have a step-brother who no one ever bothered to tell me about, and I got pissed off and left. I don't get it, Iris, it never used to be like this with me and him. We used to tell each other everything. I just wish he'd stop doing shit like this to me. All I want is just to be a part of our family again, but every time I try, it's like I get pushed away just because we were separated for so long. He wasn't always this way. Not when we were younger. We used to be like best friends. Now, it's almost like, he doesn't even want me around. I don't know what to do anymore, Iris. I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do? Just let him treat me like shit? He didn't even recognize me at Duelist Kingdom, Iris. It was almost as if he'd forgotten about me completely, like I didn't exist anymore. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just leave. Maybe they'd be happier without me being here," Aisling said through her tears. "After all, they don't need me there. I'm just a lost soul who happened to get caught up in a world that I could never be a part of, not anymore."
"I understand how you feel, hikari. Maybe you should talk to Seto before you think of leaving. I highly doubt they'd be happy if you were gone. And perhaps you should give the other a chance," Iris offered quietly.
"I don't know. I've tried several times to mend whatever rift there is between me and Seto, and it just never seems to work, no matter what I do. I'm just tired of hurting like this. My soul feels like it's being torn apart a little more every day. It has ever since the separation. I thought that maybe we could all start to heal when we found each other again, but I think I was just kidding myself. He doesn't seem to want to even try," Aisling whispered in defeat. "I just don't even want to go back right now. I can't face them.
"Okay. I'm sorry, Aisling. I wish I could do something to help you," Iris said sadly. "It hurts me to see you like this."
Aisling offered a sad little smile, staring at the ground. "It's okay, there's really nothing you can do. This is just how it's meant to be, I suppose. I'll always be the odd one out. Seto, Mokuba and Noa have each other. They don't need me," she whispered.
"Noa?" Iris asked, giving her aibou a slightly confused glance.
"Hai, my step-brother," Aisling answered.
To be continued, since I'm having some serious writer's block with this. A little note here, I know next to nothing about Noa, so I'm just improvising with his personality here, k? Reviews and *constructive* criticism is welcome, but any and all flamers will just be ridiculed at their expense and then very cheerfully ignored. I haven't been feeling good lately, so that's why I haven't been able to update my stuff lately, that, and I kinda got grounded from the comp for a few days. Grrrr. Anyway, I'll try to update this and some of my others asap, so please be patient with me here. Ja ne, minna-san!
*Aisling Kaiba*