Original Yu-Gi-Oh Series

Parallel

Chapter 046

Originally Written: Thursday, April 21, 2022 754PM to 859PM

. . . . .

"This is your fault!" Nezbitt, the man who had taken over Tristan, knocked into Tristan, took the wooden sword and charged at Seto.

Seto backed up a few steps in preparation, but had no need. A slew of knives flew through the air from Ryou and Bakura.

Nezbitt turned around and blocked the knives with ease using his sword. "I am dead, because of him! You're both dead as well! And you're protecting him!?" He shook the weapon, and a knife embedded in the blade dropped to the floor with a clang.

"That's not Seto's fault!" Mokuba shouted. "If he could stop her on his own, he would have by now!"

Seto placed a hand on his head to quiet him. Mokuba looked up at him in protest. He shook his head.

"I am sorry. I know that is not enough for any of you." He looked around at Kaiba Corporation's Board of Executives. "I know I certainly did not do enough."

"You've always been a strange boy." Crump shook his head. "Aren't you the one who got Pegasus into the building?"

Seto looked at Crump in confusion. "I'm sorry. I only told Roland to contact Pegasus before he knocked me out and sent me here. Is Pegasus there already?"

"Um, isn't Pegasus looking after Solomon?" Yugi looked at Crump in confusion as well. "'Cause Marik decided jumping elderly people is a'okay?"

Tea tensed up next to him in concern.

Crump slowly came to understand something he wasn't about to voice, and nodded. He held up a finger, "Hold that thought." He turned to point at Bakura, "How I understand it, anything you hear she'll eventually figure out, right?"

"My mind isn't so open, nor so weak." Bakura spat, glaring at him. "But I understand your concern. I'll return later." He looked at Ryou, then Mokuba, and nodded. Then he faded away.

Ryou looked at Crump expectantly.

"I saw him before Amane had the guys she scared into helping her grab me. I managed to run and get into one of those Virtual Reality Pods. If Pegasus got to Noah, he might not be, you know." Crump ran a hand in front of neck. "Maybe. Not yet. We've been here since, keeping that guy from finding Noah."

The group gasped. Mokuba eyes lit up with hope.

"Operation Last Resort," Johnson, the man sitting on Machine King, said, "is connected to a series of military equipment designed to neutralize the current threat permanently. It's automatically activated if either Gozaburo or Noah, or either of you, are killed within Kaiba Corporation HQ, Duel Academics HQ or any of your mansions across the globe."

"I did not think Gozaburo would consider me in such plans." Seto fiddled with his glasses.

"You're a pain in his ass." Gansley scoffed, "But Gozaburo was no fool. He recognized your worth. You've always picked up the slack when needed."

"Not here." Nezbitt objected.

Seto nodded in agreement. "Not here."

"That's not fair, man." Tristan objected, "You're only one guy. That's what your security personnel are for." He looked at Nezbitt. "You were all up in my head and shit. So you know I know how he feels about his family."

Seto held Mokuba in a tight hug. Mokuba quickly returned it.

"That will not bring me back to life." Nezbitt shook his head, "Death by deranged anime magical girl was not in my contract when I signed up to work at Kaiba Corporation. There is no acceptable, legal compensation that I could receive."

Duke and Yugi frowned and looked away. Tea wiped her eyes. Ryou nursed his sore hands with a soft sigh. Blue Eyes White Dragon nudged Seto in the back with his head. Seto kept his back straight, eyes forward, thinking. The other members of the Big Five didn't look pleased either. Tristan folded his arms in frustration. He hadn't known Nezbitt was dead.

"Then you get your compensation by helping us stop Amane, obviously." A swirl of data appeared in the middle of the group, near Seto and Mokuba. "Without trying to kill my brother's best friend, or take over anyone's body."

"Noah!" Mokuba ran up to Noah and hugged him before he finished appearing.

Dressed in black slacks, a green shirt, and a black trench coat with the initials DA on the collar in white, Noah knelt down next to Mokuba. "Hello there, Mokie."

"You're okay?" Mokuba teared up, squeezing him tighter.

"Yea, I'm okay." His voice sounded strained. "Don't worry."

"How can I not!? She's killing everyone we care about! She's trying to break us up!" Mokuba sobbed.

Around him, the group shared looks of uncertainty, but no one said anything. It would just upset him further. Eventually Noah gently pushed Mokuba away from him, with his hands on his shoulders. Mokuba then turned to stone right in front of everyone's eyes.

"Pardon me." Seto glared and stomped over. "What are you doing?"

Noah looked up at him, and pressed a finger to his lips. "I didn't want him to hear. I'll unpetrify him when we're done. We have a lot to catch up on, little brother. And not enough time to do so." He then rose, standing to his full height. He wasn't much taller than Seto, but seemed to tower over him anyway. Noah's lips touched his forehead in a kiss.

Seto froze in confusion. "Noah...?"

Noah pulled back and rested his forehead against Seto's head. "You've a strength that Father wanted, but couldn't break, nor mold into his own strength. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to the signs about Amane. I'm so sorry for choosing her over you two."

"...She killed you..." Seto whispered. "She really..."

"Not before I managed to upload my mind to a few places. She knows where most of them are. Seto. There's something else in her pendant. Something else from the other person. That person, that entity. I don't know its name. It was once strong, but now it trembles in well-hidden fear. You have to take it from her. It's like the pendant is alive, and wants to get away from her. Whatever is in that pendant… She's strong enough to control the person, but not the other thing."

"I will." Seto nodded. Tears blinded his vision. "I will fix this. She won't succeed. I won't allow it."

Noah smiled a small smile. "I've always believed in you. I won't stop now. I need to take these lugs with me though." He gestured to the Big Five. "She found me again. She's not good with technology, so she's just trashing the computers she finds. If she trashes this one with them in it..."

"Curtains." Nezbitt spoke. "The destruction will trick your minds into thinking you have died. Your brains will react accordingly."

Gansley, Crump, Johnson, and Leichter all looked very distraught and displeased with that revelation.

"I'll distract her as long as I can. Goodbye, Seto Kaiba. Mokuba Kaiba. I'll see you again one day, and I'll do right by both of you then. I promise." Noah raised his arms, a portal appeared on both his left and his right.

"You're a good person, Noah. I'm sorry you were dragged into this." Ryou stood, looking solemn. Duke, Tristan and Tea agreed. Yugi looked far too upset or preoccupied to speak one way or another.

Noah shook his head. "Hm, it's probably karma for a man like me. There's your door." His voice filled with static. Their surroundings started to destabilize. "Best get going before this area bites it."

"Sorry for insulting you Gansley. You're not as much of a douche as I thought you were." Yugi looked at him with an air of innocence. "Not nice meeting you though."

"Yugi!" Tea admonished.

"It was either saying that, or dancing." Yugi shrugged, smiling a strained sheepish smile.

"I maintain you were raised in a barn." Gansley managed to look intimidating, despite his appearance of being dressed in a Halloween costume, and the look of resigned terror on his face.

A/N: Schrodinger's Noah. Is he dead or alive? Pegasus is the wild card that determines it.