Chapter Three-Gozabouro's Ransom

Veronica struggled uselessly, as Gansley and Krump tied her to a bar,both hands bound,and legs chained. "Let me go!!"

"Soon enough, My Dear." Gozabouro sneered. "But first, I must draw Noa out of hiding." He cupped the young girl's chin in his rough palm. "And you're just the person to do it."

"I'll never help you!" Veronica spat in his palm, receiving a rather sharp slap in return.

"How dare you!" Gozabouro glared at her, as he reached for her virtual key. "You will do as I say,Little Girl, or I'll break this, and you'll never wake up again in your world!"

"What do you mean by that?!" Veronica demanded, fear rising in her stomach even more.

"I'll show you." Kaiba Senior pushed a button across from her, and a monitor came down. Veronica blinked, when she saw the scene.

"What's happening?! Why are there paramedics in my....No! I'm...I'm still conscious! I have to be!" Veronica's eyes narrowed, as her chest tightened in fear. "This isn't real! You're lying!!"

"Foolish girl. That's what happening right now. Only your mind is here." He smirked,turning the monitor off. "Now. I don't suppose you want to leave your brother alone, do you?"

She shook her head,tears forming. Noa....where are you? Why did you let him out? ? "Fine. I'll get Noa here. What do you need me to do?"

"You'll soon find out."

Veronica gasped,feeling a light prick in her arm,then she fell limp. "W-what........"

"Just something to subdue you, brat." Krump replied to her muttered nonsense. "Should we leave her here?"

"For now." Kaiba Senior was typing up an e-mail to send to his former son. "He'll have to obey me now, or risk losing the only person who ever truly cared about him. "

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"And an Ace beats everything!" Mokuba proclaimed in triumph. He'd been playing War with Noa, and had won four straight games.

"You win,Mokuba. I give up." Noa smiled at his little brother, brushing his long sea-foam bangs out of his face.

"Yeah!" Mokuba grinned at Noa too. "I'm glad you decided to come back with us."

"So I've been told." Noa replied, as he settled in front of his personal laptop. He frowned then, seeing that he had an e-mail. "I never get mail..." He muttered. He opened it, and read it. "It's not possible....." He sat back, staring at the e-mail in shock.

"What's the matter, Noa?" Mokuba read over the e-mail. "Veronica? Gozabouro captured Veronica?"

"It would seem he's using her for bait. He wants me to return to the virtual realm to save her."

"It's a trap,Noa! It has to be!" Mokuba narrowed his eyes. "You don't even know if she truly is there."

"I know all of that. But perhaps he does have her. You know what he is capable of doing, and you know what he wanted with her before."

"We've to tell Seto! He'll help us!" Mokuba got up, and headed for the stairs to go to Seto's home office. Noa stopped him though.

"We don't have to do anything. I do. I want you to stay here, Mokuba. It could get very dangerous, and I don't want you to be hurt."

"You can't go up against him alone, Noa!" Mokuba protested.

"Stay here." Noa went up to his room. Since he had a new,human body, he had to use Veronica's method of the virtual pod to get back and forth. He locked his door, and prepared to enter the pod.

"Noa! Don't do this alone! You're gonna end up losing!!" Mokuba beat on his older brother's door. "Come back!!"

I'm sorry, Mokuba. This is between me, and my father. Please don't hate me for it. Noa thought, as he felt himself being transported into his former form,and returned to the Virtual World.

Mokuba leaned on the door, in tears. "Noa....."

"Mokuba, what's all the noise about? What's happened?" Seto opened the door to his office. He saw his youngest brother crying, and he went to him. "Tell me." He said quietly.

"Noa's gone back to the virtual world, Seto. Gozabouro kidnapped that girl Veronica, and the only way he'll let her go is if Noa can kill him."

Seto narrowed his eyes, and growled. "Come on." He took Mokuba's hand.

"We can't. Noa'll be mad..."

"I don't care about that. I'm tired of Gozabouro hurting people. We're going to help Noa." They walked out of Kaiba Manor together, and headed to Seto's secret laboratory to access his own pods.