Aoi: Sorry for taking so long to update on this story. I've been really busy, and seriously wanted to finish my Tea bashing story. Sorry for excuses but it's the truth. Anyways, I now have so much inspiration for this story, especially since the holidays are coming up. And many thanks to readers and reviewers, I seriously appreciate your opinions.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, I do NOT own "Bring me to life" by Evanescence. BUT I DO OWN THIS STORY AND WOULD BE VERY HAPPY IF YOU DIDN'T TRY TO STEAL OR USE MY IDEAS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.


A Virtual Friend or Foe?

Chapter 2: Questions


Mokuba sighed lightly as he stared at the steam that danced out of his mug from his hot cocoa. Thick raven colored hair fell into the navy colored eyes as he lightly hummed to himself. It seemed as if the sixteen year old had been deep in thought, the truth was that he had been this way for the past few days. What had he been thinking about? This question resounded in the head of his older brother, but the truth was that there really wasn't anything to talk about.

As he sipped the hot beverage, a single tear rolled down his cheek. Quickly he placed down the cup so he could wipe it away before Seto saw it. The older brother just wouldn't understand...it was just far too complicated for him to figure out.

Over the years it seemed that Mokuba Kaiba was always happy, what did he have to make him otherwise? The teen never really cried on the anniversaries of his parents death...he hadn't known them long enough to really miss them. Had he been crying for Gozaburo? Heavens no...but it was obvious something had been bothering him. Everyone knew that the younger Kaiba missed Noa, it was obvious, because the first two years after the virtual world had been destroyed he kept asking when they were going to try find a backup file that contained his mind. However Seto told him many times that technology like that wasn't easy to design. So at fourteen he tried his best to look for research to make his dream a reality, but after trying for two years...frustration finally caught up with him. He quitting on the spot.

Christmas was coming up...again. As tradition, Mokuba was required to get a single wish from his brother. Usually he would ask for something simple like electronics, plush toys, or other random items like that...but this year he wanted something different. Something you couldn't rap in pretty, sparkly paper or place in a box.


"You have a second?" Seto's voice sounded as he walked into the dark dining room, it being only illuminated by a single beam that shone through the window from the moon. His brother was now twenty-two, but didn't look a day over eighteen. Blue eyes locked on the raven haired male as he continued to stare down at the cup. "It's not wise to spend so much time in the dark," he commented, however he knew deep down inside that he'd do the exact same thing at times.

"Why do you care?" Mokuba muttered as his glance shifted towards his older brother. His brows narrowing slightly.

"Because you're my brother?" The brunette figured, actually he was trying to pull an excuse out of thin air. "Besides...I came down to ask you if you knew what you wanted for Christmas."

"Christmas...can't we just skip it?"

"But I thought you loved Christmas. What happened to your views on the miracles of holidays?"

"Well maybe I've just grown up," the younger figured as he stood from his seat, and walked out of the room...taking his cup with him of course. But the moment he passed by Seto, he stopped. The two brothers being side by side, the height difference being that of only a few inches...okay it was about six.

"Seto, do you honestly want to know what I want for Christmas?" he suddenly asked, his gaze staying ahead of him.

"Yeah, whatever."

"I want to see Noa again."

This caused an eerie silence to fill the air, the only sound being their breathing. The chestnut colored hair male didn't know what to say. It was impossible for his younger brother to see his step-brother...at least not in real life. The best he could probably do for Mokuba was give him a holograph that said a number of phrases...but that would be it. What a nasty predicament he was in.

"Mokuba...I don't like telling you this, but it's just-"

"Impossible?" Mokuba snapped, "Everything's impossible to you! I bet you just don't want it to be possible!"

"Mokuba!"

"No, I'm serious. Remember the first time you lost to Yugi...you remember what you said?" Mokuba asked, his brows narrowed at his older brother.

Seto was stumped, his brother was actually right. What if he really didn't want to resurrect his dead step-brother. After all, he never quite forgave him for turning his little brother against him in the virtual world...it seemed even in death he had control over the other Kaiba's mind.

"That's what I thought," he huffed before walking off, retreating back to his room.


Up in his bed room, he quickly placed the mug on his desk, which had been scattered with a few papers. Papers that had many designs for a machine that could revive things, that were lost in the virtual world, in the real world. It was the perfect idea, but he just wasn't as smart as his older brother...to the point he had no idea of how to make such a device.

In a quick motion he bounced on his bed, lying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His navy colored eyes began to fill with tears as he thought of the things he had said to his big brother. He obviously didn't mean it, why would he? Seto was one of the greatest people in his eyes, just lately he didn't see the point of being nice to people. Which brought up the question...why did bad things happen to good people? Noa had turned good before he lost his life, why wasn't he spared with the rest of them?

Whimpers sounded as he rolled over, burying his face into one of his snow colored pillows. These whimpers turning to sobs. Was he the only one who thought Noa deserved another chance at life?


Crying only caused him to drift off to sleep, his arm dangling loosely off the side of the bed. He still on top his covers, curled up slightly from the cool draft that move across his body.

Seto couldn't help but go into the room of his disturbed brother. Even though he knew he'd never understand the pain that his little brother was going through, he knew he'd be a monster not to care. Carefully he untucked the blanket so that he could carefully move it over the other. Taking a moment to stroke his hair slightly, before taking his leave. Sure at times he'd act like he had no emotion, but the truth was that the CEO was being pained at the sight of Mokuba this way. Turns out that his hope was the thing that kept his life from slipping too far within the Kaiba Corporation.


Dream Sequence.

The crisp, white colored moon began to drift behind the dark colored clouds that moved within the night sky. A cool breeze howled through the air, as the waves from the ocean below crashed against the rocks. The raven haired teen stood on the edge of the cliff, his arms out stretched as his head was thrown back. His dark colored pants had been rolled up slightly so that his feet were exposed. The shirt he was wearing was gray one, his coat being as white as the moon.

"Let me end it now," he whispered through his pale lips as he kept his eyes closed tightly. He spinning around so that his back was facing the edge. And with that he hopped, tumbling into the unknown mysteries of the ocean below. As he tumbled it seemed he was being to fall head first, his eyes slightly opening, awaiting the end.

SPLASH

The impact shook him up a bit, but he continued to fall, drifting farther and farther into the water. He fell so far that he couldn't see the moon's reflected beams. All that surrounded him now was darkness. So this is how he felt? Alone? But then again...there was always Seto. But where was Seto at this very moment?

Back on the top of the hill the older brother had been standing there, watching his brother take his life. He not making an attempt to save him...but then again. He was probably afraid.

"Noa...can we be together now," the male whispered as he fell to the bottom of the ocean, hitting the sand. It was weird, he was able to speak, but then again...this was a dream.

Down here things were quiet, very quiet, all he could hear was his heart beat...which refused to slow down. "So much for suicide," he figured aloud as he looked about at his surroundings. It was odd, one moment it was too dark to see anything. But now, he could see perfectly. However that wasn't nearly the weirdest thing he noticed...no, that would have to be the underwater castle. He just had to get a closer look, maybe he'd be able to get some of his questions answered.

After pushing open the door, Mokuba called out, "UH...IS ANYONE HERE? ALIVE? ANYONE AT ALL?" But there was once again only the sound of his heart...however he could've sworn he heard the sound of someone else's too.

"Weird," he finally concluded as he continued to walk down the hall. Everything around him looked as if it belonged to the medieval period...but why would a castle sink to the bottom of the ocean? It just didn't make since...and one thing Seto always had told him was, 'If it didn't make since...then there was no way it was real.' But the youngest Kaiba was different from his older brother, he was the type to believe in things that didn't need to be proved. After all, just because you can't explain something...doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

After walking for about three minutes, it seemed as if the other heart was getting louder. Mokuba just had to figure out where it was coming from. So he started running, he had no time to lose after all. Suddenly he stopped, when he came to a water like stair way. The stair way looking like it was made out of water, it was odd...remembering that he was underwater to begin with. Another thing that puzzled him was that it was impossible to swim down here...that's when it hit him. What if he were dead...and this is what death awaited for him? Okay, he quickly marked out the whole death scenario. But it seemed that he was terrified that at the idea of him stepping upon the first step and the whole thing collapsing.

The teen decided right then that he was going to stop being afraid, stop wishing for Seto to hold his hand through all of his problems. So he took a deep breath before running up the stair well, the water splashing as his foot came in contact with each step. Once he was at the top the whole thing crashed to the marble flooring. Right as the water had been crashing down, the area had began to change. The place looking slightly more modernized then what it had been. The interior looking high in worth value, but he couldn't get detracted by its beauty...he was on a mission.

In a swift motion he kicked open a door, that the beating sound like it had been coming from. It was a throne room...odd. This had seriously puzzled Mokuba deeply, what did all of this mean?

"Seto's definitely not going to believe any of this," he chuckled to himself as he walked towards the throne where he could indeed see someone seated. Wait...the heart, it must've been coming from this person. But why would their heart call out to him? Everything inside of the raven haired male was yelling at him to find out.

Quick steps were taken to get him before the throne, he falling to one knee in a bow. It was as if he had no control over his actions, his body wouldn't allow him to look into the eyes of the cloaked one who sat before him. "I take it that you run this place," he whispered as he finally was able to look into the deep blue eyes of the male that sat before him.

'How can you see into my eyes like open doors, leading you down into my core where I've become so numb. Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold. Until you find it there, and lead it back home,' The cloaked male thought to himself as he stared down at the raven haired teen that knelt before him. All he could do was lean over, his elbow positioned on the arm of the throne to support him.

"Wake me up," he whispered.

"Wake you up?" Mokuba asked, "B-but you are awake...well, you look like you're awake."

Right when he said those words, he could've sworn that as he stared into the eyes of the stranger he heard something else. 'Wake me up inside.'

"I...can't wake up," he sighed, the stranger staring at the confused one. It was obvious that he didn't understand...but he had to. If there was any chance of his survival, they both had to have the same understanding. 'Wake me up inside.'

"Did you hear something?" the other quickly asked once more, he glancing about the room. But it was empty, all he saw were painting of the stars, rainy skies...and overcast clouds.

"Save me, Mokuba."

"Huh? How'd you know my name?"

'Call my name and save me from the dark.'

Then it hit him...he was supposed to hear these words. But how on earth was he able to read the other's eyes? He had only known him for a few minutes...they weren't close enough to do that...were they?

"So you want me to...um...-"

"Wake me up, Mokuba," he began, "I can't wake up."

But all he kept hearing was, 'Bid my blood to run, before I come undone.' This causing him to cover up his ears, he wanted the voices to stop. He was confused...how on earth was he supposed to save this guy? He didn't even know his name! 'Save me from the nothing I've become.' A finger from the cloaked figure suddenly raised his chin up towards him, those icy blue eyes staring into the depths of his soul. The male then motioned for the Kaiba to stand...he doing as instructed.

For a moment, the other just took the time to lightly stroke the cheeks of the raven haired one. Mokuba slightly frightened by this act, but didn't dare to move...there was no telling what this guy was capable of. After a few seconds though, fear seemed to have left him, being replaced by yet another emotion...security.

"Now that I know what I'm without," he spoke up, causing the sixteen year old to snap out of his trance, "You can't just leave me."

"But...I'll have to," the other sighed, "I'd feel awful if the last thing I said to Seto wasn't something brotherly. I can't even remember exactly what I said but I know it couldn't have

been-" He was suddenly cut off by the cloaked male placing a finger over his lips to shush him, so that he could say, "Breathe into me, and make me real. Bring me to life." For that moment, it seemed as if everything were becoming clearer to the younger Kaiba. He was the key...he was the only one who could save this guy. That's why he had fallen here, it was fate. He had to wake him up, after all he said he couldn't wake up on his own. Along with that he had to save him at the same time, which he could only do by waking him up first...and the only clue he had to doing that was calling out his name. But what was his name?

"I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside," the male continued as he ran a finger down Mokuba's chest over where his heart was located. "Frozen inside without your touch, without your love...Darling, only you are the life among the dead."

"You're...dead," he repeated, "No...no there's no way you can be..."

'All this time I can't believe... I couldn't see. Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me,' the male thought with a smile, as he moved his hand to the hand of the other. 'I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems, got to open my eyes to everything. Without a thought without a voice, without a soul-' Finally he opened his mouth to say something, however it only shut once more.

"Were you about to say something?" the younger male asked, his hand clutching the hand of the other. He couldn't explain it...but for some strange reason it felt right.

"Don't let me die here," he sighed as he looked at all around him, "There must be something more."

"I have to bring you back to life," Mokuba smiled, "Don't worry Noa...I'll help you."

"But how did you-" Noa only cut himself as he was suddenly embraced by his step-brother.

"You just told me," he grinned as he removed the hood of the cloak, revealing the face of his mint-color haired sibling, "So did I bring you to life?"

End Dream Sequence.


Mokuba's eyes parted slightly as he tried to focus his eyes on his surrounding. That's when he quickly sat up and looked beside him. He sighing deeply when he realized it was only a dream, but it seemed so real. Why did it have to be only a dream! This had to be put on his long list of things he'd never understand...but one thing was for sure, he had hope that he'd be able to bring Noa back to life.


Noa looked up from his spot at the lake, the wind blowing through his mint colored hair. A small smile had been left upon his face...a pleased one at that. "Call my name and save me from the dark," he whispered.


Aoi: Well that's Chapter 2, I hope I didn't disappoint you guys. I know this chapter was mainly focused on Mokuba. But that's how this story is going to be played out. Noa and Mokuba. Anyways, I seriously hope you enjoyed it. The whole evanescence thing popped in my head because I had been listening to the song over and over again trying to get inspired and after about two hours it finally came to me. XDD. Anyways, that's it for now...be on the look out for Chapter 3 though. Review.