Original Yu-Gi-Oh Series
Parallel
Chapter 043
Originally Written: Tuesday, April 19, 2022 908PM to 1033PM
. . . . .
After his duel, Seto returned to his quarters and dropped into his bed. He ignored the look of Mokuba's frown and tears embedded in mind when he walked off with Marik following him, and not Mokuba. He curled up and went to sleep. He gave everyone the distinct order that he wasn't to be disturbed.
He woke the next morning to Marik disturbing him. Someone had taken remote control of the blimp, and steered them towards one of Gozaburo's old military equipment testing bases.
"Part of Amane's plan?" Marik asked, sitting on the desk, kicking his legs back and forth. "Your brother asked us to dump a few people into the lower levels of the building. Didn't matter who."
"Who did you grab?" He took a quick shower.
"The most annoying ones. We're not allowed near the medical wing. They got big burly guards with guns and shocky thingies blocking the way." Marik started up a mundane conversation with Seto. It had him really wondering if Marik wasn't just throwing some kind of temper tantrum. If he could get him to focus on something other than Yugi, would he still work with Amane?
Because he forgot to take clothes with him there in his rush, and Marik refused to leave, Marik got to see him partially naked as he dressed. Marik stared at his various scars in wonder. Seto caught him blinking as though he were staring off into space a few times.
Marik suddenly giggled, "Can we taunt the ones still here after you go?"
"Just don't push them to their limit." Seto left the room with damp hair, and met Roland in the building.
"Good morning, Roland." Seto looked around. Yugi, Tea, Bakura, Mokuba, Duke and Tristan were unconscious, propped upright within large test-tube like vats lined up against the wall. "Could you tell me what is going on?"
"Good morning Master Seto. You are watching Operation Last Resort, Master Seto." Roland answered. "A series of final actions if anyone were to kill both Sir Gozaburo Kaiba and Master Noah unexpectedly. The electronics for this room are all connected to Master Noah's virtual reality network."
Seto looked around the room. He could barely see the tiny cameras in the corners of the room. "I see. And the others?"
"Ishizu joined them in the medical wing. Will you be entering, Master Seto?"
"Of course. Please contact Maximilian Pegasus while I'm there."
"Then, I apologize for this, Master Seto."
Seto turned around in confusion, only for Roland to pop him in the face with his fist and then taze him. He dropped to the floor unconscious.
"We will take care of things here." Roland set Seto in a pod against the wall next to the others.
Seto woke up in his old room at the orphanage he spent much of his childhood in. It was almost peaceful, except a dark skinned man with a goatee wearing a purple business suit was there, dragging him out from the smoke filled room. "W-what? Leichter?"
"Master Noah's girlfriend is a pain in ma ass, Mr. Seto! The more ya learn'bout the hussy the more ya wish ya didn't know!" Leichter's southern drawl was so heavy Seto almost couldn't understand him. The man pushed him to the floor, and started crawling. Seto got the idea and followed him. Fire licked at the walls. A scorching heat seared his clothes.
"She's probably quite upset that people other than myself and Mokuba entered here." They found a window nearby they could climb out of, and did exactly that.
"What the hell for? Tryin' to kill everyone wasn't enough?" Leichter rested on his back breathing heavily. The Orphanage slowly fell to the ground, engulfed by flame. "Ah'm far ta ol' for this."
"No. It's making it harder to find Noah. Amane is not interested in technology, and isn't very good with it. We see a building in a poor town. She sees a terminal with no gui." Seto pushed himself to his feet. "You are taking a big risk being here. If you could follow me, I will get you out."
Leichter looked at him with trepidation. "...You're a kind boy, Seto. There's no way ou' fo' me. Nor anyone who's in tha top positions at Kaiba Corporation. Ah don't know what tha hell she did ta kill Mr. Gozaburo, but only a nuke is stoppin' her."
Seto looked at Leichter, "With all due respect, I disagree. Please follow me."
Leichter paused, "...Ya have ta promise not ta kill me."
Seto ducked his head. "...I apologize if I gave off such an impression, but I don't plan to kill you even if you don't tell me where Mokuba is."
"...Tha guy who set tha building on fire took 'im. Ah was running after him, but saw ya laying o' tha bed there." Leichter rested a hand on the ground. "Ah'm sorry. Fo' everything, Mr. Seto."
"Did you see what he looked like?" Seto ignored Leichter's apology. He wasn't trying to be mean, but Leichter had done so much to him over the years, he couldn't figure out what he was apologizing for. He didn't have the time to either.
"White hair, tanned skin, a scar o' his cheek. Dressed 'n red an' white robes."
"Oh." Seto blinked, "Him. I'll get him. He won't hurt Mokuba." Seto started walking away.
Leichter chased after him. "How are you so sure?"
"Because if he hurts him, Amane will be the least of his problems, and he knows that." He held up a card. A gust of wind surrounded Seto, full of swirls of lightning.
Leichter stepped back from the Blue Eyes White Dragon that roared loudly before him.
"Please come. He won't hurt you."
"He?"
Seto climbed up on the dragon's back. "There are four Blue Eyes in the world. Three are male, one is female." He ran a hand down the dragon's neck. It seemed to purr under his touch. "The female leads the other three in their quest to defeat the Dark Magician. Sometimes a third party comes along which forces the quintet to work together to defeat."
Leichter climbed on, and did his best to not scream too loudly in his new boss' ears.