Let's bring this fight to an end shall we?
:)
Chapter Fifteen
The memory was now fresh in Seto's mind and he forced it back into the shadowy depths where he had banished it to all those years ago. "I've put that behind me Gozaburo, your pathetic attempt to mess with my head won't work." He managed to delete the data for the cuffs binding his wrists only for them to be reapplied less than a split second later, this time the script coding for them was twice as complex.
"Ha!" Gozaburo laughed not believing for one second that the mention of their first time hadn't just disturbed the boy. He pulled harder on the hair that was already tightly clasped in his fingers, hoping that the pain would cause the watery eyes to overflow but they didn't. "You know Seto; I noticed that you never once cried during all the times after, why was that?"
"I got strong." Seto hissed through clenched teeth, his neck felt like it was about to snap even though he knew it couldn't. "Nothing you did fazed me after that and not once have I shed tears since that day."
"So you never cried again, ever?"
"No."
"Liar." Gozaburo sneered as he bent closer to his stepson's restrained face. "I used to watch you stand on your balcony each night as you'd cry your little heart out, look up to the heavens and beg the angels to send someone to save you." Seto stared hard at his stepfather's amused face. "You must have been so relieved when I had my 'accident'."
"They failed me on that too." A wide smirk appeared on Seto lips. "That's why I had to push you."
Outraged by the boy's smartass remark, Gozaburo threw his stepson's head forward so that it collided hard with the ground. He'd never forget the smug look on Seto's face. The boy had finally been pushed too far and snapped, lashing out to cause him to fall through the window of his office and down to his death twenty storeys below. How the boy had escaped a murder conviction he'd never know. "Where did you say Noah was?"
"I didn't." Seto groaned from the pain of having his face smashed. What's taking you so long Noah? There was a sharp jab on the back of his head as Gozaburo demanded more information out of him. "I lost the little brat on the internet."
"You're lying to me again boy. There's no way you'd have gone to all this trouble seeking revenge for him if he wasn't close by." Gozaburo closed his eyes as he searched the data inside the programme but found no sign of his son. He checked the link relaying back to the young CEO's body in case Noah had escaped from the system that way but his vessel was still attached in the pod at the other end. Looks like you were telling the truth. "Why did you two become best buddies all of a sudden?" he asked as he now glared down at Seto still pinned tightly beneath him.
For reasons you'll never understand. Seto's mind retorted as he removed the cuff data again only for it to replace itself for a second time. He had to somehow get his stepfather off him as the memory of the abuse had shaken him more than what he was willing to admit to himself. Again Seto tried to delete the old man, causing more pain to surge through him as he lay there helpless and unable to do anything.
An evil amused chortled erupted from Gozaburo as he knew that he had regained the power balance over his stepson who despite the fact that he tried to hide it from him, was clearly frightened. "How about it Seto?" he leaned closer towards the scruffy mass of brown hair applying more pressure between the boy's shoulder blades as he whispered in his ear. "You and I, one last time?"
Seto's eyes grew wide from hearing the suggestion.He wouldn't allow his stepfather to disgrace him again in that manner. Get off me! Curling both his legs forcefully he hit Gozaburo hard in the back with his heels, causing the old man to fall from him and Seto wasted no time as he struggled to get to his feet with his hands still tied behind him.
Brown eyes burned with anger as Gozaburo glared at the boy for putting up the resistance and conjured up some more restraints that wrapped themselves around Seto's ankles causing him to topple over. "You'll wish that you hadn't done that boy!" Gozaburo roared as he got to his feet and kicked out to strike his stepson in the lower regions.
The pain made Seto yelp and his eyes finally gushed as he doubled up into the fetal position, his will now starting to falter from being so vulnerable. Too much time seemed to have passed for Noah's return and he feared that the temptation had been too great for his stepbrother to resist having a second chance at life in his body. There would be no escaping from his stepfather this time as he felt himself forced onto his back and Gozaburo straddled on top of him.
"I lied about Mokuba." Gozaburo sneered. He intended to break his stepson completely this time, soon there would be no more resistance and he would be victorious over the boy. "I had him, your brother, in your office, using your body."
That's not true. Seto tried to convince himself as doubt entered his mind, the old man was simply changing tactics to overcome him. "You're bluffing."
"You should know by now that I never bluff."
Hatred burned in Seto's eyes as he held back the anger building up inside him from the uncertainties that continued to mount. His stepfather had to have been lying, the old man loved to taunt his opposition. Seto knew he wouldn't be able to handle the claim which could quite possibly have been the truth as he wasn't there to protect Mokuba from this monster. And it was true; Gozaburo Kaiba never bluffed. The hold broke and Seto's rage prompted him to attack his stepfather's data once again.
Gozaburo disappeared from on top of his victim and reappeared at a safe distance several feet away as he gleefully watched the electrical energy surge through Seto's form. The foolish boy was only causing himself more pain; there would be no way that his stepson would be able to break through his shielding programme. "Admit it Seto, you've been defeated."
No. Seto told himself as he continued to try and delete his stepfather, but the pain became too much to bear and he stopped, eyes glazed with thoughts of Mokuba and Noah. I'm sorry little brother, that traitor had better take good care of you. He turned away from his stepfather and braced himself for what was yet to come, thankful that his flowing white coat provided a shield to hide the silent tears that fell as it was thrown up over his head.
"Who's superior now eh?" Gozaburo continued to taunt his stepson as he struggled to undo the belt around Seto's waist. "Where's that angel of yours Seto?"
"Right here!" A familiar sounding voice boomed out followed by a powerful blast that sent the old man reeling backwards and far away from his stepson.
Seto's head had also been unveiled by the blast and he looked up with sore eyes to see his stepbrother standing before him. "Noah." He gasped quietly, relieved and happy to see the green haired boy. You didn't deceive me.
"Mokuba's fine Seto, he didn't get the chance to carry out his intentions." Noah stated as his gaze was still firmly fixed on his father. The look in his eyes was the same one Seto had seen back in the virtual world when Noah had confronted him as the red flame monster, the look of someone who had been pushed too far and had finally had enough. "Out smarted by a child, that's the story of your existence, isn't it father?" He smirked.
Gozaburo's eyes narrowed dangerously on his son for the remark made. "You dare to betray me?"
"No father." Noah remained firm with his posture yet his voice began to waver and was full of sorrow. "You let your hatred control and consume you to the point where you were willing to abuse anyone nearby whether they were company competitors, employees, friends or family; all for the sake of gaining whatever power you could. You crushed them all using whatever means you desired regardless of consequences for any of them. You took pleasure with other people's misery to compensate your own. You are the one who betrayed yourself."
Unable to do anything with his hands and feet still tightly bound together Seto couldn't do much else except stare up at his stepbrother who clearly still cared for the old man. Face it kid, some people are just born evil, stop trying to make exceptions for him.
"Look at yourself father!" Noah continued now with pleading in his voice. "Look at what you've become. This isn't you; this isn't the father that I remember. My father was a caring man, one who was willing to sacrifice his life in order to protect the ones he loved; the same one who built the virtual world for me because he couldn't bear to let me go."
Seto watched his stepbrother's firm stand began to crumble as tears built up in Noah's eyes, fists clenched tightly as he struggled to keep them from overflowing. Don't let him see you cry, that only makes him stronger.
"Even after the things you did to me, I was willing to forgive you." Noah's firm stance and voice were both regained. "But not anymore. I foolishly accepted the fact that you had hurt me because I reminded you of mother and that was why I was made to suffer, as you lashed out your anger on me for the hurt she had caused you from having the affair. Well I'm not her and I didn't deserve any of it. You even said so yourself back on the yacht, making me believe your fake remorse for the crime you had committed and I would have continued to believe had you not re-offended that same crime." He stared coldly at his father and took several steps to position himself between the two of them. "It stops now, let Seto go."
"You're choosing him over me?!" Gozaburo roared in anger. Whatever happened to family loyalty like that he had seen displayed between his stepsons as they took away his company?
"No father."
"Then stand aside so that I can reclaim everything that was stolen from me!"
The quote rang inside Noah's head and he realised just how close he had come to turning down the same route that his father had taken. In his virtual world he had become used to controlling the situations of others' lives and even taken pleasure from seeing their misfortunes. He had sought revenge against his stepbrother for the company that he though as rightfully his, which had been born out of the hatred passed to him from his father's influence. He had turned his stepbrothers against each other by brainwashing the youngest with lies. He had deleted the lives of five people for their failure to do as he ordered and came close to destroying a whole lot more. If it hadn't have been for Mokuba's belief in him then who knows how things might have turned out? "It's over father; it's time to move on."
"But it doesn't have to be son. We can start over, new lives for both of us. Once I've taken over Seto's body again you can have Mokuba's."
"No father!" Noah's voice was angered by the thought of betraying the two brothers and his narrowed blue eyes enhanced that fury with an icy stare.
Gozaburo stared back with equal amounts of anger burning in his dark brown eyes, understanding that his son was going to keep him from getting what he wanted. His vision passed right through Noah and focused on the exhausted and still bound stepson. If he was going to be taken down then so was the boy who had knocked him from his pedestal.
"You're right son, it's time to put this behind us once and for all." Gozaburo's anger disappeared and so did the restraints from his stepson.
Noah turned to see Seto glaring angrily as he got to his feet. "Just go, Mokuba needs you." He ordered the older boy who then erupted with a blaze of electrical energy, an evil maniacal laughter sounded behind the green haired boy.
Wheeling round Noah saw his father with a crazed look on his face. Gozaburo had transferred all of the energy from his shielding programme into one powerful blast that would destroy his stepson completely; he would win the battle that they had both been locked in since the chess game at the orphanage. He watched as Seto collapsed to the ground with an ear splitting painful cry and then as suddenly as his attack had started, it stopped as the loss of his shield now allowed Noah the ability to constrict him within a yellow netting of script programming that prevented him from moving and manipulating the system around them. "No!"
"Seto?" Noah asked in a panicky voice as he glanced over to him. There was no reply. "Seto?" He shouted louder but still no reply as his stepbrother lay motionless on the ground. No.
"Ha!" Gozaburo laughed. "Your attempt to save him failed."
"Guess again, stepfather." Seto growled as he began to stir. He was in complete agony but he pushed himself on, he wasn't finished yet. "I'm okay kid." He told Noah as the worried boy continued to stare at him and slowly his arms pushed himself up only for them to collapse as they trembled, unable to support his weight.
More laughter erupted from Gozaburo as he watched Seto fall into unconsciousness. He attempted to break free from his son's restraints on him but failed. "How could you do this to your father Noah?" There was no answer as his son still stared down at the motionless form on the ground. What the hell was it that had made these boys bond together so well? "When I escape your hold son, I'll make sure that I destroy you both once and for all."
"You just don't get it do you?" Noah's sad blue eyes now landed upon the old man. "Your time, - our time, is over father. Stop trying to claw your way back into his life." Gozaburo's hateful glare was still fixed on him.
Goodbye Seto. Noah's mind whispered quietly as he slowly made his way over to his father. And thank you for helping me find the strength to be able to do this. Now that the old man's shielding programme was gone he could finally make sure that his father caused no more pain to anyone ever again. He would delete them both leaving his stepbrother behind to reclaim his body once Seto regain consciousness. His sadness caused Noah to loosen his control over the netting on Gozaburo as it faded to become transparent instead of the solid yellow it had started as.
The desperate captive snatched at the chance to reclaim his freedom and sent his son flying through the emptiness. "Nobody stands in my way and lives to tell the tale." His eyes were like flames as Gozaburo appeared, towering over his frightened son, before he transformed into the red flame monster that represented the core of his heart.
Noah cowered away eyes scrunched shut, not wanting to see the monster advance closer to him. He felt his own data being ripped apart as Gozaburo began deleting the son he had come to hate for joining forces with his nemesis. Fear filled him with the horrible way that his existence was to be ended after he had fought so hard to save both his stepbrother and father, and felt like he had failed them both but knew that only one of them would have been thankful for his efforts.
The muffled, dying sound of the monster's roar echoed in the emptiness and still aware that his data remained unscrambled, Noah slowly opened his eyes. His view was blurred with tears at first then saw the faint mist of tiny red pixels, behind them stood a pair of black clad feet. Raising his gaze Noah looked up to see his stepbrother standing in front of him. "It's okay, he's gone. Your torment is over."
Seto received only a sad, feeble smile as thanks from his stepbrother. Now was the hard part, he'd have to return back to the real world and then delete the system containing the boy who had stood by him for the past two days. "Look kid, you said Mokuba needed me so I'm out of here." He turned to head for the link out of there and winced from the pain that each step caused him.
"Wait!" Noah called out from where he remained on the floor causing his stepbrother to turn back and face him. "Please Seto, when you return to the real world, delete the system as fast as you can." He looked up with teary blue eyes. "I don't want to be left on my own any longer than what is necessary."
"Understood." Seto nodded as he knew too well the feeling of fear that being alone could bring. He started on his way once again but then stopped as he couldn't part from Noah without him knowing how he felt. "Before I go, there's one last thing that I want to say." Now it was his turn to bare the sad, feeble smile as he looked back at the younger boy. "Thank you… brother."