AmePiper: Has anyone ever told you that your reviews make me squeal like a little girl? Well someone should tell you every time you review because your reviews are fantastic! First of all, it was so sweet and awesome of you to include a review for the last chapter! Seriously, you always find such amazing things in all my work and it really drives me to keep going and kicking ass! Persuasive writer? Awesome! If you say it, I'll believe it!(actually the compliment boosts my interest in becoming a speech writer for governors and senators! I'm good at writing, and I love politics, so now I'm excited that maybe I could do that!) Its so nice to hear that I have a stalker on facebook, I love it:] But I have to ask, I was a little confused when you said, "It took me MONTHS before I realized that your most updated album wasn't just a gobbledigoop message, it was actually words running into each other!" I'm not sure what you meant, but I'm sure you'll explain(you're good at explaining, have I ever told you that? I'm somewhat slow to, but you can just explain stuff and I get it right away!) I really do think I'm doing well with this story. I remember many months ago you said this might prove to be my best story ever, and for a while, I thought that… AND THEN I STOPPED CAUSE I WAS FAIL D: But now I'm thinking… yeah, that could totally work(as long as my Severance story can stop taking all the heat, lol) I'm not sure of the things you point out in my story, but believe me, it makes the story for me too. I think the greatest part of being a writer is writing something, just writing it, and finding out you did a really good job with it with specific details and facts. Or the way I conveyed something. I seriously wouldn't think I was a good writer if it wasn't for my reviewers, because I don't see half the meaning you guys do, and I think that's what makes it exciting. I heart you too, but most of all, I heart all your reviews. BUM BUDDIES FOREVER! Enjoy!
MythCreatorWriter: Oh man, copying from the show KILLS MY SOUL. Especially because the English version sometimes has a tendency of killing Seto's character, or simply give him childish lines(read author's note for details) But they also give him a lot of great lines, which I recently discovered, and can't wait to write in the next chapter! The beginning? Yay! I should re-read that to see what made the tears come… I totally forgot what happened at the beginning . Dude, don't be sorry for a long review! Long reviews are what I kill for! Thank YOU for the long review! And enjoy all that you can with my chapter!
WhiteAsukalover: Thanks for the review!
SereneShadows: Miss Kari, I love it! It sounds so adorably mature!(although I suppose that should be a good thing… after all I am 18… hahaha, adult, weird.) And thank you, thank you, thank you! You're truly the kindest of my reviewers, and I'm so happy to hear that my stories make you laugh, make you cry, I think basically what every writer wishes they could do with their stories. Yeah, Yugi's pretty annoying, for Seto at least. You'll be seeing more lines like that! And I know! I thought the one part with Seto looking to his side was the saddest/cutest thing ever! And I'm glad you could appreciate it too:] Thanks for the review and enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 17: Time to Face the Storm
-S-
My eyes watched the endless stairs go under my feet, one by one. My head seemed immobile from this position and my physical body dull, and yet my mind was racing in all sorts of directions. I would go through motions of hate; hate for Noah, hate for the Big 5, mainly Nesbitt though for kidnapping my brother. And upon thinking of my brother, I would go through motions of worry and guilt; worry for Mokuba and his safety, worry for whether or not I would ever gain back his loyalty, and guilt for everything I had done to ultimately lose his loyalty.
I didn't want to believe that honestly listening to Lector's story was enough to change my brother's mind about me and completely convert him to Noah's side; that definitely led me to believe that Noah had really done something to his mind. Because when it came down to it, there were a lot of things Mokuba should've hated me for. I wasn't the best big brother, I really wasn't.
I was always working, and sometimes wouldn't have time for Mokuba. I'm arrogant and a complete jerk, and caused everyone hate me, which would lead to everyone hating my brother as a branch of my family. I have so many mental hang ups that I ponder why Mokuba would even bother to work around them for my liking. I find that my hurt pride can sometimes hinder my ability to see logic clearly which distracts me from being an older brother. I'm so messed up in the head that I'm not sure there is any way I could possibly raise Mokuba up and have him come out okay.
I think out of all the reasons Mokuba should really hate me most of all is the fact that I am the cause of his suffering, and I will always be. I will always have enemies; for I am nobody's friend, and as a result, they will always seek to destroy the one thing I hold close. It's the reason we're even in this mess, it was the reason Mokuba wasn't beside me right now, safe and sound. But what would ever make him safe and sound with me? I began to think of how the entire time we had been in this place, Mokuba was never truly safe, and in fact he was in more danger than he ever would've been anywhere else.
Especially back in…
I stopped walking up the long stone stairway and turned around, looking down at the view below. The air whipped against my face, blowing my hair in its every direction as well as the tails of my coat. The stairway I had climbed stretched out for many miles underneath me, and the clouds had covered the landscape down below. I suddenly had this delusion that I was some sort of god looking down on the tiny earth from my heavenly kingdom. But that thought went away when I had realized that I could never truly deserve a heavenly kingdom after what I had done to my poor little brother.
I stared off into the distance, looking for a sign; any sign. I knew I had done my brother wrong, but for right now, I just wanted to make sure he was alright. I knew he hated me, but Noah had to be behind this sudden change in my brother. I had to rescue him before Noah did anymore damage. I knew that if Mokuba could see me or hear me, he'd remember who I was; realize how much I cared and how long a distance I would go to save him.
"Mokuba!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, letting my voice echo across the mountain tops, "Can you hear me? I know you're out there! MOKUBA!" No answer, no reply, no reassurance… nothing, just that cold feeling of being entirely alone.
I shook my head and continued moving forward. When I reached the top of what I dubbed the Stairway to Heaven, there were columns holding up a roof, resembling an empty palace of sorts. I went looking all around, but there was nothing of interest to see. I was beginning to grow very frustrated with Noah. It was still quite obvious that he was only interested in messing with my head. What a coward… What a spineless coward he was, hiding behind his tricks and games, while holding my brother captive. It was despicable.
I walked to the edge of the giant cliff and looked down as I went through another motion of hate in my head. The clouds were floating across the land below, covering anything below it. I wanted the clouds make their slow journey across the land, hoping to calm my mind. As the clouds began to clear, my eyes caught sight of something out of place, something strange.
I gasped and my eyes widened.
It was my design… for Kaiba Land. But how in the world was Noah able to recreate something so personal, something I had kept hidden from practically the whole world? I had to go down to see for myself. There was a pathway around the back of the palace that actually made reaching the ground easier than it had been to climb up all of those stairs. I was mentally cursing myself for not finding it before, but I was more astonished with my discovery of this virtual Kaiba Land I was witnessing.
How was it even possible that it was here? I had never shown the blueprints for Kaiba Land to anyone and I wasn't planning to begin construction for another four years. And yet here it was… down to every last little detail, it was all there and in front of me. I was astonished by the site. I walked along through the mini duel monster park, observing each and every duel monster I passed and never finding a flaw. This couldn't have been possible, how was Noah able to re-create all of this?
I came to a small warehouse at the end; a small chess board had been set up beside the garage door of the place. Even the back-door security system had been included in this re-creation. I took up the knight and moved it up three spaces and over one. The small screen above it flashed "Checkmate" and the garage door opened. I was sure there would be more clues inside, so I walked in without thinking a second more.
It was dark, but still light enough so I could see where I was going. The place was completely empty though… I didn't believe I had envisioned it to be this empty. I stopped suddenly when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A door, another virtual door, probably sent from Noah. I stared at it and grinned. He must've had another flashback planned for me. I was ready for anything.
I opened the door without hesitation, but there was no flashback. Just another empty room, only this room also had a table and an old film projector on top of it. It was different from what I expected, but if I had to take a guess, Noah must've wanted me to roll the film. I walked over to it and flicked what appeared to be on the on switch. The light came on and the film was rolling on the wall opposite from me.
There were short clips of a younger Noah with Gozaburo, playing games, celebrating a birthday, and one even of him on a fishing trip. I couldn't help but chuckle at the images. Noah was still trying to convince me that Gozaburo was actually his real father. It still couldn't be possible, no matter what fake films he could manage to put together.
But then the images changed to something else. There was a clip of my step father leaning against a car, and a somber woman walking towards him. There was a veil over her face, and a picture in her arms. It looked to be a portrait of Noah. She could be heard weeping softly in the back ground. My eyes widened. What did this all mean? Had something happened to Noah? Had he been in some sort of… accident?
"How could this have happened?" The woman asked with a sorrowful tone.
"He can still be saved." That was Gozaburo, my step father. But… what was he talking about? Saved from… what? I had already known, but I didn't quite want to say it out loud. It would make everything I knew make even less sense than it did before.
"But… how?" The woman asked in an even softer tone. She didn't sound very convinced.
"I'll find a way," And Gozaburo sounded… determined. I had never heard him talk that way about anything besides business. Something terrible must've happened to Noah. Maybe he really was… dead. But then… how was he still here? How was he in the virtual world? The film ran out and the screen went black, watching that film had only caused me to ask more questions in my mind.
Why would Noah want to show me this in the first place? What purpose would he have to give me this information? That was, unless there was someone else behind all of this.
-M-
I stood there in the back ground. Noah was nearby though, thankfully. He spent a lot of time sitting up on the computer hard drive. There were many virtual screens that he could scroll and look onto, tons of buttons to press. He could basically see the whole virtual world in front of his eyes and control every part of how it worked. In this world, Noah was like god.
For now, he had spent most of his time switching between watching the duel between Joey and Yugi against the Big 5, and the stranger he had called Seto. The audio from these things could be heard loud and clear, and sometimes I would even hear the stranger call out my name. Noah would laugh and ask me if I had wanted to answer his calls. Although this stranger seemed familiar, I had no desire to even meet the man calling out my name.
My declination to his calls would bring Noah even more joy, and he would return to watching the duel. I stood there in the back ground, waiting patiently, having my mind drift in and out. I still wasn't clear on where this place was. But as quickly as I would question its location, I would lose call concern for it as well. With Noah nearby, I felt no need to really desire anything except his approval.
Like any human being, I desired his approval and respect. And Noah would give it to me, whether it was a loving touch on the back, or a soft caress to my face. He had shown me that he cared about me, and that was all I needed. Then I would wonder when and why I had become so needy and eager for love. I'm sure it didn't matter now that I had Noah to be there for me and give me all that I needed.
Noah turned his head and made a sound of disgust. "Those blubbering fools… do they have any idea how much of my time they have wasted? I can't believe I even gave them a second chance!" Noah ranted, jumping out from his computer chair and walking around. I turned my head in his direction.
"What seems to be the problem, Noah?"
"The Big 5… those morons can't do anything right. And when they lose a game, they act like children and try to seize what they desire. Don't they know that's not how it works in the real world?" I didn't know who the Big 5 were, but I agreed with Noah all the same.
"Yeah! Those idiots!" I said, imitating the exact same frustrated tone of voice Noah had. Noah smiled and gave me another comforting hug.
"That's right… good boy…" I closed my eyes and smiled, taking in all the affection that I could. Suddenly I didn't even care that I had become so needy… because a hug was all I needed to keep me going. Noah pulled away though, and I was saddened. "I need to go get the Big 5 and punish them for what they've done. It won't take but a minute to get them, so stay right here."
"But Noah-!" He was gone, disappeared, nothing. I blinked and stared at the empty space he had just been standing in a second earlier. I couldn't believe he had left me… again! I hated being alone… I hated being here… I heard Kemo's voice in the darkness.
'Not so tough now, are you?' I brought my hands up to my ears and shook my head. This wasn't happening. He wasn't here. It was just an illusion, a trick of the mind… like someone use to say… 'You know what annoys me the most about children? It's your innocence, it's your sense of hope. For some reason, kids tend to think that no matter what happens, hope is still obtainable.'
Where was Noah? Where was he? I wanted him to make this bad thoughts go away. I wanted him to make these strange images stop coming back to me. I didn't want to hear Kemo anymore. I didn't even remember who Kemo was! All I knew was that when he was around, nothing good could come of it.
'I intend to kill any and all hope you may have of getting out of here.' I was about to scream to keep the voice from saying anymore, when I saw a flash of light and Noah was back. I ran to him like the lost puppy that I was and hugged him tightly.
"Nii-sama! You're back!" Noah nodded towards me, but it seemed like he couldn't give me his full attention. Five middle aged men were kneeling in front of him, their eyes weary and desperate. I could tell Noah was busy, and I silently took a step back to keep from disturbing him.
"The five of you are pathetic… isn't that right Mokuba?" Noah glanced back at me for a split second, before turning back to the five men and giving them a stern glare. "I hired you all to destroy Seto and his friends, and still, you couldn't handle them."
"Please Sir!" One of them pleaded, "Just give us another chance! We need those bodies… I'm sure if we could just duel them one more time-"
"No," Noah interrupted, "I won't be having that anymore. You five have proven to me that you cannot duel and have no intention of playing fair. That is something I simply don't accept in my virtual world."
"But Noah!"
"Silence! You've done enough. It's time I did what I should've done a long time ago," Noah gave a flick of a finger and all five of them disappeared into cyber space. Although Noah looked frustrated, he also seemed relived and pleased to finally have those five out of his hair. He had another goal in mind now. "I think it's about time I challenged Seto personally, and then I can prove once and for all that I am the one that is the true heir to Kaiba Corp!"
As Noah bellowed an evil laugh that echoed all across… wherever we were, I couldn't help but feel as though something terrible would come of this. But at the same time, I could only feel pity for the poor fool that was Seto. He was about to have his dignity and honor stripped away, and Noah wasn't going to do it nicely.
Now it was all a matter of time before everything would come into place.
A/N: Hello all! Does that even constitute as a sentence? Microsoft Word seems to think so… anyhow! So, okay, before I say ANYTHING of really… nothing important(not that this assessment will be either) but I have to tell you guys, I kind of feel like I understand LittleKuriboh *cue squeals and cheers* Just mainly because when I write a chapter, because a lot of this is along the same lines as the show, I open up usually four to five youtube windows, not to mention two to three windows from random sites for parts of the episodes in Japanese(because I try to come to a nice median with this story, because some lines from Seto such as "What's this? A cheap old movie projector? Get with the times Noah" seem pretty darn useless, not to mention lines like, "Its Noah… nice outfit, dork." It may seem pretty Seto Kaiba, but compared to the Japanese version, Seto isn't nearly as elementary) But ANYWAYS, as you can see, we're moving along quite fine, and I just compared myself to LK, although I'd like to think I have a better record of updating than he does(oh yes I just did… SORRY LK!o) and soon enough we're going to be at the part we've all been DYING FOR. For now, thanks for the reviews/reading this novel of an author's note!