Gozaburo Kaiba was not a good man. Not a good father.
I think all three of his sons were abused, traumatized, and ultimately haunted by him long after his death. All the same, I think each brother's relationship to him is, and was, different. So, I think it's important to look into that sometimes.
I've spent a long time working out Seto and Mokuba and how they relate to Gozaburo.
Noa, less so.
.
"What do you think your father's goal was? With the virtual world he made, I mean. Do you think he really expected to live forever? Did he think he would be immortal?"
It was considered taboo to mention Gozaburo Kaiba in the presence of his sons. Seto and Mokuba had ensured that every resident of, and visitor to, Domino City knew not to do it. They didn't even refer to him by name. With Seto, it was always my predecessor, while Mokuba only ever called him that man. Ryo wouldn't have dared ask this question in the presence of either of them.
Noa realized, as he confronted the inquiry himself, that he didn't mind much at all.
He wasn't sure if it was because he still loved his father, still liked talking about him sometimes, or because Ryo was the one asking him. Regardless, he chewed on the question for a while, and couldn't find it in himself to be upset.
Eventually, Noa said: "I think so, honestly. Yes." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Chichiue never really had faith in anything. But he trusted technology. More to the point, he trusted his own ingenuity. I think, if he had a god, then it was one he built with his own hands." Noa held out his hands, like he was making a point, like he was a point. "Really, I don't think I can blame him for that." He gestured to his own body. "Look at me. How could one man do what he did? How could a man, just a man with a mustache and a double-breasted suit, look Death in the face and just . . . say no? Who does that? The only man to ever outstrip my father, the only man to push past what he did, is Aniki."
Ryo smiled; Noa wasn't sure what the smile meant, but it was nice.
Ryo had a pretty smile.
"Anyway," Noa went on, "I guess my point is . . . Chichiue really thought his tech would outlast anything else. I honestly think he imagined having his own private fiefdom, lording over the remains of humanity, drifting in space in some kind of Kaiba-Corp-branded pod. I don't think the heat death of the universe could have interrupted his plans."
"It's kind of . . ." Ryo drifted off. "I guess sweet isn't the right word, but I think it must mean something that he kept a space for you in those plans. As unhinged as it was, you would have been right there with him. I don't think he'd have treated you like the rest of his . . . subjects."
Noa snorted with sudden laughter. "Ryo, I think that's giving Chichiue way too much credit. I was the vessel into which he poured his legacy. I was his ticket to influencing the future. I was never a person to my father. Once he managed to secure immortality, I think he would have tossed me to the side like a cheap toy. I was his proof of concept. His first draft. He never cared about me. Chichiue wasn't capable of that kind of sentiment."
Ryo was frowning. "Are you so sure about that?" he asked, pointedly. "Don't misunderstand me. I don't mean to imply that you didn't know your own father." He paused a beat, possible for dramatics. "What I do mean is that . . . I don't think you know your own worth."
Noa opened his mouth to retort.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Eventually, he landed on: ". . . Huh."