Chapter 52: Noah

Chapter 52: Noah



Surprise, surprise, here's a chapter! I want to get the virtual arc over and down so we can go back to Battle City! Cheers.

[Yuna's POV]

Noah's mouth flapped open and closed like a goldfish gasping for breath. He tumbled to the ground, laughing in a daze. Ah, I must have broken him. Well, I mean, Noah's ace, Shinato, King of the Higher Plane, didn't even make a whole appearance and was beaten up in onen/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

move.

"This isn't the way it was supposed to end!" Noah suddenly exclaimed, interrupting my thoughts.

I advanced toward him, lowering myself to his eye level. "It's... Over.... Let us go." Noah's ears twitched, and disturbing laughter escaped his throat: "Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha... It's not over yet... Who cares about a card game? I will kill you myself!"

In an instant, Noah lunged, hurling himself at me. However, the attack was predictably executed, and I sidestepped out of harm's way

*Poof*

He crashed face-first onto the ground, grinding his teeth, unable to bear the weight of his humiliation. "It's all your fault! You've ruined everything!"

"If it wasn't for you...." Noah froze, and we both turned simultaneously to the portal materializing behind him.

[3rd POV]

As Noah ranted, he heard the sound of a portal opening from behind. The familiar echo of leather shoes sent a shiver down the boy's spine as the deep voice of a man resounded.

"Noah Kaiba," Gozaburo uttered chillingly, "You have failed again."

"Fa.. father, I...."

"ENOUGH," Gozaburo snapped. "You are nothing but a disappointment and one that's unfit to be called a Kaiba."

"No, Father, I...." Noah desperately pleaded.

However, Gozaburo merely scoffed, and Noah felt his heart shatter. The old man raised his hand, going for another slap as the boy closed his eyes with anticipation.

*Slap*

The sharp, resounding sound of Gozaburo's hand made Noah cringe, but to his confusion, he didn't feel any pain.

"Y... You..." Gozaburo muttered in shock, and Noah hesitantly opened his eyes.

Standing in front of him, he saw Yuna awkwardly falling to the ground. Her hand was holding the left side of her cheek as she gritted her teeth, enduring the stinging sensation.

Gozaburo frowned as he stared at the girl who stepped between his son, her expression blocked by her long hair. However, as Yuna raised her head, he saw a cold, contemptuous glare that seemed to criticize his very core, which infuriated him.

"This b*tch!" Gozaburo snarled and instinctively lashed out with his fist.

BANG

Noah was shocked as he witnessed his father being knocked away. Blocking his path was Seto, who had arrived just after dealing with the big fives.

"It's you!" Gozaburo roared with a haggard expression.

Seto smirked and crossed his arms. "Long time no see, old man. You look much uglier than the last time I saw you."

He glanced at Yuna silently, his gaze focusing on the red mark where Gozaburo's hand came in contact with her face. Instantly, he felt a raging anger rising, and Seto was bewildered by his feelings. However, as soon as that anger appeared, it vanished.

"Looks like you've seen better days," Seto smirked as Yuna stared at him strangely.

Seto turned to Gozaburo, who was standing shakily, not believing that he had just been punched. "How dare you!"

"What's wrong?" Seto scoffed while clenching his fist. "Shouldn't this be how we greet each other?"

"B*STARD, is this a son should be treating his father?!" Gozaburo howled but was instantly blown away by Seto's second punch.

"Father!" Noah cried out, but as he was about to intervene, Seto's intense glare made him freeze on the spot.

Suddenly, Gozaburo began to laugh like a maniac, making Seto frown. "Fine, if this is how you wanted to play? Very well!"

Before Seto could react, Gozaburo created another portal. Yuna and Noah were thrown into the portal as it closed as soon as they entered.

"Where have you sent them?" Seto questioned.

"There's no reason I need to tell you," Gozaburo remarked. "Now, should we have some fun, as father and son?"

Meanwhile...

Noah and Yuna fell through the portal and collapsed onto the ground. Yuna groaned and sat up, finding herself in the same dark void where Noah had brought her before. Turning her head, she glimpsed at Noah, who was curling into a ball with his back facing her.

Occasionally, Yuna could hear the muffled sniffling, and she stared at the boy with pity. "Noah..."

"Go away," Noah mumbled in disdain.

Her arm froze in mid-air while gazing at Noah in silence. Since her parents died long ago, she never had the urge to impress them so she couldn't empathize with him. Quietly, Yuna crawled towards Noah and patted his shoulder.

Noah's body stiffened upon Yuna's touch. The first thing he felt was the warmth of her palms, and that mere thought brought the boy to tears. Hearing Noah's weeping, Yuna began to panic, believing it was her fault that he was crying. Yuna bit her lips at the sense of cluelessness, and she frowned, trying to figure out the best way to comfort this despairing

child.

While Yuna was lost in thought, Noah's tears intensified. For so long, he had been trying to earn his father's approval, enduring scolding and holding onto hope that Gozaburo would change. But now, he had failed his most significant opportunity, and his heart truly shattered as Gozaburo always called Noah by his name, but he called Seto, the adopted child, his son...

As Noah wallowed in his sorrow, he was suddenly pulled into a sitting position. Before Noah could understand what was happening, he felt two arms wrapping around him from behind. "There... There...." Yuna muttered, soothing him as one would comfort a toddler. Replacing the sadness was a sudden sense of shame and embarrassment as Noah's face turned bright red. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OFF ME!"

He pushed Yuna away, leaving her confused. "Worked... with Mokuba..." Yuna mumbled to herself while grasping her chin.

"I'm not a kid!" Noah angrily shouted while slapping the ground. "Something like this won't

work on me!"

"But not sad... anymore?" Yuna pointed out, and Noah felt baffled.

"It doesn't work that way," he sighed. "Besides, you don't even know what I'm going

through."

"Then explain...." Yuna spoke, her voice full of sincerity. "Want to learn..."

"Hmph," Noah sneered. "Fine, let me indulge you a little, that feeling of when you get your

parents..."

He froze, and his eyes widened in shock and horror. The feeling of receiving a parent's approval, Noah didn't know what it was like...

Upon that realization, Noah's hands dropped to the floor, and he laughed. In fact, had

Gozaburo ever shown things like affection?

"Ha.... So even I don't know...." Noah muttered, and tears reappeared. "So he never cared in

the first place...."

"There... there...." Yuna said and patted his head.

"Stop doing that!" Noah yelled and slapped her hand away. "You think this is all a joke? For

years and years, I have been trying to seek a form of attention from my father, but now that I realize that it's all meaningless! Do you know how devastating that must be!"

"I.... don't..." Yuna answered honestly.

Noah crumpled to his knees, a torrent of emotions flooding through him. "What am I

supposed to do?"

In the midst of his turmoil, Yuna embraced him once again, and this time, Noah found himself too drained to resist. "Move on," she gently suggested her words carrying a weight of

understanding.

"Are you messing with me?" Noah snarled.

Yuna shook her head. "There... other options?" She responded, making Noah subconsciously

hold his breath.

It was clear that Yuna was correct. Moving on was simply the most obvious choice. But her answer made Noah's mood worsen. "That's harder than it sounds."

"Yes," Yuna agreed.

"Then give me a more reasonable solution!" Noah said with a hint of pleading and distress.

Yuna closed her eyes, thinking about Noah's words. Then, as if a light bulb switched on in her head, she glanced at Noah while holding up one of her fingers. "Get approval.... from someone

else..."

"Who?"

Yuna shrugged. "Not... Gozaburo...."

"But he's my father."

"So?" Yuna's retort left Noah speechless. "If he won't... acknowledge you... then don't

acknowledge him."

"Don't seek approval from father..." Noah mumbled to no one in particular. "But even then!

There's no one but him! I'm a dead person, my real body already buried six feet under. I can't

Seto flicked his wrist, and the end of his trench coat rustled. He calmly watched Gozaburo hit

the ground and approached him.

"Looks like you have lost again," Seto said in a condescending tone. "You!" Gozaburo snarled with a face full of rage. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

To Seto's shock, Gozaburo's body began to transform. His size increased to match that of a

skyscraper easily, and the man burst into flames, becoming a massive monster covered in fire. "DIE!!!" He howled in a low guttural voice and pounced.

However, Noah stepped in, generating a dome that protected Seto from the attack. Seto was

caught off guard, and when he snapped out of his daze, he scowled. "Why did you save me?"

Noah shrugged and smiled wryly. "I had a little chat with that friend of yours. She made me realize many things..."

"You brat! How dare you stop me!" Gozaburo roared and smashed his fists against the barrier.

"It's best if you go now," Noah said, making a waving motion. "She should already have

everyone rounded up, and the sooner all of you leave, the better." Unable to think of a counter, Seto quietly nodded. Noah made a portal, and Seto entered

without hesitation. Noah smiled as the exit closed behind him, shifting his focus back to his monstrous father. With a push, the barrier expanded, knocking Gozaburo away. "Why!?!" Gozaburo couldn't understand. "To have the audacity to betray me!"

"Father..." Noah stared at his father calmly. "May you answer one question for me?" "DAMN IT, WHAT IS IT?!" Gozaburo roared. Noah: "Do you know when my birthday is?"

"What?" Gozaburo stammered. "Why should I care about something so trivial?!"

"I see..." Noah closed his eyes to control his emotions. "Thank you for the answer. My resolve

has been strengthened."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Gozaburo snapped. "The satellites containing all those missiles? I already gained full control over them, and I

fired at least twenty of those missiles targeting this place. In about five minutes, the

underwater fortress will be wiped out, killing you."

"TRAITOR!" Gozaburo bellowed and attacked Noah, but the boy skillfully repelled him.

"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE TOO!!!"

"Fine by me!" Noah retorted, hiding the fact that he may still have a chance of survival: "Let's

die together!"

Concurrently...

Seto sprinted through the dark hallway of the underwater fortress. With Noah's assistance, he

successfully left the virtual world and found himself in a virtual reality pod similar to the ones he had designed for the game Legendary Heroes.

BOOOOOM

An explosion made Seto lose his balance as he leaned against the wall. Struggling, he tried to remember his path, and he felt his tension rising as the frequency of the explosions increased.

As Seto made it to the hangar, he spotted his subordinates waiting outside, their expressions

brightening upon spotting him.

"Sir!" They cried out with relief.

"Someone tells me what's happening!" Seto demanded, and he was shocked to find out that missiles had bombarded this infrastructure and could sink at any moment.

"What are you waiting for?!" Seto shouted. "We need to leave now!"

"But Master Kaiba!" Roland interrupted. "Contestant Yuna Sano is still missing!"

"What?!" Seto exclaimed, and his brain seemed to have stopped. "Master Kaiba?" Roland called, waking Seto up, and he bit his lips in frustration. "Wait here, and I will go and find her," Seto growled, making the subordinates who wanted to

object shut up. Before they could argue further, Seto rushed back deeper into the fortress,

leaving everyone stunned...

On the other side of the fortress...

"Damn, where is it?" Yuna muttered while searching through the rows and rows of servers.

When she separated from Noah, she wasted no time rounding everyone up to explain the situation, and together, they all safely left the virtual world. Then, immediately after waking up, Yuna began upholding her end of the bargain and ran to the server room.

BOOOOOM

Yuna yelped and fell against the floor. She gritted her teeth from the pain and continued to

move at a much faster pace than before.

"N-13, N-13..." Yuna repeated to herself while walking through the rows of machinery marked

in alphabetical order.

When Yuna finally reached the correct row, a second explosion occurred at the opposite end of

the room, and she gasped as the blast created a raging fire. Swiftly, Yuna sprinted to the

correct server and began typing on the keyboard on the side. Recalling Noah's instructions, she hurriedly input several commands. Sweat dripped down from her face as each mistake made the anxiety in her soul blossom. "There!" She exclaimed when finally a drive the size of her fist was ejected, and Yuna eagerly

stuffed the item into her pocket.

BOOOOOM

Yuna screamed as the force threw her to the side. Enduring the pain on the side of her head,

she witnessed the tall servers falling one by one like giant dominos. "Sh*t!" Yuna let out a curse as one of the servers barely missed her fragile body. Smoke began

to rise to the ceiling, forcing Yuna to crawl. Covering her mouth with her sleeve, Yuna moved

with vigour, and it wasn't long before she reached the door.

BANG

Suddenly, one of the heavy servers fell before her, blocking the door. Yuna's face turned pale, and she desperately pulled at the computer to no avail. Yuna felt her strength weakening as

the smoke filled the room, and in one last desperate attempt, she pounded against the door.

"Help!" She screamed.

BANG

To Yuna's shock, the door was suddenly kicked open, and the server blocking the exit was sent

flying across the room. In awe, she stared at the man standing by the doorway.

"Kaiba..."

Without hesitation, Seto grasped Yuna and dragged her out of the room. "You idiot! Do you

want to die?!" he shouted angrily.

Under Seto's reprimand, Yuna chose to stay quiet, causing him to click his teeth. "Can you

move any faster!?"

Yuna panted while trying to keep up with Seto's speed, but it was not enough, and she began

to lag. Seto gritted his teeth and stopped as he stuck out his foot, tripping her. Before Yuna

could fall, Seto quickly lifted and carried her like a sack of potatoes while uttering curses along the way.

Finally, they managed to make it to the hangar as half of the fortress had already sunk: "LIFT OFF NOW!" Seto roared while racing to the ramps with the flames chasing after them.

As the blimp slowly rose into the air, Seto sprinted through the hangar, dodging the various

obstacles in his way. When he was close enough, he tensed his arms and threw Yuna onto the

ramp.

Yuna gasped as she was thrown into the airship, her lungs collapsing from the force. Immediately, she witnessed Seto leaping into the air. Worried that Seto might not make it,

Yuna held out her hand.

Seto grabbed onto her hand and grunted as Yuna pulled him onto the ramp. The two panted in

exhaustion as they lay on the cold steel ground. The airship soared into the sky, using all of its

power to move as far away from the fortress as possible.

BOOOOOOM

Everyone heard the loudest explosion of their lives as the fortress blew up. If they had been

even a few seconds late, they would have been caught up in the blast. Yuna silently watched

the flames melting through the steel structures, and she instinctively patted her pockets,

making sure that Noah's hard drive was there. When Yuna felt the rectangular object through the fabric, her adrenaline finally disappeared,

and she sighed: "Too... close...."

I hope you enjoy it!