Not So Different After All

Next week chapter will be late as well.

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[3rd POV]

[Gozaburo Kaiba: 1700 LP -> 0 LP]

Gozaburo blinked in utter disbelief, the cards slipping from his grasp. Just one turn... It took her only one turn to secure victory, leaving the ultimate strategy he had so meticulously crafted in complete shambles.

"Y... You..." He growled in a surge of rage.

However, Gozaburo's expression grew rigid as Yuna presented him with the contract, prominently displaying his sizable signature on the document as if silently conveying, "I told you so."

Never in his life had he experienced such humiliation, and his body trembled with anger. "NOAH!"

Suddenly, a boy with light teal hair materialized beside Gozaburo. Sensing the man's foul mood, the boy named Noah hesitantly bowed in respect. "Y.... Yes, Father?"

"Deal with her now!" Gozaburo roared, his finger accusingly pointing at Yuna.

Noah nodded and fixed a menacing glare on Yuna as she anxiously took a step back. "Our deal..."

Gozaburo laughed menacingly, "I'm an entrepreneur; we never uphold a commitment. Now disappear."

With Gozaburo's command, Noah firmly gripped Yuna's wrist, causing her to vanish into a black void. Noah began to manipulate the space around her, a thought forming in his mind: 'Father wants her gone. I should lock her consciousness...'

When bringing victims into this digital realm, Noah had the facility's drones place each individual inside a virtual pod, effectively transferring their consciousness into this alternate dimension. Within this world, their subconscious became a complex array of data and code that could be manipulated.

Typically, a person's mind was heavily locked, but it could be unlocked by breaking their will to resist. For instance, they might experience the consequences of a game of Duel Monsters, with the loser genuinely believing that the punishment was real.

Noah also possessed the power to influence a person's mind forcibly, but it required intense concentration, and it came with its own set of risks. Nevertheless, this was an order from his father, and he had to carry it out.

Reappearing before Yuna, Noah extended his hand and placed it atop her head. With this touch, he began to intrude into her subconscious mind. Soon, Noah found himself in a dark, damp room within the depths of her psyche.

Unfazed, Noah tapped the limestone walls of the subconscious realm, causing the area he touched to transform into an intricate display of binary numbers and codes. Noah wore a confident smirk on his face; it would take time, but he was patient enough to eventually conquer and manipulate this space entirely.

"Where am I anyway..." Noah muttered to himself, his childlike curiosity taking control as his eyes roamed around the room. Despite the darkness, he had adapted his data to see through the night, and he spotted a door. Unable to quell his interest, Noah made his way to the door and attempted to open it.

"It's locked..." Noah muttered in disappointment as he returned to check on the progress. However, his expression froze in disbelief when he realized the codes had entirely disappeared.

"Her mental strength is more formidable than I anticipated," Noah mused, genuinely impressed as he restarted the process.

*Clack Clack*

Noah swiftly turned around at the sound of an object colliding and dragging across the ground. To his puzzlement, there appeared to be nothing behind him.

*Clack Clack*

The sound repeated, now much closer, and Noah's hair stood on end.

*Clack Clack!"

The frequency of the noise increased, and Noah hurriedly pressed his back against the corner of the room. His pupils darted wildly, trying to locate the source of the sound. But unbeknownst to him, by putting himself in the corner, the young boy unfortunately missed the two long arms emerging from the walls...

A minute later...

The door to the room swung open, and a woman with white hair entered. Immediately, her gaze fell upon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, holding a twelve-year-old boy in its arms, ready to devour him at any moment.

"Ahem, what are you doing?" the woman called out, and the dragon froze, caught in the act. "Put him down this instant."

Reluctantly, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon released its grip, and the unconscious boy tumbled to the floor. The woman knelt beside him, waiting patiently as he slowly opened his eyes...

When Noah regained consciousness, his mind was still in disarray, and the events of the past few minutes seemed like a blur. Sitting up, he noticed a woman beside him, her upper face concealed by a shawl. Even from just seeing her lips, Noah could deduce that she must be stunning.

"Are you alright?" She inquired, and Noah instinctively blushed.

However, he soon spotted a dark figure lurking behind the woman. When his eyes finally focused, his skin paled with fear as he remembered everything. In a panic, Noah screamed and fled, exiting the space with no trace of him left behind.

Staring at the spot where he had been sitting, the woman scowled and directed her glare at Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, which had already retreated to avoid her scolding...

Outside, Noah gasped for breath, his body still trembling from fear.

*Tap Tap*

"AHHH, STAY AWAY!" He instinctively yelled and quickly moved away from whatever had touched his shoulder.

Turning around, Noah paused when he realized it was just Yuna; he sighed with relief. Regaining his composure, he soon adopted an antagonizing tone to mask the anxiety in his heart.

"F.. Father wants you gone! So I'll leave you here forever! Goodbye!" he declared, generating a portal and making a hasty escape...

[Yuna's POV]

I observed with surprise as Noah screamed like a little girl and hastily dashed into the portal. If I had to guess what had happened, it was likely that Starving Venom Fusion Dragon had paid him an unexpected visit while he was attempting to take control of my body.

Well, it seemed that Noah must have been somewhat traumatized because he left the portal open. With no better plan in mind, I decided to follow him through the portal, and in an instant, I found myself in a completely new area.

Calmly examining my surroundings, I discovered that I was now in a luxurious bedroom. A king-size bed occupied one of the walls, there was a cozy lounge area nestled in the corner, and shelves were brimming with books and various expensive stationery items.

Immediately, I spotted Noah standing at the end of the room with his back to me. I concealed myself behind the couches, observing him as he seemed engrossed in watching something on a multitude of displays mounted on the wall.

Squinting my eyes, I managed to discern the images on the screens and realized that Noah was spying on Yugi and the rest. It appeared that he and Tea had already defeated two of the Big Five, and they seemed to be steadily making progress.

The remaining members of the Big Five weren't faring any better as they were being soundly defeated by Kaiba, Ishizu, and Odion, respectively.

'Wow, bringing them here turned out to be a better decision than I had imagined...' I thought while Noah nervously chewed his nails.

Suddenly, a second portal materialized, and Gozaburo emerged, walking resolutely toward his son. Noah quickly straightened his back and saluted. "F... Father!"

"Have you dealt with that woman like I instructed you to?" Gozaburo inquired sternly, causing Noah to flinch.

"Yes, Father, I have trapped her in a place where she can't escape," Noah answered.

However, Gozaburo didn't seem pleased at all: "I don't think you understand what I meant when I said that I want her gone."

Noah froze: "I... I"

*Slap*

"You disappointed me." Gozaburo scolded harshly and slapped his son across the face.

Noah didn't react and could only helplessly lower his gaze as his cheek turned red. Gozaburo glanced at the screen, and his brows creased further: "Seems like your plan on using the Big Five is failing as well."

"I will make sure that they won't interfere with your plans."

"Hmph," Gozaburo scoffed: "Don't disappoint any further..."

Gozaburo returned to the portal as it closed behind him. Despite being left alone, Noah refused to move as he continued to gaze at the floor absentmindedly. 

*Sniff*

Noah sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Biting his lips, Noah tried to subdue the sadness, and he returned to his calm expression. Approaching the screens, Noah pressed a button, and a terminal appeared.

Noah typed on the keyboard, and he soon pressed a second button, summoning a portal. Staring at the portal, Noah gritted his teeth and entered as it disappeared behind him. Once he left, I emerged from the hiding place and hesitantly approached the terminal.

Watching the group fighting passionately on the screen, I knew that Noah must be going to intervene in the battle personally, so I must chase after him. But... How the heck do I operate this thing? Remembering what Noah did, I carefully pressed the keys.

WOOSH

Not understanding what I did, I was caught off guard as a portal magically manifested before my eyes. I really hoped that I had entered the commands correctly and not created a portal to the centre of a volcano.

"Screw it..." I grumbled.

It's either I risk it or stay here forever! After lightly slapping my cheeks, I rushed into the portal...

[3rd POV]

Meanwhile, in another part of the Virtual World...

Seto's face furrowed with a frown as he stared at the modest white building in front of him. Memories, tinged with nostalgia, flooded his thoughts as he stepped inside. As he made his way through the deserted hallways, Seto eventually pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, unveiling a compact classroom.

The desks were clearly designed for young children. Almost instinctively, Seto's feet guided him to the room's far corner, where he discovered a chessboard resting on a small desk. Absently, he picked up one of the pawns, his thoughts drifting as he hummed softly.

Unexpectedly, Seto's sharp ears detected a sound, prompting him to cast a cautious gaze at the door. The closed-door inched open, revealing a face peering through the frame, causing Seto's eyes to widen slightly.

"It's you," he muttered as Yuna entered the room, her eyes darting around curiously.

"Where..." Yuna mumbled, her gaze fixated on the chessboard atop the desk.

"This was the orphanage that Mokuba and I once called home," Seto replied, and her eyes widened in realization.

Seto couldn't help but scoff at Yuna's reaction, a familiar response he often received when revealing his past. "Yes, Mokuba and I are orphans. Do you have a problem with that?" he retorted, his tone laced with annoyance.

Yuna quickly shook her head, avoiding direct eye contact. " No parents... either..." she whispered, her gaze drifting to the floor.

"Car crash... When young," Yuna explained with a wry smile. "Alone since..."

The room fell into an awkward silence as Seto contemplated the shared experience. Yuna moved around the desk and, with curiosity in her eyes, asked, "Last name... do you have one?"

"I don't remember," Seto replied honestly. "Ever since I received the name Kaiba, I've sworn to bury my past..."

The room returned to its silent state. Eventually, She fiddled with one of the chess pieces and spoke out: "Gozaburo.... met him..."

"What..." Seto exclaimed but then frowned: "Yes if it's him, this all made sense...."

Earlier, Seto had found himself moving through several terrains, each representing something from his past as if it was here to remind him of something. He knew that the boy who threatened them shouldn't be aware of these things, but if his father was involved...

"But what is my father doing here?" Seto questioned. His tone was a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "He died years ago, and what about that boy?"

"Gozaburo... called him son..." Yuna added, and Seto's fingers grazed his chin as he delved deep into thought.

"Yes," Seto nodded in self-realization. "I can recall now, it was when Mokuba and I were first brought in that I heard from a servant that my father used to have a biological child that died."

"I see...." Seto's smirk revealed a hint of bloodlust in his eyes. "Looks like being overthrown wasn't enough. I will wipe him out once and for all." 

"Hate him?" Yuna inquired, prompting Seto to sneer.

"Hmph, hatred isn't a strong enough word for the feelings I have for him," Seto muttered, clenching his fist.

He extended his palm and sighed, revealing the crushed chess piece. "Anyone would think that being brought into a rich family would mean a life of luxury, but for me, it was absolute hell."

"Hours, days, I was compelled to be someone I wasn't, and disobedience meant punishment," Seto recounted, his gaze distant.

Sinking into a small chair, Seto sighed, "Even when I collapsed, I wasn't spared from the harassment."

"Why... tell me this..." Yuna frowned.

"Because your curious eyes are getting on my nerves," Seto replied. "So I might as well tell you now."

Yuna flinched, "Sorry..."

Seto observed Yuna quietly as she awkwardly rubbed her arm. Finally, he stood up and moved to the door, "We've wasted enough time. We need to find Mokuba."

Yuna nodded in agreement, "Yes..."

Together, they left the classroom, walking side by side down the hallway. Their silence was palpable, and Yuna, with a hint of nervousness, finally spoke up: "Your childhood... was it difficult?"

Seto glanced at her peripherally, keeping his gaze forward. He replied, "You could say that. But even when I felt on the verge of collapse, Mokuba was always there to support me, bringing me back from the brink of death."

"How about you?" Seto inquired, his tone still retaining its characteristic bluntness. "Aren't you an orphan too? What was your life like?"

Upon hearing Seto's question, Yuna touched her lips with a wry smile as she delved into her past memories. "It was lonely..."

Seto couldn't help but probe further. "Does your speech have something to do with it?"

Yuna's eyes widened in surprise at the abrupt personal question. Realizing that she, too, had been somewhat intrusive, she let out a helpless chuckle and remarked, "Children's innocence... is cruel..."

"Oh," Seto murmured, uncertain of how to react. He stole a glance at Yuna and observed a sense of melancholy in her expression.

Feeling Seto's curious gaze, Yuna offered a smile, but it was clear to Seto that her smile was strained and forced.

"Forget about them," Seto blurted out with a hint of condescension. "Only a true fool would let other people's opinions dictate their life choices."

Yuna flinched at his scathing tone but then sighed. Understanding that Seto was offering advice in his way, her eyes curved upwards, and her lips shifted into a genuine, warm smile like a crescent moon. "Thank... you..."

For the first time in his life, Seto watched Yuna's sincere smile; his usual indifference momentarily shattered, and his heart skipped a beat.

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I hope you enjoy it.