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Chapter 36: In the End

It was so much worse. Everyone was clinging for dear life on various parts of Kuro as she flew them through the cave at Noah's behest. Yami got the optimal spot on her back solely because he was the one holding (Y/N) as they flew, despite her insistence she could hold on herself. Regardless, they managed to reach the computer deep within the cave relatively unscathed, though a few of them might have trouble flying again for a while.
"There it is!" Noah shouted, jumping off the owl's back and running towards a set of controls.
Everyone else took a minute to recuperate.
"Never again..." Duke muttered.
Yami himself looked a bit on the haggard side after having to keep himself and another person anchored, looking over to his wife. "How did you manage this with one arm?"
"Adrenaline, Yami. Just adrenaline."
Eventually, everyone joined Noah by the controls as he was tinkering away at them.
"This is one of several remote network stations built by my father. It can give us access to all of the program's emergency exits. But, it seems that my father's locked the system. We're completely sealed in. When he showed up again after 6 years, he promised to help me, but he was lying. My father was using me."
(Y/N) felt Mokuba drift a little closer to her, seeing an expression of understanding on his face. She knew what he was thinking. Gozaburo had used all three of the boys without a second thought and it lit something dangerous in her, and Yami too it seemed, as he squeezed her head, his expression fixed, though she could feel his anger.
"Noah?" Mokuba asked. "Are you okay?"
Joey stepped up. "Noah, are you sure there are no other exits around here?"
"Yeah." Tea agreed. "Maybe there's a way out of here you're not thinking of."
"I've had enough of this monkey business!" Tristan cried, still stuck as a robotic monkey. "I want to wake up in my own body!"
"I think we should be prioritizing stopping Gozaburo." The queen finally spoke. "He's threatened to take the entire world hostage. He needs to be stopped."
Seto was all for it. "Every virtual reality program has more than one emergency exit system. So why don't you try thinking harder, Noah."
"Seto!" (Y/N) snapped at him.
Noah began to chuckle. "What's wrong, Seto, don't you want to stay awhile? We won't be alone in this virtual world for very much longer. My father said he's bringing the whole world in here, and that means I'll never have to be alone again. We'll be one big happy family."
It was very clear the boy had finally cracked under the weight of finding he had been abandoned.
Mokuba ran up to the green haired male, shaking him by the shoulders. "Noah! You gotta get a hold of yourself. You're in danger, too."
"Noah, listen to Mokuba." (Y/N) insisted, stepping next to the younger Kaiba. "Your father will not tolerate us in the world he wants. He'll get rid of us all and rule the world without pity. Do you want that?"
The boy looked down like a pouting child.
"Answer me, Noah."
"No." He finally said. "There is one more escape route here."
"Where is it?" Seto demanded before (Y/N) held up her hand.
"Noah, please tell us."
"It's a doorway that I created, and it leads directly to the real world. I'm quite sure my father has no idea that it exists. You can escape and warn the world of his plan."
"Then what are we waiting around her for?" Joey shouted. "Let's go!"
"Very well. Just follow me."
Noah led the way through the cave, Kuro swapping for Ori given the narrower tunnels. (Y/N) kept a close eye on the boy, not exactly trusting that the last outburst was completely abandoned. Yami must've sensed her unease, lacing his fingers in hers.
"Something's not right."
She sighed. "I think he's lying to us."
Her husband glanced over at the boy in suspicion before looking back at her. "If you're so sure it's a trick, then why are we following him?"
"We don't exactly have many options." She glanced away, Ori tugging at her leg in worry. "And...I feel responsible for him now."
"Kianga."
"Something happened when we were alone, something I don't understand." The queen admitted.
"Another memory?"
"It was...different from the other ones. It-it was like Noah's memories and my memories were blurring together. I saw him playing in the palace gardens and he was wearing your clothes, and...I don't know. I can't explain what I saw, but it made my heart hurt more than anything, and I don't know why."
Yami sensed the turmoil boiling inside (Y/N). In truth, he had felt something similar when he heard how Gozaburo viewed his sons. Something about the way that man so openly dismissed his children made Yami burn with a righteous fury on par when he remembered Bakura's role in (Y/N)'s death. He couldn't describe why he felt that way either, but he knew likely the answer was hidden in memories they had yet to recover. For now though, all he could was try and support his wife through the conflict, pulling her closer as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Yugi then appeared, likely also concerned about the progression.
"Maybe Noah is trying to help us now?" Yugi suggested with a hopeful tone.
Rain seemed to want to agree with him. "His dad did betray him. Maybe he's finally coming around?"
"Perhaps." Yami agreed, if only to try and soothe (Y/N)'s mind.
The queen stood up. "Noah and Seto have a lot in common. Maybe if they saw that, things would be different."
The former pharaoh nodded before turning to their vessel. "Yugi, Rain, why don't you both take over?"
"You got it, boss." Rain teased as the spirits handed over the reigns.

(Timeskip)

After a great deal of walking, the group was starting to get tired, Joey especially being snappy.
"All right, where is this exit already?"
"There." Noah pointed at what looked to be a castle gate blocking the valley. "Your freedom lies beyond this door. Once you walk through, you'll wake up in the real world."
"I don't know about this, guys." Tea whispered as the gates opened.
In a flash of light, Mokuba and Rain found themselves standing alone in a corner of Domino City.
"Rain, where did everyone go?" Mokuba asked as she glanced around.
"Not sure. I really don't like this. Mokuba, stay close, at least until we find the other."
"Mokuba! Rain!" Noah suddenly yelled, running to them. "What are you still doing here? Everyone else made it out already. Come on."
Noah began to lead them out, Rain having a very sinking suspicion the green haired boy was trying to fool them again. Having none of it, she always made sure to stand between him and Mokuba and keep a very close eye on him and even ordered Ori to stay on Mokuba's shoulder. Eventually, Noah led them to a copy of Domino arcade with a system like before set up, insisting Mokuba try to open the exit since it was a video game that was the lock. Hesitantly, Mokuba stepped up to the console and began working, Rain barely blinking.
"Hey, Noah? I can't find the exit here. This game has so many levels. Do you remember which one you hid the secret doorway in?" Noah said nothing as Mokuba remembered something. "You can't escape with us without a real body. Maybe Seto can build you one? I mean, you're our family, Noah." The green boy blinked in surprise. "I mean, it won't be like your old body, but at least you'll be in the real world. I'm sure the technology experts at KaibaCorp could build something for you. Hey, maybe we can be twins! After all, we're brothers, aren't we? Hey! We can even introduce you Carter! Gozaburo probably gave you a bad impression, but he's like a grandpa to everyone! You'd love him! Anyways, there are so many games in here. Maybe you hid the exit somewhere else? Come on, Ori! Let's look around!"
The Forest guardian kept a watchful eye on Noah, even after Mokuba and him had gone off to explore. Rain side eyed the green haired male, knowing he was planning something.
"Noah, I want to understand that right now, you are at a crossroad."
He looked at her, trying to appear innocent. "What? What are you talking about, Rain?"
"I know your games. Let me make one thing clear: you want Mokuba, you gotta get through me first, and that is fight you have already and will lose again. You have two options. Option one: you try to take Mokuba's body and I stop you, and not only do you prove every horrible thing your father said about you, you prove that you're no better than he is. Or, you can prove that you're better than that, that there is still good in you and you're someone worth giving a second chance to. Choose wisely."
She walked off to follow Mokuba, leaving Noah to weigh the options. He knew he couldn't beat Rain, she had proven that in their duel, which is why he had wanted Mokuba alone. So why had she been dropped with him? Had she used her mysterious powers again, or did...did some part of him know what he was planning was wrong and wanted her to stop him. Eventually, Mokuba found the stage in the back, and Ori seemed to have a weird reaction to it.
"Hey, I think I found it!"
Rain walked over, allowing Ori to climb back up her shoulder as Mokuba began to climb on. Noah stared and knew that moment of truth had come. This is what he wanted for so long, to finally escape this prison he had been trapped in, but then he remembered Mokuba's words of encouragement and how he had seen him as a brother. He also remembered the sheer wonder he felt hearing Rain's story, and he wanted to hear more and feel the tenderness she had shown him, but he knew going through with this would mean the end of that. At once, he remembered what Rain had told him: even if he did managed to escape, nothing would change, he wouldn't be him, and he would still be all alone.
"...wait!" Noah finally said as Mokuba reached the top of the stairs.
"Noah?"
Rain looked at him. "Something you wanna share?"
He looked down guiltily, finally forced to meet his conscience. "I'm sorry..."
"You trick us again!" Mokuba shouted as Ori's fur bristled.
"I..." Noah began breaking down. "I can't take it anymore! I don't want to be like him, but I don't want to be alone anymore! I...just can't take it anymore!"
Noah sunk to his knees crying. Neither Mokuba nor Rain really knew how to handle this, but luckily (Y/N) once again stepped up, kneeling down to hug the boy, who stopped crying for a moment.
"Noah, no more games, no more tricks." The queen said. "Let's just put an end to this."
He began to cry again and hugged her back, nodding. "I-I'm sorry!"
"I know you are. Let's just clean up the mess and move on."
Just then, a siren went off with the arcade flashing red. Poor Ori curled up, covering his ears.
"What's happening!?" Mokuba asked as Noah ran to the nearest monitor, his face going pale.
"Oh no! Someone outside destroyed the main power grid for the base on the outside! How did they even pass security!?"
(Y/N) could hear Rain facepalming. "We forgot about Yami Marik!"
"Yes, we did..." (Y/N) admitted, feeling a bit foolish for leaving the actual psychopath to his own devices.
"Does this mean that we can't get back to our bodies?" Mokuba asked.
"No, the pods run on a different system, and the backup generators should be back online soon. The problem is that by destroying the mainframe, this person set off one of the fortress's defense mechanisms! It sent a signal to one of KaibaCorp's satellites and now the whole base is going to be blown up, us along with it!"
Both Mokuba and (Y/N) went pale at the thought.
"How much time do we have?" (Y/N) asked.
"Twenty minutes and counting. I wasn't lying when I said there was an exit here. Use it, get back to your bodies and the blimp, and get clear from the explosion!"
"Not without everyone else!" Mokuba declared.
Not missing a beat, Noah accessed the mainframe through the console, broadcasting across the fake Domino City.
"Attention! Can all of you hear me? This is extremely important! This is a warning to all of you! The virtual world that we're all in is about to be destroyed! I'm sorry for the way I treated you all, but now a satellite is about to destroy the main computer system, and when it goes down, the virtual world will collapse! You must escape or your mind will be lost forever! Get to Domino Arcade! It's the only exit left! Rain and Mokuba are already here, but hurry! Time's running out!"
Noah quickly disconnected, turning to (Y/N) and Mokuba. "The others will be here soon, but Seto is dueling my father!"
"Let's get everyone else out first then." (Y/N) said. "Seto can handle Gozaburo."
Minutes later, everyone else arrived as Noah ushered them in.
"Back here! The exit is the stage! The power outage should have freed the blimp in the real world, so you need to get on it and get out of here!"
Tea looked at (Y/N). "Can we trust him?"
She nodded. "Now we can."
"All right, you heard her guys. Let's go!"
"Stand on the red and blue platforms and I'll upload you back." Noah ordered.
Tea, Tristan, Serenity went first as Duke, Yugi, (Y/N), and Joey all guarded the doors which were being swarmed by monsters. Duke and Joey were sent ahead as (Y/N) turned to Yugi.
"Yugi, you go next. Mokuba, you too!"
"Not without Seto!" The boy shot back.
"I'll go get your brother, but you need to get out of here."
"Not by yourself." Yugi stated.
"Stubborn boys!" She growled. "Noah, how quickly can you get us to Seto?"
"I'll open a shortcut for us. If we travel through the door, we'll reach him in no time."
Said door appeared as (Y/N) turned to the males. "Well if you all insist on being here, move it!"
With the queen taking the lead, they all plunged through the door, arriving at the replica of KaibaCorp. The ride up the elevator was...awkward to say the least, especially as the timer ticked down to the single digits. Eventually, they finally reached the top floor, just in time to see Seto wipe out Gozaburo. A sore loser to the end, the older man transformed into some kind of monster and attacked Seto, only for a blast from Ori to blind him as Noah hit the monitor next to them to pull Seto's duel cart towards the exit.
"Jump, Kaiba!" Yugi yelled.
(Y/N) back up as the brunette made the leap of faith, Mokuba immediately hugging him when he landed.
"We need to run!" (Y/N) commanded.
They all fled, the enraged red monster plowing through the building after them. Eventually, they came to the edge of the building as Gozaburo cornered them.
"Going somewhere?"
He swung at them, only for (Y/N) to use the Millennium Bracelet to shield them.
"Jump!" Noah said, turning to Mokuba, Seto, and Yugi. "I'll open the exit portal beneath you, but you need to jump now!"
"What about (Y/N)!?" Mokuba shouted.
"I'll be right behind you!" The queen insisted. "Now go!"
Without a choice, all three jumped, a portal opening just as Noah had said.
"Noah, go find another network to hide in!" (Y/N) ordered. "Mokuba will find you again."
"I'm sorry, Rain, but I have to do this."
Suddenly, Noah seemed to transform into some kind of spirit, clinging to Gozaburo's neck.
"I cannot be stopped!" He shouted.
"Noah! What are you doing!?" (Y/N) shouted as Ori tried to pull her towards the portal.
"Rain, someone has to make sure he can't escape again! I won't let him hurt anyone else!"
"You'd choose them over me!?" Gozaburo shouted as (Y/N) felt desperate.
"Noah, stop, you'll destroy yourself!"
"Rain...well, whoever you are, thank you for believing in me. Tell Mokuba I said that too!"
"NOAH!"
Just then, Ori finally managed to pull (Y/N) off the building. A second later, she woke up in the real world, Yami and Mokuba standing over her.
"(Y/N)!" Yami shouted, pulling her out of the pod as Mokuba looked at her desperately.
"What happened to Noah!?"
She shook her head, almost crying. "He stayed behind. He's going to sacrifice himself to make sure Gozaburo can't escape."
"What!? No, we need to help him!"
"There is no time!" Seto shouted as the computer alerted them to the incoming destruction. "We need to move, now!"
They all took off down the hall towards the blimp, the siren blaring for the coming destruction. Mokuba continued to lament Noah's fate as (Y/N) slightly kept herself together to make sure they'd make it. They managed to make it to landing platform as the blimp began to take off, everyone else at the entrance urging them to hurry up and jump. Yami, knowing (Y/N) would have difficulty making the jump with one arm, picked her up and leapt, the two being pulled to safety as Seto lobbed Mokuba at poor Duke as he jumped for himself. (Y/N) let out a sigh of relief as she felt the blimp pull away, gripping her husband's shirt.
"Thanks."
"For you, kianga, anything."
As they were pulled into the blimp, the missile hit the base, the resulting explosion rocking the vessel. Yami kept a tight grip on (Y/N) as they all braced themselves, save for Seto, who raced for the control room. (Y/N) swore she heard Gozaburo screaming at them one final time, but the blimp burst away in a blaze of speed.
It was over.

(Timeskip)

Rain had spent the rest of the afternoon consoling Mokuba, who was understandably upset at the demise of Noah. After the earful she gave Seto for his insensitivity to everyone else, she managed to negotiate a day off before the tournament would resume the next afternoon. That night, (Y/N) found herself back in the viewing deck of the blimp, lamenting everything that had happened. She let out a sad sigh.
"It's a bit late to be here by yourself."
She looked up to see Yami approaching. "Yami. You should be resting for tomorrow."
"I was until I found your room completely empty." He stood next to her, looking at her knowingly. "You're thinking about Noah?"
"He stayed behind to protect us, to make sure Gozaburo couldn't come back again. I feel like I failed."
"Kianga." Yami said sharply, taking her hand. "You didn't fail. You gave Noah more than his own father did: you gave him a choice. You opened his eyes and he chose to rise above everything that happened."
"And he died for it!" She snapped, starting to tear up.
Yami's expression softened as he gently brushed away her tears. "Kianga, he died a long time ago, just as we did. You helped him accept that and find peace. I'm sure he was grateful for it."
(Y/N) pushed herself into his chest, and Yami embraced her. "He never got a chance to grow up, Yami. In the end, he was a scared boy who had been abandoned, who didn't want to be alone anymore."
"I know." Yami said, kissing the crown of her head. "But, you made sure he didn't feel alone at the end, (Y/N). He wasn't alone at the end."
"Then why do I still feel like a failed?"
He smiled down at her. "Because you have an enormous heart that sees the best in everyone, in Noah, in Kaiba, and in me."
He could feel her smile. "You make it easy to see the best in you."
"Come on, you need to sleep. It's been a long day for all of us."
She curled her fingers on his shirt. "Will you stay with me?"
He held her tighter. "Always."

And now back to Battle City. We're getting close to the end of season 3, meaning season 4's chaos is right around the corner!