A/N: Here it is, the long awaited sequel to Of Life and Arrangements! Unlike many of my other stories, whenever I say the name of that book, I always get a little warm feeling. It's the kind of story I almost literally put my heart into. ^_^

Anyway, I hope you all like this story half as much as the other one, at least. Please let me know how I do.

Blast from The Past

Sonja looked at the clock and immediately, the hours she'd been putting in crushed down on her like a weight. It was nearly ten. She hadn't noticed the time flying by.

She looked back at her computer where her budding novel lay waiting. She'd already published a few short stories in the past few months. But because of the court case, she'd had to go under the penname of Lucy Trevor. She didn't mind. Lucy had actually been the name her mother had liked when she was born. Her dad had won the argument, though.

She saved her work, shut down her computer and got to her feet, stretching. She was starting to feel all of those injuries the doctors had mentioned five years before at the trial. Even though they were repaired, she could still feel a little twinge of pain every now and then.

Five years.

She could hardly believe it had been that long. That long since she'd come to Domino and met Kaiba and Mokuba. She was twenty-three and it was still catching up with her.

Sonja yawned and left the shop, locking the door and heading upstairs.

She found Sophie sitting on the sofa, watching some old horror movie on the black and white set. She turned when Sonja came in.

"Hey, sis!"

"Hey, Sophie. What are you watching?"

"Some old Goosebumps show. It's called Don't Think About It. It's good, but the effects are really lame."

"Sophie, if that thing gives you nightmares like the last one did, don't come crying to me."

Sophie mocked her and sighed. "It won't give me nightmares. They rarely do, anymore."

"Oh, rarely as in the poltergeist movie you saw last week?"

"That was different." Sophie muttered.

She got up and skipped over to where her sister stood poking through the mail.

"What are we doing for dinner tonight?" she asked eagerly.

"How many times today have you asked me that?" Sonja griped. "Honestly, you eat like there's no tomorrow and yet somehow, you stay as skinny as a post. I don't know what's up with you, but you'd better go back to normal, or I'm calling FBI." Sonja muttered, picking up a bill from the electric company. She put that aside and selected a package that lay sitting with the scattered envelopes. She held it up to the light and frowned.

"I wonder who this is from?" she said.

"I don't know." Sophie answered, taking out a small bottle of apple juice. "But it's from our home address code."

"Back in Japan?" Sonja proclaimed in shock. "No way! Who the heck even remembers us out there?"

"Apparently somebody." Sophie said. "They sent us something. And it's heavy, whatever it is."

It was true. The package weighed at least six pounds or more. Sonja lifted it up and down a few times and then set it on the counter.

"I'll open it later." She said. "I'll start dinner."

"What are we having, sis?" Sophie asked.

"Leftovers." Sonja said. Sophie made a face and clutched her stomach. "Blech! I'd rather eat what the teacher made me and Mokuba prepare in cooking class!"

Sonja scowled. "Oh, and what did you make?"

"Green bean casserole. It tasted like burnt rubber because a certain somebody forgot to check the oven timer. He set it for two hours instead of twenty minutes."

Sonja snickered. "That sounds like Mokuba all right." She chuckled.

"Stop laughing!" Sophie snapped, barely concealing her own amused grin.

"I'll stop. But whether or not you like it, we're having leftovers and that's that."

Sophie sighed irritably. "Fine. What is there?"

Sonja opened the fridge and inspected the contents.

"Well, there's pasta, some kind of fishy stuff and that beef stew I made the other night."

Sophie grimaced. "You're a good cook, Sonja, but the food only ever tastes good the night it was prepared. After that, it tastes moldy."

Sonja scowled. "I'm sorry my cooking is so horrible." She snapped.

"I didn't say that!" Sophie exclaimed as Sonja stormed out and stalked outside, down the stairs. Sophie glared after her and looked back at the open fridge.

"I guess I'll have beef stew and pasta." She said.

Sonja leaned against the wall outside the shop and sighed. It was getting cold and she wished she'd brought a jacket with her.

"Boy am I an idiot." She mumbled. She shivered and looked toward the stairs. "I guess I'll go back in. No sense following stupid pride just because of a dumb argument."

Slowly, she ascended back up to the second floor, feeling her limbs grow number with each second. She fumbled open the doorknob and stepped inside.

Sophie glanced up from the sofa, a spaghetti noodle dangling from her mouth. She sucked it in and swallowed. "Back already?" she said.

"Yeah, it's too cold to be holding a grudge like this." Sonja mumbled. She went over to the kitchen counter and stared out the window.

"Wonder…," she whispered, "What they're doing, right now?"

"Who? Thing 1 and Thing 2?" Sophie asked in playful reference to the Kaiba brothers. Sonja had to chuckle a bit.

"No. You know." She said.

Sophie nodded in understanding.

"Probably wondering where we are, right now." She answered. She slurped up another noodle. "You know, I've always thought of going back there. To look for them."

"Too dangerous." Sonja said, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of water. She opened it, but didn't drink it. She swirled it around the bottle and hopped up to sit on the counter.

"Why?" Sophie asked.

"Not all of Allan's goons followed him to America, Sophie. A good deal of them are probably still out there, awaiting his return."

Sophie sputtered sarcastically.

"Yeah, like that'll happen anytime soon." She said skeptically. " Allan got sixty years in the bin, sis. Five of those years are already up, so he's got fifty-five to go. Unless he pulls some miraculous escape in the next few years, his days as a drug lord are down the toilet."

Sonja smiled slightly. Sophie knew that she wasn't convinced. But she should have expected this. Sonja knew Allan more extensively than anyone. She'd know exactly how crafty he could be.

Sonja finally took a sip from the water bottle and sighed.

"Did I tell you?" she said. "Seto wants me to go to another trade show with him next week."

"Again?" Sophie exclaimed. "Man, that's two in three months. Where are you going?"

"Seattle." Sonja replied. Sophie's face glowed in excitement and envy.

"Aw, I've always wanted to go there and see the Space Needle! You're so lucky, sis!"

"Oh, cut it out. The way he plans the schedule, I'll be lucky if I even get a photograph of it. But I'll try to get you a key chain or something of it when I get to the airport."

Sophie pouted and got up to put her plate in the sink. Then, she nosed through the freezer until she emerged with a cheery Popsicle. Sonja just shook her head.

"I don't know how you do it, Sophie." She said wryly.

"Jeez, Sonja, it isn't like you're fat, or anything. You're even scrawnier than I am and it's cause you barely eat anything at all."

Sonja made a face at her and Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, are you flying commercial again?"

"Yeah. Seto's pilot's license expired and he keeps forgetting to renew it."

Sophie shook her head, the Popsicle clamped between her teeth as she sucked on it.

"What an idiot." She said, nearly dropping it.

"Sophie, you sound like a leech, doing that. Cut it out." Sonja growled, turning to the package on the table.

"Hand me a knife, please." She said.

Sophie set one on the table from the counter and sat down beside Sonja as Sonja sliced through the tape holding the box shut. Inside the box was what appeared to be a DVD player wrapped in cellophane and bubble wrap. She blinked and lifted it out, setting it on the table and pushing the box aside.

"Wow. Either somebody really likes us, I mean REALLY likes us, or this somebody's got issues." Sophie remarked.

"Whoever this somebody is, they sent us a recorded message and I'm guessing from the lack of a return address, we're free to keep the thing." Sonja replied, noticing a disk inside a baggie on top of the player. "Lets' play it and see what's on it."

"Yeah, maybe it'll turn out to be some stalker with a gigantic crush on you, or something. But then," she said with a glance at the ceiling. "If it is, and Mr. Kaiba finds out, I sure hope this guy's had a merry life 'cause it would end soon after."

Sonja scowled.

"I have no idea what you're even talking about, you space cadet*. Honestly, maybe you should be the writer of the house. And besides, he wouldn't do anything like that."

"Sure he would. You know how protective he is of you. Don't tell me you've forgotten that he was the one who first saw you wake up in the hospital. How sweet!" she gushed, and then laughed hysterically.

Sonja sighed irritably.

"I often wonder what it's like to live in a world of total and blissful idiocy like you do, Sophie."

Sophie stuck out her tongue as Sonja turned on the DVD player.

The screen fizzled and both sisters watched in anticipation as two people appeared on the screen.

"Say what!?" they both shrieked in disbelief.

The boy had frizzy red and yellowish hair that looked as though it hadn't seen a brush since day one. Messy T-shirt and holey jeans made for a ragged, unappealing individual who didn't even look into the camera. The girl, on the other hand, radiated preppy. Short red plaited skirt and white top with wavy reddish brown hair, she radiated confidence and the sense of a pleasant lifestyle.

"He-e-e-y Sonni!" she squealed.

"No…freaking…way." Sonja mumbled.

"I betcha don't remember me, huh? Betcha don't, mm-hmm."

"Oh, trust me, I remember." Sonja growled. She was tempted to turn the device off.

"Listen, listen! It's me, Arika Kunisaki! And of course you remember Daichi! Well, guess what! We're related!"

By now, she was so close to the camera, that Sonja and Sophie had to avert their eyes from seeing rather unwanted images.

"See, Daichi is actually my brother due to a rather complicated setup by our respective parents in their teenage years that we'd rather not go into. Any-hoo, we have a surprise for you! We're coming to Domino city!"

Sonja's eyes went wide and she started to shake.

"Did she just say…?"

"She did." Sophie muttered, equally stunned.

"We're going to school out there so we can see you, again! Plus, I'm sure you're aware that the stupid cops out here still think your parents were druggies, so the apartment remains unoccupied to this day. But I broke in there and salvaged a whole bunch of stuff from your room and I'm bringing it all to you in a giant suitcase!"

"I wish this was all a nightmare." Sonja grumbled.

"I wish she'd stop yelling." Sophie grimaced.

"Now, we're closing an apartment deal and we hope you don't mind us staying at your place for just a few days. We plan to work for our food and board, so don't worry. EE!! I'm just so excited to see you again, Sonni! Okay then, ciao!"

The DVD screen fizzled again and then went back to the opening where Sonja promptly shut it off.

"Time to move again." She declared.

"What?" Sophie exclaimed as Sonja got up and went over to the window. "Tell me you're joking."

Sonja smiled wryly and Sophie shivered.

"You know, you're creepy when you do that." She said.

"Yeah, I know."

Sophie scowled.

"Whatever. Eat something. I'm going to watch a movie."

"What movie?" Sonja asked as she took the Tupperware container of stew out of the fridge.

"The Ring. It's supposed to be a real spooker." Sophie said. She picked the tape box up off the sofa and held it up for Sonja to see. "I rented it a few days ago, but haven't watched it yet. I figured since it's due back tomorrow, I might as well."

Sonja just shook her head as Sophie popped the tape into the VCR and plopped down on the sofa to watch it.

"I'm eating in another room." Sonja declared, taking the container of cold stew with her out of the room. She personally hated horror movies and didn't care to test her limits like her sister did.

"Yup," she said as she closed the door in their room and sat down on the floor. "She's gonna be in here begging to sleep on the bottom bunk with me after watching that. I guarantee."

She took a bite of the stew and gagged, swallowing painfully.

"Yuck." She grimaced. "I really should have heated it up first."

Forty-five minutes following, Sonja was in the middle of the book when the cordless phone next to the bed began to ring. Simultaneously, Sophie started screaming "Don't answer! Don't answer! Don't answer!"

Ignoring her, Sonja picked up the phone as Sophie crept in, shivering and staring wildly. Sonja hung up.

"It was a telemarketer, you wimp." Sonja muttered. Sophie sighed and retreated back to the living room.

About an hour later, Sonja had choked down some more of the stew and was sitting against her mattress reading another book when—

"EEEEEEaaaaggggh!"

The door burst open and Sonja jumped as Sophie bolted inside, ducking underneath the blanket on the bottom bunk and whimpering.

Sonja just watched, sighed and returned to her book.

"I told you, Sophie." She said nonchalantly.

Sophie muttered something unintelligible and Sonja just smirked.

"You really ought to listen to me, you know."

Sonja yawned and closed her book.

"All right. You can sleep on the bottom bunk. But remember, you brought this one on yourself."

She climbed up top and collapsed on the blanket fully clothed. She was too tired to change into her pajamas.

"Good night, you big scaredy cat." She mumbled.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off.

//ooo//

Sonja tossed in her sleep, moaning and struggling against something in her dreams.

"No…," she kept murmuring. Finally, she turned toward the opposite wall and shrieked as she toppled off the top bunk, landing hard on the floor with her right foot caught in the rungs of the ladder.

"Ow, Ow, Ow."

She picked herself up and sighed heavily. She looked up at the top bunk and scowled.

"Dang. I fell again."

She glanced at Sophie. She wasn't a bit surprised to see that Sophie was still sound asleep, unaffected by her sister's plight as she tried to right herself and free her leg from the ladder. She wrenched her trapped appendage free and sat up, nursing her bruised head.

"Now I remember why I hate sleeping on the top bunk." She said as she struggled to her feet and stumbled to the kitchen for some ice.

"I should have known better." She grumbled. "Sophie's a heavier sleeper than I am. That's why she never falls off the top."

She filled a plastic baggie with ice and held it to her head, jumping up to sit on the counter. She gazed out at the quarter moon hanging in the empty sky and sighed.

"Hard to believe," she said her eyes taking on a faraway look. "Nineteen years since I last saw them. I wonder if they'd even recognize me, now?"

She closed her eyes as she reminisced her dream that night, far off in a distant memory, a trip to a water park with her family.

"Come on, Sam! I want to be first! There's a line!"

"Calm down, Sonja, you're looking at the wrong line. The one we want is completely empty."

"But one might start before we even get there! Hurry!"

After she said that, she recalled Sam had started laughing. She'd found it immensely irritating at the time. But oh, what she wouldn't give to hear that laugh right now.

She let the ice bag slip from her head and onto the counter. She missed her older brother terribly, regretting every mean thing she may have said to him in the past. She'd take everything back, do anything just to see him again. But that would never happen. Sam was gone for good, just like everything else she ever loved. The only beloved thing she'd been able to salvage lay deeply asleep in the next room. And yet Sophie had no idea of the anguish and pain it had cost her older sister. All the years of suffering under Allan and being forced to give away everything she had, including her innocence. She curled her knees against her chest and sighed heavily.

It wasn't like it really mattered, now. What was done was done; there was no reversing it.

She scowled suddenly and glared outside. Why was she moping like this? Sam would have wanted her to move on and have a good life. And she had. She had built a better life for herself and for Sophie and she even had friends who cared about her. She chuckled when she thought of the last time she'd seen Joey. In the past three years, he'd been working toward becoming a police officer of the public safety division. After receiving his badge, he'd appeared at the shop declaring that if anyone ever tried to bother her and Sophie, he'd arrest them for life.

Thinking of her friends made her wonder what Kaiba was up to. She hadn't seen him in a few days, not since he'd informed her of the next trade show in Seattle. She figured he was probably getting ready for it.

She yawned and slid down off the counter, heading back into her room and pulling the blankets and pillow off, taking them out into the front room and arranging a makeshift bed for herself on the sofa. She snuggled down on the cushions and closed her eyes.

At least now if she fell again, it wouldn't hurt as much.

//ooo//

Sonja yawned the next morning as she sat down behind the counter in the shop, barely awake after a restless night of nightmares. She tied her long hair back into a braid and put her head down on the counter with a sigh.

"That's it. I'm never letting Sophie take the bottom bunk again." She grumbled.

As if on cue, Sophie suddenly burst into the store, fresh as a daisy.

"Hey, sis!" she exclaimed as Sonja raised her head. Sophie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her sister's face.

"Jeez, Sonja, you look awful!"

"Oh, thanks. What a wonderful thing to say." Sonja growled.

"You know what I mean. You look like death warmed over. Did you get any sleep?"

"Judging from the dark circles under my eyes and the fact that all of our tea is gone, what do you think?" Sonja snapped. Sophie jumped back.

"Sorry. I had some with Maya and Mokuba, yesterday."

At this, Sonja scowled. "Sophie, Mokuba doesn't even like tea. You found that out when we caught him pouring his into a plant, remember?"

Sophie hummed. "Well, I could go get you some tea. Would that help?"

Sonja sighed. "Yeah, it would. But you don't have to. I'll just take a nap at lunchtime. Thanks anyway."

Sophie smiled. "No problem. Let me know if you need anything."

"Where are you going?"

"Maya and I are going shopping for a birthday present for Mokuba. It's coming up."

Sophie giggled and made as though she were being overheard, peering left, right and out the store. "Personally," she said, "I'm pretty sure Maya's got a crush on him."

Sonja shook her head. "Ooh-boy. That'll make for one odd couple." She said.

"How so?" Sophie asked, tilting her head.

"Simple. Maya's a geek, and Mokuba's a little insane in the good way. They fight like cats and dogs."

Sophie smirked. "Sorta like you and a certain someone." She said.

Sonja tossed a plastic flowerpot at her. "Scram, you little smart mouth!" she yelled. She got up and chased Sophie out. "You're banished for the rest of the day! Be gone!"

Sophie cackled as she got out of range of her sister.

"See ya later, Sonni! I'll pick up some tea for you on the way back!" she called. Sonja sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, that girl's more of a teenager than I was. Actually, I wasn't really much of a teenager, come to think of it."

She started to turn around and was met by someone staring her down just barely a foot away. She yelped and jumped back, heart pounding. It took a minute to register who was standing there.

"Wha?"

The woman smirked. "Well, now, is that any way to greet an old friend? Jaw drooping like a fish?"

Sonja beamed. "I don't believe it! Mai!"

"Hey, Sonja." Mai said with a wink. "I almost didn't recognize you. Your hair wasn't that long last time."

Sonja smiled. "I tried to cut it. It grows too fast. How are you?"

Mai shrugged. "Could be better. I'm on vacation. It doesn't sound like it, but that stewardess job on that luxury cruise ship isn't as easy as it looks."

"Oh right, you went back to that. Still dueling daily?"

"Do birds fly? Though it gets a little tedious after awhile. Not everyone can duel all that well, so I often get bored and surrender a match just because I can't take it anymore."

Sonja blinked. "Woah, now that does not sound like you at all, Mai." She said. Mai shrugged.

"What are you gonna do? Now, are you going to invite me in, or make me stand out here in the blistering heat all day?"

Sonja laughed and held the door open for her as they went back inside. Mai sighed and leaned up against the wall.

"I see you sprung for air conditioning." She pointed out.

"Yeah. Sophie and I found out the hard way that summers on the east coast are hot outside, but sweltering inside. Besides, I had to for business purposes. The heat would wilt my plants."

Mai gazed around at the various fauna and nodded in approval. "Your stock is getting pretty tropical." She said.

"It sure is. I keep finding new places to help out and the plants get more and more foreign as time goes by. I actually had a Venus Flytrap in here last month."

"No kidding? Did anyone buy it?"

"Some geek who actually stuck his hand down into it to see if it was still alive. He even paid a tip, which I don't usually get."

"Nice job. So, how've things been going lately?"

Sonja was just about to pick up a potted fern and paused. "What do you mean?"

"I always found it astounding that you were the only non-blood relative besides Yugi who could put up with Kaiba. Are you two still getting along?"

Sonja sighed and turned around. "Honestly, it's like everyone's waiting for something." She grumbled. "Actually, I haven't seen him in a couple of days. But I have to attend a trade show with him next week in Seattle."

Mai's eyebrows rose. "Really? And why's that?"

"Because next to Yugi, I'm the only one he considers good enough to take along to a show where he demonstrates his virtual reality systems. I have to duel him every time we go to one of these things. Sometimes it's a few duels in just a couple of hours, demonstrating the new technology and stuff like that."

"I see. Have you won, yet?"

Sonja gave her a look that said "What do you think?"

Mai smirked again. "I thought as much. So, when's the trip?"

"Next Saturday. We'll be gone just three days. Sophie wanted me to get her a souvenir of the Space Needle, but the way he plans the schedule, there's no way. Plus, there's the little matter of a guest appearance from somebody I hate showing up to stay at my place while they close a deal on an apartment."

Mai hummed, thoughtful. Then, she smiled mysteriously.
"Don't worry, hon. If they give you trouble, whoever they are, give me a ring. I'll take care of them."

"You're sweet, but no thanks." Sonja said. "From the way she sounded on the DVD she sent me, she seems pretty anxious to see us again. I just hope it isn't some big façade she's pulling just to find an excuse to turn our lives into a living hell."

"I hear ya." Mai answered.

She glanced at the clock behind Sonja and her eyes went wide.

"Jeez, is it that late, already?"

"Why? You gotta go somewhere?" Sonja asked.

"You bet. Believe it or not, I've got a date."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd ever go through with it, Mai." Sonja exclaimed. "Who's it with?"

"Did Tea ever tell you about my so-called fiancé? About five years ago?"

Sonja frowned in thought. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, he's some big-shot actor from Hollywood and he's been chasing me for years. I decided to give him one more chance to impress me."

"That's noble."

Mai snorted. "Hardly." She scoffed. "The guy tried to kidnap me using special effect ninjas. I'm just sick of putting up with his corny love letters, over-priced gifts of ridiculous things I'll never use and phone calls with sweet-nothings left on my answering machine."

Sonja giggled. "So what do you predict for his chances, Mai?"

Mai pretended to think, putting her finger to her lip in thought as she gazed at the ceiling. Then she winked at Sonja.

"Keep this under your hat, hon. I'd give him about a three at most."

"You're heartless." Sonja laughed.

"A girl's gotta be tough in this day and age." Mai answered. "I'll be hitting the road. Catch you later, Sonja."

"Drop by anytime." Sonja said as Mai left the shop. Sonja shook her head and sighed. "Boy have I got some weird friends." She said to herself.

A/N: * Space Cadet: Ever get called one 'cause you spaced out too much? That's basically what it means.

Cauryn Terenkey here with…well, Luna to be technical (we're in her room), I don't appear much in this chapter, but I acted out Arika perfectly, THAT part was fun XD I also got Sophie right too ^^ we tend to act out parts of the story to them right ^^ You'll definitely see me next chapter, as the more hysterical and slightly OOC moments are mine. Just know that Luna wont let me get me out of hand. I hope to see you next time!

Luna here. She's absolutely right. I won't let her get her too crazy with poor Kaiba. He's got enough as it is. ^_^ But he may have to watch out for…THE TAG TEAM!!!!! Dun dun dun!!