Chapter 8: Great Ra Intervenes

A few days before the tournament was to start, Jaishu looked through her cards for, what must have been the sixth hundredth time. Ra didn't approve of her spending so much time on her cards and not on him. The young cat sat on her lap. Ra clawed at her white tank top and dark shorts to get her attention. Absentmindedly, the girl stroked the dejected cat.

This wasn't good enough. He leaped off the warm lap and stood at her feet. He had constructed a plan. He clawed at her bare leg and bolted out the door.

"Ouch! Ra!" She looked down to see him run out the door. She stood up and ran after him. The cat ran down the stairs and out the front door with the owner running after him.

"Ra, get back here!" Jaishu shouted hopelessly at the cat. She stopped and gasped in horror as the cat ran straight into the street. Right in front of a black limo.

Inside the limo, the driver barely noticed the dark-furred cat in time to push the brakes for an abrupt stop. And who should the unfortunate passenger be, but Seto Kaiba. He vaulted forward, but was stopped thanks to his seat belt. He heard shouting come from outside. He stepped out of the limo to see what happened when he saw Jaishu shouting across the street.

"What are you doing?" He asked the girl as soon as she paused for breath.

Jaishu looked to see who talked to her when she saw Kaiba, "No way." She sighed. What was it with Kaiba? He popped up everywhere she went. "I was shouting at my stupid cat that decided to run across the street in front of your limo!" She looked to see Ra sitting on the opposite sidewalk. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn it had a smug smirk on its face.

The spotted cat calmly sauntered over to her. She picked it up and immediately scolded it. Kaiba noticed that the cat wasn't looking her, but at him. Taking the initiative, Ra leapt onto Kaiba's shoulder, making himself right at home. Jaishu looked at the cat shocked.

"Ra! What do you think you're doing? Sorry Kaiba. Ra doesn't usually act like this." She reached up and grabbed the cat off his shoulder. "It's kind of weird though. Ra doesn't usually act very friendly towards other people. Not even my brother or my mom. It's odd that he'd like you, of all people. You don't really strike me as a cat person."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the cat. "I'm not. And what kind of name is Ra for a cat?"

"Well, Ra here is an Egyptian Mau. So I thought it would be cute to name him after one of the great Egyptian gods. I didn't like the name Osiris for him, because he's the God of the Dead and I want Ra to live as long as he can. I didn't like Horus for him because, even though he's one of my favorite cards, in legend he is like a falcon. It would be too much of an oxymoron to name him that. And, well, the only name that really popped into my head was Ra."

Kaiba looked at the cat that was now being held by Jaishu. He was cleaning his paws and seemed very content with himself.

"Now if you'll excuse me, Kaiba, I've got a tournament to prepare for." Jaishu said, excusing herself from Kaiba's presence.

"Did you say you're preparing for a tournament?"

"Yeah. I got an invitation to one the other day. Why? Did you get one too?"

"Yes."

"Great. Now I get a second chance at beating you." She said cheerfully.

"That's only possible if you make it far enough to challenge me." Kaiba said with smirk. "And judging from the last time you dueled in a tournament, you won't."

"Really?" Jaishu stepped up to Kaiba and looked him in the eyes, "Because I will." She turned and walked back to her house.

Kaiba shook his head and stepped back into the limo. He ordered the driver to continue. On the way to his destination, he couldn't help but think about Jaishu. Why did she keep popping up where he did? There was her first day of school, then the incident at the plaza, that rumor that they were trying to get rid of, just now, and soon to be the tournament.

His thoughts wandered to the statement that got them into that rumor mess. She had said that he was the only person in the category that she considered good enough to date her. He seemed to be one of the only boys at school who didn't seem intent on being on her good side. Now that he thought about her dueling skills, he realized that Jaishu was the only girl he knew that didn't duel using those cutesy or girly cards that so many girls were fond of. He had to admit that there was a high probability of her making it to the finals if all she did this past year was improve her strategy.

He was shocked with the feeling of excitement of seeing how much she evolved. Speaking of which, she seemed taller from the first time he met her.


Elf: See kids, that's why you wear your seatbelt. You never know when a malicious, but cute, kitty comes along with a plan... It's also good to keep the door shut so the kitty can't get out so easily.

SK: Anyone else hate that cat?

YB: (raises hand)

Elf: Hmph. Whatever. Ra is still cool. Oh, Ra's an Egyptian Mau, for any of those that hadn't caught that. I'm disappointed. No one guessed wat kind of cat he was. You all make me cry... Just kidding. By the way, I apologize, this chapter was shorter than normal.