A/N: Here's the next chapter. Nothing much to say tonight. I hope you all enjoy it.
The Battle City Tournament
Sophie came to call on a regular basis and Kaiba would often arrive in his office to find them arguing over what to watch. It was actually kind of amusing.
" Aw, we watched that yesterday!" Sophie whined.
" But it's a new episode!" Mokuba pointed out. She snatched the remote and switched it to another channel. " I like this."
" Boring! Let's try this channel!"
" Ew! It's creepy-crawlies!! Change it back!!"
" You don't like bugs, Sophie?" Mokuba teased. She stuck out her tongue.
" No."
" Too bad."
" Hey! Humph. I'm never speaking to you again."
As Kaiba set his briefcase down on his desk, he mentally counted down in his head: Five…four…three…two…one.
" Let me choose, Mokuba!"
Right on time, as usual. Kaiba thought dryly. They did the same thing all the time. Sophie's silent treatments only lasted a maximum of ten seconds. Mokuba's topped fifteen last Wednesday. Kaiba was beginning to realize he rather liked the extra noise. It distracted him from the more grueling parts of his work.
But occasionally, it went too far. He stalked over and snatched the remote from both of them.
" Aw, we were just deciding what to watch, Seto." Mokuba said.
" Can you decide a little more quietly?" he grumbled.
" Sure."
Kaiba dropped the remote between them and made his way back to his desk, sitting down and loading his computer. The fight ensued again, but more quietly this time. Kaiba had to concentrate more today. He was planning to announce the Battle City Tournament soon, as it would come to be called. If not tonight, then tomorrow at the very latest. Two and a half weeks had passed since he'd moved Sonja's shop out of the outskirts of the city and so far, her business was a hit. Now that people knew there was a first-rate flower shop in town, everyone wanted to buy there. His most recent check on the shop had proved quite successful, as Sonja was quite the record keeper. She kept a careful list of what she sold each day and to whom. These records she then filed in her cabinet, making sure to weed out the ones that were over thirty days old, having then expired of any use. She'd given him a list of her profits, buyers and prices all compiled in a precise column for each category and the date exactly. He had to admit, this was quite impressive. She was much smarter than she seemed.
Whenever Sophie came to visit Mokuba, Sonja always came to pick her up. Lately, Sonja had seemed much happier than she'd been the day she arrived at Domino High School. One thing still puzzled him, though. What was that little brown book she always carried around?
He shook his head and started work on some files he'd been sorting the day before.
" Sophie," Mokuba said. " Guess what. My brother's starting a tournament soon. Do you think Sonja will want to participate?"
" I don't know. You'd have to ask Sonja. She hasn't dueled since her duel with your brother. I still think she's shaky from it. Whenever she makes herself tea in the morning, her hands always shake and she has trouble with the cup."
" She's still bad from that duel? I don't think Seto was that hard on her." Mokuba said. Kaiba hummed in thought and they both turned.
" You never know." He said, not looking up. Mokuba looked at Sophie and shrugged. Then, they both leaned on the back of the sofa, watching him.
" Mr. Kaiba," Sophie asked. " If my sister does enter the tournament, do you think she'd stand a chance against other duelists out there?"
" It depends entirely on how she duels, Sophie." Kaiba answered, shifting some papers on his desk. " If she duels well, she'll make it. If not, then you get the picture."
" Oh." Sophie mumbled.
" However." Kaiba added. " From what I saw in our duel, Sonja isn't that bad of a duelist. She's quick on her feet and she has a well-balanced deck. It depends on Sonja as a duelist."
Sophie blinked. " Is that supposed to mean you think she's a good duelist?" she asked.
When Kaiba didn't answer, Mokuba shrugged. " Something like that, Sophie."
From there, they returned to the usual debate of what to watch. Kaiba continued his work, trying to concentrate, but failing in the end. He shouldn't have engaged in that conversation. It got him thinking about what Sophie had said. What if Sonja did enter the tournament? Was she good enough to make it to the finals? He didn't think so, but she was good enough to compete at least. Another thought occurred to him. If she were in the tournament, it would be an easier to keep an eye on her and her sister so they wouldn't get taken away without him noticing.
" Hm."
At that moment however, the PA buzzed.
" Mr. Kaiba, a Miss. Sonja Givens…oh, sorry, Gavens, is here to pick up someone."
" Send her up." Kaiba said. Sophie sighed. " Dang. And just when we'd finally agreed on something, too." She mumbled.
Mokuba smiled, nodding. " Yeah. Never thought I'd like nature shows." He said as the elevator opened and Sonja appeared. " Sophie!" she exclaimed. Sophie ran over and leapt into her sister's arms. " Hey, sis! How was your day?" she asked her. Sonja sighed heavily and set her down.
" Okay, for one thing, you're heavy. For another, busy, very, very busy. I've a ton of orders to fill and I've lost track of one of my records. I'll have to work late to track it down and sort it."
" Shoot." Sophie grumbled. " Oh well. Could be worse, right?"
" Totally." Sonja replied. She looked up. " Thanks for watching her, again." She said. " You have no idea how much it helps now."
Kaiba didn't answer right away, so she looked down at her sister. " We have to go. I have to get back to the shop." She said. She turned around.
" See you guys later." She said. Sophie pulled back. " Wait a sec." She said. She went over to his desk and took an envelope out of her pocket. She set it next to his computer. " Don't open it 'till later." She said.
" Hm?"
" Just…later. I don't know. But not after we leave. You know. Later." Sophie said. Kaiba raised an eyebrow and watched as they left. He looked at Mokuba who shrugged. " I don't know any more than you do." He said. Kaiba looked at the envelope Sophie had left him. He wondered what was inside it. But he didn't have time to deal with it right now, anyway. He still had work to do.
He'd worry about it later.
/ooo/
That night, Kaiba shut down his computer and rubbed his eyes wearily. Only alone would he ever admit fatigue. And now was appropriate.
He sighed and glanced at the mess of papers on his desk to his left. Those were old invoices that needed to be filed. That could wait a few hours, it wasn't extremely important. More of a nuisance if anything.
Among those papers was the envelope Sophie had given to him earlier. Now curious, he reached for it and pulled it closer, staring at it carefully. He slowly opened the seal, taped shut with masking tape. Inside was a single piece of paper, folded once over. He removed this and unfolded it. It was a letter, written in Sophie's handwriting in what looked like black marker pen. It was surprisingly neat for having been composed as such.
Hello.
It's me, Sophie. Hey, that rhymes! Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your help. I've never seen Sonja so happy before. I decided to write this, because like Sonja, I get stuff out better in writing than words. You should read what she'd like to say; you'd never believe it could come from Sonja. She's…eloquent? I think that's how it's spelled.
Whatever. Anyway, I think meeting you guys was a twist of fate. Mokuba is the best friend I've ever had and I can speak my mind around him, like I can Sonja.
Are you going to keep visiting? I hope so. When you come, Mokuba usually does, too. And Sonja likes having someone her own age to talk to. Don't tell her I said this. She'd get all flustered and angry and then slam her door like she does when she gets like that. But somehow, it's funny every time. I don't know why Sonja thinks you're weird. I probably don't know you guys well enough to say you're not, but you seem nice to me, if not a little teensy weensy bit strict.
I hope we can all stay friends. What Sonja won't say because of low self esteem, I'll attempt in the least, to say for her. You guys are the best!!
Sophie
Kaiba set the letter down, staring into space disbelievingly. How the heck was he supposed to react to this?
He sighed and turned to the window behind him. Why did he ever get involved with them? It was just a waste of precious time. Sonja and Sophie didn't mean anything to him. Sophie meant a lot to Mokuba as a very good friend, but Sonja, working in a shop he now owned, was more like an employee. Yet remembrance of his past in the orphanage before he decided to take matters into his own hands prevented him from simply abandoning Sonja and her sister to a live he'd abhorred for his entire his existence. Because of this, he knew that no matter what he did or said, he couldn't leave them. But this letter was making him think. He honestly couldn't believe that Sonja had managed to protect the two of them simply by dueling the officers who came for them. He'd put up a huge fuss when they'd tried to separate Mokuba from him, so in the end, they'd been kept together. But if Sonja could remain that cool-headed in such a situation, then she was no ordinary girl by a long shot. There had to be something else, some other puzzle piece he was missing that would fit together the whole mystery surrounding the Gavens'. Sonja was definitely different from her sister. She was quite perceptive. She'd seen through him quite a bit the other day. It was human nature to yearn to trust someone, but he'd been able to force back this nature up until that moment when for a tiny second, he believed her. For even the most miniscule moment, he'd believed that she was right—that he could trust her. But it had passed quickly. Even so, whatever she'd said had had a drastic, though brief impact on him and he wasn't sure he liked it. He didn't even like this girl, how could something simple as words affect him so?
He frowned. If he was going to find out the truth, there was only one way to do it.
He decided to pay Sonja a visit.
/ooo/
Sonja sat by the window, sewing a patch onto one of her shirts. For once, thanks to some money she'd put aside from what she made each day, the color of the patch matched the garment. You wouldn't even see it now. She smiled when she heard Sophie playing fifty-two pick-up with herself. She loved that game for some reason and never tired of playing it.
Sonja sighed and leaned on the windowsill, closing her eyes sleepily. She'd had a busy day. There had been seven orders to fill, one for a large spray to be delivered to a baby shower. She'd done it herself and they'd given her a nice tip that she'd split with Sophie. She'd even made them something nice for dinner that evening, something she'd never done before. Usually it had been cold or hot cereal, toast and Top Ramen. The problem is, now that she was able to earn money on her own, she didn't know what to do with it except save it like she always had. What else could she do with it? She and Sophie had gotten by with what they had for so long she'd forgotten what it was like to have anything else.
She shook her head and set her work down, leaning her head against the wooden frame of the window.
She heard a car approach and stop close by. She wondered who it could be at this late hour. Suppressing a yawn, she glanced out the window.
She gasped sharply and leaned out further. " What the-?" she exclaimed.
She watched as Kaiba got out of his car and faced the shop, shutting the door and heading towards it. Confused, she left the window and hurried to the door, opening it and stepping out into the cold air. She slowly descended the stairs as he came around the corner. He seemed slightly surprised she was outside, but said nothing. Sonja just blinked.
" Hello, Seto. What are you doing here?"
" How did you know I was here?" he asked.
" I saw you pull up. What's up?" she replied.
" I wanted to speak to you." He said, getting straight to the point.
" Oh. Well, it's cold out here, let me open the shop door." She said, going to the front and taking out her key. She opened the door and went inside.
She went back behind the counter and sat down on her stool. " Okay, what did you need?" she asked, turning to face him. " Um, would you like to sit down or something?"
" No. I had some questions for you." He said. Sonja shrugged. " Shoot."
" First, tell me where you're really from." He stated, his eyes narrowing. She appeared stunned. " What? You know that. I'm from Osaka." She said.
He stepped closer to the desk. " Sonja, answer my question." He growled.
" I have no answer other than what I gave you." She snapped. " What's with you all of a sudden?"
" Look, there's something that's not normal about you and it's driving me crazy. In order to figure out what sort of weirdo you are, I need to know more."
" So? Who's to say I really want to talk about my past? Something's been telling me you're hiding something as well. If you're going to ask me my motives for moving to this region, then tell me, what was your motive for helping me? Hm? The rumors about you have spread far past Osaka and they all say you're heartless and arrogant. So why help out a poor flower girl all of a sudden?"
With that, she got up and stalked into the back room. He quickly followed after her, finding her rummaging around through the bouquets she'd finished. He slammed the lid shut and she pulled her hands free just in time.
" Watch it!" she snapped at him. He glared down at her. " I want to know the truth, Sonja! Who are you!?"
" That's none of your business! Just because you own the shop now, doesn't mean you have access to my life! I don't have to tell you anything!"
" If you want to keep this shop open, you do!" he threatened morosely. She seemed phased for a moment, but shook it off. " So you're an Indian giver? Oh sure, very admirable! Go ahead! Take it back! Sophie and I have survived just fine without you! Heck, you own the shop anyway! Get out so I can pack and leave!"
She gasped sharply as he suddenly shoved her against the back wall, grabbing her wrist and wrenching it rather painfully. She gritted her teeth together as she glowered at him.
" Tell me what I need to know." He growled.
" I don't have to." She muttered in reply, her eyes blazing like they did when she was angry.
Suddenly, it hit him. This was going over the edge. He was letting confusion get the best of him. Without a word, he released her and backed away. She continued to glare angrily at him.
Neither said anything and when the door to the store opened suddenly, they both froze. Sophie's head appeared in the doorway. " Is everything all right? I heard shouting." She said. Sonja smiled softly. " Everything's fine, Sophie. We were just discussing something."
" More like debating if you ask me." Sophie commented. But she turned and left the shop, heading back upstairs. Sonja threw an angry glare at Kaiba.
" Stop trying to intimidate me. It won't work anymore." She hissed. " Why do you suddenly want to know so much about me? The past is over and done with. What counts is the present and what you do with it. I don't know why you even bother coming here anymore."
To his surprise, as she turned around to leave, this last part was said quietly, as though regretfully. Was she insinuating she considered them friends of sorts?
He followed her back to the shop front and found her typing feverishly on her computer. He paused as he prepared to leave. " Get your deck ready." He said. She looked up quizzically. " What? Don't tell me you want to duel. You know you'd only crush me again." She said. He gave her a stern look. " The possibility of the two of us facing each other again is high, that is, if you join the tournament I'm announcing this evening at the square." He said. Sonja's eyes widened a fraction. " Tournament? Tonight?"
" Yes. Register for a duel disk at my headquarters and be ready tomorrow. The rules will be explained to duelists who miss my announcement. Though they'd better not if they know what's good for them. Not all of the information will be handed to attendants." He said menacingly. Then he paused. " In fact, you're the only one who knows that I've organized the tournament. Everyone else received an anonymous invitation." He sneered. Sonja stared at him. " Why are you organizing a tournament?"
He chose to ignore this as he headed for the door. " I'll return tomorrow to see whether you're prepared." He said. As he left, Sonja realized he wasn't giving her an option upon whether or not she wanted to enter. She knew she wouldn't make it to the finals, but she was determined to try if she had no other option.
" One minute, he's demonically frightening and the next, he's his usual domineering self." She muttered. " Will wonders never cease? Seto Kaiba suffers from mood swings."
With that, she returned to work.
/ooo/
Sonja looked at the clock later. It was only seven-thirty. Perhaps he was still going to make his announcement this evening. She hesitated a moment and then left the shop and went upstairs to put on something different. She'd gone shopping with Sophie to get a couple of new clothing articles each. She'd only gotten very little for herself, but enough for Sophie to fit in better at school, since hers was one of few that didn't do the uniforms for some reason. She put on a black skirt that reached her knees and a white blouse, similar to the one she'd worn two and a half weeks ago at the duel. She put on the same black choker and tied her long white hair up. She picked her deck up off the side table and started to remove the valuable cards, but then, since she was going to the start of a tournament, decided against it. She held it tightly in her hand and, after saying goodbye to Sophie and telling her of her destination, left the house.
/ooo/
Sonja arrived at the square a little after eight. People were crowded around on the street, talking and laughing with each other. Since so many were here and she heard nothing on the upcoming tournament details, she figured Kaiba hadn't made his announcement yet. She also remembered she was the only one who knew his plan, so she decided to keep quiet, otherwise duelists would probably swarm her for details. So, to kill some time, she wandered through the crowd aimlessly, searching for any familiar faces.
She found them.
She smiled when she saw Yugi and Tea. But as she got closer, she realized Yugi looked different. He seemed taller, his eyes more determined and a more confidant stature in the way he held himself. All in all, he looked older.
Tea noticed as she approached and waved. " Hey, Sonja!" she called. Yugi turned at that second and Sonja realized that whoever this was, this wasn't Yugi. She stared at him incredulously. " I didn't know Yugi had an older brother." She remarked. Tea started laughing suddenly and the Yugi look-alike smiled wryly and shook his head.
" Sonja, this isn't Yugi's brother." Tea explained. Sonja cocked an eyebrow. " Then who is he?"
" Do you see this?" 'Yugi' asked, gesturing to a strange pyramid shaped necklace he wore around his neck. Sonja nodded.
" This is the Millennium Puzzle, an ancient Egyptian item that contains my spirit. I share Yugi's mind and support him."
Sonja's jaw dropped. " Woah! That's amazing! Do you have a name?"
" We learned from a woman in the museum that I am called Yami." He said. Sonja smiled and held out her hand. " Pleasure to meet you Yu-uh-Yami." She said. He chuckled and shook her head. " Same here. But my friends just call me Yugi." He replied.
As they were talking, another voice called to them. Sonja turned to see a lady with long blonde hair and a purple jacket running toward them.
" It's Mai Valentine." Yugi said as she reached their position.
" Hey you guys! I assume you guys got an invitation too?" Mai questioned. Yami nodded. " Yes, but it didn't say who it was from."
Mai hummed and glanced away. That was when she noticed Sonja.
" Oh, you're a new face! What's your name?" she asked.
" Uh, Sonja. Sonja Gavens." She replied shakily. Mai smiled and winked.
" Nice to meet ya, kid. You got an invite as well?"
" Uh…uh…." Sonja stammered. How could she say Kaiba had sort of…personally invited her? She was the only one who knew that he was behind this. Mai blinked in confusion. " Do you know who's hosting this thing?" she asked. Sonja made a face and hastily shook her head. " Huh? Uh, nope! Not a clue! Can't imagine!" she squeaked. In her head she was saying, Oh, how much more lame could that have sounded??
Mai shrugged. " I have no idea either. Nobody seems to know. Everyone I spoke to got an anonymous invitation. It's a mystery, I guess."
She crossed her arms. " There is a buzz going around that it's someone with a ton of cash and an obnoxious attitude. My guess is Kaiba." She said.
Yami's eyes widened considerably. " That must be why Ishizu told me to enter, earlier." He said.
Sonja followed the conversation slowly, not really paying attention. She didn't want to say anything to confirm their suspicions. Apparently, they weren't too fond of Kaiba. Then again, he treated them so coldly, why would they be?
" It's pretty safe to say it's not Pegasus again." Mai grumbled, bringing Sonja back into the conversation. She'd vaguely heard Yami mention something about past events happening again and wondered what that meant.
Yami sighed. " Speaking of Pegasus, this is beginning to look like Duelist Kingdom all over again."
Sonja spaced out again as the conversation continued. She was nervous about this. Kaiba hadn't just informed her of the tournament, he'd forced her into it. But why?
" There he is now." Tea said suddenly, looking up. Sonja came back over and joined them as a news-screen above them flashed on. She gasped.
Yami's eyes narrowed. " Kaiba." He said. Sonja shook her head and mumbled to herself.
Somewhere, Kaiba was being filmed on public broadcast for his announcement. Sonja now regretted coming.
" Greetings, Duelists." He said. " Welcome to the town of Domino. But more importantly, welcome to my tournament."
Sonja felt rather overwhelmed by the whole thing. She wasn't a good duelist, what was she doing here?
" Let's hear what Kaiba has to say." Yami said.
" I see you all received your private invites to KaibaCorp.'s exclusive Duel Monsters tournament and you had enough brains to show up here, tonight." Kaiba said mockingly. Sonja winced as a large uproar erupted from the crowd of duelists offended by the remark. Only Yami and his friends seemed unaffected. Kaiba continued. " Seeing that you are all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament just for experts."
The camera shifted. He held up a strange new device attached to his left arm.
" For example, you will duel with these new improved duel disks." He explained.
" Woah, check it out!" someone close to Sonja said.
" Man, that KaibaCorp.'s got the coolest products!" another said.
" Another rule I've devised for the tournament," Kaiba continued, " Is that before each duel, each player must put up their rarest card, and the loser has to forfeit his card to the winner."
The crowd began to murmur allowed.
" Forfeit my Dark Magician?" Yami exclaimed in disbelief. Mai frowned.
" That means losing even one duel can ruin my entire deck!" she said. Sonja gasped. Her rarest card following her Hyozanryu, which Kaiba now possessed, was her Agent of Judgment-Saturn card. She couldn't give that up. Now that her beloved dragon was gone, she had nothing else. She listened in horror as Kaiba concluded his announcement as far as she could tell.
" My tournament will make Pegasus and his Duelist Kingdom challenge look like a joke." He declared.
Another eruption of angry shouts clattered about her from the other duelists and someone shoved her rather roughly to get closer.
Suddenly, a great gust of wind ripped through the square and Sonja and the others looked up. A helicopter was approaching and Sonja gasped when she saw who was standing outside of it, staring down at them.
" Don't forget to register and pick up your duel disks, because exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament begins!" Kaiba yelled from the copter as it ascended into the sky. As he disappeared, Sonja could have sworn he looked directly at her, but after he couldn't be seen any longer, she shrugged it off as nothing.
She sighed and turned away. Tea noticed as she left and followed after her.
" Sonja? What's wrong? You seemed shaken the entire time since the announcement."
" I knew it was him, Tea." Sonja muttered. " He told me himself. You might say he sorta talked me into entering."
" You mean he forced you to enter?" Tea exclaimed in disbelief. " That doesn't sound like him."
" He came to my shop again. We got into a big argument. I know I told you this, but lets' say he got just a tad violent. But he seemed to gather his senses."
" I won't ask." Tea said. Sonja smiled weakly. " Thanks. I suppose I'd better register. Since he told me first about the tournament, I can only assume I would have had an invite so I should be able to get a duel disk. But without my Hyozanryu, I don't know what I'm gonna do."
" Where is it?" Tea asked.
" Kaiba has it." Sonja replied. She faked a yawn. " I'd better get home and get some rest. It's gonna be a big month." She said. She turned and walked away silently, leaving Tea to stare after her curiously.
A/N: Here's the tournament chapter. Most of the story is taken up by this.