A/N: Bit of a surprise with this new chapter. Now, I've a favor to ask of all of you. If you read this and decide to review, I need as much advice as you can give. Ideas, criticism, anything. Every little bit helps even if it doesn't get added right away. I hate the idea of having to end this story one day and I want to make this as enjoyable for both me and you as possible.

Hazy Days of Winter

The snow wasn't coming down on time. Sonja, bored out of her mind and unwilling to face Kaiba after what happened the night before, went outside to find the gardener's shed and get the supplies to work on the hedges. She found it unlocked on the edge of the grounds and opened it. Inside were hedge clippers, mulch, flower seeds and various other gardening tools. She found a large paper recycling bag and dragged it, plus a little hand rake out of the shed. She made her way over to one corner of the grounds and started working on the weeds.

From the home office window, Kaiba watched as Sonja continued to grab weeds and yank so hard on them that when they snapped free, she'd fall backwards. He still wasn't sure what had happened to her the night before. He wasn't sure what had happened to him, either for that matter. All he was sure of was that he was gravely concerned.

When he looked out the window again, Sonja had stopped weeding. She was just sitting there, staring up at the trees. When he looked more closely, he understood why she'd stopped. It seemed the weather forecast was wrong; it was beginning to snow. He saw her shoulders sag and then she stood up, picking up the gardening supplies and putting them back inside the shed.

Then she headed back to the house.

Kaiba had barely seen her since the incident the night before. Mokuba had told him what happened after having Sophie explain what was going on with Sonja. Even though Mokuba hadn't acted correctly in view of his own safety, he'd managed to calm her down enough so that she slept normally for the rest of the night. Sophie had seemed concerned about this whole thing, but she eventually shrugged it off.

"Sometimes I take care of her more than she takes care of me," Sophie had said.

That had really disturbed Kaiba. Sonja had spent so long just surviving that her entire outlook was wrong. Sophie hadn't been able to find out what had upset Sonja (and he hadn't told her about the incident, as he preferred to call it) so he still didn't know.

When he looked out the window again, it was coming down heavily. But even if Sonja had still been outside, it'd be difficult to spot her. She'd chosen to wear white that day and her hair just helped her blend in further.

He sighed and folded his arms, staring blankly at the computer screen. He just couldn't concentrate. He had too much on his mind as it was.

He went downstairs to try to find Mokuba and stopped. Someone was standing down on the floor and opening the front door. He didn't recognize who it was and frowned.

"Hey!" he yelled. The person turned and he froze.

It was Sonja, wearing a light brown wig. The wig reached her shoulders and changed the shape of her face, but those eyes were unmistakable for someone who knew her well enough. She blinked.

"What? I was going for a walk." she said. She saw he was staring at the wig. "Oh, this? I bought it months ago. I figured that if even you can't recognize me, I'm safe from the reporters."

Kaiba relaxed a bit. She started out.

"Sonja," he said, reaching the ground floor. She paused and turned halfway.

"Hm?"

"Be careful." he said at last. Sonja looked down at the floor and them smiled slightly at him.

"Right." she said. She stepped outside and soon disappeared in the snow. The door closed behind her.

Kaiba stared at the painting above the table next to the door. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was trying to create a rift.

//ooo//

Sonja wandered back into the city, a good twenty minutes away. She was already frozen and was tempted to go into her apartment when she passed her shop. Unfortunately, there were still reporters milling around inside. She glanced at her reflection in the window of the shop opposite hers and grinned slyly. She barely recognized herself. Perhaps she could fool them. The snow wasn't that deep, so even if they did, she could outrun them and easily blend in with it. She hurriedly crossed the street and pushed open the door.

"Whew! It's like an ice age out there!" she exclaimed, brushing snow from the wig. The scarf she was wearing masked her voice, as well. The reporters stranded in the shop studied her but soon turned away. Sonja resisted the urge to laugh. They didn't recognize her. She pushed her way to the counter and pretended to stare at the collection of ornate bookmarks in the glass case in the front of the desk. Sandra was there and looking quite haggard. Sonja felt no remorse for abandoning her to this job by herself, since it was her own fault she ended up this way to begin with. If she hadn't told the media about them, Sonja wouldn't have been forced into hiding.

"Can I help you?" Sandra asked wearily. Sonja straightened up.

"Yes. Why is it so crowded in here?" Sonja asked, glancing at the reporters. Sandra sighed.

"Oh, that. The owner of this shop is dating Seto Kaiba and they all want interviews. I tried to tell them that they broke up because of me, but they won't believe me. Now Sonja's disappeared and I'm at my wits' end with all the orders!"

"Why don't you just quit? I thought-Sonja, was it? Right. I thought Sonja had a sister who could manage the shop."

"She does. But both her and her sister have disappeared. The only ones remaining are the two idiots upstairs. Besides, I can't quit."

"How come?" Sonja asked, genuinely curious.

"Because Seto might come back and because I really do need this job." Sandra whined. She plunked her head down on the counter. "So what if I'm only getting paid five bucks an hour? I still need the money."

"Can you ask for a raise?" Sonja asked, frowning.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't do a blessed thing right!" Sandra yelled, making everyone stare at her. She sighed. "I can't mop floors, I can't sweep the sidewalk, I wilt flowers as soon as I touch them and I've broken enough vases to open a pottery store. And to top it off, Seto still doesn't notice me. He still likes Sonja."

Sandra looked so sullen and unhappy that Sonja actually felt sorry for her. She felt bad for how she'd treated her the past several days. She had to remind herself that Sandra was still just a kid. She didn't know anything about the world. Sonja leaned over the counter.

"Keep your chin up, Sandra." Sonja whispered encouragingly. "Soon, this mess will wear off and Sonja will come back. Maybe she'll consider giving you a raise if you spend your time practicing what you aren't very good at."

Sandra stared at her disbelievingly and suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise. But by this time, Sonja was already pushing her way out of the store and into the snowy sidewalk. Sandra opened her mouth to yell that it was her, but then she stopped. She blinked and hummed.

"Maybe you're right." she mumbled.

//ooo//

Sonja stood outside in the backyard watching the snow fall down. She kept going back to what had almost happened. She was ashamed of how scared she'd been just by seeing something in her head that wasn't real. But no matter how much thought she put into it, the answer was always the same; she loved him, but she was still afraid of Allan.

"Why can't I sort these things out?"

She sighed and stared at the snow falling around her. She stood on the walkway running through the yard, so it wasn't piling up as fast.

"Sonja."

Sonja jumped and froze. She slowly turned as Kaiba approached. Sonja quickly looked away.

"Hey." she said quietly.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked. Sonja couldn't meet his eyes.

"I haven't been avoiding you, I just...I just wanted to be alone for a while."

Neither of them spoke. Kaiba stared ahead, watching the snow fall. He frowned and shuddered.

"Come on," he said. "Lets' go back inside before we freeze."

Sonja looked up at him sadly.

"No, I'll stay out here." she said. He sighed.

"Sonja, there's no point in punishing yourself. Besides, creating a rift between us isn't going to work."

And with that, he turned and started back toward the house. Sonja stared after him and then shivered as a gust of wind whipped up the snow around her. She turned and followed the way he'd gone as it started to snow harder. She jumped when she suddenly accidentally walked into him standing there.

"I thought you left already!" she exclaimed. He didn't say anything. He just shook the snow out of his hair and continued toward the house. Sonja still felt uncomfortable after the incident, but she followed him anyway.

Inside the front door, Sonja removed her scarf and folded it, sighing at the rush of fresh air from the lack of the suffocating item.

"I'm sorry about...well, you know." Sonja said.

"I'll be awake for a while." Kaiba replied. He headed toward the library. Sonja smiled because in his jargon, that meant "If you want to talk about it, you know where to find me", or something like that.

The thing was, she did want to talk about it. But she wasn't sure. She wanted to be sure that if she really loved him, that she could be rid of Allan and his druggies once and for all.

Sonja sighed. She just didn't know what to do. She decided to try to find Sophie.

Even as she was heading upstairs, she heard the familiar clomping of Sophie's shoes and looked up. Sophie stood halfway up the stairs in heavy winter clothing and watching her. When she saw her sister's face, she sighed.

"I see you're not doing so hot." She said carefully. She descended the rest of the way until she was standing in front of Sonja.

"No," Sonja answered. "I'm really not."

Sophie frowned thoughtfully. Then she smiled.

"Sis, just remember that you control your own life, now." she said. And with that, she headed outside. Sonja stared after her, bewildered. Yes, it was her own life, now. But still, Sophie never experienced Allan's truest of natures. Sonja had made sure to shield her from everything.

She finally decided that she did want to talk to Kaiba. She wanted to clear this whole mess up.

She found him reading something on his computer. He glanced up when she opened the door. Even though neither of them said anything, Sonja closed the door and went and sat down on the sofa, staring at the floor. Kaiba shut the screen on his computer.

"Did you need something?" he asked. Sonja hesitated and then nodded.

"Yeah."

"What is it?" Kaiba asked, sensing that Sonja was treading on dangerous personal ground. He'd known something had been bothering her, but in the years he'd known her, he'd long since learned that she'd come forward with her own thoughts faster than if you tried to pry them out. It just took patience. She was still learning that she could talk about what was going on without fear of reprimanding from anyone, especially Allan. She was still just getting used to freedom. Kaiba personally wanted to dispatch Allan from his miserable existence for ruining Sonja as both a person and a human being. When he'd met her, her hostile appearance was just a cover for how scared she really was and still was to this day. She just couldn't seem to accept that Allan was gone from her life for good.

"I figure I should explain." Sonja said. "It isn't just Allan I'm haunted by, it's also the creeps who bought his stock. You already know what happened to me, so I'll just skip that. But I still see their faces. I don't know why, but that's what happened." Sonja said.

Sonja looked down at the floor.

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"I never said I did." he replied. He got up and went over to sit next to her. Sonja continued to stare intently at the floor.

"Sonja," he said. She didn't move. "Sonja, look at me."

She reluctantly met his gaze.

"Listen," he said. "This sounds harsh, but what happened to you is over. For your own future, you have to try to forget it for good."

"I know. I'm trying, I really am. But I can't seem to help it. I can't get rid of the shadow Allan left."

Kaiba sighed and stared out the window.

"How about...," he muttered. " Well, what if you could go back and face your past firsthand."

Sonja titled her head in confusion.

"How would I do that?"

Kaiba appeared pensive. He looked back at her.

"I'm going to arrange a trip." he said. He got up and went over to his desk and sat down.

"A trip?" Sonja said. He nodded.

"Yeah."

"To where?"

Kaiba glanced at her briefly and resumed typing.

"Where else? To Nara." he answered. Sonja's eyes widened.

"Nara? Japan? But why?"

Kaiba stared hard at her. "Because I'm worried about you, Sonja. My personal opinion is that to face your fears, you have to go to their source."

"My old home," Sonja muttered. "The one place I swore I'd never go back to. The old apartment complex. The neighborhood where I grew up."

Kaiba watched her carefully. She was getting herself worked up again. Again, he got up and went to sit beside her, pulling her close. He could feel her heartbeat against him. She was surprisingly warm. She leaned into his embrace and held onto him both for support and reassurance.

"You're not alone, anymore, Sonja." he said. Neither of us are.

//ooo//

Kaiba had told Sonja that she could spend time in the library whenever she needed to. There were so many books in there that Sonja often spent hours just reading. One day she learned how to wax maple syrup and gave it go. Sophie ended up loving it so much that she ate all of it by herself. Another time, she learned how to make snow sculptures. Kaiba came home one day to find the front yards free of snow and a giant fairy-tale type dragon sitting in one corner of the yard. Sonja sat next to it, fast asleep from her efforts. Exactly how she'd pulled that off in just one day remained a mystery.

Sonja felt most at peace reading. She often became so engrossed that Mokuba and Sophie made it a game to see who could get her attention and Kaiba found it both endlessly annoying and amusing all at once.

About a week after Sonja and Sophie had come to stay with them, Sonja was choosing another book while Kaiba had run to the office to print something. His home printer had run out of toner again. Suddenly, the computer made a funny beeping noise like you'd hear from a cartoon. Sonja frowned and went over to investigate. She heard someone's voice.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello-o-o?"

Sonja got in front of the web cam to see a man in the video frame. He had long silver hair and wore an outfit that suddenly reminded her of Zigfried. The man blinked.

"Hello, and who might you be?" he asked.

"Um, hi. Who are you?" she asked him.

"Hey, I asked first. I am Maximilian Pegasus."

"Hey! You're the one who created Duel Monsters!" Sonja said.

"That's right! So nice to meet a fan. Do you duel?"

"Well no, to be honest. I mean, I have. But I'm not all that good. I'm nothing compared to Seto, anyway."

"Oh, so you're familiar with Kaiba-boy."

"Huh?" Sonja said. Pegasus giggled.

"A little pet-name I've called him for years." he said. "So, who might you be?"

"My name is Sonja." she answered. Recognition went up on his face and he frowned.

"Ah! I read about you. Let me guess, someone squealed on your little budding romance with the country's "Less likely to settle down" person ever and now you're in hiding."

Sonja's jaw dropped.

"Woah. You're good. Actually yes, my jealous employee was the whistle blower. Seto brought me and my sister to stay with them until this blows over."

Pegasus grinned and shook his head.

"Ah, Kaiba-boy...always pretending to be gruff and emotionless but has a heart about as hard as a marshmallow."

Sonja had to laugh. Pegasus laughed too.

"There! See, I can make anyone smile!" he joked.

"So I see. Incidentally, why did you call?"

"I'm always trying to check in. Kaiba-boy never answers. I do hope he doesn't still hate me." Pegasus said a little dramatically.

"Hate you?"

"Yes, quite an unfortunate dilemma, if you ask me. But don't take my word for it. Ask him."

Sonja shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'll pass."

"Oh really? But it's such an interesting story. Anywhoo, since Kaiba-boy isn't there, I suppose I'd better hit the road. But I'll be calling back if you'll tell him."

Sonja nodded.

"Sure."

"Thanks. Oh, and by the way, hope things go well."

Pegasus winked and then signed off. Sonja frowned.

"Okay, that was totally weird." she muttered.

When Kaiba returned about a half hour later, Sonja told him about the weird call. Kaiba sighed irritably and shook his head.

"That oddball has been trying to set up good relations with the company again." Kaiba grumbled.

"Even if you two had some kind of tiff in the past, it's over now." Sonja said. "Besides, he seemed like he really wanted to talk to you."

"You don't know him like I do, Sonja."

"Maybe not, but I'm a relatively good judge of character."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh shut up, Allan made his living fooling people." Sonja snapped. "Besides, I was desperate."

Kaiba shook his head.

"You're so easy to get to." he mumbled. Sonja scowled.

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?" she snapped. But before he could answer, that same weird beeping sounded off on his computer. Kaiba's face fell in irritation. Sonja came over to see.

"Hey there, Kaiba-boy and friend." Pegasus chimed. He emphasized 'friend' and chuckled.

"What do you want, Pegasus?" Kaiba asked irritably.

"Oh, nothing much. Really. All I want is to be a mediator between you and the press causing problems in your relationship."

Kaiba and Sonja exchanged disbelieving glances.

"Yeah right." Kaiba growled. Pegasus raised his hands in defense, looking hurt.

"But I mean it! Believe it or not, I too was once in love!" he said, folding his hands and gazing skyward. He sighed dramatically. "But alas, we were parted ever so tragically. So!" he boomed, suddenly forceful, "In the hopes you'll forgive me for my antics, I shall see that you two remain forever happy!"

Kaiba frowned.

"Why do I get the nagging suspicion there's a catch?" he mumbled.

"Well, yes there is. But it's too soon to take it into effect. Believe me, I'll hold you to your honor to remember when I ask for this little favor. In the meantime, I've got powerful allies in my corner who will forcefully evict those malevolent muckrakers from your lives."

Sonja hummed and crossed her arms.

"Even if you can, would it stay that way?" she asked.

"Absolutely. I'm a man of my word. However, it will take a couple of weeks for my efforts to bear fruit. So in the meantime, it would definitely be in your best interests to remain as you are. Remember, I'll be forcing these annoying anomalies to give up the story of the century. So it will take time. Also, media circuits run in cycles. In another year, they'll be trying again and as the watchful and concerned eye that I am, I shall take notice and measures to fullest extent of my vast sea of power."

Sonja smiled wryly. "He's got a way with words." she muttered. Kaiba sighed. He'd never even dream of saying it out loud, but he was secretly grateful that someone could help get this back under control. He wasn't sure how Pegasus could do it, or what the loon even wanted in return, but whatever it was, it couldn't be as bad as five years or so ago.

"Fine," he growled. "If you can keep this from blowing further out of proportion than it is, we'll remember your favor when you decide to ask for it. But only if you can stop this completely."

"Yes." Sonja agreed. "I can't even go outside without a disguise of some sort."

"Tell me about it," Kaiba grumbled, remembering the incident with the wig.

Pegasus waved a finger at them.

"Now, now, even as brilliant as I am, I can't work miracles. But as an outstanding cupid of sorts, I shall see to it that the country's most thickheaded person will search the sea for fish no more!"

Kaiba just stared. Sonja started giggling and he glared at her.

"Sorry. He was telling me something along the same lines earlier." she snickered.

"You won't be sorry." Pegasus exclaimed. And with that, he signed off.

Sonja looked away while Kaiba just stared at the screen.

"Um," she mumbled. "Do you think he meant all that?"

"Hard to tell." Kaiba replied. Sonja sighed.

"Well, in any case, I'm going to go out for a bit." she said. He glanced at her curiously.

"Where?"

Sonja grinned.

"It's a secret." she said. Kaiba scowled.

"Just be careful." he grumbled.

"I will," Sonja said. She left the house and, donning her disguise, headed out toward the town. It was still snowing lightly and stuck to her wig like glue. She'd punched the lenses out of a pair of sunglasses she had and put them on to look like real glasses. She didn't worry about anything else. Except for her hair, she was actually pretty ordinary-looking.

It was almost Christmas. Pegasus had promised them a quick reprieve from the reporters. She hoped she'd be back home for Christmas. She wondered if Arika and Daichi had gotten a tree, yet. In reality, she was heading to the bank to get some money for secret Christmas shopping. When she got there, she realized she'd forgotten her ATM card. Rolling her eyes and mentally kicking herself, she risked going in.

"It's cold out there!" she exclaimed, brushing the hair from her wig. Hardly anyone was in there due to the weather outside. She approached the desk.

"Hi," she said. "I need to make a small withdrawal."

The female clerk nodded. She was wearing her long blond hair back in a bun with wisps hanging down fashionably. Her thin framed glasses hung at the edge of her nose, giving her a highly appealing appearance.

"Name." she said.

"Sonja Gavens."

The clerk pulled up her account ID picture and frowned, eying her suspiciously. Sonja lifted the wig off her face slightly, revealing strands of white hair beneath it.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I forgot I was still wearing this."

"Any reason?" the clerk asked. She took care of the necessary details and handed Sonja an envelope with the requested amount.

"Yes." Sonja said. "Just keep it under wraps. I happen to be dating a rather unusual someone at the moment and the media's going nuts. I have to go incognito to do anything."

"And here I thought this kind of stuff only happened in bad soap operas." the clerk said. "But who doesn't love a bad soap opera?"

She winked at Sonja and Sonja's jaw dropped, the wig nearly flopping off her face.

"Mai!?" she exclaimed. Mai shushed her and giggled.

"Got you." she whispered. "Didn't recognize me, did you?"

"You got that right. What are you doing working as a teller in the bank?" Sonja asked, barely suppressing her excitement at seeing her friend again.

"Well, as you know, that cruise liner doesn't run in the dead of winter. This is my security net job until it starts up again. I get a new one every winter. Some are glamorous, some aren't. It's just life."

"I barely recognized you. You're a better actress than you think." Sonja said.

"Speak for yourself. I'm not wearing make-up, did my hair up in a totally different style and even changed my voice and you didn't recognize me. But you're only wearing a wig and glasses and I had to double-check that it was you! Now tell me who's the better actress, hon."

Sonja laughed.

"I'd say it's a definite tie." she said.

"Hey, how about this? I go on break in a couple of minutes. You want to hang around so we can chit-chat?"

"Sure."

After about ten minutes, Mai took Sonja into the employee lounge at the back of the building. She got herself a coffee and a hot chocolate for Sonja. They sat down at a table by the window watching the snow fall.

"Personally, I love winter. It's so charming." Mai said. "But I hate driving here. Snow tires are a pain to install and an even bigger pain to maintain."

"I don't drive, so I can't relate. But it's difficult keeping the shop warm enough for the tropical plants I keep. I hope they're doing all right."

"That reminds me, who's watching your shop?"

"Arika and Daichi. At least, I hope they are. Oh, and my new employee, Sandra."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "New employee?"

"Yeah. She's got a crush on Seto the size of Manhattan. She's the one who told the press about us."

"So I read in the papers, kiddo. It's gotta be rough." Mai said sympathetically. "All of the columns I've read say you've disappeared without a trace. Everyone's looking for you."

"Well, they shouldn't find me. Seto took me and Sophie to stay with them."

Mai started laughing.

"Yeah! It was on the news, live! A Kaiba Corp. helicopter shows up and lands on the roof of your shop. That was hysterical! Tell Kaiba I said that, okay?"

"Oh, he knows. It's thanks to that that the whole world is aware of us by now. Fortunately, Pegasus contacted him and promised he could calm the situation down. But he's asked us for a favor he doesn't want us to grant, yet. He won't even tell us what he wants."

"Pegasus, huh? I was sure he'd dropped off the face of the earth." Mai commented.

"Yeah. Seto doesn't trust him, but I'm not entirely sure."

"Can't really blame him, not after what he did to them." Mai mumbled. "In any case, I'm glad to see that something finally sparked between you two. Never thought I'd see the day Kaiba loses it for someone. And to think that someone is you. That's saying something, kiddo. If anyone could melt that icy heart of his, it'd be you."

"Thanks, Mai. It just took a long time."

"Five years. That's gotta be a record of some kind." Mai said with a smile. "But he'd better be treating you okay. He'd have to deal with me if he doesn't and when I'm mad, look out!"

Sonja started laughing. Mai smiled. "That's what it's all about, huh? But promise me something, okay, Sonja?"

"Sure, what?"

"If Sophie for some reason refuses, I'd like to be your maid of honor."

Sonja choked on her hot chocolate and stared at Mai, bewildered.

"It's a bit soon to be thinking of that, huh? I mean, our first date-ish thing was only a few weeks ago."

"So? You love him, right?"

Sonja looked away, uncomfortable. "Yes." she admitted. Mai gently conked her on the head with her fist.

"So, accept it. Look, he's gonna pop the question sooner or later. Better be prepared for it."

Sonja hummed and sipped her hot chocolate. Mai sighed.

"Listen, hon, I understand what you're going through. But you're just being too, well, quiet about the whole thing. Look, just relax and let fate work its magic, okay?"

Sonja smiled and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." she said. She sighed. "Now if I can just figure out my next biggest problem, I'd be set."

"And what's that?" Mai asked bemusedly.

"I'm out today because it's almost Christmas. I wanted to try to get something for everyone. Sophie, Arika, Daichi, Mokuba, you, Tea and the others are easy. But Seto's another matter altogether."

"Because what can you find that he doesn't already have?"

"No, it's not that. It's where his interests lie. He has a very narrow spectrum of things he'd actually use. I don't like getting people stupid things; I like to think about things they'd be able to use and like at the same time. It gives it a more personal feel. For instance, I got Tea a CD of her favorite classical music, the kind she uses at her school."

"I see your point." Mai said. "Kaiba's interests go about as far as technology and dueling."

"Right. First, I tried to find him a card he doesn't have. But then I realized that the ex-world dueling champion is going to have every card that's easily accessible. Any card he doesn't have isn't worth owning, you know?"

"Yeah." Mai agreed. "So that leaves you with the technological aspects."

"But this just makes it more difficult. Where does that leave me?"

They both fell silent, thinking.

"I'll tell you straight forward, Sonja," Mai said finally. "I don't envy you."

"Gee, thanks, Mai." Sonja snapped. "I want it to be something both meaningful and something he can use."

Mai glanced at her watch and sighed.

"My break's over, hon. But I wish you luck with this, 'cause you're gonna need every ounce of it."

Back in the lobby, Sonja fixed the wig and glasses and shouldered her bag.

"Thanks for your help, Mai." she said. Mai nodded.

"No trouble. I hope you find something that works."

"Thanks. So do I." Sonja said. She headed out into the snow.

Outside, the only sounds were the crunching her boots made and the soft pats as the snow hit the ground. It was bloody cold, so most everyone in town was indoors, even though it wasn't snowing that hard.

She'd taken out a hundred and fifty dollars. She figured if she used her bargain hunting skills to their maximum efficiency, she'd be able to find something nice for everyone. Yugi and his grandpa were finally due to return to Domino just before Christmas. Sonja found it hard to believe how much Yugi resembled the spirit of the Pharaoh that used to inhabit his body. The small, sweet little guy everyone had come to know and love had disappeared overnight. Sure, his personality was the same, but he was still so different now. Tea was also returning from New York for Christmas break. But she was already covered. Joey's job at the local precinct kept him on his feet and Tristan's position as a local soccer coach tied up his schedule, but they'd all have free time around the holidays. To her surprise, she'd even gotten an email from the last person she ever expected to hear from, even if she'd known him well enough to expect it. It was Marik and his sister Ishizu. Ishizu had goaded him into writing to see how they were all doing and he insisted he'd been planning on it anyway. He asked how they all were and what everyone was up to. Sonja filled him in on their recent escapades and the details of the mess going on in Domino at the moment (leaving out the basic reason for it all, of course). He'd written back a reply and a request to keep in touch. Sonja had acquired a pen-pal without even realizing it. It was hard to believe he'd once been their arch enemy.

She ducked inside a store several blocks from her shop. The owner was a middle-aged man with a beard and sad eyes. He looked like a Saint Bernard.

"Good afternoon," he said gruffly. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm just Christmas shopping." Sonja said. The man nodded, understanding.

"I see." he said.

Sonja hadn't read the sign above the door outside and soon discovered that this place sold just about everything imaginable. It was like a miniature general store. She took her time and slowly browsed through everything. She almost immediately found something for Tristan; a soccer ball shaped alarm clock. She knew from Tea that Tristan was a very deep sleeper and needed eight alarm clocks just to stir him. She wound it up and it let out a blast like a train whistle, making the owner of the shop jump in surprise and nearly drop a set of mugs he was painting.

"Sorry," Sonja said sheepishly, turning the alarm off quickly. She held onto the clock, convinced that this thing could wake Tristan easily.

Joey was a tad more difficult. She was trying to get them in their order of difficulty. Kaiba would be last on the list so she could focus more on what she could possibly find. For Joey, she found a plastic bag filled with chocolate covered cashews and tied with a festive ribbon. He was such a chow hound that instinct told her he'd love them. They were reasonably priced, too. She believed that a gift just had to be simple to be meaningful.

Next came Yugi. Unfortunately, she didn't see anything for him in here. She decided to stick with what she had and go to another store to look.

After paying for the clock and cashews, she left the store and headed toward a small shopping center in the middle of the city. She felt a slight breeze picking up and started to worry that her wig would fly off. If that happened, she'd have to turn tail and run into the nearest alley and hope she hadn't been spotted.

Fortunately, she made it to the shopping center with little difficulty and selected a small gaming store. Yugi had recently broken the case he kept his cards in. He'd been pretty upset up about it and refused to throw the pieces away. But his cards were vulnerable to the elements outside of it, so Sonja immediately knew what to get him. At the counter, she asked for a new wooden case with Yugi's initials engraved on the top. The manager showed her a wooden case with gold trimming from behind the counter. Sonja nodded.

"It's perfect." she said. She told him what she wanted carved on it and he told her to wait a few minutes while he did it. She took this time to look around. Her eyes landed on a set of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Knowing Sophie and Mokuba's obsession with trying to out-compete each other in every game, she decided this would make a good gift for the both of them. She picked it up and then waited for the case to be finished. The manager called her over and showed it to her. She agreed, paid for her selections and once again went outside.

A few doors down was a small jewelry store. She had no idea what to get Mai, so she decided on a nice necklace and matching earring set. They were silver with fake rubies set in their spiraled centers. They actually looked nice and like something Mai would wear while working. The necklace was crescent moon shaped and plain silver, but also pretty. She purchased this and then went outside again and leaned against the wall between the stores, staring at the snow. This left her final decision, and her most difficult. What to get Kaiba. She just couldn't think of anything.

"Lets' see...he's always working. His only interests are dueling and machines. He has just about every card there is to own and anything he doesn't have isn't worth having."

Disheartened, she proceeded further down the street until she came to small hardware store. Maybe she could find something to help him when he was working on his various technological inventions. It was worth a shot.

She ignored the employee asking if she needed anything as she perused the shelves, studying everything carefully. But no matter how much she looked, nothing appealed to her. She was about to give up and go somewhere else when something caught her eye. She turned and picked it up.

It was a tool kit in a portable platinum painted steel case. She opened it. Inside were various basic tools like wrenches, screw drivers, drill bits and more, including their different size attachments. Each piece was nestled in purple velvet and held in place by a small black clasp to keep them from being jostled around. When it shut, it looked like a miniature suitcase complete with security latches.

Sonja studied it for a second. Then, she smiled faintly.

"Maybe, this will work." she said to herself. She took her bags and the case up front. After paying for it, she decided to ask them a question.

"Um, do you by any chance do engraving? It's a personalized gift." she said. The man behind the counter gave her a funny look.

"Well, ordinarily, we don't, lady. But, since it's Christmas, I think we can manage it this time. It's just gonna be five bucks more."

Sonja happily laid down the extra money while the man took out a cutting drill.

"What do you want it to say?" he asked. Sonja mentally braced herself.

"It's a friend's initials." she said, hoping that this guy wouldn't catch on.

"Okay," he said, bracing the drill. "Shoot."

"S.K." Sonja said. She braced, the but man didn't even react. Perhaps Kaiba's initials were common. She waited while he finished the engraving and handed it to her for inspection. He'd even carved out a neat little oval around the letters.

"It looks great." Sonja said. "Thanks a bunch."

"Not a problem. Happy holidays."

"You too." Sonja said as she headed back outside.

Instantly, she regretted her decision. The snow was coming down harder than ever and the wind stung her face mercilessly.

"Ugh," she muttered. "How am I ever going to make it back through this?"

She squinted into the street hoping to see a taxi. But the weather made it difficult to see much.

Suddenly, just what she'd been afraid of happening happened; her wig tore away from her head, releasing her head in a snowy cascade into the wind.

"Ah!" she yelled, reaching for it. But she quickly lost sight of it in the dense snow. She sighed and ducked beneath the awning of a nearby store, shivering and waiting miserably for the snow to cease.

"What a day." she growled. She looked up when she saw a squad car pulling up beside the sidewalk and someone getting out. As the person drew nearer, hunched over against the wind, her eyes widened.

"Joey!" she exclaimed. Joey grinned and waved, stumbling over.

"Almost didn't recognize you until I saw that wig of yours blow off." he said. "But you can explain that later."

"What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?" Sonja asked, afraid she might have accidentally slipped something from one of the stores into her bag without even realizing it. Joey glowered at her, his goofy smile vanishing.

"Oh, I'll say you did something wrong." he said. "Come on, lets' go."

He pushed Sonja over to the car and forced her inside the back seat, slamming and locking the door. Sonja tugged on a strand of her hair nervously. Maybe she really had done something wrong. But whatever it was, she wished he'd tell her so she could start apologizing.

Joey climbed into the drivers' seat and closed the door. He turned the engine on and pulled away from the curb.

"Sonja," he said, "Do you know why you're here?"

"Well, no actually. Would you mind telling me?" she said.

"You know what you did!" Joey exclaimed. "And guess where I'm taking you?"

Sonja was seriously getting freaked out, especially when Joey pulled a hard curve to the right back the way Sonja had come from the bank. Sonja smacked her head against the door frame and hissed in pain.

"Watch where you're driving, you idiot!" she snapped, rubbing her head. "Where are you taking me? This isn't like you!"

"Just be quiet."

Sonja scowled. "Joey, you're scaring me." she growled. She was about to try to open the door when he suddenly swerved into a parking space in front of...the bank? This didn't make any sense. He got out of the squad car and opened the back door, pulling her out and shutting the door again.

"Come on, lets' go."

"Joey, you moron, let me go! I don't know what kind of nonsense you're pulling, but it's not funny!" she yelled as he pulled her into the bank. He stalked over to the counter where Sonja spotted Mai working with an elderly woman. Mai looked up in shock when Joey shoved Sonja forward. Sonja gained her footing and glared daggers at Joey as he strode to the front and stared at Mai.

"I need a little help, here." he said. Mai scowled and turned to her customer.

"Excuse me, I'll be with you in just a moment," she said, biting on her words toward Joey. The bewildered old woman hobbled off to the side while Mai came around the desk to the lobby and grabbed Joey by the tie, yanking him protesting toward the employee lounge.

"Come on, Sonja." she said irritably. Sonja gave the old woman a confused shrug and hurried after them.

Mai threw Joey into the back room and shut the door after Sonja was inside. Joey straightened his tie and scowled.

"Do you have any idea what's happened?" he declared. Mai put her hands on her hips and sighed, frowning disinterestedly.

"If I did, wouldn't I be agreeing with you?" she drawled. "What's this all about? And why drive Sonja here in the back of the squad car like some common criminal? Just what has gotten into you, monkey boy?"

"I'm no monkey!" Joey bellowed. He jerked his finger toward Sonja. "What's happened is that she has been brainwashed! I brought her here for her own protection!"

"What on earth are you babbling about?" Mai exclaimed. Sonja just followed the back and forth aimlessly, wondering where this was leading to and how it would end. All the while, she tried to figure out what exactly it was she'd done.

"I'm saying that Kaiba has somehow blackmailed her into going out with him so that he can get back at me and Yugi for always showing him up, that's what I'm saying!"

It felt like a gray curtain had descended over them. Sonja just stared blankly at the wall in front of her, resisting the urge to turn and bang her head against the wall in frustration. Mai growled and stalked forward, snatching Joey by the collar of his coat.

"You dragged that poor girl all the way here, interrupted my busy work day and caused who knows what else trouble just to spout that garbage?" she shrieked.

"What do ya mean 'garbage'? It's true! The guy's as mental as they come! There is no way someone as nice as Sonja would ever agree to go out with somebody like him!"

"How the heck would you know?" Sonja grumbled. They both stared at her for a second before Mai whirled, snagged Joey's neck under her arm and started yanking hard on his hair while he yelled and flailed to free himself.

"Just you wait, you insensitive idiot, when I tell your chief about this, you are going to be so fired, you hear me!"

"Not the hair! Not the hair!" Joey yelled.

"Joey," Sonja interrupted. "Just where on earth did you get that idea that I was blackmailed?"

Joey yanked himself free from Mai and rubbed his hair down into place.

"'Cause the two of you are always arguing over something and suddenly, everyone in town's goin' nuts over you two suddenly dating."

Sonja sighed.

"It's because it's true." she said quietly. "You also read that I disappeared, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's true, too. And do you know how I disappeared?"

"Actually, no. I read that some helicopter took you away, but that's it."

Sonja couldn't help but be amazed at how oblivious he still was to this day.

"How many people do you know who own a helicopter?" she exclaimed. Joey's eyes widened. Then, he gasped in shock.

"So rich-boy got you outta that mess? No way!"

"Yes. And Seto's also put me and my sister up with him and his brother until it calms down. I don't know where you got the idea that he blackmailed me, but next time check your facts. Honestly, you're as bad as those muckrakers I'm dodging."

Mai glowered at Joey as she looked from her to Sonja and then back again sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well, how about that?" he said, chuckling. "Hey, anybody can make a mistake, right?"

"Only you, Joey, especially with something like this." Sonja said. Then she frowned suspiciously. "Wait a second, how come you knew immediately who Mai was and that she was working here? I didn't even recognize her when I came here earlier and you're so danged oblivious, I figured you'd need an ID card and the works to figure it out. But you knew it was her right away."

Joey immediately went bright red and Mai sighed in defeat.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh Sonja?" she said. Joey whirled to her in a panic, his mouth gaping like a fish. Mai chuckled. "You know, this idiot needs someone reliable like me to take care of him."

"I do not!" Joey yelled. Sonja just stared in disbelief.

"No. Way." she muttered. She blinked and then grinned, running forward and snatching them both into a hug, nearly knocking them over in the process.

"I don't believe it! You two are dating?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah." Joey muttered, highly embarrassed.

"I wouldn't go spreading it around, though." Mai said, dislodging herself from Sonja's grip. "I have to say, we make a pretty odd couple."

"You don't seem all that shaken that I know." Sonja said. Mai smirked.

"Hey, when it comes to odd couples hon, you and Kaiba take the cake." she said. "But Joey's so hopelessly klutzy, oblivious and impulsive, he needed someone like me to keep him in line. Besides, he is charming." she said with a wink at Joey who went red as a beet. Sonja giggled.

"Well, I'm glad to see I'm not alone in the club, anymore. Look, this little fiasco has put me behind schedule. I need to get back and get these things hidden before they find out where I've been."

She picked up her bags again and headed for the door.

"Congratulations, by the way." she said.

"Same here," Mai said. "And don't worry about monkey boy here, he's in good hands."

Sonja ignored Joey's outraged rant. "I'm sure you're right. Catch you later."

Back outside, the snow had calmed slightly. Hardly anyone was out, still so she figured she'd be safe without the wig for the time being.

As she was heading back, she remained unaware of a single pair of eyes glaring at her until she was far out of sight.

A/N: Hehe, I had so much fun writing this. Cauryn came up with Kaiba's gift idea. I spent a week fussing over the perfect gift for this guy. I even asked my non-anime family what they thought and my mom said a tie. I do hope she was joking. -_-;.