A/N: Hi. It's me. Bit of bad news. More information on that at the bottom for those of you expecting prompt updates. For those of you who don't read the messages, don't bother complaining to me when YOU WONDER WHY I'M NOT UPDATING. (SIGH) JUST READ THE MeSSAGE At THE BOTTOM. (SAGS)
The Rare Hunters
Sonja was deemed fit to leave the following day around noon. Sophie had stayed by her the whole night and clung to her arm as the doctor gave her warnings to prevent the injury from reopening in the future.
" Since you've registered for the tournament," he said, " I won't forbid you to duel, but just try to take it easy with the competition so you don't hurt yourself." He cautioned. Sonja nodded. " Right. Thank you." She said. " I'll be sure to, after I find my deck." She lied. Truth was, after Kaiba sent the eviction notice as she'd asked him to, she'd be dropping from the tournament altogether. She was going to burn her deck and erase all memories of Domino City when she and Sophie returned to Osaka. She would forget everything about this place.
Including Seto Kaiba.
As she and Sophie made their way to the ground floor, she let her mind wander. She knew she had to just move on. Kaiba had been right; she was too naive. She made the mistake of trusting him, when she should have been watching out for her back and for her sister.
He couldn't even tell me his real motives for helping us. She thought bitterly. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that he was just as his reputation stated. He was coldhearted and arrogant. He didn't care and he never would. She shouldn't have even bothered.
The elevator opened and they both stepped out. Sophie didn't say a word. She had nothing more to say. Sonja had broken her promise and nothing could change that.
And Sonja knew this.
As they headed for the door, one of the security guards stepped in front of them.
" Pardon me, ma'am," he said. " I have a message for you from Mr. Kaiba."
He handed her a slip of paper and a small package. She took them and nodded her thanks.
" Thank you." She said. The guard stepped aside and they left the building.
On the steps outside, Sonja took one look back and then frowned.
" Come on, Sophie. We have to get ready." She said.
She started forward, determined not to look back.
/ooo/
He watched them go, from his vantage point in his office. Watching with a blank expression on his face, Kaiba tried to name the strange feeling gnawing at him.
When he couldn't see them anymore, he turned around again. Mokuba was seated on the sofa, staring blankly at the wall. It was very, very quiet.
" Mokuba, what's wrong?" he asked.
" Seto, what do you think? I just lost my best friend." He said. " Other than you, that is."
Kaiba didn't answer. What could he say? He was still trying to come to terms with this.
He sighed and pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer in his desk.
It was the eviction notice Sonja requested. Mokuba saw this and scowled.
" I'm going for a walk." He declared. He went out to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors closed and Kaiba was left alone. He picked up his pen and set it to the paper, his hand shaking slightly. He started to fill it out, but the pen was shaking so badly, he couldn't get any legible writing down. Finally, he growled in annoyance and threw the pen across the room, tearing the paper in half and throwing it away. He stared into space angrily.
" I can't." he murmured. He sighed and rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. " I just can't."
He tried to think back to his thoughts when Obelisk had attacked her directly. What had he been thinking? He couldn't remember. All he remembered was the sound of her scream of pain as the full-blown attack slammed into her. With the safeties turned off, that could very well have killed her. According to the scientists who'd monitored his test duel, Obelisk's Fist of Fate was equal to the magnitude of getting hit by a semi. In all actuality, Sonja was lucky to be alive at all. He never really thought back on his past actions, but now he had to. He had no choice if he wanted to protect both his company and still keep his self-made promise to Mokuba.
He'd almost killed someone.
But he knew she was furious now, not that he really cared. However, he decided that he wouldn't send the notice.
He knew now his only option regarding the matter would be to wait and see if he saw her during the tournament.
If not, well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
/ooo/
Sonja sat inside the shop with several empty cardboard boxes sitting beside her. She kept looking at them, reaching for one, and then stopping herself and leaning on the countertop. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. She needed to see the eviction notice, first. It had been almost two days since she left the infirmary there and still no sign of such a document. She kept looking at the phone, considering calling and asking about it. But she kept trying to tell herself she didn't want anything to do with him and that the most she'd accept was the eviction notice—whenever it finally arrived.
The tournament had already begun. She could see the duelists milling around outside her shop and had used some extra money to buy a cooler of various sodas for them to purchase. Since she wouldn't be taking part, she decided to support the cause. Even though she was upset about what he'd done, she just couldn't bring herself to dwell on it.
Sophie stayed upstairs, never saying much anymore. Sonja knew she'd miss Mokuba and she knew she'd miss him, too. But she was starting to wonder if maybe moving again wasn't such a great idea. What if he'd been right and he hadn't known what could happen when he played that card.
No! a rebellious voice inside of her yelled. Of course he knew what would happen! He even told you himself that the safeties were off! That duel might have killed you! But I know that I just don't hate him, though I should. He's done so much to help us. We owe him everything we have, now.
Sonja sighed and folded her arms on the counter, resting her weary head in them.
The bell rang as someone came in. It was Sophie. She stopped in front of the counter and looked up at Sonja. " Why can't you talk to him? I want to see Mokuba, again." She said. Sonja sighed. " Sophie, it isn't that simple. What Seto did was cruel. He knew darn well what could happen with the safeties off and a card of that magnitude in play. Sophie, I almost died." Sonja said.
" I got the impression whenever I went to visit Mokuba that something about Mr. Kaiba had changed since we met them. He seemed different, just like you had. I had the feeling he did in fact like you. But you were too stuck on the past to see that."
" Sophie, Seto was nothing like I expected him to be. That's why I learned to trust him. Because he wasn't like…." She trailed off without finishing her sentence on who or what Kaiba didn't resemble. Sophie folded her arms. " You miss him, don't you?"
" Who?"
" You know who I mean. Don't let one little mistake ruin this. Someone finally begins to cross the line between treating you with respect or otherwise and you're almost too paranoid to see it."
" There's no such thing as paranoia, Sophie." Sonja said. " To be paranoid is to be very aware of your surroundings."
" There's such a thing as too much, Sonja. I won't say to make the call. Just think about it. We'll both lose something if you don't try to fix things." She said, turning to go back upstairs. Sonja stared after her blankly and sighed.
" I wish it were that easy, Sophie." She mumbled. She turned to her computer.
At that moment, the door opened. Sonja had her back to it as she typed on her word processor.
" Just a second. I'll be right with you." She said, saving her work. She turned around. A tall kid with dark hair, a pale, gaunt face and several piercings on his face leered down at her. He was dressed similar to the Goth fashion.
" Uh, can I help you?" she asked warily.
" Yeah." The kid said. " Your name's Gavens, right?"
" What's it to you?" she asked, folding her arms, eyeing him skeptically.
" Are you affiliated with someone named Seto Kaiba?" he asked. Sonja instantly became alert.
" Why no. I'm not. I've seen him around, but I'm not familiar with him." She lied. The kid stepped closer and put both hands on the counter, leaning toward her menacingly. " I heard you were just injured." He hissed. Sonja glared at him.
" So what if I was? I, I cut myself. On some broken glass."
He shook his head. " Not what I understand. You were injured in a duel, right?"
" A d-duel?" she said, her confidence slipping.
" Yep. A duel against Kaiba. I understand he used his Egyptian God Card against you. Landing you in the hospital because the duel disk safeties were off. Is that right?" he asked. Sonja let out a shaky breath.
" No. No, it's not! I cut myself! The glass cut me, they had to do stitches, that's all!" she said.
In one fluid movement, he'd leapt over the counter and Sonja scrambled back, trying to reach for the same wooden rod she used to call Sophie.
Only she wouldn't be calling Sophie.
" Liar! Now tell me what you know about Kaiba's Egyptian God Card!" he yelled, grabbing her throat and pushing her back against the wall.
" I don't know anything you creep! Get out of my shop!" she choked. The kid scowled and pressed her neck harder.
" Master Marik doesn't like people who don't obey his orders." He hissed in her ear.
" Who the heck is that?" she gasped, struggling for air.
Her eyes went wide when she heard the door open.
" Hey!" yelled a voice she recognized as Tristan's from school. " Let go of her, you freak!"
The weird kid grinned and whipped his arm around, throwing Sonja over the counter toward Tristan who caught her before she hit the ground. Instantly, she gasped and clutched at her stomach in pain.
" Forget about me, just don't let him get away!" she cried.
" No way!" Tristan retaliated. He made a rush toward the guy who sidestepped him and dashed toward the door.
" You haven't seen the last of us!" he declared, before running outside and vanishing in the crowd. Tristan frowned angrily and turned to Sonja, holding the side of her waist and breathing heavily.
" Sonja, right?" he said, bending down. " You okay?"
" No. I was just released from the hospital the other day. I think I might have reopened my stitches." She gasped.
" I won't look." Tristan said, covering his eyes and facing away. Sonja rolled her eyes. " It's only on my stomach, weirdo." She said. She pulled just enough of her shirt up to reveal where the stitches were. She sighed in relief.
" They didn't open. I guess I'm just still sore." She said. " But if you hadn't caught me, they might have."
" What happened?" he asked helping her up.
" Uh, a dueling accident." She replied.
" What kind of duel sends you to the hospital like that?"
Sonja paused. " A dangerous one?" she said. Tristan blinked. " Yeah, I guess that would be the case." He said with a chuckle. She sighed and shook her head. " That was freaky. Who's this Marik, guy?" she asked.
" Actually, Yugi and the gang and I have been tracking him and his Rare Hunters, creeps who go around stealing cards. They actually attacked Joey and stole his Red Eyes Black Dragon."
" Oh no." Sonja exclaimed.
" He's okay. But what's up with you? Heard anymore from Kaiba?"
" Here," she said. " Have a soda and take a seat. It's nice to talk to someone if you have time." She said. He grinned. " Hey, no argument there. What kinds you got?" he asked. She opened the mini cooler. " I've been providing them for the duelists. I have Pepsi products." She said.
" Anything's fine."
She handed him one and sat down at her desk. He took a seat on the cooler and opened the can. " So spill. What's up?" he asked, taking a sip.
" Well, as you can see, Kaiba's idea for the shop worked splendidly. You guys really don't give him enough credit. My shop is flourishing thanks to his help." She said.
" Sonja, you don't know the guy like we do." Tristan said. " He taunts Joey to no end."
Sonja sighed irritably. " You should see what he did to me." She grumbled. Tristan raised an eyebrow. " Huh?"
" How do you think I wound up in the hospital?" Sonja snapped.
" Wha—? You mean Kaiba did that…whatever it was to you?" Tristan exclaimed, nearly spilling his soda. " Dang, I knew the guy was mean, but violent?"
" No, no." Sonja said. " He dueled me the other day and used Obelisk."
" Obelisk? Oh, that new Egyptian God Card, thingy. Yugi told me he has it. Says it's pretty powerful. He used it against you?"
" Yeah." Sonja said. " And he had the safeties on the duel disk, off."
" What? You're kidding me!" Tristan yelled. " What happened?"
" Mild second degree burns and a punctured blood vessel." She said, quoting her medical file.
" Sonja, you should be hating the guy after that!"
" I know. But strangely, I don't." she said. Sophie's a little upset though.
" Sophie?" Tristan said.
" Oh, my little sister. She's upstairs." Sonja said. " I don't think you've met her yet."
She reached down and picked up the wooden stick. She raised it up and whacked it on the ceiling several times.
" Sophie! Come down, I'd like you to meet someone!" she called.
There was no reply. Sonja hummed.
" Sophie!" she called again.
Nothing.
" That's weird." Sonja said. She hit the ceiling again, harder this time.
" Sophie! Don't make me use your full name! I know how you hate that!" she exclaimed.
" What's her full name?" Tristan asked. Sonja gave him a wry look.
" Unfortunately for her, you're about to find out." She said. " Sophia Celeste Gavens! Get down here!"
" Sophia Celeste? That's not so bad." Tristan remarked. Sonja sighed. " I know, now if you could only convince her."
She looked up again. " I'm getting worried. Sophie hates her full name and usually always comes down when I threaten her with it. I wonder why she isn't listening."
" Let's see." Tristan said. They both headed toward the door and Sonja made her way around back, up the stairs to the apartment door. Tristan was right behind her.
" I hope she's okay." Sonja said as she opened the door. She stepped inside.
" Sophie?" she called. " Hey, where are you?"
" Sophie?" Tristan yelled, too. "Come on out!"
Sonja wandered around the room, looking around for anything out of the norm. As she was walking along the wooden floor, she heard a small crunch as she stepped on something and looked down.
" Hey."
She bent down. It was a slip of crumpled paper.
" Tristan, look." She said. " This wasn't here before, and Sophie isn't the kind to leave stuff everywhere." She said. She picked it up and looked at it.
" There's writing." She said.
" Well read it." Tristan encouraged. Sonja scanned the paper.
We have your sister. If you ever want to see her again, come join your friends at the top of the second tallest building in Domino.
" Oh no!" Tristan yelled. Sonja leapt up. " My sister! They have my sister!" she cried, making a bolt for the door. Tristan snatched her hand. " Wait, Sonja! We have to figure out what exactly is going on! We have to find the second tallest building in Domino, first! Then we can go there and find your sister!"
Sonja, more levelheaded than Sophie was, paused and nodded. " Right. Let's see. KaibaCorp's Headquarters is the tallest building, I believe."
" So then that would make the second tallest the Law-firms building on Sector street."
Sonja nodded again. " I know where that is." She said. " I can go there on my own."
" I'm glad you said that," he said, glancing at his watch. " I have to go pick up Joey's sister from another town before tonight. I'll catch you later! Best of luck finding Sophie!" he called as he dashed outside and away to the station. Sonja sighed.
" I'd better get ready." She mumbled. She went back down into her shop and took two objects out from beneath the counter under her computer. She set them on the counter.
" The package must be my deck." She said, referring to the two things Kaiba had sent her the day she left. Sure enough, when she unwrapped the brown paper from the box, inside was her deck. She still trusted him enough to know he wouldn't remove any of her cards. She slipped her deck into her jeans pocket and unfolded the note that had come with it.
" Huh?" she exclaimed. " There's nothing but coordinates here. I wonder what this could mean. Oh well. I'd better go and get my duel disk. I have a feeling I'll need it."
She fetched her disk from the back room and slipped it onto her arm.
" There's no turning back, now." She said. " I'm coming, Sophie."
/ooo/
Meanwhile, atop the same tower Sonja was heading toward, Kaiba and Yugi faced Umbra and Lumis, two of the Rare Hunters. Both were seething. Lumis chuckled dryly beneath his half-faced mask. " Hehe, you know the rules of this duel. You know the stakes. The winners walk away with the rarest cards of the losers. The losers take a one-way trip to the Shadow Realm!"
Kaiba's eyes narrowed angrily. " We get your conditions, Lumis. Now get on with the duel."
Umbra cleared his throat at Lumis. " Hold on. We forgot about something." He said.
" What?"
" You know, Master Marik's latest acquisition. From what I hear, this may mean something to Kaiba."
" Oh, right! Hehe, we almost forgot!" he cackled. " Just recently, one of our comrades picked up a very special bargaining chip to go along with the others we've rounded up. You might be interested in this one as well, Kaiba." He said.
" That's right." Umbra continued. " We don't have it here, but you may recognize these."
He took something out of his pocket and threw it across the glass surface of the building they were standing on. Both Yugi and Kaiba strained to see what it was. Kaiba took a few steps forward and bent down to pick it up. Instantly, his eyes widened when recognition kicked in.
" These are Sophie's earrings!" he exclaimed in shock. Yugi gasped and glared at the Rare Hunters. " Who have you taken, now?" he demanded.
" I don't believe Yugi knows her, but Kaiba will for sure. A little girl with a strange hair-color, much like her sister's. Master Marik is very interested in such strange oddities. Let's say that only one was available." Lumis sneered. Kaiba gritted his teeth together angrily. " All right. I've had about enough out of you, Rare Hunters." He snarled. " I'm going to win them both back and put you out of business!"
He activated his duel disk at the same time Yugi did. All the while, Yugi was wondering who this girl called Sophie could be. Obviously, she was related to Sonja. She sounded familiar.
They positioned their decks and faced their opponents.
" Let's begin this." Yugi said.
/ooo/
Sonja kept her eyes on the tower as she hurried toward it, trying not to let it out of her sight. She paused at a parking meter to catch her breath. She knew she had to take it easy so her stitches wouldn't tear, but she couldn't help it. She had to get Sophie back. She'd considered talking to Kaiba, seeing what he thought she should do. But she decided against it.
" He couldn't, and wouldn't help me." She grumbled. She was tired and she was mad. Not a good combination. With a heavy sigh, she started forward again.
Hang on, Sophie. I'm on my way.
/ooo/
In the midst of a large crowd, a lone figure watched amiably as the white-haired girl scurried through the crowds toward the tower. He smirked.
That must be the Gavens girl, the one Kaiba seemed rather fond of. Now that my Rare Hunters have taken something from her as well, I may have a better chance. And I don't like chances; I like sure things.
The lone figure leaned against a building, watching the passerby with mild interest, blending in.
His tag-team was taking care of his two biggest problems right now. He wouldn't have long to wait until he could eliminate them all.
Until then, I'll let them know to be ready for another visitor.
/ooo/
Sonja ran inside the building and quickly searched out the elevator. She ducked inside. It was filled with other people, so she'd have to wait. It said on the note to go to the very top. She could only hope she was in time.
It took less time than Sonja anticipated and she quickly pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator surged upward. It had a glass wall and she watched, forcing back her vertigo as it rose higher and higher. She'd forgotten how much she hated heights.
The elevator finally stopped and she stepped out. She was inside a tiny room on the roof of the building. It was the observation area. She spotted two doors off to her left and bolted toward them.
What she saw when she reached the outside chilled her to the bone.
/ooo/
At the sound of another arriving, Lumis and Umbra looked up. " Ah, yet another of Master Marik's schemes is working." He cackled. " This duel will soon become more interesting."
The duel had already started to some degree. Yugi had his Magnet Warrior out and Umbra had one monster as well.
" What do you mean?" Yugi inquired suspiciously. Umbra chuckled morosely. " Just look behind you." He said, pointing.
Both duelists turned around. Kaiba's eyes widened.
" Sonja?"
Sonja stood several feet away, staring blankly at them. " Seto? Yugi? What's going on? Where's Sophie?" she called.
" Sophie?" Yugi muttered.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he tossed Sophie's earrings over to Sonja who caught both one-handed. Instantly, she started to shake.
" Good lord." She whispered. She whirled to the two Rare Hunters. " What have you done with my sister?" she cried.
" I see you received our note. Like Mokuba, your sibling is also safe—for now." Lumis said. Sonja started.
" Mokuba? You mean you took him, too?" she exclaimed in disbelief.
" You shouldn't even be here, Sonja." Kaiba snapped. She glared at him.
" You can't tell me what to do. I'm perfectly fine. Now tell me what's going on!"
Yugi turned to her. " These Rare Hunters have kidnapped your sister as a leverage, as they did my friends and Kaiba's brother. They work for an evil man called Marik."
Sonja gasped. " Marik? Jeez, I was just attacked by one of those goons not a half-hour ago! That must be when they took Sophie!"
" Stay where you are, Sonja. We'll deal with this." Kaiba said. Sonja frowned. " No. I'm getting my sister back if it kills me!"
" That's what will happen if you continue to act foolishly!" Kaiba countered angrily. " Just stay there!"
" Actually," Umbra interrupted. " So we can get this duel underway, why don't we raise the stakes a little more in your favor."
As he said this, a strange purple static barrier suddenly surrounded Sonja, growing brighter as it flickered every couple of seconds. For a second, she stared at it curiously as it completely encased her. Then, it crackled furiously and she screamed and clutched her arm, falling to her knees in the process.
" Sonja!" Kaiba yelled. " Now what, Rare Hunters?" he snapped.
" Simple." Lumis replied. " If you win, not only will you be reunited with your friends and loved ones, but you will also win the soul of that girl, back. See that aura that surrounds her? That is a special concoction of Master Marik's. He designed it to decrease the energy of whatever's trapped inside it, gradually cleansing the body of its soul and banishing the soul to the Shadow Realm! In this case, she'll remain safe so long as the chosen one's Lifepoints remain intact. And I choose…Kaiba!"
" What?"
" If you can protect your Lifepoints, the girl will be spared. Seeing she is already injured from the attack by Obelisk, it should be easy to dispatch her soul from its weakened body. The more Lifepoints you lose, the more she loses of her strength until nothing remains!"
Kaiba scowled and glanced back at Sonja. She had already recovered from the first shock, but she looked mad as she knelt down on the ground inside the sphere. Her eyes met his and she nodded. " I only have one thing to say to this." She declared. " Win this duel and get back Mokuba, Sophie and the others! Just forget about me until the duel's over. I'll be fine." She called. Kaiba frowned at her in contemplation and nodded once. " Fine." He said. He turned back to the Rare Hunters. " I accept this new condition. But I won't lose."
Lumis and Umbra both sneered at them.
" The lets' continue this duel, shall we?" Umbra said.
There was no going back.
A/N: Okay, I'm having a Lot of trouble with my KeyBoArd, aS you caN tell. My stepdaD IN A MAD TEMPER A FEW WEEKS AGO DROPPED MY LAPTOP ON THE FLOOR FROM ABOUT FOUR FEET MY DAD SAYS IT PROPBABLY DAMAGED THE KEYBOARD AND I HAVE TO SEND IT OUT TO HIM to get it fixed NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE WON"T BE MANY UPDATES I'm not yelling, my computer is doing this all on its own. So please be patient while we get this sorted out. It may at least a month or so before I can update again, much less write. Please don't abandon me because of this and please try to be Patient for those of you planning to stay. And If I don't respond to your reviews, this screwy message should speak for itself.