Chapter VI

The Prank

            "Stop it Kaori!" she told herself.  "You can't let yourself fall to pieces.  He's just a guy.  There are plenty of others, and it's not as if he would ever have liked me anyway…"

            Mokuba slid inside a nearby room.  He didn't want Kaori to see him should she figure out that she was listening to the conversation between herself and Soi.

            "This only complicates things now," he thought.  "It was already going to be a challenge for them to like each other.  Now that Soi has herself, things are only more complicated.  I don't like Soi.  It's completely obvious that she's trying to get Seto for his money.  And she called me a brat!  Kaori defended me though.  I like her a lot better than Soi…"

            "Hi Mokuba."

            So Kaori did see Mokuba.

            "Hey…oh yea…did you find Seto?"

            "Yes.  I'm starting school tomorrow."

            "Really?  Where?"

            "Uh…it's called…uh…I'm not sure what it's called.  It's the same one that Seto goes to."

            "That's Domino High."

            "Oh.  Do you know what the uniform looks like?  The girls' one?  It's okay if you don't know."

            "I know.  The skirt is blue and the jacket is pink."

            "Yay!  Pink!"

            "Are you in Seto's grade?"

            "Yea, I think.  He's a junior right?"

            "Yep."  Mokuba thought, "At least they'll be spending a lot of time together in class.  Soi will be out of the way there."

            "Let's get farther away from this area," said Mokuba in a low voice.  "I don't like Soi and I don't feel that she needs to hear us."

            Kaori followed Mokuba through hallways when they came upon the disassembled suit of armor.

            "Ohhhh…"

            "Let me guess…"

            "Yes, I did knock it over."

            Mokuba started to laugh.

            "Not to be offensive, but you are really clumsy," he said still laughing.

            "None taken," said Kaori.  "I can't help it.  I just run into things or drop stuff or fall.  It just sort of happens."

            "Aren't you ever embarrassed?"

            "No, I always laugh when it happens.  So why did you bring me here?"

            "Well I thought it would be funny to play a prank on Soi…"

            "Like what?"

            "Well it involves this suit of armor, and a few extra devices that I have with me.  You see, I needed a suit that had already fallen apart."

            "How come?"

            "I would attract too much attention by taking one apart first and then putting it back together."

            "Oh."

            "Now the first part of what we have to do is put it together except for the right arm, since it holds the sword, and the head."

            "Okay"

            Kaori and Mokuba pieced the suit of the armor together unnoticed for about twenty minutes when Seto walked by.  He looked down the hallway to see Kaori and Mokuba laughing together, and was happy to see how well they were getting along.  He too had heard the conversation between Soi and Kaori.

            "Kaori will most unlikely consider me now that 'Soi and I have our eyes on each other'," he thought.  "God that woman irritates me.  She doesn't even like Mokuba, which makes me dislike her even more.  Kaori likes Mokuba…speaking of the two of them, I wonder what they're doing.  Probably another prank on Soi, no doubt.  If they hurry up, I might stay to watch."

            "Here Kaori," said Mokuba.  "Just attach this part here, and after I put on the head, we'll be finished"

            When they completed putting the armor back together, Mokuba told Kaori,

            "Now we just need a way to get Soi down here…Hmm…"

            Seto, upon hearing this, called for Soi with some sort of advanced technology in the collar of his trenchcoat.  Within minutes, the sound of clacking heels could be heard.

            "It's Soi!" said Kaori and Mokuba in unison.  Then Mokuba instructed, "Kaori, get in here!  Quick!"

            The young boy opened up a hidden panel in the wall.  Once inside, a fairly large screen stood in front of them.  On a nearby keypad, Mokuba punched in a few numbers and the exact place where the suit of armor was shown on the screen.

            "The screen shows exactly what the surveillance camera picks up in sight and sound.  Look, here's Soi," Mokuba pushed a button near the floor.

            "SOI!" a low and menacing voice sounded.  Soi looked around with a look of fear on her face.

            "SOI!" it bellowed again.

            "Wh-who are you?" she stuttered, her head twitching around.  Red eyes lit up inside the head of the armor.  She stared at it with a look of horror on her face.

            "SOI!  YOU HAVE FAILED ME AGAIN!"

            "W-w…what did I do wrong again?!

            "SILENCE WENCH!"

            Kaori and Mokuba were laughing hysterically.  Seto, hidden at the end of the hallway, smirked at Soi's ridiculous position.

            "SOI!" the voice continued.  "FAIL ME AGAIN AND I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DESTROY YOU!"

            Mokuba regained enough control of himself to push another button.  The right arm which held the ax moved forward with a machine like sound.  Soi screamed and slipped backward.  Now that the armor's noise had ended, the laughter could be heard clearly.  Soi got up and leaned her ear against the hidden panel to which she soon found the opening.  She dragged Mokuba out and threw him to the ground.

            "Leave him alone Soi!"

            "Aww, look Mokuba, looks like someone's here to save you again," she said standing firmly with one of her heels on Mokuba's little finger.

            "Soi!"  It was Seto.  "I need to speak with you, right away."

            Soi immediately took her foot away from Mokuba's hand, grasped Seto's, and turned her head to make a face at Kaori who had looked up when Seto arrived.  They quickly walked away.

            "Mokuba, are you alright?"

            "Yes, of course…"

            "No you're not, your finger is cut.  That horrible woman!  Here…"  Kaori picked up the boy's hand and kissed his finger where it was cut.  The wound instantly healed.

            "You have healing powers!" Mokuba gasped.

            "Yes, but they are not unlimited.  Never mind them for now though.  I can't believe how that woman reacted to your prank, I mean, how could anyone have reacted to the armor like that?"

            "Well you see, Soi lives here too, unfortunately.  Anyway, one time I heard her talking in her sleep about demons and possessing spirits, and hollering 'No!  No!  I won't fail you again!  You don't have to make me leave!  No!'  Had it been anyone else, I would have worried a bit, but the day she came here, I've disliked her."

            "How come, I mean I dislike her too, but what did she do?"

            "Well, I might as well tell you everything.  Seto needed a secretary to work and live here.  The only person available was the daughter of a man who used to work here by the name of Leictor.  With his disappearance, Soi needed a home, so Seto offered her the chance to stay here if she worked as his secretary.  At first, she wasn't such a problem, but she's always shown a great dislike for me.  The main reason why I dislike her is because she locked me in my room for 'being in her way'.  Seto was gone for two days and a night on a business trip."

            "But how…how can she get away with that?!"

            "She let me out a few hours before Seto got back.  I saw that he was so tired and busy after his trip that I didn't want to bother him with my problems.  Without a secretary, Seto would only have more work than he has time for.  I decided that I would get revenge on Soi by myself.

            "Oh.  But still, she shouldn't be this mean to you.  She purposely stood on your hand hard enough for the skin to break!"

            Mokuba sighed.  He crawled a few paces and wrapped his arms tightly around Kaori.  She hugged him back and laid her cheek on the top of his head rubbing his back gently with one of her hands.

            Soi pulled Seto into a nearby room, closed the door, and locked it.  Seto turned the knob so as to unlock it again.

            "Soi, there are some things that you need to understand about me and my family.  One, you do not even attempt to try to hurt my little brother.  Two, you do not toy with me either.  You're only here for your job as a secretary, Soi.  You are paid well, and unless you would like to find yourself without a job, I expect that you obey my orders."

            "But Seto…" she leaned her head on his chest and traced her fingers around his lower back.

            "Stop this Soi.  You're insane if you think that I find you attractive."

            "Why?"

            "I find neither men nor women arresting."

            Soi did not want this to end here.

            "What about that little wench, Kaori?"

            "What does she have to do with this?" his heart started beating slightly faster as the sound of her name.

            "You like her don't you?  I don't see why though.  She's just another ditzy girl who is completely useless to the world.  I never thought that someone with a genius mind like yours would lust for a clumsy idiot, but instead a smart and beautiful woman, like me."

            "I don't lust for her, and you are far from being pretty, never mind beautiful."

            "You'll learn to like me someday.  You just won't be able to control yourself…"

            Soi released Seto and flashed him a wicked smile.

            "You are to leave Kaori alone."

            "Of course.  It's not her that I want."

            "Soi, if I hear one thing about you from her or Mokuba, I will fire you, and don't have me mistaken!"

            Seto walked quickly out of the room.  Soi still stood inside with her arms crossed under her large chest and laughing in a slightly unpleasant way."

            Once outside of the room, Seto looked down the hallway to see Kaori and Mokuba in their embrace.  The sight of them made him feel happy enough to almost forget Soi.  He started to wish that he was in Mokuba's place.

            "I wonder why they are like that," he thought.  "I wonder in Soi has anything to do with it.  If I ever hear that she hurt Mokuba, I'll be sure of it that she is dead."

            At around nine-o-clock later on that day, Seto found a bag in his office with the Domino High School girls' uniform inside.

            "Good," he thought.  "I'm surprised that the uniforms were able to be ordered so quickly.  Also, now I'll have another chance to see Kaori…"

            He walked to her room to find the door closed, so he knocked gently.

            "Come in," said Hemera.  Seto turned the handle and entered.

            "Do you know where Kaori is?"

            "She's in the shower, but she should be out soon.  You can wait here if you'd like."  Seto sat down in a nearby chair.

            Ten minutes passed.

            "Does she always take this long?"

            "I have no idea," said the cat.  "I've barely known her for half a week!"

            Another five minutes passed.

            "I think you might want to make sure she hasn't drowned…"

            Hemera walked over to the bathroom, pushed the door open a little and walked in.

            "AHH!  HEMERA!  DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

            "KAORI!  I'M NOT GOING TO LOOK AT YOU!"

            "THEN WHY ARE YOU IN HERE?!"

            "YOU NEED TO HURRY UP!  YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE FOR NEARLY HALF AN HOUR…" all of a sudden, Hemera screeched loudly.  Kaori had sprayed her with steaming hot water, making the cat run out and slam the door.  A cloud of heavy steam wafted itself somewhat into the adjacent room.

            "Good grief!  That girl is psycho!  She's been in steaming water for almost thirty minutes."

            The corners of Seto's mouth tilted upwards by the slightest bit; he actually found this situation somewhat funny, ridiculous as it was.

            Finally, the water stopped running, but another five minutes past before Kaori emerged from the bathroom with a dark blue towel wrapped under her arms.

            "Hemera, have you seen my hairbrush? I thought I had brought it into the bathr-"

            There was a pause.

            "AHH!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!"

            "Kaori, Seto has been waiting very patiently for you for almost twenty minutes.  Here, get your robe on."

            The girl lifted up her deep purple robe from her bed and put it one.  Then, without letting anyone see her body, she took the towel off and wrapped around her head like a turban.

            "So how come you're here?"

            "I have your uniform.  You can start school tomorrow."

            "Uh, thank you."

            "We'll need to leave a bit earlier tomorrow morning so that I may enroll you."

            "WHAH!  EARLY?!"

            "Kaori, please, quiet down a bit!" said the exasperated cat.

            "It's okay.  We should leave by seven-o-clock.  Breakfast will be served at six-forty…"

            "I'LL BE THERE!!"

            Seto smiled a small close-lipped smile at Kaori.  Seeing him smile for the first time, Kaori gave an even bigger smile than she had already been smiling with making him blush the slightest bit   Hemera saw this as an opportunity to leave them alone, so she left the room to wander the mansion for a while.  Seto got up from the chair and walked over to Kaori who was sitting on her bed.

            "Here's your uniform," he said handing her the bag.  "There should be five sets, one for each day of the week."

            "Thank you."

            "You're welcome."

            He turned to walk out.

            "Uh, Seto…"

            "Hmm?" he turned around.  Kaori got up and walked over to him.

            "I probably should have said this to you a few days ago, but I never thanked you for saving me…" the girl enclosed her arms tightly around Seto and buried her face in his chest.  He could tell that she was crying by the way her breathing sounded.

            "It's okay Kaori.  You'll be safe here," he said with his arms now around her.

            When Kaori looked up, Seto caught a tear that had just begun to slide down her cheek with his thumb.  Kaori felt the warmth of his hand on her cheek and closed her eyes.  She was about to turn to kiss it when…

            "SETO!"

            "D@*^," thought Seto.  "Soi."

            "Kaori!  What do you think you are doing?" the woman demanded.  "I thought that I had told you about Seto and I…"

            Kaori tried to talk, but no words came out.

            "Leave her alone.  I was just bringing her uniform."

            "It looks to me that you were doing more than that."

            "It's my fault Soi.  I hugged him to thank him for saving me a couple of days ago and sometimes I get a little emotional in situations like that so I started crying a bit and Seto was only comforting me."

            "Comforting?  Since when does Seto comfort anyone?"

            "Apparently he did just a few minutes ago to me."

            "Kaori and Soi, you both need to understand that the event that just passed is unimportant now."  He turned around and walked away briskly.

            Soi pressed her face within an inch of Kaori's.

            "If I ever catch you with Seto in an embrace like that again, you will dearly pay!" she said through grinded teeth before she left.

            "Ooh, I'm real scared!" said Kaori before she closed the door behind her and fell to her knees, crying again.

            "I shouldn't have hugged him like that.  I mean, I guess I don't really blame Soi, because I probably wouldn't have been too happy if I had a boyfriend and saw him with another girl.  Seto has done so much for me already.  It would be ungrateful of me to get in between them.  I'm starting school tomorrow and I'm sure there will be plenty of cute guys."

            With that, she dried her tears and went to bed.

            Disclaimer:  I do not own Mokuba or Seto (Seto by love^_^).  Kaori, Hemera, and Soi are my characters.  Thank you so much still of you are reading this!!!!!