(A/N: I only own Arilana Nodoka and Mira! Enjoy!)

Chapter 7 Dealing with the Past
Nodoka was up eating breakfast when Mokuba returned. "Where were you?" she asked reading the newspaper.

"Um, Me Messenger Mokuba?" he said kiddy like.

"Mokuba, you didn't!" she said dropping the paper.

"You said you were! I just sped up the process," he said.

Nodoka sighed. "I didn't tell him where to meet me," she said.

"The coffee house where I came and got you. When I needed your help!" Mokuba said.

"When do I meet him," she asked leaning back in her chair.

"In four hours," Mokuba said happily.

"The things I do." she said walking upstairs to take a shower. An hour later she came back down in a black tank top and black jeans. She put on her socks and the pair of black boots she bought the other day. She brought her brown hair back into a ponytail. "The things I do," she said again.

"You going to go early?" Mokuba said.

Nodoka shrugged. "Might as well." She walked over to the coat rack and grabbed her black trench coat. "Catch ya later, 'Kuba," she said waving bye to Mokuba.

"Don't stay out too late!" Mokuba called to her laughing.

"Later!" Nodoka walked out the door. She put on her coat and walked down the street. She went to the coffee shop that Mokuba told her to go to, the same one that she talked to Mira in after school before she went to America. Nodoka walked in and sat down in a chair in the back. She looked around for something to occupy her time. "A newspaper from two years ago?" Nodoka asked herself, looking at the date on it. It was dated one month after she left. She stood and picked it off the bookshelf and sat back down. Mira's school violence article was in there. Nodoka went ahead and read it.

You think the schools you put your children in are safe? You're dead wrong. There is more violence in schools than there is on television. I went to different schools in the area. The worst was Domino High and Elementary Schools. I know what you must be thinking. Elementary? But it's little kids. And the ones at high school know better. Wrong. That's the thing though. The high school students act like kids and the elementary schools are like a madhouse. That's all I can write today, I'm a little low on time and I've another story to work on. That's it for now.

Making Independence Really Affable

"Making Independence Really Affable?" Nodoka asked herself. "What kind of pen name is that? Oh wait. I get it. M. I. R. A. Very funny," Nodoka smiled and laughed a little. She put the paper back where she found it and picked up another one. This one was two months after she left. She sifted through it and found another story by Mira.

? This article is directed to Seto Kaiba! Consider this hate mail! I admit, you're a genius, but you have no idea about maintaining a relationship. It's taken me so long to get this article in the paper and now that it's in. I get to say what's on my mind. You said that you loved someone. I thought it was Arilana Nodoka. When you announced it was Mai Valentine I just about died. What the heck was that about? Was. on second thought, I can't say that, some kids read the newspaper. Actually it isn't bad so I'm gonna say it anyway. Are you paying her to go out with you? Fifty dollars to sleep together and a hundred to marry her? Just wait until Nodoka comes home. She's gonna kick your. ?

That's all for now. Making Independence Really Affable

Nodoka smiled. Mira was mad then. She seemed fine now. Nodoka set the paper back down and sat at the table again. The time passed slowly, and when Seto finally walked in, Nodoka was slightly happy. He looked at her. She signaled him with a slight hand movement. Seto walked over and sat across from her. "I didn't think you wanted to talk to me," Seto said.

"It wasn't my intention, Mokuba did it," she said.

"Mokuba?" Seto asked. "Um, mind if I ask how he is?"

"He's fine. He seems to like odd little mechanical things, like you. And taking things apart and putting them back together," Nodoka said. She didn't want Seto to know, but Mokuba hand taken her computer apart, then put it back together. It was then ten times faster, but it was so fast it made the monitor explode. But she had another. "He's fine though."

"This makes me think of something," Seto said.

"What?" Nodoka looked to him.

"It's like we're divorced or something, and Mokuba's like our kid."

"Hn, it does kind of seem like that, doesn't it?" Nodoka said.

"Can I see Mokuba?" Seto said quickly changing the subject.

"I'll ask him, when I get home," she said. "If he wants to see you, we'll set something up. If he doesn't. then he doesn't," she said. She crossed her legs.

"People are staring at us," Seto said.

"They're staring at you, they don't know me, but no ordinary person would expect you to be in an ordinary coffee house," Nodoka said. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"You wanna go somewhere else?" Seto asked leaning forward.

"Go to the park, I'll leave in five minutes," she said. He stood and left. Five minutes later she stood and left. When she got to the park Seto was sitting on a bench looking straightforward. "Come on," she said walking past him. He stood up and followed her.

They were walking down the street quietly thinking when Mira and Joey jumped out of nowhere. Joey brought his hands up and started moving his pointer fingers back and forth as Mira began to break into song: "Nodoka and Seto are going out." Mira sang. Nodoka's eyes got big and she looked at Seto. "They go on dates and they make out." Nodoka and Seto took a step away from eachother. "Nodoka has long brown hair." Nodoka brought her hand up and touched her hair. "Seto enjoys sniffing underwear." Nodoka smirked and laughed a little. Seto growled at Mira. "Nodoka has a long black jacket." Nodoka looked at her jacket. Seto smirked; he wanted Mira to rank on Nodoka. "Seto likes it when he whacks it." Seto's face became red. Nodoka started cracking up. "Seto like the way she walks." Nodoka was still slightly laughing. Seto looked to Nodoka. "Nodoka likes his great big -."

"Mira! Can it!" Nodoka shouted.

Joey bent over laughing. Mira was right along with him. "It took me." Mira breathed in. "It took me all day to come up. with that. one. but it was well worth. well worth it!" Mira laughed.

Nodoka and Seto looked at eachother. "Get 'em," Nodoka said. Joey and Mira stopped laughing and looked and Nodoka and Seto.

"Oh shit," Mira said.

"Run!" Joey shouted. Mira and Joey turned and started to run. Nodoka and Seto took off after them. Joey and Mira were running and ran into the Turtle Game Shop owned by Yugi's grandpa.

Nodoka ran through the door as it was closing, and Seto ran into the door. Nodoka looked back at Seto, she started laughing. Yugi walked out of the back room to see Seto on the other side of the glass doors sitting on his butt and rubbing his face with his hands. "What's going on here?" Yugi asked.

"Oh I'm just going to beat the crap outta Mira," Nodoka said. "But since I know where she lives, I'll get her later. I'll see you guys later, and tell Tristan I said hi." Joey nodded. Nodoka gave them a thumbs up and walked out of the store. Seto wasn't on the ground anymore. She shook her head and headed home.

"Nodoka, where're you going?" Nodoka turned around, it was Seto, and he was standing really close. She took a step back. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"You were standing too close," she said. She turned around and started walking again.

"Nodoka," Seto said.

She turned back around. "What?"

"If I were to ask you to marry me, what would you say?" Seto asked.

Nodoka started laughing. She looked to him. "Oh, you were serious?" Seto nodded. "Well, to start of I would kick you where the sun don't shine, then I would beat the crap out of you. Then I would tell you. 'You have a fiancé already, remember you dumb ass?' Then I would walk away, like this," Nodoka said turning stiffly and walking away. She then stopped and turned around. "Ya get that?"

Seto looked away. "Yeah."

"Hey, I gotta get home, Mokuba's got me on curfew," Nodoka said.

"Mokuba has you on a curfew?" Seto asked.

"Yeah, sad, ain't it?" she said smiling.

"Can I walk you home?"

Nodoka shrugged and began home again. When they got to the door, Nodoka walked up the steps. Seto followed. "Good night Seto," She said outreaching her hand."

"Wha? Oh, right," said Seto. They shook hands and Nodoka walked in the house. She closed the door behind her.

"Mokuba! I'm gonna kill you!" Nodoka shouted.

"What did I do?"

Seto smiled, shook his head, and walked away. He tried so many ways to tell Nodoka he loved her, but she did not want to hear it from flowers. She wanted to hear it straight from him. Not thorough anything. And he knew she did want him to say it. He could feel that she loved him, but he couldn't say it. Not now, not ever. Seto walked home. He lost his brother. He is stuck with a fiancé that he now knows he could never love. And the girl, that left, returned, and now distorts her own memories and feeling for him, is gone. Feeling very distorted in his mind. Seto was angered and sad.

Nodoka sat at the table playing chess with Mokuba. Slightly losing, but not paying attention to it. She knew what was distracting her. She wouldn't say though. She had her best friend in a relationship, and Mokuba as a part of her family now. She loved Mokuba as a friend. She defends Mokuba with her life. She doesn't know her feelings for Tristan, but she adores him so much. Nodoka was exhausted and confused.

Mira sat next to Joey on the floor in the game shop. She is concerned about Nodoka, who hasn't put out a story in who knows how long, and is taking the risk of losing her job. But Mira tries to put a story in at least once a week. She is also worried about her relationship with Joey, even though everything is fine. She tends to worry a lot though, so it's not a big deal. Mira was extremely happy.

Joey looked at his feet as he moved his toes and hummed 'Pretty Fly for a White Guy' by Offspring. He found someone that had almost the same temper he did. He didn't have anything to worry about. Actually he did, he was really hungry at the moment. He was happy.

Yugi sat on the counter near the register. His day had consisted of talking to Yami and cleaning his room. Yugi only wanted the best for everyone, and it seemed to be happening. It seemed to him that everything was happy. Yugi was happy.

Téa sat next to Yugi on the counter. She felt bad vibes from Mira. She thought Mira hated her. Mira didn't hate her, she just didn't like it when Téa supposedly flirted with Joey, which she didn't mean to do it on purpose. It was kind of a bad habit. Téa was just looking out for him, and she didn't quite trust Nodoka. A person that runs out on everyone and then returns looking for pity or whatever she was looking for. She didn't want Nodoka hurting Tristan, and Téa felt that Nodoka was only using Tristan to get back at Seto. But Nodoka wasn't she was just confused. Téa was content, but still worried about everyone, as she usually was.

Bakura brought in pizza for everyone. He noticed everyone had something on their minds. As they ate he thought of when Nodoka yelled at Seto. He liked Nodoka as a friend. She was fun to hang around with because she always spoke her mind. Even though she didn't cry, she was one of those people that wore their emotions right on the outside. Except for those times she was confused. Which was a lot of the time. Mira was cool also. She acted very much like Joey and those two agreed a lot. But now were dark times for everyone, since they had something on their minds, everything seemed more and more confusing. Everything seemed a little blown out of proportion to poor Bakura. He couldn't concentrate on schoolwork. He wanted to know why everyone was so down. But he didn't want to ask. Bakura sighed, he was so very confused.

Tristan sat in the park at the bench and looked at the stars, just as he and Nodoka had done the day she came back. Tristan didn't know what was going on to make her so confused. He could sense she was always keeping something hidden. But he didn't care; they were, kind of together. They hadn't even shared their first kiss. He wished so bad for that to happen. As he looked at the stars he imagined how it would be. He imagined that him and Kaiba got into a fight. Kaiba shoved him to the ground and Nodoka ran over to him in a long white skirt and a white blouse that swayed heavenly in the wind. And she would stand above his feet with her arms outstretched and yelling at Kaiba to leave him alone. Then she would turn and help him to his feet and right infront of Kaiba, kiss him softly on the lips, leaving Kaiba speechless. She would then lean on him and hold onto him lovingly. Then they would leave and spend that night together. She would tend to his wounds from the fight and then they would be alone for that night. Now, maybe it wouldn't exactly go like that but maybe it would be something kind of like that. Tristan had a lot of time to plan that, he had been thinking of that since he first made contact with her when Joey introduced them. Tristan was blushing. He was extremely happy.

Mokuba moved the castle piece. Mokuba was worried about Nodoka. She seemed down, a little blue. From the first time he met her he wanted her and Seto to be together. But now, he just wanted her to be happy. He noticed when she laughed that it was a little fake. She was so tense. Mokuba wanted his brother to think about what he'd done. Mokuba moved the bishop on the right. He was winning. Even though he had so much to think about, he was still able to comprehend all that was going on, even if everyone thought he didn't understand what was going on. For all he cared they could go to hell. He moved the queen. This was boring. He was annoyed with all the sadness. It was unbearable to him. He then noticed his brother's coldness to others had rubbed off on him. Yet, Nodoka was so caring. His heart was torn in two directions, if he knew it or not, it was so. He admired his older brother, what he did, who he was. But Nodoka was kind hearted, wasn't always booked up, and could take a joke, unlike his brother who had no time to do anything. Mokuba sighed. This was beginning to frighten him. The new situations were scary. He moved one last piece. "Checkmate." To be continued..
(Acri: That's the end of part 1. See, the way I figure it, have like, seven parts, with seven chapters. And ta da! Well, please do review. I will be posting the second part right here! So do continue to read! Haha! I so happy!

Seto: Are you done yet? Your foolish ramblings are annoying me.

Acri: Cheer up Seto! .On second thought. get me a soda with one of those little umbrellas in it.

Seto: I don't think so.

Acri: Nodoka! Where's your hammer of Seto Bashing?

Nodoka: *Playing video games against Mokuba on the TV * It's in the closet Acri!

Seto: *Runs away, Acri chases him with the hammer. He stops. * I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!

Acri: I thought I took those from you! *Runs off screaming: * Stay tuned to this story for Part 2! *Continues running. * OH MY GOD! NOT IN THE FACE!)