Chapter 6
Here to There and Back Again

Nodoka woke up in the hospital. "Ah, good morning, do you have your card with you today?"

Her eyes adjusted to the light and she looked around. Mokuba was asleep on the left side of her bed; he was gently holding her hand in his. "Where am I?" she asked.

"In the hospital, where else did you think you would be?" said the doctor. He had spiky platinum gray hair, and he wasn't much older than Nodoka.

"I thought I might be. How did I get here?"

"Ask him," said the doctor. "I'll be back in a minute, Miss Nodoka. If you need me, just buzz, my name is Doctor Ariours Keshi." He walked out of the room and Nodoka nudged Mokuba awake.

"Hey, 'Kuba," she said quietly.

"Nodoka. You're awake?" Mokuba said raising his head. "Doctor Keshi said you probably wouldn't wake up for another few days."

"I'm a quick healer," she said. "So, what'd I hit?"

Mokuba smiled. "A large picture frame landed on you."

Nodoka sighed. "That's funny, I don't remember what happened last night. All I remember is getting on my motorcycle."

"You remember nothing else from last night?"

"No. just wearing my shades and speeding past cars. I don't know what I was doing. Or where I was going for that matter." Nodoka rubbed her head. "Hey, hand me my pants, would you?" Mokuba handed her blue jeans to her. Nodoka went through the pockets until she found her wallet. It was a small black velvet wallet. She opened it and took out her F.D. Card. The doctor walked back in.

She handed him the card. "Ah, frequent diers miles. A thing of the future," Dr. Keshi said.

"The only good thing about those cards is that I don't have to pay for it," Nodoka sighed.

"Ain't that the truth," said Dr. Keshi. "I'll get this back to you as soon as possible." Ariours walked away once more.

"So, Nodoka!" Mokuba said sitting on the side of the bed.

Nodoka cringed. "Don't shout 'Kuba, please."

"Sorry," Mokuba said. He smiled. "So, can you move at all?"

"I can probably knock you off the bed with my head, but I think that's all I can move." They laughed, but it came to an abrupt stop when Mai came through the door.

Mokuba turned his head and looked at Mai. "What do you want?" he said harshly.

"I've come to pay Miss Nodoka a visit," Mai said over sweetly. "Now move along you little runt."

Mokuba growled. "He stays," Nodoka said. Téa walked into the room. Mai turned to Téa and pulled out a gun. At that instant Nodoka received a flashback from her dream. Before the young reporter knew what she was doing, she jumped out of her bed and took a bullet for her friend Téa. Mai ran out of the room. Nodoka stood from the floor and quickly put her clothes on. The shot wound in her chest bled heavily. She ran out of her room and followed Mai. Mokuba and Téa frantically ran after them. As Arilana Nodoka ran down the sidewalk she put her hand on her chest. A few seconds later she incoherently wiped sweat from her face. But all that really did was smear blood on the right side of her face. She followed Mai past the Kaiba Mansion.

Seto stepped out of the gates only to be spun around when Mokuba and Téa ran past him. Seto ran after them. When he got next to his little brother he said, "What's going on?"

"Nodoka's after Mai!" Mokuba said.

"What happened?" Seto asked.

"Mai tried to shoot Téa, Nodoka. I'll tell you later!" Mokuba was breathing heavily.

Seto sped away from the two followers and ran up next to Nodoka. Still looking forward he asked, "What's going on?" Nodoka just ignored him. It seemed to him that she was barely breathing. He glanced at her and finally noticed the blood soaked shirt that she wore. He tripped, yelped weakly, and fell to the ground.

A few feet away, Nodoka stopped, she glanced from Mai, to the face-planted Seto Kaiba. She sighed and walked over to Seto. "Hey," she whispered to him. "You okay?"

He looked up. " What are you doing out here?" he said.

"I'm anything but helpless, Seto Kaiba." She smiled. "Hapless, but not helpless."

Seto moved to where he sat on his legs. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean for heaven's sake, you have a bullet in you."

"You'll never learn." At that Mokuba and Téa ran up to them. Nodoka smiled and fainted. She slowly leaned to the left until she lie on the ground.

"Nodoka!"

Once again Arilana Nodoka woke up in the hospital. Dr. Keshi was standing at her side. "Good . um. non-being-dead," Dr. Keshi said.

"Damn." Nodoka said.

"Hm? What's wrong?" he asked.

She sighed and then dully said, "You just stuck me with a needle, what do you think I'm." Her speech began to slur. "Soo damen maid aboot?"

Mokuba laughed. "Morphine! Nodoka's best friend!"

"I thought I was Nodoka's best friend!" Mira was standing in the doorway. "How is she?"

"Shot thorough the left ventricle. She already went through surgery. That was yesterday." Mokuba frowned. "Where were you?"

"Joey and I. Um. You don't need to know." Mira glanced at Nodoka. "She's been through a lot, hasn't she?"

"You can just leave, ya know?" said Mokuba. "She doesn't have to know that you stopped by. She's out cold."

Dr. Keshi looked at them. "If you're going to fight, take it outside."

"Huh?" Mira turned around and began talking with some one unseen by Mokuba. "Alright. I'm sorry to hear that. She'll be told," Mira said.

When she turned back around, Mokuba asked, "Who was that?"

"Tristan, apparently, he's in love with Serenity. He wanted Nodoka to know that him and her are. no longer together." Mira looked down.

Téa walked out of the restroom. "That's horrible! How dare he!" Téa walked past Mira and down the hall, she was going to give Tristan a piece of her mind.

A few hours later, when only Mokuba remained in the room, Nodoka awoke again. "God. I feel like some one hit me in the head with a hammer."

"Nodoka," Mokuba said. She looked at him. "Bad news, Tristan kinda . well. he broke up with you while you were under the influence of morphine."

"I figured as much," Nodoka said.

"How so?" Mokuba was curious.

"We grew distant, and he was spending more time with Serenity." She sighed. "I hope he still knows that I care for him, no matter what. He's a good friend."

"Nodoka."

"Yeah 'Kuba?"

"You were still going to help me with Mai and Seto. right?" She glanced at Mokuba. A sad expression covered his face.

"Mokuba. it's dangerous." Mokuba looked at the floor. "But I promise, before I die, I'll get you back in touch with your brother Seto, and Mai will be gone." Mokuba smiled.

Dr. Keshi walked in. "Oh, I see you're awake. Well, even though it's twelve in the morning, I guess I could see how you're doing," he said. "And your card is in your wallet."

Nodoka nodded. He checked the equipment and then put a slip of paper on the table so that they could contact him if anything were wrong. He said bye and left. "I think he likes you," Mokuba said.

"Yeah right!" Nodoka laughed.

"Good night Nodoka," Mokuba said. He curled up on the small couch in the room and fell asleep.

"Night . 'Kuba."

Nodoka was lying asleep in her bed. Seto walked in. He pulled the cover over Mokuba. This day he was wearing his dark blue trench coat. He sat next to Nodoka. He leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Nodoka woke and once again stared straight into his eyes. She quickly scrambled back and upward. "What are you doing here?" she said loudly.

Seto put his hand over her mouth and then pointed to Mokuba. "Shhh," he said. With his hand, he slowly caressed her face. Nodoka shivered. He leaned forward and kissed her once again.

Nodoka pushed him back. "You have a fiancé! More or less a wife!" She whispered harshly.

Seto just smiled. "I'm sorry I ever did such a thing. It isn't my intention to hurt you anymore." He grinned.

Nodoka woke up with a slight yelp. "You alright, Miss Nodoka?" Dr. Keshi asked.

Nodoka breathed heavily. "My heart hurts," she said clutching her chest.

Ariours checked her monitors. "Everything is fine. Something else must be wrong. Maybe something subconsciously?" he suggested.