Chapter Eight-Veronica's Choice

"We're back online." Noa announced around a mouthful of chips. He was sitting in his chair, watching everything on his monitors. "Ronnie, come here." He beckoned to his young friend. When she came forward, he smiled. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little.....It still hurts so much..." Veronica sat down beside her virtual brother. "He still has the key, Noa-sama. How am I going to get home?"

"We will get it back. It's just going to take some time." Noa offered her the plate chips. "You should eat something, Doll."

"I'm not hungry..." Veronica insisted. "I just want to go home, Noa."

"That could be a long time coming." Mokuba informed her. "We just lost sight of my foster father."

"What?!" Noa stood up fast, and checked his monitors. "Blast him!" He scowled. "We're going to have to give him something....." He sighed deeply.

"I'll go." Veronica replied suddenly, her lower lip trembling.

"What? No, Veronica! That's stupid." Mokuba looked at her incredulously.

"No, it's brilliant. That's what he wants, Mokuba. I'm going to give him what he wants."

"But...Immouto, if you do that, you're doing exactly like what he wants." Noa looked at her, sadly. "Why would you give him what he wants after what we've been through?"

"I'm not the only person stuck here without the Virtual Key. You three are stuck here too." Veronica explained, as she got a pack together. "I'll take Skye, and go back to Alcatraz." "Veronica, I can't let you do this! I'm responsible for you." Noa stood in the door's path. "Please don't do this! He wants to use you!"

"Move out of my way, Noa." Veronica said through clenched teeth. "I'm going, and I won't let any of you stop me."

"Let her go." It was Seto who spoke now. His voice held that no nonsense tone that Veronica often heard in Vincent's voice. "She knows what she's doing." As the young girl passed him, Seto put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to know what I see when I look at you now?"

"Yes..." She looked up at him silently.

"A female version of my brother Mokuba." Seto smiled, ruffling her hair a bit. "You and Mokuba make a perfect set of friends, you know."

"They call me Mokuba's Apprentice back home. I guess we know why." She grinned slightly, then felt a tug on her arm. She looked up at Mokuba.

"I'm going with you. They're my brothers, you know."

"Mokuba.......I can't ask you to do that..." Veronica told him.

"You're not asking. I'm telling." Mokuba slipped his own backpack on. "Let's go."

"Fine....." She looked at the elder Kaibas. "We'll be back."

"Mokuba, be careful."

"I will be." Mokuba took Veronica's hand for comfort, and the two left.

"You don't really have a plan, do you?" Mokuba asked the girl when they were safely away from his brothers.

"Nope." Veronica smirked. "I had to get away from there though. I was feeling useless."

"I so know that feeling. Marik says everyone can be useful somewhere, and that maybe we just have to look for the chance." Mokuba smiled proudly. "Marik's probably the smartest friend I have."

Veronica grinned. "He certainly helped me out a lot last time. I love him now." She really wanted to know how Marik and Mokuba had become best friends. "But I've been a fan you Kaibas for a long time. It doesn't feel right to switch back and forth."

"I wouldn't mind if you liked the Ishtars and us both. It's perfectly all right. Victoria, that's Marik's adopted sister, started out with just the Ishtars, but now she likes everyone...well, except for the Underwoods."

"Underwoods? There's more than just Weevil?" Veronica groaned. "I'll admit it freely. I'm really not a Weevil fan at all."

"I don't think many people are." Mokuba agreed,as he summoned Skye. I can't believe I'm talking about the Underwoods like this again. It's been so long since I talked to Victoria like this...She adjusted really well, with the Robas' help. It would be wonderful if her and Veronica got to meet once. I bet they'd both have stories to tell each other. He smirked at the headaches that would cause everyone at home. They'd all probably had their fill of reality versus anime comparisons from Victoria.

"Mokuba? Skye's waiting. Come on!" Mokuba shook himself out of his thoughts, and climbed on.

"You know something, Veronica? We're a lot alike, you know." Mokuba directed the Blue Eyes White Dragon towards Alcatraz. "We could be twins at heart."

"Hmm....Twins at Heart....I like that!" Veronica told him. "Okay. I'll be your heart twin."

"I thought you wanted to be my apprentice?" Mokuba teased. "School is now in sessions."

"Lesson one?" Veronica asked, as Mokuba undid his pack, getting out a climbing rope.

"Be prepared to climb all heights when on a rescue mission." He prepared the grappling hook. "Be afraid, but do anything you have to do to succeed."

"I learned that...." Veronica felt him wrapping the cord around her waist. "Are you sure this is going to work, Mokuba?"

"Yeah." Mokuba fastened the cord to himself now. "It's going to be okay."

"I hope...." Veronica almost whispered. She began to breathe heavier as they approached Alcatraz.

"Trust me,Ronnie. Things are going to be fine. " Mokuba said as he threw the grappling hook. "Let's go."