By Hikaru Hayashi

Sorry this one took me so long (a mixture of a busy weekend and my sister monopolizing the computer...! >.) Anyway, I know a few of you liked the end of my last chapter, so let's continue this story. If any of you are still wondering where this is going (with Annie and everything), you'll find out soon enough! ; )

Disclaimer note: Seto Kaiba does not belong to me!! (Though I desperately wish he did...!) Neither does anyone else from Yu-Gi-Oh! who happens to appear in this fic!

Author's Note: I can't remember who it was, but I had someone complain about Sophia's last name in a chapter (I referred to her mom as "Mrs. Carmichael"). It was just a name off the top of my head, but just remember that her parents' first names are Rick and Jenna. I'll be using them from here on out in case the "Mrs. Carmichael" bugged anyone else. Also, I've decided to change the rating for later chapters. I realized some of the content in later chapters is not PG material...so...::winks:: None of you would rat me out, right? I am allowed to change the rating for later chapters, right? 'Cause if I am, next chapter, I'll change it. I want to be very careful, I don't want to lose another story!

And that, my friends, is that. Now let the story continue!

Chapter 12: Failed Attempt
        "Not So Easily Said...!"

        Sophia woke up the next morning with a strange feeling. 'Something bad might happen today...' she thought as she was dragging herself out of bed to get ready for school. She slowly put on her uniform, then picked up her book bag and crawled downstairs.

"Good morning sleepy head!" her father replied as he saw his daughter slinking down the stairs.

"Hi Daddy..." she muttered sleepily. 'One more hour...' she thought. 'Is that so much to ask!?' On top of being tired and lazy, she was also still concerned about Annie. She also had water polo practice that night and possibly a ton of homework. She had a lot on her mind, but felt a lot better when her dad offered to give her a ride to school. "You'd do that?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" Rick said as he picked up his jacket and car keys.

"Yay! I get a ride to school today!" shouted Sophia, happily. 'Then I don't have to deal with stinking Anzu on my way to school!' she thought. Her dad opened the car and she hopped in, no longer feeling depressed, but still concerned. She realized her car ride didn't change the fact that something had to be done about Annie.

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        Sophia got out of the car when she arrived at school. She waved to her dad before he drove off, and then walked through the doors, where Izumi was waiting for her. [A/N: How Izumi got to school before Sophia (and she had to walk) is unknown...]

"Hey," she said to Izumi. "How's it goin' for you?"

"I'm okay..." Izumi replied. "Anzu missed you today on our walk to school."

'And I thought she finally got it through her thick skull that I don't like her!!' Sophia thought, annoyed.

"Ya wanna walk to class with me instead of going by yourself this time?" Izumi asked.

"Sure," Sophia replied.

The two friends walked to their first period class.

        Meanwhile, Seto was already in the classroom. He was sitting at his desk staring out the window. 'What a nice day!' he thought, for no apparent reason at all. He heard the door opening and turned to see Izumi and Sophia walking into the classroom. He quickly turned around so Sophia wouldn't see him blushing. '...Sh-should I talk to her...?' he thought.

"Hey Riley!" Sophia said, giving her usual morning greeting to Riley.

"'Sup?" Riley replied, lazily leaning back in his desk.

Sophia sat at her desk and attempted her usually complicated morning task: "Hello Seto," she said.

Seto jumped a little. "Um...h-hello..." he managed to say, not looking at her.

Sophia was amazed. 'Whoa...did he just reply?' she thought. 'He replied with something other than "whatever"...wow! I don't believe my ears!' Instead of acting surprised, she decided to be sly about it. "Omigod, NOW you're talking to me?" she said, sarcastically. "How amusing."

Seto turned and stared at her, immediately regretting that he did. Instead of giving her his usual cruel remarks, he was suddenly speechless.

Sophia was startled by Seto's blank stare. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked him. "I was only playing around...hey...what's wrong Seto?"

"Nothing, I'm fine" is what he wanted to say, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the words didn't come out. 'What...why can't I talk?' he thought. 'Why can't I say something? And why the heck can't I keep from staring at her...?'

Sophia began to get a little concerned. "Seto, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" she asked as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should go see the nurse."

'...She's touching me...!' Seto thought as his face went scarlet. He felt his heartbeat getting quicker. The air in the room seemed thick, and he felt as though someone had turned the heater up all the way. "Um...I...I..." he stammered, barely able to breathe, let alone speak. Seto fainted as he collapsed to the floor.

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        "Kaiba-san...? Kaiba-san? Kaiba-san! Wake up!" said a voice that sounded remotely like Kumogata-sensei. Seto opened his eyes to see half the class crowded around him. "...Huh? What happened?" he asked as Kumogata- sensei helped him sit up.

"Daijobu, Kaiba-san?" asked Sensei. "You had us all worried there."

"Whaddya mean 'what happened'?!?" shouted Riley. "You were out cold fer like, ten minutes, man!!!"

"What?!" Seto said, startled. "Where..."

"You're in the nurse's office," Sophia's voice answered his question before he even asked it.

He looked in her direction. She looked as though she had been crying.

"The nurse was just about to call the hospital if you hadn't come to," she said.

"Hey," he started to ask, "why are you crying?"

Sophia suddenly became angry. She marched through the crowd of students straight up to Seto, and slapped him. "You scared me you jerk!!!" she shouted.

A startled Seto rubbed the side of his face. "Nan da?! Why did you hit me?" he shouted.

Sophia didn't answer. She stormed out of the nurse's office, slamming the door behind her. She walked to her next class. "I'm so glad he's alright..." she said to herself.

Seto hopped out of the bed he had been lying in and walked to the door. He opened it just in time to see Sophia walking off to class.

The nurse walked up to him. "You should lie back down," she said to him. "you're still not well."

Then, suddenly, Seto sighed and said to no one in particular, "She's very pretty, isn't she...?"

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End Chapter Twelve

Heh, heh, heh...::winks:: I think we all know what's coming next. Don't worry...I'll tell you this much: Annie will be stopped, I just don't know how yet! Go figure, huh? But right now, all you have to worry about is reviewing. Ja ne!