By Hikaru Hayashi
It's been a while, but I'm back! I know I kept some people waiting, like my good fan Master Ruby, but I apologize for that! I also apologize for not getting this up earlier, but my parents made me wash my mom's car.
So anyway, here's the next chapter! You'll never guess who shows up in this one! (New character! Whee!) Also, this chapter marks the countdown to Annie's return. If anyone has any requests on how to make her less of a space cadet, please let me know in your review! Because I have no clue!!
This chapter marks my 20th chapter point! I'm so happy!!
Disclaimer note: I don't own the new character that shows up in this chapter. I don't own anyone else from Yu-Gi-Oh! either! But I do own Sophia, Riley, and Izumi.
Let the story continue with CHAPTER 20!!!
Chapter 20: And Then There Were Three...
School dragged by as usual. Sophia tried to concentrate on her schoolwork, but her dream kept on coming back to haunt her. Was it a premonition? Or was she just stressed out? Maybe Izumi was right...she thought.
The bell rang to go to their last class. Riley waltzed up to Seto and whispered, "If yer gonna ask her, now's the time..."
Seto nodded. He walked up to Sophia. "Um, hey, Sophi."
Sophia turned around. "Oh! Hi, Seto! What's up?"
"Well..." he started. He felt his cheeks turning red. "I kinda had some free time off this weekend and..."
"Sure, I'll go out with you, Seto!" Sophia replied, not even thinking.
This annoyed Seto. "Do not finish my sentence, Sophia!" he said.
"Ah...oops..." she muttered. Great...don't tell me I can read minds too...she thought. Blast it all...
"Anyway!" Seto continued. "I was going to ask if you want to hang out this weekend. But since you already answered, I guess I don't have to ask! I'll pick you up at 6, okay?"
"All right," Sophia said. "Six it is. See you then!"
"Okay! (And make sure your dad doesn't find out...I don't want you to get in trouble again!)" With this, Seto walked off.
"I almost forgot about that..." Sophia said to herself. "Oh well!" She skipped off to class, no longer in a gloomy mood.
Well... thought Seto as he walked into his next class, that was easier than I thought it would be...!
The final bell rang. Sophia walked out of the school, waving to Riley as he sped by on his go-ped. He's bound to have an accident on that thing someday...she thought. She heard Seto calling her.
"Sophi!" he called. "Do you need a ride home?"
She turned and saw him standing by his limo. Mokuba poked his head out of the backseat window and waved.
Sophia smiled. "No thanks!" she shouted back. "I'll walk today. Besides, I need the exercise and I have water polo practice tomorrow (I haven't been going lately because I've had so much homework...)"
"Oh...okay," Seto said. He got into the limo. "See you at school tomorrow!" he said. The limo drove off.
"Hey!" came Izumi's voice. "If you want, you can walk home with me and Anzu!"
Sophia sighed and started walking. "No thanks..." she called back to Izumi. "I think I'll pass..." Anything to keep away from that Anzu girl...
She had walked a few blocks when she noticed someone lying in the middle of the sidewalk. He looked pretty badly injured. "Hey! That kid's hurt!" Sophia said as she rushed to help the injured person. He looked about 12 years old and had light green hair.
Sophia cradled the boy's head. "Hey...can you hear me?" she whispered.
The boy moaned.
"I've gotta get him to a hospital!" Sophia said as she got out her cell phone.
The injured boy woke up and found himself in a hospital room. "Wha...huh?" he managed to say. "How did I get here? What happened?"
Sophia walked back in the room with a soda in her hand, when she realized the boy had come to. "Great!" she said. "You're awake! I'm glad. The doctors weren't sure you were gonna make it. What happened to you?"
"It happened so fast..." the boy said. "I was on a train coming to visit some relatives of mine, when the train derailed...I barely escaped...I think I was the only one who survived the accident..." The boy tried to sit up.
"You shouldn't try to sit up," Sophia said as she grabbed a chair and opened her soda. "The doctors said they have to keep you here overnight. By the way," she said, starting to take a drink from her soda, "My name's Sophia Ann Carmichael. I'm the one who found you. What's your name?"
"Oh!" the boy said. "Sorry, I hadn't introduced my self. My name is Noah. Noah Kaiba."
Sophia spit out her soda. "D-d-did you just say Kaiba?!" she stuttered as she wiped soda from her mouth.
"Yes!" the boy called Noah replied. "Why?"
Sophia thought, it has to be a coincidence, but..."Noah..." she started. "Are you, by any chance, related to Seto and Mokuba Kaiba?"
"Yep!" he replied. "They're the relatives I was coming to visit! They're my step-cousins. I wanted to stop by and say hello, even though they don't like me very much. So, you know them?"
Sophia could not believe what she was hearing. They never told me they had a step-cousin...weird... She decided to answer Noah's question. "Well, yeah I know them. Seto's a classmate of mine."
Noah gave her a sly look. "You wouldn't wig out when I told you my name if he's just a classmate..." he said.
Sophia felt herself blushing. "What are you getting at?"
Noah snickered. "Seto's your boyfriend, isn't he?!"
"Uh...um..." Sophia stuttered.
"Yeah...uh-huh! I knew it!"
"Uh..." Sophia moaned. I know why they don't like him now...she thought. The kid's a total pest!
"Did anyone ever tell you that you have pretty eyes?" Noah asked, almost mockingly.
Sophia decided to retaliate. "Did anyone ever tell you you're an obnoxious little brat?"
"...Ouch..." Noah said, annoyed. "That hurts..."
"Words hurt, kiddo," she said while getting out her cell phone. "Trust me. I know from experience." She dialed Seto's number.
At the Kaiba mansion, Seto was in his room typing on his laptop, when the phone rang. As usual, this just happened to be the millionth call he'd gotten since getting home from school. Darn clients...he thought as he answered the phone. Do they ever give up?! He stopped. "Isona!" he shouted.
From the hallway, a voice answered: "Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" (A/N: In the English version, I believe "Isona" is called Roland, or something like that...)
"Isona, answer the phone, I'm busy!" Seto shouted as he continued typing.
"Yes sir!" he answered. About 30 seconds later, the guy called Isona shouted back, "Mr. Kaiba, it's your friend Sophia!"
"...Thanks..." he muttered as he picked up the phone. I should have answered it myself...he thought. "Hello, Sophia."
"Hey, Seto," came Sophia's voice on the other line. "Guess what?"
"What?"
"I'm at the hospital right now and..."
Seto became alarmed at this. "Are you okay? I'll be right there!"
"No! I'mfine, silly!" Sophia giggled. "Thanks for caring though. So there's a boy here who says he's your cousin, a Noah Kaiba. You know him?"
Seto was quiet. Did she just say Noah...? He thought. I guess I didn't tell him off good enough last time...! Seto decided to lie. "Nope! Never heard of him."
"Oh..." Sophia said.
In the background, Seto could hear their voices:
"Noah, Seto says he doesn't know you."
"He's lying through his teeth! Give me that phone, you!!"
"Hey! Watch it!"
The next time he heard a voice over the phone, it was Noah's.
"Hey, Seto!" he said cheerfully. "I missed you and Mokuba. How are the both of you doing?"
Seto was furious. "Give my girlfriend back her phone, you creep!!"
"I thought you didn't know me!" Noah teased.
"Look, you," Seto said. "I'm really trying not to lose my temper here. Now give Sophia back her phone and go home."
"Um...well, you see," Noah said, in an innocent tone. "I used up the last of my allowance on the trip here, so..."
"...You are not staying over here, you freak!" Seto shouted. "Look, I'll even send an escort to take you home. Just please go away!! And give Sophia's phone back to her you thief!!"
"Fine..." Noah sighed. "...Not even for a few days?"
Seto slammed the phone onto the receiver.
End Chapter Twenty
This chapter ends in a weird spot, but I couldn't think of how else to end it. So that's all. You can tell that Noah is that typical annoying cousin that gets on everyone's nerve, can't you? I hope to be able to post the next chapter soon. Until then, review! Ja ne!
