By Hikaru Hayashi

Hey there. I figured it was about time for me to add a new conflict. So I'm about to attempt. Will edit this chapter if necessary (like if you don't like it or if I don't like it if I get a request.)

Also, I highly recommend you read the Edits I made for Chapters 14 and 15 if you haven't already done so. Then comment me on those so I know if I have more editing to do.

To my reviewer/fan, Master Ruby: I feel you! Riley is a pretty neat character, isn't he? Don't worry, the whole gang's back in this chapter!

Disclaimer note: (This is Disclaimer note #22 for Hikaru Hayashi's fic, Kokoro no Seto and she is getting really tired of these but she has no choice) I don't own anything! Okay, I do own something, but not everything.

Chapter 22: A Rival in Love

"Yet Another New Student"

"Listen, Seto?" Sophia said as they were walking to school. "I'm sorry about the way my parents acted. It's just that...they can be so juvenile at times...especially my dad..."

"It's okay..." Seto replied, not really looking at her.

"...Seto..." Sophia sighed. Then she remembered. "That's right! My mother wanted to invite you over for dinner Friday night. But, you've seen the way my parents act now, so you probably don't want to...and you're probably busy..."

"Actually, Sophi," Seto said, this time actually looking at her. "I'd like to come over on Friday."

Sophia looked up. "Really?" she said, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Sure," Seto replied. "Why not?"

Sophia caught up with Seto and hugged him. "Wow! After the way my dad treated you and you still would like to come over! You're wonderful, Seto!"

"...Ah...thanks," he said, blushing. I just hope her parents aren't like that all the time...

As the bell rang for class to start, Ms. Kumogata silenced the class. "Alright, class! Listen up. (Or else!) We have another new student!"

The class moaned.

"Yet another one?" A random student groaned, shooting Seto a dirty look.

Seto glared at the student, scaring him and causing him to turn back around and cringe.

"Yep! That's right!" said Kumogata-sensei, with a surprisingly huge smile on her face. "Another one! Like Kaiba-san, our new student has transferred here from Domino High School."

Riley suddenly seemed interested. Aha! he thought. My new lackey! This is perfect, especially if it's another one a' those snobs from Domino High. I will run his dignity into the ground like yesterday's garbage!

Just then, the door opened. A boy with dark hair and green eyes walked in. A lone earring in the shape of a die dangled from one ear.

"Class," Kumogata-sensei began. "This is our new student, Ryuji Otogi."

"Hello everyone!" said the boy.

"All righty...Otogi-kun, there is an empty seat...right over there!" Sensei said, pointing at an empty desk in front of Sophia. [A/N: Lucky her...two in a row...]

Otogi stared at Sophia. Oh my god...he thought. She must be an angel! And I'm in heaven...

Well...should I try and make a good impression or just leave it alone? Sophia thought, remembering what happened when she first met Seto.

Otogi strolled over to the empty desk, put down his book bag, turned to Sophia and said, "Well, hello there, Beautiful!"

Sophia was stunned. "Aah...?!"

"So?" Otogi said, hoping to get a better response this time. "Aren't you going to tell me your name, Sweet Cheeks?"

"My name is Sophia Ann Carmichael," she said. "It's not Beautiful or anything like that."

"Sophia...such a pretty name for such a pretty face."

"Cut it out with the flattery!" Sophia squeaked nervously.

"I don't know if anyone's ever told you this before," Otogi said, playing with a strand of his hair. "But you, my darling Sophia, are a like a flower...a single rose on a bush full of thorns...you are a very attractive young woman indeed."

Sophia blushed. "Well...I-I'm glad you think that but..."

Seto felt his anger rising. He felt something he had never felt before—jealousy. Grr...Darn you...Otogi!! He thought, resisting the urge to walk over and smack the crap out of him. Darn you...you leave Sophia alone...!

Otogi turned and faced Seto. "Hello, Kaiba," he said flatly. "Didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Seto just glared at him.

"Tell me," Otogi began. "What do you know about Sophia here? Knowing you, you've probably never spoken to the nice girl. She's very attractive, don't you agree? But, knowing you, you're probably not interested in things like that. I was going to ask pretty Sophia out on a date tomorrow [Sophia cringes]. But you probably don't care. You're probably not even jealous. You should be, because I got to her first!!"

"That's enough! Shut up!!" Seto screamed. It was the last straw. He could no longer contain his anger.

"O-ho! What's this?" Otogi said. "Do I see...is Kaiba jealous? Oh no! I'm so scared!"

Poor fool...Sophia thought. He really should be scared...

Seto looked up, his face red from anger and frustration. "I'm warning you, Otogi..." he said. "Don't push me. If you so much as lay a finger on Sophia, I'll..."

"Um...boys?" came Kumogata-sensei's voice. "Could we finish our little argument after class? (Unless you'd rather settle it in detention! Gya ha!)"

Otogi turned around and sat in his desk, a little steamed that Seto had stood up to him like that. Who does that Seto Kaiba think he is? He thought. Getting all angry because I spoke to a pretty girl...I didn't even think he liked girls!!

Seto stared at his desk the whole time, not saying a word to anyone. Jerk! He thought. Ooh...wait till I get my hands on him...he'll wish he'd never transferred to this school...

It was lunchtime. Riley decided he would go and try to make Otogi his personal slave, when he noticed Seto heading in that direction.

That's even better! Riley thought. I worked hard to get Sophia and Kaiba together...this bum Otogi could ruin everything! Go fer it, Kaiba! Defend the woman you love!

"Hey! Otogi!" Seto shouted.

Otogi, who was playing with a strand of his hair, turned around. "Hmm? Yes?"

"Where do you think you're going, Otogi?"

"Well, it's none of your business," Otogi started, playing with the same strand of hair, "but I'm going to ask Sophia if she wants to have lunch with me. Then I'm going to take her out on a date. You have a problem with that?"

Seto was furious. "I think you know darn well what my problem is! Now, let's get something straight here...Sophia is mine! You got that?! And you're not going to take her from me!"

"Ah, so you do know her?" Otogi said, somewhat surprised. "She's your girl?! Hah! Don't make me laugh, Kaiba!" Then, he suddenly became serious. "She could never love a guy like you! You are self-centered and arrogant! There's no way you could ever have feelings for someone. You don't understand..."

"On the contrary, Otogi," Seto said coldly. "I think it's you doesn't understand. Why don't you just get it through your head, Sophia doesn't like you! She wouldn't go out with a show-off like you in a million years!!"

They exchanged cold glances.

"I will have Sophia!" Otogi said, stubbornly. "She will be my girl!!"

"Over my dead body!!!" Seto shouted.

"Then so be it!!!" Otogi screamed back. With this, Otogi pulled back a fist and punched Seto in the gut, hard.

"Ah!" Seto gasped. He fell to the ground.

Riley, who had been watching the whole thing, gasped. Ah no! This is not good...

Seto slowly pulled himself to his feet. "Ooh...why I oughta..." He walked up to Otogi and socked him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Oof!" Otogi grunted as he hit the ground. This had been the last straw for him. "Argh! Tackle!!!!" Otogi screamed as he jumped up and lunged at Seto.

Sophia had been sitting with Izumi and her friends. That's weird...Seto would have been here by now... she thought. Something's wrong...I feel it...

Suddenly, she heard a voice that sounded remotely like Riley, shouting:

"FIGHT!!!!!"

"What the devil?" Izumi said as she got up and ran. "Riley-kun!"

"Izumi-chan! Wait for us!" her friends shouted as they ran after her.

Hm...not my problem...Sophia thought. She got up and started to walk away. Suddenly, one of Izumi's friends shouted: "Oh no! Otogi-kun is killing Kaiba-kun!!"

Sophia quickly turned and ran in the other direction. "Oh no! Seto!!" she cried.

As Sophia reached the scene, she had to push her way through a crowd of people. "Let me through!" she shouted. As she got to the front of the crowd, she shouted, "Ryuji! Stop it!"

Otogi had pinned Seto to the ground. He had been pounding Seto's head against the hard concrete while trying to strangle him.

Otogi looked up at Sophia, flattered that she had called him "Ryuji" instead of "Otogi-kun" like everyone else. "Sophia!!" he shouted. "I am going to have you for my girlfriend, as soon as I finish this creep off! Just you watch!"

"Ryuji! Please don't hurt him!" Sophia said as she began to cry.

"Ah! Wha..." Otogi stumbled. He was confused. She's...crying... he thought. She would cry over this jerk? But...I thought she liked me for sure! What's going on here...?

Seto, who was barely conscious, looked up at a figure who looked like Sophia. "S-...So-phi...?" he stammered.

"Let him go, Ryuji," Sophia said. "Please...you'll kill him!"

Otogi stared at Sophia. "Isn't that what we want?!"

"What we, Ryuji?"

"You and me, Sophia! Of course!"

"Ryuji..." Sophia said. Then it hit her. Oh no...Ryuji must like me too...! "Ryuji! I know why you're doing this! You like me, don't you?"

"You know!" Otogi said. "Then you should know I'm crazy about you!"

"Then you must know..." Sophia started, "...this is going to hurt your feelings, but...Seto is my boyfriend."

Otogi felt his heart skip a beat. She can't be saying this...he thought. She just can't be! There's no way they can be together! And she just called him "Seto"?! This can't be happening!!!

"Now...let go of him, Ryuji...please," Sophia pleaded.

I don't want to see her cry anymore...Otogi thought. I just want to see her happy... Otogi let go of Seto. He stood up, faced Sophia and said, "Well, you got what you wanted. I just hope this jerk makes you happy. If he treats you badly in any way, feel free to come talk to me." With these words, Otogi walked off.

Riley was running back from somewhere as Otogi walked by. He bumped into Riley on purpose. "Well excuse you!" Riley muttered. "Sophia! I called the hospital! Is Kaiba okay?"

"I always thought you were the one cousin of mine with some sense, Seto!" Noah said as he, Mokuba, and Sophia were sitting in Seto's hospital room a few hours after his fight with Otogi. "Do you realize you could have been killed?!"

Seto looked up. He had a bandage around his head and there were scratches on his neck where Otogi had strangled him.

"Noah...shut up," Seto said to his cousin. "You don't understand..."

"You're right!" Noah shot back. "I don't understand. I guess it's true...love is blind..."

"What does that mean, Noah?" Mokuba asked.

"Ah, never mind..." Noah sighed. Luckily, I will never fall in love with some bimbo girl like Seto did...

Sophia just stared as they argued. "I wish I got along that well with my cousins..." she said to herself. Her cousins never did talk to her because they were jealous of her abilities.

"Did you just say something, Sophi?" Seto asked.

Sophia awoke from her daydream. "Oh! I was just thinking about how well you get along with your cousin and brother. I wish I got along that well with my cousins..."

"No you don't!!" Noah and Seto replied at the same time.

Sophia just giggled.

At this time, a nurse walked into the room to check on Seto's condition. Sophia recognized her. "Hey Mom. What's up?"

Seto, Noah, and Mokuba looked up.

Oh no...Seto thought. Not her...not this crazy woman...

"Are you feeling better, Seto?" Jenna asked. "So, who are your other friends?"

"This is Seto's cousin Noah and his little brother Mokuba," Sophia said.

"I believe I remember his little brother," Jenna said as she winked at Mokuba.

Just then, Mokuba had remembered something. "It's her..." he said, as though in a trance, as a thought came back to his mind...

It was a couple of weeks ago at the lake...the day Sophia saved Seto from drowning. Sophia had thrown Mokuba her cell phone and told him to call the hospital.

"Here! Call for help!" she said to Mokuba.

Mokuba dialed the number. On the other end, a nurse answered the phone:

"Hello, may I help you?" the kind nurse had asked.

Mokuba, who was a little shy, and still shaken up from having fallen in the lake himself, replied, "Hi...um...my brother fell in the lake..."

"Oh wow..." the nurse had replied in a spacey voice. "Is he alright?"

"Um...if he were..." Mokuba started, "I don't think that stupid girl Sophia would have given me her phone to call you..."

At this point, for some strange reason, the nurse had asked him what Sophia's full name was and also knew his brother's name was Seto. At the time, Mokuba didn't pay this any mind. He only knew that his older brother could die. He rudely shouted:

"WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THIS?! MY BROTHER NEEDS HELP!! NOW GET DOWN HERE!!"

As this thought was coming back to him, Mokuba looked at Jenna furiously and said, "I remember now! You're that crazy nurse I talked to on the day of the lake incident!! Nii-sama could have died because of you!!"

"Well, now you know," Jenna said. She was smiling, despite the fact that Mokuba was officially pissed off.

"You're Sophia's mom?! Hah! I see the resemblance..." Mokuba remarked crudely.

"Mokuba! Be nicer to the kind lady," Noah said.

"I don't gotta listen to you Noah!!" Mokuba shouted defiantly. "You're not my brother! You're just some punk who just happens to be part of this family! I hate you Noah!"

"Mokuba!! Stop shouting!" Seto scolded. "I know I taught you better than that...and despite the fact that Noah's a punk, you don't hate him."

"But...Nii-sama!!"

"Trust me, Mokuba," Seto said, more to himself than to Mokuba, "You don't even know the meaning of the word 'hate'..."

Sophia and her mom just looked at each other.

I wonder if they argue this much on a daily basis...Sophia thought. It's probably none of my business though...

Sophia's mom stared out a window and sighed. My poor daughter...she thought. To think that if she someday marries that boy Seto she would have to deal with this every day...and I don't know if she has that kind of patience... She looked over at her daughter and her friends.

"Hey, would you boys just quit with the bickering?" Sophia asked.

"Sure thing, Sophi," Seto replied.

"HEY! You just said that because Sophia asked you to!" said an annoyed Noah. "Do you do everything she tells you?"

"No..." Seto said. "I just want her to be happy..."

"I will never understand girls..." Mokuba said.

Well, we'll see, won't we? Jenna thought, smiling. They'd make a charming family...

End Chapter Twenty-two

This was an awfully long chapter. This might be the longest chapter I've ever written! It took up eleven pages on my computer and 3 days because of Band Camp (which, by the way is over because for me, school starts next week...boo...). But, that's it! Tell me what you think of it. Ja ne!