Normal felt so strange after everything that had happened in Egypt, but it also relieved Amane quite a bit to know that she was her own person again, that she would no longer be possessed at random and without warning by the malevolent spirit of an ancient criminal. The thief King was gone, and she could breathe again.

As she tried to get a handle on her life, she got to know Marik better, even if only through phone calls, letters, emails, and video chat. He'd had a sadistic yami as well, but now he was gone. As much as Amane admired and liked Yugi as a friend, he couldn't understand what it was like to have a yami who sought to suppress your spirit every chance he got. That was one thing that Marik and Amane had in common, and it was nice to have someone who understood. They'd also both lacked a mother for most of their lives, and Amane's own father was entirely absent from her life, just like Marik's, though for different reasons.

Amane's own father had spent the majority of Amane's life in Egypt and similar archaeological sites in the Mesopotamian and Mediterranean areas, and Amane was saving up to visit Marik in his home. Personally, she was curious to see more of the homeland that Marik loved so much, curious to see what made it so wonderful that her father much preferred it to his own daughter.

Was it a long-distance relationship? Yugi and Téa seemed to think so, and while Amane could admit to herself that she had a hard crush on her best friend, she wasn't certain if he thought of her in that way. Well, she'd find out when she got to Egypt, and even if he didn't like her back, he was still her best friend.

"I think you should call your father and let him know that you'll be in Cairo," Marik said during their nightly phone call. They were talking earlier in the evening tonight, though, because she had to get to bed early for her morning flight. She was still packing for her trip, trying to organize her small suitcase in the most efficient way possibly.

"I-I don't want to," Amane said. "I don't even know for sure if the cell number I have for him still works. And even if he did care that I was going to be in Egypt, there's no guarantee that he's there right now, or that he's even able, let alone willing, to come see me. And what would I say to him? It's been years since I've seen him or spoken to him."

"You won't know unless you try," Marik insisted gently. "What's the worst that could happen: things don't work out, and they go back to the way things have always been. Not ideal, but nothing's different, nothing's lost. You don't have anything to lose, and everything to gain. Why are you so afraid of him?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know a lot of great fathers in my friend circle, or at all really. Joey just moved out of his abusive father's apartment to live with Yugi, because the situation got so bad that he had to take days off of school to work or heal. Tristan and Yugi never knew their fathers because they walked out on them when they were so young. Duke's father pushed him too hard too young, imposing his own ambitions on his son since he failed to achieve them himself, and even Seto Kaiba's father was emotionally, psychologically, and physically abusive, and now he's going through therapy—finally—to fix all the things that got screwed up in his head. Who knows how Mokuba will turn out, hopefully better than his brother."

Marik could tell that Amane was worried. Talking about her father always stressed her out, for some reason. He wanted to help her with that, but there was only so much he could do to help her from 6000 miles away. It would be easier for him to do so once she was with him in the desert.

"What time does your flight leave again?" he asked, changing the subject for her benefit.

"Tomorrow morning at 7:25 a.m., I'm flying out of Tokyo Narita Airport into Cairo International Airport," Amane recited. She'd carefully studied all of her flight information and knew it by heart. "The estimated time of arrival is 12:46 p.m., your time, but that's assuming that we depart on time and that we don't encounter any delays or malfunctions."

"Great! I'll be there to pick you up, and I'll be sure to get there a little bit early just in case you land earlier than the ETA. Call me when you're about to take off, okay?" Marik made a concerted effort to sound even more cheerful than he felt, wanting her to feel happy and at ease.

"I will, I promise," Amane answered with a smile. "I'm really looking forward to spending the week with you in Egypt. Please thank your sister again for letting me stay with your family while I visit."

"I will, and trust me, it's no problem at all. We're glad to have you visit us. If you're going to be at the airport on time for your flight, you'd better get some sleep."

"Alright, I will. I'll see you tomorrow, Marik." Amane could feel her cheeks grow hot, her heart fluttering within her chest.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Amane," Marik answered, grinning like an idiot. "Sleep well!"

After Amane'd hung up, she closed her suitcase and sat on it so that she could zip it closed. She gave a start as Serenity and Téa stuck their heads into her room, giggling. Amane blushed even harder, feeling embarrassed, even though she knew she didn't have anything to be ashamed of with her friends.

"We finished packing the snacks for your flight, and we packed some brownies for you to take to them as a gift," Téa said cheerfully as they entered her room. "We just thought we'd come say goodbye one last time."

Amane stood up and hugged both of her friends tightly. "I'm going to miss you guys while I'm in Egypt," she whispered, feeling grateful to them for their long-standing support.

"That's what friends are for," Serenity replied warmly.

"And we'll always be here for you, whenever you need our help," Téa added with equal sincerity. Then she leaned forward to whisper in Amane's ear, "And if I were you, I would probably say something to Marik about how you feel." Amane felt her face go red, but Tea winked at her reassuringly. "You might be surprised how things turn out."

"Again, thank you both so much for your help," Amane said. "I'll tell you all about it when I get back, and I'll be sure to have presents for you!"

"If you can get a boyfriend while you're there, then that's enough of a present for us!" Serenity teased, only half joking.

Amane's cheeks were still burning from Téa's comments, so she couldn't be blushing even more than she already was. She liked Marik a lot, and if she could enter into a relationship with him while she was in Egypt, she would be thrilled. But first things first: she had to get some sleep so that she could be at the airport on time tomorrow morning. It was going to be a long travel day.