5
The Black Magician watched his student study the tome he had given her. Her eyes slowly moved side to side as she tried to memorise the words inside of it. While reading, Amelia brought a hand up and rubbed at her eyes before yawning a bit. She had started waking up two hours earlier than usual, so she had enough time to study before going about her day. She had to summon the Black Magician so she would have the ability to ask him for some help if she needed it.
"I need to get ready for school," She muttered after looking at the clock on her desk.
Amelia loved seeing her friends but hated being stuck in school all day. She sighed and closed the tome before standing up from her desk. Her back let out a loud crack, and Amelia winced at the sound. The Black Magician went back to his card, and she placed it in her bag before getting ready for the day. Kuriboh flew behind her and messed with her hair. She paused for a few seconds before smiling.
"Do you want to style my hair today?" She gently asked.
Kuriboh let out loud sounds of happiness and started to braid the strands of hair. It even brought the strands that covered her eye into the braid. It was a strange sensation to be able to see through both eyes without something obstructing her view. The braid went down to her waist, and she pulled it to the front to see what it looked like. Kuriboh had a skill in braiding hair; she was impressed.
Amelia pulled on her uniform and tied the ribbon with a practised ease. She even tied one into Kuriboh's fur; so the monster didn't feel left out. She pulled on her knee-high socks and grabbed her bag before hurrying down the stairs. Amelia slipped on the last step and grasped the railing to restore her balance. She let out a sigh of relief and continued to the kitchen. Amelia had two lunches to make. She usually went for fried foods since they were the easier option and quick to make. Amelia wanted to do something lighter, something different. She made some Tamago and teriyaki salmon. For the vegetable, she placed pickled daikon inside the obento. Amelia stood back and smiled at the food before closing all the containers and placing them in her bag.
Amelia looked at the newspaper on the counter, and her blood ran cold. Criminal 777 escapes from prison civilians are to be on guard as the criminal is armed. How did he even get a gun in Japan? Weren't the police the only ones to have a gun? She frowned, her knowledge of Japanese laws escaping her. She couldn't remember if civilians could own guns or not. She was so sure they couldn't.
"What's wrong, Mia-chan?" Yugi questioned as she met up with the two boys.
"Eh?" Amelia asked in confusion.
"You look tired," Ryou clarified.
"Oh, I've been waking up earlier than usual," She said as she sheepishly scratched the back of her head, "Sorry to worry you."
Amelia smiled, and the two boys turned a light pink. Ryou was handed his lunch for the day, and he gently placed it in his bookbag. She always made sure to avoid foods he didn't like, and he appreciated it. She once made him profiterole! That was one of his favourite foods. Ryou hadn't had someone pay that much attention to his likes and dislikes in years. They quietly chatted about a new development with Duel Monsters, and the two boys became excited when Amelia informed them of some new cards heading Japans way. They got off at their stop and greeted Jounouchi. It was Friday, so he walked with them that morning.
"Have you heard about the criminal?" Jounouchi questioned as they all fell into step.
Jounouchi was on the outskirts, followed by Yugi, then Amelia, and finally Ryou. It was an unusual lineup. He watched as their faces became different emotions. Yugi looked slightly worried but mostly calm, knowing that the odds of running into a criminal were low. Ryou was more worried but in the same boat of calm. Amelia's reaction bothered him the most. She looked downright terrified by the idea of a criminal running amok. He almost felt bad bringing it up.
"Relax, Mia," Jounouchi stated, "it's not like we're going to run into the criminal."
"Don't…don't tempt the universe, Jounouchi-kun," She said with a sigh, "saying things like that will only make them more likely to happen."
He grinned at her words and she sighed in response. At least she still felt up to telling jokes. She looked at Kuriboh and noted that the monster was messing with Ryou's hair. Said teen grabbed onto the white strands and gave a soft frown in confusion. A small smile appeared on Amelia's face and she knew that had been the monster's goal. Yugi caught sight of the smile and he gained one of his own. It was always nice when his friends were happy. She turned to him and his cheeks turned a light pink as he quickly looked away.
Amelia pondered that for the entire school day. Was it possible that Yugi could have a small crush on her? She knew that he had one on Anzu, an obvious one at that but the brunette in question never seemed to notice. A part of her felt almost predatory even thinking about such things. She had been in her early twenties when Mahad sent her to fulfil a prophecy. Was she granted a second chance at her last two years of high school? Could she think about dating without that part of her mind that spoke up to inform her that it felt wrong. She closed her eyes for a few seconds as Kuriboh laid on her head and closed its eyes. She didn't know the answer to her own query. She was sixteen again, and she felt that she'd never have that high school romance her friends used to talk about. It was her own fault; she had been too driven taking too many classes at once trying to please her parents. It never worked. No matter how much stress she put on herself, they never seemed to give her more than a "that's cool" when she brought it up. Gold medals from getting first place in rowing were given disappointed looks, her artwork heavily criticised for being too cartoonish, and her enjoyment of making coffee for a part time job was sneered at.
The longer she was away from her family the more she was able to see just how toxic the environment had been. How ironic that a man, who was supposed to be a villain, showed her more encouragement than her own parents. Oh, her grandfather had tried his best. He saw what she couldn't see. What she pretended not to see or hear. He gave her as much encouragement as possible. She missed him, and leaving him behind was one of her biggest regrets about taking on the prophecy.
Someone leaning on her desk got her attention. She was pulled from her thoughts completely as a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Are you sure nothings bothering you, Mia?" Jounouchi asked, and Amelia looked up at him in surprise.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," She quietly said, turning her attention to the boys as a whole, "what are you three up to?"
"We were going to go to the new burger world," Yugi answered, "would you like to come, Mia-Chan?"
Ah, 777. She would have to go. It was her duty to protect the Pharaoh as much as she could. She nodded and Yugi perked up at her agreement to join them. He was easy to please. She gathered up her notebooks as Jounouchi leaned even further onto her desk. She shot him a look and lightly hit his head with a notebook.
"Oh, about that burger world place," Anzu said as she walked up to them.
"Are coming along as well, Mazaki-Chan?" Ryou asked with a tiny smile.
"Are you joking?" Anzu asked in a slightly shrill voice, "Burger World is known for serving bad food, I heard that a bunch of customers got sick when they first opened."
"O-Oh," Ryou softly said as he moved to hide behind Amelia.
Amelia was just as confused and Anzu watched as dawning realisation appeared on the other girls' face. She mentally cursed, of course Amelia would notice. She plastered a smile on her face as Amelia turned to look at Ryou with a raised brow.
"Why me?" Amelia quietly asked.
"Mazaki-Chan likes you," He shrugged, "I've also seen you take down people more than half your size."
"I am freakishly strong," Amelia nodded and Ryou stuttered out an apology, "don't worry, I think it's a compliment."
Ryou sighed in relief as Yugi changed their plans to the calorie burger near the station. Ryou was oddly upset, he had wanted to go to the new burger world. It would be the first time that he'd have an outing with friends. Jounouchi frowned slightly as Anzu turned the offer down. She even used the criminal as an excuse.
"She's been acting strange lately," Jounouchi said as they all gathered their bags, "maybe she's doing enjokousai?"
"Not likely," Amelia huffed before lightly jabbing him in the side as the other two turned a bright red.
"Jounouchi-kun!" Ryou yelped.
"Anzu wouldn't do something like that!" Yugi added.
"Oho, your faces got so red," Jounouchi teased the two boys as he rubbed at his aching side.
Amelia could cause more damage than he thought. She fixed her bag strap over her shoulder and he finally took notice of her school bag. It was a nice messenger bag with so many pockets that she most likely didn't need. He caught the strap moving slightly and Amelia tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. He narrowed his eyes in though before shrugging, it was most likely nothing.
"Why don't we follow her to see what she's doing?" He offered and the other three sighed.
"Honestly," Amelia muttered.
She felt her right eye twitch as they slowly trailed behind Anzu. Yugi and Jounouchi took one side of the street while she and Ryou took the other. It wouldn't take long for the brunette to notice that she was being followed. Most women had that second sense. Amelia grabbed onto her friends' arm when she saw the other girl turn. They ended up in a flower shop and she sent Ryou an apologetic smile.
Kuriboh was in heaven at the sight of so many flowers in a small area. It was flying around and looking at the different types, chirping to its summoner about which ones it liked. Ryou took note of Amelia's slightly distracted face before she held up a finger and quickly picked a few flowers and paid for a custom bouquet. They walked out and met up with the other two. Jounouchi raised a brow at the flowers and Amelia turned a bright red. She liked a happy Kuriboh, and so far, the zooming monster was the happiest she had seen it. Those flowers were going to last a long time if the monster had anything to say about it.
"This is burger world, right?" Amelia asked as she looked up at the building, the caricature of a burger holding a burger threw her for a loop.
"Yeah, why would she come here?" Jounouchi muttered and Yugi frowned in thought.
"Well, we're better off going inside," Ryou stated, and they all turned to look at him.
"We are here," Yugi agreed, and he bravely stepped up to the entrance.
"Welcome to burger world! Will you need a booth?" Anzu chirped at them from inside, the lime green uniform almost blinding under the fluorescent lights, "I'll seat you in just a…"
Anzu trailed off and slowly walked backwards into the building. Amelia had no qualms with walking inside to get out of the sun, she sometimes cursed her genes. She sunburned so easily, it had to be the ginger genes she had from her grandparents. She sighed quietly as the boys joined her. Anzu led them to a booth, and they all sat down. The orders were given in an awkward and tense air and the four friends shared looks.
"Why am I the one that's on the outside?" Amelia questioned as she looked at Jounouchi.
"Because she less likely to hit you or Yugi," He answered and she narrowed her eyes at him, "don't worry, if she does, I'll make sure to buy you some flowers as an apology."
"I like flowers, lay off," She muttered.
She tensed when their orders were practically slammed on the table. Her milkshake wobbled from side to side before standing still. Jounouchi moved backwards as Anzu squeezed a bottle of ketchup and wrote on the burgers. Ryou looked impressed by the intimidation tactic and raised his brows. He made the mistake of looking up and he felt a shiver of fear go down his spine.
"Please, our burgers come with plenty of ketchup," Anzu stated, "enjoy."
She spun on her heel and began to walk away and Jounouchi found his courage. He stood up in the booth and he frowned at the brunette. Ryou and Amelia looked at the words left behind on the burgers. Blab and I'll kill you. Amelia was impressed and she shared a nod with Ryou. When they weren't faced with Anzu's glare they could appreciate the hustle.
"What's this all about?" Jounouchi questioned.
"This is my part time job, I've been hiding it because of the school rules," Anzu answered, "I'm saving up because I want to study dance in New York. That's my dream, so don't you dare laugh."
"Relax," Jounouchi said, "if I somehow blab, I'll make sure to come and buy plenty of burgers, right guys?'
"You've got my silence," Amelia said as she grabbed her milkshake and pulled it close to her, "I respect the hustle too much to even think of saying anything."
"Right," Yugi nodded.
"Me as well," Ryou softly agreed.
"Don't worry about paying, the foods on the house," Anzu informed them with a slight smile.
"Good because she ruined a perfectly good burger," Jounouchi muttered as he looked down at the burgers.
"I know someone who used to drown their food in ranch," Amelia said in a dry tone as she opened the straw and put it inside the drink, "a lot of ketchup isn't that bad."
"Do you have some sort of second sense when it comes to Mazaki?" Jounouchi asked, "Because you seem to know when she's angry."
Amelia gave him a blank look as she drank her milkshake. Ryou let out a cough as he tried not to laugh. Yugi simply smiled, he wasn't about to get in between those two. She looked away and frowned at a sudden thought. She removed the strap of her bag from her shoulder and got up from the booth.
"I'll be right back," Amelia stated.
"Where are you going?" Jounouchi asked.
"Did…Did I need to announce that I needed the bathroom?" She quietly asked him, "Because I am a…"
Amelia trailed off with a slightly uncomfortable look before continuing to walk towards the restroom. Ryou paused in his actions of eating a fry and noted the strange expression on her face. Something was bothering her, and he knew it was going to take her a while before she came to terms with it. Jounouchi frowned at his burger before letting out a sigh.
"D'you think that Mia could pull off the lime uniform?" Jounouchi asked them and Yugi choked on his bite of burger.
"Jounouchi-kun, please use your tact," Ryou sighed as he frowned, he had to think about it.
It would most likely make her uncomfortable, but she could pull it off. The uniform would match her eyes more than the school uniform did. He brought a hand up and gave a few hearty pats to Yugi's back and the smaller teen gave him a thankful look as his airways cleared. Yugi would admit that the question had taken him aback, but he came to the same conclusion that Ryou did. He thought she'd look cute in it, if uncomfortable.
"Oh, Mia-chan," Anzu said as she saw the redhead, "everything all right?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah," Amelia answered with a slight frown, "I just realised something that makes me feel like a horrible person, don't worry about it."
"Want to talk about it?" Anzu asked, "I know the guys aren't the best when it comes to serious topics, well, Yugi and Bakura-kun are."
"That'd be nice," Amelia said with a tiny smile, "what time do you get off work?"
"At four," Anzu smiled, "I'll make sure to send a message to my parent's during my next break."
"Ah, I forgot to message Watanabe-san," Amelia quietly said as horror passed on her face, "well, that's going to be fun."
"Watanabe-san?" Anzu muttered to herself before noticing a man stumbling in, "Hello, do you need a table for one, or are you waiting for someone?"
"It's just me, but I'm lonely," The man said.
Amelia knew who it was, but her eyes widened in surprise and fear when something cold pressed against the side of her head. An arm went around her neck, and squeezed when she fidgeted. Anzu's eyes widened, and she backed up slightly. The man smirked at the obvious fear coming from both girls and he lifted the gun to the ceiling and fired off a shot. A scream went through the restaurant and people dove for cover.
"The next person who makes noise will be responsible for this girl's brains being blown out the side of her head!" The man announced and Amelia flinched when the smoking barrel was pressed against her head again.
She was dragged towards a booth and the man leaned down to speak in her ear. She flinched at the warm air hitting the shell of her ear, and she heard a soft sniff. He was worse than he was in the manga. She tried to move her head away from him and he tightened his grip around her neck.
"Heh, feisty little thing," He muttered, "just sit next to me and stay quiet, in fact I think I'll use this ribbon of yours to blind you for a while. Let you feel what it's like to be a prisoner on death row."
Amelia couldn't struggle as he untied the bow around her neck and used it to cover her eyes. It was a thick material, and blocked out the light. She was pushed into a booth and she blindly caught herself on the edge of the table. A wince crossed her face as pain erupted in her palm. The man plopped down next to her and she flinched when a hand plopped itself on her thigh. She clenched her jaw. She couldn't lash out at him, not while he had a gun pointed at her or other people.
"Now, I want some booze and Lucky Stripe cigarettes," The Criminal stated, and she frowned, "you, the gutless looking kid, find me that and bring it to me! Everyone else get on the floor."
That was either Yugi or Ryou, and she knew exactly who he chose. She fisted her hands into her skirt and heard some soft muttering around her. The click of a gun stopped the muttering dead and she tensed up in anticipation. She was trying to stop herself from trembling, but she couldn't. She was scared. It hadn't really hit her that she was in true danger, the fact that it was a world of a manga had caused her to let her guard down. Amelia was paying the price for such arrogance.
The Criminal looked at the redhead next to him and he did a perusal of her form. He always had a thing for redheads, and this one had the right body type too. Easy to hide once he was done with it. As if she could tell what he was thinking she tensed up, and he smirked.
"You chose Yugi-kun, didn't you?" She hissed at him and he frowned, mouthy little shit.
He grabbed onto her hair and she made an unamused face before he slammed her face down onto the table. She didn't cry out, much to his disappointment. She instead clenched her jaw as her lips parted slightly. Blood dribbled down her face from a cut on her forehead and he stopped her from sitting up again. The gutless kid had paused as he walked towards the table, his large eyes wide in horror.
Yugi's world had gone dark the moment he watched Amelia's head be slammed into the table. Yami took control and his crimson eyes narrowed dangerously. How dare a criminal hurt one of his host's precious friends? He let a dangerous smirk appear on his face and he delivered the alcohol and cigarettes as requested. He got a full view of what was going on at the table. Amelia was obviously terrified, her trembling noticeable. He felt pure fury at the sight. He noted the Kuriboh behind her who was letting out the loudest of whimpers of fear for its summoner. It turned to him with large eyes, and he gave a minuscule nod. It didn't stop whimpering, but seemed to calm down just a smidge.
"Here's what you ordered," Yami stated as he plopped down across from the criminal.
"Who the hell said you could sit down?" The criminal sneered at him.
Yami simply smirked at him, and the Criminal's sneer increased. He applied more pressure to the head he was pushing into the table and the teens eyes narrowed at him and the smirk turned sharp. Yami was not pleased at all. He slowly pushed his foot forward until it touched hers and she flinched before relaxing. Her trembling hadn't stopped but her shoulders relaxed the smallest bit.
"I just thought you could use some entertainment," Yami stated in a faux innocent tone.
"That's what she's for," The Criminal informed him, finally allowing Amelia to remove her head from the table.
"Oh, I must've been mistaken," Yami stated with a slight frown, "I thought you might have the guts for a game."
"A game?" the Criminal asked in confusion before chuckling, "Sure, it's been a while since I've had some fun."
He picked up the cigarettes and easily put one in his mouth from the cartridge. He had moved the gun away from Amelia's head and Yami was more at ease. His smirk was back to being overconfident as he eyed the criminal. He had everything he needed for a game, he just needed the man to start pouring the alcohol.
"The loser of this game loses his life," Yami informed the Criminal and got a bark of a laugh in response.
"What are the rules of this game?" The Criminal asked as he picked up the bottle of alcohol by the neck, he quickly began to pour it without a second thought and Yami knew it was time to begin the game.
Jounouchi and Ryou frowned from their spot at their table. They could hear everything, but they couldn't see anything. Jounouchi strained to hear more from the table and missed Bakura switching places with his stressed-out host. He may dislike the innocent teen, but it was his job to try and keep the borrowed body safe. He looked around with a serious expression and noted that everyone was on the ground and he frowned. This was what stressed out his host? There had to be more than the strange habits of people from the modern age.
"Damn it, I can't hear anything else," Jounouchi muttered as he glared at the large man in front of him, "Mia even warned me about testing the universe."
Bakura gave him a look at that. Anyone worth their weight in water knew better than to test the universe, it always found a way to deliver. He closed his eyes and used the power of his necklace to listen into the conversation a few feet away. Ah, so the Pharaoh was working a hostage situation with his hosts female friend. Well, how heroic. He sneered slightly at the thought and opened his eyes. He wondered how it was going to play out.
"You and I will stay on our opposite sides," Yami explained, "we can interact with only one restriction. We will each choose a finger and the finger chosen is the only one we can move, which finger you use is entirely up to you."
Amelia stopped breathing for a few seconds as she felt the shadows closing in around the booth. It was even more obvious now that she was "blinded". Something tapped against her foot and she turned her head in the direction it came from. Yami was trying to tell her where he was? Why? He didn't have to do that. It caused her to feel strange.
"So, which will you choose?" Yami asked.
"Hah, of course I choose my right index finger," The Criminal said, "it's all I need to kill you."
"Okay, in that case I will choose my right thumb," Yami stated, holding up the appendage.
He had slipped a lighter into his hand before choosing his finger. The Criminal was none the wiser about it. He spared another glance towards Amelia and noted the strange expression on her face. She fidgeted slightly and discreetly moved away from the man next to her. She couldn't remove the blindfold on her own, but she knew someone that could.
"Kuriboh, please remove the blindfold," She whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
Kuriboh let out a sound of acknowledgment and untied the knot at the back of her head. The blue ribbon slowly slid down her face and she blinked at the sudden influx of light. It was oddly cute how her nose scrunched up as she did so. Yami turned his attention back to the game at hand.
"And what will you do once the game begins?" Yami questioned.
"I'll pull the trigger, of course," The Criminal stated as though the spirit was stupid.
"Of course," Yami nodded before giving the man a serious look, "the game starts now."
"Ha, and now it's a game over!" The Criminal exclaimed, beginning to put pressure on the trigger.
Yami flicked the lighters lid open with his thumb and easily lit it. The man stopped applying pressure to the trigger and looked at the unlit cigarette in his mouth. Right, it hadn't been lit yet.
"Right, I forgot that I had ordered a lighter," The Criminal stated, and Amelia wanted to point out that he hadn't, "and it has been a while since I've smoked, as your last act you can light my cigarette."
Yami leaned forward and lit the end of the cigarette. The man let out a long drag, and he waited until the man sat back before relaxing his hand and allowing the lighter to slip out of his grasp. The man let out a panicked sound as he noticed that the alcohol was still being poured and slowly dripping all over him from the overfilled glass. Yami smirked at the sight.
"If you shoot, the lighter will fall," Yami informed him, "that alcohol is 90% proof. Let's go, Mia."
Yami stood up and grasped onto Amelia's hand before pulling her away from the booth. She was still trembling, but it was slowly stopping. It wasn't the pistol being fired that caused the man to go up in flames, but the cigarette. The man let out a hellish scream and Amelia made the mistake of looking behind her to see the damage. Her eyes widened in horror and she stumbled slightly. It was horrifying, watching a man just sit in a static position as he burned alive. The restaurant quicky cleared out as the fire alarm went off and Yami pulled her outside. She was back to trembling and she put a hand against a nearby wall when they stopped. She fell to her knees and he hesitated before placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You're bleeding," He stated, and she let out a strange sound.
"That's probably the least of my worries," She said, "I think the trauma of being a hostage and watching a man burn alive is worse than a cut."
He raised a brow and used her bloodstained ribbon to dab at the cut on her forehead. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but the blood on her face was still wet. Her cheeks turned a pale pink before she gently removed it from his grasp. He wondered why until he heard her name being called by his host's friends. He quickly changed and Yugi blinked at the sight of a hurt Amelia in front of him. He panicked slightly.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he watched her hold her school ribbon to her forehead.
"I'll be all right," She quietly said, and he frowned slightly.
He didn't get to ask anything else when Jounouchi and Ryou ran up to them. Ryou had grabbed Amelia's things while Jounouchi had Yugi's. The two boys made sure the other two were okay before moving Amelia to a different location. They sat her down on a bench and Ryou grabbed the first aid kit out of her bag. He was able to clean up the cut and put a band aid on it.
"Mia-Chan!" Anzu called out as she ran over towards her friends.
Amelia froze as she was engulfed in a hug and Jounouchi found that odd. He knew that reaction from experience. Ryou did as well and the two shared a look of concern, being of the same mindset for once. Amelia slowly returned the hug; it was nice to be cared about. The boys walked the two girls to Amelia's house and parted ways with them there.
"What happened, Crawford-sama?" Suzuki questioned the minute Amelia walked into the house, Anzu was ready to snap at the woman but a sigh from Amelia stopped her.
"I ran into some trouble at Burger World," Amelia stated, "everything was settled and nobody else got hurt. Happy?"
"Have you forgotten that it's my job to make sure that doesn't happen to you?" Suzuki snapped and Amelia narrowed her eyes.
"Right, excuse us we'll be in my room," Amelia said as she gently tugged on Anzu's hand.
Anzu narrowed her eyes at the older woman before removing her shoes and following her female friend. The room she walked into fit the other teen like a glove. She sat down on the comfy bed and Amelia let out a tired laugh before joining her.
"Sorry about Watanabe-san," Amelia apologized, "she doesn't like me very much."
"She seemed to hate you," Anzu agreed, "she's weird."
"Not really," Amelia said, surprising the brunette, "I don't have to be liked by everyone, and I'm okay with that. If everyone liked me, I'd be worried that they secretly hated me."
Anzu nodded her understanding before grabbing one of the Cat plushes from near the pillow and holding it close. It was big and soft. She was in heaven. It was odd, she'd never thought that her friend really liked cute things. She guessed you couldn't judge a book by its cover.
"So, what's been bothering you?" Anzu asked as she moved to lay on her stomach.
"I don't miss my biological family and I feel horrible about it," Amelia quietly admitted, "I tried so hard for years to just get a single word of approval about anything I did, and I never received on. Pegasus adopted me and he said he was proud of the fact that I made friends, without prompting."
"Mia," Anzu quietly said.
"Am I a bad person?" Amelia asked in a small voice.
Anzu gave her friend a sad look before hugging her as she noted the tears gathering. How many years had she been ignoring what her biological family did in favour of the off chance that they'd finally give her approval? Anzu felt closer to her friend, and understood her thought process more. She didn't mind being a shoulder to cry on, Amelia needed someone like that. The door opened and a slightly smug Suzuki stood there. Amelia didn't let her see the tears, but it was obvious she'd been crying due to the red, blotchy cheeks. A phone was handed to her and Amelia sighed.
"Amelia Crawford speaking," Amelia softly said, trying to ignore how her voice cracked.
"Amelia, hello my dear," Pegasus greeted, and she was slightly surprised that he didn't sound angry at her, "I'm guessing Watanabe-san isn't the best fit to be your bodyguard."
"Yes," Amelia had no qualms about throwing the older woman under the bus.
"That was a quick answer, as usual," Pegasus sounded amused by that, "try to be more careful when you go out, I will see about a different bodyguard in the meantime."
"Of course," Amelia quietly agreed.
Pegasus watched as Mr. Crocketts stood at the large monitor and changed the feed. It wasn't set up to the house that his little heiress lived in, but his own island. He was still making changes to the place and wanted it perfect to host a tournament. He wouldn't admit that he was a bit worried about his new charge. He had hired Watanabe Suzuki on the recommendation of an old friend of his, and he was starting to think that there had been some romantic feelings on his friend's end.
"Do you need to stay here and physically watch her talk to her father on the phone?" An unfamiliar voice reached his ears, and he raised a brow before grabbing his wine glass, he always enjoyed drama when he could his heiress being the same.
"I have been lacking in my duties thus far." Suzuki said in a terse tone.
"Oh, so you admit it," Anzu stated.
"Oh my god, Anzu," Amelia muttered as she looked at her friend who was glaring at her bodyguard she then turned to Suzuki, "if you two are going to fight, my money's on Anzu."
"Crawford-sama, please be serious," Suzuki sighed, acting as though she was talking to a small child.
"I am being serious," Amelia said, and Pegasus smirked as he sipped at his wine, "I have faith in Anzu-chan."
Oh, it was such a subtle dig at her own bodyguard that he let out a light laugh. He heard her make a small noise as it went over the phone. There was the sound of rustling clothes and he frowned. Just what was she doing?
"Bye, dad," Amelia said before her voice grew distant.
He caught "she's rude" from her friend Anzu before Suzuki began talking to him. He was a bit distracted by the fact that his heiress just referred to him as father. He should be concerned by that, but a small smile played on his face. He could easily get used to being called Dad by the teen in question. It gave him the perfect opportunity to tell other people to look at his wonderful child, much like his own parents did to him. He mentally sighed as he listened to Suzuki's ideas for Amelia's safety. He wasn't about to strip her of her freedom to move around and be around her friends.
"I can't believe that woman," Anzu huffed as she glared at the door that Suzuki had exited.
"Oh god, I called him Dad," Amelia quietly said, and she tugged on her hair in slight agitation.
"Judging from the fact that he didn't request her to immediately hand back the phone, I think he didn't mind," Anzu stated, "now, let's do what most girls do at a sleep over."
"I've only had guy-pals, mind explaining what girls do?" Amelia asked.
Anzu smiled at that and soon the two were in pyjamas, Anzu was surprised that the other girl had clothes that fit her. A comedy anime was playing on the tv as Amelia carefully painted Anzu's toenails. Anzu was busy with the long red hair in front of her, the different types of braids she could do were numerous. Kuriboh watched the two talk about the anime and their male friends from its position on the bed. A happy purring coming from it as it looked at the vase of flowers on the bedside table. It looked towards the desk where the Black Magician card was and moved to get it, it wanted everyone to share in the good atmosphere.
"I swear, Jounouchi can be such a bad influence on Bakura-kun and Yugi," Anzu stated.
"Yet, they are good influences on him," Amelia softly said, "he's not a bad guy, just rough around the edges. He's sharper than anyone gives him credit for, he kept asking me what was bothering me."
Anzu had to agree with her that Jounouchi wasn't the worst, but he wasn't the best. She tied off the end of the braid with a purple ribbon and Amelia wrapped it around her shoulders. She even finished off the other girls' toenails, a nice light pink colour something that fit Anzu. They went back to watching the anime and started commenting on it. Anzu was the first to fall asleep and Amelia soon followed. The normalcy welcomed in her life.