'Okay, so we know Kyo is a poison type Gym Leader.' Yugi frowned at the Gameboy Color in her hands as she discussed the matter with her spectral twin sister, who was sat next to her on the hospital bed. 'So it stands to reason that all the Gym Trainers in Sekichiku will be using poison types too.'

'Most of the poison type Pocket Monsters we've run into so far have also been grass or bug types,' her sister, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, added as Yugi tucked one of her longer bangs behind her left ear, 'so Katsu would be a good choice.'

The living half of their soul paused to consider that. The winged, red western-style fire and flying type dragon, Lizardon, who had been named after their best friend, would wipe through bug and grass monsters without too much trouble. However, 'He might need back up in case he faints mid-battle. Poison doesn't like psychic, so Kitaro might not be a bad idea. He has Hypnosis and Dream Eater."

The ancient Pharaoh tilted her head as she thought about the mid-form ghost and poison type, Ghost, who had evolved from a ball of purple gas into a floating head with two clawed hands and a huge creepy grin and whom Meisa had named after her favorite anime character. 'He's probably a good backup, yes.'

With that settled they headed into the Gym on their game, only to find their careful planning scuppered by a major issue.

'I thought this was the poison gym!' Yugi pouted as she stared at yet another yellow and brown tapir-like Sleepe. 'Not the psychic one!'

'It is.' The spirit grimaced. 'Yamabuki has the psychic gym.'

'It's also full of Rocket-dan right now, Anesan,' the younger, brighter soul responded, thinking hard. 'We couldn't get into most of the buildings, though, so I'm not sure what we're supposed to do about that.'

'Something to check out when we're done here?' the spirit suggested.

'If we can get through this gym,' Yugi huffed, trying to think. 'Psychic types are brutal. We don't have anything good against them. Kitaro's ghost typing is supposed to be super effective, but he's part poison, so he…'

With that the Ghost in question was hit by Psychic and fainted, causing the Puzzle Bearer to groan and flop back into the pillows.

'Is weak against psychic moves,' the Pharaoh sighed, aware that her twin had not been in a great mood since this morning. 'Still, we have plenty of other Pocket Monsters. Or is that not what's bothering you? Is it your chest again?'

Yugi straightened at the shaky concern in her Anesan's mental voice and shook her head. Meisa had been hovering and worried ever since she had woken up and the bruising on her Imoto's neck had gone down enough to allow the girl to wear the Puzzle again without risk of irritating the injuries below the surface.

She knew how much it frightened her twin when her chest suddenly felt incredibly tight and her throat seized up painfully, causing her to cough violently. She was always fine once she had taken in some oxygen from the mask by her bed and downed some painkillers, but her sister was still worried, having sensed just how much it hurt.

'No, no. My chest is much better than it was,' the Puzzle Bearer reassured Meisa, putting the yellow console down to put her hand on her twin's arm. There was no point in lying and saying she was fine, the Pharaoh could feel the pain from her smoke-damaged lungs and still-healing larynx, but she could offer that much at least. 'I'm just frustrated. I want to get out of here.'

Ah. Now the Pharaoh understood. There had been talk yesterday of Yugi being allowed to go home today. Talk that had been quashed this morning when the doctor had done a lung function test that had reminded the younger twin of a breathalyser, and determined that she was not yet safe to be away from an oxygen mask.

Yugi wished she dared use the powers the Puzzle gave her to summon monsters and activate spell and trap cards, because she had some potent healing spells in her deck that would allow her to walk out of the bland, oppressive hospital right now. However, she was fully aware that if she used her powers, the doctors would know something was off and look into it, which was why Meisa had insisted she wait until she got home.

That did not mean that she had to like it.

'The others will be here after school,' Meisa offered, as ill at ease in the hospital as her twin was, having seen far too many other specters walking the halls. Specters of people who had died while being treated here. She just wanted to get her twin home as quickly as was safely possible. 'And in the meantime, we can beat Kyo's gym.'

'True…' Yugi scooped up the Gameboy and pursed her lips, thinking, 'You know, I bet all these psychic Trainers are trying to beat the Gym Leader.'

The Pharaoh paused at her suggestion. 'I suppose, I mean we tried to bring something with psychic type moves, so it stands to reason that other Trainers would too.'

As Chu, their little yellow electric mouse, took out the psychic type that had knocked out Kitaro, the Spirit of the Puzzle was distracted by their door opening slowly. She moved between the bed containing her precious light and the door, only to find that their grandfather, who very much should be running the shop right now, was slipping into the room.

'Imoto,' she called as she stepped aside and retook her position on the bed.

At her other self's call, Yugi's head snapped up and she grinned brightly as she beheld the old man. His purple eyes were filled with happiness as he half-bowed to Meisa and looked over his granddaughter. "Hi, Jii-san. You're early."

"I closed a little early so I could come and see you. You look like you're feeling a little better." Mutou Sugoroku looked relieved as he took a seat next to the bed. Yugi saved her game and turned off the Gameboy, saving the batteries for later as she smiled ruefully.

"Getting there." The Queen of Games shrugged, still irritated that she was stuck in for another night at least. "My face hurts less at least."

The elderly Game Master nodded, considering the bruise on the right side of her face, which had gone down substantially since she had been admitted, as had the deep black-blue finger-shaped and chain-link-patterned bruising that had encircled her neck. He was glad of the visual proof that she was recovering well, and he could now see that her eye had not been damaged by the injury she had taken. Plus she was breathing a lot easier than when she had been admitted.

"Have the doctors been by yet?" he asked, stealing a look at the medical notes that were hung on the end of her bed and sighing when he saw the latest notes. "Oh."

"Yeah." Yugi shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry…"

"It's not your fault." Her grandfather waved it off, a little disappointed but not wanting to rush her out of the facility when she clearly still needed the expert help. "The results were better than three days ago. You'll be home soon."

The duelist sighed but nodded, having kind of hoped that Jii-san would help her escape.

"How're you doing, Meisa?" The question made the Spirit of the Puzzle pause and then carefully reach out with her magic, entwining it around the old man so it would carry her words as it had before.

"I'm fine. I'm not the one who's hurt," she offered.

The retired archaeologist nodded, looking a little troubled. He was pretty sure that the Pharaoh was not as okay as she was pretending to be. She had been flung back into the tender mercies of the Shadows for a couple of days and then come back to find Yugi badly injured. Then there was the fire and the Puzzle in serious danger of being melted into golden slag. Not to mention Zorc. If their friends had not been there, who knew what could have happened.

However, he knew that the Pharaoh would not come clean with him about her fears and concerns. She was too determined to be strong for everyone else for that.

"I brought you both a gift," Sugoroku told them, offering a card from his pocket.

Yugi took it and paused as she read it.

"Blue Medicine?" she asked, confused as to why he was giving her a card that restored 400 life points when most of the healing cards in her deck gave at least 1000, if not more.

"Remember our conversation the other day?" he explained, sitting back, "You can't use the more potent healing cards on yourself without alerting the doctors? This is the lowest regenerating card out there that doesn't involve summoning a monster. I figured that if you cast it on your water jug," he said, gesturing to the jug in question, which was refilled daily by the nurses, "like you did the water bottle when you got jumped, you could spread it out over the day, and if it's only healing 400 life points of injury per casting…"

"It would heal things slowly enough that the doctors wouldn't look twice." Yugi laughed, delighted, before her hand went to her throat and she let out a series of painful sounding dry coughs that made her twin rest her hands on her shoulders, supporting her.

"So I went through the spares until I found that one," her grandfather continued like she had not started coughing her lungs up, something Yugi appreciated. "Sorry it took me so long."

"It's fine." She smiled as she took her water jug in her hands, placed the Blue Medicine card on the top, and reached for the power contained in the Puzzle, Meisa assisting with pushing it into the water in the jug as she murmured, "I activate Blue Medicine."

There was a moment where the water glowed blue. Then the light died down, leaving the liquid tinted just slightly bluer than normal. She poured herself a cup and then put the jug back on the table, planning to spread the spell-infused water out carefully.

The water stung on the way down, but almost from the instant it passed her lips, she felt the soreness of her throat fade a little, making it worth it. The effect was not substantial, but she had not wanted it to be. Just the fact it was working at all made her happy. If she drank the water over the course of the day, then the effects would be spread out across multiple nurse or doctor visits.

"Thanks, Jii-san." She grinned at him, intending to get up to hug him, only for the man to beat her to the punch by wrapping her in a huge hug.

"Anything to help." His response made her grin as he pulled away and sat back down. "Did Katsuya fill you in?"

"The money transfer went through, and Shizuka's operation is in a couple of weeks' time." Yugi paused to remember everything she had been told since the doctors had woken her up from her prolonged anesthesia. "Anzu has a dance recital that she's promised to record for me to watch. The Dungeon Dice Monsters launch was a massive success, and it's completely made up for the time we were closed because of Crawford…"

"And then some," Jii-san huffed. He was torn between still being angry about how much Otogi had harassed Yugi and pleased about the sheer amount of money the game was bringing in.

"And you hired a new guy? Namu?" She double-checked the name.

"Namu Majhul," her grandfather confirmed. "He's studying in Japan and needed a part-time job to pay for schooling, so I took him on."

"And how's he doing?" The slight grimace on her Jii-san's face was all the answer she needed. "Oh dear…"

"He clearly lied on his CV,." the elderly gamer groused, "but he's getting better. He's good at shelf-stacking at least."

"That's good. I'll be back to help soo…"

"Oh, no, you won't." Her grandfather's sharp tone cut through the girl's reassurance. "Until you're fully healed and have had at least a few extra days' rest, you are not doing anything strenuous."

"But, Jii-san!" she protested, knowing how much she was needed in the shop and not wanting to be useless.

"No, Yugi." The old Game Master shook his head, his voice firm but his hands shaking. "I nearly lost you. I don't want you pushing yourself too hard too fast, okay? I can manage for another couple of weeks between Katsuya and Namu."

The Queen of Games paused, watching him carefully for a moment before nodding and sitting back against her pillows. "My voice doesn't crack anymore."

He saw the offering for what it was, Yugi trying to make him feel a bit better, and smiled slightly. Her voice was not quite the same as it had been before the fire: it was slightly deeper and a little huskier. However, it was a marked improvement on the first few days after she had been woken, when she had not been able to speak above a whisper without pain creasing her features. He had scolded her more than once when she had overstrained her throat, causing her to completely lose her voice for a few days. Even just a week ago, her voice had vanished if she spoke for too long. That was why he had hunted out the Blue Medicine.

"That's good." He nodded. "Katsuya said you've been working on your deck?"

Yugi's expression shifted from nervous to a bright, excitable grin as she pulled her deck holster out from under her pillow, making her grandfather chuckle, and handed it to the old Game Master. "Feel free to take a look."

He slipped it out of the leather deck case and thumbed through it, being careful with each of the cards, able to sense the power flowing through the deck. He paused when he came to one in particular, a female magician with long blonde hair, in pale blue and pink robes and a huge hat. "She's brand new, only just released! How did you get one?"

"My friends gave her to me." Yugi's grin widened, remembering Anzu saying that she, Honda, and Katsuya had hunted out almost every Darkness Rising booster pack in Domino in order to find the Dark Magician Girl for her. "She's perfect for my deck, and she works well with your Dark Magician. If he ends up in the graveyard, she'll get 300 extra attack points."

"Your Dark Magician now, I gave him to you, remember?" Sugoroku corrected as he examined the Dark Magician Girl. "She's going to be really useful for your deck with that ability."

"I know, right? And she's not the only thing I've added to my deck…"

The Spirit of the Puzzle relaxed as her twin got caught up in a conversation regarding the changes they had made to their deck. It was odd to hear the changes to her twin's voice, changes that the doctors thought might fix themselves once she was fully recovered, but she was just happy to hear the girl talking with only the occasional cough. It was such an improvement from the first few days after Imoto had woken up that she could not help but feel relieved.

Trusting her Jii-san to keep her twin distracted, she slipped into the Puzzle to try and get some rest. Sleep had not been coming easily for Meisa. Nightmares would not leave her alone. Being thrown back into the Shadows when her twin had been pushed down the stairs had created enough of them, but what she had returned to had been so much worse.

The one firm memory she had of her past was of her brother being killed by Anubis's magic while trying to protect her. To emerge from the Shadows, weakened and in pain, to find her twin sister was injured and trapped in a fire because she had tried to recover the missing piece of the Millennium Puzzle, not to mention Zorc's murder attempt…

She had not slept properly since the Black Clown had burned.

She hesitated in the corridor between her soul room and that of her twin sister, not really wanting to return to the Puzzle right now, but knowing she did not really have any right to intrude in her twin's sanctuary. She turned to open her door and swallowed hard, as just resting her hand against the ice cold metal brought some of the recent memories and emotions stored in the item rushing forward.

'Anesan?!' Concern flooded down the bond from the living half of their shared soul, making her realise that her twin had seen and felt everything. 'Are you okay?'

She hesitated. In comparison to her twin, who just a couple of weeks ago had been in a medically-induced deep sleep and even now was under scrutiny, she was pretty much perfect. Imoto needed her to be okay, because her twin could not spend the energy worrying about her if she wanted to recover. But…

Suddenly the younger twin was in the corridor and wrapping her arms around the older, hugging her tightly. "Anesan… please talk to me."

Meisa tensed for a moment, having not wanted to interrupt her talk with their grandfather, then she hugged the girl back. "Sorry."

"It's okay not to be okay," the duellist murmured to her other soul, pulling back only enough that she could lock eyes with her other self. "You don't have to pretend to be okay around me when you're not. I already know."

She tapped her head, reminding the Spirit of the Puzzle that their bond was a two-way street and her twin could sense all of her emotions, just like she could sense Yugi's.

"Can we discuss this later?" the Pharaoh asked, her shoulders sinking. "Jii-san is still outside and wants to talk to you, and I need sleep."

Yugi paused and considered for a moment before pulling Meisa towards her soul room. The darker half of the soul hesitated for a moment, then let herself be led. The lighter half pulled her twin towards the bed in her room and gently pushed her towards it. "Imoto?"

"You've not been sleeping in your room. So try in here. My bed is softer than yours…" There was a moment when the frown on the Queen of Games' face suddenly shifted to concern. "Do you even have a bed?"

"I…" The Pharaoh hesitated. She did not really have a Soul Sanctuary like her sister did, at least not one that she could find. When she was not in control of the body, she lived inside the sheer insanity that was the maze inside the Millennium Puzzle. A maze that had only gotten more complicated as more questions arose about her existence.

Before the Puzzle had been shattered, there had been a room near the door that had not been booby trapped, and she had used as her base. Even that had not had a bed as Yugi meant it, though. She had just curled up on the floor and caught sleep wherever she could get it.

Since the Puzzle had been reassembled, however, that room was gone and the maze had completely changed, and she did not know it well enough to know where was safe to rest yet.

Yugi did not need her to answer. Her hesitation was answer enough. "Anesan. You don't need to ask permission to sleep in here. You have free reign to come and go from my room as you see fit."

"I don't want…" Meisa trailed off at the stubborn look on her little sister's face, knowing better than to argue with her when she was this determined.

"I know this place represents my soul and everything in it holds memories, but I also know that I can trust you not to damage anything in here." The stubborn set of her frame did not change, but there was a small, soft smile. "You deserve somewhere to rest and sleep properly. I'm offering you that space, Anesan."

"Thank you." The Pharaoh bowed to her twin with a rueful smile, feeling torn between being embarrassed that she needed the hospitality and relieved that Imoto was willing to offer it.

Yugi moved over to the bed and moved the three plushies on it. There was a Dark Magician that held her childhood memories of Jii-san, a blue-green-scaled water dragon which contained the very few good memories of her parents she had, including one amazing trip down to the ocean, and a Kuriboh that held many memories of just hanging around with their friends. Her twin slipped into the bed, tucking herself under the covers, and Yugi paused for a moment before tucking the plushies in with her.

"Imoto… these are your memories…" The Pharaoh hesitated.

"Sometimes when I can't sleep, resting with the memories in the plushies helps me drift off." The living soul looked embarrassed as she admitted it. "Maybe… maybe they can help you too."

"But…"

"They might be my memories, Anesan." Meisa blinked up at her as Yugi smiled. "But I give them all to you. You don't have to go without."

"Imoto?" The Pharaoh breathed, wondering if the girl was aware of what she was offering.

"Get some rest, Anesan." The Queen of Games turned for the door, pausing in the corridor just outside to look back over her shoulder. "Please?"

"You, too," the Spirit of the Puzzle mumbled as she relaxed into the soft mattress below her and pulled the Dark Magician plushie closer, cuddling it tightly as she let the good memories carry her into the first restful sleep she had gotten in far too long.

Yugi waited until her twin had fallen asleep before letting out a soft sigh and turning for the exit and her grandfather.

There was a lot they needed to talk about.

Namu raced along the road, late for his shift and worried that he was going to lose his job. He reached the door and tried to push it open as he walked in, only to find the door was locked up tightly. Confusion made him back up and tilt his head as he tried to work out what was going on. As his eyes passed over the closed sign, he groaned.

He did not have work today. He had been paid for the hours he should have worked, but the store was closed so its owner could go and visit his granddaughter. However, he had completely forgotten that in his rush to avoid getting into trouble with his boss. Not that he was really worried about the job, but he needed the in with the family.

"Oi, Namu." The teenager in question startled and turned towards the speaker to find Jonouchi Katsuya, Honda Hiroto, Mazaki Anzu, and a girl who reminded him far too much of the descriptions of the Demon Thief, but softer, gentler, and female. Not that it mattered when the Pharaoh herself was female.

He tried to suppress his shudder, putting on a sheepish expression as he scratched the back of his head. "Forgot the store was closed."

The blonde chuckled as he shifted the bag on his shoulders. "Jii-san's visiting with Yuge. We'll be heading there ourselves once I've dumped my school crap."

Here was the chance he had been hoping for over the last few weeks. "Don't suppose I can come along? I have a 'Get Well Soon' present for her I've been holding onto since the weekend."

The guarded look that the four shared at his question made him wonder if he had made a mistake. There was some silent communication between the quartet, but then Honda shrugged and gestured to Anzu, as if saying 'you decide.'

When she nodded, looking a little pensive, Jou turned to him, his posture standoffish and his voice strained. "I guess, but don't badger her; she's still recovering."

"If she even looks tired, I'll bow out," Namu promised, his hands up as if asking them not to shoot. "I don't want to cause problems."

Anzu looked a little relieved, but Honda just snorted and leaned against the wall. Both he and the white-haired girl were watching him with a level of distrust that Namu did not understand. He had been nothing but a loyal worker since he had started at the shop. Surely by now he had earned a little trust?

"Namu, come with me?" Jonouchi asked, nodding towards the back of the shop. The Egyptian young man followed quickly, wanting to get away from the brunette guy who leaned closer to the white-haired girl as he passed by. The Duelist led him up into the flat before speaking, allowing Namu to glance around the apartment.

He was normally only allowed into the kitchen to eat on his break, so he had not gotten a chance to look around properly. It was much more simple than he had envisioned. He had expected a richly furnished apartment, considering that Mutou Yugi had won three million yen. That was not what was here. While there were a couple of games consoles on the tv cabinet, one of which was quite old, the flat was homely in a way he was not used to. It was cozy and comfortable, with well-worn furniture and an older television, rather than posh furnishings and expensive electronics.

"Look, Namu," the blonde huffed as he dropped his school bag by the table and turned to look at him, stance firm and hands balled tightly into fists, "it's nothing personal, but Yuge got hurt by a guy she thought was interested in her, so we're a little hesitant to introduce her to a new person until she's recovered from that. That said, you've been a good guy so far, so Anzu and I are willing to give you a little trust, rather than punch you in the face."

Namu understood the underlying words, though: 'Honda doesn't trust you, and if you hurt Yuge, I'll pulverize you.'

"I appreciate it," the Egyptian teen replied with a slight bow, wanting to show respect to the young man in front of him, "and I get it. Me and mine were betrayed by someone we were supposed to be able to trust, too. It hurts."

Jou tilted his head, considering the other guy. There was no lie in his tone or posture. In fact, the bitterness in his voice was too raw to be faked. "Part of why you moved to Domino?"

"Let's just say me and my siblings are estranged from the rest of our tri… family," the shop worker corrected himself, as he shuddered. "Ukhti… Uhhh, I think the Japanese is Oneesan? She got me and Akh away from a bad situation."

"You'd call her Anesan, we'd call her your Oneesan if she let us." Katsuya nodded, happy to help the foreign student with his Japanese. Anesan meant 'my big sister', while Oneesan was 'big sister' and a title of respect to an older female around your own age. "Your 'Akh', is he your Oniisan?"

"I think so?" Namu offered, trying to remember and pretty sure Oniisan meant 'big brother,' which matched up to what his brother was to him.

The blonde nodded, making a mental note of Namu's local family for future reference. "Sorry for dragging up bad memories."

"It's fine, I just want you to understand that I don't plan on stabbing anyone in the back." The other teen's accent was thicker as he tried to get his emotions under control. The ash-blonde-haired young man shook slightly as he took a deep breath. "I just want to deliver a gift to the girl I've heard so much about."

Jou smiled ruefully at that. Both he and Jii-san had been rather vocal about how awesome Yugi was, so he could not blame the other teen for being curious, but now he wished they had kept their mouths shut. If only to protect Yugi.

"Fair enough." Jou swept up a small bundle of cash, put it in his wallet, and headed for the door.

"Jonouchi?" Namu's curious call made the blonde pause. "Who's the white-haired girl with you?"

"Bakura Amane. She's a friend of ours. Got a bit of a temper, though, so don't poke her," the Duelist warned, still not entirely happy to be taking Amane with them to see their injured friend, but aware that Yugi had been worried about her.

Namu flinched. The Demon Thief had been Ba-Khu-Ra. Bakura was too close for the girl downstairs to be anything but the same person. Not that Namu could do anything about it right now, but it was something to pass on to his sister.

"Come on." Katsuya headed for the ground floor, forcing Namu to follow. "The others are waiting, and we need to make a stop on the way to the hospital."

"Where to?" Namu asked, curious and pleased that dropping a little information about himself had garnered him a little extra trust and some rather important information about those around the Pharaoh.

"Burger World. Yuge loves their burgers, and hospital food is gross."

Kaiba Seto grimaced as he considered the data from the latest test of the updated Duel Disk.

Technically the machine was ready. However, something about the way it was running was bothering him. There was a difference in the way the Duel Disk worked for him and how it worked for his two other beta testers. It worked for all three of them, but the monsters were more real, more alive when he was using the system than they were for his testers, and until he could work out how to replicate the effects for others, he was not happy to release the system.

It was irritating, but he still had time to work on it. After all, he had been able to get the Duelling Press to believe that the showing at Duelist Kingdom was merely a beta test. Plus the pair he really wanted to use the system against were still in hospital.

A knocking on the office door made him huff and straighten up as he called, "Come in."

He had been expecting his secretary, so he was surprised and pleased to see that it was his little brother instead, at least until he saw the troubled expression and slightly sharp walk that suggested his Otouto was irritated.

"Mokuba? What's wrong?" He saved and closed the data file, only to find he had an email alert waiting for him.

"Read the e-mail, then we'll talk?" his little brother suggested, shutting the door behind him and taking the seat opposite the desk.

Seto nodded, noting that it had been forwarded to him from Mokuba's e-mail. Since his brother primarily oversaw the Promotions and Marketing Department, he suspected it was something to do with that. He was not wrong, but what he read made him pause.

"Tenma should have phoned you directly." Mokuba scowled, noting the insulted look on his Oniisan's face. "If he wanted your attention."

Seto sat back to consider the e-mail, which was devoid of almost all details. The Tenma twins made up half of Crawford's adopted sons. Before Duelist Kingdom, Pegasus had split up his adult children between the four major branches of the company. Tenma Yakko, who had sent the e-mail, had been assigned to Industrial Illusions Japan, which was based in Tokyo. He was the less capable of the twins in Kaiba's opinion, and the Kaiba Corp CEO was fully aware that Tenma did not particularly like him. The younger of the Tenma twins had made no secret of the fact he considered Seto a stuck-up, arrogant brat.

Kaiba was of the opinion that it took one to know one.

He almost appreciated the official way this meeting request had come through, though. Tenma Gekko, the older twin and current Head of Industrial Illusions America, over in San Francisco, tended to just arrange a meeting with him without giving him much notice of what the conference in question was about. By coming though the Promotions and Marketing Department and mentioning an event, Seto had a rough idea of the upcoming subject.

"Industrial Illusions stock is down because Crawford is ill and because of all the very public complaints from Duelist Kingdom competitors about their complete lack of hospitality." Mokuba answered his brother's next question before he could ask it, knowing the elder Kaiba would want to know why the other company was suddenly interested in a publicity stunt.

The CEO snorted as he made a note to pick up any available Industrial Illusions stock. He was pretty sure Bakura Amane had something to do with Pegasus's illness, not that he was stupid enough to ask her. Plus Duelist Kingdom had been horrible for the American company's popularity with the higher ranked Duelists that had been competing. There had been no food or drink provided and no covered shelter available once people had been dropped onto the island. Not to mention the Eliminators and goons who had been harassing and manhandling Duelists.

When he ran a roaming tournament, and he would be running one in order to show Industrial Illusions how it was done, he would ensure that his 'guests' had hotel rooms sorted out and offer restaurants and businesses a decent size payment if they provided food and drink to competing Duelists during the tournament.

"I'll hear them out. Industrial Illusions is our biggest partner." And held all the copyright for Duel Monsters, which was Kaiba Corp's biggest seller. "Arrange a meeting as soon as possible and see if you can get some information on what they want Kaiba Corp to do."

"You're not going to e-mail them?" Mokuba asked, surprised.

"You're Head of the department they emailed." Seto shook his head, calling the data file for the Duel Disk back up. "And I trust you to do it right."

He did not miss the happy smile that put on his little brother's face, reminding him that less than a year ago he would not have been willing to entrust any of HIS business dealings to Mokuba.

"I won't let you down, Niisama." The young teen got to his feet with a slight bounce and bowed quickly, still grinning from ear to ear.

"I know."

"Hi, guys!" Yugi grinned as her friends piled into her hospital room, her excitement at seeing her friends waking her twin, who emerged from the Puzzle and took her seat on the bed. Anzu hugged the Queen of Games before taking the seat that Sugoroku had vacated only thirty minutes ago, while Honda took his usual seat on the windowsill. "Amane, I'm glad you're okay!"

When Yugi reached her hands out to the Ring Bearer, Amane stepped forward and took them in hers. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay. I'm fine." Yugi was honest in her forgiveness. She would never blame her friend for the actions of another.

A light cough drew their attention back to the door, where Katsuya and someone else were stood. Both of the Mutou girls gained a curious head tilt as they beheld the teenager who had accompanied their friends as Amane took a seat on one side of Yugi's bed. "Umm…"

"Yuge, this is Namu Majhul. He works in the shop." Katsuya gestured towards the ash-blonde-haired young man. "Namu, this is Mutou Yugi. She's Mutou-Sensei's magomasume and also helps run the shop."

"It's nice to meet you." Yugi bowed as best she could from her bed, only to get startled by the depth of the bow Namu gave her in return.

"It is an honour to meet you, Mutou-san." Namu smiled at her as he straightened, his Japanese heavily accented, and pulled out a small wrapped gift from his pocket. "I have a Get Well Soon present for you from my family."

Yugi accepted it with a mix of wariness and interest, examining the wrapping paper as Namu took a seat on the side of the bed nearest the door. Her twin sister shifted so she could see what was within the palm-sized velvet box. Opening it revealed a pair of stunning gold drop earrings shaped like Egyptian ankhs that had a lapis lazuli stone embedded in each.

Meisa's left hand went to the matching ear as a flash of similar earrings on a sandstone table passed through her mind. The memory flash took Yugi's breath away, and she glanced up at the gift giver, confused and cautious after the whole mess with Otogi.

"Anesan picked them out," he admitted sheepishly, stumbling slightly over the word 'Anesan,' suggesting that had not been what he was going to say, "after I told her you like Egyptian jewelry."

Yugi nodded, looking back down at the gift, her mind racing. Her research into Egypt had taught her that ankhs symbolized life, while lapis lazuli had been precious back during her twin's time and supposedly imparted ancient knowledge and the wisdom to use it.

"Thank you, Namu-san." She spoke softly, deciding that she was going to get her ears pierced so she could wear them when she got out of the hospital. "You didn't have to give them to me, but they're gorgeous. Thank your Oneesan for me, too?"

"I will," Namu promised, relieved the present had gone down well.

"I also have a gift." Katsuya's loud voice brought her attention away from the box, and when she looked up, closing the box with a snap, he waved a Burger World bag at her.

"Oh my gosh, you are a lifesaver." Yugi grinned brightly as she put the box safely on her bedside stand. "The food here is awful."

Namu, to her relief, just settled back and leaned against the wall by the door, rather than trying to press himself any closer, as she opened the bag to find two burgers and a medium fries. While she examined the food, Katsuya sat on the bed, narrowly missing sitting on the Spirit of the Puzzle. Meisa huffed but could not help but forgive him when she realized that he was putting himself between them and the new guy, who, if she was reading the room correctly, Anzu and Katsuya semi-trusted, but Honda and Amane did not.

"Please excuse me?" Yugi asked, looking sheepish but wanting to start on the food. When her friends did not object, she more than happily started eating, pausing before her first bite to ask Namu, "So what brings you to Domino?"

"Ukhti had work in the area with Akh, so I started studying locally," Namu explained, slipping into Arabic when he mentioned his siblings from old habit, "but schools around here are expensive."

He was not wrong. Yugi had looked into other schools herself during her worst days, back during the worst of the bullying, and she knew Jii-san could not afford to send her to a better school.

"When I saw the job posting in the window of your shop, I applied and, well…" He grinned. "Here we are."

She nodded, taking a moment to finish her mouthful before speaking further. "I hope you're not regretting it."

"Not at all." Namu's smile was bright and honest. "Mutou-Sensei has been great, and Jonouchi's been really helpful. I just hope I'm not annoying them."

Meisa watched her friends closely as Katsuya waved off Namu's concern. She was pretty sure she was right, and she wished she could talk to the others in order to ask what they thought of the young man. Frustration seeped into her. Unless Namu went away, she was not going to be able to talk to the others openly.

Yugi, sensing her irritation, briefly glanced at her twin, before squeezing Katsuya's hand slightly and glancing towards Namu. She felt guilty about wanting him herded out, but she was tired, still healing and unwilling to let her twin get riled up again, when she had finally gotten her to relax.

Her friend took the hint and turned to Namu to say something, only for the other teen to understand before he could open his mouth.

"Sorry, I should have waited until you came home to meet you." Namu bowed again, still smiling. "I'll head out. It's been an honor, though."

"Namu," Yugi called as he turned to leave. When he paused and looked over his shoulder, Yugi smiled at him. "Thank you. Really. I look forward to working with you."

"Me, too." Namu nodded and left, shutting the door behind him.

The moment it was closed and he was away from the window built into it, he bounced slightly and fist pumped.

That had gone better than he had anticipated.

If he could get close to the Pharaoh, he could take her to meet his Ukhti, and then they could share their side of the story before the rest of the Tomb Keeper tribe arrived in Domino.

When they did, they would turn the Puzzle Bearer against the Ishtars, branding the trio of siblings traitors and murderers and preventing them from helping the Pharaoh complete her destiny so they could finally be free.

Free of the traditions that they had never wanted to follow. Traditions that had made their father Challenge his own daughter and then break the agreement he had made after her victory. Traditions that had caused his father to die and led to the trio fleeing from the catacombs.

Traditions that would no longer be needed once the Thief Queen was finally dealt with and the Pharaoh went to the afterlife.

And speaking of the Thief Queen, he needed to speak with his sister.

Author Note: So this is going to be a more frequent thing. I am moving to a 2 times a month update schedule. To find out why, please come to enneadau . tumblr . com (and please take the spaces out from around the .'s so the website actually works XD)