"So you're telling me that the Shadows cling to people with a damaged soul?" Yugi squeaked, eyes wide as she double-checked what the Dark Magician had told her, having retreated to her room after the store closed in order to question her most loyal Duel Monster.
"That's right," the Spellcaster monster confirmed, feeling guilty for distressing the Little Pharaoh, a feeling that was only made worse because of the dark look the Ancient Pharaoh was giving him from her seat on their desk. "People can damage their souls in many ways. Abuse, traumatizing experiences, loss, grievous injuries, it all does damage. Some people even damage their souls deliberately in order to access the power. Ripping a soul from its vessel will do it as well, even if the soul in question is shoved into something afterwards."
"For example, if someone ripped out someone's soul and put it in a game piece?" Yugi checked, realizing that was probably when Anzu and Honda had picked up the Shadows, while Katsuya's soul would have been open to them because of the mess that was his family. Jii-san's soul would also be open to the Shadows because of his history, which was something she would need to address eventually.
"Exactly. The Shadows used to be a commonly held type of magic. They were everywhere and would seep into the cracks in a human soul and shore it up, supporting the soul and strengthening the person it belonged to," Mahad explained, fingers tapping his staff as he discussed the uncomfortable subject. "The Shadow Realm was not created until you had to seal away the Shadows in order to keep Zorc contained. Since then it's only been item holders and those who have entered the Shadow Realm by playing a Shadow Game who have enough of the magic to be able to use it."
"What about people who have Shadows in their soul who haven't been to the Shadow Realm?" Meisa took control to ask, thinking of Mai, the Senshi, and Namu.
The grimace that question earned her suggested Mahad was not happy about the idea. "Either they've had contact with someone who held an item and the Shadows around them attached themselves to the wounded souls, or the seal is weaker than I anticipated and they're sensitive enough to have picked up what little Shadows could seep through. Either way I doubt they have enough access to the magic to use it efficiently."
"So a soul with enough Shadows in it could do what we do with our cards?" Yugi popped into the body again, curious.
"Yes and no," her Dark Magician hedged, looking around and taking a seat on the Pharaoh's chest of drawers. "The items were created to allow the priests to summon monsters other than their personal Ka beasts and use the Shadows to cast spells. A Shadow-Touched individual could only summon their personal Ka beast, or to use modern terms, their personal Duel Monster, the one that was part of their soul, like the thief's Diabound."
"Which is how Katsuya summoned Red-Eyes?" the Queen of Games confirmed.
"Yes, but the dragon must be a part of his soul, or at least it's the form that his Ka has decided suits it best..." He paused. "How much do you know about the parts of a soul?"
The light half of the Pharaoh's soul grimaced and flopped back onto her bed. "Ba-Khu-Ra was supposed to teach me, but things keep getting in the way."
The dark half emerged as a ghost and sat next to her before looking at the Dark Magician. She hesitated for a moment, unsure he would hear her, before asking, "Can you teach us?"
"It would be my honour, my Pharaoh." The suprised and pleased smile he earned from the Ancient Pharaoh as the Little one sat up quickly, looking hopeful, helped improve his mood. "The soul comes in nine parts."
The Little Pharaoh scrambled across to her desk and pulled out pen and paper, wanting to write down what he told them.
"If the sealing spell worked correctly, you carry four of them," he continued when she was ready. "The Jb, the heart, is the key to the afterlife. It has to be weighed in order to find out if a person is worthy of moving into the next life."
He did not miss the slight grimace that the Ancient Pharaoh gave the Little one as she realized that meant that her twin's heart would need to be tested if the dark spirit wanted to move on.
"The Khat is the physical body." He gestured to Yugi. "The Sechem allows you to control your surroundings and the outcomes of your actions, and the Ka is the vital spark."
"And it's the Ka that gets summoned when you summon your personal Duel Monster?" Yugi double checked.
Mahad nodded. "That's correct. It can be called up in order to protect oneself, and it will take a physical form. The stronger someone's soul is, the stronger the Ka beast is. The beast will take the form that feels the most natural to it. Mine was an illusionary magician; apparently your friend's Ka has taken the form of his dragon. Ka beasts used to be split between divine and demonic, but there are many more classifications now."
"What was ours?" Yugi could not help but question.
"You… you did something a little crazy and ended up bound to the divine avatars of the Gods." Mahad grimaced slightly, remembering the day it had happened in far too much detail. "Before that your Ka beast was this tiny little fuzzball that liked to explode if someone you didn't like tried to touch it. It caused mayhem. You sometimes used it, even after you took the throne, to remind certain priests that power wasn't everything."
The Dark Magician could not help but smile slightly at the memory of the Pharaoh using her Kuriboh to teach Sacred Guardian Seth some humility.
"That sounds like Anesan." Yugi looked torn between amusement at the image presented and delight at the soft look on the face of one of her favourite monsters.
"So the two classifications back then were divine and demonic?" Meisa took over to double check, changing the subject and making a note to ask about the 'divine creatures' later so they did not get too far off track. When Mahad nodded, she continued, "would Diabound would have classified as demonic?"
"Actually, no." Mahad grimaced. "It's divine because its primary goal is the defence and protection of its summoner. Demonic beasts were more interested in destruction for destruction's sake. Not that divine Ka beasts can't do damage if they really want to."
There was a moment's silence as Meisa thought back to Diabound's attack on its summoner's behalf just the other day.
"So what about Anesan's half of the soul?" The living half of the Pharaoh's soul bounced back into control, getting the subject back on track.
"Her half of the soul contains the Shuyet, the Shadow, which summarizes what the pair of you represent; the Ba, or personality, which is why she's more like your ancient self than you are, Little Pharaoh." He paused, confused when the girl in question winced.
'I like you the way you are,' the Spirit of the Puzzle promised her item's bearer and felt the girl relax a little.
"The Sahu," he continued once he could see Yugi was ready to take notes again, "is the aspect of the soul that judges others and in exchange is judged by Osiris when it reaches him in the afterlife."
Yugi bit her lower lip, not ready to think about the time that her twin would be ready for that judgement. Not yet.
"And the Akh, the immortal self, is the spiritual body that the soul uses once it moves on to the afterlife." He gestured to Meisa, who wondered what would happen when her twin passed on if she had their spiritual body.
"You said there were nine parts." Yugi frowned, putting her hand on her twin sister's. "What's the last one?"
"That would be the Ren, or true name," Mahad said, grimacing, "which is what you used as the lock on the Shadows."
"I think I have that one, though." At Yugi's words the Spellcaster startled and stared at her. "What? Crawford tried to lock out anyone who didn't have a name, so I somehow linked Anesan to mine. We wouldn't have been able to even enter the duel without it."
Mahad looked at Meisa, who pursed her lips as she mulled the issue over. "It's true. I didn't have a name, so Crawford was able to lock me out of the duel, but Imoto was able to compete, AND she managed to link me to her name, so I could join her in the duel."
Yugi had to suppress a giggle as the DARK attribute monster started floating as his mind tumbled over the puzzle, making him look like he was sat on thin air.
"It's possible she got a Ren when she was born anew and was able to use the Puzzle's powers of Unity to bind you to it so you could compete." Mahad did not sound certain. "But I don't remember anyone recovering pieces of their soul like this before, or growing new ones. Isis or Karim might know more, but they're long deceased, I'm afraid."
"But you're sure we're two halves of the same soul?" Yugi pressed, now worried that they were not.
"I can sense it. You're both my Pharaoh." The Spellcaster nodded, trying to reassure them. "It's possible that you weren't able to survive without a Ren. In fact, I'd be willing to bet you have your own Ba, too, since you're a person and not just an empty vessel."
"That… makes sense." The light-souled twin's shoulders sank as she took a deep breath. "Though it doesn't explain how Meisa and I re-joined briefly during Duelist Kingdom, when we were feeling exactly the same things. If we both have a Ba, shouldn't that have gotten in the way?"
"I… I don't know." The Dark Magician hated to admit it, but it was unfortunately true. "And I don't know if there's anyone in this age who would."
Yugi ran a hand through her hair with a sigh, unhappy but having to accept that as an answer. "You said the Puzzle's power is Unity? What was it uniting back in Egypt?"
"The Millennium Items are carefully balanced..." Mahad started, but before the Dark Magician could go too much further, there was a knocking on the door, cutting off the conversation.
"Yuge? I'm home. Jii-san said you wanted to talk to us?" Yugi grimaced slightly at the sound of Katsuya's voice, not looking forward to explaining what had been said at the meeting.
"Sorry, Mahad, can I get that answer next time? And that lesson plan for Katsuya and the others?" the Queen of Games asked, getting to her feet.
"Of course, my Pharaoh." He bowed, then paused. "And for next time? I can see and hear both of you. You don't need to keep swapping."
Yugi, who had not even thought about that, let out an embarrassed giggle as the Dark Magician dismissed himself.
'Oops?' Yugi asked, pausing until the wave of disorientation that came with the Dark Magician's return to wherever he normally resided, had passed. Then she made a note to ask about the lesson plan the next time she summoned him. That done, she opened the door with a small smile. "Hi, Katsuya."
"Hey, you okay?" he asked, having been sulky the entire time he had been at work as he had wanted to be around in case the meeting with I2 had been a trap for his friend.
"Eh? Been worse." The Puzzle Bearer shrugged. "I have good news and I have bad news, and I want to share with you both at the same time."
He nodded and herded her down to the living room, where Jii-san was setting out cups of tea and tubs of ramen from a local noodle bar, having ordered in when Yugi had been too distracted to cook.
Yugi sat and took a sip of her tea before starting to fill them in between mouthfuls of pork noodles, watching their reactions to what she had to share. Neither of them looked particularly happy when she mentioned the recordings and the Non-Disclosure Agreement, but as Yugi passed Katsuya the itinerary so he could see the dates, she explained, "We weren't going to tell anyone about the magic stuff at Duelist Kingdom anyway, because seriously, who would believe us? Really, all this means is that we're being paid for our silence and we can guarantee that whatever footage they've got won't be leaked."
Jii-san opened his mouth, about to say something, but Katsuya beat him to it.
"Are these the right dates?" Katsuya demanded as his head snapped up, interrupting what was probably going to be an impressive scolding by Sugoroku.
"Yeap. I'm allowed to take a plus-one, so if you want to come, you could be there for Shizuka," Yugi offered. "You might not have to attend anything except the event itself."
"How does Meisa feel about this?" At Jii-san's question, Yugi mentally poked her twin.
The Pharaoh startled, having been distracted by what the Dark Magician had told them, and took control.
"I'd honestly be happier if you were there with us," she admitted to Katsuya, "and I'm currently kicking myself for allowing there to be footage of my actions. However, I also acknowledge that you probably had means to get over to see your sister without our interference, so you may not wish to attend the event. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to stay away considering Duelist Kingdom. Regarding the sponsorship contract and the Non-Disclosure Agreement, I'd be more irritable about them if Industrial Illusions didn't already have us on a leash with the title contract. We're not supposed to do anything that embarrasses them, and we're supposed to attend publicity things anyway."
"True, but this would be for your professional duelling career, not just while you were Queen of Games," the former archaeologist pointed out. "Couldn't you just ask them to destroy the footage instead?"
"We could," the Spirit of the Puzzle acknowledged, "but there's no guarantee that they would do it, and if they thought we leaked Crawford's actions, even if it wasn't us, that 'destroyed footage' could easily turn up again."
Yugi mentally stepped forward, and Meisa dropped out of control to allow her to speak. "We're kind of backed into a corner, but at least they're offering something in exchange for our silence. They could have just blackmailed us into silence. At least this way they're offering to pay for my schooling, which takes pressure off of the shop income, and it means I can go to university, which, let's be honest about this, Jii-san, I wouldn't have been able to do before."
The elderly gamer's shoulders sank as he acknowledged her point. He tried hard to give his granddaughter everything she needed, but there was only so much he could do. She helped him balance the finances, so she was fully aware of how much money went out for her education each school year.
While she had been in Elementary and Junior High, there had been no tuition fees, but educational fees, which provided for the mandatory field trips and supplemental materials, had been roughly 55,000 yen a year, which had been manageable. When she started Senior High this coming March, however, it would be substantially more expensive, with the first year alone averaging about 1 million yen.
He could afford the 2.3 million that her three years of high school education would cost, just about, but adding a full four-year university course could bring the total up to three times that or more, and that was just for a public university. If she wanted to go to a private school, it would be higher again.
They needed this sponsorship contract if he wanted Yugi to have a chance to do what she wanted to do with her life, rather than just settle with running the shop for the rest of eternity. Not that she did not enjoy running the shop, but Sugoroku had found her notes on games she had been designing for fun, lying around the house. Games that were entirely viable, if she had the time and training to make them playable.
And now, with this sponsorship, she would be able to afford to get that training.
"I'd need to check whether the travel and accommodation costs were for events only," Yugi continued her train of thoughts, "but even if it is, just having my education covered is a huge thing."
It was true, and it was not like Industrial Illusions could not afford it. Not when you did the conversion from yen to American dollars. A high school through to a full public university education would equal around 74,000 dollars, and that would be spread out over seven years.
"Sorry, Yugi." The Queen of Games paused at the dejected tone that emanated from her grandfather. Her eyes widened when she realized the former archaeologist was of the opinion that he had failed her, and she immediately shot across the room and cuddled into him.
"You've been amazing," she assured him. "You've done everything you possibly could to look after me. You even gave up going on digs and travelling to take care of me since Okaasan and Otosan…"
When she trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the word, he pulled her into a tighter hug.
"I don't regret coming to live with you," she promised him, "and if this opportunity hadn't come up, I wouldn't even have mentioned university, but…"
"You have to take it when it's there." Jii-san understood, his words coming out in a soft sigh. Then he remembered the other teen in the room and his head shot up, wondering how Katsuya was feeling about it all.
Jonouchi's facial expression was strangely blank as he considered everything.
"Katsuya?" Sugoroku asked, concerned.
"I always knew I wouldn't be able to go to university." Katsuya's voice stayed level, worrying both Sugoroku and Yugi. "With my criminal record, I can't get in. Not until my juvie record clears at twenty, by which point I'll be working."
"You'd be more than welcome to stay here and work," Jii-san offered as Yugi shifted so she could look at her friend. "You're part of the family after all."
"Thanks." The honest gratitude earned the elderly man a small smile from the teenage guy. The former gang member then looked at the girl who had helped him get into the position he was in now. "Of course I'm coming with you, Yuge. I might spend some time with Shizuka, what with the operation and all, but I'm not going to let you walk into some sort of trap alone."
That earned him a huge, thankful smile from Yugi, which brightened his mood further.
"Of course this means I actually need a suit," he realized with a grimace. "I don't have one."
"We'll go shopping this weekend," Jii-san promised him before looking down at his granddaughter. "What about you? What are you wearing?"
"I'm not sure. I'm going to ask Anzu if we can go shopping. She'll know what's best." Yugi shrugged, kind of dreading the trip.
"Let me know when you're going, and I'll give you some money to get what you need," Doctor Mutou promised. "Do you at least know what colours you want to wear?"
"Ummm…"
When Yugi shrugged, both guys in the room snickered, and Sugoroku turned back to Jou. "Next weekend then. Once we know what Yugi's wearing."
"Why does it matter?" the Queen of Games asked, confused.
"Ask Anzu."
"It matters," Anzu explained as she considered which shops to take Yugi to as they made their way down the street on Sunday morning, "because it would look bad if he picked out something that clashes with what you're wearing."
Yugi just nodded, taking her friend's word for it since Anzu had a much better grasp on fashion than she did. "I need something dignified, and…"
"Yugi!" The Magician Duelist paused and turned towards the voice calling her, only to find Kujaku Mai heading down the road towards them.
Now that she knew what she was looking for, she could see how she had missed the Shadows attached to Mai. Compared to those attached to the Puzzle, which was a hub of Shadows, or her friends, who had all been involved in Shadow Games, it was barely a trickle next to a river or a stream. Still, she could not help but wonder what had damaged the Harpie Duelist's soul enough to let the magic cling to her.
"Mai, hi!" She smiled and waved back, pushing the thought aside, since asking about Mai's personal trauma felt rude, and happy that the young woman had made it considering she had not been sure if she would still be in Domino for the shopping trip.
"Hey, my flight doesn't leave till tomorrow, so I have time to sort you out." Mai half-smiled, noting the odd expression on Yugi's face. "You didn't tell me what you were actually trying to achieve, though."
"I have a publicity event I have to attend, and…"
"Say no more." Mai cut her off, turning to Anzu. "What're we looking for? Formal? Casual? You know Yugi's preferred style and colours. I know the best brands and make up. Between us we can get her looking good. Unless you want her to go in her school uniform?"
The face Anzu pulled told Yugi that she was doomed. "Apparently she's been told that she needs to make a good impression because this is her first outing as Queen of Games. We need a dress really. Our school uniform is completely unsuitable. She's meant to be a Queen. She should look like it, not just some punk."
Realising what she had just said, Anzu winced and gave Mai an embarrassed smile. "I mean you pull off that badass biker chick look well, but Yugi…"
"Oneesan could probably pull my style off." Mai decided not to take offence, clicking her tongue as she looked Yugi up and down. "But I see your point. Formal wear would be better for events, but we'll need to get her duelling clothes as well for tournaments."
"But…" Yugi trailed off when both Mai and Anzu turned to look at her.
"No, no, go ahead, Yugi." Anzu waved a hand towards her, realising that she and Mai had been talking like she was not there.
"I only have the five thousand yen that Jii-san gave me to get what I need for the Toyko thing," the Queen of Games warned them. "That's it. It's enough for one fancy outfit, at most."
"It's fine, you helped me get a huge payday from Kaiba, so I can supplement." The blonde waved it off. "What do you prefer to wear? It'll give me some idea of where to start."
Yugi paused to think, realising that Mai and Anzu seemed to be determined to make sure she looked good and seemed to want to make sure she was comfortable, too. "Trousers and tops, normally. I will wear dresses, but I'd rather wear leggings or something under them if I do."
"Okay, can I suggest we get you a dress for the event itself, and then see what we can find for more normal duel wear. No one wants to get their evening gown dirty on a regular basis after all," the Harpie Duelist offered as she used her phone to search for dress shops near them.
"And you can grab some cycling shorts or something to go under the dress," the dancer suggested to Yugi, who just shrugged.
"I'm trusting you two. I have no idea about fashion." The Queen of Games suddenly had a feeling that it was the wrong things to say as the pair of taller girls looked at each other and shared a slightly evil smile.
'Don't suppose you want to take over?' Yugi tried asking her twin.
'Not really. You're the one who got us into this mess.' The Pharaoh's amusement bounced down the link as Mai showed Anzu something on her phone and they started herding the Magician Duelist down the road.
Once they had helped her pick out a cute kimono, whose obi came with a gold and jewelled bead belt, she thought she was done, but no, there were shoes to pick out and accessories to acquire. Mai even took the girls for a manicure and pedicure, determined to treat them to a proper girls' day out, and helped Yugi pick out a purple 'gel' nail varnish that shimmered when she wiggled her fingers.
Before they started on her dueling clothes, Yugi darted into a jeweler and got her ears pierced, picking out golden stars with purple stones embedded in them as her 'sleeper studs' that she could be wearing for the next few weeks while her ears healed. The brief, sharp pain from the piercing brought Meisa to the surface to check that she was okay.
When the Spirit of the Puzzle realized what was going on, having skimmed Yugi's memories, the Puzzle Bearer could sense her twin's shame.
'Anesan, are you okay?' she asked as she went to pay for the work.
'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked about getting your ears pierced.' The Pharaoh took spirit form and noted that while Anzu was still squinting in her direction, Mai had no idea she was there as she hovered by her sister's side. 'I didn't know how much upkeep it would take.'
'It's okay.' Yugi had not known either, but she didn't mind. 'It's only for four to six weeks. Once it heals properly, I won't need to do the salt water cleaning anymore, and we'll be able to wear other earrings, like the ones Namu bought us.'
'Could we try using magic to heal it so we could wear the ankhs to the Tokyo thing?' Meisa asked, curious.
'On the one hand, it's not a bad idea. On the other, I'd be worried about our ears trying to close the holes around the earrings if we did it in the first couple of weeks. I'm not sure how the healing spells work in that regard.' The Queen of Games shrugged before pausing as she spotted a broach that was very similar to the hair comb that Anzu and Mai had helped her pick out.
She pointed it out to Anzu, who agreed with her that, yes, it was a suitable thing for their friend to wear when he was accompanying her, and with Mai's assistance they managed to get the jeweled broach for a good price.
They stopped for lunch at a small café. Yugi was glad for it as the bags she was carrying were getting heavy. As they sat around the table, Mai asked, "so, what's this publicity event for anyway?"
"Industrial Illusions want to publicly apologize to Duelist Kingdom competitors and do the whole 'hey, look, shiny' thing with me and the title, while Kaiba Corp wants to announce the release date for the Duel Disk." The Queen of Games shrugged, not wanting to stress out her friends on what had been an enjoyable day so far. "You'll be getting a check for a thousand US dollars for the whole mess."
"I mean, it's not like it bothered me." Mai shrugged. "Other than the fact that there was magic getting thrown around. I had the smarts to prepare just in case there hadn't been food or shelter. So it's not like we went hungry."
"Oh, I know, but…" Yugi shrugged. "Apparently they're apologizing to everyone."
"I won't object to the extra money." Mai leaned back in her chair. "But why aren't you telling I2 to shove off after what happened?"
"It's in my title contract that I'll attend at least one event a quarter," the Queen of Games explained as their food was delivered. "Plus I'm taking a sponsorship with them."
"What?!" Anzu hissed, irritated. "Why? Yugi, they nearly…"
"I know." Yugi winced, filling her friends in in a whisper. "But they've got footage of Anesan using magic that they're willing to repress, and they're willing to pay my education and some extra costs in exchange for me signing a Non-Disclosure about the whole 'trying to destroy my soul and take over Kaiba Corp' thing. Not that I was going to tell anyone anyway, but now I'm getting paid for it."
The dancer sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I mean, I can see why they'd want that kept quiet. If Industrial Illusions goes down, Duel Monsters goes down."
"So does Kaiba Corp," Mai pointed out, tapping her fork against her plate as she thought. "KC mostly works with Duel Monsters. You're alright selling out, though?"
The Magician Duelist grimaced at the question. "Not really, but what choice do I have?"
None of them had an answer to that, and so the girls ate quietly before heading into the clothes store next door. While there Anzu and Mai loaded Yugi up with clothes, suggesting combinations before sending her to try them on. Once the Puzzle Bearer had been herded into the changing rooms by an assistant, the pair flopped onto the bench nearby with the bags of clothes and more that they had gotten so far.
"What do you think about the sponsorship thing?" Anzu asked as she leaned back, keeping a firm grip on the bags she was carrying.
Mai's grimace was enough of an answer by itself.
"That bad, huh?"
"Depends. I used to be sponsored. Not by Industrial Illusions, but it's probably going to be much of the same." The Harpie Duelist shrugged. "It was decent money as long as I was winning, but any losses, and they came down on me like a ton of bricks. If it's like Siren Cosmetics was for me, they'll mostly want promotional material, like photos and interviews, and tell her to speak well of the company, even when she thinks they stink."
"Is that why you dropped Siren?" The dancer asked, having heard of the brand before but never been willing to pay for the sheer expense of their products.
"That and I didn't appreciate their attitude regarding losses that weren't my fault." Mai's expression darkened as Insector Haga's deck stealing and Keith Howard's 'lucky draws' that had been proved to be cheating came to mind. "I bought my contract out and moved on. Started working on cruise ships in the gambling rooms. Honestly, it was more lucrative. And after Duelist Kingdom I'm set for a while."
Anzu grimaced slightly, having heard how much Mai had charged Kaiba for the entry card to the Duelist Kingdom finals, but did not really have much she could say on the matter. Not that she had to as Yugi nervously emerged from the changing rooms to show them the outfit that she liked the most.
"Damn." Mai chuckled as she looked the girl up and down. "You suit that better that I thought."
Anzu paused to consider the silver-edged purple mini dress which went over black leggings and was set off by Meisa's favourite black and silver boots, a black jacket and a dark purple leather choker. The silver chain of the Puzzle pulled it all together nicely. The dancer was surprised to admit that despite Yugi's soft demeanor, the slightly punk style really did make her look amazing.
Yugi did a spin, frowning a little in uncertainty. "You sure it's not too much?"
"It's just enough." Mai shook her head. "We can grab a couple more of all of it for multi-day tournaments, but you look kickass."
As the Queen of Games darted back in to get changed back into her usual clothes, the delighed grin on her face made both of her friends chuckle.
"Think I should pick up the purple leggings and jacket and the black dress like that one?" Anzu suggested. "It'll invert the colours so it doesn't look like she's wearing that same clothes every day."
"Not a bad plan," Mai allowed, thinking quickly. "I'd suggest the white set too, but it would look like she was copying Kaiba, and you just know people would point it out. I envy Jonouchi in one way."
"Oh?" Anzu asked as she started to get up.
"He could turn up to a tournament in jeans and t-shirt and no one would say a word. At our level a female Duelist is expected to have a style and look good." The Harpie Duelist grimaced. "Speaking of, we need to stop next door so I can pick out some make up for Yugi."
"You realise she's never worn makeup in her entire life, right?" The dancer gave her an exasperated look.
"So I'll show her how and write a guide." Mai shrugged. "Plus she can text us for advice if she needs it. That is what being the 'female friends' is good for."
"That and showing her the best place to kick a someone when they're being a prick," Anzu agreed before going to collect the clothes in question, bringing back a dark navy blue jacket and leggings along with the other clothes.
Once the clothes were acquired and Mai had very carefully picked out the right colours of makeup for Yugi to wear, along with bands and clips that would help keep the wild tresses in control, they headed back to the shop, where Doctor Mutou, Jonouchi, and Namu were easily keeping the customer levels under control, allowing the girls to head straight upstairs.
Once up there, Anzu laid out the kimono while Mai did Yugi's makeup in the bathroom, showing the girl how each product worked together with the others. The Queen of Games listened carefully, relief clear when Mai said she would write a guide.
Once her hair and makeup were done, Yugi stepped into the dress, which Anzu helped her tie at the back, and then looked at herself in the mirror on the back of her bedroom door.
She barely recognised herself as she beheld the finished product. Her twin, who emerged from the Puzzle to take a good look, let out an approving noise.
'You look like a real Queen, Imoto.' The Pharaoh could feel her twin's happiness as Yugi slowly spun around, turning her head to try and get a good look at herself.
'I owe Mai and Anzu big time,' the lighter half of their shared soul agreed.
"Hey, Yugi?" Mai asked, interrupting them. "Can Oneesan come out so I can check whether that suits her too or if I need to adjust the makeup."
"Meisa," the Pharaoh reintroduced herself to Mai as she took control, having not had the chance to do so before. "I'm Mutou Meisa now."
"Meisa, good to remember." The Harpie Duelist nodded, looking her over. "Glad I went for the silver eyeshadow rather than then purple."
The Spirit of the Puzzle turned to look in the mirror and looked herself up and down, tilting her head slightly as she beheld Anzu and Mai's work. "It looks really good. Thank you both."
"I can write down how to get this look, but I suggest that you practice before the big day," Mai recommended.
"Please and thank you." Yugi retook control. "I'm going to go show Jii-san and Katsuya while you do that."
When Anzu and Mai waved her off, Yugi grabbed the box containing the broach for Katsuya and headed through the flat and down the stairs to the shop, wobbling slightly as she got used to the new kimono sandals. Once at the door she waited until she could not hear the sounds of people serving customers and then stepped though.
"Jii-san, Katsuya? What do you think?"
All three of those currently running the shop turned to look at her call, and Katsuya froze as he beheld the gorgeous-looking girl asking for his opinion.
The purple kimono with silver flowers suited her perfectly, its purple-grey obi offset by a brown belt strung with gold and red beads. Her normally wild black hair had been pulled up into a bun, with the red tips arranged neatly around it. Her blonde fringe framed her face, drawing attention to eyes that had been lined with black eyeliner and shown off with silver eyeshadow and lips that were shimmering with a pearlescent pink lip gloss. On the left side of her head rested a purple-blue jewelled lotus.
"Oh wow…"
"You look great, Yugi." Her grandfather smiled at her, as stunned by the transformation as Katsuya was, but able to hide it better. "I'm impressed."
Namu was staring too, shocked by the transformation from what the Queen of Games normally looked like to this divine creature. He could not help but wonder if the lotus colour had been deliberate. A blue lotus represented the birth and rebirth of the sun god, Ra, and the Pharaoh was Ra's representative on Earth. It could easily have been a symbol of her ancient birth and her modern rebirth as Mutou Yugi. He wondered if she understood the symbolism.
Yugi's hand went to the lotus hair comb for a moment before she showed her friend the box. When Katsuya opened it, he stared at the purple-blue jewelled lotus broach, confused.
"The lotus is a symbol of nobility," the Queen of Games explained sheepishly, "and since I'm wearing one, I thought you could too. So we matched. You don't have to if you don't want to."
"We can find somewhere for it to go," Jii-san promised. "Try and get me at least one photo when you get the professional ones? I want to show off my gorgeous magomasume and try and get her a proper match."
The blush that caused came through the layers of foundation on her face and she turned away towards the door. "I… I'm going to get changed. Glad you like it."
As she started to flee upstairs, thrown off by the idea of her grandfather making a match for her, she could not help but hear Katsuya's voice as he complained, "I am never going to be able to match up to that."