AN: A Manta chapter by request. Not sure at the moment what will be next.

Amerika: America

Richtig: Right/Correct

According to Yoh, Faust and Eliza had been sitting at the kitchen table all day with some kind of red box and tweezers. Beyond that, he hadn't really bothered to find out.

So it wasn't as if Manta was completely in shock seeing the two still sitting there, faces screwed in concentration, when he came over at eight o' clock. He was even less surprised that they didn't notice him enter the room and grab a drink from the fridge.

"Hey Faust, what do you have there?" He asked after a long, silent period.

The necromancer jumped slightly before turning in his seat and smiling, "Ah Manta-kun! How was school?"

Mentally, Manta rolled his eyes. It wasn't at all unlike Faust to miss the beginning of a conversation –and then, instead of admit he hadn't been paying attention, make up one of his own. After knowing him long enough, he knew it was best just to play along.

"Oh, it was fine… nothing much…"

Faust smiled apologetically, "School is the same over in Germany, I'm afraid. It was never very exciting until college." He turned back to the table, softly hitting Eliza's hand as he found she'd been playing without him. "It does get better, though."

"That's good," Manta said dully, taking a sip and craning his neck for a better view. It was just too high up, though. "What is that thing, anyway?"

"Oh, it's a game from…" He turned his attention slightly, "Amerika, richtig?"

Eliza nodded, not taking her eyes off his work.

"Yes… well… it's called Operation. Quite addicting, actually." He looked over at the clock on the stove and winced, "It seems we've been playing a good deal too long, though."

"How'd you get a game from…?"

Faust smiled over his shoulder, "Eliza bought it as an anniversary gift."

It was rather doubtful, when Manta thought about it, that she had any idea what the word 'anniversary' meant in Japanese. Still, she smiled and nodded brightly.

The curiosity was getting the better of him –Manta needed to see it. He'd never actually seen an American board game, anyway.

Disregarding the fact that it was something Eliza had bought, and the pair was now obsessed with, Manta climbed into a chair to get a good look.

He froze as he looked over the game board, mouth hung open in terror.

"Uh… Faust?" he asked, shaking just slightly as he forced a smile.

"Hm?" Faust asked, not taking his eyes off the game as he skillfully pulled what looked to be a plastic butterfly out of the figure's 'stomach'.

"Did you… did you tape my picture to the game?"

In shock, Faust dropped the piece back in. He looked to Eliza, and then stared at the picture taped over the drawing's face.

"Huh… it's probably been like that the whole time… I didn't even notice…"

Noting where everyone was looking, Eliza said something lightly in German. A small smile broke momentarily over Faust's face before he nodded and turned to Manta.

"That was Eliza as part of the anniversary present. It was only a joke…"

Manta blanked, "That's… your idea of a joke?"

The pair looked to each other for a moment before nodding.

Manta's eye twitched as he waved his hand toward the game board. "And you guys just… didn't see anything wrong with this?"

Faust translated for Eliza when she appeared confused. After he finished, she shook her head.

"It only for private," she explained softly, "So I say that…"

"This is really, really, twisted," Manta told them flatly –staring at his picture smiling up from its place. "You guys are sick."

"We apologize, Manta-kun," Faust said quickly, "We did not think…"

"Yeah…" He hopped down from the chair, not wanting to even take the drink with him, "I'm just gonna… leave now…" He didn't look back as he left the room, muttering something about psychos.

The couple watched the doorway for a long while before Eliza began to giggle. After a moment, he joined her.

"I owe you 1,000," Eliza told him softly in German, a wide grin pasted on her face, "I could have sworn he'd tear that picture off."

"He may just be accepting us…" Faust told her with a shrug, going back to fishing a rubber band out of the hole.

"Ya know…" she said idly as she took her turn, "We really were pretty nice… We could have been a lot meaner."

"Hm?" Faust asked with one corner of his mouth pulled up.

Eliza shrugged, "You could have told him the game said for him to get a second opinion."

The two looked at each other for a long while before breaking into laughter.

"Well… Damn it," Faust said, covering his mouth to pretend he hadn't found it funny.

"Yeah… you think we could have gotten him to do that little scream he does?" she asked, taking another look at the door way to make sure he wasn't listening (as though he could understand them, she reminded herself).

When there was no one, she clapped her hands together. "Double bet says I can do it."

Faust covered his eyes and shook his head as his shoulders shook in silent laughter. Finally, he waved a hand to allow her to go.

With a broad grin, Eliza hurried off down the hall to find her victim. Faust didn't bother to pay attention as he set the game up once again –but smiled as, sure enough, there was a scream.