Monday morning came far too quickly for Yugi's taste. He forced himself out of the bed he had shared with Umi the last couple of nights to get ready for school. Umi had been too upset to sleep alone, so she had crawled into his bed as she had when they were younger. The Pharaoh had grown very excited as she lay next to him, which kept Yugi awake. He did not think that the Pharaoh would intentionally hurt her, but after everything Umi had been through, he did not want to take a chance. He sleepily dressed in his uniform, grabbed his books and some breakfast and was out the door before the rest of the household even stirred.

Yugi was one of the first students to show up for school that day, but he felt the need to discuss his recent absences with someone in charge. He sat nervously in the administration office waiting for the principal to show up for the day. The time seemed to stretch into eternity as he waited. He began to drift off to sleep when the receptionist called his name and gestured for him to enter the office. The principal told him to have a seat. Yugi settled into the large chair nervously. He had never been inside the principal's office before for any reason.

"You've been absent, Mr. Muto." The principal announced with no effort at small talk.

"Yes, Sir. That is why I wanted to talk to you today."

"I assume you were ill?"

"Not exactly. This is difficult to explain."

"Try your best." the old man frowned at him

"The short version is that I went to America to retrieve my sister."

"And you are asking for an excuse for this trip? You know that we only allow excuses for illnesses or a death in the family."

"Yes, Sir. I am aware, but I would like to explain."

"Very well."

Yugi proceeded to tell him about his sister's situation. The story took longer than he expected, but Yugi felt lighter for having shared it. The principal looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment.

"That is indeed quite the tale, Mr. Muto. I will bring the situation up to the board and they will consider your request."

"Thank you, Sir. That is all I ask."

"Now, class will be starting soon. You had best get on your way."

Yugi stood and bowed deeply to him before hurrying out of the office. He leaned heavily against the hallway wall. His hand wrapped instinctively around the chain holding the puzzle around his neck. His Other Self congratulated him for the attempt at getting the principal to bend the rules.

"Yeah, well, we will see if it works. I probably should have just lied and said I was sick."

"Grandpa would never go for that."

Yugi smirked sleepily.

"Yugi!" he heard Joey call from down the hall. He turned to the voice to see his best friends hurrying down the hall toward him. "Where have you been?" There was a touch of worry in Joey's voice.

"Hey, everyone." Yugi said, yawning. Tea hugged him tightly before pulling away embarrassed.

"I was so worried about you! Everyone said you were sick, but your grandpa said you weren't home when we went by and he didn't know where you went, and, and we were just so worried." Tea rambled on. Yugi smiled at her, thinking back to Terese's kiss at the airport and the Pharaoh's question to him afterward about which girl he wanted more. Seeing her so flustered, Yugi knew that he definitely wanted Tea.

"If only she would be as assertive as the other one, eh Partner?" the spirit's voice echoed in his mind.

"I'm fine. I wasn't sick. I, um. Well. Umi's home. The short version is that I went to go get her."

"Didn't you try that before?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, what changed?" Joey added as the bell rang to call the students to class.

"I'll tell you at lunch." He said as they hurried to class.

"No shit, he was selling her? Like a whore?" Joey exclaimed as they ate their lunch. Bakura had joined them in an effort to escape his fanclub.

"Who was selling who?" Bakura asked.

"My sister was being prostituted out by her guardian. He had set up a porn site with videos of her and everything. Kaiba investigated the income from the site and said he was making a lot of money from it."

"That is absolutely disgusting." Tea said, her face twisted in horror.

"Yeah, but she's home now. She's safe." The relief Yugi felt was palpable.

"So when are we all going to hang out?" Tristan asked. Yugi shrugged.

"Umi's pretty much been sleeping since she got home, but you should all come by. Maybe you can convince her to get out of bed. And if not, we can still find something to do."

"I've got work." Tea said, frowning.

"And we have a literature test tomorrow." Bakura reminded them to a chorus of groans.

"Oh that's right. What did I miss while I was gone?"

"Chemistry test and math test, both of which I completely bombed." Joey sighed. Yugi pulled his knees to his chest and laid his head against them.

"Of all days to miss. Man, I wish Umi could take them for me."

"You and me both, buddy." Joey put a sympathetic arm around Yugi's shoulder. "But it's alright, we can sink together."

Yugi rolled his eyes.

"I can't afford to sink, Joey."

"Aw, man. I'm going to be so lonely when you all graduate and I'm stuck here until I pass. Maybe I'll drop out if that happens." The brash blond boy lamented.

"You aren't going to drop out, Joey." Tea said, her voice strained as if he had pushed her patience to the limit.

"At least I was able to read on the flight, so I should be alright on the test tomorrow."

"Speaking of your flight, Yugi, how did you get to America to get Umi?" Tristan asked.

"Kaiba." Yugi answered after a beat. "He actually found her and what was happening to her."

"Who would have guessed it? Kaiba doing something that's normal." Joey said in amazement.

"What are you talking about?" Tea asked.

"I mean, everyone looks up porn on the Internet, don't they?"

Yugi and Tristan blushed as Tea flicked Joey in the ear.

"Hey! That hurt!" He said rubbing the throbbing lobe. Yugi laughed for the first time since he took off with Kaiba a few days prior. But deep in his mind he could feel the echoes of Umi's pain. It reverberated within him and he could find no way to stop it.

Umi lay on her brother's bed, where she had taken up residence since she had returned home. She had only gotten out of it to go to the bathroom and when Ms. Takanada demanded she try to eat something. She wasn't hungry, but she tried. She could hear her grandfather and his girlfriend talking in quiet voices about her. It was frustrating, but she also did not really care. She did not care about much.

It was cold and quiet in Yugi's room since he had run out to school. She curled up underneath the thick blankets that she knew he hated. She smiled knowing that he had collected them from throughout the house for her and suffered through their oppressive weight, as he called it, because it brought her some sense of peace. It was less peace than it was escape, Umi thought as she buried herself in their weight and warmth.

And still, despite their number, the blankets did little to warm the depths of Umi's spirit. She shivered beneath them, thinking of how easily her soul had been warmed when she had been wrapped in Seto's arms. She missed him, and could feel that Neferet did as well. She stared at her phone. She wanted to talk to him, to have him hold her and tell her that it was going to be alright, but she did not know how to contact him. She took a picture of herself under the blankets and shared it. She hoped that he would see it.

A knock on the door brought her out from her cave of blankets.

"Yes?"

"Are you hungry, Umi dear?" her grandfather called from the other side of the door. She shook her head as he peeked in. "You have to eat something sometime. You'll waste away if you don't." He looked at her with empathetic eyes and worry on his face.

"I'm just not hungry, Grandpa."

"Can I sit with you then?"

She shrugged, which he took as an invitation to join her on the edge of the bed.

"I'm happy you're home, Umi. More than you know. And I know that things were... difficult these last few months." He said. Umi thought that he had no idea just how much the word difficult was an understatement. "And I want you to know that you can have all the time you need, but we are worried about you. Can you at least come out from under the blankets?"

"I'll try, Grandpa. I just..." She trailed off, sighing. She felt all mixed up and did not quite know how to explain it. In truth, she was not sure exactly what she felt. It was like she was feeling everything and nothing at once. "I'll try." He squeezed her shoulders in a one armed hug before leaving her to her own contemplation. He was right about one thing, Umi thought. I can't stay in here for ever. She had wallowed in pity enough after her mother's unexpected death. The wallowing had led her to where she was now, wallowing about what had happened.

She pulled one blanket tightly around her as she waddled out to the living room. The movement made her realize just how hungry she was. Ms. Takanada offered her some soup, which she ate greedily. It warmed her in places the blanket could not quite reach, both in her spirit and in her body. She gratefully accepted the offer of seconds and slurped the warm liquid as Ms. Takanada sat next to her knitting and watching her stories. Umi looked at the time on her phone and tried to calculate when it was in California. She sighed when she realized that it was nearly midnight on a school night. She sent Terese and Christa a message anyway, letting them know she was safe at home. The responses came quickly, which surprised her, but should not have. Umi chuckled when they told her it was a welcome break from doing their Calculus homework. She told them that she missed the class already. Terese called her a glutton for academic punishment. She missed them terribly, but she had been missing them for months. She berated herself for not telling them what was going on sooner.

"Umi, would you like to go shopping with me this afternoon? I have to go to the market to pick up some supplies for dinner."

"Um. I don't know."

"It will be fun to get out of the house for a bit, don't you think?" Ms. Takanada looked at her hopefully. She could see why her grandfather had fallen for the middle-aged woman, despite their age difference. Umi tried to smile, but it felt hollow.

"Yeah. Sure. I'll go."

Ms. Takanada smiled happily at her before turning back to the television. Umi finished her soup as she watched the drama. She could not follow it, but then she had little patience for circuitous romance stories and love triangles.

"I'm going to take a bath." she told the older woman sitting next to her as she stood and put her bowl in the sink.

The hot water felt amazing, though it did not warm her as much as Seto's embrace. As she toweled off, Umi looked at herself in the mirror. She seemed so different than she was before. She felt more human than she had since her mother died, but she could also see the invisible scars of what had been done to her. She struggled with thinking about her ordeal as something for which she was not in control, but she forced herself to do so, to lay the blame on the perpetrators rather than on herself. She pulled the band out that had been holding her hair into a loose bun. Black waves cascaded down her back until it lay in a heavy sheet of hair surrounding her face. She ran her fingers through it from scalp to end, remembering how her keeper and her pimp had insisted she wear it in specific ways, usually in some sort of bun or pigtails . She remembered how her clients grabbed it, and how the men who raped her in the videos used it to keep her from hiding her face from the camera. She ran her fingers through it once more.

"I want to burn it." she said to no one in particular as the anger of the actions taken against her ignited once more. "I want to burn it all." She sighed, realizing that setting fire to her head might be a little extreme. Doesn't mean it's not time for a change, she thought. She hurried into her old bedroom-the one she had not been able to sleep in as she had grown so used to being with someone, and found a pair of jeans, shirt and her Berkeley sweatshirt. She dressed quickly and put her hair back into a ponytail that fell down her back. She grunted as she pulled the hair brush through it's length.

"Ms. Takanada?" She called as she entered the living room.

"Yes? Oh Umi, you look like you are feeling better."

"A bit yes. I was wondering if we could maybe go out a little earlier? I feel like I need a change of scenery and maybe to pick up some new clothes. Everything I have reminds me of what happened."

"Of course! Shall we go now?" The older woman turned off the television and ushered Umi to the door. "I love shopping. I haven't had a reason to go shopping in so long, and shopping for men is just no fun." Seeing her so excited made Umi smile as she slipped into her shoes and they headed out through the shop.

Several hours later, Umi and Ms. Takanada arrived back home loaded with packages and bags.

"What is all of this?" A voice asked from behind the counter as they shuffled in through the shop.

"Now, Solomon, don't get angry. Umi's promised to work everything off."

"Work what off?"

"I sort of let her redecorate her bedroom, you know, to make it more homey for her."

"Not the entire room, Grandpa, just some things here and there. I mean it has been a while since I've been into butterflies and fairies."

"And while we were out, she needed some new clothes."

"I thought she brought clothes from America?" He asked, perplexed.

"Oh she can't wear those, not after what happened."

"What?"

"It was just enough to get her through the winter, but she needed a little of everything."

"So, how much did you spend?"

"It's a good thing I like second hand stores." Umi smiled, hoping to lesson the blow.

"About sixty thousand yen." The middle-aged woman smiled nervously. The old man's eyes grew wide at the figure and he clutched his chest as if he were having a heart attack.

"Grandpa!" Umi moved to his side, worried, but he waved her off.

"That's a lot of money, Tomoe."

"But it was really a good deal for everything she needed."

"You are right, she is going to work it off. Starting this evening, no more moping around, Umi. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And you will have to see about getting enrolled in school." He added. Umi felt her hands grow clammy and her heart race in panic. But she nodded in understanding.

"What will I be doing to work it off, Grandpa?"

"Stocking and manning the shop. It will be good to have an employee for a change."

Umi sat at the counter after she and Ms. Takanada had brought her new acquisitions upstairs to her bedroom. Umi hoped that having a space of her own would help her work through the trauma. She was eager to decorate it with all of her new trinkets, but Grandpa first had her bring the extra stock that he had stored there to the shop and work on resupplying the shelves. He had left her alone at the counter when Yugi got home well after dark.

"Welcome to the Game Shop." she called out as the door chimed. Her back was to the entrance as she placed a box of cards on a high shelf.

"I'm home." Yugi called as the door closed behind him and his friends. Umi turned on the step ladder and then jumped down. She smiled at her brother who had a bewildered look on his face.

"You cut your hair." he stated. Umi played with the short locks that now framed her face.

"I did." The haircut alone had done much to shift her perspective on the situation. Yugi studied her new look. She was wearing her glasses as well rather than the contacts that she usually had in. He smiled at her after a long moment of contemplation.

"It looks good." He thought the cut suited her well. It was playful and it definitely seemed to give her more energy. She could not stop tossing it around or running her fingers through it.

"It's blue now too." she leaned toward him and into a beam of light which danced off of the indigo strands. Yugi touched the blue streaks, marveling at how soft Umi's hair was. When she looked up at him again, he gasped. He could feel his heartbeat quicken as his Other Self fought for control. He felt that the spirit wanted to see her with his own eyes, but now more than ever, Yugi thought it prudent to keep them apart.

"Partner, come on." the Pharaoh pleaded, and Yugi could feel his fascination with her physical transformation. If he was being honest, Yugi also noticed how attractive his sister had become.

"Umi! Long time no see!" Joey greeted her from the other side of the counter.

"Joey, Tristan. It has been a while." She smiled up at the pair. She came around the counter and hugged each of them. "You are both doing well?"

"I guess, except Joey's going to fail math." Tristan teased.

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"I love math. What are you studying?"

"He's in basic algebra." Yugi supplied.

"Oh, that's baby stuff. Call me when you get to multivariate calculus." She said slipping back behind the counter.

"Oh man, and I was hoping you might tutor me."

"How much?"

"What?"

"How much will you pay me for tutoring you?" She asked.

"Umi!" Yugi looked at his sister incredulously.

"What? I need the money. I owe Grandpa sixty thousand."

"WHAT?! Why?"

"Ms. Tomoe bought me some new clothes and is helping me redecorate my room. But I agreed to pay him back. So. How much?"

"Can I think about it?" Joey asked.

"Look, if you were going to get help from a stranger, they would charge you. I won't charge you as much as a tutoring school and you will get one on one attention with the same tutor every time."

"But you're my best friend's sister! You couldn't do it for free?"

"I'm giving you a discount because I'm your best friend's sister."

Joey groaned.

"I'll let you know tomorrow."

"Alright." Umi said as she went back to stocking the shelves.

Seto sat on the roof of the Kaiba Corp headquarters in the cool early spring nighttime air. It was still cold enough that he needed a jacket, but he had wished that he also had brought a cup of coffee, or maybe some hot cocoa. He looked up at the stars and wished desperately for a cigarette. He had not had one since Mokuba had begged him to quit right before he and Yugi dueled for the first time, but ever since he had gotten back from America, Seto felt the call of the tiny sticks of death. No, he reminded himself, it was not a cigarette that he wanted, but rather the young woman who had captured his soul. He had not seen her since he had dropped her and Yugi off at their home. He thought about her constantly, recollecting how she felt when she was pressed against him, wrapped in his arms. Every time he closed his eyes to think, her face was there.

"Here you are, Sir." Roland said as he saw Seto leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up on a table.

"Here I am."

"Mokuba is worried about you."

"Yeah?"

"Says you aren't sleeping."

"I can't. Even the pills aren't helping right now."

"Neither is sitting up here brooding, Sir."

Seto chuckled. It always amazed him how Roland was so direct with his opinion, yet so vague at the same time.

"Got a smoke, Roland?"

"I thought you quit."

"So did I." He did not really want the cigarette that his bodyguard handed to him, but he took it anyway. He needed something to get his mind off of her. Roland lit it and Seto put it to his lips. He coughed slightly on the exhale as his body had grown unaccustomed to the process in the few months since he had last smoked. The hot air burned but it made him forget, at least for a moment, the other burning feeling that had been haunting him.

"What's troubling you, Seto?" The bodyguard and sometimes confidant asked as he sat next to the younger man and lit his own cigarette. Seto shot him a quick glance.. "It's not work. I would know if it was work. But you've been secretive."

Seto took a couple more deep drags on the cigarette as he composed his thoughts.

"You remember when you picked us up from the airport the other night?"

"Yes. You and Mr. Muto and some girl."

The burning in his lungs subsided and the memory of her burning touch replaced it more quickly than he had thought possible.

"Can I have another?" He asked. Roland pull out the remainder of his pack and handed it to Seto. He tossed the nearly empty pack on the table he had turned into a footstool before he lit the new cigarette between his lips.

"I can't stop thinking about her." He admitted to his valet.

"You need more than a couple of cigarettes, Seto." Roland looked at the younger man pointedly. "I could find you a girl if you want."

Seto sighed before taking another drag.

"I want her."

"Then maybe you should go get her." Roland suggested as he finished his cigarette.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Seto had been asking himself the same thing all day. He had yet to find a satisfactory answer.

"As long as I've known you, Seto, you've never given up on anything you wanted, not without a fight. If this girl is worth it to you, then fight for her."

"Even if I'm fighting myself?"

"What do you mean?" Roland lit the last cigarette, feeling that there was a story here.

"I don't want to hurt her. She's gone through so much these last few months. She's been practically tortured and it reminds me of how Gozaburo treated me. Not for the same reasons, but the means to the end... they had a similar effect. I don't want to hurt her, but I'm afraid, Roland. I'm afraid that I won't know how to not. It's stupid and doesn't make much sense." He took another drag on the cigarette, letting the stub dangle from his lips momentarily as he wiped his cheek.

Roland looked at him for a long moment, taking in his pain.

"You have feelings for this girl." he said matter-of-factly. Seto took another long drag and tossed his head back against the top of the chair. He could only see the brightest stars shining in the early night sky. Even they twinkled dimly in the city's glow. He thought back to what he had told Yugi, about how he remembered her.

"She haunts my dreams and my every waking moment."

"But do you love her?"

Seto tried to suck in the very last of his cigarette, but found that it had gone out. He sighed.

"I don't know."

He saw Roland smile as if he knew some secret that Seto had missed.

"Come on, Sir. Mokuba's probably worried sick by now." Roland said, stubbing out the last of his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. He picked up the empty pack and tossed it into the trash can. Seto stood and stretched.

"I'll get you another pack."

"Maybe I should quit too. The wife's been begging me for years. And I think Mokuba would kill me if he found out I was up here enabling you."

Seto smiled as he looked up at the dim stars. He still felt a deep rooted sense of longing. He had thought that he had been able to put aside such feelings. He had worked hard at numbing himself to the pain of existence, but she had tapped open a crack in the dam that he had build and everything came rushing back.

"Come on. Let's go." Seto said, looking at the older man. "Can't keep your wife waiting."

They had indeed stopped on the way back to Kaiba's estate to pick up a couple pack of smokes, though Roland had continued his attempt to persuade Seto to persue something else to ease his longing.

"I'm just saying, Boss. As far as I know, you went from a different girl every night to complete celibacy overnight. It's not good for you. And now, here you are pining away for a girl you aren't even sure wants you."

"It's not the wanting that I'm worried about, Roland. It's the timing."

"Whatever. Look, just say the word and I'll make a few calls. I promise it would be completely of the girl's free will."

"I'll think about it."

"Or what about some porn or something."

"Not the same."

"No, I guess not."

Seto had thought about looking up something on the internet to help ease his desire, but he was afraid that he would be tempted to look for her, knowing that she was out there to find. And the thought sickened him. They rode the rest of the way in silence. Seto got out of the car as they pulled up. He tossed one pack of cigarettes to Roland as he sent the bodyguard on his way home. The large house was silent as he walked in. He half expected Mokuba to be waiting for him like a mother hen, tapping his foot and demanding to know if Seto knew what time it was. Truthfully, he did not care. He wove his way through some of the expansive rooms and grabbed a bottle of scotch and a glass from a beautifully carved cabinet. He passed through the living room where he pulled a blanket from off the back of the sofa. He walked out onto a patio at the back of the house and sat on a lounge chair. It looked older than him based on the style and had come with the house when he had inherited it, as did so much of the rest of the place. He pulled a small filigree table next to the lounge and placed his goods upon it. He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders as he laid back and looked up at the stars once more. They were more vibrant now that he was away from the city, though he could still see the glow of the lights in the distance. It was quiet and he could hear crickets and bats despite the chill. Spring was in the air. When he closed his eyes he could smell the new growth that formed around him. He poured himself a drink. He made a face as he choked back the warm liquid. He hated alcohol and did not drink for pleasure or even in social situations. He only drank to numb himself to the pain. And so he drank until he passed out, dreamlessly, under the stars.

"Seto." the voice was distant. "Seto."

He felt like he was floating in a canoe or dinghy on rough water as his body was tossed from side to side.

"Seto." the insistant voice said once more. "Come on, get up."

He squinted in the bright morning sunlight as Mokuba shook him awake.

"Ow." He sat up slowly, his body stiff from the hard metal lounge chair he had passed out on. His head swam as he tried to focus on at least one of the Mokubas scowling at him. He tried to stand up, but his knees buckled beneath him. He went to catch himself on the table, but only succeeded in smashing into the circular top and sending the contents on its surface crashing to the ground. The empty bottle shattered as it hit the bricks. Mokuba reached his hands out to steady his brother before he too crashed to the ground.

"It's bright." Seto complained

"It's morning." Mokuba fumed as he helped Seto back inside. "You've been sleeping out there all night."

As they reached the door, Seto steadied himself against the wooden frame. He wobbled as he took a few steps.

"And you're drunk. Fabulous."

"I'm not drunk. I'm hung over." He called, stumbling his way to the bathroom. Seto looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like shit. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was a mess. He couldn't even place the smell that emanated from him. He splashed some water on his face before he left in an effort to wake up. He stumbled his way back to the kitchen where Mokuba sat muttering to himself as he ate breakfast.

"Coffee." he ordered as he landed heavily on a stool next to his brother.

"You smell."

"Thanks?"

"No, you smell like whiskey and cigarettes, Seto. What the fuck is going on with you?"

"Language, Mokuba."

"Oh no fuck that shit, you are not lecturing me on language today. Answer the damn question."

"What was it again?" Seto sipped the coffee the cook placed before him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm drunk."

"Seto." Mokuba warned.

"No, hungover." the hot coffee burned almost as much as the scotch had the night before.

"Why."

"Because he's having girl problems." Roland explained as he walked into the kitchen. "Master Mokuba, it's time to get to school."

Mokuba pulled Seto's shirt collar so that he was looking him in the eye.

"You and I are going to talk about this later. You promised me you would quit." he seethed before grabbing his piece of toast and turning for the door. Seto laid his chin on the thick wooden counter as he watched his brother go and passed out once more.

Umi sat with her new family eating breakfast, watching them go through their daily routines. Her grandfather and his girlfriend, who had grown on her in the few days since she had moved back home, were talking about ways to drive more business to the shop and how to adjust their budget given the new addition. Yugi ate quickly and in silent contemplation, seeming to have a conversation all his own. Umi felt guilt spring up within her as she listened to the older couple. She had not wanted to put any undue burden on her grandfather, but now she had no choice in the matter.

"Grandpa. I will do anything I can to help." She added, trying to let them know how grateful she was for them. And she felt blessed every day the sun rose and she woke up to it. The distance she now had from her situation in America helped her immensely, but there were still times when the fear and shame weighed so heavily upon her that she did not want to get out of bed.

"I know you do, my Jewel." Her grandfather laid his hand on hers, comfortingly.

"I'm just sorry that Mom's trust funds are locked up until Yugi and I are eighteen."

"It's alright, Umi. We will figure things out." Tomoe said. "We did receive word that your mother's estate is being managed by her lawyer now. Solomon spent much of the evening yesterday talking to her. Everything will work out." The older woman smiled at her. "The lawyer also said that the man who was acting as your guardian was arrested for the participation in a child prostitution ring. So he will get justice for what he did to you."

Yugi looked up at the mention of justice and met Umi's eyes. She could the anger rolling off of him, that he was unsatisfied with any sort of justice other than his own, but that he thought justice had already been served.

"She told us that an anonymous tipster had directed the police to the website with your pictures on them and that they had made several arrests based on it. She also said that the police had rescued several other girls in situations similar to your own."

Umi and Yugi had the same thought simultaneously. Kaiba had sent the police the information. Umi smiled, knowing that he did not have to do anything once they had gotten back to Japan, but she was proud that he had.

"That is wonderful news." Umi told the older couple, who smiled at each other.

"Umi, when you are finished with breakfast can you go prep the shop for opening?"

"Of course, Grandpa."

Yugi hurried to finish getting ready for school as Umi went to sweep the front of the shop and open up for the day.

She was jamming out to some music on her headset that she did not hear Yugi open the door behind her. She jumped in surprise when he touched her shoulder, but then she pulled one earbud out as she looked at him

"That was good news, wasn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah. The best." she smiled, but Yugi could tell she had been crying.

"Are you alright?" Her smiled brightened and she nodded.

"Yeah. I'm just so happy that it is finally over. And I'm thrilled that it isn't over for just me. There had been several disappearances in the last few years that were unsolved. But now maybe those girls will be found and they can go home to their families too." She leaned heavily on the broom.

"But..." Yugi asked. In the days since she had been back, he had the sense that she was missing something. He had thought she was just homesick, and she did seem to brighten after she talked to her friends and former mentors and teammates. But her happiness did not last, and he suffered through nightly tears as she cried herself to sleep in the next room. He had, at first, laid down with her, as they had since they were children, but he could not even see the dark spots in her soul where she was hurting.

Umi looked to the ground, quiet tears sliding down her cheeks and falling to the concrete. She brushed them away with the back of her hand as Tea cheerfully arrived to walk to school with Yugi.

"Umi! It's so good to see you!" She said as they hugged. They had had their ups and downs growing up, but Umi had forgiven Tea for what she had done in the past and they had grown friendly since then. "Sorry I haven't seen you sooner, but I've been working my tail off." The taller young woman explained.

"It's fine. We should get together this weekend." Umi suggested. "I've got something I want to show you." She smiled mischievously. Tea raised her eyebrows in curiosity and Yugi's eyes pleaded with Umi.

"Sounds great. Come on, Yugi. We don't want to be late. Umi, it's great to have you home."

Umi felt a cold jolt of grief shoot through her as she did every time someone said that she was 'home'. Even though she was surrounded by people she knew cared for her, Umi did not yet feel the sense of belonging that she had in America with her own tribe of friends, and the culture she had grown up in. Everything was new, everything was different. She had done what she could to make herself comfortable, but everyday held little surprises for her. She finished sweeping the sidewalk and walked into the shop to get ready for the day.

"Mr. Muto. May I speak with you please?" The school's principal called him out of his English class. The entire class went silent as Yugi stood and walked out into the hallway with the older gentleman. As the door closed behind him, Yugi could hear a rush of murmurs as the class began to gossip. The teacher's call for quiet could be heard through the wall.

"I have spoken to the board about your situation and they have decided to approve the absences. You will be able to make up the work for those days missed."

Yugi felt a surge of relief at the news.

"I have already informed your instructors but you will need to arrange a time with them outside of school hours to do so."

"Thank you, Sir."

"I also have a letter for your grandfather regarding your sister." He handed Yugi a large brown envelope. Yugi looked up at him in confusion.

"Please be sure you deliver it to him as soon a possible. The contents are time sensitive."

"Of course, Sir."

"Now get back to class."

Yugi nodded before opening the door and returning to his seat and the day's lesson.