16

"Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell." ― Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian

"The arcade huh?" Naomi quietly asked as she walked with Jounouchi and Yugi.

"I'm surprised you've gotten so much time off," Yugi commented and she blinked a little.

It surprised her too. It was odd that Mia hadn't called her up for a shoot in a while. She hadn't even been given her schedule for that month. It was a bit of a relief if she were to be honest. It was nice to be able to eat three times a day. Jounouchi had been kind enough to get her a curry bun during lunch, life was good.

"I am too, but I'm going to enjoy it," Naomi admitted.

"Do you not like Modeling?" Yugi asked in surprise.

"I do…but I like being able to eat," she quietly stated and his horrified expression made her pause for a few seconds.

Right, that wasn't normal for other people. She looked towards their blonde friend and noted his horrified look. That got Jounouchi as well? She quickened her steps and motioned towards the arcade, wanting for them to enter it as soon as possible so they could forget about that little truth she admitted to.

"Isn't this arcade the one that has one guy as a top record?" Naomi asked, looking at it with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, and today I'm going to break his records!" Jounouchi exclaimed and Naomi gave a light chuckle.

"That sounds like a challenge I can get behind," Naomi stated and they both grinned at one another.

They entered the arcade and Naomi welcomed the cool air against her skin. The days were starting to grow a little warmer. Soon they'd be in the summer uniform. The white polo was going to be nicer than the damn blazers. Yugi looked around at the different cabinets and Naomi glanced at a crane machine that had a few giant plush figures of Kuriboh and the scapegoats. So, Pegasus went and created some toys. She wanted to try and get the Kuriboh.

"I wonder who Kai is," Yugi said.

"It might be Kaiba-san," Naomi stated with a shrug, "he's the only one with an ego big enough to do so."

Yugi wondered about that before nodding his agreement. He stood with her as a couple of kids jeered at Jounouchi. She had put some money into the crane machine and was moving the claw around in thought. He watched as she moved away from the dead zone. She would know about that. She dropped the claw and it attached to a large Kuriboh. It went into the drop zone and she knelt to grab it out. She held it close with a smile, it was too cute!

"Do you like cute things?" Yugi asked Naomi and he watched her cheeks turn a bright red.

"Yeah, I have a soft spot for cute things," she confirmed before looking around for Jounouchi and finding him playing a racing game, "wow, you're terrible at this one, Jounouchi-kun."

"I feel the love," Jounouchi grumbled as Yugi went towards a fighting game, "hey, that one character looks like Bruce Lee."

"I'm a big fan of him," Yugi grinned before turning his attention towards the game.

Naomi smiled a little at how easy games came to him. Mana cheered from her card and Naomi's expression turned fond as Mahad gave a soft sigh. He played a round against a computer before someone challenged him. Naomi took a seat next to him, the empty arcade let her know that no one was going to sit at the game any time soon.

"Nice!" Naomi's sudden English exclamation startled the two boys as Yugi won against the challenger.

"I sometimes forget you're American," Jounouchi informed her and Yugi chuckled as he turned back towards the game, capturing Mana's attention as well.

"I also speak Korean," she informed him and he was surprised by that.

She wouldn't mention the Arabic she had to learn when Pegasus went to Egypt a few years before she started high school. It would blow his mind…probably. Either that, or Jounouchi was under the impression that all rich people knew multiple languages. Referring to herself made her skin crawl. She forced it out of her mind. It would allow her to focus on the fact that Yugi just beat the challenger again. And again.

And then for a third time.

"This is getting ridiculous," Naomi stated, looking at the screen as it informed them of a challenger.

"This is like the thirtieth time," Jounouchi commented, rubbing the back of his head before looking towards Naomi, "let's go grab some drinks, what do you want, Yugi?"

"A cola please," Yugi answered as he started to play the game again.

"Why'd you bring me along?" Naomi asked Jounouchi as they slowly made their way to the vending machines.

"You looked like you needed to get up and walk around," Jounouchi shrugged, "that and I don't think you know how to answer a question without thinking about it…having you see the options might be easier."

That was oddly thoughtful of Jounouchi, and yet she felt insulted. He was right, but it didn't mean she had to like it. She looked at the different vending machines and ended up getting a cola as well. It had been a while since she had a regular soda. She held onto her drink and moved to open it with her free hand, her Kuriboh tucked under her arm. Mana wished she had something like that in the portrait or card. It was too cute, and she knew the Kuriboh monster would be greatly flattered by it.

"Think you could win another one of those?" Jounouchi asked, knowing his luck with crane machines.

"Yeah, you might have to point out which one you want," she nodded, "they have different faces…Yugi?"

They came back to their friend to see that he was scuffed up and resting against one of the machines. The kids that had been heckling Jounouchi were giving him a cold press, a concerned expression on their faces. Brats with good in them, huh? Naomi was relieved to see that, seeing as most of domino city seemed to be filled with physchopaths. She moved to kneel next to her friend and noted that he wouldn't meet their eyes. He shouldn't be as ashamed of something that wasn't his fault.

"Hold my coffee," Jounouchi told Naomi and she sent him a look before grabbing the hot drink from him.

"Those machines get these things warm," Naomi lightly commented to Yugi and he knew she was trying to cheer him up a litte, "here, hold onto him for a few seconds."

Next thing he knew he was holding onto the Kuriboh, the soft stuffed toy did make him feel a little better, as Naomi reached into her book bag and pulled out a small kit. He turned a light pink from how close she was to him as she started to gently dab at the small cuts on his face with a wet cotton ball. She was only using water that one of the kids had gotten her. It was probably better than the rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide she carried. A bandage went onto his cheek on the worst one and she double checked his face before sighing in relief.

"You don't need any intense medical help," she softly told him and he tilted his head before gathering what she meant, "just a week or so of good rest, and plenty of water."

"Have you ever thought of becoming a doctor?" Yugi asked and she gained a sad smile.

"Once…but I ran out of time," Naomi said as he ran a hand through the Kuriboh faux fur, Mana and Mahad were a little surprised by that.

Her first life, she'd been going to college to become a doctor. She couldn't even remember the information she had been learning at the time. Too much time had passed, too much information had been replaced the more times she was forced to go to school. Besides, a part of her was okay with running Industrial Illusions, she could do some good with the company besides putting out more shades of foundation than others. She wanted everyone to be able to use their makeup and it was her more modern thinking coming through. She was pulled out of her thoughts by one of the kids elbowing his friend. He was holding a white deck box and her eyes widened just the slightest.

"Crawford-sama, will you sign my deck box?" The boy asked and she gave a gentle sound of surprise before accepting the box and grabbing a marker from her bag.

Yugi wasn't surprised that she did. She could be cold, yes, but not as much anymore. Before she would've just stared at those kids until they left. She finished her signature with a small smiley face before giving it back to the kid. He let out a happy sound and held it to his chest with a grin. Jounouchi came back with the puzzle in his hand and he grinned at the two of them.

"Honestly, can you not get hurt," Naomi grumbled as she pulled Jounouchi down so she could bandage up the cut on his face, "for a month at least, would be nice."

For someone so short, she could be so bossy when she wanted to be. The sudden jab to his side informed him that he had said that out loud. She finished patching him up and got to her feet, holding out a hand to Yugi to help him. He didn't get one, and Jounouchi chuckled a little. She was pouting, and holding a grudge. How funny.

"Thank you for getting my puzzle back, Jounouchi," Yugi thanked as they left the arcade, they were all pretty tired from the events that had happened.

"Don't worry about it, it's what friends do," Jounouchi shrugged it off and Naomi sent him a look at that before nodding her agreement before she looked back and saw a black vehicle following them.

"That's…Kaiba-san's car," Noami's statement put them on alert as a man got out of the car and bowed at them.

"Mutou-sama, Crawford-sama, and friend I presume?" The man asked as he stood up a little straighter. "Seto-Sama cordially request your presence at his house!"

They reluctantly got into the car, knowing they wouldn't be able to refuse without looking incredibly rude. Naomi was stuck between the two and she kept Kuriboh on her lap as she looked around the car in thought. It was different from the one that Pegasus had procured for her to get around safely. It wasn't as welcoming, a dark atmosphere hung over them and Jounouchi came to the same conclusion. He liked the Crawford car better, plus Fred played the radio so it wasn't silent inside the car.

"Kaiba-kun hasn't been at school recently," Yugi commented and Naomi nodded.

"Yes, Seto-sama has been busy lately, he's been working on an important project as the CEO of Kaiba corporation," the driver informed them.

"He's the owner of the biggest amusement company in the business?" Jounouchi asked in surprise.

"It used to be a weapons company," Naomi said, her serious tone making Jounouchi sit up straight, "when Japan was put under law in nineteen fifty-eight it stopped the import of all firearms as well, companies like Kaiba Corp would have gone under if they didn't find another means of revenue."

"Crawford-sama is well versed in history," the driver complimented.

"Thank you," Naomi said, before gaining a slightly uncomfortable look.

She also knew what happened to the previous CEO of the company. The man hadn't been a saint, not by any kind of standard, but to jump off a building because a teenager bought you out was horrifying to think of. Even when she had once done it to see if it stopped the cycle, she'd gained a fear of heights ever since and would never wish it upon anyone. Going from awareness to sudden darkness, and then awareness again had been terrifying.

"And I'm the vice president," Mokuba's announcement startled the three and they sent him a dirty look in unison, "it's been a while, Yugi. I had fun the other day."

Naomi was a little relieved that his punishment hadn't been a long one. She felt Yugi tense beside her and a little crimson leaked into his eyes. The mere presence of Mokuba made the pharaoh on edge? She couldn't blame him. The boy was going to pull them into a game that was life threatening. A hand grabbed her's and she looked down to see Yugi's. She got an apologetic look out of him and gathered that it had calmed the spirit down enough that he could think clearly.

"The project my big brother was working on is finished," Mokuba informed them, "the opening ceremonies are tomorrow."

"Opening ceremonies?" Jounouchi asked.

"Anyway, my brother wanted his friends to be the first to enjoy it, so he's giving you a special invitation," Mokuba continued, looking at his nails, "which includes the pre-opening celebration tonight."

"What's this project?" Yugi asked and Naomi's hand tensed in his.

"That's a secret, you'll have to wait to find out," Mokuba stated with a few chuckles.

"We have arrived," the driver stated.

"It's huge," Jounouchi said before looking towards Naomi, "why do you live in such a small house?"

"Its a bit more comforting than something like this," Naomi shrugged, "my brother likes the bigger houses, if that makes any sense to you it doesn't to me."

"It's just a little surprising, like seeing you at the Daiso," Jounouchi shrugged before ruffling her hair.

Mokuba wondered how they had lost to such idiots. Naomi had her bag and Kuriboh taken from her and she made a slightly disgruntled sound. Not even the security and maids at Pegasus's house did that without talking to her. She respected them enough to clean up after herself to not make more work for them. They respected her the slightest amount to talk to her before simply grabbing her stuff.

"We've been waiting for you," an older man asked, bowing in unison with the other workers, "you are Seto-Samas's school friend, Yugi-Sama? I have been ordered to make sure your stay is as pleasant as possible."

"Where is my brother?" Mokuba asked as he looked around for the much taller teen.

"He retired to his room a while ago," the butler said and Mokuba frowned.

"Why isn't he here for the pre-opening celebration?" Mokuba huffed.

"Mokuba-Sama, your brother has been working non stop these last few days, I believe it would be best not to disturb his sleep," the butler stated and Mokuba gave a reluctant nod.

"Sorry about this Yugi, but tonight you guys are my guests," Mokuba said, turning towards them.

"Shall we prepare a meal?" The butler asked.

"That sound's good, I'm starving," Jounouchi exclaimed, and Naomi sent him a look.

"Why didn't you say something, I'll treat you to the best food in the world!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"I wonder if it'll be gourmet food," Yugi quietly said as Jounouchi cheered a little.

Naomi couldn't help but be suspicious, even if she knew what was coming the whole thing reeked of deceit. Mokuba looked towards her as he gave the order for food to be made and faltered a little under her watchful glare. He knew how observant she was, and if she caught onto what his brother's plan was then it could be bad for him. He stopped the butler and requested a dish that he knew she liked.

A perfect plan in motion.

The group was shown to the dining room and Naomi sat next to Yugi. He was an odd form of comfort for her, and it wasn't even the pharaoh really. Mana and Mahad were on edge, and she shared the same thought. Mokuba was up to something, more than the poison that was in a couple of the dishes. The plate of tteokbokki was incredibly suspicious when sounded by the childish dishes around it.

"What is that?" Jounouchi muttered to himself.

"It's tteokbokki, it's rice cakes with spicy sauce," Naomi answered and he heard the shift in her voice, the oddly sad tone, "I usually make it during the winter when it get super cold, I'll have to make some for you guys one of these days."

"Could you make a bento with Korean food?" Jounouchi asked with wide eyes and she sighed before giving a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," she agreed and Mokuba cleared his throat.

"Why don't we play a little game?" Mokuba asked, and Jounouchi narrowed his eyes at him. "This is a turntable, like they use at Chinese restaurants. The four of us will take turns spinning the table and then eat the food in front of us."

"There isn't any poison in the food is there?" Jounouchi asked.

"That would be rude, I'd never do that to a guest!" Mokuba laughed off Jounouchi's words. "There's a treasure in some of these dishes, the person who finds it wins."

"All right then," Jounouchi agreed and Naomi gave a reluctant nod.

"Then you start, Jounouchi," Mokuba informed him.

Jounouchi grabbed onto the side of the table and gave it a pretty hefty spin. Naomi was sure the table lifted a bit from the strength he had put behind it. Yugi made a face in unison with Jounouchi when he landed on the kiddie lunch. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"You have to clean your plate Jounouchi, those are the rules of the game!" Mokuba informed him with a grin. "ANd you might find the treasure."

"I get it," Jounouchi groaned, picking up some of the omurice and biting into it, "it's not that bad."

He chewed it a little more before he felt as though he couldn't breathe. His chest was on fire. He grasped at it and hunched over, sounds of strangled pain coming from him. Naomi stood up from her chair as Yugi moved to check on Jounouchi. Mokuba's smile turned from something genuine to something evil. She narrowed her eyes at him, and her magic reacted. It was the first time in a long time that someone had been ablle to get that reaction out of her.

He had royally pissed her off.

The table shook a bit as the color of her eyes lightened a bit. Yugi felt the magic against his skin and turned worried eyes towards Naomi. She was practically trembling from how angry she was. He slowly joined and he glared at Mokuba. How dare he hurt his friend in this stupid game of Russian roulette dinner! He felt the spirit nudging at him and gave his consent for the change. He knew that the spirit wouldn't let anything else happen to the others, or at least he hoped he wouldn't.

"Mokuba, this time you're dead!"

That wasn't very reassuring. Still, Yugi was glad that he was allowed to know what was going on this time. Naomi had come through for him and he owed her. Maybe he could ask her out to an amusement park? She seemed like the type of person to like such things. He shook himself from those thoughts as his turn started. The spaghetti was good, but his mom's cooking was way better. He was sure that Naomi could cook better, and it seemed like a rare occasion when she could.

"Your turn, Naomi-Chan!" Mokuba gleefully informed her and she looked at the table before spinning it.

Her magic was infused with the spin, and she caught onto the trick of it just as it came to a stop in front of her. The Tteokbokki sat before her and she took a deep breath. Well, it seemed she was going to be out of the game. She grabbed the provided chopsticks and picked up some of the rice cakes. It didn't have the right flavor or level of spice. It was pretty bland compared to her Umma's cooking. Her vision blurred and next thing she knew was darkness. Shadi could learn a thing or two from Mokuba.

"Naomi!" The pharaoh called, shaking her shoulder, and getting no response. "That's a different poison, Mokuba."

"And I have the antidote, if you win she'll also be cured," Mokuba said with a shrug, "my turn."

Mokuba couldn't help the feelings of guilt rising in him. Naomi was usually nice to him, and she didn't mind playing capumon with him when they were both waiting on their brothers. The chocolate parfait tasted bitter, but he still finished it. He looked at the pharaoh and noted that he was still holding onto Naomi as Jounouchi glared his way. Man, those two really cared about her too.

"What's in that bottle?" The pharaoh's sudden question made him sweat a little.

"It's a syrup bottle, for the pancakes," Mokuba answered.

"Then why is it empty?" The pharaoh asked.

"This bottle will be filled for the first time as soon as you eat the poison!" Mokuba exclaimed and Jounouchi gave him a look of disbelief through his pain. "Like they say 'the suffering of others makes the sweetest syrup'!"

The Pharaoh had hoped that he would be honest, but it couldn't be helped. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before studying the table. His plan could work. He discreetly removed his puzzle and tied it to the table. He grabbed onto the edge and gave it a hearty spin. It worked as intended. His puzzle destroyed the bottle and Mokuba's mouth opened in disbelief. The hamburger had stopped in front of him, while the pancakes landed in front of the pharaoh.

"Since there's nothing wrong with me, I must have missed the poison," the pharah stated, "now, weren't the rules to clean your plate?"

"Fine, I'll eat it!" Mokuba stated as he bit into the burger with tears in his eyes.

The poison was quick acting and he was soon on the floor, calling for help. The pharaoh moved quickly and grabbed the two bottles of antidote they needed. He watched the butler pull out one for Mokuba and noted the color. He handed that one to Jounouchi and helped the blonde drink it. Once he was sure that Jounouchi would be okay he moved to get Naomi to take hers.

"Shit, I'll help keep her head steady," Jounouchi hoarsely stated, "my mom had to help my sister once with medicine like this, if you can rub her throat you might be able to get her to swallow it."

The pharaoh nodded and they quickly got Naomi the antidote. Her breathing evened out and his shoulders slumped in relief as he grabbed the puzzle and put it back on. Yugi's panicked thoughts made him wince a bit. He had worried his host doing that. It wasn't like it was intentional.

"Your rooms are this way," a maid quietly informed them.

Jounouchi ended up carrying Naomi on his back, even though he felt like he was about to drop. The only snag they ran into was when the maids try to separate Yugi from Naomi. He had adamantly refused to have her be on her own after what had happened. This wasn't the Yugi he was used to. Could this be the other one that guy in the dress had been talking about. He would have to ask the next time he got the chance. Still, he followed behind his shorter friend and left Naomi with him, trusting him completely.

"You keep running into trouble," the pharaoh muttered as Naomi slept on the couch with ease.

Yugi thoughtfully gathered that the spirit needed time to make sure she was okay before he relinquished control back to him. He sent the spirit some concern and he froze for a few seconds. Moving to hold a hand that wasn't going to grip his back for once. She was resting and that made him real a bit. He brushed her hair away from her face and slowly pulled back so he could switch with his host. Yugi pulled the puzzle up so he could look it in its golden eye.

"You could always tell her you like her," he informed the spirit, "I think Naomi feels the same way."

He was almost certain she did, the way she had been a bit more relaxed in her poisoned state spoke volumes. He looked around and grabbed a spare blanket to cover her up. She snuggled a bit under it and could see why the spirit liked her. Her moments where the wall was down showed a girl that was incredibly cute. He turned a light pink before moving to get some sleep. He had the feeling they were going to need it tomorrow.