In my defense, I posted the last chapter at 1 in the morning. To clear up some confusion, Maiya refers to Mai as her 'older sister'. Was originally going to refer to Mai as her 'mother' until I looked up her age. Did not know Mai was 24 in the series. O_O
Duelist kingdom was...interesting. On the plus side, it provided a LOT of exposure in a good way, and it was a lot of fun. Best of all she got to spend nearly four whole days with her big sister without having to deal with the day to day headaches.
However it was what happened a week after the tournament (and the subsequent move to Domino) that started something none of them expected.
Maiya stared at Pegasus in disbelief.
"You want me to join Industrial Illusions as the official spokesperson? Why? I would have thought Yugi would be the better option since he won the tournament."
Pegasus inwardly winced at the idea. The kid was so skittish he couldn't even enter an international dueling competition without a cheering squad.
"First and foremost, you're female," said Pegasus. "I want to attract new blood into the dueling circuit, and I'm sorry to say your older sister wouldn't be as appealing to the age group I'm trying to reach. Secondly, you're personable, speak multiple languages and you managed to make it almost to the semi-finals if not for that cheap trick Kaiba-boy pulled."
Maiya was pretty, but not to the point she would turn off the average duelist. Pegasus wanted someone relatable to the average teen girl, not some model who barely played the game, let alone have an actual interest in it.
Maiya only had a deck because her sister did and this meant they could spend more time together.
Mai was a good role model, but she was a bit more off putting and intimidating. Her preferred clothing was also a turn off, as most parents would rather their daughters avoid dressing the same.
Mai had questions of her own.
"What sort of benefits would she be getting?"
Pegasus had a rather good poker space. He wasn't expecting the girl to basically shoulder the responsibility of drawing in new blood without proper compensation.
"We'll sponsor any new languages she wants to learn, as well as any future degrees she plans to get so long as she's employed by the company. She'll also receive a proper salary, plus bonuses for each tournament she takes part in as either the spokesperson or as a duelist. And that's not getting into the fact her deck will receive a complete overhaul free of charge. You as well, since you are her legal guardian. Though I was rather curious as to why a woman of your age would be raising a girl nine years younger than you for so long."
Mai wanted to growl, but this offer was too good to turn down out of hand. And the odds of a similar one appearing were next to nill, especially at this stage.
She debated their options, before inwardly sighing.
"I want to make it clear that I do not want this to be used to promote any sympathy to encourage more girls to join. If it has to be mentioned, then it should be the simple line that she is doing this to partially support the medical bills for her mother, nothing else."
"Of course. Sympathy points only go so far, and after a while it become beyond stale. Nevermind that such things would only be useful in making her relatable to a certain demographic," said Pegasus.
"I was originally only supposed to take Maiya in for a few days, to give my sister a much needed break and some 'me' time. Instead when I came to check on her because she hadn't called in two days, I found a poorly programmed robot had taken her place," said Mai, her tone furious. "I don't know what the man she had the misfortune to marry did to her, but it turned her from an unhappy housewife to a mere puppet eager to do his bidding."
Pegasus frowned. This sounded rather serious.
"And the doctors have found nothing?"
"They've managed to deprogram her...enough that she partially recognizes her daughter...but other than that, no. I was lucky the people they sent to determine whether Maiya's guardianship should be changed to me saw the issue as well, because otherwise it would have been a nightmare to fill out that much paperwork. My parents only supported us until I was a legal adult with a job."
The girls talked it over, and after a few days called Pegasus back. Maiya accepted the job, mostly because Pegasus agreed her mother's condition was not worth mentioning to the public unless necessary.
After all, Mai had gained custody legally and it wasn't anyone's business. On the plus side, Mai felt a great deal of relief when she heard from the hospital that someone had taken over the financial burden of her sister's treatments.
Maiya was rather surprised to see a familiar face when she went to get some new games for I-Pin to play. Fon never had much time for games, and all the ones in their house were for an older crowd. It was rather hard to play something like 'Cards Against Humanity' with a five year old, after all.
"I know you. You were at the tournament on the island," said Maiya.
Yugi blinked in equal surprise.
"Aren't you Mai's sister? The Phoenix Duelist?"
"Phoenix duelist?" said Maiya amused.
Yugi blushed a bit.
"It's just...when you dueled Jounouchi and I during the tournament, you kept using fire-type monsters and Anzu made a joke that if you combined your fire with Mai's harpy ladies, they'd make a phoenix."
Maiya, rather than be offended by that, chuckled. That seemed to relax Yugi a bit.
"I honestly hadn't heard that one before, though to be fair this was the first time Mai-nee and I got to double duel people properly in a full tournament. I'll have to suggest that one to her."
And to Pegasus. One of the reasons her deck needed so much help was because it didn't have a proper theme to it. Pegasus had Toon World, Mai had her harpies, Kaiba was firmly a Blue Eyes White Dragon duelist, and Yugi seemed to be an odd Jack of All Trades type.
Maiya however had been so focused on schoolwork that she hadn't come up with a proper theme for her deck, never mind that cards were expensive. Better for Mai to focus on the dueling circuit while she stayed in school.
"So what brings you to the shop?" asked Yugi cheerfully.
"I'm looking for some fun and hopefully educational games for a child to play. She's about 5-6 years old, and all the games we have at home are too...adult...for her."
Seeing the look on Yugi's face, Maiya grinned at him.
"Unless you have a kid's version of Cards Against Humanity she could play," she said cheekily. Yugi grinned at her.
"I haven't played that in ages. Grandpa is too busy, and the others are often too busy trying to catch up on homework or dancing lessons."
"I only ever play with Mai-nee," said Maiya. "We should totally get together and play sometime."
Yugi openly perked up at that.
Maiya picked out a few games, mostly of Chinese or Asian origins. She was sure Fon would appreciate them as well.
When she returned to her apartment, I-Pin lit up when she saw what Maiya was carrying.
"What have you got there?" asked Fon curious. He became even more interested when he saw what she had. "Where on earth did you get these? Some of these games I haven't seen in ages."
"There's a little game shop that specializes in out of favor games, as well as some of the newer ones. They also have a LOT of Duel Monster merchandise, which is not surprising considering it's own by Yugi's grandfather," said Maiya cheerfully. "From what he told me, the deck he uses was originally his grandfather's."
Seeing Fon's open interest, Maiya grinned. She knew she had made the right call.
It didn't take much coaxing for him to join in on the games, since he knew the rules a bit better than anyone else in the home. When Mai came back, she joined in as well.
Maiya wondered if this was what having a family was like. Sure, she had Mai, but it was still lonely sometimes. She enjoyed the little things like the childish bickering of Fon and Mai over the snacks, and how Fon kept stealing Mai's. Or the enthusiasm of I-Pin moving her character and making progress.
If she had to put it in words, Fon was like the stern, but playful uncle she always wanted with I-Pin as her favorite cousin.
When Maiya fell asleep on the couch, with I-Pin curled up against her, Mai turned to Fon.
"You know for someone who said they were basically leaving her to us, you're sure spending a lot of time here anyway."
"Noticed, that did you?" said Fon.
"Hard to miss," said Mai.
"As it happens, I'm almost at the end of my contract with the Triads," said Fon. "Except this time, I do not intend to renew it."
"Won't that be dangerous?" said Mai, casting a glance at the two girls on the couch.
"Normally, yes," agreed Fon. "Except I have maintained a boundary of neutrality my entire tenure. Add in the fact I have a lot of favors added up, and as long as I play my cards right it should go over with minimal fuss. I am old, and very tired of playing nursemaid to grown men with overbearing egos. I wish to raise my apprentices up quietly."
Mai said nothing. She knew this was a big deal to him.
"You're always welcome to stay here. And I know Maiya would love having you around more."
"There is someone who can keep an eye on her and you as well, at least until the paperwork goes through with the third party I contacted regarding her status. His contract is almost up, and he'd likely enjoy teaching Maiya a few new tricks."
Mai gave him a Look.
"Don't look at me like that. Skull is an ex-circus performer. Maiya enjoys those dance lessons of hers, so imagine how much fun she would have learning the trapeze," said Fon defensively. Mai stopped frowning, as that did sound like something Maiya would heartily enjoy.
It wasn't that much different from the yoga or Tai Chi Fon had taught them after all.
Bermuda was highly intimidating, but at the same time she sensed he was really lonely and bitter.
He stared at her across their modest table, and had barely touched the tea she had poured for him and his guards.
"So. You wish to abdicate. Why?" he asked simply.
"I want nothing to do with the group that my sperm donor is a part of. I want even less to do with any potential plans he has made for me," said Maiya.
Bermuda was silent, to the point it was an almost physical thing. Mai did her best not to flinch at it.
"I can approve your request, and facilitate the required documents to make it clear that you wish nothing from the famiglia your...sire...is part of. However doing so will result in losing any protection it would give you should you go active," said Bermuda slowly. "It does not help that they are already down three heirs."
"Their internal issues are not my problem," said Maiya firmly. "They have dug their own grave, they may bear their own consequences."
Bermuda would not openly admit this, but he approved of this young woman far more than he did the current head of the Vongola...or that idiot adviser of his. It was clear she had been raised with a better head on her shoulders than either of the men...and her own ancestor.
He had great respect for Giotto...and none at all for Ieyasu, the man he became when he fled.
Maiya did her best to remain polite, but before the meeting's end she couldn't help but ask something.
"Those pendants around your neck...they're the same as the one Fon-sensei has, aren't they?"
Bermuda and Jager paused.
"They are," he agreed.
"Why would someone do something like that? Force people to bear such an awful curse without even asking?" she said.
"It is likely we will never understand that man's motives," said Bermuda after a moment. It was clear he was still pissed about that. "However our rage will never dissipate to what he did to us."
"Well I should think not!" said Maiya. "If anything he deserved a punch to the face more than the idiot who sired me!"
That startled a chuckle out of Bermuda. Just a little one. It was strange, that this currently civilian child empathized with them so. Then again, perhaps not. It was clear that should she go active, then she would likely bond with the Storm Arcobaleno. Her sister was almost active at this point anyway...they both just needed a slight nudge to make it so.
He was curious to see how far she could go when that happened.