Back with another chapter. This took me a little longer to put up than expected because I decided to add some extra stuff and then realized there were continuity errors. Re-read everything twice and I think I got everything sorted out now.

Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu, and Miho waited outside of the shopping mall.

"Good morning!"

Yuugi and Mahou came running up to them.

"Good morning!" the others replied.

Mahou stopped in front of the others. "Thank you for doing this." She bowed. "You do not need to."

"But we wanted to," said Anzu. "It's not every day you find out a new friend is transferring to your school."

"Mmh! Miho is so excited!" Miho chirped.

"Yosh!" exclaimed Honda. "It is my duty as a beautification member to aid you in this stressful time. It would be an honor to show you around the school next week!"

"The following week," corrected Mahou.

Honda's expression turned to confusion. "The following week?"

Yuugi nodded. "Grandpa thinks she should start the following week, after what happened at Burger World."

The others nodded gravely.

Anzu turned to Mahou. "How are you doing?"

Mahou took a slow breath. "It's . . . hard . . . but, I'll be okay. I just need time."

Anzu nodded, understanding. "Now let's go shopping. Where should we start?"

"Oh, Miho saw a cute skirt on the way," Miho said.

"Miho, we came for Mahou," Anzu reminded.

Miho rubbed the back of her head. "That's right!" she laughed.

"I need a few things," Mahou said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a list.

The girls looked at it.

"A few things? It looks like you need a whole new wardrobe, Mahou," Anzu commented.

"Eh? Don't you have anything already?" asked Miho.

Anzu's head snapped around to the other girl. "Miho!" she scolded.

"I didn't have much to begin with," Mahou admitted. "Basic plain shirts and skirts." She tugged at the long pleated gray skirt she was wearing. She looked matronly, especially with her multicolored hair pinned in a bun.

"What's your budget?" asked Anzu.

"200,000 yen."

"200,000 yen?" the others exclaimed.

"Where did you get that kind of money?" asked Jounouchi. His expression turned suspicious. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

"It's from my savings," replied Mahou.

Jounouchi's frown deepened. "Then why not use it before now?"

"My uncle wouldn't let me," Mahou answered, her voice tight. "Grandpa knows I have this money. I didn't steal it." She drew herself back, retreating.

Yuugi put his hands up to defuse things. "We're not saying you did!"

"Don't accuse her of such things!" Honda shouted at Jounouchi.

Jounouchi's expression softened. "Hey, I didn't mean to say you're a thief," he said to Mahou.

"It's fine," Mahou quietly responded. "Can we get started now?"

"Sure!" said Anzu. "Where do you want to start first?"

They went to their first store and the girls went around the racks picking out things they liked for Mahou. Mahou gravitated towards shades of gray and black, skirts that were a little shorter than what she already had.

"Kya! Mahou-chan! Look what Miho-chan found!" Miho ran up to her and held up a frilly pink dress with ruffles and ribbons. "Isn't it cute? You have to get it!"

Mahou blinked in surprise and looked at the dress. "Um . . . I don't know . . ."

Anzu came over with a few things. "At least try it. These, too." She handed Mahou several brightly colored separates.

"Oh, um . . ." Mahou looked at the clothes she had picked out for herself. "I'm not sure, Anzu."

"New town, new school, this is the perfect time to try a new style," said Anzu.

She's right, thought Mahou. A fresh start. And I do like the colors.

The nod she gave them was all the permission Miho and Anzu needed to go through the store and find things for her to try.

"What about this?"

"Oh, these are cute! You gotta try them!"

"I think this color would look good on you."

Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Honda watched on with varying degrees of boredom as Anzu and Miho ushered Mahou to a fitting room. She tried on everything and showed it to them. Miho had picked out mostly cute and sweet things, pastels and ruffles, while Anzu had chosen trendy clothes with strong colors and lots of accessories.

"The skirt looks good on you. We're definitely getting that."

"Maybe not that top. It would look better on Miho!"

"Miho, we're not here for you. Try these bracelets, Mahou. And the hat."

"What about this one? It has lace."

"Let's try this."

"So cute! She looks adorable, like a doll!"

"Mm, but pastels don't suit her as well. She looks better in stronger colors."

"But the style you picked looks terrible," Miho said.

"Terrible?" cried Anzu, outraged. "I wear the same! She can't go around looking like a doll all the time!"

"I meant on her! It looks fine on you, even if you look like you may take up the gyaru trend," Miho added slyly.

"Excuse me?"

"Um, guys . . . ?" Mahou tried, but she was ignored.

"Gyaru? I look like a gyaru?" snapped Anzu.

Mahou tried again. "Anzu . . ."

"I don't wear that much makeup!" Anzu continued to rant. "And I don't have a fake tan! Just because I want to follow some of the Western trends doesn't make me gyaru! I know you have some of the same in your closet!"

Mahou turned to the boys, silently pleading for help.

Honda stood up. "Anzu, don't be mean to Miho-chan!"

Anzu shot him a glare, daring him to say more.

Honda gulped and quickly sat back down. "Sorry!"

"People won't take her seriously if she dresses like gyaru," Miho put in.

"And she'll get mistaken for an elementary school student like Yuugi if she wears dresses like a doll," countered Anzu.

"Ah, please leave me out of this," Yuugi said nervously.

"We need to find something in between," said Anzu.

Jounouchi groaned and stood up from the chair he was sitting on. Yuugi and Honda stared at him as he walked over to the girls.

"Hey! How about asking Mahou what she wants," Jounouchi said.

Anzu and Miho looked at him, surprised.

"She's the one who's gotta wear it. Ask her what she likes."

Anzu and Miho looked at each other before turning to Mahou.

"He's right," said Anzu.

"Sorry, Mahou-chan. We got caught up in finding things for you. You choose what you like," said Miho.

Mahou gave a little smile and nodded. As the two turned to the pile of clothes, Mahou looked back at Jounouchi. "Thank you," she mouthed at him.

Jounouchi waved her off and sat down, Yuugi and Honda gazing at him in amazement.

Mahou went through the pile. While she was putting what she didn't want on the return rack, something caught her eye. It was a navy blue blazer. She took it off the hanger and tried it on. It was loose on her, but she could easily wear it over something to go outside. She checked herself in the mirror.

"That looks almost like the boys' uniform," Anzu said.

Mahou smiled at her reflection. "I like it." She added it to her purchasing pile.

After paying for the clothes, they moved on to another store, this one specializing in accessories.

Anzu and Miho were looking at headbands and ribbons.

"Oh, this would look so good on Mahou," said Anzu. She was holding a headband decorated with a large pink bow. She turned to the girl. "Try this on."

Mahou slipped on the headband.

Anzu frowned. "Take your hair down. We need to see it properly."

Mahou took out the pins holding her hair in a bun and let it fall down her back.

"Wow, Mahou! Your hair is so long!" exclaimed Miho.

Mahou took her hair in her hand and looked at the ends. "It needs cut."

"Cut?" the girls cried. "No!"

"But . . . I keep sitting on the ends . . ." Mahou said weakly.

Anzu inspected Mahou's hair. "If you just want a trim, there's a hair salon here that takes walk-ins."

The guys groaned.

Anzu shot a look over her shoulder. "You don't have to stay while we're there."

They split up, the girls going to the hair salon and the boys finding other things to do. They agreed to meet up in an hour at the hair salon.

Yuugi wandered around the mall. I wonder if there's a place here that would sell the oil Mahou broke. He remembered seeing the little glass bottle of lavender oil in the garbage the morning after the Burger World incident. It was currently in a plastic bag in his pocket. It's strange. I remember going to her room and seeing the broken bottle, but then . . . nothing . . . it's blank. It's like when I blacked out earlier that day.

He came across a little storefront that was tucked back from everything else. There were little bottles similar to the one he had in his pocket.

"Maybe this is the place . . ." he muttered to himself.

He walked into the shop. There were candles and amulets and incense. He was greeted by a woman wearing a lot of jewelry, each piece having different colored stones.

"Welcome." She looked behind him like she was expecting someone to follow him in. "How can I help you?"

"Um, I saw the bottles in the window." Yuugi took out the plastic bag. "Do you have this? My cousin dropped the bottle. It was the last she had."

The woman took the bag. "Lavender oil – yes, we have that." She went over to a shelf with an assortment of bottles and took one that matched the broken bottle down.

Yuugi looked at the other bottles. He recognized ones like peppermint, lemon, and cinnamon, but others like myrrh, hyssop, and frankincense he didn't know.

He paid for the oil and left, memorizing the shop so he could tell Mahou where it was. Yuugi went back to the salon and saw Anzu and Miho standing outside with someone.

"It looks so good!" Miho cried.

"I didn't think it would get wavy," said Anzu. "You can see all the colors better like this!"

Anzu and Miho moved and Yuugi saw Mahou examining her hair. A few inches of her hair had been cut and now the ends naturally curled and waved. The different colors now overlapped instead of just hanging divided.

"Hey, we're back," said Jounouchi, walking over with Honda.

Miho spun around with a smile. "Honda-kun! Look at Mahou-chan's hair!"

"What a change it makes," Honda said enthusiastically, happy that Miho was happy.

"Do you like it?" Anzu asked Mahou.

Mahou let go of the tresses. "Yes," she replied.

Yuugi came up to Mahou and held out the little bag with the oil.

"For me?" asked Mahou.

Yuugi nodded. "Mm."

Mahou took the bag and opened it.

"I said I would get you a new one," said Yuugi.

Mahou took out the bottle. Her face lit up. "You found a place that sells them?"

"Yeah, it's only a few shops from here," said Yuugi. "It looks like they have a wide selection. I don't know much about them. There were a lot that I didn't know."

Anzu checked her watch. "We have time. We should go check this shop out together."

Mahou nodded, excited. "Maybe they have something else I've been looking for."

Yuugi led the way back to the shop. He watched Mahou begin going through the different wares, clearly knowing what she was looking at. She spoke to the shopkeeper, asking about different oils.

"Do you have hyssop and spikenard?" she asked.

"Supaikunaado? I believe there may be some in the back." The shopkeeper went to the back.

Mahou kept looking, holding bottles in one hand. "Honda-kun, could you reach the peppermint oil on the top shelf?"

Honda took down a bottle. "Peppermint oil?"

Mahou gave a bemused nod. "Is that not what I said?"

"You said it funny," said Miho.

"Oh! I pronounced it in English!" Mahou blushed.

"You know English?" asked Yuugi.

Mahou blush darkened. "Um . . . some . . . I know pronunciation more . . ."

"That's amazing!"

"You're going to ace English class!"

Mahou gave a little smile. "I'm glad you think I can."

By the time she went to check out, Mahou had picked out ten bottles of different oils, a kit to make her own blends, and a small carrying case that would fit in her pocket.

"Isn't this a little expensive?" Anzu asked, looking at the total. "This is almost the rest of your budget."

"Mm. But this will last me a long time," said Mahou. She turned to Yuugi. "Thank you for finding this place."

"Ah! No problem!" Yuugi said, rubbing the back of his neck.

The final stop was at a housewares store for a few things for Mahou's room. After making a few purchases there, they headed for home.

"I think this is the happiest I've seen her," Jounouchi casually said to Yuugi.

"She's never smiled this much," Yuugi agreed, watching Mahou walk ahead with the girls.

"Now," Jounouchi started, "if only they carried their own stuff!"

The boys had been stuck carrying the shopping bags.

"Oy!" Honda shouted at him. "We'll carry anything they ask us to and not complain!"

"You can! It's not my stuff!" Jounouchi fired back, shoving the bags he was carrying over to Honda.

Honda staggered, but balanced everything in his arms.

Yuugi laughed, not minding he was carrying the accessories his cousin bought; those were light.

Mahou spread all her purchases out on the bed and on her desk, sorting through them. Clothes were organized and put away, accessories went in a box on her dresser, and bedding was sitting the corner at the moment waiting to be unpacked.

There was knock on her ajar door. She turned to see Sugoroku.

"Oh-ho, I see shopping went well," he said.

"I found a few things," she said shyly. She placed a gold pencil holder on her desk.

Sugoroku smiled. "I'm glad you are settling in."

"Thank you," Mahou said. "I don't know what I would have done without your kindness."

Sugoroku hummed. "You and Yuugi seem to be getting along. What do you think of him and his friends?"

"They are very generous. They didn't need to come with me, but they did," Mahou replied. She paused and looked unsure of herself.

"How are you adjusting?" Sugoroku asked.

Mahou opened her mouth to answer.

"Truthfully," interrupted Sugoroku. "Truthfully, not to please me. How are you adjusting?"

Mahou looked at her feet. "It's . . . a change. Sometimes I don't think it's real . . . That I'm going to wake up and be locked up again." She wrapped her arms around herself.

"That's why you leave the door open," Sugoroku guessed.

"And leave the lights on," she added. She picked up the little nightlight she bought at the housewares store.

"I will never lock you in your room," Sugoroku promised.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're welcome," he replied. He gave her a moment before speaking again. "Mr. Scarletta called. He said he sold one of your paintings."

Mahou lifted her head. "Which one?"

"The Monet. Don't worry, he sold it as a reproduction," he assured when he saw her worried expression. "It sold for quite a sum, almost like the buyer didn't mind it was a copy." He noticed her sketchbook on the desk. "Thinking about getting back into art?"

"It's . . . strange . . . I've never gone this long without painting anything," said Mahou. "It was always work, work, work, never stopping . . . there was always a painting that needed to be done . . . and if it wasn't . . ." She left the sentence hang.

"I'm sure we can find you a place to set up an easel if you wanted to," said Sugoroku. "Set up a separate space? Maybe in the corner of the stock room?"

"I wouldn't mind that," said Mahou. "Just not right now."

"I'll still start looking for a place for you to set things up," said Sugoroku.

"I don't have an easel," Mahou pointed out.

Sugoroku smiled. "Not right now. But soon. I'll leave you to this." He left the room, pulling the door partway shut.

She blinked. Does this mean he's getting an easel?

Mahou got out the oil kit and started making her own blend.

"Mahou?" Yuugi poked his head around the door.

Mahou turned in her chair. "Yes, Yuugi?"

"What are you doing?" He came into her room.

"I'm mixing some oils to make my own perfume," said Mahou.

Yuugi sniffed. "What is that?"

"A mix of frankincense, myrrh, cedar, lavender, and cinnamon," she replied. She held the bottle out to him. "What do you think?"

Yuugi took a whiff from the bottle. And then another. His head tipped forward, hair shadowing his eyes. He breathed deeply.

"Yuugi, are you all right?" Mahou started to pull the bottle away.

Yuugi's hand snapped out and caught her wrist.

"Yuugi?" She leaned down so she could see his eyes. They were half-mast, a glazed crimson instead of amethyst irises. Mahou's breath caught in her throat.

They stayed frozen for several moments.

"I . . . know this . . ." Yuugi said quietly.

Mahou couldn't tell if it was Yuugi or the other Yuugi who spoke.

Yuugi let go of Mahou's wrist and blinked, eyes returning to normal.

"It smells good, Mahou," he said. He frowned. "You okay, Mahou? You're looking at me funny."

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, quickly putting the stopper in the bottle. He's acting like nothing happened.

"Umm, I better go to bed. I don't want to be late for school tomorrow. Good night!" He left the room and Mahou heard him running upstairs.

Whenever that other side takes over, Yuugi is left with no memory of what he does, thought Mahou. With what he's done . . . it may be a good thing. But he also doesn't take over unless there's danger. So what was that just now?

Yes, this was just a filler chapter, but we needed to get to know Mahou more. Leave a review and let me know how I'm doing.