A Rival's Wisdom

It was now Saturday morning. Though Emily didn't have school, she still had to be at work. While on her way to the bakery, she made a quick stop at a nearby café and got herself a cup of hot cocoa and a slice of banana nut bread for a quick breakfast. Though she was working part-time on weekdays due to school, the blonde was able to work full-time on the weekend. It was actually convenient for Emily because this meant that she could take two or three nights off on the weekdays so she could still be able to get her homework done without feeling too exhausted.

Emily checked the time on her watch. Her shift didn't start until 8:00. This meant that she still had half an hour. This gave her time to enjoy her breakfast. While eating, Emily thought of her progress. It was true that she and her friends still had to contend with the three remaining Dark Masters, but they also still had three more shards of the Cobalt Star to find. This caused the blonde to figure that three was her unlucky number right now.

Speaking of Cobalt Star shards, Emily sensed them, indicating that Max was somewhere nearby. The blonde looked around, trying to spot her rival.

"Emily, over here," Max's voice softly called.

The blonde turned around and saw the raven-haired girl coming out from behind a tree. "Max," she said, happy to see her. She walked up to her and asked her, "What are you doing around here?"

"I knew you'd be on your way to work and I was hoping I'd get to run into you," she said. Though Max and Emily saw each other at school, they didn't have a chance for friendly interaction. Max also noticed how a lot of other students were crowding Emily, asking her about her injured arm. Because of that, Max decided it would be wise if she kept her distance and minded her own business for the time being. "How are you doing?"

The blonde shrugged. "Let's just say I've had better days."

"I heard you were in a hell of a fight," said Max. "But there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

Emily had to remember that nothing gets past Max. She still couldn't bring herself to talk about it, though she knew that eventually, she was going to have to tell Max everything. "You're right, but I'm afraid it's a long story that I don't have time to share." She wasn't just saying that so she could try to back out of it. It really was a long story and she did still have to be at work.

But Max understood. As curious as she was, she knew it would be best not to take up too much of her rival's time. She could also tell that it was personal for Emily. This caused Max to perceive that if she were in a similar situation, she'd act this way too and not want to talk about anything. "Do you have time to sit down for a little while?"

Emily checked the time on her watch. "I've still got twenty minutes."

The two of them sat down on a bench in the park. "So how have you been otherwise?" Max asked Emily.

"Well, actually, before you showed up, I was thinking," Emily began.

"About what?" Max asked.

The blonde looked at the nearly completed Cobalt Star as she saw it dangling from Max's neck. "I was thinking about how far we've come up to now," she was saying. "With all the Cobalt Star shards we've managed to find, the places we've been to, the people we've met, the battles we've fought, I mean, we've been through a lot in these short years. And I guess it's caused me to ask myself, what's going to happen once we make it to the end?"

As Max listened, she admitted to herself how she had been thinking about the same things.

Emily looks up at the sky. "Once all the shards have been found and assembled, what's next? What reason will I or anyone else have for returning to any of the other worlds?"

"We can still always visit the friends we've made," Max pointed out.

"That's true," Emily admitted. "But you know, thinking about what we've been through has also caused me to ask myself, what would my life be like if it wasn't like this now? What if I never went on any of those adventures or even found out I was a princess with magical powers?" She chuckled and said, "I know I certainly wouldn't be here or even be who I am today."

Max chuckled at that, seeing that her friend and rival had a point. Then she looked at the blonde and asked out of genuine curiosity, "Hey, Emily, what do you want to do with your life?"

Emily looked at her raven-haired rival, stunned with her question. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I mean, are you happy with the life you have now?" Max asked. "Or do you want there to be more to it?"

The blonde looked down. "I thought I had the answer to that. I mean, in my younger years, I sort of had a few ideas about what I wanted. But then, fate had to intervene," she said, referring to when her mother had been murdered. Fate also intervened when she moved back to Domino and joined Yugi on his first adventure. "Now after everything that's been happening in these past few years," she sighs and says, "I don't really know anymore."

The raven-haired girl changed her question. "Well, when you were young, what did you want to do?"

Emily was still surprised at how genuinely curious Max was. She also figured, maybe it wouldn't hurt to share. Max was her rival, but she was also still her friend. Smiling a little, Emily straightens up and says, "Well, I wanted to do a lot of things. I wanted to become a great baker and make lots of fun and delicious treats. I also wanted to go to college and excel in the performing arts and find a career in acting and singing. I also wanted to have my own house; a nice, big house so I could always invite friends and family over to visit. I wanted to do other things too like travel and see the world, fall in love, get married, start my own family–," she stopped herself as she saw Max's baffled expression. "What?"

"Nothing," she said.

Emily stopped smiling. "You think I'm ridiculous."

"No, no," Max said, waving her hands. "I actually think it's great that you wanted to do all of those things."

The blonde managed to smile. "But you know, since I moved back here, I actually got to do most of those things. I have my own house and I can have anyone come over whenever I want or whenever they want to. I also have a job at the bakery and can do something I really love. And though I haven't traveled the world here, I got to see so many other worlds and I guess that counts as a bonus."

"I guess it does," Max agreed.

Emily chuckled. "So I guess I am happy where I am now. I do still want to go to college, though. And if I don't find success in the performing arts, I'll stick to being a baker and also keep to studying until I figure out if there's anything else I want to do."

The raven-haired girl nodded. "And what about your idea of falling in love and getting married?"

Emily was quiet for a few seconds. "Well, I'm still very much in love with Yugi," she said. "But I also need to consider that he has his own dreams; that he has things he wants to do with his own life. And because I love Yugi, I want him to be happy with what he chooses. And whatever happens between us, I'll just have to be ready to face."

Max nodded in acknowledgement.

Emily checked her watch again. "Well, I'd like to ask you if you've got your life figured out, but I'm afraid I don't have time for that. Plus, I doubt it's really any of my business."

Max smiled. "Maybe some other time. But thanks for your time."

"Sure," the blonde replied.

Max had one more thing to say. "Hey, listen, I know I don't say this as much as I should, but I do worry about you," she said truthfully. She really did. Though it annoyed Max to hear other people tell her that they worried about her, the raven-haired girl knew it was because they really cared about her. And for her to say those words to Emily meant that she really cared about the blonde.

Emily nodded in understanding. "I know you do. But you know, that means a lot, coming from you. But I worry about you too."

Max nodded back. "And I'm glad you do." She smiles and says cheerfully, "But try to worry so much, okay? And stay optimistic. Optimism is one of your best qualities."

Emily chuckles once more. "Thanks, Max. I'll see you later." And both girls get up from the bench and go their separate ways. On her way to the bakery, Emily figured that Max was right. She had been thinking too much. And to hear such friendly advice coming from someone like Max truly meant a lot to the blonde. It was amazing how two girls as different as the night is from the day could be supportive and understanding of each other in their own way.