บท 119: Happy Not Happy (Part 1)

Author's Note: Sorry for the two days of no updates, the books looked screwy, like no lines between and it all just ran like a big block of text. I didn't want to screw it up, but it looks like it's ready to go again.:)

DIMENSION: ANIME (The One That Pays to Save the Day)

Mokuba took Masika back to the Game Shop eventually. First, he really wanted to treat her for her help. He thought at first she would reason with Serenity as a friend or something, but for Kaiba's side. Instead, he seemed even happier that she had used a fear and truth tactic. Like she wasn't as clean and perfect as the rest of 'Yugi's gang'.

When she finally got back, Atem was watching them at the door.

"When I said take as much time as you want," Atem said to her, "I didn't actually mean all day long."

"Well you didn't say that," Mokuba complained to Atem. "She was with me, she was fine."

"I see you have a new necklace." Atem noticed one of Mokuba's many gifts around her neck. "Is that from Mokuba?"

"Yeah, so?" Mokuba said offishly to him. "I can buy her things if I want."

"A new scarf, a new dress, new shoes, and a new necklace. I thought she was doing you a favor, not going shopping all day with you?" Atem questioned.

"I am allowed to go shopping with Mokuba if I wish The Greatest Pharaoh that is not The Greatest Pharaoh," Masika warned him. "My counterpart is fine with it."

"Yes, but you could have said that. Instead, you were talking about Seto Kaiba," Atem said to her. "Which means? You did something for Kaiba to earn all the gifts."

"What if she did?!" Mokuba yelled at Atem. "I can show my appreciation to her if I want."

Atem gave a rough sigh and put his hands on the counter. He clearly wanted to know what happened.

Of course. "I helped with a matter," Masika answered. "Do you suspect me of foul play?" Oh, those eyes. "Of course you do." She whisked her new scarf behind her as she took off upstairs. "Goodnight Mokuba. Goodnight Greatest of All the Greatest Pharoah's Pharaoh." She heard his usual grunt that ended with half a 'hm'.

She just went to her room and toward the bed. ///Masika: Téa would be proud of me./// She had helped Joey, and she gave Serenity a different point of view to accept the best hard choice that needed to be made. She took off her new necklace. She liked all the nice things Mokuba had got her in exchange for her help. She didn't really have anything that was just hers.

She just lied down.

---

Atem was trying to concentrate on the numbers of the register, but Mokuba hadn't left. "Do you plan on sharing something with me?"

"That wasn't right." Mokuba was glaring at Atem. "A whole month so far and you still think you see something bad in Masika?" He pointed at him. "Fine, I'll tell you, you are wrong. I didn't buy her those things to get her to help me, I got those after she helped. I wanted to, she helped me and Seto with a really personal matter. We would have had to get underhanded later to get something to go our way, and we didn't want to resort to it with the . . . nice person," he stated. "She helped us find a peaceful resolution so I really wanted to show my gratitude."

"I wasn't accusing her of anything," Atem said to Mokuba.

"Next time instead of investigating things right away with questions? Maybe try saying Masika looks pretty instead in her new things," Mokuba recommended. "Might get you closer to winning, because right now, you've been striking out like one big loser."

Loser? "She doesn't make things easy."

"Of course not, but you are good at challenges, so it's kind of lame that you are using that as an excuse," Mokuba said, looking at him like he was pathetic.

Atem didn't know what to say to that. "When an opponent comes to meet me at a battlefield, I know how to wield my skills to get somewhere. If Masika were my opponent? It would be like saying anything to her triggers her to step back further and further until I can no longer even see her near the game arena. I have to keep a certain distance to keep her from moving away so far I can't even reach her."

"Okay." Mokuba came over closer. "While you're playing 'let's stay a certain distance' game with Masika, Yugi is losing Téa. There's no way she's going to choose Yugi if you and Masika stay this distanced."

"I am aware of that," Atem said softly.

"Are you? A whole month and you still suck with her. In the meantime, Bakura is doing great. On both fronts," Mokuba warned him. "Light Bakura gets along great with Téa. Even Dark Bakura has been really nice on dates I bet."

Nice? Sure, his foul cursing was so sweet. "Mokuba? I am doing what I can, this isn't easy. I can't make much progress with talking, let alone trying any form of dating. Masika knows what she wants, and getting her to change her mind isn't an easy thing."

"That and she knows you don't really want to join," Mokuba said.

"Well, neither does her Dark Bakura want to join." Ugh. "He doesn't want anything either." No one did.

"Yeah, but she's friends with him, and she feels close to him. Having something with him probably feels as comfortable as Téa choosing Yugi." Mokuba stepped away. "So you need to stop backing away and take her out of that comfort zone." He smiled. "Maybe you should try wrapping her up in a game, right before that Dark Bakura comes?"

Wrapping her up in a game?

"Make it so that she wants to finish a game with you, instead of head out with the thief," Mokuba insisted again.

"Games don't work with her," Atem told Mokuba. "She has different interests."

"Oh yeah, what interests?" Mokuba sounded goofy. "Games aren't her thing? Boy, you haven't made any progress at all with her. Seriously. I'm going. Tell Yugi I'm cheering for him, but with you as the Wingman, he is going to fail."

Atem watched him walk away. ///Atem: I am doing what I can./// He couldn't convey just how much he was trying. ///Atem: If I push too much, she gets upset and only accuses me of trying to win her over for Yugi./// Which he couldn't deny, he was doing that. ///Atem: If I don't push, she ends right back with Bakura, and if I push just enough I can hold her in a semi-conversation for a few minutes.///

Although, the fact Mokuba said that games would hold her interest, it could be an interesting lead. He did manage to break enough ice with Connect Four to figure out she wasn't shy but angry. Maybe he could do more? They still had one hour before they changed back from their one day a week of losing bodies. He headed upstairs and toward her room, knocking on her door. "Masika?"