Amber Meets Unmei

It was a bright, cheerful summer day in Domino City. A large cloud began to hide the sun just enough to drop the temperature by a few degrees. At the Domino City Park, the Inner Scouts, Joey, Tea, and Tristan, were hanging out in the shade of a row of trees. Joey just told a fabulous joke that everyone else was laughing at. Meanwhile, Yugi and Unmei were sitting at the edge of the large duck pond, talking and feeding the ducks with bread crumbs Unmei had brought.

"... and then Raye made me clean all the windows and sweep all the entrances," Unmei finished with a slight grimace. She immediately perked back up and assured the spike-haired boy next to her, "It was still worth pulling that one on her."

Yugi laughed, tossing more bread snippets at a mother duck and her ducklings. "Oh man, I wish I could have seen her face!"

Unmei laughed along with him. She looked back over the ducks, and Yugi took the opportunity to stare at the blue-eyed beauty next to him. Her blonde hair was all pulled back into a bun, except for long bangs framing her slim, angelic face. She subconsciously adjusted the strap of her purple shirt back onto her shoulder and met Yugi's eyes. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Yugi said with a faint shake of his head. He gazed back at the pond, trying to hide his reddening cheeks.

Unmei snorted in disbelief. "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, right."

"No, I'm serious!" He held up his hands in surrender.

Unmei furrowed her eyebrows, then relaxed her face. Silently the two of them used up the rest of their bread feeding the ducks. Now it was Unmei's turn to sneak a glance at Yugi. His hair was an unusual style- blonde kinked bangs, black hair spiked straight up with magenta at the rims. Yet, the style seemed to reflect the kindness in his violet eyes, or at very least drown out the black leather he preferred to wear. When she'd asked him about the fashion statement the day before, he had avoided her question, but right now she didn't care. She spun her head back around, hiding her own face; her cheeks were as pink as a china doll's.

"Well, I've used up all my crumbs," Yugi said, standing up. "How 'bout we go back to join the others?"

Standing up herself, Unmei turned to see Joey in a headlock, compliments of Tristan. She could faintly hear Lita tell Tristan not to hurt Joey too badly. "Yeah, let's," she agreed, smiling at the scene. The two walked close, but not too close, to each other as they made their way to the rest of their friends.

"YUUGIIIIIIII!!!" Suddenly, a loud blur streaked with red and pink tackled Yugi from behind to the grass, arms wrapped around his chest.

"AAAAH!" Yugi yelled just before his face made contact with the ground. "Oof," he moaned, laying there. On his back was a red-haired girl, who evidently was much taller than him, giggling madly.

Unmei stared at the scene, wide-eyed and completely scared. Who the heck is this girl?!

"I totally got you good, eh?" the girl asked with a laugh, quickly getting off Yugi. Her wide smile evaporated into an expression of concern. "Uh, Yugi, did I hurt you too badly?" She tentatively placed her hand on Yugi's shoulder as he pushed himself onto his knees.

"Nope!" he replied, laughing himself, much to Unmei's further shock. "Amber, I had no idea you were in Japan!"

Laughing, the girl – Her name must be Amber, Unmei assumed – gave Yugi an enthusiastic hug. "I did tell you, silly! Remember, in my last email?" She stood up, brushing off her white skirt, and held out a hand so she could help Yugi up.

"Yugi! Amber!" That was Tea running up to join the threesome. Behind her was everyone else. "I knew there was something I was forgetting!" she said with embarrassment. Unmei faintly remembered Tea saying earlier about something important bothering the brunette's memory.

"Tea! It's so good to see you!" Amber jogged up to Tea and gave her a hug as happy and hard as the one she'd given Yugi. "Serena! Raye! Amy! Mina! Lita! Joey! Tristan!" she exclaimed, giving each person a hug as she said their name.

Unmei watched this unusual girl with less shock and more curiosity. Wow, she's weird... But... "Yugi, who is she?" she asked, pointing at Amber.

"Oh, you mean I haven't told you about Amber yet?" Yugi asked, turning to Unmei.

Unmei shook her head. "You haven't told me about her at all!"

"Oh! Hi there! Sorry, I should've introduced myself." Amber now was in front of Unmei and Yugi. "I'm Amber Dawson; Yugi and I have been friends since we were three." She held out her hand towards Unmei. "What's your name?"

Unmei looked at Amber's hand, then up at the tall girl's freckled, smiling face. She seems... really nice. Yet, why am I annoyed with her? "My name's Unmei," she replied softly, shaking Amber's hand.

"My grandpa and I adopted her after she saved my life," Raye informed Amber, giving Unmei a sideways hug.

"Really! Holy wow! I've gotta hear this story!" Amber bounced on the balls of her feet, swishing her skirt around a bit.

"Umm..." Unmei looked down at her feet. I don't want to talk about that...

"Not right now, Amber, but how about later at the shrine?" Raye asked, noting Unmei's barrier of shyness.

"Okie dokie!...You have a nice smile," Amber told Unmei while beaming. "You shouldn't be afraid of showing it."

"Oh... thanks." Unmei smiled a bit wider at the compliment, still feeling shy. She seems to like Yugi, with how she tackled him... That idea bothered her, although she wasn't entirely sure why.

"Oh, what the heck, you get a hug, too!" Amber swept the petite twelve-year old into a gentle yet massive hug. "Any friend of Yugi's – and Lita's and Serena's and of all the gang –  is a friend of mine!"

When Amber released her, Unmei simply stood there, frozen like an Otter Pop. "Uh, sure..." She giggled. "You're funny," she admitted to Amber.

"Why, thank you!" Amber replied with a slight curtsy. "Personally, I think my sense of humor sucks, but hey, maybe not!"

"Oh, Amber, don't say that!" Yugi reprimanded with a laugh.

"Yeah, you're one of the funniest people around," Joey added, ruffling Amber's hair slightly. Amber batted his hand away and smoothed down the rumpled curls.

"You always make me laugh," Amy replied with a small smile.

"Aw, thanks guys!" Amber smiled wider than Unmei thought was ever possible, showing off evident dimples. "So, what were ya'll doin' before I crashed in?"

Tristan, grinning, replied, "Not much, just talkin', chillin', harrassing Joey-"

"Hey! You started it!" Joey grabbed Tristan into a chokehold as everyone else laughed.

"Joey!" Lita scolded between laughs. "C'mon, I don't think 'eye for an eye' is gonna cut it!" She grasped his bicep and tilted her head onto his shoulder.

Smiling with red cheeks, Joey let go of Tristan, who began coughing wildly. "Ok, now you played my weakness," Joey teased Lita, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and hugging her sideways. Lita simply smiled.

"Awwww, how cute!" Amber cooed, squeezing her face between her cheeks.

Unmei watched the couple with a giggle, then noticed Amber. Her eyes seem... sad. Why? Unless... Joey gave Lita a peck on the cheek, and while Amber still smiled, the sadness in her eyes increased. Does she like Joey?

{Yeah, I kinda do still,} Amber's voice piped up into her head. Unmei gaped at Amber, whose eyes and mouth hadn't moved. Amber now turned her head and said to Unmei, without moving her mouth, {Oh, and FYI, I'm a telepath.}

"Ack!" Unmei jumped, the fear returning into her eyes. "Say what?"

Yugi gave her a strange look. "What was that?"

"Oh, it's my fault, Yugi-kun," Amber began to explain hastily. "I totally surprised her by speaking to her mind."

"You and your telepathy," Mina muttered, rolling her eyes. "Why do you use it so much?"

"Well, why do you use your mouth to speak so much?" Amber asked, suddenly philosophical-sounding. Wow, she looks weird being so serious, Unmei thought.

"Uh... because I was born with it?" Mina cocked her head as she answered hesitantly.

"Exactly," Amber replied. Now she spoke with both hands and mouth as she continued, "See, you were born with the ability to speak, and you use it for that reason, right?"

"Well, it's the most common form of communication," Amy spoke up. "It's how we make ourselves clear to other people."

"Excellent point, Amy," Amber commented, sounding more scholarly. Even her hint of a smirk was dignified. "For me, telepathy is the way I make myself clear to others in communication."

"Agh! All this abstract stuff..." Serena moaned, her eyes swirling.

"But you're the only one I know that can even do that stuff!" Joey protested.

"I've never heard of it being real," Unmei added, becoming a bit more comfortable around Amber.

Amber shrugged. "There are a few others," she said off-hand. "But, because it's so rare, I do have to be careful when I use it." Her normal wide smile returned, and she said, "Anyways, how about we head indoors someplace?"

"We were going to head back to Raye's place for some of Lita's homemade ice cream!" Serena piped up.

"How about we head there now?" Tea suggested. Everyone chorused their agreement.

Later, as they were walking back to the shrine, Amber was mostly in the center of the group, talking to her friends and jumping between conversations. Yugi and Unmei managed to slip to the back of the group. "So... how do you know Amber?" Unmei asked.

"She used to live in Domino when we were toddlers," Yugi explained. "After a few years, she had to move to America, but then we'd write letters and draw pictures back and forth. You know, the way kids do." He chuckled. "She's changed so much over the years. You know that when we first met she didn't say a word?"

Disbelief evident on her face, she looked at the talkative Amber, then back at Yugi, then back between them a couple times. "No way! She's loud, it's hard not to hear her voice!"

"What about me?" Amber slowed her footsteps a bit so she was walking next to Unmei.

"Oh, I was just telling Unmei how you didn't say anything when you were three," Yugi laughed.

Amber laughed. "Yeah, I didn't say a thing until I was four! And now look – I'm such a chatterbox!... Well, at least with my friends." She shrugged.

"So, you and Yugi have been writing back and forth all these years?" Unmei asked.

"Yep! And when we got email accounts, we switched to email with the occasional letter." Her fingers wove themselves through her curls, unwove and then wove into them again.

"Your hair's really pretty," Unmei told her, then looked down at her shoes.

Amber smiled sweetly. "Thanks, I like yours too." She batted Unmei's bangs lightly. "Although I think it would look gorgeous if you let it down." She noticed Yugi blush madly at the idea.

"Raye told me that, too, but I don't want to," Unmei admitted.

"It's ok, it's all up to you!"

Unmei nodded, but then let herself drift into her own thoughts. She's very nice and happy, but... She seems really attached to Yugi and the other way 'round. More than if they were just friends. What if... She had no idea why, but she felt hurt at what she wouldn't allow herself to think.

Suddenly serious, Amber stared at Yugi, telling him, {Let me talk to Unmei for a bit, to clear things up.} Nodding just as seriously, Yugi began talking to Amy and Tea. Then, she sent to Unmei, {Girlfriend, I'm not standing between you and Yugi-kun at all! Nothing to worry about!}

Unmei met Amber's caramel brown eyes steadily. "Y-you sure?" she whispered.

Amber nodded. {Positive. Oh, and you can just think back your words.}

Hesitantly, Unmei bobbed her head and thought, So... you do like Joey. And you don't like Yugi that way at all?

{Not at all. I thought I did once, but the feeling faded after a week or so. Yugi-kun is more like... a younger brother to me.} Amber smiled slightly. {He and I have always been there for each other, confiding in each other... even when I couldn't be there in person. It's probably the lack of person-to-person contact over the years we've known each other that's kept any sort of romantic feelings like that from forming and becoming concrete. That, and we're a bit too similar.}

Too similar? What do you mean? Unmei raised an eyebrow.

Amber sighed softly, like a feather. {We're both soft-hearted... and honestly, I feel like I'm too much of a coward.}

Despite herself, Unmei laughed. You, a coward? You're talking to me, and I should be mad at you. Yet... She bit her lip. I think... we can be friends.

{Me too, chica,} Amber nodded.

Chica? What does that mean?

{It means 'girl' in Spanish.}

Oh, ok, so you speak Spanish, too?

{Yeah, I'm trilingual, but enough about me. Tell me about yourself. What do you like?} Amber's smile seemed doubly encouraging to Unmei now.

Unmei grinned wider than she ever thought she could. She was very, very sure Amber would become a wonderful friend to her.