Luster
brilliance, brightness, radiance, sparkle, dazzle, flash, glitter, glint, gleam, luminosity, luminescence.
sheen, gloss, shine, glow, gleam, shimmer, burnish, polish, patina.
The trophy sparkled in her hand. It reminded her of her Mirror Wall trap card. She hadn't used it in a while.
That was the first time she saw him in a while.
His eyes had a sparkle she hadn't seen in them before.
"Jounouchi! I didn't know you were here."
"Well, I was. So you won another tournament, huh?"
"It doesn't feel like it. More like I won some paperweight and my car payment. Where's the fireworks, I wonder?"
"What's that saying? If a tree falls in a sound, does it make a forest?"
"Idiot! It's if a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound? And what's that got to do with this!" She knew exactly what the saying had to do with it. "You think I'm underappreciated, huh? You think you can waltz right in her and make my day?"
"Alright, you got me."
"Come to think of it, where are all your fans? People should be running up to you by now." Stealing the spotlight from me despite your best intentions.
"Guess they just don't recognize me. Can't say that's a bad thing"
There were people around, but Jounouchi had chosen a pretty secluded spot to appear.
"So how much did you watch?"
"Just enough."
"What's that supposed to mean? You can be prick sometimes, you know that?"
"All this badgering. I'm sorry if I upset you with my presence okay?"
"No, it's just that I didn't expect you to be here. That's all."
"Well you knew I was going to show up sometime, right?"
"Yeah. But not like this. I mean, maybe you could have chosen worse, but why now?" If she really thought about it she knew that it would be easy for Jounouchi to find her through tournament listings or word of mouth. And maybe, just maybe think that it would be a good idea to try to build their relationship again. But she really didn't want to think about all that. She wanted to sleep.
"Why not now? Now's as good a time as ever."
There you go again. Running your mouth, just like it's nothing.
"Maybe you're right."
"So, see you again?"
"What? You're leaving already?" I thought…
"You have some things to do, don't you?"
"Well, there's the-"
"See you." And he ran off.
"Honestly, just what was that supposed to mean?" Her hands tightened around the trophy but she didn't give it a second thought.
It was another six months before she saw Jounouchi again.
"Why do you keep dueling?"
"I don't know. I guess it's just because I just keep winning. There's no reason to quit when you're so good, is there?"
"No. I guess you're right. But you never enter tournaments that me or Yuugi enter."
"What do you expect? I don't exactly live close to Domino."
"You came all the way out there for Battle City."
"Well… that was different."
"How different?"
"Just different. It's not a matter of how much it is."
"Are you happy Mai?"
"Why do you ask that, all of a sudden?" Do you want to make me happy?
"I just kind of am."
He asked her the same questions when they met two weeks later.
"Mai, are you happy?"
"Idiot! You already asked me that!" And you know the answer.
"Really, when?"
Time had been going by so quickly. She couldn't really recall exactly. "It doesn't matter. But the answer is yes, I think now, I finally am happy."
"With everything?"
She smirked. "You know, honestly, sometimes it feels like I'm too old to be having conversations like this with people like you- least of all you. All people your age think about is the 'everything'. You know, the 'somethings' are important too."
"So you're only happy with some things?"
"You expect me to just think life is one big party complete with chocolate fountains?"
"Ah! Why'd you have to bring food into this?"
A growling stomach, a pivot of a shoe.
"I'll meet you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." Jounouchi waved as he ran off toward the glowing neon signs of food.
A year later.
A knock on the door.
Jounouchi.
"I wasn't expecting you."
"You always say that." There was something about the way he said it that made her laugh. She wasn't sure why.
"I didn't know you knew where I lived."
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't know." His eyes had that same sparkle from when they had met at the stadium.
She stared out into her drive way, at the parked car that had just been paid off.
"Hey, do you wanna go somewhere?"
The sun gleamed on her car hood like the most beautiful diamond in the world.
She turned on the radio. The song reminded her of the kind they play at the end of a movie.
"You aren't Jounouchi, are you?"
"When did you realize it?"
"Just a little while ago or maybe a long time ago. It's weird. It feels as if everything suddenly makes sense now but I still don't know anything."
"That's life for you. But you do know who I am."
"Yeah, I do. Honestly, right now, it doesn't bother me that much. But just, why did you choose Jounouchi of all people? If you noticed, I don't exactly have an easy time speaking with him."
"It wasn't me who chose him. It was you. Jounouchi was the person you most wanted to see at this moment. You love him, don't you?"
She noticed sparkles in her vision. She was crying.
"I guess it doesn't really matter anymore. Nothing really matters. You can be Jounouchi for all I care."
"It's not about mattering."
"Yeah, I know, I know. Jeez, I can't even drive straight because of you."
"I'll drive."
"No! Just no. I want to drive for a little longer. Just keep talking, Jounouchi. What is it about then, mattering aside?"
"You love me, don't you Mai?"
Hands firmly on the steering wheel and eyes looking ahead, she smiled.
A/N: If you thought this was a happy story, then congratulations. If you thought this was a sad story, then congratulations. If you still can't figure out what's going on here, then we're in the same boat. I guess this is what they call experimental fic.