Once Upon a Dream
Chapter 1
The way you did once...
The hot summer sun had just begun to set.
"Mai," Joey held her hand tighter, "Will you marry me?"
Mai recoiled her hand. "Joey..." Her serene face had turned into horror.
He looked away, humiliated. Just concentrate on the sand... That's sparkling just as brilliantly- as the ring I bought! He was leaning against a palm tree in the sand, with his arms around her.He had convinced her into relaxing here after a long day of surfing. To him, they seemed perfect for each other. "Why not..." His voice cracked.
"Look, I don't know!" She had been comfortably sitting in between Joey's legs on the seashore, but now she turned around onto her knees to face him. "I just don't know yet-"
"Mai, comon." He flopped an frustrated arm up and then down to the ground. He looked hard into her eyes, pleading. "We've been through so much together. You know me better than anyone ever could!"
"It doesn't only matter how well I know you, Joey. Before you met me, I'm sure it was Seren or Yugi, or Tristan, that knew you best- and I'm sure you don't want to marry any of them."
"You're not funny, ya know. And too, the whole world knows how I love you." He took her hand again.
Mai laughed as she settled back into him. "Except Kaiba apparently. His company was always the only one not broadcasting all the stories of how you tried to save me."
"Yeah, that don't say much for how he feels bout me, now does it? Hahaha!"
Mai chuckled with him, then sighed. She stared off out to the ocean.
"Mai..." Joey played with her hair as he spoke. "I know... I just know that you are the one I'm gonna love forever, no matter what- whether you say yes or no."
Mai jerked her head and took to the defensive, "I didn't say 'no,' But I-..." She brought her arms around him to pull them closer. Joey's smile was half-hearted, for he saw only concern on her face. "I love you so much," she continued, "But I don't want to decide right now. I can't. I don't know what I really want and I don't wanna regret anything."
Joey's thoughts drifted to noticing that their heartbeats were in unison. "That's alright..." He ran his fingers through her hair down to her bared back.
"I'm sorry..." Mai whimpered.
"Don't apologize. Just gimme your other hand."
"What?"
"Your right hand."
"Why?" She held it out to him.
"Here." Joey produced a diamond ring from his plastic waterproof money holder. Mai gasped as she watched the jewel first tumble out into his palm, then as it was slipped over her right ring finger. "This side means that you're just 'with' someone." He lifted her hand, and kissed it. "Don't forget, Miss Valentine."
A/N: I wrote this whole story on my way back from Disney World. I was getting sick & tired of always making things work out so nicely for Mai & Joey in Sexual Tenshin, so I decided to just maniacally slaughter them apart. Oops, I've said too much. Okay so this one is a total rip off of Holy Thursday w/ my then-bf.
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO or Disney's Sleeping Beauty song "Once Upon a Dream," or that bf thank goodness.