Smile
Ryou groaned, letting his head fall forward and hit his desk. He was bored out of his skull. He had absolutely nothing to do today, and Bakura was being less than helpful, his only advice hinting that since Ryou had nothing to do he should let Bakura take control. Ryou obviously ignored this suggestion, although he knew if he didn't go and do something soon Bakura would take that as a cue that he could do what he wanted.
Finally Ryou rose and walked downstairs, figuring he could always call Yuugi. And if he was busy, then he'd… well, he'd find some other distraction. He could always let his yami duel someone or something. Maybe if Ryou offered Bakura control the yami might actually let Ryou watch instead of locking him up immediately. Yeah, right. He'd sooner believe Seto asking Jonouchi's little sister on a date.
Ryou lifted the phone from the receiver, fingers inches away from the key pad, when the familiar chime of the doorbell rang out.
Ryou's brow knitted in confusion. Who on earth could that be? He supposed it could be Yuugi, but he had been under the impression Yuugi was going to spend the earlier part of the day helping his grandfather in the Game Shop. Still, despite his guarded apprehension, Ryou opened the door.
What he met with only deepened his confusion.
"Ah, K-Kujaku-san? What are you doing in Domino?" And more specifically, why are you here? Ryou mentally added to his query.
"Hello to you too, Ryou-kun." The blond raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, forgive me. It's nice to see you again, Kujaku-san." Ryou stuttered out, giving the girl a small bow.
"No need for that, Ryou-kun." Mai chuckled slightly.
"Um, so, why did you want to se me, Kujaku-san?" Ryou asked, shifting his weight nervously. Mai always made him feel weird. He felt nervous around her, but at the same time he felt somewhat… happy. And safe. How someone could give off such an aura of danger and protection at the same time Ryou had no clue.
The girl shifted the purse slung over her shoulder. "I was in town, and I thought it'd be fun to spend some time with you, if you were available. Maybe just hang around town or something."
Ryou's heartbeat quickened, to his surprise.
"W-why with me?" Ryou asked, feeling strangely hopeful at the prospect of spending a day with Mai.
Mai shrugged. "Well, you're my friend. And," here Mai sounded slightly sheepish, "Yuugi-kun and Jonouchi-kun weren't available."
"Oh, so I'm your last resort?" Ryou questioned, trying to assume a hurt air but unable to keep a small smile from his face.
"No! That would be Honda."
Ryou allowed himself a small giggle. "Kujaku-san, that's mean." He admonished teasingly.
"He's fine, he's just not a very close friend. I'd much rather hang out with you."
Ryou decided it wasn't too weird to allow himself a light blush at this remark.
"Anyway, Yuugi-kun was 'busy', and Jonouchi…" Mai paused for a little, then raised and hand to her mouth and giggled a bit before continuing. "Jonouchi-kun and Anzu are on a date."
Ryou's jaw dropped. "A date? Are you serious?" Ryou blinked, then tentatively added, "With each other?"
"Well, not officially," Mai admitted, "or at least they tried to deny it was."
Ryou smiled. "That's just like Jonouchi-kun. And Anzu-chan too, actually…"
Mai laughed. "Those two. They're perfect for each other, and they flirt with each other so much yet expect no-one to suspect anything."
"I have noticed the way they look at each other, and I thought something was up." Ryou smiled. "But… I kinda thought you had a crush on Jonouchi-kun yourself, Kujaku-san."
Mai sighed, then turned and leaned against the doorframe, a solemn look on her face. "I did. But… that was a while ago. He doesn't have any feelings for me. And he and Anzu obviously like each other, so I'm happy for them. Besides," Mai turned her head towards Ryou and gave him a wink. "The other Yuugi's more my type anyway."
Ryou's eyes widened slightly, forcing down the slightest twinge of jealousy that has sprung up. What was wrong with him anyway? "You know about the yamis?"
Mai shrugged. "It's pretty obvious, with all that's been going on. I mean, I wouldn't normally believe in magic and stuff like that, but from what I've seen, that's the only logical conclusion. Trying to deny it after that would be pretty impossible."
"Kaiba-san does a pretty good job of it." Ryou pointed out.
Mai chuckled. "Kaiba's in denial, that's all."
Ryou snickered, then remembered they had been standing in the doorway this whole conversation.
"Oh, would you like to come in?"
Mai laughed. "Didn't you hear me, Ryou? I want to go out and do something. So," Mai grabbed the startled boy by the hand and dragged him out of the house. "Let's go!"
After promising he'd come back, Mai allowed Ryou to go back to lock the door, and the two were now happily strolling the streets of Domino. Well, Mai was happy certainly; Ryou wasn't sure if he was happy or not. He was glad to be spending time with Mai of course, but… he just couldn't quell this weird feeling he got around her…
H-ha ha, has little Ryou got a crush? Ryou stopped suddenly, startled.
B-Bakura… no! It's not like that!
Suuuure… Bakura said, and Ryou knew if he could see the spirit Bakura would currently have a smirk plastered on his face. Ryou groaned slightly, and prepared to answer his yami when he heard Mai call.
"Hey, why did you stop walking?"
"Ah, s-sorry!" Ryou called back, rushing forward to catch up. He slowed down to a normal pace once he was parallel to Mai, but continued the inward conversation.
Why are you even teasing me about this anyway?
Well, I obviously can't do anything else right now, and I'm bored. Tormenting you sounded like fun.
Could you please just leave me alone?
No. I could take over, you know. I don't have to let you do whatever you want…
Ryou sighed quietly. I-I know… but please, don't take over today. Just… not today…
Very well. But don't complain about the teasing then.
Ryou groaned under his breath, but this was about the best deal he could expect to make with his yami.
"So, Ryou-kun." Mai spoke up suddenly, and Ryou swung his head up so see her. "Where should we go?"
"Huh?"
"Where do you want to go? Walking's fine, but I prefer places with a bit more action…"
"Um…" Ryou put a finger to his lips in thought. He didn't normally go to places with lots of people or lots to do, he much preferred quieter pastimes.
Mai turned to see the boy, and nearly giggled. Ryou looked so cute and innocent, she just wanted to hug him. Of course she normally would have no problem with that, but she guessed it would make Ryou nervous, so the girl restrained herself.
"I… suppose… Kaiba Land?" Ryou suggested. It was the busiest place he could think of.
Mai blinked, and Ryou was afraid he said something stupid. Then…
"He made a theme park named after him! That's so ridiculous! So, let's go!"
"H-huh…?" Ryou stuttered, but the next second Mai had wrapped an arm around his shoulder and was pushing him along with her.
"Wow, this isn't as stupid as I had pictured." Mai blinked, looking around the busy indoor park. "I kinda expected him to have his face everywhere or something."
"Well, there is something he loves more than himself…" Ryou pointed out, staring at the overabundant Blue Eyes statues.
"Yeah, Mokuba."
Ryou held Mai's gaze for a while, silent. "Um… I was thinking about the Blue Eyes White Dragon…"
Mai blinked. Then… "Oh! I can be dense sometimes, can't I?" Mai laughed, rubbing the back of her head.
"Actually, I hadn't noticed."
"Hey, that Blue Eyes reminds me…" Mai grinned, then grabbed Ryou's wrist once more, dragging him over to a receptionist's desk. Before Ryou could ask what was going on, she started talking to the man behind the desk.
"Are there any available places to duel here?"
The boy behind the desk raised an eyebrow, before adjusting his glasses. "I'm sorry, miss, but…"
"But what?" Mai demanded. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"
"Um…" The boy's expression turned from haughty to confused. "N-no…?"
Mai leaned over the counter, pointing a manicured finger at the computer. "Look, just look 'Mai Kujaku' up on there. There should be something about me." Mai leaned back and smirked, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
The boy was now extremely confused, but looked up the girl's name on the Kaiba Corp database. Mai giggled when his face paled slightly and his mouth dropped open.
"Y-you're… Kaiba-sama says you're a level seven duelist! A-and you made it to the Duelist City semi-finals…"
"So, what was it you were going to say…?"
The man gulped, then continued. "I-I'm sorry, Kujaku-san, but all the stadiums are in use. A few of the Duel Boxes are open, but for someone of your skill…"
"Don't worry. This is just for fun." The girl winked, then grabbed Ryou's arm once more.
"Well, shall we go?"
"U-um, well…" Ryou stuttered. He had never played Duel Monsters before, and only had a vague grasp on the rules themselves. It wasn't that Ryou didn't think dueling would be fun, but his yami always took over…
"I…" Ryou hung his head. "I've never played Duel Monsters before."
Mai blinked. "But, I've seen you-"
"That… that was all him."
"Oh." Mai paused, then smiled. "I guess I'll teach you, then!"
Ryou stared blankly at the facedown pile of cards in front of him. He and Mai were currently sitting opposite each other in one of the duel boxes.
"Um… so…?"
"Well… I've never taught someone Duel Monsters before, so what do you know of the game already?"
"Well, I know there are monsters cards, which you fight with, and whichever is stronger wins. And that there are also spell cards and trap cards, which can affect the battle. Defeating a monster in attack mode decreases the owner's Life Points by the difference of the two monster's attack points… oh, and you start out with 4000 Life Points, and the first person to zero loses. Some cards have special abilities, and… there's something about sacrificing monsters, but…"
Mai shrugged. "Those are the basics. We can play with normal rules, so you don't have to worry about sacrifices expect when a card mentions it. There are more complexities, and strategies to consider, but I'm sure you'll catch on soon enough."
Ryou nodded in agreement, and Mai drew out her deck and began shuffling. A short while she was done, and raised her head to see Ryou staring at her.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "You're supposed to shuffle your deck, Ryou-kun."
Ryou shook his head slightly, realizing what he was doing. "R-right." The boy mumbled, shuffling his deck hurriedly as a dark red blush tinged his entire face. He heard Mai and Bakura laugh at the same time, although his yami's was more of a dark chuckle compared to Mai's light titter.
Shut up…
No. Bakura stated simply, then continued laughing.
Once Ryou was done, the two swapped decks, cutting their opponent's and handing it back.
"Okay, I'll go first if you don't mind, Ryou."
"Not at all, please do."
Mai giggled. "You're just too polite, Ryou-kun."
Ryou's confusion was all-too-clear, and the girl had to hold herself back from laughing again.
"Um… I'm sorry?"
"Don't worry about it." Mai waved her hand in dismissal. "Now, let's duel!"
Ryou watched as Mai drew five cards, then did likewise. He would only admit it to himself, but one of the reasons he was glad Mai would go first was because he had forgotten how many cards one started out with in Duel Monsters.
Of course, you know only admitting it to yourself means I know as well.
Yeah, it's not like you'll ever let me forget it…
Mai skimmed over her cards, then smirked.
"I place one face-down card, and play Amazoness Swordswoman in Attack position. End turn."
Ryou furrowed his brow as he scanned the cards in his hand. There was Earl of Demise… it was stronger than the Amazoness.
"Okay, I play the-"
No, Ryou! Bakura chided. Don't play that card! Play the one on the far left!
Why? This one's stronger than her Amazoness.
Idiot! She obviously has something up her sleeve by playing something like that.
Bakura, this is my game, not yours.
Fine, Bakura huffed. You'll see I was right once you lose!
"I play the Earl of Demise!" Ryou finished, slapping the card onto the table.
…I told you so. Bakura commented smugly. Ryou flushed angrily. Mai had trounced him completely. She had the upper hand the whole entire game, although Ryou might not have lost so terribly if he didn't insist on doing the opposite of whatever Bakura had suggested.
"Good game," Ryou said, managing to keep all but the slightest touch of sullenness from his voice.
Mai laughed. "You played a really good game for this being your first time dueling, it actually wasn't too bad a match."
Ryou blinked. He thought he had done horribly… but then again, he had only seen a few duels. "R-really?"
"Yeah, especially for never seeing your deck before. But…" the girl paused for a second, then winked. "You still were no match for me."
"Of course not." Ryou groaned.
Ryou, not for the first time this day, felt his face turn bright red.
After dueling, the two continued to wander around the town. Mai insisted they buy some cards, eliciting a very interesting look from Yuugi as the two walked into the Game Shop side-by-side. When he turned to Ryou and grinned, Ryou almost felt the need to break away from the girl and deny anything and everything that might have been going through his friend's head. But he settled for giving Yuugi a dazed look as Mai greeted the spiky-haired boy and purchased six booster packs. Once they left the shop, Mai handed half the packs to Ryou, and, after a very half-hearted protest on Ryou's side, the two opened the packs up, Mai giving Ryou suggestions for his deck. (Bakura told the boy that it wouldn't matter since he would fix his deck back to the way it should be, Ryou responding with an eye roll.) This was followed by Ryou being dragged to the nearby playground, Mai giving a squeal in delight to find swings. The rest of the day had been spent here, the two swinging on parallel swings and chatting. Currently, dusk was falling, and they were sitting on a bench together, Mai curled up to Ryou, her legs pulled to her chest as her back rested against Ryou's side.
This was the reason for Ryou's blush.
Ryou was not used to girls being as… forward as Mai was, but he couldn't say he entirely disliked it.
"Ryou?"
"Hmm?" Ryou responded, turning his head to look at Mai. The girl's eyes were closed, obviously half-asleep.
"I… was wrong."
Before Ryou could ask what about, Mai continued. "I was wrong. The other Yuugi isn't my type." The blonde's eyes opened and she smiled up at Ryou. "You are."
"A-ah…" Ryou stuttered, eyes widened considerably. He hadn't expected anything like that. If possible, Ryou felt more nervous over Mai's casual "confession" over anything else that day… because he was starting to think he liked her back too. He couldn't let her know that— with his yami, things would get complicated, and Bakura'd probably use her against him or something… not that Ryou thought Mai really meant anything by that statement. Hoped, maybe, but not really believed.
Ryou stood up suddenly. "I-I should probably head home. Good night, Kujaku-san, I'll—"
"No." Mai stated. "Let's just stay here a little longer, Ryou. Please?"
Ryou hesitated, then sat back down. Mai curled closer to Ryou, and closed her eyes again.
Ryou leaned his head over the back of the bench and stared up and the stars twinkling to light in the paling sky. A soft smile graced his features and he took Mai's hand and squeezed it tight.
It was one of the best days in his life.
Author's notes: Aww, that was fun to write. ^^ I love RyouXMai, it's the only Ryou shipping I fully support. And there are a lot (well, several at least) hints at this... which were of course cut out in the anime. It seemed liked they really wanted to make it seem like Mai could only be pairied with Joey, which is of course one of the few Mai-pairings I dislike. Ah well. -.-
Reveiw please! Sank yuu very much~