Back again!

New fic this time, and no I do not own Yugioh, if I did...well, the ending would have been a little different.

But anyway; the summary for this story is; Joey seeks shelter from the rain at a house with one of the last people he would ahve expected to see. Good thing too, when her world starts coming apart due to her friend's coma. Everyone deserves a second chance, but will they get one?

Joey grimaced up at the pelting rain and got heavy drops in his eyes for his troubles. Muttering curses he hitched his jacket collar tighter and tried to quicken his pace down the street. He was sure he'd been this way before, it was two right then a left and another right to his motel...or one right and two lefts and...

Joey swore and ducked under the first eve of a house he could find. He was lost, in this stupid, strange city where nothing was open no matter where he decided to walk-of course, it didn't help he'd moved away from the supermarket he'd had to run to, with the shopping mall next door. He was pretty sure there weren't any shops on the way to his motel, but just because he didn't see any, didn't mean he was going the right way. Still muttering curses he started out again.

He decided he should have just called in for a pizza rather than risking the rain in order to try and cook himself a decent meal. Especially not at eight o'clock at night. Joey groaned as he came to the edge of the houses and a road stretched out towards farmland and forest. Deciding he'd better ask at a house for directions, he turned a circle to find the nearest one with its lights on.

It turned out to be a fancy white house right on the edge of the beach. Deciding he didn't care if the people in it were stuck up, he hurried over to it. He felt an odd sensation go through his gut as he stepped up to knock; like déjà vu, no... like... a pull, to something inside. Trying to shrug it off, he knocked.

Joey grinned sheepishly as the person opened the door. But it dropped off his face entirely when he got a good look at the woman standing, stunned, in the door.

'Mai? What are you doing here?'

'I think that should be my question.' Mai swallowed carefully, willing away the lump in her throat and trying to slow her heart rate. 'You're soaked.'

'Yeah, well...' The sheepish smile returned. 'I don't know the city. I got lost.'

Mai stared at him for a couple of seconds. 'You'd better come in.'

'Thanks.' Joey stepped inside, and sighed in gratitude when he saw the fire.

'Why are you here?' Mai closed the door behind him.

'I told you; I got lost.' Joey looked back at her.

'I heard you, but I mean; why are you here in this city? There's no tournament on.'

'I'm just passing through. Figured I'd have a break here between tournaments. Didn't quite turn out like I'd planned; this city's got it in for me!'

The corner of Mai's mouth twitched. 'Oh really? How so?' She moved over to chuck another log on the fire, amazed at how easily they slipped back into their old banter.

'Well, this is the second time I've got lost, only the first time the shops were actually open so I could get directions. And I've slipped over on the pavement so many times I've lost count, and I swear that lady in the supermarket knocked me into the peaches on purpose.'

Mai snorted. 'Sure it's just that you're not watching where you're going?'

'Yes.' Joey stuck his nose up in the air. 'As if I wouldn't.'

'Well you're doing a very nice impression of sulking at the moment, so I'd say you're not looking.' Mai raised an eyebrow at him.

'Yeah, well...' Joey blushed slightly as he raised a hand to rub his neck ruefully.

'You need directions?' Mai was still kneeling by the fire.

'No. Well, yes that is what I came for, but I'm not going any time soon, not until I've had a proper chance to talk with you.'

'Joey-'

He hurried on, hearing objection in her voice. 'I haven't been able to properly talk to you in over two years Mai; you owe me a few minutes at least.'

Mai bit her lip and looked at the flames. 'I owe you my life Joey,' she said quietly. 'And I'm not going to just send you on your way with a map just because I didn't expect to see you for a time yet.'

'Okay...cool...' he found himself at a loss for anything to say now that he actually had the time to say it.

Mai pushed herself to her feet. 'Are you hungry?' She smirked when she realised who she was talking to. 'Actually, forget I asked that; you're always hungry.'

'I'm okay for now.' He was famished since he hadn't actually had dinner, but Joey didn't want an excuse for her to avoid talking to him. He was almost sure this was some strange dream and he'd wake up in his hotel in a minute. Except she looked too real to be a dream girl, and everything that was churning inside him-dragging up the things he'd hoped he was burying-felt too sharp for him to be asleep.

'I wonder about that, but okay, we'll wait with the food until later-' she was cut off from saying anything more by a flash and a thunderclap.

'Wow!' Joey went to the window. 'I'm glad I'm not out in that anymore...uh-' he glanced over at Mai.

'According to the news this storm's gonna take awhile to blow over. Looks like you're staying here for the night.' She smiled as she gazed out at the storm.

'Thanks... You don't have to put up with me if you don't-'

'Don't be ridiculous!' Mai rounded on him. 'Why wouldn't I want you here?' She blushed as she realised what she'd said.

'Well for one, you haven't had any contact with me since...' Joey trailed off again.

'I needed time to sort my life out, and I needed to do it alone.'

'That's ridiculous Mai; everyone needs someone to lean on now and again-'

'And me especially, is that it?' Her voice turned dangerous.

'What? No! It's just, well, you'd had a rough time of it, and getting back on your feet on your own would have been harder than if you'd had someone...' Fumbling with his words, Joey gave a helpless shrug.

'To what? Hold my hand? Joey, maybe you're right, maybe it would have been easier with someone to turn to when everything seemed too much to bear. But don't you see? I needed to do it myself so I could prove to myself that I was strong enough to sort out my own life.'

'That's ridiculous Mai. You should know by now a life shouldn't be lived alone.'

'I never said I wanted to face my life alone, I said I needed to know I could sort out my own problems, not have you and Yugi do it for me.'

'It still would have been easier if you'd come back.'

'Not in the long run; I would have begun to doubt that I could be anything in my own right, and I would never feel deserving enough for your friendship, if you would have decided to forgive me.'

'That's silly Mai, of course we have. You're one of us.'

Mai glared at him. 'It wouldn't sound so silly if you looked at it from my end. Just think for a second about what I've done to you!'

'I have, and it doesn't matter.'

'Yeah, right.' She eyed him dubiously.

'What matters to me is that you didn't contact me after...after everything. You said you hadn't meant to see me for awhile yet, does that mean you were actually planning to come back someday?'

Mai blushed with embarrassment and looked away. 'You're right, I should have at least sent you a letter, but...I...I guess I saw a note as a possible easy way out; I wanted to apologise to you in person, rather than sending a letter and getting tempted to not come back because I had already made some form of apology. But I should have at least sent something telling you I'd see you again one day.'

'It doesn't matter now, and thanks for your apology but I don't need it.' Mai's head jerked up. 'What happened at the end of our duel; that was enough of an apology for me.' Joey smiled awkwardly at her.

'That's ridiculous! Wouldn't you want to at least have me apologise so you know I'm sorry for what I did and I've changed?' Mai frowned at him.

'Like I said; the end of our duel was enough. And I liked the old Mai.' Joey grinned at her.

'Not the one who served the Orichalcoes though.' Mai murmured.

'Well, no, but I liked the girl from Battle City just fine.'

'But she didn't like herself.'

'Huh?' Joey gaped at her.

Mai gave him a pained smile. 'I mean it Joey; I didn't like myself during Battle City. I wasn't entirely bothered by the not liking bit it at the time, but it annoyed the hell out of me that I was angry at myself for letting you guys get close-because I was afraid you'd turn away again-but I was also angry at myself for being angry at you. And I wanted my walls to stay up and they were crumbling, but at the same time, I couldn't take them down entirely.' She made a face. 'I was messed up for a long time Joey, and it took me another age to get back on my feet.'

'And I bet that was no piece of cake.'

Mai grimaced and shook her head. 'No, it wasn't. But I needed to find out who Mai Valentine was, and I needed to do it without you...and the gang,' she tacked on hastily.

'I guess I get that, but I still would have liked some sort of communication to say you were coming back eventually, instead of leaving me hanging.'

Mai made a face. 'Sorry about that too Joey. I've told you my excuse for that and it's not a good one, but-'

'It's alright Mai, I get it; you needed to sort out your life, and you didn't want us influencing you so that you would always wonder if there was someone else inside the person you'd become.' He cocked his head and grinned at her. 'Is that about right?'

Mai couldn't help but smile back at him. 'You pretty much hit the nail on the head.'

'Sooo... you mentioned something about food before.' He eyed her hopefully.

'Typical,' Mai laughed. 'Come on, you can help me chuck some things together and tell me how everyone is.'

Please review! Good comments always motivate me to write more.

Will up date once every week or so.

See you later!