AN: Omg! Even longer chapter. It's over three thousand words. Thankyou for the review, ppl.

Before you read, Serenity is in this chapter. Her Japanese name is Shizuka. I'm just telling you this because I didn't know myself until I looked it up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Chapter 4

Mai lay under her covers that night unable to sleep. She finally, she actually saw the boy again. Here she thought it was silly to even dream of it. He was so handsome, and he was so kind, and cute, and funny, and mature…he seemed so perfect. But he was only sixteen. Mai sighed. Could they ever have a relationship? What was she thinking? They'd only seen each other twice, and he probably didn't even think twice of her that way…but those flowers! They were from him! That was so sweet of him, and so cute. She blushed at the thought of it, but it was so confusing for Mai. Did he like her? Was that his way of telling her he had feelings for her? But how could he have the same feelings for her as she did for him? Had he been thinking of her the whole time too? That is what the card said. Mai was extremely confused about her feelings for him and his possible feelings for her.

Perhaps he did have a crush on her. Did she like him back? Of course! She'd been thinking about him ever since she met him. Could she ever tell him? That was beneath her pride. She couldn't date a little kid. That was beneath her. But she remembered that when he gave her that warm smile, she didn't think like that. All she knew was that she wanted more of him. She fell asleep with that thought in mind.

She woke up peacefully that Saturday morning. Sun crept inside from behind her window curtains. She looked at the clock and saw that it was ten-thirty. She'd slept in because she fell asleep so late last night. Damn that boy, she thought. She sat up burying her face in her hands.

"Oh my god! I'm going crazy!" she murmured into her hands. "I can't keep thinking about him like this…he's just a little boy, nothing could ever happen between us…I shouldn't be thinking of him…I'm better than this!" she sighed again. It depressed her. She needed to forget him.

As she was sulking, the phone rang. She groggily got up out of bed to answer it.

"Hello?" Mai answered.

"Mai?" a male voice spoke. It was Mr. Oshiro. Her stomach turned sour. Not this again…

"Yes, Mr. Oshiro?" she made sure to say with attitude. Maybe he would get the hint this time that she did not want to talk to him outside of work.

"Yes, hello. I was…I was wondering whether you would like to go out to lunch today, and maybe go shopping afterwards. Just to hang out, me and you…?" he ended. Mai sighed. She knew it. He was trying to ask her out for the millionth time. You think he would get the hint after the tenth time, but no.

"No thank you, Mr. Oshiro. I have errands to do, today."

"Maybe I can accompany you," he replied hopeful.

"No thank you, Mr. Oshiro. I would prefer to go alone," she said. Mr. Orshiro laughed gently on the other side.

"Are you really going alone?" he said disbelievingly.

"Yes…why?"

"Because…" he began teasingly, "I think you're going on a date with that boy Jonouchi," he said. That last statement shocked Mai.

"What?!"

"Don't pretend it didn't happen. I know he gave you flowers yesterday."

"Oh…yes, he did. But that's not where I'm going today."

"Ok, good. I was just beginning to worry about you. You wouldn't want to involve yourself with a kid like that."

"Oh? Why not?" Mai was very appalled by his last statement.

"Oh-ho! You seem angry! Perhaps you two were thinking about a date…"

"No, we are not! But if…but if I was, what would be the big deal? He's a nice boy," she didn't know whether she was asking Mr. Oshiro or asking herself.

"Well first of all, he's a teenager. And second, a woman like you? You deserve nothing but the best! You need a guy with a real job. That kid'll be packing groceries and delivering flowers his whole life."

"And what makes you say that?!" That last insult towards the kid was pushing Mai to her limit. She was getting very annoyed.

"The kid's poor as hell. Kid's like that never go to school, they'll never get anywhere in life."

"Hmph. And I had the impression you two were friends," Mai knew better than to argue the point. As much as she disagreed with him, she knew his opinion would never change.

"Oh, we are! I never said I didn't like the kid. But anyway, I'll see you Monday, Mai," he said.

"Good bye, Mr. Oshiro."

"Bye," Mr. Oshiro hung up. Good riddance, she thought. She knew for a fact that Mr. Oshiro was wrong. She had grown up in a poor household. Her parents did everything they could to push her through school. It was hard, and money was low, but she did it. Now she had a good education and a good job.

Mai sat in her kitchen eating breakfast. She supposed she really did have some errands to do.

:j:m:

Mai walked along the sidewalk looking for her favorite clothing store. She needed a nice gown for a big event coming up in a couple weeks at her workplace. Spirit Magazine was going to celebrate its tenth anniversary in the beginning of March, and as editor in chief, she definitely had to be there. It was going to be a huge party, with a slew of big-wigs and celebrities promised to be there. Of course, she needed a new, fabulous dress, which she didn't mind at all shopping for. On the downside, most people brought a date date or their spouse to these types of events. She had neither.

Finally, she reached the store, Yoshida's Fine Dresses. She loved this store. It was one of the only stores that carried dresses that would fit her D-sized breasts. In most stores her breasts would be spilling out of the dresses.

She walked in and eagerly started scanning the walls for possible choices. She picked up a few and walked over to the dressing room and saw a young, brown haired girl trying on dresses. There was only one dressing room, so she was forced to wait. She sat on the nearest bench and watched her pleasantly.

"Seto, what do you think of this one. Do you think it flatters me?" the girl addressed a tall, serious looking brunette sitting on the bench opposite of Mai. She had seen his face before, but she couldn't remember where for a minute.

Of course! He was none other than Seto Kaiba, the owner of the famous Kaiba Co. She was somewhat excited to see a famous person. He almost qualified as a celebrity. Several articles had been done on him before in Spirit Magazine. He also gave a heavy donation to Spirit Magazine in the past. She wondered whether he would be at the tenth anniversary event she was shopping for. Seto Kaiba sighed.

"Of course it looks good! Everything looks good on you," he sounded agitated, which was exactly how he always looked in his pictures and on television.

"Shut up! You're just being nice. I'm just not so sure about this dress…"

"Shizuka, it really does look great-"

"Heya, Shizuka! I got a couple of different dresses for you I thought you might like," another boy walked up to her. It was Jonouchi! She couldn't believe it. Butterflies jolted around in her stomach. She stared at him, but he didn't see her yet.

"Oh thank you, Katsuya," Shizuka took the dresses from him and went into the dressing room. Apparently she didn't take Kaiba's opinion to heart. Jonouchi stood there facing Kaiba with his back to Mai. She desperately wanted to say something, but her nerves kept getting in the way. Nothing was coming out of her mouth. Eventually she managed to his mumble his name audibly.

"J-J-J…Jonouchi!" Jonouchi turned around and Kaiba looked at her strangely. Her stomach lurched violently. Jonouchi's dazed look turned into a bright smile.

"Mai! It's you!" Mai blushed unwillingly at him, but was determined to keep her cool.

"Hello Jonouchi," she said as coolly as she could manage. She didn't want to sound like a teenager, after all. Jonouchi, however, looked excited as hell. His cheeks were flushed, and he looked almost giddy.

"It's so nice to see you again! That's twice in two days, now…so what are you doing here?"

"I'm trying on dresses for an event I'm attending in a couple of weeks," she said. Jonouchi kept blushing and fidgeted nervously before her. He tapped his foot and pushed his hands into his pockets, leaning on one leg. His toothy smile never wavered. He looked so happy it was making Mai blush again.

"A…a dress?!..." he paused.

"Yes…"

"Can I see you in it?!" he asked excitedly, and obviously hopefully. Mai blushed harder this time.

"I…I guess…" she said unsurely. She wasn't sure what to say to that. She knew he would be looking at her body and checking her out, which made her self conscious, especially because she cared what he thought of her. She hoped she looked damn sexy in the dresses she was about to try on.

"Really? Cool! I can't wait…" he said with a devilsh grin. He's a pervert, Mai thought. Just like a teenager, always acting silly around women. But the way he acted towards her was better than the way most men her age acted around her, always serious and arrogant. All of the men who flirted with her before were so arrogant, and they only tried to win her with money, nice clothes, a big house, and a flashy car. She was never impressed by any of that stuff. What she really wanted was a man who was humble and kind to everyone, and none of those men ever met up to those standards. None of those men even had personalities. They were so boring. Jonouchi, on the other hand, was kind, grateful, and he definitely seemed humble. She wondered wha this sense of humor was like. A sense of humor was important to her in men. She would just have to get to know him more, she thought. A little smile crept onto her face.

"So what kind of event are you going to?" Jonouchi asked.

"Spirit Magazine, the magazine I work for, is celebrating their tenth anniversary," she said. Kaiba looked over at her.

"Spirit Magazine, you said?" Kaiba asked. Mai nodded. "I'm going to that event too. On the third of March?" he half smiled, something he never did in the pictures she'd seen of him.

"Yep, that's the one."

"That's what we're here for. Shizuka is my date, and I'm buying her a dress-"

"I'm buying it for her!" Jonouchi interjected.

"For the last time, Jonouchi, I'll pay for it. I have-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You have lots of money and I have none. It's not about how much money I have. I love my sister and I want to do something nice for her. It's an early birthday present, alright? Just let me buy it for her."

"Alright," Kaiba frowned, but Mai smiled. She thought the fact that he loved his sister so much was extremely adorable.

Shizuka popped out of the dressing room and struck a pose.

"This is definitely the dress I want! Do you guys like it?" All three of them looked at her. She was wearing a pastel, peach colored, strapless dress. Kaiba and Jonouchi looked at her evilly.

"No. It looks terrible," they both said simultaneously. "Put it back." Jonouchi laughed and Kaiba merely smiled at the appalled look on her face.

"Shut up! I'm getting it and that's final!" Shizuka stomped back into the dressing room and shut the door. Mai forgot how silly teenagers could be. She couldn't help but laugh herself.

Within a few minutes Shizuka came out of the dressing room with her normal clothes on. Butterflies arose in Mai's stomach. Now it was time to try the dresses on herself, and Jonouchi would get to see. She hid her blush by walking quickly into the room.

"Don't forget to come and show us when you're done!" Jonouchi called after her.

As Mai pulled off her clothes and slipped the first of the three dresses on she could hear the three of them talking quietly on the bench.

"So how do you know that lady, Katsuya?" Serenity asked.

"Oh, uh…we're friends," Jonouchi answered.

"How'd you guys meet?"

"I met her on my new job at the flower shop. Somebody ordered her some flowers and I delivered them to her.

There was a pause.

"And you guys are suddenly best friends now, hm?" Shizuka said very teasingly.

"Well, I..." Jonouchi sounded flustered. Mai wondered whether or not they realized that she could clearly hear them. At that same moment the voices quieted down to barely audible, but still audible volume. "I've delivered flowers to her twice now. She has a secret admirer, see. And…she's really neat. We've talked once or twice."

"Ooh, I get it! You have a crush on her-"

"Shizuka don't!" Jonouchi hissed at her. Mai would've loved to hear his answer to that. What he said didn't really give a hint either way.

She looked into the mirror at the first dress she tried on. She definitely liked this one. She had tried her favorite one on first. It was a skin tight, halter top, black dress with bright purple lining on the bottom of part of the dress that touched just above her knees. It was cute and sexy. With some jewelry and some black high heels, she'd be good to go. She hoped Jonouchi would like this…

She stepped out rather nervously. Normally, she knew she looked good at all times, but that was when she didn't secretly care what she looked like anyway. Now that she had an innocent boy to impress, she would have to step it up. Ok maybe he wasn't so innocent, she could guess, but she would definitely show up all of the girls at his school that had ever taken an interest in him. She would blow away the competition.

With a burst of new motivation, she placed her hands on her hips and struck a pose, just like Shizuka did. Except this time Jonouchi didn't have anything smart to say. He stood there open mouthed, blushing immensely.

"Wow! You look great!" Jonouchi looked so in love it embarrassed Mai. He stood up and stood closer to her. He suddenly regained his composure and leaned on one hip, looking confident. He looked her up and down slowly.

"So what do you think?" Mai smirked at him. She knew he liked it.

:j:m:

Jonouchi stood there staring at the sexiest, most beautiful sight he had ever seen. And better yet, that sight was staring back at him, smiling! Smirking! She was giving him a sexy look. He just wanted to grab her and never let her go at that moment. If only he could have told her how badly he wanted to wrap his arms around her slim waist and kiss her pouty lips glossed lips, and run his hands through her luscious, thick, blonde hair. How could she tease him like this? This was complete torture. He would just have to answer her honest.

"I think you look…sexy!" he shouted out. She laughed at him. She looked embarrassed now. She probably didn't expect him to be so honest.

"I think you look beautiful…I never got you name." Shizuka said sweetly. Jonouchi looked at her and Kaiba.

"I never introduced you guys! Ok, Mai, this is my sister Shizuka," Mai waved. "And this is her boyfriend Kaiba," she waved again. "Serenity, Seto, this is Mai," they waved at her in turn.

"Well, Mai, I think the dress looks great," Serenity said.

"The dress doesn't look as good as you do," Jonouchi said. Mai blushed and put a hand behind her head nervously. Jonouchi hoped that wasn't too straightforward. She still could've been married for all he knew. She probably was, or at least with somebody, a woman like that. He also knew that he should probably stop flirting with her. She was way out of his league…but still. That small flicker of hope, and of course that natural flirtatiousness, resided within him.

"Thankyou," she said awkwardly and walked back into the dressing room.

She come out of the dressing room a short minute later and hung the other, untried dresses on a nearby rail. She looked at Jonouchi sweetly.

"So do you got a date to wear that dress with?" he asked, but nearly slapped himself afterwards. Did he seriously just ask that? That was way straightforward.

"Oh, um, no I don't," she said quickly. Seriously? Did that mean she was single? Or maybe he just couldn't make it.

"Oh…yeah, 'cause I was just wondering…because Kaiba and Shizuka…but anyways, where did they go?" he looked around, but they were nowhere to be seen. He had to get himself out of that situation, and fast. She would never want to go to the celebration with him. It was insane to even think that. Where were those two anyway?

He saw Kaiba handing the dress to the saleslady over the cash register.

"Hey! I'm paying for that Kaiba!" he yelled. He chased after them. Jonouchi may have been low on money, but he was not beneath buying his sister a present once in a while. He didn't care how much money Kaiba had.

He forced the eighty dollars into Kaiba's hand and watched him give it to the sales lady with a suspicious eye. Kaiba merely shrugged at him while Shizuka smiled gratefully.

"Thank you so much, Katsuya."

"No problem, sis'."

As Kaiba and Shizukawere walking out the door, Jonouchi hesitated.

"You guys go outside, I want to say goodbye to Mai," he said. Shizuka looked at him giddy.

"You like her! I just know it!"

"Shut up!" he turned his back to her. He really wished she would stop doing that. He sincerely hoped Mai wasn't listening to their conversation when she was trying on her dress. His sister could be so embarrassing sometimes. Ever since she and Kaiba started going out, she's been trying to set him up with every girl he comes into contact with. Couples are like that, they think everybody should be in love. They pity people who are single.

Mai walked away from the cash register with a bag in hand. Jonouchi waited for her near the exit.

"Oh, thanks for waiting! I thought you'd left without saying goodbye!" she smiled at him.

"Nah…" the two walked out of the store together. Kaiba and Shizuka were window shopping at the store next door. They stood there looking at each other in an awkward silence.

"It was nice seeing you today," Mai said.

"Yeah…well," this felt so awkward for Jonouchi. She must've known he had a crush on her, after the flowers he gave her. She must've read the card. "I'll see you around, Mai."

"Bye," she said. She hesitated a moment, and then walked off in the opposite direction of where they were going. He walked over towards Shizuka and Kaiba.

"I'm not the love expert, but I can tell you have something for that woman," Kaiba said. Jonouchi sighed.

"Just admit it, you know you like her!" Shizuka added.

"Yeah ok fine! I do! But do you have to yell it out loud in the store?!" Jonouchi pouted.

"Aww, don't be sad. I think she likes you," she said.

"Nah, I'm just a friend. She would never date a guy like me, even if I was the right age."

"That's for sure," Kaiba said. Of course Kaiba had to rub it in his face. Jonouchi didn't say anything back. He knew Kaiba was right.

"Damn I was just kidding. Have some confidence." Kaiba said with his attempt at a smile. It was more like a smirk. Jonouchi thought about what he said.

"You know what, Kaiba? You're right! Women like men with confidence."

Jonouchi walked home with them with a new confidence. She may have been way out of his league, and she would probably reject him, but damn it, she was worth a try.

AN: Hooray! It's done. Please review! I like to know if you guys are liking or not liking the story.

Review!!!!!!!