AN: The final chapter! Hooray, it feels so ausome to have this story finished. I hope you all like the ending. I'm happy with it. To everybody who reviewed-

Darkrunner, Cartoon fire, Kaibaberry, Player zero, Lalalagirl, Killthebeast, Material Girl, Punkeymonkey, Peach wookie, Crystaline Embers, Journey Maker, Mystical Rose, Lady Guadelupe (number 2??), and Bucket Chan 5

-THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING! As all writers know, reviews are everything. So THANK YOU!

Special thanks to Darkrunner for always giving such thoughtful responses to a lot of my chapters. Thank you Darkrunner! And special thanks to Kaibaberry for leaving the nicest, most motivating reviews. Thank you Kaibaberry, you are so sweet!

Without further ado, here is the final chapter...

Chapter 11

Mai studied herself in front of her bathroom mirror. Her stomach churned nervously and excitedly. The gala was tonight. The gala was all that had been going through her mind all week. At the work place it was there, she and Jonouchi were going, and at night, it was all she thought about. Everything in her life right then seemed to revolve around the gala.

Her face looked nervous in her reflection, but the rest of her couldn't have looked more stunning. Her little black and violet dress was sexy and perfect looking. Her shoes gave her extra height. Her long, wavy blonde hair was down as usual. It just looked the best that way. Her black lined eyes and subtle pink lips gave her a sophisticated yet youthful look. She smiled to herself. Even if tonight didn't go perfectly, at least she would look perfect. She wondered what Jonouchi would look like when she drove over to pick him up. Would he actually comb his hair? She blushed. She hoped he would so he would look appropriate for the gala, but if he didn't, she wouldn't care. His messy hair gave him his kind, carefree look that warmed her. She'd rented him a nice fitting, classic, black and white suit. It was far from original, but he looked so good in it. Her whole body warmed upon picturing it. She blushed again, but the nervous feeling in her stomach would not go away.

She wondered what it would be like at the gala with Jonouchi. She would be revealing to the whole world that she was dating a sixteen year old… a handsome, sixteen year old. She was ready. If she could not proudly announce that she was dating Jonouchi, then it was she who was not worthy of dating him, not the other way around, as she had previously thought. She had decided that on Monday, when he'd come to see and apologize to her.

She looked at the clock. It read 6:35 pm. She'd agreed to pick up Jonouchi at 6:45 pm so they could arrive at the gala around 7 pm, when it started. She walked out of the bathroom fully dressed and ready to go. She grabbed her purse and coat and headed for the door.

She pulled into the familiar apartment complex parking lot ten minutes later. She spotted Jonouchi, who had seen her drive in, sitting on the same bench he was sitting on last time she came to pick him up. However, this time he looked happy. She hoped that was a sign that this date would be better than their last one. She parked in a spot near the bench. Jonouchi had already started walking towards her as she opened the door and stepped outside. Her long black cat hid her body and her dress. Jonouchi was on full display. His suit looked exactly like it had on Thursday- form fitting and perfect. Jonouchi's hair looked slightly brushed. It looked like he'd tried to tame it, but failed. Maybe there was no hope for it. Oh well, he still looked so cute. Mai blushed, holding a hand over her mouth as she smiled. Jonouchi was smiling, but he looked slightly nervous. He grabbed her hand, muttered something along the lines of "hello, you look nice", and kissed her on the lips.

"Jonouchi! I have lipstick on!" Mai exclaimed without thinking. She'd said it rather angrily. She hoped Jonouchi wouldn't be angry. She sighed in relief. Jonouchi only laughed and kissed her again. Mai growled and gestured for to get in the car. She didn't want him to kiss her, but she didn't have to the power to resist.

They got out of the car and stepped out into an underground parking garage. The building the gala would be in was upstairs and across the street. It was a huge building called the Domino Civic Center, and it was used for occasions such as this. Mai and Jonouchi walked to the building involved in simple small talk. Mai describe to him who he was going to be meeting tonight and what they would be doing together.

Mai handed two tickets to a man at the big, glass front door and they walked inside.

Mai looked around in awe. The room was big, beautiful and lavishly elaborate. She had never been in the building before. The gala's theme was golden. Golden garlands and banners lined the white walls. Dozens of small circular tables were spread out throughout the room. There was a cluster of long, rectangular tables with boxes on them Men and woman with white aprons and golden t-shirts were huddled around it, fussing with the boxes. That was where the good was, Mai guessed. There were lots of people both standing and sitting at the table all scattered throughout the big room. The room was quickly filling up. The place was noisy and full of voices.

She looked at Jonouchi, who was looking around in amazement also. He had a great smile on his face.

"Let's find our table, Jonouchi," she said loudly, though Jonouchi barely heard her over the noise. She grabbed his hand and headed towards Mr. Oshiro, who she saw standing by a table a distance away. She and Jonouchi were arranged to at the same table as him and a few other important people. Seto Kaiba and his date were two of them, much to Jonouchi's delight.

Jonouchi, without letting go of her hand, rushed ahead of her and greeted his two friends enthusiastically. Kaiba merely smiled as Shizuka returned the gesture. Mai, on the other hand, locked eyes with Mr. Oshiro, who had been standing there idly, talking to no one.

"Hello, Mrs. Kujaku," he said politely and nodded his head. She saw his eyes look down at her left hand, which was on Jonouchi's right, and then he looked quickly up at Jonouchi. He then looked back at Mai. His face was unreadable. It made Mai nervous.

"Hello, Mr. Oshiro," she replied unsurely.

"I see you've brought your date," he stated, looking at Jonouchi. To Mai's discomfort, Jonouchi turned around at that moment, saying goodbye to his sister and greeting Mai again. Jonouchi's smile quickly turned into a grimace. He must've felt awkward, or intimidated by meeting her boss.

"Hi, Mr. Oshiro," Jonouchi attempted a cheerful tone. Mr. Oshiro did not.

"Hello, Mr. Jonouchi," he said emotionless. He feigned a small smile, "Shall we sit down?" he asked courteously, pointing to the two seats next to the one he was standing next to. All three of them sat down with Mai in the middle. Kaiba and Shizuka were seated together across from them. Kaiba looked annoyed as at least a dozen men were huddled around him, asking him questions or simple admiring him. Shizuka looked amused, and was being largely ignored.

Just as they sat down, a few people she recognized sat down at the table. There were three pairs that spread themselves out around the table. The table quickly became filled except for the seat next to Mr. Oshiro. It was the chair where his wife should have been.

"Where's your wife, Mr. Oshiro?" a tanned, dark haired woman turned to him and playfully asked. Mai did not know her, but she recognized her date as Mr. Tokunaga, Mr. Oshiro's executive assistant. As she looked at him, his eyes locked with hers. He smiled at her softly, and she smiled back out of courtesy.

"My wife is at a wedding. It's such a shame the two dates coincided," he said casually, but then he waved his hand towards Mai and looked at her. "I was hoping Mrs. Kujaku would give me the pleasure of being her date, but she decided to go with this young lad instead," he said, waving his hand towards Jonouchi. He'd said the last part of his sentence with palpable annoyance. Everybody's eyes naturally were on the pair. Kaiba and Shizuka looked amused, and Mr. Tokunaga looked bewildered. He stared intently at Jonouchi, and then he stared at Mai curiously. Mr. Oshiro was looking at Mr. Tokunaga, as if he was talking to him. They were very good friends after all. They worked together closely. Mai guessed that Mr. Tokunaga knew that Mr. Oshiro desired her- she would have guessed that almost all her coworkers knew. He never exactly hid the fact. Maybe Mr. Tokunaga understood how awkward she felt. While he was looking at her, she smiled at him nervously. He smiled back softly.

"Apparently," Mr. Oshiro went on, "they've been dating since Valentine's Day. While my wife and I were taking an evening stroll in the Domino City Park, we caught them lying around in the grass," he said. The nameless faces at the table all gave excited, shocked gasps, laughing in the process. Mai blushed in embarrassment. The way he said that implied the worst. How could Mr. Oshiro actually say something so bold? Had he no tact? Or was he trying to embarrass them? Mai frowned visibly. Kaiba and Shizuka's amused looks faded, and Mr. Tokunaga looked bewildered again. He looked at Jonouchi, and then he looked at Mai. He looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She couldn't stand his gaze. His gaze gave her the burning desire to defend herself, and prove herself worthy of his sympathy. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Jonouchi beat her to it.

"We weren't lying around in the park!" he said angrily. Mai's stomach went sour. She was worried. She wanted Jonouchi to remember where they were and who he was talking to. He needed to control his temper and his manners, especially someone as relatively unimportant as him. "We were hanging out at the park, but it's not like…you make it sound," he finished coldly. "I would like it if you didn't talk like that about us," he said. Mai was frustrated. She was grateful for what Jonouchi said, but she did not want conflict.

Mr. Oshiro's face turned into one of playful surprise.

"Well! There you have it! The real story," Mr. Oshiro said playfully, as if the matter were of no importance.

"Since this is the first time Mr. Tokunaga and I have formally met Mr. Jonouchi, why don't' you tell us a little bit about him? Occupation? Age?" he said with a smirk. She knew what he was trying to do, and it wasn't going to work. She was over that. Jonouchi may not have been as mannerful or articulate as Mr. Oshiro, but she would be less embarrassed dating him than Mr. Oshiro, who was rude and sly. Didn't he realize that?

"Alright, then. His name," she said, putting her hand on Jonouchi's arm, "is Katsuya Jonouchi. He is sixteen years old, currently a junior at Domino High. He works at the Domino Supermarket and at Nosaka's Flower Shop. We've been dating for about…three weeks now?" she finished. It felt good to say. She looked at Jonouchi, who was beaming at her. She involuntarily smiled back. Kaiba and Shizuka smiled too. Mr. Tokunaga wore the same look of dulled bewilderment. Nonetheless, he smiled gently at the pair. Mr. Oshiro looked a little peeved, which Mai found amusing. The others wore shocked, even condescending, but meaningless expressions. What did they matter? She only gave them a quick glance, and then she looked at Jonouchi. His cheeks were flushed.

A waiter came to the table and told them to go to the buffet table and serve themselves. As they walked over there, Mai realized that she was really hungry. Jonouchi agreed and rubbed his stomach enthusiastically and groaned loudly. He got a strange look from Mr. Tokunaga's date, who was apparently his sister, she learned from Mr. Oshiro. Mai scoffed. She could just go look somewhere else, she thought. Jonouchi's complaining was cute. She thought this as she grabbed his hand.

The food was nice. It was the standard beef, vegetable mix, mashed potatoes, roles, and other side dishes. For dessert, there was cheesecake, which Mai enjoyed. Jonouchi, however, was beyond ecstatic. He was eating multiple servings of everything, and he ate them ravenously. Kaiba looked annoyed at the sight. This made Mai laugh.

The noise of the gala was more calm and subdued now that everybody was eating. The building was full, but not packed. She and Mr. Oshiro agreed the event was going very well, but then he left the table. It was time to meet and greet people. Soon he would be giving a speech to everybody. She had written it.

:j:m:

Jonouchi yawned tiredly as Mai elbowed him, prompting him to wake up. Mr. Oshiro, she knew, was nearing the end of his speech.

"-endure, progress, and prosper in the future. Thank you, everybody for coming," his voice boomed from the raised platform on the side of the building. Finally, Mai thought. That speech was really boring, and she had written it. Whatever, she thought.

"Now, if everybody would stand for a short period of time, the tables will be moved, clearing most of the floor for the dance. Hope you've all got your dance partners," he said, giving a small chuckle.

With that, everybody started to stand at once. Kaiba and Shizuka walked over towards her and Jonouchi. Shizuka, smiling cheerfully, walked up closely to Jonouchi and grabbed his hand.

"We're going to Seto's car to get his camera. Come with us, Katsuya!" she said excitedly. Mai noticed that she was only talking to Jonouchi.

"What about Mai?" he asked confusedly.

"Oh well, Mai, You don't mind right? Ok bye!" she said all at once, quickly linking her arm around Jonouchi and grabbing Seto's hand. She quickly sped towards the door. They were being dragged. Jonouchi turned and gave Mai one last look. Mai just smiled and saved him off. She needed to use the restroom anyway…

:j:m:

"So, Katsuya! How is the date going?!" Shizuka asked Jonouchi once they had exited the gala doors. So this is why she'd pulled him away from Mai: to gossip.

"Um…good, it's been nice…except for that boss of hers, but never mind that…" he mumbled. Shizuka laughed.

"Oh never mind that! He's probably just jealous!" she said and laughed again. She was absolutely right, Jonouchi realized for the first time. That must've been it! He did cheat on his wife, after all, and ever since he'd seen him and Mai in the park, he'd stopped saying hello to him in the supermarket. In fact, he hadn't even seen him in the supermarket since then.

Shizuka continued to bombard him with questions about him and Mai. Since they didn't live together, it'd been a while since they'd talked. Kaiba was silent the whole time.

Upon entering the gala again, they saw that the dance had started. A band in the far corner of the room was playing lively, fast paced jazz music. The room was full of people dancing. Where was Mai?

:j:m:

Mai stood silently by the beverage table, sipping on a red punch. The music had started. She waited there for Jonouchi. Where was he? She didn't want to dance with anybody but him, unless it was one of her girl friends. All of them had their dates though. Oh well, Mai though. Mr. Oshiro had asked her to dance, but she declined. Mr. Oshiro didn't look surprised. He playfully feigned rage, growling and punching the air. Mai found it funny. Mr. Oshiro confused her. One moment he was rude and tactless, and the next he was actually friendly and nice. Mai sighed.

Another fast paced song floated through the air. Where was Jonouchi? A slow song began, and Jonouchi still wasn't there. The building wasn't that big, was it? Mai sighed. She was standing there, looking like a loser. May she should give Mr. Oshiro a dance while she waited for Jonouchi. She figured it would be best to stay in one area, and eventually Jonouchi would look for her there. Why hadn't they planned a meeting spot?

She spotted Mr. Oshiro a ways away. He was dancing with Mr. Tokunaga's date, or his sister. They were both smiling cheerfully, and their lips were moving rapidly. From the right, she saw Mr. Tokunaga walking towards her. She locked eyes with him. His young, brown eyes lit up upon seeing her. He poured himself a small cup of punch, downed it, and threw the cup away.

"You date is with someone else?" he asked. Mai smiled.

"I have no idea where he is. I've lost him," she said casually. Mr. Tokunaga smiled softly.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked and Mai accepted. They walked a ways onto the dance floor and wrapped their arms around each other. A slow song was playing. She felt comfortable around him, although he was somewhat mysterious to her. When she looked at him, he always looked so melancholy and dull. There was a sort of gloom in his presence. His smile was always soft, and he rarely laughed. His voice was one of calm, and never excitement. Even in the workplace when she saw him, which was only once in a while, he was always melancholy. He was so calm. He looked in his prime, but on the inside something might have been draining him of life. As she looked at him, she began to feel sad. When he looked at her, he looked peaceful, almost happy. There was long silence between them. Mai wondered whether he was happy or sad at that moment.

"Mai," he said softly. The song was nearing its end. She looked up at him in response, "I am the one…who admires you," he said, not taking his eyes off of her. Mai thoughts came to a halt. Mr. Tokunaga…admiring her?...the secret admirer! She'd forgotten all about that with the excitement of Jonouchi going to the gala. Mr. Tokunaga? Her secret admirer?

"Mai?" there was a voice calling her name from behind, but never mind that. She couldn't believe it. Mr. Tokunaga? She had always been fond of him, but she had never taken much notice of him before. In his eyes, she saw the same melancholy. There was something so loving and kind, yet so sad about him. She didn't want to hurt him…

"Mai?" the voice from behind called again, but never mind that.

"Mr. Tokunaga," she whispered, looking for the words to say. His grip tightened around her as she was jerked forward. His hand was behind her head and his lips were pressed against hers. They were kissing…no, this was not what she wanted! She didn't want to hurt him, but she couldn't let him do this- he lessened his grip and his lips left hers. As soon as he kissed her, he had stopped. She took a step back from him. What had she just done? She was so in shock she didn't even fully register what was happening. It was all happening so fast…

"Mr. Tokunaga!" she gasped.

"MAI!" an angry voice exclaimed.

"Mai!" another voice exclaimed, sounding shocked.

Mai looked to her left, and there was Jonouchi. His mouth was hanging open and his expression was angry. He was looking at her, which she couldn't stand. What could she say? This looked bad. It wasn't what she meant at all. She looked to her right, and there was Mr. Oshiro. He looked angry, but not as angry as Jonouchi. She'd just lost her boyfriend and her job, Mai thought worriedly. Mr. Tokunaga's eyes were the worst of all. He looked hopeful. She had to break his heart…No…she had to get out of here…

"Mr. Tokunaga! No…I'm sorry, I really am, but no…" she whispered. The room was silent. There was no song playing at that moment. She turned around and headed towards the silent corridor where the restrooms were.

What was going on? Mr. Tokunaga? Her secret admirer? And Mr. Oshiro… not her secret admirer? She'd always half guessed it was him…and Jonouchi! Oh no! She had to go back and find him. But he'd seen her and Mr. Tokunaga kiss. She didn't even resist. It must've looked so real…what had she done?

She reached the door to the quiet hallway and opened it hastily. She didn't bother to close it. The narrow, rectangular hallway was silent except for the noise from the gala. Nobody was in there. She stopped walking and leaned against a wall. At that moment, she heard footsteps enter the hallway and shut the door. She looked out of curiosity. Her stomach turned sour when she saw Jonouchi quickly speeding towards her. Her throat tightened. How was she going to get herself out of this? He reached her, looking flushed and angry. His breath was quick.

"Mai! What's the matter with you? What's going on? You're kissing other men and now you're running away from me?! Did I miss something here?" he didn't yell, but he spoke angrily and loudly.

"No! Jonouchi…please believe me. Mr. Tokunaga…he said he was my secret admirer…and then he kissed me…I don't like him…but I was so shocked and confused…and I was looking for the right way to turn him down…please believe me! I don't like him! I like you! I want to be with you! Please believe it, Jonouchi!" she said all at once. She was panicking. How was he supposed to believe her? He'd seen him kiss her, and she didn't even resist.

"I swear, when he kissed me, I didn't do anything because I was in shock, not because I like him!" she said still panicking. She could fell her heartbeat pounding in her chest. Her hands were trembling and she couldn't keep her right foot from tapping. She looked at Jonouchi, who was looking at her. His expression was one of annoyance.

"Of course I believe you! That's why I followed you," he said as if her were irritated. Mai was more confused than ever. He already knew? How?

"I…I don't understand," she said. He looked at her strangely. His lips were pursed, but his body language was more relaxed.

"I decided last time we saw each other…that I would trust you. I decided that I would trust that you could like me even though I'm young, and even though I'm poor," he said and paused. "I trust you, Mai. Whatever you say, I'll believe you," He took a step closer to her. He grabbed her hand. His words washed over her. They calmed her. She forgot about the gala, and Mr. Oshiro, and Mr. Tokunaga.

"I trust you, Mai. Do you trust me?" it took Mai a moment to realize that she was being asked a question. Did she trust him? She wasn't sure. Whatever he told her, would she be willing to believe it? Even if she doubted him? Could she trust him with her heart? Her feeling? Her secrets? Even her body, in time? If he could trust her, and give her a chance to see him for who he really was, then she could give him the chance too. She would trust him.

"Yes, Jonouchi. I trust you," she said confidently. She partly trusted him because he'd never given her any reason not to, and partly because he trusted her. She smiled at him. She did trust him. She would trust him wholeheartedly. However…

"If you ever break my trust," Mai continued, "you're gonna get it," she fished. Jonouchi smiled and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Same goes to you," he said. She kissed him on the lips. Jonouchi, whose hand was still in hers, pulled her out of the corridor and back into the gala. The music was playing again. It was a slow and sweet song.

They walked out onto the dance floor and wrapped their arms around each other tightly. She self a cool breeze on her side form again, but she never felt warmer. Mai kissed him on the lips as they stepped sideways to the beat. Mai couldn't remember feeling happier in her entire life. She smiled widely as she left his lips and rested her head over his shoulder.

She saw Shizuka and Seto dancing together a close distance away. Mai felt so elated, she waved goofily towards them, smiling wide. She couldn't even believe how weird she was acting, she just felt so happy. How could she how this to Jonouchi? How could she ever thank him? As Shizuka wave back to Mai and smiled, she did the only think she could think of. It was so simple.

She leaned back, gripped him tightly, and kissed him hard on the lips. It felt silly and overdramatic as she did it, but she didn't care. She didn't seem to have any control over herself anymore. When they parted, she and Jonouchi smiled at each other.

They sow song ended. A fast beat song played again. Shizuka and Seto came over to Mai and Jonouchi. She playfully snapped a picture of the two. As a group, the four of them danced happily together- yes, Kaiba could dance. That night, they had the time of their lives.

AN: There you have it! It was the best I could do. I hope you all liked it. Tell me if you guys want an epilogue, or like...a six months later sort of thing. Reviews appreciated:D