Thanks for all the responses, everyone! I'm guessing its finals time for everyone else too, but since I'm done with the hard part I can go on and post this chapter. Hehee … enjoy and please please PLEASE let me know what you think!

Part Eight

"So why didn't you bleed to death? I mean, that thing was planted pretty deep. It's kinda disgusting to think about, you know. Putting something like that into your face in the first place." Mai was laying curled up in her side upon the metal floor of the elevator, her head was propped up on one elbow, the fingers crawling up and into her blonde hair as she spoke. Her legs were pulled in against her chest -- the lack of space was driving them both mad. She'd long ago removed her heeled shoes, every so often curling her toes until the bones popped. She never tired of the squeamish look that crossed her companion's features each time she managed to produce the wet popping sound – and besides, it felt so good! "If you ask me, the whole metal eye in the face idea is just asking for trouble."

Pegasus rolled his eye and ran a hand through his hair, carefully so as not to display the gored and empty eye socket decorating the left side of his face. "That, my dear Mai, is an entirely different story. As for the bleeding, well, my staff is quite apt and alert."

"Not alert enough, though. Bakura still got your eye."

Pegasus shrugged. "Even the best security has its flaws."

"That's one helluva flaw." Mai rolled over onto her back, folding her hands behind her head and sighing. She was beginning to hate the squares on the ceiling. They seemed to mock her with their lack of light. The room was growing darker despite the illuminating patch Pegasus had affixed to the wall. "It seems Kaiba's got a few security flaws too though if you got in here."

"So it would seem." He was quiet for a long time, then shook his head a little, a smile flickering across his lips. "I'm sorry, by the way. About missing your duel."

"Ah, it's no big deal." Mai paused, arching her neck to regard the man with whom she'd been confined for so long. She wondered what time it was, and lifted her arm to study the glowing digital watch.

Pegasus raised an eyebrow at her sigh. "What's wrong now?"

"Ugh! It's been over an hour! We'll probably suffocate in this thing before they find us." Mai sat up, shoving her fingers into the curls of her hair, ruffling the strands irritably. "I can't believe the nerve of that Kaiba, leaving us in here for so long. When and if we get out of here, I'm giving that asshole a piece of my mind."

"I doubt he'll bother to care, Mai. At any rate, it's a moot point. I'm certain we'll be released soon enough." He looked at her, his eye wide with feigned innocence. "You're not . . . dare I say it . . . claustrophobic, are you?"

"Not yet, but if I spend much longer in here I'm gonna be." Mai stood and stretched her long legs, grunting with the pleasure of the motion. Cramped quarters did not suit her, her muscles ached and the heat was unbearable. She was worried about the inevitable darkness, not because she thought Pegasus had enough of a sex drive to assault her, but because the elevator would too closely resemble a giant rectangular coffin. She shut her eyes tight and shook her head, trying to maintain some sort of control. There was no reason for her to be so panicky, but nevertheless she felt her constraint all too keenly. "I don't feel so good."

"No need for fits, Mai. Keep a cool head."

Mai shook her head again and nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, ok. You're right." She blinked. The room seemed very dark suddenly. "I think I'm a little dehydrated or something."

"I'm afraid I didn't come quite that prepared." Pegasus sat up a little straighter, pulling out his deck and shuffling it absently again. Mai couldn't help but stare at the tiny droplets of sweat on his collarbone, the dull light on his pale skin giving the prominent bone a strange sheen. He turned to look at her and blinked (or maybe he winked? She wasn't sure). "Are you planning on standing around until Kaiba gets this thing working again? You may be there for a while –"

"No. We can't be here for a while. It's already been a while. A long while. They should be here. They should be coming. I don't like this . . . it's so cramped and . . . I really, really have to get out now." She could feel the hysteria rising in her voice but didn't care. The room was already getting darker again, the walls seeming to close in. "Why'd you have to mention claustrophobia, you jerk?"

"If I'd known you'd become a raving lunatic, I assure you I'd have kept my mouth shut." He regarded at her critically. He longed for a glass of fine wine, just to drown out the woman's voice for a little while if for no other reason. The air had gone stale and the sameness of scenery was beginning to inspire a sort of claustrophobic terror. There was no way he'd become as hysterical as Mai, but he did feel the press of confinement growing. The woman wasn't helping the situation any. If anything, she was adding to the rising panic which instinctually sets in for all living things kept confined for too long. He took a deep breath then leveled his gaze at Mai, hoping to calm her through some show of control. "Sit down."

"You're so rude." She pouted and seemed angry but sat down anyway. There was really nothing else to do.

Pegasus sighed. "Would you feel better if I replaced the light?"

The look on Mai's face was enough to frighten any grown man. "What did you say?"

"The light?" Pegasus was dutifully ignoring her, already sifting through the metal box for another sticky light patch. He was certain that, should he bother with the research, Miss Valentine would show up as a former mental patient. "I was offering to replace it. You know, to prevent total darkness." He lifted a lock pick and a tube of latex, his long fingers probing, searching. Surely the damn thing hadn't been misplaced. Had he only brought one? He glanced up at the woman to see a frightening look on her face, her eyes bugged and her mouth twisted into a terribly hateful grimace. He began searching more frantically. Maybe it was beneath the screwdriver.

"You mean . . . you had another light this whole time? What, do you have a welder too? I mean, are you sure, *absolutely* sure that you don't have anything to get us the hell out of here?!"

"Yes! I mean no! I don't have anything like that!"

Mai was absolutely fuming. "Why the hell didn't you use your little magic light earlier? You know, when it started getting dark again?"

"I was saving them. I don't know how long we'll be here and –"

"What? What do you mean? We'll get out soon, of course we'll get out soon!"

Pegasus stood up, his hands balled into fists as he towered over the blonde woman. "Stop yelling at me! This elevator is a metal box! It echoes!"

Mai got to her feet, her hair falling wildly about her head, her eyes gleaming with emotion. "I'll stop yelling when you can stop being an idiot!"

"Look, I don't have to listen to this! If it wasn't for me, you'd be alone and in the dark. What, are you afraid of the dark? Is that it? Ooohh, Mai's afraid of the dark! Big bad Mai Valentine is scared of a little lack of light. Oh dear, whatever will we do!"

"Oh shut up." Mai surprised both of them when she leaned in and pressed her lips against Pegasus', her tongue pushing into his mouth. She'd not planned on kissing him, and if she thought about it too long the idea might have scared and repulsed her, but much as she hated to admit it he was terribly alluring. He hadn't pushed her away, though, so she reached up one hand to stroke his hair and was surprised at its softness. He smelled of some floral scent or another, roses maybe, and though the aroma was light it was still something she hadn't been expecting. She deepened the kiss, loving the feel of his lean body against her own despite the fact that he was just standing there in shock. After a moment, his arms came up around her. It just seemed the natural thing to do, given the circumstances.