Mai shielded her eyes as the car sped away flinging more wet snow on her already damp clothing, leaving her alone on an unknown street in the middle of the night during what the weather forecast that morning had called "The worst snow storm the city had seen in fifty years"!

"That jerk..." She grumbled pulling her damp jacket tightly around her shoulders watching as her boyfriend.. scratch that.. Ex boyfriend sped away. She sighed "Guess I'll have to walk home.. Too bad I don't know how to get there from here." She had no choice but to ask someone for help. She couldn't just wander around all night hoping to find her way home again. Certainly not in the middle of a snow storm.

She looked around her at the houses that lined the dark street. None of them looked to inviting with their busted in windows, crumbling roofs, and un-mowed lawns. She was obviously not on the "good" side of town. Somewhere down the street she heard glass break and the sound of angry voices and shuddered, not wanting to admit it but a little scared. Not quite knowing what to do, she started walking. Maybe a car would come by, or she would find a street she recognized, but after walking for what seemed like hours it seemed futile. The storm had picked up making it impossible to see two feet in front of her, and she was beginning to feel hungry, weak, and tired. With a cry of defeated anguish she fell to her knees in the middle of the street, and though quite unlike her, she began to cry.

Suddenly, she felt someone standing next to her and an umbrella above her head.

"Who?.." She started and looked up to find her self staring straight into a familiar face. "Jounouchi!" The blonde haired, blue eyed young man (who in the middle of the storm seemed like an angel) smiled down at her and held out his hand to help her to her feet. Then, before she could stop him he pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She quickly brushed the tears from her face hoping he hadn't seen them.

"Well! You're da last person I expected to run into ta-night!" He said with a childish laugh.

Mai blushed a deep shade of red. She knew he was wondering what she was doing there in the middle of the night, and she didn't quite know how to tell him, and didn't really want to. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her "What are YOU doing out here?" she asked.

"I should ask you the same question!" He said playfully poking her in the shoulder, but seeing the look on her face he quickly stopped. "I live here." he said simply.

Mai looked around her again at the old torn-down houses "HERE?" Instantly, she wished she hadn't said it.

Jounouchi stared at the ground "... Yeah" an awkward silence passed between them, both too embarrassed to say anything. Jounouchi broke the silence first "Well, lets get out of the storm! Follow me"

She stood there and watched him start to walk away, not really sure what to do. She couldn't go home with him! It was the middle of the night, and she had always been raised with the knowledge that a woman NEVER puts herself in a situation where she is alone with a man at his house at night. Men couldn't be trusted. "I.. I really want to go home.." she said in a voice that could barely be heard above the storm.

He turned and gave her a confused look, and the looked up at the sky. "Well.. I don't got'a car.. And there's no way we'll be able to walk anywhere in this storm... I.. I'm sorry. I.. Well.. Hmm.." She watched him standing there trying to think of a way to get her home in the storm, and wondered.. why was he trying so hard to help her? Its not that she didn't appreciate it, but she had never really been "kind" to him, what would make him want to help her at all in the first place?

"Do you want to come back to my place anyway?" he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts "We could try to think of a way to get you home instead'a standin here freezin!" he said with a small laugh.

She stared at him and smiled "Okay.."