To Protect You- A Jounouchi/Mai Fanfic

Chapter 9

Jou's eyes flickered open and sensation returned to his body. Hesaw the sidewalk moving underneath him, and he felt the cold rain beat down on his back.

"Wha..." he whispered in confusion. Where was he, and why... Or how... Was he moving?

"Jounouchi?!" asked a soft voice. He looked up and saw Mai, inches from his face. She had draped his right arm over her shoulders and was dragging him down the sidewalk.

He planted his feet on the ground and steadied himself, not sure what exactly was happening.

"Jounouchi! Thank God! I thought you were..." her smile changed into a concerned frown. "I thought that..." her voice wavered.

"Thought what?" he blinked, now standing on his own. He still ached, but now it was just a dull throb. However, his left arms still stung quite a bit.

She smiled again, he drenched hair plastered against her cheeks.

"Never mind. Now, c'mon. My apartment's right in this building. We've got to treat those wounds of yours."

"Wounds?" he blinked again. Suddenly, he remembered the gang and the fight. He remembered Boss flipping open a knife from his pocket and how he tried to stab Jounouchi in the throat. He'd dodged the assault, but still got a nasty gash on his arm. It had caused him to scream, but then Jou had turned the odds around with a nearby plank of scrap wood.

"That's OK, Mai. I'll just head home."

Mai's sweet demeanor did a 180 as she looked back at him. Her eyes were narrow and she scowled with authority.

"Don't you argue with me, Jounouchi Katsuya!" she demanded. "I'm not about to let you wander around on the street in your condition! You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"

"But, Mai! I'm fi-..." Jounouchi began to object, whining like a child.

"No 'buts!'" Mai ordered sternly. "Now stop complaining and follow me." She gently took hold of Jou's wrist and led him up a couple flights of stairs. They walked down the hallway until they reached a door with the name 'Kujaku.' Mai pulled out a set of keys and slid the door open.

"C'mon in and sit down. I'll get some towels and dry clothes... If I have any that would fit you," she offered.

Jounouchi cautiously walked inside, not sure how he should act. It definitely wasn't normal for a boy to come into a girl's apartment so late like this. However, these were 'special' circumstances.

As Mai walked over to an adjacent room, Jou looked around and took in the setting. It was obvious Mai was still settling in. There were open boxes and newspapers stacked on the sides of the main kitchen/living area. The only furniture was a small white couch and a dining table with 2 chairs. The fluorescent lights cast a soft glow in the almost vacant room. There was also a phone placed on the kitchen counter.

"Hey, Mai?" Jou called. "Mind if I use your phone? I wanna check on Shizuka."

"Yeah, sure! I'll dry off in here," Mai answered. She was busy trying to find the set of towels she had just bought. Once she found them, she grabbed one and started drying her hair.

Damn, she thought. I just got this done. Oh well. Better get into something dry...

As Mai searched through her scattered wardrobe, she overheard Jou's side of the conversation with his sister.

"Shizuka?... Yeah, it's Katsuya... No, I'm fine. Did you get home alright?... Good. Well, I'm over at Mai's place... She wanted me to get some Band-Aids or somethin... No, nothin big. One of those guys pulled out a knife and... Whoa! Calm down!... Shizuka, I'm FINE... Don't worry so much... Anyway, I'll be home a little later... Oh? Just tell him I stopped by Honda's or somethin... K... Love you, too, sis... Later."

"She OK, Jounouchi?" Mai asked after changing into a pair of purple pajama pants and a white T-shirt.

"Yeah, she's fine. Dad's just asking where I am," he replied.

"Alright," Mai said, walking out with towels and a first aid kit. "Sit in that chair."

Jounouchi complied, and sat in one of the chairs by the table.

"Take that jacket off. I'm going to check that knife wound," she said, fearing the worst.

Jou slid his right arm out of his jacket, but still argued. "You really don't hafta do this, Mai. I cou-"

"Shh!" Mai insisted. "I told you. You aren't going to walk home with your arm looking like that. Now stop being such a-" she stopped. "Just let me look at it, OK?" Mai sighed.

He blinked, not sure why Mai was acting so odd. However, he continued taking off his wet, blood-stained jacket. The fabric sliding over the cut stung and made him flinch.

Once the jacket was gone, Mai could see how shabby his arm looked. The sleeve of his white shirt was a rich pink color from the blood and rain. His arm was stained with rivers of light red that showed the directions the blood had flowed from the wound. Thankfully, the blood clotted and it stopped bleeding while Mai was bringing Jou here. That proved the cut wasn't as deep as Mai had feared.

Mai picked up one of the towels, knelt next to Jou and began to clean and dry the area around the cut. Jounouchi looked down at her face as she treated him. Her hands soft hands were a welcome change from the rough hands that had grabbed him earlier.

Her eyes are so red, he noticed. It looks like... Like she's been crying. She must've been really worried.

As Mai finished cleaning his arm, she stood up to get the kit she had brought out.

"Mai?"

"Hm?" she mumbled, looking through the box for gauze ad tape. "What?"

"I'm sorry." His head hung low.