Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Bite me. Wish I did, though.
Oh, review.
Ring!
Kujaku Mai paused, one foot in the shower. Shaking her head, her blonde tresses swaying delicately, she ignored the phone's resolute ringing, and stepped into the shower. Sighing, Mai opened the hot water tap completely, the resulting heat fogging up the mirrors, turning the large bathroom into a steam room.
Humming softly to herself, Mai swayed, lost in her own world. Picking through an assortment of bottles on the shower ledge, she picked up a bottle of strawberry-scented shampoo. The liquid ran smoothly out of the bottle into her hand. Her fingers gliding smoothly through her hair, Mai shampooed her hair, following up with the shampoo's matching conditioner. The scent of the body wash that she chose differed slightly from that of her hair care products. It smelled of kiwi fruit, as did the soaps that she used.
The phone rang just as Mai, looking Kami's personal version of Venus, finished with her washing, stepped daintily out of the shower, a lilac towel wrapped around her glistening frame. Her hair hung soaked and dripping across her shoulders as she stalked down the plush-carpeted hallway of her apartment, leaving wet footprints behind her.
"Of all the simple-minded…" she muttered to herself, thoroughly annoyed. "All I wanted was a night to myself…Moshi-moshi!" she snapped into the telephone receiver.
"Kujaku Mai?" a vaguely familiar male voice asked, not at all perturbed by her snappish attitude. At the woman's firm "Hai" of assent, the man continued. "Be at the Daquirai Gardens in two hours." He spoke with the strong assurance of a man used to being obeyed.
"Who are you?" Mai snapped, thoroughly pissed off.
"Seven o'clock, Kujaku-san. Remember that." Click.
Slamming down the receiver, Mai grumbled incoherently to herself. "Well, send me to Hell in a fucking hand basket." After a moment of indecision, she decided that she might as well go to the Gardens. She wanted to find out who had the brass nerve to phone her on her night off.
Groaning, wanting to stay home, the slim violet-eyed blonde walked into her bedroom. With a heartfelt sigh, she flopped facedown onto her queen-sized bed, her towel falling away as she did so. Rolling onto her back, Mai stared up at her silver-tinged ceiling before sliding out of bed. With a soft "oomph" she landed gracelessly on the floor. She picked herself up off of the floor.
Two long, fluid strides bought her to her overflowing closet. After short deliberation, she pulled out a short black leather miniskirt, a low-cut violet silk top, the colour of which brought out matching shades in her eyes, and her favourite pair of thigh-high stiletto boots. Drying her hair, she curled the locks carefully, leaving a few face-framing strands out of the style. A lacy purple bra and matching panties, a delicate gold chain, and a touch of black mascara and eyeliner later, she stood poised in front of a large, full-length mirror, scrutinizing her appearance carefully. Finding nothing wrong, she strode gracefully out of her bedroom, and into the living room.
Her living room was tastefully decorated. An alter, dedicated to her grandfather, stood in the
northernmost corner of the room. Numerous mirrors caught the fading light streaming in through the patio window, sending it bouncing through the small apartment. A glass coffee table stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by small cushions. She had retained some of the tradition of the Japanese. A few pictures hung on the walls, namely of pleasant scenarios of trees, and mountains. In one corner stood her highly expensive stereo system and CD collection. A small picture of her and Seto was placed carefully out of sight near one of the speakers. It had been taken two months previously, just before the couple had broken up, during one of their happy periods. Looking at the picture, Mai felt some of the rage and injustice that she had felt when she had found out that he had cheated on her.
Striding over to the stereo, she chose a couple of CDs to take with her, and, checking the time on the clock on the wall, found that she had a scant forty-five minutes to get to the Gardens. Hurrying to the front door, she picked up her handbag from the small entry table, unplugged her Motorola cellular phone, and grabbed her car keys off of the hook from which they usually hung. Standing in the apartment building's second-storey hallway, her key poised to lock the door, Mai suddenly threw the door open again, and went into her bedroom, emerging with her duel disk and deck. Might as well be prepared, she thought.
Her duel disk secured to her arm, she finally left her apartment, locked the door, rushed down the hallway, raced down the stairs and burst out into the fading sunlight. Unlocking the driver's side door of her candy apple red convertible, Mai slid into the soft leather seat. The setting sun's rays glistened off of the cars heavily polished hood. Wrenching the glove compartment open, Mai pulled out a pair of purple-tinged sunglasses, and put them on, effectively eliminating some of the glare. Sticking the ignition key into the ignition, the tall Duelist turned her baby's engine over, and roared out of the parking lot.
Turning dangerously onto the main road, she sped recklessly through her quiet neighbourhood in the ever-darkening gloom. Popping a CD into the drive, she pressed the play button with one long finger, her concentration to the road unwavering. Lyrics and music flooded the convertible's interior, drowning out all other sound. Mai pushed another button, and the roof of her car receded. Gusts of cool spring wind tugged at the woman's hair as she continued to race down the highway.
The calm beauty of the suburbs was quickly left behind as the loud imposing buildings of downtown Domino arrived. Running a red light, Mai squealed to a stop beneath a large sign: Daquirai Gardens. Turning her car off, she hopped out of her car, landing with all of the grace of a cougar. Picking up her handbag, the young lady strode purposefully towards the entranceway, and practically flew into the building. At the second set of doors, which she would usually find locked at this time of night, there was a man in a tuxedo, who opened the door for her with a bow. She smiled at him, and walked through. A gasp escaped her lips.
An unwavering line of red rose petals greeted Mai just inside of the Gardens. Their scent was untainted, blending harmoniously with that of the other plants in the building. Her curiosity piqued, Mai followed the delicate trail, the heels of her boots clicking against the rocky walk, effectively breaking the silence. As she walked, Mai thought back, to the first time that she had been here in the Daquirai Gardens.
Seto took her hand, leading her gently down the paths, remarking, "These flowers, beautiful though they are, hold nothing on you, Mai." She looked at the taller, and younger, man. She had become used to his volatile mood swings. Before, just months ago, she would have been angry with him, for those quick changes. And for the beatings associated with them. She leaned up against him, sighing, content with everything. Even with the bruises that only now were starting to turn purple underneath her blouse.
Caught up in her reminiscing, Mai was quickly jolted back to reality by the soft strains of a romantic song. Unable to interperate the English lyrics, she stood, lost in the music, swaying ever-so-slightly in time to the rythym.
A movement nearby, a soft, masculine voice. The voice from the phone. "Mai?" Turning slowly, numbed by the music, Mai looked up into cool blue eyes. "Mai? Are you okay?" He grasped her hands in his, hers dwarfed in his. Dark hair, blue eyes, clear complexion. Confident. She gasped.
"Seto!" She felt her heart flutter, flutter as it hadn't for weeks. Butterflies twitched their delicate wings violently inside of her stomach. Eyes gleaming, lovestruck, she threw herself at the younger man, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss.