Author's notes: FINALLY. Sorry it took so long. I've been...er. Rather busy lately. A certain project/project advosor is majorly kicking my butt. But I finally finished this up.

Anyway. This is it. LAST CHAPTER. It's kind of long, but oh well.

Just Like You

Chapter 3

It wasn't long before Jounouchi was at the front door of his apartment, and Mai was at the edge of the hallway watching him carefully. She was a bit shocked at the location. It… wasn't in the best part of town, to say the least. The whole building was rundown and aged, so Mai couldn't imagine the apartments looking much better.

If I lived here, I'd be depressed too, she thought.

She watched as the other blonde slid open the front door, and she heard him lock it behind him. And suddenly, it hit her.

What was she going to do now?

The idea was to follow Jounouchi to see what he was hiding, but she never even THOUGHT of how to go about it. She just assumed he would… DO something to give it away. Mai never anticipated that Jounouchi would actually just walk home like he had told her.

Well, dammit. Now what?

She stood at the end of the hallway, thinking of what her next move should be. There was absolutely no way she was just going to go home and leave it at that. She just HAD to know what was going on in that dork's head.

…Why am I doing this again? She asked herself. But instead of looking for an answer, she pushed it to the back of her mind. Why wasn't the important question right now. How she was going to get Jounouchi to tell her… That was her priority.

Then it hit her. Mai didn't need a sneaky plan or agenda to get what she wanted out of Jounouchi. She was KUJAKU MAI. Well, that settled that. She walked up to the door that Jou had disappeared through and checked the nameplate.

'Jounouchi.'

This was the right place. She knocked sternly on the door. Jou had better be in a more talkative mood now. Mai crossed her arms and made her face as serious as she could.

Slowly the door slid open, and she saw Jounouchi peering cautiously through the gap. Her violet eyes met his amber ones, and he blinked. "Mai!" he asked in shock, opening the door completely. "What the…?"

"You didn't REALLY think I was just going to let you walk away from me like that, did you?" she said as though it were so simple to understand. In reality, she didn't even really know why she cared so much.

THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW.

"… You mean you followed me home?" he asked, a bit skeptical. "That's only a little creepy…"

"Oh, shut up and ask me in, Jou," Mai demanded, rolling her eyes. "Or do I just have to stand out here in the hall all day?"

"Let me think about it," he answered dryly, but still opened the door and stepped aside to let her in.

Mai had never seen such a wreck. The apartment was just grotesque. Empty bottles and cans littered the edges of the floor, almost creating a troubling path to the kitchen. Trash that seemed to be rather old cluttered the kitchen counters, and overflowed into the living room. The furniture was badly beaten and ragged, and the walls weren't in much better condition with cracked paint and yellowed stains. If it weren't for the bright fluorescent lights, Mai thought this scene would be right out of a movie about a strung out junkie living in the slums.

How can he live like this? Mai thought, glancing back at Jou who was avoiding her gaze.

"Sorry it's kind of messy," he said half-heartedly. "I was just about to clean it up."

"…Don't worry about it, Jou," she said softly as she studied him. "But…there's a lot of empty…um…" she stuttered.

"They aren't mine," he answered quickly, somehow knowing what was on her mind. He closed the door and turned the lock. "They're my dad's."

"Oh." But still. That was a lot of alcohol for one man. The picture started becoming clear.

"Mai?" he asked carefully. "Why did you follow me?"

She froze. It was a perfectly reasonable question, but it still surprised her. Perhaps because she had no answer.

"Well… I…" she stammered. "I didn't like how you just blew me off like that," Mai recovered. "Now I know there's something wrong with you, and I am NOT leaving this apartment until you tell me what it is, Jounouchi Katsuya," she announced, making herself comfortable on the old couch. Her arms folded tightly across her chest as she glared at him.

He just looked at Mai in bewilderment. After a moment, he shook his head. "I told you, Mai. It's nothing!" Jou insisted. "I had a bad day yesterday and today's not looking much better, alright? That's all!"

"Hmph," Mai snorted. "You think I believe that nonsense? WHY did you have a bad day yesterday?"

Jou sighed. "I got kinda sick, alright? And I had a lot of homework. Happy now?"

"No," she said plainly. "Jounouchi, there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with you. I can tell. I'm a woman. I know these things," she smiled with as much charm as she could. "Now are you going to tell me or do I have to beat it out of you?" Jou quirked a brow at this threat. "What?"

"…Nothing," he sighed, slouching his broad shoulders. "But you're completely over exaggerating. There's nothing wrong with me!"

Mai rolled her eyes. "Would you stop that? It's getting on my nerves."

"You rip my head off for walking past you, make up some wild story about some girl, follow me home, insult me, and refuse to leave my house and I'm getting on your nerves?"

"Yes. Yes, you are."

"…Right," he rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go change outta my uniform," he said walking towards a small hallway.

"You'd better tell me when you get back in here, Jounouchi," she warned. She didn't get a response.

For a few moments, Mai simply sat alone in silence, taking in her surroundings. The creepy feeling she got when she first walking in intensified now that she was alone. This place had bad vibes, to say the least. As she crossed her legs and sank deeper into the couch she hoped that Jou would get back soon.

Suddenly, she heard the front door slam open. Frightened she turned to find a rough looking man standing in the doorway. He had a considerable amount of stubble across his jaw and a dead look in his brown eyes. The dirty blonde hair he had was a bit greasy and messy. He looked like a much older, much less friendly version of Katsuya.

This must be his father, she determined. Mai was suddenly a bit frightened.

The old man stared at her for a minute. His dead eyes looking over her. "Who're you?" he finally asked, not looking at her face.

"I-I'm… Mai," she said cautiously. Something about this man just screamed danger to her. "You must be Katsuya's father…"

"Hmph," he snorted, still studying her body, an increasingly lustful look in his eyes. Obviously, he wasn't listening.

"I'm one of his friends," she continued, trying to ignore his wandering eyes. Right now they were concentrated on her legs. She tugged on the hem of her skirt, which wasn't going to help much.

Somehow that got his attention. "You're a friend of his?" he asked gruffly. "Thought all his friends were annoying little brats. I didn't think he had a… mature taste," he said making his way over to the couch. "What would a woman like you," he paused, looking over her body again and smirking, "…have anything in common with a high school kid like my good-for-nothing son?"

"…Well, actually," she started, noting how he staggered towards her. He definitely wasn't sober, that was for sure. "We met at a tournament a while back…"

"Really?" he said, feigning interest. The stench of whiskey was heavy in his breath, and since he had sat so close Mai was surrounded by it. It made her nauseous. He was getting closer by the moment.

"Y-yes," she said, sliding away from the old man. He didn't let her out of his personal space. She saw his arm slide along the back of the couch towards her. "…You must be proud of him…"

He scoffed a bit, but still didn't take is dead eyes off her. "We don't need to talk about that kid," he slurred. "I'd rather…" he moved in closer, "Get to know you…um…what'd you say your name was?"

"Mai," she answered quickly. She tried moving away again but was stopped by the arm of the couch. Mai had no where to go.

"That's right," he nodded, taking advantage of Mai's trapped position. "So…you look like a girl that's been around."

"…Excuse me?" Mai did NOT like where this was going. And this man had NO tact. Not that she expected that from someone related to Jounouchi, but at this point she'd kill to ONLY deal with Jou's blunt stupidity and perverted mind than this old lecher.

How can THIS be Jounouchi's FATHER?

"Just saying. You look like a girl that's pretty…popular," he said. The stench was getting stronger, and she jumped as the hand from the back of the couch slid onto her shoulders.

"Hey, I don't know WHAT you think you're doing, but…" she protested. Normally, she'd get control over a situation just with that and her signature glare, but that wasn't working. Not with this drunk. He was obviously way too wasted to think straight.

"Oh, c'mon," he purred. "I'm just trying to get to know you. We're both adults, right?"

"You'd think so," she snapped, trying to push him back. But he stayed right where he was, and now her hands were on his chest. "Get away from me!" she hissed.

"What? Are you like my son's girlfriend or something?" he asked, still not budging.

She blushed a deep red. "No! But that doesn't mean…"

"Then there's no problem." He was pushing against her now, and she was trapped.

She heard a door open. Seconds later, the old man was yanked off her and thrown towards the wall. She saw Jounouchi in front of her as she quickly sat up, her heart now racing.

The blonde didn't say a word. He took her arm, pulled her off the couch and placed her behind him; away from his father. She held onto his arm though. Now he was just in an old baseball jersey and a pair of ratty jeans. She looked over Jou's shoulder to see his expression, but the young blonde was too busy glaring fiercely at his dad, who was staring in utter shock. He probably didn't understand what had just happened.

"Mai, are you alright?" Jounouchi asked, the anger very apparent in his tone. Though he was trying to be kind to Mai.

She couldn't seem to find her voice at first. After a moment, she nodded and squeaked, "Yeah…I'm fine."

"What the hell…?" the old man finally realized what had just gone down. "Katsuya, what do you think you're doing!"

"I could say the same to you, scumbag!" he shouted in response. Mai could see the anger flaring up like an explosion in his amber eyes. He was getting tense, and his arm shook since he was clenching his fist so hard.

She'd never seen Jounouchi so angry before. It scared her.

"…Jou…" she whispered.

"Where the HELL do you get off putting moves on my FRIENDS!" Jounouchi hissed, ignoring Mai.

"Don't you talk back to me like that," the man growled taking a step forward. "I'm your DAD. This is MY house, and I'll do what I damn well FEEL like."

"Over my dead body," Jounouchi said coldly.

The man stumbled forward a bit. Anger flared in his eyes just like Jounouchi, only he lacked the passion and vigor that his son possessed. It was just a dull fire, one that could be easily extinguished. "You goddamn punk," he whispered. "I'm your FATHER! You better step aside or you'll regret it, kid!" he threatened.

Jounouchi didn't budge. "No way." The tension in the room was rising by the second, and Mai was getting more and more frightened. She didn't know what she should do. Her being there was putting Jou in danger, but even if she ran out the door right now, she would just be leaving Jou with this…this…

Alone with his father.

Oh, Jounouchi…

"Get out of my way, boy," the old man growled, closing in on the two.

"I told you. No," Jou stood firm. Then he said something she didn't expect. "If you touch her again…I'll kill you, Dad."

His father stopped and blinked. "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me," Jou snapped. "If you EVER come near Mai AGAIN…I'll kill you." It was obvious that Jou had just lost it. He'd never say something like that to his father… at least Mai didn't think so.

Then again, Mai didn't think that Jou's father would be a drunken lecher. The things you learn.

After a moment the old man gave a slight smirk and chuckle. "You punk," he scoffed. "You don't have it in you…"

"The hell I don't," Jounouchi cut his father off. "You wanna push me, old man? I don't care what you do to me…but if you touch my friends I'll kick your goddamn ass."

…Okay. Mai was terrified of what was happening to Jou.

Then it happened. "You need to learn your place," his father barked, lunging for Mai again. She yelped a bit as the man got hold of her wrist. But Jounouchi broke his grip. And as soon as he did, Jou pulled back his other hand, raised it up, and landed a solid right hook right into his father's cheek, sending the old man flying onto the couch. He covered his face with his face and groaned in agony.

Jounouchi turned to Mai, his eyes suddenly wild and uncertain. "Let's go," he said, his voice wavering. A drastic change from the terrifying maniac that was there just a moment ago. She paused, but nodded mechanically. Jounouchi took her hand and rushed her out of the apartment, and she could hear his father calling after them. But they didn't look back.

"Run, Mai!" he screamed, clutching her hand. They flew down the stairs, and took off down the sidewalk, all the while Mai could hear Jou's dad, cursing his son's name.

Mai had no idea how long they ran. It seemed like hours, but it was really only a few minutes at the most. She felt like she was in the middle of a hurricane. It all seemed calm now that Jou had gotten her out of there and protected her, but everything was spinning and there was chaos all around her. It was getting hard to breathe from all the running, and she knew Jou was getting tired too. She could see it in is wild amber eyes. He was scared-terrified even. And that's why he wouldn't stop running. But Mai was getting tired. Her adrenaline was running out. It was time to stop.

"Jounouchi!" Mai yelled out, but Jou did not hear her. He pulled her along, taking her down an alley. "JOUNOUCHI!" she screamed, pulling her arm out of his grasp and screeching to an abrupt stop. His head snapped around in confusion.

"We can stop now," she huffed, trying to catch her breath. "He didn't follow us."

Jou did not look convinced. She could tell he wanted to keep running even though he was completely out of breath. Suddenly his eyes started to calm, and he seemed lost in thought. He leaned against the side wall of the alley and stared down at the pavement. Mai could hear his breath stabilize as she calmed her own nerves.

"He was right," Jounouchi barely whispered.

"What?" Mai asked, her heart finally reaching its normal rhythm.

"He was right," he repeated, his eyes dead. He slid to the ground, but his eyes were still focused on one spot. "I didn't believe it at first, but… he was completely right."

There was a hint of utter disbelief in his voice. "Jou, what are you talking about? Who was right?"

"My dad," Jou answered. "He was right."

"Your dad? What could he be right about?" Mai almost scoffed, but she could tell something was very, very wrong with Jou. She took a few steps towards him.

"About me. He said something yesterday," Jou said, no emotion in his voice. His face was completely blank, as were his usually bright eyes. "He said I was just like him. And he was right."

Now Mai was shocked to hear this. Jounouchi? Just like the man that had just tried to…? No way.

"Are you insane?" she asked. "You're nothing like him! That guy was…was…not worthy of being called a man!" she insisted, kneeling beside Jounouchi and placing a hand on his shoulder. She got no response.

"Yes, I am, Mai," he said blandly. "I'm just like him. I can't believe I didn't see it before."

"Jou," Mai said softly. "Don't say that. Don't you ever say that about yourself…"

"But it's true," he laughed darkly. "It would make sense…"

"How could it?"

"Because," he looked at her with a small, distant smile, "Why else would my mom leave me with him?"

Suddenly, Mai was speechless. She hadn't even thought about Jounouchi's mother. What woman in her right mind would leave her son with someone like that? It didn't make sense. She was angry, confused, and scared for Jounouchi. Suddenly all Mai wanted was to make all this just go away for Jou. But she couldn't. She could barely speak as he looked at her with those cold, listless amber eyes.

"I'm so stupid. Thinking I was different. Now all this…" he chuckled, but his voice wavered a bit. "Only difference is I didn't have a beer bottle in my hand. I was completely sober. Guess that makes me worse."

Mai was so confused. "What are you talking about, Jounouchi?" she asked softly as she saw tears form in the corners of his eyes. He quickly ducked his head down so his bangs covered his eyes. He didn't want her to see it.

"Yesterday," he said, "yesterday, I drank."

"…What?"

"Not much. But…I just…did it without even thinking. I wanted to make everything stop, and that's what I did. I picked up the beer that Dad left on the table, finished it off, and threw the bottle against the wall once I realized what I'd done."

She blinked, not believing what she heard. This wasn't right. Jounouchi was stupid and emotional and irrational…but never EVER did she think he would drink. This was all wrong. Jou was screaming for help right before her eyes, and all she could do was look at him as the tears fell to the pavement. Suddenly she realized that her own cheeks were wet. She was crying, too.

"Oh, Jounouchi," she whispered, pulling him to her, resting his head against her shoulder. "Jounouchi."

"And today," he said, still trying to choke it back. "Today…I hit him…"

"You didn't have a choice," she whispered.

"He's my DAD, Mai," Jou insisted. "Family isn't supposed to do that. They don't smack each around like that," he tensed. "They don't!"

"You aren't like him, Jounouchi!" she repeated. "I won't let you say that about yourself!"

"It's TRUE!" he shouted. "Mai, I HIT my FATHER. My own FLESH AND BLOOD, just like he did to me yesterday! And the beer… just everything! I saw him on top of you like that and…I…I just snapped!"

She held him tighter and gripped his shirt. "Don't," she calmly said.

"How, Mai? How am I different? After all you've seen…" he shook a bit.

"Because," she lifted his face to look at his eyes. He resisted at first, but soon let his eyes look up to her. "There is one VERY important difference between you and your father."

"What?"

"He hit you out of anger. He's so frustrated with his own failures and mistakes that he took it out on you. You, Jounouchi. You hit him…" she smiled and paused, "You hit him to protect me."

He blinked. "…What?"

"You wanted to protect me. You didn't want to see me get hurt. So you aren't like him. Not at all," she smiled softly. "Don't you ever think that about yourself. You won't end up like that. Not as long as I'm around."

For a few moments Jounouchi simply looked at her. She could see the life return to his eyes slowly as he blinked the tears away.

"…Really, Mai?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Jounouchi, don't ever think that. You're so much more than he could ever be, and he knows it. But don't ever think you're like him. Or I'll beat the living hell out of you."

That got a small smile from Jou. He looked to her, and she could tell how grateful he was. "Thank you, Mai," he said softly. "I needed to hear that."

"No problem, Jounouchi," she smirked. "Now stop crying. You look like a baby."

"Huh?" he blinked, then scowled a bit. "Hey! I wasn't crying! I had something in my eye!" he said, wiping his eyes dry.

"Well, if that isn't the oldest line in the book," she rolled her eyes and stood up. "C'mon. Considering all that's happened I suppose I'd be willing to let you crash on my couch for the night. But if you try ANYTHING, Jounouchi Katsuya, I will see to it that you never have children, you got that?"

Jou stood up as well, slightly puzzled. But he soon returned her sly smirk. "As tempting as that sounds," he said dryly, "you don't have to. I'll head over to Yuugi's. They're sort of expecting me anyway."

She nodded. "Alright. But if something happens again, you know you can come to me, right?"

"Yeah," he smiled softly, causing Mai to feel a strong blush cross her cheeks. But he didn't see. He was already walking down the street. Though he did turn back. "Thanks again, Mai. I don't know what I'd do without you," he grinned, then took off running.

Mai stood watching for a moment. She felt completed. That was the grin she'd been waiting for all day.

Author's notes: THE END. Hope you liked it. The ending is...kind of crappy, but that's because I just didn't feel like making it a OMG STRAIGHT UP JOUMAI fic. That'll come later XD Anyway. Bye for now.