I Somehow Sense
# CW: Come on! Still not 10 for Duke OR Tristan! Gerronwivit! (Soz, no prize for best reason. Sorry to burst your bubble, DayDreamerz!!) ( #
' – Joey?'
'You awake, Mai?'
'Joey?'
'Mai, I'm here! Hello?'
'JOEY!'
'WHAT?'
Silence.
Joey stood up from his position on the floor. It was a quarter past five in the morning and he hadn't slept. He was too conscious of Mai.
Mai was lying stiffly on the couch, her eyes wide open but not focussed. Sweat drenched her forehead.
'Mai?' Joey gingerly put a hand to her forehead. She wasn't too hot, but she was shivering all over. She was having a nightmare.
'Mai, wake up!'
Mai was terrified.
She was drifting slowly upwards, but as she looked down, she could see herself lying on the ground, blood pooling around her.
Seconds before, she had been shot by a man in a balaclava. She hadn't felt anything, but this was a dream, duh!
She didn't like the dream, though, and she couldn't wake up. Her brain was simulating what she imagined dying to feel like.
That wasn't what scared her.
She couldn't move. She couldn't move, and neither could Joey.
He was chained to a wall with what Mai recognised as Holding Arms and Holding Legs, cards Marik had once used against her in a duel.
Joey was fighting. He was using all his strength to try and tear away from the Duel Monsters, but they were too strong. Tears were rolling down his face at the same time, and he kept repeating her name as if that would bring her back.
The reason for being immobile being so scary, and the reason Joey was struggling so much, was that the man who had shot Mai was walking slowly towards Joey raising a sword.
Mai hated dreams with bad continuity. First it was a gun, then a sword. Very poor indeed.
Mai kept opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Louder and louder she screamed Joey's name, but to no avail.
The man plunged the sword through Joey's chest.
Joey's eyes dulled instantly, but he didn't cry out.
'I'm sorry, Mai.' He murmured, then his head slumped to his chest.
He was dead.
'NO!' screamed Mai, but then she started to rise faster and faster, her head breaking through clouds, towards a blinding light –
Mai cried out and sat up so suddenly that she fell forwards into the strong arms of the boy who was now sitting on the end of the couch.
'Mai? You awake now?' he asked gingerly.
'Joey!'
'I know. It's Ok.' Joey rested Mai's head on his lap. She buried her face in his jeans.
'Joey, thank God you're here! It was horrible. I hated it. He was there and I was dead and I was floating up and you were trapped with Holding Arms and you were stuck and I couldn't move and he stabbed you and you died and I got taken away!'
Joey stayed still for a moment, as if wondering whether or not to do something, then Mai felt something touch her head, gentle as a moth. Joey was running his fingers through her hair, stroking her like a kitten, hushing her gently.
'It was only a dream, Mai.'
'I know. I know, but it just seemed so - '
'Real?'
'Yeah.'
'It's Ok. Just go to sleep. I'll never let you down like in that dream of yours, huh?'
'You didn't let me down, Joey. You were trapped and it was horrible!'
'Well I would count that as lettin' you down. I'll never let that happen, Mai. You're a wonderful friend. And yet - '
Joey paused, his fingers still twined with her hair.
Mai looked up. There was a massive tension in his silence.
'I think you're more than a friend to me, Mai.'
Mai's eyes (A/N Heheh! It rhymes!) widened. Could he –
'Mai,' Joey took a deep breath. 'I love – being with you. What I mean by you're more than a friend, uh, I meant it's cool 'cos you're kinda a rival as well, and that helps us both get better at stuff like Duel Monsters, yeah? And that's why I love being with you 'cos we help each other out!'
Joey was almost sweating with the effort he had made to come up with that save.
Mai gave a deep sigh.
What had she thought he was going to say? Why was she almost disappointed to tears?
'Look, sorry about that.' Joey blushed. 'Look, how 'bout you get back to sleep, huh?'
'I can't.' protested Mai, but Joey set her down gently on the couch and laid his jacket on top of her.
Mai suddenly realized how exhausted she was. She barely had time to blush before drifting into dreamless slumber.
Mai saw fire before she awoke. She could smell it too as she lay there.
As her senses slowly returned, she realized that the smell was real.
It didn't really smell of fire, though. It smelt more like –
'Muthafuckin' sausages!' bellowed Joey from the other room.
'Joey? You Ok?' Mai called out. She tried to scramble out of bed, then realized how stiff her foot was.
She looked down at it.
Damn! She'd forgotten it was in a cast.
Mai took her crutch and wandered through to the kitchen.
The atmosphere was overwhelming. There was smoke everywhere. Mai could just see Joey waving the thick clouds away, carrying something across to the sink.
He dunked it in the basin and ran water into it. It hissed and spat like an angry tomcat.
'What are you doing, Joseph?' Mai stood there, hand on her hip.
'Makin' breakfast!' Joey grinned at her, his cheeks shiny from the heat of the smoke.
Mai wandered over to the sink and peered into it.
'Oh, lovely.' She grimaced at the blackened sausages. 'Reminds me of home.'
'So you can't make sausages neither?' asked Joey.
'No, I mean that's burnt to a cinder as well.' Said Mai.
'Don't worry. We ain't eatin' them.' Said Joey. 'I got loads more stuff in the fridge, and most of it's in date.'
'Do you need some help?'
'Nah! You're the guest. Just sit yerself down in front of the box an' I'll bring it to you, huh?'
Mai sighed resignedly. 'Ok.'
She wandered through to the lounge again, where there was a beat-up old black and white TV set.
She found the controls in an empty flower pot on the window sill and clicked it.
The picture wasn't absolutely crystal clear, but it would do.
' – ing outside a house on Lamberth Avenue.' A news reporter was stood outside what Mai recognised as her ruined home.
'Joey! Come and look!' she called her friend through.
'Hey, that's your place!'
'A house that, a few days ago, was destroyed by a devastating fire. Police are now certain that this was arson by petrol bomb. The target was the only inhabitant, Miss Mai Valentine. It was here that perhaps one of the most dramatic rescues ever in Domino City took place.'
Mai could feel Joey glowing behind her.
'Miss Valentine, 18, was in her kitchen when the petrol bomb was thrown through her dining room window. She was rescued, in the nick of time it seems, by her closest friend Joseph Wheeler, 16. Wheeler was recently placed second in Duellist Kingdom and fourth in the Battle City tournament. Both sustained serious burns and Miss Valentine now sports a cast on her left ankle. Police are searching high and low for the arsonist.'
The bulletin ended.
Mai snorted.
"Miss Valentine, 18, was in her kitchen.' 'Wheeler was placed third in Duellist Kingdom - ' didn't that just stink of sexism? I was the target of the attack and the guy was singing your praises!'
'Well it was pretty cool, huh?' Joey looked at her hopefully.
'I wouldn't say cool.' Said Mai.
'But Mai, I - ' began Joey, looking hurt.
'I would say amazing.' Smiled Mai.
'Wha'?'
'Joey, you saved my life. I owe you everything.'
Joey looked at her. His eyes looked weird, sort of glazed, as if he was daydreaming. It wasn't bad weird, though. It was nice. It made Mai feel kind of warm –
Mai got up quickly to ask where the john was. She was hoping to escape.
She was caught again. Stuck in his melted-chocolate eyes.
'Where do you think you're going?' he grinned, although neither of them noticed he'd said it.
Their faces were drifting slowly towards each other. It was just an impulse that neither could fight.
The tips of their noses were almost touching.
'Hey Mai - ' began Joey, almost in a whisper.
The moment was broken by a hammering on the door.
Joey stepped back suddenly. He blushed when he realised that both his arms were tightly around Mai's waist.
'Heh - ' Joey laughed nervously and headed for the door, muttering curses under his breath.
'Stupid bastard, what were ya doin'? I almost kissed her. I almost friggin kissed her. As if she even wants that from me!'
Joey opened the door.
'Is – is this the Wheeler residence?' it was a big blonde guy with a stars- and-stripes bandanna. He was kneeling on the step, obviously injured.
Bandit Keith.
'Keith.' Growled Joey.
'Oh, hey blondie.' The guy grinned, then passed out right on the threshold.
# CW: Gettin' interesting! Come on, guys! Ask your friends if they want to vote for Duke/Tristan. I know all my readers have voted so far (if they wanted to). #
# CW: Come on! Still not 10 for Duke OR Tristan! Gerronwivit! (Soz, no prize for best reason. Sorry to burst your bubble, DayDreamerz!!) ( #
' – Joey?'
'You awake, Mai?'
'Joey?'
'Mai, I'm here! Hello?'
'JOEY!'
'WHAT?'
Silence.
Joey stood up from his position on the floor. It was a quarter past five in the morning and he hadn't slept. He was too conscious of Mai.
Mai was lying stiffly on the couch, her eyes wide open but not focussed. Sweat drenched her forehead.
'Mai?' Joey gingerly put a hand to her forehead. She wasn't too hot, but she was shivering all over. She was having a nightmare.
'Mai, wake up!'
Mai was terrified.
She was drifting slowly upwards, but as she looked down, she could see herself lying on the ground, blood pooling around her.
Seconds before, she had been shot by a man in a balaclava. She hadn't felt anything, but this was a dream, duh!
She didn't like the dream, though, and she couldn't wake up. Her brain was simulating what she imagined dying to feel like.
That wasn't what scared her.
She couldn't move. She couldn't move, and neither could Joey.
He was chained to a wall with what Mai recognised as Holding Arms and Holding Legs, cards Marik had once used against her in a duel.
Joey was fighting. He was using all his strength to try and tear away from the Duel Monsters, but they were too strong. Tears were rolling down his face at the same time, and he kept repeating her name as if that would bring her back.
The reason for being immobile being so scary, and the reason Joey was struggling so much, was that the man who had shot Mai was walking slowly towards Joey raising a sword.
Mai hated dreams with bad continuity. First it was a gun, then a sword. Very poor indeed.
Mai kept opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Louder and louder she screamed Joey's name, but to no avail.
The man plunged the sword through Joey's chest.
Joey's eyes dulled instantly, but he didn't cry out.
'I'm sorry, Mai.' He murmured, then his head slumped to his chest.
He was dead.
'NO!' screamed Mai, but then she started to rise faster and faster, her head breaking through clouds, towards a blinding light –
Mai cried out and sat up so suddenly that she fell forwards into the strong arms of the boy who was now sitting on the end of the couch.
'Mai? You awake now?' he asked gingerly.
'Joey!'
'I know. It's Ok.' Joey rested Mai's head on his lap. She buried her face in his jeans.
'Joey, thank God you're here! It was horrible. I hated it. He was there and I was dead and I was floating up and you were trapped with Holding Arms and you were stuck and I couldn't move and he stabbed you and you died and I got taken away!'
Joey stayed still for a moment, as if wondering whether or not to do something, then Mai felt something touch her head, gentle as a moth. Joey was running his fingers through her hair, stroking her like a kitten, hushing her gently.
'It was only a dream, Mai.'
'I know. I know, but it just seemed so - '
'Real?'
'Yeah.'
'It's Ok. Just go to sleep. I'll never let you down like in that dream of yours, huh?'
'You didn't let me down, Joey. You were trapped and it was horrible!'
'Well I would count that as lettin' you down. I'll never let that happen, Mai. You're a wonderful friend. And yet - '
Joey paused, his fingers still twined with her hair.
Mai looked up. There was a massive tension in his silence.
'I think you're more than a friend to me, Mai.'
Mai's eyes (A/N Heheh! It rhymes!) widened. Could he –
'Mai,' Joey took a deep breath. 'I love – being with you. What I mean by you're more than a friend, uh, I meant it's cool 'cos you're kinda a rival as well, and that helps us both get better at stuff like Duel Monsters, yeah? And that's why I love being with you 'cos we help each other out!'
Joey was almost sweating with the effort he had made to come up with that save.
Mai gave a deep sigh.
What had she thought he was going to say? Why was she almost disappointed to tears?
'Look, sorry about that.' Joey blushed. 'Look, how 'bout you get back to sleep, huh?'
'I can't.' protested Mai, but Joey set her down gently on the couch and laid his jacket on top of her.
Mai suddenly realized how exhausted she was. She barely had time to blush before drifting into dreamless slumber.
Mai saw fire before she awoke. She could smell it too as she lay there.
As her senses slowly returned, she realized that the smell was real.
It didn't really smell of fire, though. It smelt more like –
'Muthafuckin' sausages!' bellowed Joey from the other room.
'Joey? You Ok?' Mai called out. She tried to scramble out of bed, then realized how stiff her foot was.
She looked down at it.
Damn! She'd forgotten it was in a cast.
Mai took her crutch and wandered through to the kitchen.
The atmosphere was overwhelming. There was smoke everywhere. Mai could just see Joey waving the thick clouds away, carrying something across to the sink.
He dunked it in the basin and ran water into it. It hissed and spat like an angry tomcat.
'What are you doing, Joseph?' Mai stood there, hand on her hip.
'Makin' breakfast!' Joey grinned at her, his cheeks shiny from the heat of the smoke.
Mai wandered over to the sink and peered into it.
'Oh, lovely.' She grimaced at the blackened sausages. 'Reminds me of home.'
'So you can't make sausages neither?' asked Joey.
'No, I mean that's burnt to a cinder as well.' Said Mai.
'Don't worry. We ain't eatin' them.' Said Joey. 'I got loads more stuff in the fridge, and most of it's in date.'
'Do you need some help?'
'Nah! You're the guest. Just sit yerself down in front of the box an' I'll bring it to you, huh?'
Mai sighed resignedly. 'Ok.'
She wandered through to the lounge again, where there was a beat-up old black and white TV set.
She found the controls in an empty flower pot on the window sill and clicked it.
The picture wasn't absolutely crystal clear, but it would do.
' – ing outside a house on Lamberth Avenue.' A news reporter was stood outside what Mai recognised as her ruined home.
'Joey! Come and look!' she called her friend through.
'Hey, that's your place!'
'A house that, a few days ago, was destroyed by a devastating fire. Police are now certain that this was arson by petrol bomb. The target was the only inhabitant, Miss Mai Valentine. It was here that perhaps one of the most dramatic rescues ever in Domino City took place.'
Mai could feel Joey glowing behind her.
'Miss Valentine, 18, was in her kitchen when the petrol bomb was thrown through her dining room window. She was rescued, in the nick of time it seems, by her closest friend Joseph Wheeler, 16. Wheeler was recently placed second in Duellist Kingdom and fourth in the Battle City tournament. Both sustained serious burns and Miss Valentine now sports a cast on her left ankle. Police are searching high and low for the arsonist.'
The bulletin ended.
Mai snorted.
"Miss Valentine, 18, was in her kitchen.' 'Wheeler was placed third in Duellist Kingdom - ' didn't that just stink of sexism? I was the target of the attack and the guy was singing your praises!'
'Well it was pretty cool, huh?' Joey looked at her hopefully.
'I wouldn't say cool.' Said Mai.
'But Mai, I - ' began Joey, looking hurt.
'I would say amazing.' Smiled Mai.
'Wha'?'
'Joey, you saved my life. I owe you everything.'
Joey looked at her. His eyes looked weird, sort of glazed, as if he was daydreaming. It wasn't bad weird, though. It was nice. It made Mai feel kind of warm –
Mai got up quickly to ask where the john was. She was hoping to escape.
She was caught again. Stuck in his melted-chocolate eyes.
'Where do you think you're going?' he grinned, although neither of them noticed he'd said it.
Their faces were drifting slowly towards each other. It was just an impulse that neither could fight.
The tips of their noses were almost touching.
'Hey Mai - ' began Joey, almost in a whisper.
The moment was broken by a hammering on the door.
Joey stepped back suddenly. He blushed when he realised that both his arms were tightly around Mai's waist.
'Heh - ' Joey laughed nervously and headed for the door, muttering curses under his breath.
'Stupid bastard, what were ya doin'? I almost kissed her. I almost friggin kissed her. As if she even wants that from me!'
Joey opened the door.
'Is – is this the Wheeler residence?' it was a big blonde guy with a stars- and-stripes bandanna. He was kneeling on the step, obviously injured.
Bandit Keith.
'Keith.' Growled Joey.
'Oh, hey blondie.' The guy grinned, then passed out right on the threshold.
# CW: Gettin' interesting! Come on, guys! Ask your friends if they want to vote for Duke/Tristan. I know all my readers have voted so far (if they wanted to). #