Disclaimer: Like, dude, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, you bet that the featured couple in this story would be the lead couple. Haha…

A/N: Thank you to all the people who reviewed. I absolutely love you! -shifty eyes- Okay, maybe not love, but yeah, I appreciate your inputs! And now, presenting the chapter you've all been waiting for…

Chapter V

Yet, it was he.

He stood on the border between the beach and the bed of mizuhana, his cape billowing in the soft breeze. His blond bangs swayed in the wind and his normally dark and serious amethyst eyes had softened, giving his face the impression of a dark angel.

She whispered his name again, as if to convince herself it was truly him.

"Yami…"

He smiled then, that rare smile that he only used when he was with his best friends, Yugi and Joey; and even then getting Yami to smile genuinely was quite the challenge.

"Surprised, Mai?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

She took a step back almost instinctively, feeling a sudden rush of bewilderment and shock.

Now, it wasn't that Mai didn't like Yami; in fact, she greatly respected and admired him. He was logical, strong-willed, and cared deeply for his friends, even though at times it seemed that he was cold and distant.

But there was one thing that had always held her back; that had set the boundaries on her feelings toward the former pharaoh: Tea.

It was extremely obvious that Tea was infatuated with the dark and mysterious young man, and proceeded to hang onto him and talk to him, always trying to get his attention. And he, being the polite gentleman that he was, did not refuse her.

Yet she could not help wondering if he did secretly like Tea, that he wasn't just being polite, that he sincerely did like Tea's companionship better than hers.

But Mai wasn't one to be jealous. She knew what she wanted and could get it, if she truly wanted to. Yet Tea was her friend and was very precious to her, even though she found Tea's speeches on friendship rather annoying and boring the first time she met her.

So she had locked away that side of her, the side of her that longed for him, so that she wouldn't jeopardize her friendship with Tea and her friendship with him.

"Yami, I… I thought you and Tea…" she stammered.

She wondered how one could keep the same expression for so long, yet still show such emotion through just his eyes.

His beautiful eyes.

A shade of violet so much like her own, yet beneath the dark depths of his amethyst orbs lay a hint of sorrow for the past he could not remember, and a mystery waiting patiently to be solved.

Waiting for her.

A look of understanding passed over his features and he said softly, "Is that what is bothering you, Mai?"

He stepped closer, in an attempt to close the gap between them, but he did it slowly, as if fearing that she might turn and run the other way.

"Tea is my friend and I care much for her. I care for her as I would with any of my other friends, Joey, Tristan, Yugi…" he paused then, as if trying to figure out how to explain. "But with you, it is different, the way I feel…"

He paused again, and he smiled again, that smile so much like Yugi's, yet so different, then continued in a whisper, "I can't even begin to describe what I feel for you."

None of this seemed to register in her mind completely at first. Then it slowly sank in…

It was Yami all along… He… has feelings for me…

She didn't know how to react.

Had it been Joey or Duke, she would have probably laughed at him for going through all the trouble and then they probably would have had a good laugh about it later.

Or even if it had been Kaiba… Ha, she would have probably decided to blackmail and humiliate that arrogant CEO. That probably would have been the funniest thing that would have ever happened to her.

Yugi. Sweet little Yugi, always so compassionate, so much like Yami; yet at the same time, so different. They could have been twins with their violet eyes and wild hairstyle, yet their personalities seemed almost complete opposites.

As if sensing her distress, he stepped closer, his footsteps ever so soft and quiet that it would seem his boots never touched the ground.

He touched her shoulder and whispered her name, as if trying to calm her, which indeed he was.

There was something in his voice that seemed never to fail to calm the one with which he was speaking with.

Not to mention that it was incredibly sexy.

He was saying something else to her, ever so softly.

She stared at him and he repeated himself.

"I wish to show you something," and he had backed up and held out his hand, his body half turned, as if he was planning to leave.

And yet again, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Where are we heading?" she asked.

They had walked past the mizuhana and were now heading up a slightly sloped hill.

"You shall see soon enough," he answered vaguely.

He had stopped suddenly ahead, indicating that he had reached the top.

She finished walking the final steps to the top but just as she was about to reach him, she tripped. She didn't know how, just knew that she did.

Yami's reflexes were amazingly fast and he had grabbed her arm before she could start her painful descent down the hill.

His grip was stronger than she would have imagined. She figured that since he was scrawny, he probably wasn't as strong.

Guess looks aren't everything…

He pulled her up and with a faint smile of amusement at her show of gracefulness, said, "You should be more careful."

She scoffed silently and shrugged off his arm.

Then in her usual sarcastic tone she said rather impatiently, "So, what's this thing you wanted to show me?"

He smiled.

Typical Mai.

He stepped forward a few steps, then beckoned for her to follow.

She stopped at the top of the hill, staring out at the dark swells of the ocean against a midnight blue sky, alit with little white shining specks scattered among space. It was beautiful, yes, but she was rather disappointed, as it wasn't like she hadn't seen it before.

"So you brought me all the way up here just to see the stars and the ocean? Seriously, Yami… And not to mention I could have gotten killed falling off the hill, too!"

"Actually, that's not quite what I brought you up here for," he said, a smile threatening to make its way across his face.

"What?"

He couldn't help but smirk at her expression. He enjoyed making her confused. It was cute yet amusing at the same time.

"Then what did you make me climb all this way for then?" she demanded, although it was obvious she was dying to find out.

He beckoned to the edge of the hill and merely said, "See for yourself."

So she stepped closer to the edge, glancing over her shoulder at him briefly, as if fearing he was going to shove her off or something.

He merely raised an eyebrow in question, as if saying, 'Ok, so let's get this show on the road already.'

She glanced down at what lay below and gasped.

Even through the darkness of the night, the petals still stood out clearly and she could make out the message that was clearly and cleverly woven into the bed of flowers.

I love you M.V.

"I was hoping you would like it. It took me much longer than I would have liked. Those flowers just keep growing and growing…"

To his surprise, Mai had enveloped him in a warm hug, her soft and fragrant hair falling against his flushed cheeks.

"Thank you Yami… That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me…"

And it was strange, hearing her say those words, words he almost never heard her utter.

And feeling a sense of pride, he hugged her back, whispering, "You're welcome, Mai…"

"All of those clues you left, they were all fake, weren't they?" she asked as they lay side by side, staring at the starry midnight sky.

"Actually, I had no intention of ever leaving 'clues'," he replied, staring thoughtfully at the stars. "Anything that applied to anyone was simply a coincidence."

"Then how about the roses?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbow so that she could see him. "Was that a complete coincidence that Tristan happened to be in the flower shop at the same time you were but he just never saw you?"

He laughed then, an unusual sound that she wasn't used to hearing. Not even once in her existence had she heard him laugh before.

"Actually, that was a wild guess. I was never at the flower shop. I had them delivered so it wouldn't seem suspicious that I disappeared for a few minutes before lunch."

"Well, aren't you the clever one?"

"I would have to be clever to be the King of Games, wouldn't I?" he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

It was then she realized how close they were. So close that she could almost feel his body heat, yet not close enough so that they were actually touching.

As she realized this, she got to her feet, with him following suit.

She glanced around them, suddenly realizing how dark it was. It was probably around nine.

She didn't need to tell him, he already knew.

"I suppose you plan to leave now, it is getting rather dark."

Good ol' Yami. What a way to state the obvious.

"I guess so," she replied, yet did not move.

For some odd reason, she felt her night was incomplete, as if something was supposed to happen but did not.

"If that is the case, then I wish for you to take this."

He held something out to her and in the dim moonlight she could tell it was a necklace of some sort.

"Yami… I can't take this," she protested, but he had already placed the pendant in her hand.

Nevertheless, she, being a female, loved jewelry and as her eyes rested upon the stunningly crafted piece of jewelry she couldn't help staring in wonder.

"I had it specifically made for you," he said with a slight sense of pride as he watched her fasten the clasp.

"Yami…"

"Yes, I know, jewelry and flowers can't buy women," he said, smiling.

Then his expression turned sullen and he reached for her hand. "But know that I shall always be here for you, Mai. The only thing I could ever wish for is for you to be happy."

He held her hand in his, smiling sadly, as if this was their last good-bye.

It was then she realized how much he meant to her, how it nearly broke her heart to see him like this, as if his whole world depended on her acceptance of him.

It was then that she flung all her doubts to the wind and lowered her face to his, feeling his swaying bangs slightly tickling the side of her face.

"I am happy," she whispered. And indeed she was.

He smiled. "I am glad."

He closed his eyes and breathed in her heavenly scent. It was faint but he was sure that she smelled of lilacs. Funny he never noticed it before.

But then again, he'd never been this close to her.

And so they stood in each other's embrace for what seemed like centuries, until Yami suddenly summoned the courage to ask, "Mai… Do you love me?"

Such a simple question, yet why did it seem so much harder to say it, to tell him how much he meant to her?

For a while she was silent and Yami wondered if she had fallen asleep on him. He surely hoped not.

Then her arms tightened around his waist and he felt her hot breath against his cheek.

He wondered if his heart could be beating any faster.

Then he felt it. The undeniable touch of her lips against his.

He released all his passion into that one kiss, the passion he kept hidden away for so long and it felt wonderful to set it all free, as if he were releasing a caged animal that was meant to be wild and free.

He ran his fingers through her soft silky hair and he marveled at the way it felt in his hands, so soft and light, so unlike anything he's ever touched before.

It seemed to last forever and like all good things in life, even this had to end (or else they'd probably be suffocating each other).

He smiled again, that rare genuine smile he only saved for those moments when it really mattered.

He touched her cheek lovingly, and whispered almost as an afterthought, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mai…"

A/N: YESSSS! I am finally done with this story! I can't believe how long it took me though. --;; And Yami's dialogue was super fun to play around with. Hehe, I love the way he talks and I hope y'all don't find it OOC or anything.

But yeah, anyway, hoped y'all liked it, even if it didn't turn out to be the pairing you thought it would be. Oh, surprises, surprises. ;) And yes, the romanticism was so unbelievably hard for me, so please forgive me if the romance seems kinda dull.

And it happened to turn out way longer than I planned. Wow! When I started writing I just kept going and going and then finally it was like, dude, stop. Haha. And this concludes My Valentine. Thanks for reading. :) Feel free to leave a review and tell me what ya think. ;)

And to Crystal Goddess, since it was an anonymous review and I can't reply to it, I'll just reply to it here:
Yes, this site is completely free! (or else I wouldn't be using it, being the cheap person that I am xD). I encourage you to sign up! And as for your little show of violence, Mai and Yami have this to say:

Mai: Is that fist of yours supposed to scare me?

Yami: Keep your hands off of her or you will leave me no choice but to send you to the Shadow Realm!

Mai: Um, Yami, I think you're overreacting… -sweatdrops-

Yami: I most definitely am not!

Rei: -sigh- Okay, okay, Yami enough of the overprotectiveness. Ugh. -sweatdrops-