Mai saw the ceiling start to crumble down and panicked. The ground was shaking like there was a huge earthquake and Mai was almost motionless with fear. But she knew she had to move and she had to move fast.

The narrow corridors were getting narrower and were filling up with debris. Mai had to climb over a lot of debris to get through. The path was now clear in front of her and she started to sprint. Then suddenly a huge part of the ceiling crashed down in front of her. She turned on her heel quickly but in doing so collapsed on her own ankle.

Mai fell to the ground and clutched her leg. She tried to stand but it was no good, her ankle kept giving way. She knew she shouldn't have worn high-heeled boots for a dangerous mission.

Mai sat on the ground as the ceiling crumbled around her. She knew she was doomed. There was no way out. Perhaps I had been too cocky, she thought. She was about to close her eyes and wait for the inevitable when out of the corner of her eye she saw the two ninjas who were in the temple also.

They laughed when they saw Mai sitting on the ground helplessly. They paused from the manic escape attempt for a moment and crouched down next to her.

"Well looky what we have here," said Akio. "Looks like you're the one in trouble now. Don't expect any help from us though you little witch. I think we'll take your duel card too if you don't mind."

Mai gasped as Akio reached into Mai's pocket and pulled out the duel card. The two ninjas took a step back. Mai couldn't retaliate; it was impossible for her to stop them taking it with her ankle in her condition.

"Catch you later, Miss Valentine," Akio said. "Hope you make it. But it doesn't seem likely unless you've got some knight in shining armour coming to save you."

They both laughed again and ran off.

Mai closed her eyes and resigned herself to certain death. All she could her was crashing and rumbling around her. She knew it was only a matter of time before the ceiling right above her would cave in.

Mai had also lost the duel card. The thing she had wanted most in the whole world. She had given it up without so much as a fight and Mai couldn't live with herself for that. She wanted to die now. She had shown weakness and there was no point to her life anymore.

The rumbling and crashing got louder and louder as it got closer and closer to Mai. A small smile brushed across Mai's slender lips as death would be the only escape away from the humiliation of losing to those two ninjas.

Suddenly she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. It couldn't have been the two ninjas. They would have been miles gone by now. Mai looked and saw the one person she didn't want to see. It was Seto Kaiba.

Kaiba smiled as he approached her.

"Mai!" he shouted. "Thank god I've found you. Come on, we've gotta get out of here. This place is gonna collapse any minute."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came after you. I thought you might be in trouble and it looks like it's a good job I came."

"Leave me, it's not worth it. My ankle, I can't get up. Go on, save yourself, my life isn't worth anything anymore."

"Rubbish! I came here because you are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on and that night when you fell into my arms was like a dream. I knew I had to protect you and I will. I won't let you die."

"You wouldn't love me Kaiba! You barely know me and if you did you certainly wouldn't love me. I'm not the kind of girl you'd go for. So just go and lead a happy life with some beautiful girl and live happily ever after."

"I will," Kaiba paused for a moment. "And that beautiful girl is you, Mai Valentine. And I'm not giving you a choice, we're getting out of here."

Kaiba then grabbed Mai's hand and hauled her up over his broad shoulder in one seamless powerful movement. Mai kicked and screamed and pounded on Kaiba's back but it didn't do any good.

"Put me down," Mai yelled. "Leave me here!"

"Not a chance, you're going to live happily ever after."

Mai continued to struggle as Kaiba raced through the collapsing corridors and headed towards the exit. Mai's struggling wasn't making Kaiba's job any easier that was for sure but there was no chance of her escaping with the grip he had on her.

Kaiba saw the exit up ahead. Rubble falling all around, there was only seconds left until the whole thing came down. Kaiba was so sure he was going to make it. He leapt with Mai still over his shoulder towards the door and landed on the steps below as the whole temple came crashing down in a heap.

As Kaiba hit the ground, he shielded Mai with his arms, so Kaiba took most of the impact. He had several cuts and bruises on him, but nothing he couldn't shake off. He staggered to his feet and turned and helped Mai up as well who was still nursing her ankle.

They both looked across and saw the two ninjas taunting them with the duel card. Kaiba's expression turned to pure rage and he ran at the ninjas. Mai tried to stop him, but it was too late, he was intent on killing them.

Kaiba tried to land a punch but the two ninjas managed to double-team Kaiba and they both kicked him in the face, a blow that sent Kaiba to the ground unconscious. They two ninjas taunted Mai with the duel card and Mai's expression turned to rage as well. She tried to run after them but her ankle soon gave way. She hobbled over but they had already run far away by that time.

Mai fell to the ground beside Kaiba and looked at his battered sleeping face. He looked kinda cute. Mai wasn't so concerned with the duel card now, instead all of her attention turned to Kaiba. He looked badly hurt and Mai was hoping that he wasn't going to die.

She started to cry.

Then Kaiba's eyes opened and he looked at Mai.

"I'm glad I managed to save you," he said in a hushed tone.

"Don't speak ok, just relax. You're going to be fine."

"I told you I loved you. Now do you believe me?"

Mai was a little taken aback by Kaiba's question. She knew she would have died if he hadn't have saved her. Perhaps she was wrong about this guy. Mai wiped the tears away from her face as Kaiba fell unconscious again.

"Oh god, please don't die," she said.

Mai then took a deep breath and put her lips to Kaiba's lips and started to breathe into his mouth. She did this several times. Each time his lips tasted sweeter. It was something she's never experience before.

Kaiba woke up with Mai's face just inches from him. He brought her down for a gentle kiss.

"Thank you, Mai," he said. "Thank you. You really do love me then?"

Mai blushed. Her face went bright red and Kaiba smiled.

Mai was silent but instead answered his question with another kiss as the sun began to set over the horizon leaving a beautiful orange haze cast over the two lovers.

"You saved me Mai!" Kaiba said.

"No, Kaiba, you saved me."
Mai was finally so happy and relieved that there was someone there to protect her because that's what she needed all along - someone to love.

THE END!

A/N: thanks so much for reading. Special thanks to JC Rose and Tiffanylicis for reviewing my stuff and for their love and support of Seto/Mai. And thanks to anyone who read and enjoyed the story. And if you didn't like it, let me know what you didn't like and perhaps I'll fix that for next time. Bye for now.

Much love

xxx