Vigilshipping (Mai x Ryo)

(an interesting pair...I'm going to enjoy this one. :) This takes place the night before Battle City begins.)

Mai Kujaku's heels clicked against the pavement. She should be heading back to her hotel to get some sleep, but she could hardly contain her excitement. A new tournament – this was the life. The thrill of anticipation alone was enough to keep her in this business.

Battle City would begin in the next twelve hours. Already she had become accustomed to the light clutch of a Duel Disk around her wrist. Imagine – the intense holographic battles taking place anytime, anywhere – battles would start in mere moments with that kind of freedom. No more hanging around the Battle Box for her, or standing around waiting for her turn in the lineup.

So many people were wearing Duel Disks. Most of them were male. Mai was disappointed to see a noticeable lack of girl duelists. For a moment, she felt a pang of loneliness, and then she turned her insides to stone. It didn't matter. If she was the only one in a world of arrogant men, who cared? She'd show all of them who was boss.

It took her a few moments before she realized that she was lost. She paused in the street, not unduly worried. There were plenty of people around, duelists and non-duelists alike. She could ask anyone for directions. Mai stepped towards a tired but happy looking mother holding a three year old in her arms, planning to ask her where to go. However, before she could, a shadow appeared before her.

"Excuse me," said a smooth, male voice. "You look lost, pretty lady. Can I be of assistance?"

"No," Mai said automatically.

He was significantly taller than her, with smoothed back chestnut hair and softly tanned skin – and a too-friendly smile. Geez. Playboys.

"Now that's not very nice, pretty lady. I'm only trying to be a gentleman."

As he spoke, he inched his hand towards her until his fingers rested on her wrist.

"If you need directions, I'd be glad to assist."

Mai started to snatch her hand away, but he was a little faster than she anticipated. He gripped her wrist a little too tightly.

"Let go," she said. "You're in the middle of a city street – there are witnesses. Don't push me."

He grinned with too-white teeth.

"But I'm not doing anything wrong, am I, pretty lady?"

Mai tried to yank away from them, letting her voice raise enough for people to hear.

"Stop calling me that, you –"

"Hey, let go of her!"

The voice was young and boyish. Mai glanced around her attacker's great frame as he too turned around. Her would-be rescuer was three or four inches shorter than her, with long, effeminate white hair and soft brown eyes in a pale face. He gripped a large bouquet of white roses, and if Mai hadn't heard him speak, she might have thought he was a girl.

"Turn around and walk away," the man said.

"That's hardly the proper way to treat a lady," the boy said firmly. "She obviously doesn't want to be anywhere near you. You should respect women."

"And you should respect me –"

Mai took advantage of the man's distraction and smacked him across the head with her Duel Disk. He took a few steps back, looking dizzy and startled.

"Thanks for distracting him," Mai said. "Now, I'd suggest we both leave before he snaps back to his senses."

The boy clutched the roses a little tighter to his chest and agreed by hurrying to match his pace with hers.

"That was pretty stupid," she said as they moved at a fast pace. "He's twice your height."

"Well...someone was in trouble. I thought I should help."

Mai glanced at him sidelong. Come to think of it, he looked a little familiar. He seemed to be studying her too.

"Oh, Mai Kujaku-san!" he said suddenly. "I thought I recognized you."

"So we have met before," Mai said, not slowing her pace. "Where was it? I'm afraid I can't quite remember the details."

"It was during Duelist Kingdom. I was with Yugi and the others when you came by and helped us out," the boy said cheerily. "I'm Ryo Bakura, in case you forgot."

Mai humphed slightly. The kid helped her out, and he probably was thinking she'd...repay him somehow. Boys were all the same.

"Well, are you actually in this tournament, or tagging along with Yugi again?"

"Oh, I'm no good at dueling. I don't plan on participating. I actually live in this city – it will be rather exciting to see all the duels everywhere, won't it? A little excitement to the normal routine."

Mai humphed again.

"I think we've lost him," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "So...thanks again, but I'll see you around."

"Oh, of course," Ryo said, half bowing.

The wind picked up, and the bouquet flew from his arms. His eyes snapped wide open with something akin to fear, and he made a wild grab for it. With the added height from her heels, Mai was able to snag it from the air with ease, without losing a single petal.

"You should hang on to that a bit better," she said. "Your girlfriend would probably get mad if you didn't get those to her."

Ryo ducked his head and took the bouquet from her.

"They're...they're not for my girlfriend. I don't have one, actually."

Mai shrugged, though she couldn't help but linger on the memory of his eyes when he had lost the bouquet. Almost...scared. Odd.

"Well, whatever," she said. "Just...stay out of trouble on the way home."

"Right," Ryo said. "Good night, Kujaku-san. Have a safe walk."

Mai tried to hide her snort. She hated it when boys acted all polite and cute – it was such a phony way to get a girl's attention. She turned on her heel and walked away. It was then she realized once again that she was still lost.

She hesitated, considering her options. Well, it couldn't hurt to go back and ask Bakura, since he lived here and everything.

Mai turned back around. When she reached the place she had left Ryo, the streets were just about empty. She shivered slightly, and glanced around, looking for some sign of life. There was none.

With a sinking feeling, she tried to determine which way Ryo might have gone. Something caught her eye – a white rose petal against the dark pavement.

She looked down the road – she couldn't see Ryo, but it was possible he had gone that way. Maybe she should just turn back, and ask someone in the more populated part of town. Then another shiver ran down her spine – more intuition than actual fear.

She took the road towards Ryo.

The night seemed almost darker than it had before. Mai stilled the foolish thoughts. No duh it was darker – there were fewer streetlamps and neon signs in the residential part of town. A soft, muffled cry caught her attention, and she stopped midstep.

There, in an alleyway – two figures. The moonlight glimmered across a fallen bouquet of white flowers, looking a bit wilted and sad.

"You thought you were so cool, didn't you," said a voice, and Mai recognized it as the man that had tried to assault her earlier. "'Oh, that's no way to treat lady!' What a little priss!"

The taller figure shoved the smaller figure against the wall – Ryo!

"And what's with this hair, huh, little princess? You trying to be a girl?"

As Mai stepped into the alleyway, the man grabbed a hank of Ryo's hair and yanked. The boy gasped, but no yelp of pain escaped him.

"And I bet these flowers were important, huh? Looks like your girlfriend will be missing those, huh?"

He threw Ryo to the ground, and raised his foot over the flowers. Mai started running now – this was bad now, and it would get worse in just a few moments. Damn, why had that kid been so stupid and gotten involved?

The man's foot surged down toward the flowers – and Ryo hurled himself forward, shielding the bouquet with his body and being rewarded with gasp of pain. Mai almost froze, the move was so surprising.

"Don't," Ryo gasped. "Please –"

"You little priss!"

He might have said more. Except this time Mai whacked him hard enough with the Duel Disk to send him tumbling to the ground, unconscious.

Ryo didn't seem to have realized that Mai was there. His eyes were still squeezed shut as he bent over the flowers, shaking.

"The white ones were her favorites," he whispered. "Don't hurt them."

"Bakura-san, get up," Mai ordered. "You dumbass – what were you thinking?"

Ryo's eyes opened, and he looked up at the scene in surprise.

"All that for a couple of flowers?" Mai snapped. "You should have gotten away while he was distracted by those? And what were you doing walking around so late at night by yourself anyway – you look enough like a girl as it is. I'm not surprised you got yourself assaulted!"

Ryo swallowed, and stood up shakily, clutching the flowers.

"I...no one usually comes this way," he said, as if that explained everything. "Not many people like being near this cemetery...they tend to think it's haunted."

"I don't care about what usually happens –"

She paused as Ryo's words sunk in. Cemetery?

Ryo shifted slightly.

"I'm sorry that I got you all mixed up in this, Kujaku-san," he said. "I'll...I'll just be going now."

He tried to walk away, but Mai reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait, Bakura-san. Listen...whatever, I apologize for blowing up, okay? Now where are you headed? I'll walk with you."

Ryo looked up at her, looking unconvinced. Mai shrugged.

"Safety in numbers works for me too," she said.

He met her eyes for a few more moments, and then nodded.

It was only another block to the cemetery. Mai could see why people avoided it: even at night, or perhaps, especially at night, the pointed fence and intricate gate looked like the entrance to the underworld. The gate looked rusted, and even though it was supposed to be locked, it creaked open softly at Bakura's touch. Different shaped gravestones loomed in the mist, and Mai shivered slightly. Bakura didn't seem to mind, in fact, he seemed to relax a bit.

They wandered up aisles of tombstones, and Mai was starting to learn that she actually was superstitious when they stopped. A pale, stone-carved angel stood before them, about half Ryo's height, with wings folded in and arms outstretched. The only different from any normal gravestone angel was that this one appeared to be smiling ever so slightly, a warm, serene smile like a mother reaching out for her child.

Ryo knelt and placed the white roses against the grave, arranging them so that the ruined ones were not easily visible. Mai took the opportunity to read the names on the angel's tunic.

Rest in Peace

Emi Bakura

1966-2002

Amane Bakura

1992-2002

May angels carry you into eternal light.

Mai felt her heart pang. That Amane...she had only been ten years old.

She looked down at Ryo, who hadn't risen yet.

"Three years ago today," he said suddenly, without looking at her. "My mother and sister died in a car accident. My father grew distant – he's still abroad. After the...accident...I moved from school to school, and bad things kept happening. I finally ended up here, in her birth town, where she was buried. Convenient, isn't it?"

Mai started to reach toward him, and then thought better of it.

"Kujaku-san...thank you for coming here with me," Ryo said. "But I'll be all right now. It's not far from here to my house. I'll just be here for a while."

Mai watched him, and suddenly realized that none of what had happened between them had been fake. He hadn't been phony – his politeness had been real. And the flowers...no wonder he tried to protect them.

She lowered herself to the ground, sitting next to Ryo.

"I won't sleep tonight anyways," she said. "I might as well spend some time keeping vigil for your sister."

He didn't look at her.

But she was sure that he smiled.

A/N: Kind of crappy, not gonna lie. Cute, though. Sort of. And I stole inspiration from the shipping name again! :D Next will be Vexshipping (Anzu x Yami no Bakura). This one'll be for you, PandaTeddyClaws. ;)