Chapter 2: Half Life

And now back to your regularly scheduled angst.

"Nooooo! Mai!" Joey's screams of anguish roared over the rumble of the thunder all about them. He charged forward to get to the platform, to get to her. He paid little attention to the jagged bolts that of lightning still struck the dueling field. As he grasped one of the railing bars to make a flying leap up, he felt a jolt of electricity go through his arm, numbing it like he had just pinched a nerve. He shook his hand out as he pulled away, ready to make another attempt to get to her when he felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders, yanking him back.

"You're gonna get yourself disqualified!" Tristan bellowed in his ear.

"Get off of me! I gotta get to her! She's hurt and I gotta get to her!" he cried out, fighting his friend's grip and succeeding. Duke joined in, pulling his arms back.

"Don't do anything stupid," Duke added.

After a few moments struggling against their grip, he sagged forward, utterly defeated. "But. . . but I gotta get her out of there. . ."

"Be strong for Mai," Yami Yugi offered sagely. "Be strong for her and she'll get through this I promise." Joey choked back a strangled sob that was caught in his throat.

"You said it yourself," Serenity offered, reaching out to clasp his hand. "Mai's a tough girl, she'll get through this."

He said nothing, nodding weakly in reply.

Roland turned to Kaiba, unsure what to do. "Should we declare Ms. Mai Valentine the winner, since she has more Life Points than Marik Ishtar, or should we declare a tie?-"

"We will have a ten minute waiting period. Whichever duelist stands up first will be declared the winner," Kaiba said curtly, crossing his arms. "If neither of them gets up, well, it's their loss."

Tea scowled."Ten minutes! They need to go see a doctor immediately!" From the corner of her eye she could see Joey fuming with rage, ready to jump to the other side and drive Kaiba's head through the nearest brick wall.

"Then do whatever you will after the ten minutes. Roland, start the clock."

"Yes Sir."

"I'm going to kill that Kaiba one of these days," Joey snarled through gritted teeth, fists clenched.

"But let's not, we have more important things to consider," Tea added.

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She felt something tickle her nose and she twitched, resisting the urge to open her eyes and putting a stop to the source. Mai made an attempt to ignore it but the tickling began one more to her dismay.

"Jeez, she's hard to wake up," a voice mumbled. It was Joey, his accent instantly recognizable. Now she was miffed and she started to mentally plan out her inner diatribe, which she would unleash on him once she awoke. "Like Sleeping Beauty over here."

"Maybe you should kiss her, to see if she'll wake up!" That was Tristan and Mai promptly decided that it would be Tristan who would suffer her wrath first, then Joey. That comment was uncalled for. . .maybe.

"Aw shuddup Tristan or I'm gonna go over there and shut it for you!"

Whatever chance she had of getting some more rest was now irrevocably gone, flying off into the proverbial sunset. She flickered her eyes open and yawned. "Maybe you should yell a little louder, so the people in the local cemetery can hear you," she remarked sarcastically.

"Well somebody's awake at last," Joey peered down at her, eyes twinkling merrily as he twiddled a vibrantly green leaf just above her nose. He wore a crimson t-shirt that did little to hide his lean frame as well as a pair of stone washed jeans, ripped up at the knees. A jean jacket was tossed to one side. Mai wanted to blush as she didn't realize that he had prominent muscles in his arms and chest. He always wore jackets to cover them up. A pity in her book.

Mai said nothing, instead reaching up to pluck the offending object from Joey's fingers before crushing it in her fist. She sat upright against the trunk of tree, trying to get a sense of her surroundings. She was in a park, underneath a massive oak. Beams of sunlight wove through the tree branches, creating a dappled effect and warming her skin. They were atop of a gentle slopping hill, a tan gravel path encircling one side before curving away into the distance. Leaves of pale gold and green were littered about her, indicating that it was early fall. "And what exactly are you doing here?" she inquired, patience running thin.

"Somebody had to wake you up. You're gonna miss the tourney."

"What tourney?" For the life of her, Mai could not recall a 'tourney' of any sort.

"The one that you were so insistent about winning. Something about being the "Queen of Games" and yadda, yadda, yadda." He gestured vaguely, making a talking mouth motion with his right hand. In response, she dropped the handful of crushed leaves on his head. "We were looking all over for you and we found you here," he finished indignantly, brushing the debris from his hair.

"We?"

"Yeah. Me, Yuge, Tea and everybody else. We were so worried."

"You were?"

"Yep. Well, I was and so were Tea and Yugi and Serenity. I think Tristan and Duke are busy ogling over my sister. Bunch of perverts," he mumbled, looking over his left shoulder at the rest of the group, standing off to one side.

"Why were they standing over there instead of by the tree?" she wondered. "Did they just spontaneously decide to send Joey as some sort of emissary or was it something else? But seriously, you were looking for me?"

"Well duh," he scoffed. "I ain't gonna leave my friend in the lurch. Thankfully your car ain't that hard to find," He pointed to her right, where her convertible sat about seventy yards away on a tamped down dirt road. "And besides, I gotta have some competition in the tourney," he laughed lightly.

"I'm flattered," she drawled acerbically, but in reality she was. That he would take time from his day just to go looking for her as well as the others; but oddly enough, in the grand scheme of things, his friends didn't seem to matter as much. She enjoyed the attention he showered on her, she admitted.

He stood up and stretched, yawning like as cat as he did so. He bent over for his jean jacket, beating out whatever blades of grass and leaves that had decided to affix itself to the denim fabric. He glanced downwards. "You coming or what? I ain't exactly going to bring the tournament to you."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she grumbled, tossing a handful of leaves in his direction. He laughed again, the sound carefree and wonderful to her ears. He smiled broadly, the grin brighter than the sunbeams that danced all around her. She stretched out her legs and popped the vertebrae in her back before wobbling upright, one hand leaning against the trunk of the tree. Why did her knees feel so weak and shaky? She took a step forward and stumbled, the knees giving out oddly.

She felt a pair of reassuring hands grasping her lower back and waist. "There, I got you," Joey said soothingly.

"I don't need help," she insisted, weaving her way out of his grip before tripping again. Once again, he caught her, much to her annoyance.

"You sure about that? You can't even take a single step without falling over."

"It's these shoes," Mai insisted half-heartedly. "They're catching on these stupid grass clods."

Joey remained skeptical. "Riiiight."

"I'm fine I'm fine—oof!" Her heel caught on a small exposed root and she slipped.

"Hmph." Joey looked awful smug in that moment. "Just let me help you."

She rolled her eyes before caving in to his offer. "Fine, if you must be so chivalrous about it." She looped her left arm about his right shoulder and he placed his hands on her waist. She ignored the electric sensation she felt on her skin where he had accidentally brushed against her.

"You alright there?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "And um. . .thanks by the way."

If it were possible, his smile would have grown even wider. "No problem." His smile shifted from exuberant to soft. "Besides, I'll always be there to catch you."

She was at a lost for words at this point. She could only exchange smiles with him and she hoped that she wasn't blushing.

Whatever moment there was was swiftly dismantled as the others arrived. "Hey Mai!" Tea waved wildly. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now." She shot Joey a sideways glance, wondering why she was feeling so giddy in his presence.

"You'll do great out there!" Serenity exclaimed, clapping her hands. "You can do it. I can't wait to see you beat Joey in the tournament!"

"Wait," Joey sputtered indignantly. "Who's side are you on?"

"Mine apparently," she teased, nudging him in the side.

"Thanks, you too," he grumbled. "Now come on Mai, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

"Yeah."

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". . .And the winner by default is Ms. Mai Valentine!" Mai heard the words of Roland, Kaiba's second hand man ring faintly in her ears. Her vision began to clear and she saw that she was standing upright, yet the last thing she remembered was collapsing when the lightning struck. She swayed a bit as she collected her bearings.

"I. . I won?" she inquired, before noticing the unconscious body of her opponent a short distance away. "Oh. . ." she murmured. She took a couple of steps forward to tend to him; even if he did just try to blast her with some ancient Egyptian God, nobody deserves to be struck by lightning. "Hey, are you alright?" She asked him, but there was no response.

"Mai!" Joey ran up to her and she was flooded with memories from her subconscious. He looked so concerned for her, face filled with worry. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"

Mai felt an unexpected flutter in her chest. "It was just a dream," she thought to herself. "So why was it making me feel this strange?" She steeled herself. "He's just a friend, that's it. Just a friend.

"I'm fine really. I mean, I'm pretty sure that my Duel Disk and cell phone are now completely fried, but other than that, I'm perfectly A-ok." She gently removed his hands from her shoulders by the wrists. "But he's not isn't he?"

"No, he muttered something about not being the real Ishtar then collapsed again. Then the real Marik, who called himself "Namu" by the way, turned into some murderous psychopath and practically skipped off into the sunset. That guy's one crayon short of the box and I'm pretty sure it's the red one, the way he was looking at poor um. . .Rishid I think his name is."

"That's a shame," Mai remarked. "About Rishid, I mean."

"Yeah, I figured. You should go to the doctor, just in case. To um, make sure you're alright."

"If it makes you feel any better," she replied. "But I'm telling you, there's nothing wrong."

"I'd feel better if a doctor said it."

She shot him a frosty glance. "You're stubborn, aren't you?"

He shot her an equally cool stare. "I could say the same thing about you."

"Touche."

Joey slid off the platform easily, giving Mai a hand as she stepped down. "You good?"

"I'm fine, Joseph, really." Mai noted that she was standing rather close to him. Quite close. The two of them were separated by only a couple of feet. Mai hastily slid her hands from his grip. "But. . .but thanks anyway."

He shrugged. "It's nothing. It's what friends do."

Meanwhile, Yami Yugi and Tea had been at the doorway that lead to the inner workings of the Kaiba Corp blimp. "I swear, I think I'm going to lock those two in a closet once this whole thing blows over," Tea began, sighing and shaking her head.

"Locking them in in a closet seems rather extreme," Yami Yugi said.

"It's only extreme if it isn't necessary. In this case, it is not extreme and therefore a necessity," Tea countered.

Despite the severity of the situation, Yami Yugi chuckled under his breath. "I pity anybody who ever plays a game against you."

"Damn straight." She paused and massaged the temples of her forehead. "Sorry. I need to get some more female friends."

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She stormed down the hallway, frantic. "This wasn't supposed to happen," she muttered to herself, keeping her eyes downcast in an attempt to remain a low profile, hands clenched tightly. They mustn't know that she was here, not yet at least. She heard the Pharaoh and his companions standing about the comatose body of her adopted brother, but she ignored it, despite the sight of it hurting her deeply. No, she had to think of the bigger things. She would have time to mourn later.

She caught sight of him at last, entering a key code on a door. "Seto Kaiba." He stopped from his typing and looked up.

"Who exactly might you be?" he asked harshly. The woman's eyes were a warm shade of blue, like that of a tropical ocean. Her gaze was narrowed; displeasure and panic radiated off of her in waves.

"You know exactly who I am," she replied rather brusquely.

"Do I?" Her voice did sound familiar, Seto admitted to himself. She elegantly pulled the scarf away from her face, revealing her features. "I should hope so."

"It's you," Seto nearly spat. Surprise crossed his face but only for a moment as he quickly repressed it. "You're the eighth duelist."

Ishizu crossed her arms, frowning. "Indeed."

"So, you came to tell me this?" He scowled.

"I decided to come for my own reasons," she answered. "Something terrible has happened."

"If you're going to spout nonsense about destiny and that crap, I'm not interested. I'm already annoyed that you showed up." He turned his back to her and began to stride away, his boots clicking on the floor, the sound echoing in the hall.

Ishizu made an exasperated noise and reached out, forcibly grasping his forearm before he went any further.

"Unhand me!" he growled, jerking his arm away but she held fast.

"You listen to me Seto and you listen to me now," she said, voice low and angry. "The future has changed, its course altered forever and we cannot go back. You need to stop this tournament right away before it gets any worse. People are in danger."

Seto yanked his forearm away from her grip, rubbing it absently. "I'm not going to end this tournament based on some bad dream you had. I will not cater to your whims."

"That's what started this whole thing, catering to my whims," she countered almost slyly. "If you don't do anything now, it's going to get much worse."

"Whatever," Seto huffed, tossing his head.

Ishizu opened her mouth to say something, but rolled her eyes and stormed off, her headscarf flowing behind in her wake.

Curious, he watched her until she was out of view. He leaned against the wall, feeling rather confused and excited all at once. He rather enjoyed watching her get angry. He coughed, getting such errant thoughts out of his head and heading towards the dining hall, where the next duels were to be announced.

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Mai sat on the edge of the bed impatiently, legs swinging off the edge as the ship's doctor placed a stethoscope on her wrist, checking her pulse. "Am I free to go now?" she asked tersely. "I said I was perfectly fine." she shot a pointed look at Joey.

"One last second," the doctor replied absently, looking at his watch to measure her heart rate. "There, you are perfectly healthy and free to go."

"I told you," Mai said to Joey. He rolled his eyes in response.

"I'm glad you woke up," Serenity interceded before Joey could protest her claim. "We were worried that you wouldn't."

"Yeah, it was weird though," Mai ran her fingers through her hair. "Like, I guess when I was out, I had this dream. You guys were there and yeah. . .I'm not really sure either." She finished weakly with a shrug.

"Would the duelists please report to the dining hall?" Roland's voice rumbled over the PSA, interrupting them.

"Guess we better get going then," Mai said, peering up at the speaker in the corner of the ceiling. "Before Kaiba decides to disqualify everybody for being three seconds late."

As they exited the room, Mai felt someone grabbed her wrist. From the corner of her eye, she saw that it was Joey.

"Hey," he began awkwardly.

"Hey."

"I'm. . .I'm glad you're alright," he added sheepishly, unable to lock gazes with her, like he was embarrassed about something.

"Thank you."

"I um. . .I got a question for you. . ."

This piqued Mai's curiosity. "Go on. . ."

"You mentioned that you had a dream and that you said that we were there. . ." He paused, looking down and away from her. "Was—was I there too?"

Mai's mind went blank at the question. If she said yes, he would probably get the wrong idea, especially in front of everybody. "I uh. . .well, you know how dreams are. It was kind of vague and and foggy and. . .I'm sorry Joey, but I don't recall seeing you there. You understand, right?"

Mai swore she saw his face fall, his brown eyes a little duller. "Yeah, I understand," he laughed meekly, rubbing the back of his head. "Stuff happens." he began to walk out. "See you in the dining hall."

"I. . ." Mai trailed off, one arm holding the other as she contemplated what she had done. She inhaled sharply and straightened herself up, striding out of the room, radiating false confidence.

Tea was standing there next to the door frame when Mai exited. Tea looked rather annoyed for some reason. "That wasn't very nice," she said, clasping Mai's wrist, stopping the older woman in her tracks.

"What wasn't?" Mai asked, but she had the nagging sense that she already knew the answer.

"Lying to Joey like that. I think you upset him. A lot." she emphasized.

"I didn't want to give him the wrong idea," Mai explained hastily, but the claim seemed to ring hollow and false in her ears.

"I didn't realize that there was a wrong idea to give," Tea argued. "Unless you thought of it." Upon Mai's confusion, she added. "You should go apologize to him. He thinks of you as his closest friend you know." Tea walked away, leaving Mai alone in the hallway, thinking.

*hears the anguished sounds of the polar fans in the distance*

*dodges flying fruit*

In my defense, it was cute and shippy in the beginning of the chapter, before it went straight to the land of angst. Also it will probably get worse.

A whole lot worse.

"Half Life": by Imogen Heap

Many thanks for my friend Bara for recommending it for me.