Don't Play the Cards to your Heart

Author's note: Story's title from Groove Armada's song "Cards to your Heart". I felt this song had something to do with this fiction.

Yugi thought that Mai's place was around the corner. But, Mai's place was out in the middle of nowhere. Okay, maybe it was not in the middle of nowhere. There were a few other houses around, unlike the Kaiba Manor. Mai parked her car in front of the house, as the gates closed. Yugi helped her get the groceries inside. After they entered, a few lights turned on. Mai kept turning on lights as they headed towards the kitchen.

"This was my parents' house."

"Was?"

"They died when I was young. And, I have no brothers or sisters, so I gew up all alone." Mai quickly turned to and away from Yugi, "You can put those down, hun." Yugi obliged as Mai walked up to the cupboard, took out two glasses, and went to the refrigerator to start adding ice. "Yugi, just pick out whatever you want to eat. Okay?"

Yugi looked in the bags and pulled out some pretzels, "Thanks, Mai. How long are we going to hang out, here?"

Mai leaned over the counter and winked, "It's prom night, Yugi. I'll take you home in the morning." Having to stay all night with Mai Valentine and being able to see down her dress was too much for Yugi. "Yugi! Oh, Yugi." She ran over to him.

"Hmm? Where am I?" Yugi glanced and saw that Mai had been holding him to her chest.

Mai smiled at him, "Thank goodness." She let him go. Yugi's face was red. He looked around and saw that Mai really did kidnap him. She stood up, "You HAVE to see this." She walked into the next room and Yugi followed. After she turned on the lights, he saw a Kaiba Corp dueling station. "Do you like it?"

"I'll say. Can we...try it out?"

She let out a soft happy sound. "I'm glad you like it, but we can't. They barely started wiring it up. It's useless for now."

"We could play the old fashioned way."

Mai smirked, "Okay."

"Yugi! Stop hesitating!" Mai was sitting without her shoes on. Yugi was shirtless and shoeless.

Yugi nervously looked at his cards, "I end my turn."

"You END your turn!? You didn't do anything! I'm a woman, I can take it." Yugi seemed nervous to her. "Fine. I'll tell something about me instead of taking off my dress."

Yugi looked at her, "Are you sure?" Yugi had always been able to see it. Mai Valentine, past tense, was hard for her to handle. "I don't like that either."

"Huh?"

"I don't like that it's harder for you to tell people about yourself, than playing this game. You hide a lot. But, then again, there's no irony in me pointing that out."

"My heart's been broken many times, Yugi. I grew up alone and did not inherit a lot. After I turned twenty, I became a card dealer. One of the girls there, who taught me about dealing, her name was Sarah. I found her pretty. About 5'6", long brown hair, freckles, and light brown eyes. I don't know why, but one time, after I left a get together at her place, she gave me this LOOK. I've never seen it before... It was like she wanted to tell me something. Yugi? If she told me to stay, I would've stayed. And, if she told me to spend the night, I would've spent the night. But, I kept staring into her eyes, waiting for her to tell me what was on her mind. But, she never did. And, I can't regret that I never asked that moment because I could've embarrassed her in front of her friends and roommates. I never asked and she left almost five months later, after announcing her engagement. She left and they got married quite fast, as her fiancée was a military man. I still wish I knew what she was thinking that night. And, because of that day, she remains 'the only woman I've ever loved', in my head. After Sarah, I wondered, if I could ever love a woman. But, I love the way that men look at me so much, that I never bothered trying. The way I felt about her, I never felt about another man or woman. Even though I've never been with a woman, does that make me a lesbian, Yugi?"

"Having romantic feelings for one woman, after seeing thousands of people in your lifetime, does not make you a lesbian. In fact, it doesn't fit the criteria."

"I see." Mai stood up and took off her dress. She noticed that Yugi had his eyes covered as she did. After she kicked the dress off, she stared at him. "Look at me, Yugi." Yugi slowly uncovered his eyes and they gazed into each other's eyes. Mai is a beautiful woman, but Yugi saw how gorgeous she was with her vulnerability. She started to sit down, "Sorry, but I really wanted that dress off. I'll owe you for the next one."

Yugi finished the maintenance phase of his turn, "I end my turn." He watched as Mai drew her card.

"After getting my first Harpy Lady, I started becoming bored of the game." She placed one card, face, down. "Eventually, I collected enough cards, to play in tournaments. But, none of the cards I found were rare enough. So, I used my knowledge of duel monsters to make me more money." She pointed, that she was going to attack with her Harpy Sisters. "After a while, I noticed that the men who came for me became more obsessive. I had to quit after a few got too fresh with me, doing those types of games. I didn't want a man to predict how much money I could get. I wanted to make my own riches. But, at the same time, I wanted respect." She made a hand motion to cancel the attack. "Yugi, ...you were the first person I met who respects me as I am. You're the only person who looks at me like you do." Yugi could not believe what Mai just told him. "Yugi?" She reached across the table and covered Yugi's right hand with her own, "I-."

"Don't play the cards to your heart, now." Mai had a look of question upon her face, then she smiled as she got up and tugged on his hand. "Where are we going?"

Mai winked, "To bed."

Song Lyrics (In case you were curious):

While the music is coming to an end

I fell for you and the love pretend

You know, I smelled the truth

But tonight my instinct

I left the city, my family, my precinct

And I'm looking at liberty, good belief

Revolution, new obsession

Ideas, like new years

And good things are growing wings

With hope and dope and charity

Refrain:

I ain't being disarmed like this

I don't seek your foolish kiss

This is feeling victory

And I won't tell you what I see No more, no more

Don't think it out, feel this time

You've got to trust in someone

Drop your guard and make love

Don't play your cards to your heart now [x2]

Stop, yell, make a noise that's for all of us

Don't think revenge is a path to happiness

For the real link to enlightenment is forgiveness

For under the sun we are better and warmer together

REFRAIN

Let's stop, breath in

Let the oceans wave

Let the trees rise up

Let all my love come pay, Drive away

I'll be a bystander That enters the mind

Out of a nightmare

Back into my heart

All of the reds, shot forth

Go ahead, make love, love

Revolution, new obsession

Ideas, new years

Good things are growing wings

Hope, dope, charity

Don't play your cards to your heart now