Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ White Horse ❯ What Might Have Been ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A/N: Yes, I do realize that the summary says that this fic is about Joey and Kaiba, but that does not mean that it is going to be a happy ending for them, just to give you all a little bit of warning. Anyway, a few different songs are going to pop up in this fic, but only at the beginning or the end, and probably not the whole song.

And when you see your unborn children in her eyes ...
You know you really love a woman.

When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's really wanted.
When you love a woman,
You tell her that she's the one.
She needs somebody, to tell her that it's gonna last forever.
So tell me have you ever really ... really, really ever loved a woman?

The first time Joey met Mai, he felt his body react like never before. In truth, it was the first time he had EVER been around a woman like Mai, and he finally understood the phrase `drunk with love.' He just couldn't get enough of the older woman: her hair, her body, her smile. What really drew Joey to Mai, however, wasn't he looks, it was her self-confidence. Mai never took anything from anybody and she was not about using what she had to get what she needed. Mai had a fighting spirit, and Joey loved her for It, more with each passing day. It seemed for a while that Mai felt the same about Joey. After all, she flirted with him, kissed him more than once, and even let him take her out once. Of course, she had told him that they were only friends but that was not enough to deter Joey. He spent nights wondering what was wrong with him, why he couldn't get the older girl to love him.

The grieving went on till one day he was out with the blonde bombshell. The plan was that he would pick her up at the little rental apartment in downtown Domino after his last class and take her to the park to meet the rest of the gang. Joey reached her building, and used the key she had given him to get inside. Running quickly up the two flights of stairs, he paused at Mai's door to knock before he unlocked it. While Mai had given both him and Yugi a key in case of emergencies, Joey wanted to make sure that she knew he was there before he entered her tiny apartment.

Joey opened the door to a complete mess. Clothes, shoes, Duel Monster cards, and various other kick-knacks were tossed all over the living room where a pile of boxes stood. Joey could see that the kitchen was already packed up, and that the boxes were sitting by the door. Slowly putting his key in his pocket, Joey shut the door and locked it behind him. “Mai?” He called out, looking around to see where the girl was. Mai appeared in the living room, looking like she hadn't slept a wink all night.

“What are you doing here Joey?” Mai asked, fiddling around with her blonde hair.

“We're suppose to be meeting everyone at the park today remember? We're celebrating the end of school and tomorrow's graduation. Everybody's coming; even Kaiba and Mokuba are shoing up.” Joey reminded her, eyeing the boxes that were sitting by the door. Mai followed Joey's and froze.

“Let me just get changed” she said, and hurried back into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. Joey attempted to find a place to sit, but gave up and just leaned against the wall, still eyeing the room critically. When Mai finally came out, Joey looked her up and down, and he couldn't help but be concerned. Instead of her usual getup, Mai was wearing a purple jogging suit that brought out her eyes. Joey couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he seen Mai completely cover herself up, and he stopped short when he realized that he couldn't remember.

“Are we ready to go Joey?” Mai asked, looking at the younger boy expectantly.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Joey muttered, looking one more time at the boxes before unlocking the door and flinging it open. Mai followed him wordlessly down the stairs, and into his car, barely managing to get herself buckled before Joey took off.

Joey barreled down Mai's street not wanting to look at the girl who was sitting in his passenger seat. 5 minutes into the drive, Mai finally got sick of the silence between them.

“Pull over.” She said, lightly touching Joey's arm in an effort to convey the seriousness of her words. Without even signaling, Joey turned the car into a side street p, parked the car, and shut off the engine. He still did not look at Mai, deciding instead to stare at the steering wheel, trying to understand why he care about this woman so much.

“I had a dream last night, it was about us.” Mai said quickly picking at an invisible hair on her suit.

“I remembered the time you said you love me and, in the dream, I told you I loved you back. We got married, we had kids, and we were so happy. Then, I woke up.” Mai paused, glancing over to see if her words had any effect on the man next to her. Seeing that it didn't, she swallowed hard and continued. “When I woke up, I realized something. I do.” With that, Joey's head snapped up, and he stared at Mai.

“You do what?” Joey said, looking at the woman while barely being able to breath, wondering if she would finally admit to her feelings for him.

“I realized that I really do love you. I can't help it, I'm just not… emotionally ready for what we could be. I see us together forever, with the picture-perfect life, two kids, a dog and a picket fence. I'm just not ready for this right now. Our lives are just beginning, and I can't…” Mai paused, looking out the window to try to collect her thoughts.

“So what you're saying basically is that you love me, just not enough to actually try to have a relationship with me. Is that it Mai?” Joey asked h, his eyes flashing a little at Mai's words.

“Joey, I want it to be that way, and it could be like that, one day. I can see us having babies, sitting in bed while they jump around, and just being happy, but not now. Not when I'm 19 and you're 17. We're too young, I want to see more of the world, and you, you need to go to school and get a really good education. Then, maybe, we'll be ready.” Mai said, reaching over to carefully kiss Joey on the cheek.

“I was coming over to say goodbye tonight, and to tell you one more thing…. I love you.” She said, quietly, and Joey looked at her for a long moment before turning the car back around and heading towards the park.

I wish I could just make you turn around,
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much i need to say to you,
So many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all

So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face
Now take a look at me now, cos there's just an empty space

But to wait for you, is all i can do and that's what I'vegot to face
Take a good look at me now, cos I'llstill be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I'vegotta take

A/N: The top song is Bryan Adam's `Have you ever Loved a Woman' and the bottom is Phil Collins `Take a Look at me now.' Thanks for reading.