Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Still A Child ❯ sightless gazes ( Chapter 1 )

Jonouchi Shizuka cast a long, wary glance about the hospital room, long brunette hair sweeping with her...

Well, if she could. Blind gazes made their way from the girl's sightless eyes, which remained bandaged heavily. She sighed loudly. Though her mind struggled to keep her occupied, content, by showing her images of the room she once knew, she was still dissatisfied. Sure she remembered the hospital room -- white blankets pouring over the bed she lay in, lazy sunlight spilling in the windows, loose curtains hanging from their sides, and an opened door, with occasional patients making their way by -- but even so, she still couldn't *see* them. She lifted a hand, her blankets rustling in movement, and achingly rubbed at the heavy, hot bandages. She missed the sights, the missed the colors, the faces --

Hurried footsteps. "Don't touch your bandages, Shizuka."

"Kaasan!" Shizuka's gasp was overly happy compared to her mother's stern remark. She was, indeed, still a child. Even with Shizuka's eyes temporarily blinded, her mind could still percieve the image of the older woman's lips curving into a smile.

"You...you seem so anxious, Shizuka," her voice was smiling all its own. "...why?"

"Oh! ... you don't remember, Kaasan?" The older woman looked down at her daughter with soft eyes. "The hospital can release me today... 'Niichan promised to take me into the city today. I'm excited! ..though..." She sighed conspicuously, "...Katsuya's kind of late..."

The softness in her expression faded. "Oh...Katsuya-san..." came her mother's voice, sternness rebuilding in its tone. Shizuka stiffened slightly at the use of 'san'. She was quick to relinquish it, however, continuing with her cheerful demeanor.

"Hai, Kaasan..." her voice barely surpassed a whisper. A soft, desiring smile found her lips. Her bandages would come off...and she would see her brother dueling...she couldn't wait.

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Kujaku Mai barely muttered a 'tch' under her breath, violet purple eyes narrowed in sustained irritation, slender fingers clenching the steering wheel of her convertible.

"I tell you, it's this way, Mai-chan!" Jonouchi Katsuya cried over the screeching of the wheels and murmurs in the streets they passed through, nearly at the end of his wits.

"Enough with the 'chan'," the blonde woman snarled, ignoring Jou's directions. "And we've passed this spot five times already!" She shot him a glare. "You live in this town right?! And you don't even know your way around?! ...baka."

"DON'T CALL ME BAKA!!" Jonouchi held up a fist as though to threaten her. She merely lowered it with one of her own, though keeping her eyes on the road, as though paying no attention to the young duelist.

"Why are you making me drive you, anyway?"

"Because I don't have a driver's license!"

"Then just walk."

Jonouchi stiffened. "It's important, okay?! It's my younger sister...she had her eyes operated on recently...I had to be on time to pick her up, especially today!"

Mai couldn't resist a small grin. "Your sister, eh? The one you kept babbling about in Duelist Kingdom?"

"Hai...I used the money I won to pay for her eye operation...today she finally gets to take off the bandages covering her eyes...I wanted her first sight to be something special...like --"

"You dueling?"

"Hai!" Jou seemed bewildered. "How'd you know, Mai?"

"Only your sister would want to see you dueling," she sneered.

"GODAMMIT, MAI!!"

She seemed to stiffen, head lifting in the slightest, before a sharp heel slammed down on the b rakes, resulting in a loud shriek from Jonouchi (Yes, shriek. LOL). The convertible screeched to a stop.

Jou panted, running a finger through his messy blonde hair, before his brown eyes settled on her. "WHAT THE HELL, MAI?!" he nearly screamed. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

She pulled off her sunglasses, shotting him a grin. "This is the hospital...ne?" she asked coolly. Jonouchi looked up to the tall, sun-bleached building with wide eyes, settling on a frown when they reached the kanji that made the name. "...h-hai..." A high-pitched laugh met his response, followed by a:

"You're an idiot."

Jonouchi snarled. "MAI!"

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"Ohayo! Shizuka!" Jonouchi greeted the younger girl, mood opposite what it had been moments before. Mai followed behind him with a rather bored expression on her face.

"Katsuya-san..." his mother responded rather surprisedly.

"'Niichan!" Shizuka cheered, however. If not for her temporary handicap, she would have bound into his arms. Jou saved her the trouble by encasing her in a tight embrace. She giggled happily.

"Katsuya-san," his mother repeated rather awkwardly, as her son turned from Shizuka to face her with a cheerful smile. "...ano..."

"Hai, Kaasan?"

She shifted uncomfortably, and shot a glance at Mai who stood, arms crossed, in the dororway. "Is this woman your girlfriend, Katsuya-san...?"

"N-nani?!" Jonouchi struggled to hold back a rather obvious blush. "N-no way!"

Mai seemed rather unaffected. Finally settling on a grin, she approached the brunette girl that was Shizuka. "Well...it's nice to meet you, Shizuka-san." She took Shizuka's hand and shook it, smiling though it wasn't seen. "Jou's always talking about you, you know."

Shizuka could almost see a tall, stern-looking but casual woman with gentle eyes and a smile. She shook back rather vigorously. "You too, Mai-san..." Her hand was warm, though shee seemed to invision it pale, slender and graceful. Though she shook it off as a silly notion, she seemed to feel something was oblivious to everone else -- a small bit of aching need....

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