Smile for Mai (Part 1)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

"Okay. Okay, okay. We gotta get to the hospital, fast," Jounouchi declared. "We need like a scarab thing." Bakura! "Where the hell is, you!" He saw Bakura and Mokuba running in their direction. Probably warned that something was happening. "Run faster!"

"Already taken care of." A familiar yet deadly voice came from behind him. He could feel her sudden presence from the mark on his neck. Sekhmet held a bloody scarab in her mouth, hanging on by her tooth. "Hold out your hands."

///Jounouchi: The things I do! Just don't eat them./// He put his hands out below the bloody scarab. She opened her mouth and it fell in his hands.

"You could have wiped it off first," Bastet complained. "Sekhmet, you are such a messy eater."

"Thanks, gotta go." Done with that mess. He wouldn't complain about the blood, he had to take care of Mai and his apparent kid coming now! Bakura was showing up with Mokuba now. "Bakura, how's this thing work?"

"What is going on?" Bakura asked until he saw Mai moving in pain. He made an educated guess. "Hold hands," Bakura instructed. "No more than six people. Be kind to the doctors that are there and they should help you."

"Thanks."

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Domino Hospital

Atem, Yuugi, Masika, Anzu, and Jounouchi all went with Mai and waited. There were doctors that still stayed. Nurses and doctors were handling Mai, as well as other injuries that had happened last night.

"There you go." She was placed up on a high bed. A perfect view of a window, except there was no glass in it. "Apologies for the accommodations. The glass has been swept up. I'll be back to check on you, there are more patients I have to see. There is a nurse not too far if you need to get me sooner."

"Okay, a doctor, that's good." Anzu patted her hand. "It's okay, Mai. We're all here for you."

"It's okay, really! I mean, Mana used to be a sorceress," Jounouchi pointed out to her. "So, if there's a baby strong enough to take the upgrade in a due date Set just gave her, it's her. You're gonna be fine. You and her. I know it."

"The different futures, with the same outcomes." Mai looked around. Everyone was trying to look positive toward her, but some weren't succeeding. ///Mai: A normal human, getting pushed up several months in a matter of minutes. My body can't handle this./// She could tell mainly on Yuugi, and Atem. Still, they tried to smile. ///Mai: This was it, wasn't it? What the strange smiling was about?/// They weren't happy. They knew what the outcome would be and were just trying to make her feel better by not telling her the chances of making it. For the baby or for her. "I chose the outcome."

"What do you mean?" Jounouchi asked.

"She could have had beautiful brunette hair, if I didn't do this. But, she's beautiful no matter what. Jounouchi? She'll have blonde hair." Mai winked. "She'll pull through."

Blonde hair? "What are you saying, Mai?"

"She'll pull through, but I don't know if I ever see past this in my dreams for a reason," she admitted. "If you guys all win, don't forget about little old me," she teased. "I want to see how she turned out. I want to come back." She watched Yuugi leave Anzu's side to look out the window briefly and went over to Atem quietly. Knowing them though, they were probably talking to each other. ///Mai: Two Yuugi's. Two Anzu's. How many times did I see this?/// Where was Jounouchi now? "Jounouchi?"

"Right here, Mai." Jounouchi was right by the door. "Just talking to the nurse 'cause I don't want to be the one doing the delivery, you know? Gotta get something wrong from that vision." His words were strong, but she knew him. He was a mess inside. "You're doing great. Probably nothing to worry about."

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///Atem: You are doing great, too, Yuugi. Don't falter.///

It was so much easier to say than to do. It was obvious, a human couldn't get pushed up that far into a due date and expect everything to be alright. He understood what he meant about the baby too. There was a god or goddess out there that must have known it had happened, and gave her the insight she needed to save Mana. To make the decision to fuse her with the Dark Magician Girl. ///Yuugi: Smile. Keep her steady and calm. Keep Jounouchi calm./// Yet, none of his 'it will be okay' or 'have faith' words came. It didn't for Anzu or Satiah either. Both were doing the same.

They couldn't break and tell the truth. Mai could clearly see it. Even Jounouchi must know. The truth would ruin the mood, the calm she needed to do a good job before it ended. ///Yuugi: Mai Kujaku. I'm sorry I never got to know you better. I know I would have, Jounouchi would have kept you in his life forever.///

///Yuugi: Smile, Yuugi./// Atem reminded him again. The better we are for her, the calmer this will stay.

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"Just promise you'll love our little monster?" Mai asked. "Promise you'll be the best you can be for her, Jounouchi."

"The best. The total best, and anyway, once we win, you'll be back. If anything happens I mean. Best mom," Jounouchi insisted. "Best mom, best mom, you know you will be!" He hugged her and pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you, Mai Kujaku, don't forget that. If you want a wedding ring, I'll get you one, just say the word."

Aww. "Big lug, you're terrible at timing, you know that?" She smiled. "Calm down. I know you'll win." They had to. "When the chips are the lowest, you guys always pull through." Yeah. When they were at the lowest. They always pulled through. Her eyes were getting heavy. Funny how there was literally no pain at all. No pain at all . . .

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"Mai? Mai?!" Jounouchi shook her gently. "Doctor, doctor!"

Yuugi ran to the door. "Nurse, get the doctor," he yelled. "She went unconscious!"

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