Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

The Lie That I Lived

Mai Valentine- 26

Seto Kaiba- 25

Joey Wheeler- 24

Yami Motou- 24

Tea Motou- 24

Serenity Wheeler- 22

Mokuba Kaiba- 20

Throughout this story, I'll refer back toMai's past and then to the present a lot just so everyone will understand her bitterness. It might be a little confusing but please bear with. And here it is, the first chapter!

Chapter 1

-II-

"Don't worry baby, I'll never leave you alone."

If one thing that Mai had learned throughout her entire life it had been 'trust no one'. Everyone was out to bring you down; you could never depend on anyone but yourself. Everything anyone could ever tell you- all lies. Strangers lie, Friends life, Parents lie- any lie, told by anyone can hurt. Can pierce through the delicate flesh of your heart and rip it out; like a toy, break it into pieces without a care in the world. No one will ever be by your side to lift the bits and repair it back together- everyone will try to shatter it- causing undying pain as that dagger of betrayal deepens and the blood seeps out, no one is here to aid you and nurture to health.

Young, 26-year old Mai Valentine walked out of her 36-storey business building, her manager had given her stren orders to work over time on her new designs for the fashion shoot tomorrow.

Everyone had left, leaving Mai alone. Alone. Such an over-exaggerated word, no one knew the meaning- everyday she would walk through her neighbourhood and watch children misuse the phrase in the playground yelling 'Why do you leave me alone?' or 'How come I'm always alone?' A simple word with such a huge cost of isolation, never being able to connect always having to be alone. No one how it felt like to really be alone; Mai did though.

No one enjoyed being alone, everyone wanted someone to talk to, someone to love and care for, everyone needed someone. Not Mai- she had been alone then and now. Not a single person could wipe away the tears of anguish, no one could extinguish the burning flame of hate in her heart, no one could take away the years of building solitude. Mai didn't need anyone. Not after everything her own mother had kept from her.

Mai sighed despondently as she ran her fingers through her supple blonde hair, her curls went down to her slender waist. She wore a soft lavender, knee-high skirt with a white sleeveless turtleneck, which had a lilac overcoat covering; her small violet open-toe heels clicked against the sidewalks.

She exhaled as she remembered herself as a naïve, carefree teenager; prancing around in her violet mini skirts, white tube tops, high-heeled boots with her lush blonde hair flying through the wind. She had been independent, strong, and confident, she also had beauty and charisma. Everyone envied her because they wanted to be like her. But now, inside she was weak, hurt and pathetic, she was easily broken and manipulated.

Everything came crashing down, her life was reduced to meaningless trash and her existence was futile. Her juvenile attitude had blinded her from lifes inner secrets and deceptions. Mai let out a bitter laugh as she dropped her black side bag to the ground and tied back her hair; she glanced into a nearby glass window and adjusted her rimless glasses.

'I'll never let anything get the better of me, especially not love. I've been dejected, pained and cheated. I'm sure all those experiences have occurred to open my eyes to the fact that I exist to be alone, and not a soul can save me now.'

Mai released a resentful laugh. 'Ah yes, tonight 9 years ago was it that my life became lessened to mere rubble upon which I walk. Tonight is the fateful death day of my dear mother…'

-II-

"Mai…"

A voice nothing more than a mere whisper travelled through the small white hospital room. It was a mother's plea to catch one glance of her daughter before death would consume her.

Her boots clicked across the floors of the hospital; although she was halls away, she could hear her mother's cry in her heart. Mai's mascara blotched up underneath her eyes showed how much crying she had done on the way there.

Her heart had stopped as sherecalled her father's voice yell over the noise of the screaming teenagers. "Your mother had a stroke…" Her cell phonefell from her hand, just as her phone dropped her world had plummeted the same way.

Mai wept in her father's embrace. "Your mother's in unstable condition, her heart is very weak," he said pushing her into the room; her mother lay hooked to the machine that breathed for her. How useless did her mother look right now? How much pain just stabbed her now? She tiptoed to her mother's side and rested her hand upon her delicate flesh.

"Mommy…?" She gently called out to her weak mother.

"Mai…?" She breathed out as she wrapped her feeble arms around her loving child. "Darling… my time…is limited…" She gasped to her child.

"Mommy don't talk like that," Mai hushed as she ran her fingers through her mother's bleak, lifeless hair. "Everything will be alright, daddy has enough money to pay for a good doctor then, you'll be fine."

"Mai…don't fool yourself…come back…to…reality…I'm…dying…Mai…" Tears welled up in both the female's eyes. "It's time…I told you…everything. I'm not…your…real…mother." Mai gasped shocked as her eyes began to water once more. "Your father…and I had a…big fight one night…"

"Where do you think you're going?" Kayla Valentine's voice rang throughout the entire house.

"Away from you, you filthy whore!" Chris's cold hand collided into her soft cheek as she fell roughly to the ground- the taste of blood fresh in her mouth.

"He didn't…return for…weeks…he told…me he was…the father…of someone's…baby…the girl was…young and light-hearted…you resemble her…so much…she told me…to take care of… you…"

"He was so intoxicated, I couldn't do anything…I feel so ashamed," the young girl wept into her hands as Kayla put two comforting hands over her.

"My husband is the one who ought to be ashamed," she assured bitterly.

"Please promise me, promise to take care of my child…"

"She had…been so…weak…I promised…her…she died…Mai, my child…I watched…your mother…die…" she choked out the last few words. "Mai…I loved you…like you were…my own…my sweet child…" her frail hand reached up to Mai's soft tear-streaked face. "Get away Mai…your father will…ruin you…run away…my child…he's…he's…" Her hand loosened grip upon Mai's hand as it delicately fell by her side upon the soft sheets of the hospital bed; the beeping of the heart rate machine slowly lessened in sound until it was nothing more then a sought after sound.

Tears fell freely from Mai's eyes as she watched the doctor's put the white sheet over her lifeless mother's face. "What kind of place is this!" Her voice rang through the whole infirmary. "Why is it so white? The last colour most patients see? Do you gain pleasure out of watching the people hear die? Is it a game for you to watch loved ones die? Do you enjoy giving your patient's the impression of death!" A young nurse hushed Mai, she ran her fingers through her blonde hair and embraced her affectionately…like a mother.

-II-

'A touch I'll never feel again…' Mai thought indignantly

-II-

Mai stood over the freshly dug grave of her mother;freshly picked wild flowers adorned her tombstone, but two particular blossoms projected out of all of them.

'Lavender and lilac were always her favourite, like they were mine.' Mai bent down as the thunderclouds discharged droplets of rainwater upon the adolescent; her black skirt and blouse clung to her body, the only means she had to keep herself from the rain had been the black-laced hat upon her head.

She was alone, no one could love her, her father had fallen into a deep state of depression- it was presumably the feature her mother wanted her to stay away from. The excessive drinking, coming home late to the verbal abuse and physical beatings, their wealth slowly decreased everyday as her father began to use money like water. Who would tend to the bruises and wounds all over her body?

Her fingers caressed the chilly stone of the grave. 'Kayla Valentine 1964-2003'

'Mommy you promised you'd never leave me alone.' Her mother was gone, her father was slowly fading away from her life. All she had now were her friends.

-II-

'How wrong was I? My friends?' Mai choked upon her own breath while she recalled her 'friends'.

She looked up into the midnight sky; the silver moon quickly became swallowed by the storm clouds, the stars were consumed by the darkness as New York- the big apple of America became that much more darker and that much more lonelier. No sooner later the rain began to fall, off a few miles the lightening crashed and thunder struck.

Mai lifted her side bag over her head and started to sprint; she took a swift turn into a shadowy alley, through the rain this was the only way to go home not completely drenched. She ran with her eyes facing down watching her own two feet take steps. Her lonely steps echoed throughout the deserted alley. As her gaze was averted her body smashed into something well built and tough; she fell roughly onto the solid stone of the ground. Mai looked up and stared into the eyes of her downfall. Three men watched her with hunger with lust.

"Look it what we have here boys, little girl with no where to run." The first one said as the other two surrounded her.

"This one's real pretty," the second one added as he picked her up and checked her out. His breath sent quivers up her spine as she looked away from him. Mai lifted her handbag and slapped him with it, he suddenly let her go as another one grabbed her.

"She's a feisty cunt," he said as his hands travelled up and down her waist. His face was lowered to the velvety flesh of her neck, he bit it relentlessly as she felt the blood trickle down the side of her neck. His tongue wavered on her neck as his hands removed her thin overcoat. Her leg thrust up between his legs as he let go and dropped in pain. Mai turned around and bumped into the next male.

"This bitch has it coming," he said as his hand smashed into her cheek. Mai fell back against the trashcan and held the brick wall for support, slowly she slid down onto the freezing, damp pavement of the alley. All three encircled her once again giving her no way of escape. One picked her up and stared at her with desire; his lips crashed into hers forcefully as he parted her lips to let in his tongue. The wet and moist mound of flesh swirled around inside her mouth almost making Mai choke out anything she had eaten all day; his hand began to rise up into her skirt as it vehemently massaged her thigh. His other one started to fondle one of her breasts.

Her anger burned deeply inside of her with a passion as her hands slowly rose to his side ready to strike, but then something stopped her. She brought them down and eased her vigour to flee.

'Everything in my life was a lie. I've been deceived and controlled. I've been used, nothing in my life will ever change; why should I resist now?'