Who got the love?

[sugar_spells]

Yuugi checked himself in the mirror one more time. The outfit wasn't anything too much; pants and a shirt, with a jacket. He had his usual array of belts on, nothing new. He was going on a date, which wasn't too new either, him and Mana.
What a beautiful name that was.
They had been going out for some time, and he felt confident in whatever he was wearing. So, with a smile, he grabbed his wallet and walked out of his room to Mana’s, giving a gentle knock.
"Mana, you ready?"

Yuugi? Already? Oh no, she was running late! "Uh, um...Hang on just a second!" Mana was nowhere near ready, actually, but she had to pretend that she was. She didn't want him to realize that she was running really really late! She hurried into the closet, slamming into a chair on the way. "OW! Oh man..." Poor Mana, she was just so eager to look her best for Yuugi that she had taken up too much time fixing her hair and makeup.

She'd curled her hair today, something new, because she thought that Yuugi might like it. About five minutes later, Mana hurried out of the closet in a pink dress with golden trim. One that hung off of her shoulders, exposing the tanned skin of her shoulders, back, and neck. She pulled on a golden necklace, one that looked as if roses were connecting to each other through a series of vines around her neck. Fixing a curl, she grabbed her purse and headed out of the door. "Sorry!"

"It's alright." Yuugi smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and placing a kiss on her cheek. "You look beautiful today." He smiled and took her hand, unwrapping his arm from her waist and leading her downstairs. "Where would you like to go? I picked last time, so now it’s your turn.

Even though they'd been together for quite some time, Yuugi was still granted blushes from Mana every day. Sometimes she thought it might annoy him, but he never seemed to be upset with her blushes and he never said anything, so she didn’t feel the need to try and stop them.

Mana wrapped her hand around Yuugi's, beaming over at him. "Uum...We could go to the park? It's supposed to be really nice today. Or we could go to the zoo? Or...Are you sure you don't have any ideas of your own?" She wanted to make sure that Yuugi was going to have a good day too, that he would have fun with whatever they did.

"The zoo sounds like a good idea! We could do that." Yuugi smiled, thinking for a moment before heading in the direction the zoo should be. "Don't worry, I'm spending the day with you. So I'm happy with what ever we do." A small blush tingled his cheeks

Mana blushed slightly, leaning into him as they walked toward the zoo. She tilted her head up to look into his eyes and smiled, stretching up slightly to kiss his cheek. “You look very nice today, Yuugi. I’m so glad we get to spend the day together!”

She grinned at him, moving to snuggle up inside of his arms, letting go of his hand so that she could move his arm around her and place it around her waist. She really did love to see him happy and smiling. It made every second of her day better knowing that he was happy.

Yuugi smiled, a small blush, although barely noticeable, but still there, spread across his face. Mana and him had been together for some time, he felt so comfortable around her and hoped she did with him as well.
As they got closer to the zoo, Yuugi glanced at Mana and smiled. "So, what animals do you plan to see? We can go see whatever you want."

"Um...Can we see the cats, please? Oh, oh! And the monkeys! Hehe, I think they'd be fun to watch." She loved being around Yuugi. Everyday she woke up and smiled, feeling very lucky to have a boyfriend like Yuugi. She thought it over, wondering what other animals she would like to see. "I'd like to see a giraffe too. What do you want to see?"

"I guess I'd like to see a lot of those things as well. And the seals, and maybe even the bears! Or an elephant!" Yuugi smiled brightly, happily excited with the list of animals. He hurried over to pay for a ticket and lead her inside. "So we can see one of yours first." He slipped his hand from around her waist and into her hand. "Which one?"

She happily took hold of his hand, a little sad at the loss of it from around her waist, but recovering well once it threaded through her own. "The lions! Please! I love lions! They're so cute!" Mana had been the kind of child who, no matter dangerous something was, wanted to pet it if it was cute. Yuugi would have his hands full today.

Yuugi only smiled, looking down at the map in his hands and stopping for a moment to turn in the right direction. "Lions! Right this way!" He pointed; all the dueling made it such a habit, and lead her along the path until they reached the lion area.

Luckily, due to their size, Mana was able to squeeze Yuugi and herself up near the front of the cages. She grinned, giggling happily, and leaned over the edge of the barrier just a little. "They're gorgeous! Aren't they adorable, Yuugi? I think...that one is my favorite! His mane is so fluffy!"

Yuugi held an arm around her waist, just to keep her excitement from letting her fall into the pit. He squeezed her gently, standing at her side and looking at the lions. "They really are cute. I kinda like...the little ones! Over there, the babies are always so adorable!"

Mana looked back at Yuugi and moved closer to him, leaning against him fully so that she could see the cubs. "Awwwwwwe!!!! Yuugi, they're so cute! Hehe, do you think Pharaoh-sama would let us get a pet lion? We could get a baby one! They're so adorable! Oh, I wanna take them all home with us!" She loved that Yuugi was so concerned for her that he was willing to hold her up in order to make sure she didn't fall. Others might be put off by his constant protection of her, but Mana wasn't in the slightest. It just made her adore him more.

"I-I don't think a pet lion would be the best idea. Although its a rather fun idea..." He pondered on the though for but a moment before clearly shaking his head. "They grow up, and...eat you!" Yuugi smiled, nipping at her shoulder with a playful bite and looking back over at the lions. "Plus they eat like...a lot! More then me and Mou hitori no boku combined...and that’s a lot!"

When he 'bit' her, all Mana could do was giggle and move to kiss his cheek. Gods, he was so adorable! "I guess you're right...but I think we should get a pet, Yuugi. I think it would be fun and then little Hana and Saku could have a pet to play with too!" Eating more than Yuugi AND the Pharaoh was certainly a lot. Definitely too much for any house pet to consume. They would have to think smaller.

"Well, maybe something smaller, then." Yuugi took her hand, leading her away from the lions and onto the next area. "I think there are elephants down that way, lets go see?" He asked.

"Yes, yes! Elephants!" Mana jumped up once and then hurried to stay by his side, as if afraid that if she left him, that someone else would march right up and take him away from her. And then she'd have to cast a curse and it would all be very nasty because they were in a public place. She smiled at him, always so happy to be basking in his glow. "Of course, let's go see the elephants!"

Yuugi smiled, also excited, and lead them over to the elephants. "Oh! Look at that one! It's so tiny...its adorable!" He leaned against the railing and smiled. Elephants he had always liked, for one reason or another.

"He's so cuuuute!" Mana leaned up against the railing as well, just slightly more than Yuugi, and brushed back a curl. "Oh, he's so cute! I wish we had an elephant! We could name him something adorable and take him on walks around the city!"

"You seem to want every animal here, Mana." Yuugi gave a small nervous smile. One of the elephants sprayed water and Yuugi laughed at the antic. "Did you see that!"

"Why wouldn't I want every animal here? They're all so adorable!!" Mana said, leaning against Yuugi gently. She watched the elephant spout off water and grinned, clapping her hands almost like a young child would. "That's so cool!!"

Yuugi smiled, pulling her from the side and leading her over to the next animal. "Giraffe, you wanted to see that one, right?" He started to lead her towards the area, squeezing his hand gently with hers.

The little things Yuugi did, like squeeze her hand or wrap his arm around her waist to keep her from falling made Mana's heart flutter. She was so lucky. She held tightly onto his hand and followed him happily. "Yes, please! I'd love to see a giraffe! They're necks are soooooo long! It's so cool to look at!"

"You know there long like that because back were there from, most of the leaves and stuff are up high in the trees!" Yuugi mentioned as they neared the area, looking at one of the giraffes next to the railing. "Look, it's so close!"

Mana was tempted to reach out and try to touch the giraffe, but she didn't want to scare the animal...or Yuugi for that matter...so she just settled for leaning as far over the railing as she could without losing her balance and grinned. "I love it! They're long necks and their spots! They're so adorable! Yuugi, if you were any animal...what would you be?"

"Hmm...." Yuugi smiled as he pondered the question. "Well...I guess I would be...hm. I'm not sure, I'll think about it. Would you be a giraffe, maybe?"

"Hehe, maybe. I think I'd like to be a kitten most. They're adorable and everyone seems to love kittens. Plus they get to lay out in the sun all day and take long naps!" Mana said with a smile, taking his hand and starting to walk away from the giraffe. She noticed that some of the people stare at Yuugi, possibly because of his hair, but when a group of girls pointed to them and laughed, Mana knew it was because of her. She swore she could see one of them mouthing something about her 'trying too hard' and that hurt Mana slightly. She looked down at her shoes and sighed.

“What’s wrong?" Yuugi asked, walking in step with her to catch up and pulling her closer. "You were so ecstatic just a minute ago, is there something you want to go see next?" He didn't like to see Mana so sad, and over what, he couldn't quite tell.
Mana almost wished she had never curled her hair. Earlier that morning she thought it looked cute, but now with the images of those girls in her head, she just sighed a little more. She was still very new at this dating business, even if she and Yuugi had been together for a few months now, so it was sometimes hard for her to decipher what was the appropriate style of clothing or hair for the kind of dates they went on as opposed to what wasn't. "No, no, we can go to the seals next if you want!" She didn't want Yuugi to be upset with her or worried that she wasn't having a good time, but there was still a sense of sadness in her eyes.

"Mana..." Yuugi caught her and stopped walking, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him. "You’re upset...did I do something? What’s wrong?" He pressed his forehead to hers and looked at her face. She was a very pretty girl, but she just looked so much nicer with that happy smile she usually had on.

Her heart fluttered as Yuugi pulled her to him. She looked up at him with big blue, sparkling eyes and lifted her arms, almost instinctively, to wrap around his neck. "N-no! Of course you didn't do anything wrong! I...I just...There were some girls over there that looked like they were laughing at me, that's all...I'm not upset with you, I promise!" Yuugi had this capability to make Mana swoon whenever he looked at her.

"Mana, don't pay attention to them." Yuugi took a glance around, and the only group of girls he could spot, a group of at least a handful, were still looking at them rather oddly. He smiled slightly. "They’re just jealous, because you’re so beautiful and I’m so lucky to have someone as sweet and nice as you are." He pressed his lips gently to hers, soft and warm. I was just a simple brush of lips but still as intently deep and soothing as any other. He smiled, pulling away and resting his forehead against hers again. "Don't let them make you feel bad."

Mana could feel her legs start to melt and almost give out under her. She didn't mind it, though, because it made her push herself closer to Yuugi. For a long time, all she could do was stare into Yuugi's eyes, completely and utterly breathless. Her face was painted with a gentle blush and she nodded slightly, their foreheads still connected to each other. Mana felt her arms wrap tighter around Yuugi's neck and she couldn't help herself from kissing him again, something sweet and soft and innocent. "Yuugi, you're the best."

"Not as good as you are, now come on." He smiled, taking her hand again and pulling her towards the nearest area. "Lets see some more animals!"

"Yes, let's!" Mana grinned, running along with him. She couldn't stop herself from turning back and sticking her tongue out at the girls. Childish, yes, but it made her feel better inside. She smiled, pointing towards a sign. "Look, the seals should be that way!"

"Yes!" Yuugi beamed happily, not hesitating as he steered them both in the direction and leaned against the railing. "Look! There so awesome!" He pointed, smiling happily at the animals.

"Oh, look! One of them has a beach ball on his nose!" Mana giggled again, her bad mood gone as swiftly as it had come. She leaned over the railing and then smiled, watching the seals for the longest time. "They look like they're having so much fun just sliding around everywhere!"

"I think I would want to be a seal. Sure, they live in the cold, but they can swim and jump and do all kinds of things. They’re my favorite animal!" Yuugi smiled, watching the seals play around and leaning on the railing to match Mana.

His favorite animal? She would have to remember that. Mana blinked at him and then grinned, an idea sprouting into her mind. She kissed him on the cheek and leaned back, moving away from the railing. "I'll be right back! I need to go to the bathroom." Which was a lie, but an innocent little white one. When she returned, she didn't have anything that would have suggested she didn't go to the bathroom, but her purse seemed a little more full than it had been.

Yuugi, oblivious to the purses expansion, smiled and took her hand. "Ready for the next animal?" He started to lead them over to the house of lizards. Which was also another favorite of his. "It's dark in there, so you can hold my hand." Not that he minded at all.

Mana smiled. She could hold Yuugi's hand all day, but she knew that was impossible. "All right!" It was true, Mana sometimes had a small fear of the dark, but not usually. But today she might play afraid just to get closer to Yuugi. As soon as they entered the house of lizards, Mana slipped one arm into his and held his hand with her free hand. "It is really dark in here..."

"I did say that right...sorry. " Yuugi smiled, intertwining his fingers with hers and moving down the path. They peeked into a few glass cages every now and then. Spiders and snakes and all kinds of lizards. "Mana, look, a turtle!" He smiled, bringing her over to the cage and pointing at the creature.

Mana hated spiders. She could deal with snakes and lizards, but spiders were OUT of the question. But at hearing there was a turtle here, she perked up and moved toward the glass? "Where?! Oh, there he is! He's so cute!!!" In order to see the turtle close enough, Mana leaned her upper half forward, which, in turn, made her lower half stick out a little in Yuugi's direction. She seemed a little too oblivious to notice.

Yuugi had been standing point blank behind her, and stepped back a bit at the action. He was suddenly glad they were in such a dark room, hiding the blush would have been hard. But suddenly...something bold struck through him.
Pharaoh’s damn influence!
"Yeah, you know..." Yuugi put a hand on the railing next to hers, coming up behind her and wrapping the other arm around her stomach to hold her against him. "Turtles live for a long time, almost 100 years..." He shifted a bit; glad the room was also empty. "Can you believe how many offspring that must mean just one turtle has?"

Mana hadn't really thought that anything out of the ordinary was going to happen when she leaned forward, but she felt Yuugi come up behind her and she blushed like mad. When he wrapped his arm around her, she could almost feel her legs melting away beneath her, so she leaned more into him to stay upright. "One hundred years?! How many offspring would that be? A lot, I'm guessing." All this talk of offspring and the feeling of Yuugi pressed up behind her was making Mana's face not only turn red but get very hot. She knew that Yuugi was far more experienced than she was when it came to relationships and sometimes she wondered if he was upset that she wasn't ready to move further, but he never pressured her and she never really wanted to talk about it. All she knew was that in the rare moments when this kind of situation happened, Mana always felt terribly awkward...but not because it was Yuugi. Just because of the situation and because of her inexperience.

"That is a lot of offspring..." He nuzzled his neck gently, lips pressing against he skin in a gentle caress. He leaned forward a bit, pressing her up against the railing, which in turn rubbed her back into him. "You know what that means...those turtles must have a lot of fun. Hm?" He himself was blushing, and he knew Mana was inexperienced, but he didn't mind and would wait as long as she wanted. But teasing was always fun, and he couldn't resist. "...I think I would rather be a turtle than a seal."

Gods, could her face get any redder? She didn't think it could...until Yuugi pushed her up against the railing and started to kiss the back of her neck. Mana couldn’t help but gasp a little, trying to stay quiet since they were in a public place. She didn't know what to do with herself. Part of her thought this was wildly inappropriate, but another part of her...a part of her that was growing in strength every day, it seemed...never wanted to move from this exact spot. Mana figured the only thing she could really do was reach up behind her neck, gather her curls, and shift them over her shoulder to give Yuugi more room. Which she did. She made it look like she had to scratch her neck, though, so she didn't seem too eager. "R-really? You'd rather be a turtle? I mean...I guess it would make sense because you could live longer and have a big family...and...um..." She was sure Yuugi could feel the heat radiating from her neck but she hoped it wasn't too obvious.

"Hmm...you mean have a lot of sex, too? Well that is required for children." A gentle push of his hips against hers. "Doesn't it?" He took the spot on her neck that was given to him, slowly losing him self in the familiar feeling of pleasure that tingled through him. He could control himself of course, and knew that it was just for teasing. But it was exciting to him, and with all that stuttering he knew she must like it too.

Dear Gods...Mana slowly became oblivious to the world around her. It was just Yuugi and her…and some sort of awkward need for a turtle to be in their conversation. She knew Yuugi liked to tease her, but he didn't understand that she had never done anything like this before. Sure, he might think she hadn't done it much...but she was innocent in every sense of the word. She felt like her face was on fire, but in order to keep from letting a sound (one that was as close to a moan as Mana had ever experienced) out, she bit her bottom lip and just inhaled sharply. "Y-y-yes...I mean, that...um...It is required for...children..." She didn't know what had come over Yuugi because Mana wasn't doing anything particularly...sexy. She had moved her hair, yes, but other than that, nothing else. Except for the dress she wore, which was sexy in a very understated way. Since it was an off-the-shoulder dress, it exposed a good portion of the top of her back, giving him clean access (since she had a strapless bra on) to all of the skin until just under her shoulder bones.

"Mana, you’re stuttering..." He nipped gently at her pulse, licking and kissing along her neck and keeping an arm around her waist to pull her pressed against him. He hummed softly, giving another rock of his hips and grinding gently into her. "Do turtles excite you so much?" The words were whispered softly into her ear, licking the shell before bringing his lips to the back of her neck.

Mana inhaled deeply again, actually needing to lift her hand to fan her face. Gods, Yuugi was...He was...How was she supposed to react to this? With every roll of his hips or kiss to her neck, Mana felt her legs give out more and more. He was...She couldn't believe this! His teasing had always been that, just teasing, but it felt different today and, much to Mana's surprise, it didn't scare her as much as she thought it would. But she didn’t know what to do with herself. It all took over when he licked her ear and she let out the smallest of moans, almost inaudible. "I...I um...Well..." She didn't know what to say anymore. Her mind seemed to lose all function and she just leaned back against Yuugi, her pulse racing under her skin.

Yuugi hummed softly, giving a push into the railing and letting out a soft moan of his own. He buried his face in her neck and sighed softly, dear god...
"Mana..." He smiled, pulling away enough for her to have room and just hugging her close to him. A gentle kiss on her neck, but the position was nothing more than innocent and loving now.

Mana was so conflicted. Part of her screamed for her to run out of the lizard house right now, into the open air and the light (and wind...Gods, she was still so hot...) so that Yuugi couldn't pull something like that again. But another part of her told her that if she moved, her legs would most certainly give out from under her, which would be not only embarrassing but ...well...mostly just really embarrassing. She hugged Yuugi back, her heartbeat racing. All she could hear was her heart thumping in her ears. Yuugi's call of her name barely registered. She felt her arms wrap around him instinctively and she moved to rest her head on his chest. She was sure he could feel her pulse and the only accurate image she could find to describe it was of a rabbit that had almost been caught by a fox. She kept her face down, staring at the turtle's cage so that she wouldn't have to look up at Yuugi. She was also certain that if she looked at him, he would be able to pierce through the darkness, see just how red her face was, and he'd laugh at her....and she was already embarrassed enough.

"Sorry...Mana, you’re not mad, are you?" He nuzzled her neck gently for forgiveness. Hugging her tight and all but forgetting the turtles and other reptiles in the room.

Poor thing, she was shaking in his arms. "I um...no...I'm not mad...I'm...I'm not mad..." She promised, looking down at the ground still. She didn't know what to do. She felt more paralyzed than anything. Well...thirsty and paralyzed...and really ridiculously hot in Yuugi's arms. It was obvious that she was embarrassed, if only because her temperature had raised a good three or four degrees in the past ten minutes.

"Mana..." Maybe he had gone to far? She was shaking and he suddenly felt rather nervous. "I'm sorry, Mana. I shouldn't have done that. I-I was just playing around, I didn't mean it." He hugged her tight. Well of course he had meant it but..."I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." He had pushed her.

"I...I think I need some water..." Thank the Gods, she had managed something coherent finally. She kept her face down, not burying it in his chest like she usually would, but keeping it exposed to the world outside of Yuugi. She felt god awful and really just wanted to sit down right now, but she felt that she couldn't find her voice to say that. Maybe she wouldn't feel so awkward if this hadn’t been in a public place? But there was an excitement in it that Mana didn't realize she would feel.

"Okay." Yuugi felt his chest ache painfully at the reply. And led her out of the reptile house and towards a concession stand. "I'll get you something to drink," He sat her down at the nearest bench. "Wait here."
He returned not too long later with a bottle of water and handed it to her, taking a seat next to her. But not too close. And staring at the ground instead of her.

Mana took the water and twisted the cap off, surprised that she had enough strength in her to do even that. She took a big gulp of it, swallowing two or three times before her throat was clear again. Poor thing, she was still shaking slightly and it took her two chances to return the cap to the water bottle before she got it right. Mana stayed silent for a while, not sure what she could say to remedy the way that Yuugi felt. She hated that Yuugi wouldn't look at her, but she couldn't say she blamed him. She hadn't reacted the way he might have wanted her to. Gods, she was always so worried that he would get annoyed with her and not want her anymore because of her inexperience. She didn't know what to do but slowly she moved a little closer to Yuugi, not wanting him to be upset with her. "T-thank you for the water..."

"I'm sorry, Mana." Yuugi turned to her. Tears brimming his eyes as he took her hand. All happening in a rather fast motion as he rushed with his words. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to make you so nervous, I-I just thought. I don't know. You were...I though you liked it, and then you just- Mana I'm so sorry...I'm really really sorry." He closed his eyes, continuing to hold her hand and pressed it against his forehead, bowing his head slightly. "Mana, I'm sorry..."

To see Yuugi like this broke her heart. She shivered slightly, a coldness running through her as one of his tears touched her arm. "Y-Yuugi...I'm...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have reacted that way…I shouldn't have gotten so scared. I didn't...expect it, that's all. I'm so...Please don't cry!" Her lips were trembling. Seeing Yuugi crying made her own tears prick up in her eyes and she sniffled. "P-please don't cry. I’m sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad, I got scared...Please...don't care, Yuugi, please?"

"Mana!" Yuugi glanced at her, seeing her tears and quickly scooped her into a tight hug. "No, don't be sorry. Mana, don't be sorry for something you didn't do. Don't cry, I'm so sorry, just don't cry...!" He nuzzled her neck gently in a comforting manner. "Please Mana, I love you so much...don't cry..."

This was exactly where she wanted to be. She could stay in Yuugi's arms forever but to see him cry? She hated the feeling of his tears or even the sound of him crying. She pulled back, putting the water bottle of the bench and bringing her fingers to his eyes, gently wiping the tears away. "Y-yuugi, please...Don't cry! Please! I...I-um...I did...I liked it? I...did...I um...I'm sorry...I...you're my first boyfriend." That would certainly put a lot of missing links together. She looked at him seriously, her own tears glittering in the corners of her eyes. "I love you, Yuugi...I am so sorry I got so scared..."

"Mana..." Yuugi sighed, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to hers. "You should have told me...oh Mana I'm so sorry. I-...I didn't know you hadn't ever done anything." He hugged her tight, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek and wiping away her tears as well. "I'm sorry....I didn't mean to scare you, I know it must be new to you....like I said though. We can take it as slow as you want, I wont rush anything. I wont do that again, I promise." He smiled, in a way meant to comfort.

Mana could finally feel her heart-rate start to slow down a little, but the heat she had experienced earlier was still lingering. She closed her eyes slowly, pressing her forehead against Yuugi's in a gesture mimicking his own. "I don't...you shouldn't...um, you shouldn't have to change for me, Yuugi...I'm sorry. I should know more...I'm um..." How awkward she felt trying to find the way to apologize for not having had sex before. "I didn't....dislike it, Yuugi, I...um...I'm just not used to it?" There...That seemed to be a safe answer.

"Mana...you don't need to be sorry for not knowing what to do. It's alright." He hugged her tight and smiled. "You'll know when your ready, and I'll wait. I'm not changing, I don't mind if I have to wait forever. If it's with you I could wait that long. You take as much time as you need, okay?" He pressed his lips gently to hers. "I'm sorry for being so straight forward like that. We'll take it slower." Yuugi smiled.

The idea of taking it slower eased Mana's mind only slightly. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. Yuugi had liked to tease her in the past but it had never gone this far before. But now that it had, Mana felt a strange urge inside of her...an urge that told her that it didn't need to stop. Yuugi was her boyfriend, he loved her and she loved him equally. The only reason they hadn't pursued these feelings were because...well...it just had never gotten that far. He'd lick her ear every once in a while and kiss her neck, but it had never, ever gone to this extent before. She nodded to Yuugi slightly before looking over at him. "Y-yuugi, uum...if you don't mind me asking I...was wondering how many...um...how many girlfriends have you had?"

"Three." He answered, relaxing a bit and hugging her close. "They weren't just flings, I don't really do that. They were serious relationships." Yuugi rested his cheek against hers. "And yes, I went...that far with each of them. But like I said, that doesn't matter. I'll wait, and even if you don't want to for a long time, I don't mind one bit." And he could say it without hesitation. Because it was the truth.

Mana stared at him for a while. She felt her temperature finally start to cool down and she smiled at him slightly. But then she remembered he had said something about going 'that far' with all of them and she sighed. "Y..yuugi what if...um..." Gods this was embarrassing... "What if I'm not...um...good?"

Yuugi couldn't help the small laugh that passed his lips. "Mana, don't worry. You would do fine. Of course the first time is very nervous...but...somehow you just know what to do." He stroked her arm lovingly. "I wont lie though...it hurts. For a girl the first time hurts, but I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I promise I wouldn't if you gave me such a privilege." He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it for now, we'll take care of it when that time comes. You can ask me all the questions you like."

He was so sweet to her. She smiled, resting her head against his shoulder. Everything seemed perfect now and she had no idea how that happened. How Yuugi would have this mysterious power to make everything completely fine, no matter what sort of train wreck had just happened. Mana reached for her purse, deciding that now was the perfect time to give Yuugi his present. She opened it gently and pulled out a stuffed seal, holding it out to him. "I bought you this."

Yuugi was taken aback by the gift, a small smile spreading across his face. "Aw, Mana! You didn't have to do that!" He took the seal, snuggling it to himself with a smile. The seal served as a perfect ice breaker.
Yuugi hugged her tight. "Thanks Mana, I love it! So cute and fluffy. Now I'll need to get you that pet lion huh?"

Mana smiled gently at him, her heart-rate finally normal again. She had drifted back down to an acceptable temperature and snuggled close to Yuugi, giggling slightly. “You don’t have to…” Some part of her really…enjoyed…what had happened back in the lizard house. (She knew that she wouldn’t forget what had happened, at least.) It was strange and dangerous and new and very exciting…and yet, somehow, still very safe. She knew that Yuugi would never hurt her and she wasn’t so innocent that she didn’t understand why a girl’s first time would hurt. But a part of her, no…all of her wanted her first time to be with Yuugi. And a large, and growing, part of her didn’t understand why she had to wait. Yes, he had petrified her back in the lizard house, but now that that was over…she was actually very excited about the whole idea. Maybe, as the day went on, Yuugi would do something else to sweep her off her feet and cement Mana’s already firm decision on what was going to happen that night.

Yuugi smiled, glad to have Mana not crying anymore and just in his arms. He gave a gentle hug, snuggling the seal in his arms and then taking her hand again. "Well, I say we go show this seal some other animals! How about you?"
He could wait, he could wait for a long time, because Mana was important to him. Not like the other girls, he just felt...different with her.

"Yes, please!" She smiled happily to him, glad to rid her eyes of excessive water. She hated crying, especially since she had Yuugi now and didn't want to have anything to cry about. She smiled at him and stood, bringing her bottle of water with her. She was still slightly shaky, but she wanted to just forget all about that and have fun for the rest of the day.

Yuugi smiled, leading her along to the next animal and holding his seal in the other arm. He was glad to finally rid of the incident, and just wanted to have fun with Mana.
They went to a few more animals, squealing and smiling and laughing at the antics they did, and again naming why they liked certain ones so much. Mana had almost fallen into a den of gazelle, but luckily Yuugi had his hand with her and she didn't get too far.
The sun was starting to set.
"Wow, any more animals to see?"

"I don't think so. I think we saw all of the zoo...and the seals and lions twice." Mana said with a smile, her hand wrapped protectively around Yuugi's. He did everything right. She could find no flaws in him, their earlier incident included. She smiled at him. "We could go back home and I could make us noodles! I'm getting really hungry!"

"Noodles!" Yuugi held the seal to his chest in happiness. "How do you know exactly what I want!" He pulled her close and hugged her tight.

Mana giggled at this, the happiest feeling in the world bubbling through her chest. "Hehe..Just a wild guess." She smiled at him, walking with him happily. The curls had held up magnificently in Mana's hair and were still bouncy on their way home. She didn't change when they got there, either, deciding that if Yuugi liked the way she looked, then there was no reason to change. About a half an hour later, Mana set a bowl of noodles in front of him and a bowl in front of herself with a smile. "Dig in!"

"Thank you!" Yuugi smiled happily, brining the bowl closer and not hesitating to revel in the salty goodness that was noodles. He smiled at her, not taking too long to finish and seeing she wasn't far behind herself. "So what else should we do today." He pulled a noodle into his mouth. "Although today is kinda done."

(To Be Continued)