Yugioh: Interlude ch5
Title: Interlude - Chapter Five
Author: Fictatious
Character(s): Bakura Ryou, Hirutani, Mutou Yuugi, Jonouchi Katsuya, Honda Hiroto, Mazaki Anzu
Rating: M
Warnings: Violence and lots of swearing
Summary: Post Battle City, Bakura Ryou finds himself adrift, with no memories of his darker half and no understanding of what is making him so lonely. Yami Bakura is being 'reconditioned' to better serve the darkness. This is a sequel to Delusions and Bad Religion.
Previous: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four
Chapter Summary: Joey is not the goddamn Batman, but he does his best.
Yuugi kept glancing at Bakura, his lips curved into a little frown, all through the morning. They hadn't seen much of him that week. He'd started running home right after school again, which seemed to mean that there was a new boy-friend in the picture. And today... today he'd come to school with a purplish mark just under his left eye. It was faint, not a true 'shiner,' but it was definitely there. And it was terrifying Yuugi.
That kind of bruise didn't come from tripping or walking into a door. That was an intentional kind of bruise. He'd seen Jonouchi sporting or acquiring enough black-eyes to know what they looked like. Yuugi wasn't all that worried when Jounochi got a new black eye, because it was usually a result of him losing his temper and rushing into a fight; it wasn't good, but it was more or less expected from him. Bakura didn't get into fights. He got picked on sometimes, but that just resulted in Jounochi getting into yet another fight in Bakura's defense. There was no good reason that Bakura should have a black eye.
The first passing-period, Yuugi had made small-talk with him, during the course of which he had asked “Are you okay?” several times. The second passing-period, he tried asking about the bruise, which Bakura completely denied the existence of and insisted that Yuugi was seeing things. At that point Anzu had nearly started yelling at him, before the math teacher came into the room* and called the class to order.
Finally lunch came, and the thirty-minute reprieve from classes left a more suitable length of time to interrogate their friend. “Bakura! Stop being evasive!” Anzu snapped as soon as the door had closed behind Mr. Yamada. “Who the hell gave you that bruise?!”
Bakura jumped slightly in his seat and flustered at Anzu’s directness, seeming to flounder and cast about for a satisfactory answer before replying. “It- it’s not- You don’t need to make a big deal. It was just a cooking accident!”
“Cooking accidents burn your fingers, they don’t give you black eyes!” Anzu planted her feet in front of Bakura’s desk, her hands on her hips, and glared down at him.
“N-no, it wasn’t- I wasn’t at the stove, it was the cabinet!” Bakura insisted. “I wasn’t looking and- and I forgot I left it open!”
“That was not a cabinet,” Jounochi said darkly, grabbing Bakura’s chin and pulling his face up towards the light for a better look. “What do you think, Honda? How many kilos of force would that take?”
Honda perched on Jounochi’s vacated desk and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering the bruise. “More than a cabinet could do... Unless somebody smacked him with a cabinet?”
“It was an accident!” Bakura half-shouted.
“Bakura-kun, please!” Yuugi pleaded, putting a hand over Bakura’s shoulder and squeezing it. “We’re your friends! Please tell us what happened!”
“I already did!” Bakura snapped, pushing Yuugi’s hand away and reaching for his bag. He pulled out his lunchbox and started to opened it up, ignoring them.
“You’re lying!” Anzu slammed her hands down on the lid of his lunchbox, snapping it back shut, and glared, nose-to-nose with Bakura.
Bakura jerked back at her sudden movement and closed his eyes. Yuugi bit his lip, Anzu’s forcefulness not bothering him nearly as much as Bakura’s bizarre reaction to it. “What was that?” Anzu demanded as Bakura opened his eyes and peaked back at her again. “Why are you flinching at me? Who do you think is going to hit you?!”
“That’s not- you’re just too loud! You hurt my ears!” Bakura protested, shaking his head.
“Bullshit,” Jounochi spat. “What, do you think we’re stupid?!”
“Stop yelling at him!” Yuugi burst out, balling his fists at his sides. “You’re making it worse!”
Jounochi faltered, glancing at Yuugi with a worried, unsure expression. “But... What am I supposed to do! He keeps trying to feed me this crap about a cabinet!”
“Well don’t yell!” Yuugi shook his head. “That’s not going to help anything!”
“Shut up!” Bakura nearly screamed, shoving Yuugi away as he scrambled out of his seat. “Leave me alone!” he started towards the classroom door, apparently having given up on the lunch Anzu had confiscated from him.
Yuugi caught his wrist and gave him a pleading, miserable look when Bakura glanced back at him. “But you hate being alone, Bakura-kun,” he said quietly.
A jumbled series of emotions played across Bakura’s face in the span of a few seconds, before he shook Yuugi off again and bolted out the door.
...
They tried to corner him after school, but apparently Bakura had anticipated that and he managed to sneak away without any of them catching him. “That moron,” Jounochi growled. “What the hell did he get himself into?”
“... I have to work today,” Anzu said in a quiet, bitter voice.
“That’s okay,” Yuugi said, giving her a smile that he wasn’t really feeling. “You go to work. We’ll take care of Bakura-kun. Don’t worry.”
Anzu looked down at him and tried to smile back, but she looked about as convinced as he was. “I- I’ll call you on my break,” she said, before she started walking in the direction of Burger World.
They watched her leave quietly and stood still for a while after she’d turned the corner out of sight before Honda broke the silence. “Do you have a plan, Yuugi?”
“... I... I guess we should go to Bakura’s apartment and try to talk to him again...” Yuugi said quietly. “I mean... It was probably bad to attack him in school like that, with all our classmates listening... It was probably really embarrassing and... I guess I’d be mad if somebody started dragging out my personal life in public like that... We should apologize to him.”
Jounochi snorted. “If he’d just talk to us we wouldn’t have to start yelling in front of the whole class,” he grumbled.
“... It’s not his fault he’s like this,” Yuugi mumbled.
Honda’s hand landed softly on Yuugi’s head. “It’s not your fault either,” he said quietly. “All this magic stuff and everything that’s been happening lately, it’s way over all our heads.”
“Well I may not get that sort of thing,” Jonouchi growled. “But I’m totally on the level with beating the shit out of whoever hit Bakura.”
“Just try to do it without traumatizing Bakura any more, Jou,” Honda said in a stern voice. “No going crazy. Let’s follow Yuugi’s lead on this one, okay?”
“Yeah, fine, whatever,” Jounochi grumbled, crossing his arms and looking sulky.
“Okay, well,” Yuugi took a steadying breath and squared himself, “let’s go then.”
...
Ryou could hear the television on when he pushed open the door to his apartment. “I’m home!” he called, closing the door behind him and slipping off his shoes.
“We’re out of senbei**,” Hirutani’s voice called back to him.
“Ah? Really? I can pick up more tomorrow when I go to the grocery store,” Ryou said, putting his bag next to the door and walking into the living room.
Hirutani turned his attention from the TV to give Ryou and irritated glare. “Did I say we were going to run out tomorrow?” he demanded.
Ryou took a tiny step backwards and his breath caught. “N-no, I’m sorry, that’s really lazy of me,” he mumbled. “I- I can get some at the convenience store right now.”
Hirutani turned back to the TV, placated. “Make dinner first. I’m meeting my people, so I want to eat early,” he instructed.
“Of course,” Ryou nodded, smiling. “Do you know how late you’ll be out tonight?”
“Would it be any of your goddamned business if I did?”
“I’m sorry,” Ryou lowered his head a bit and moved into the kitchen. The TV continued to blare in the background as he pulled meat from the fridge and put it on the cutting board and then set up the rice-cooker and got it started. He’d finished cutting the meat and moved it aside into a bowl while he washed the cutting board to slice up vegetables, when the doorbell rang. He paused, his train of thought interrupted, staring down at the carrot he was washing for a moment, and it rang again.
“Someone’s at the fucking door, stupid,” Hirutani called from the couch.
“Y-yes! Sorry!” Ryou stammered, setting down his knife and wiping his hands against his pants. He walked around the counter and went to open the door, wondering vaguely if it was one of Hirutani’s gangmates. Ryou had received a couple of calls on his cell phone asking for Hirutani and he was curious if he had given them his address as well.
When he opened the door, he felt as though the bottom dropped out of his stomach. Ryou’s friends were standing on his porch, frowning at him. “W-what are you doing here?” he asked, his voice coming out as something akin to a whisper and he started to feel panic swelling in his chest.
“Who the fuck is it?” Hirutani’s voice demanded from the living room.
A strange expression came over Jonouchi’s face and he was suddenly shoving past Ryou, walking into the apartment unannounced and uninvited. “J-jonouchi-kun! What are you--!” Ryou started, panicking and chasing him. Hirutani had stood up and looked wary as they turned the corner. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Jonouchi and then narrowed again and a smirk spread across his lips.
“You!” Jonouchi hissed, his entire frame taut and trembling slightly. Ryou didn’t think he’d ever seen his friend look quite this angry before.
“... Jonouchi Katsuya,” Hirutani said with a hint of a laugh in his voice. “Long time no see.”
A few unintelligible sounds came out of Jonouchi’s mouth before he finally managed to snarl out, “I’m gonna fucking kill you, bastard!”
Ryou gasped and grabbed Jonouchi’s arm, pulling him back as the other teen started to surge forward. “Jonouchi-kun! Stop it! What are you doing?!”
Hirutani started laughing. “Oh this is too fucking rich!” he exclaimed. “I knew you went to the same school, but you mean to tell me this bitch is one of your precious little friends, Jonouchi?!” he asked, pointing to Ryou and wearing a manic grin. “Just when I thought things couldn’t get better!”
“You son of a bitch!” Jonouchi screamed, and Ryou only managed to hold onto him because Honda had grabbed Jounochi’s other arm. “Nobody’s gonna recognize your goddamned body!”
“Stop it! Stop it!” Ryou wailed, clinging to Jonouchi’s arm and feeling hysteria take hold of him. “Why are you doing this?!”
“Yuugi, what do we do?” Honda’s voice demanded and Ryou turned his eyes to where Yuugi was standing, slightly behind them, his face pale and eyes wide. “Yuugi!” Honda called again, trying to snap him out of his trance.
Yuugi’s entire countenance suddenly changed; he stood up straighter, he seemed taller, his face hardened and a strange sense of power seemed to seep out of him like some sort of glow. He sprang forward, dashing across the room and slamming Hirutani back into the wall, one hand clamping around his wrist and the other on his throat. Ryou’s mouth dropped open in shock at the display of strength and aggression that his diminutive friend should not have had.
“Have you forgotten what happens when you hurt my friends, Hirutani?” Yuugi demanded in a low, icy voice that made Ryou’s blood run cold. Something about it, the sight, the sound of this strange, different Yuugi was filling him by equal measure with terror and rage.
Jonouchi had stopped struggling and he and Honda were just staring at Yuugi too, seeming as frozen and rooted to the floor as Ryou felt. Hirutani made a strange, angry gurgling noise, Yuugi’s hand on his neck must have been choking him quite strongly, and Ryou felt a fresh lance of fear tear through him that seemed to shatter something deep inside.
The next thing he knew, he was grabbing the back of Yuugi’s shirt, throwing him at the ground and screaming. He landed on top of Yuugi, his knees hitting the floor hard, and punched him before the small teen could react but to look shocked. There was a commotion around him, but he barely registered it as he swung again.
This time Yuugi caught his punch and quickly secured his other hand as well. “Bakura! Listen to me!”
“I won’t let you take him away!” Ryou screamed, struggling to get his hands free, but Yuugi was just so absurdly strong for some reason.
“You don’t understand!” Yuugi protested.
“MURDERER!” the accusation slipped past Ryou’s lips without conscious decision. He couldn’t have said why he chose it, but some part of him knew it was the right word.
Strange emotions flashed across Yuugi’s face and then he shoved Ryou away and clamored to his feet. Ryou hit the floor and then sprang up again just as fast. “Get out of my home!” he shouted. “You’ve no right to be here!”
Yuugi stared at him for a moment and the room was silent, then he turned and walked towards the front door. “Y-Yuugi?” Jonouchi called.
“He’s right,” Yuugi said, his voice still strong and dark, but quiet now. “It’s his home. And I don’t have the right.”
“We’re not really gonna just leave, are we?” Honda asked, incredulity coloring his voice.
“I am,” Yuugi answered, looking pointedly at them, and then turning down the hall. The door opened and shut.
Honda and Jonouchi looked back at him and Ryou’s eyes narrowed. He spread out his arms, standing in front of Hirutani who was, for once, quiet. “You’ll have to go through me first,” he growled.
“... Bakura, can we please just talk to you?” Honda asked, his eyes dark and serious.
“No,” Ryou said through gritted teeth. “Get out of my home.”
“... Okay.”
“W-what?! Honda!” Jonouchi protested, resisting as Honda dragged him to the hall. “What are you doing?!”
The door opened and closed again on the sounds of Jonouchi’s objections.
Ryou’s arms dropped limply to his sides and his knees gave out. He found himself sitting on the floor, his limbs aching and his entire body trembling. There was silence for several minutes and then a hand landed on his hair. “... Dinner,” Hirutani reminded.
“Yes.” Ryou nodded and returned to the kitchen.
...
The other Yuugi was standing at the curb, leaned against a bicycle rack, when Honda and Jounochi reached the bottom of the stairs. Jonouchi was livid. “What is wrong with you guys! We can’t just leave Bakura with that bastard! He’s gonna fucking wake up dead tomorrow!”
“Calm down, Jonouchi,” the Pharaoh said in an uncharacteristically subdued voice. “Hirutani isn’t going to kill him. He wants to taunt us.” He looked up at the apartment building, frowning softly. “Most likely Bakura will come to school with new, and obvious, bruises tomorrow,” he predicted, “and with Hirutani’s version of what happened last year.”
“And you’re just going to let that happen?!” Jonouchi shouted.
“Jou, we need to get them apart,” Honda said quietly. “We can’t talk to him when Hirutani’s around. He’s too on edge.”
“So what! You just want to wait until that shit does something worse to him?!”
“Like Honda said. We need to separate them and talk to Bakura alone,” the Pharaoh’s voice was calm as he turned and started walking up the street.
“You’re leaving in less than a week!” Jonouchi protested. “What are you just going to trot off to Egypt and leave Bakura to get brutalized by that fucking psycho?! We don’t have time to let the honeymoon end or something!”
“I am aware of that, Jonouchi,” the Pharaoh said quietly. “Now that we know what we’re dealing with, we can plan to isolate Hirutani. We would have much higher odds of success if we made a plan and executed it tomorrow, rather than blundering ahead right now... Besides, Bakura is too... volatile, at this moment. He needs time to calm down.”
“What, because he almost remembered that he hates you?” Jonouchi growled.
The Pharaoh paused, looking back at him, and Jonouchi felt very odd and uncomfortable under that gaze. “... Because he’s transferring emotion. He is unwittingly making Hirutani a surrogate for the feelings of possessiveness he had for the Millennium Ring.”
“... So you think he’s starting to remember it?” Jonouchi said quietly.
“No. The spirit of the Millennium Ring was just a stand-in as well,” the Pharaoh said, shaking his head. “He used it to cope with the loss of his family. Now he’s again searching for a new subject to anchor his emotional distress over that tragedy.”
...
Kanaye felt shaken. Not just by the reappearance of that scary-ass psycho split-personality kid, but by the way mild little Bakura Ryou had attacked him. Apparently he did have fight in him after all; Kanaye would have to maintain the pecking order carefully and make sure Ryou didn’t get any ideas.
He carefully refocused the thrill of adrenalin that had been left in the wake of psycho-kid into anger as he quietly composed himself in front of the television, listening to Ryou chop vegetables. By the time Ryou carried dinner over to the table, Kanaye had successfully banished anxiety from his mind and turned all his feelings about the encounter into suspicion and blame against the other teen.
Kanaye rose up off of the couch and walked over to the table as Ryou straightened up and smiled sweetly at him, that pathetic, hopeful look that begged for a scrap of praise. Rather than settling himself at the table, however, Kanaye stepped right up to Ryou and grabbed a handful of his hair. Ryou yelped as he was yanked sideways and thrown to the ground.
“Hi-Hiru-“ he started to whimper.
“What the fuck were you trying to do, bringing those guys in here?!” Kanaye demanded. “You set this up, didn’t you! Trying to get your buddies to take me out! I oughta fucking kill you!”***
“N-no!” Ryou protested, curling his arms into himself and casting a pleading look up at Hirutani. “I didn’t know they were coming! I didn’t even let them in! Jonouchi pushed me!”
“Shut the fuck up!” Kanaye snapped, swinging back his foot to give Ryou a good, solid kick in the ribs.
An image, or a thought, just a faint suggestion, flashed through his mind suddenly. Kanaye got the impression of something terrifying, huge and dark and scaled, with glowing, blue eyes and a massive, open mouth rushing towards him. And just as suddenly, a jolt of pain shot through the leg he was balanced on, biting into him and making him loose his footing.
He slammed down next to Ryou, cussing and grabbing at his leg. “Fuck! What the fuck?!” he spat, grimacing.
“Are you okay?!” Ryou exclaimed, crouching on his hands and knees in front of Kanaye, looking worried. “What happened?”
“Shut the fuck up!” Hirutani said again, through gritted teeth.
There will be no kicking.
Hirutani’s head snapped up, glaring at Ryou. “What the fuck did you say?!” he demanded.
“I-” Ryou hesitated, biting his lip. “I asked if you were okay? Is it a charley horse? Maybe you need more calcium! I- I’ll make soup!”
“Shut up! It’s nothing!” Kanaye snapped, climbing back to his feet, though his leg still protested. He plopped down again next to the table and started shoveling the dinner Ryou had made into his mouth, eating it quickly so he could get out of here for a while.
Something about this whole situation was starting to creep him out.
...
Bakura did not have any new injuries when he came to school the next day. Yuugi waited for him to sit down and then shuffled up to Bakura’s desk, hands behind his back and head lowered sheepishly. “Bakura-kun,” Yuugi said quietly. “I- I’m sorry about what happened... I... I was out of line. I just got scared when I saw that guy in your apartment... I’ve met him before...”
“Please take your seats!” the homeroom teacher called, walking into the classroom.
Yuugi reluctantly walked over and slid down into his seat, biting his lip. He glanced back over at Bakura and then froze, realizing that the desk next to Bakura’s was empty. Jonouchi’s desk. He whipped his head around and scanned the classroom, searching for his friend but only finding Honda and Anzu, looking equally worried.
...
The school would call his dad when he didn’t show up. But his dad would be too drunk to remember why he was angry by the time Katsuya got home. He’d probably be too drunk to notice a few new bruises too. Though, Katsuya fully intended to look a lot better than Hirutani at the end of the day.
A teenager carrying a baseball bat around the streets looks suspicious. He might as well just wear a bright red T-shirt with ‘THUG’ written across the front. But a teenager carrying a bat and glove looks positively wholesome. That is, of course, assuming Katsuya didn’t run into anybody who knew him well enough to know that he hadn’t played baseball since he was ten. The fact that he was out in the streets during school hours, however, negated the wholesome effects of the baseball glove and dropped him back into the ‘suspicious’ category.
He stayed off the main streets though, keeping to the alleys and side streets of the Rintama High neighborhood and quietly looking around. For now he was scouting. He didn’t know (and rather doubted) if Hirutani had gone to school, but even if he hadn’t, he’d be in the area sooner or later. This was his gang’s ‘turf’ so he was sure to show up sometime.
...
“He’s not picking up,” Honda growled, holding his cell phone to his ear. “That stupid jerk...”
“He went after Hirutani, didn’t he...” Yuugi whispered, his stomach in knots at the thought of what happened the last time Jonouchi had tried to take on Hirutani’s gang alone.
“That- that moron!” Anzu shouted, attracting the attention of the rest of the class, who looked at the trio curiously for a moment. Anzu dropped her voice to an angry murmur. “This is just so- so like him!”
“What do we do?” Yuugi asked. “Should we try to sneak out? I- I could pretend to be sick, and Grandpa would probably tell the school it was alright to send me home...”
“No way my mom would give me a pass,” Honda grimaced. “Even when I am sick she thinks I’m faking.”
“Take your seats!” Mister Yamada called as he breezed into the classroom and pulled down the projector screen.
...
At lunch, Bakura promptly disappeared before anyone could intercept him. “Damn it!” Yuugi cursed. “Damn it! This is the worst timing!”
“At least we know where he is right now,” Anzu said, shaking her head. “What if Jonouchi’s got his head bashed open and he’s stuffed in a dumpster or something!”
“Anzu! What the hell is wrong with you!” Honda gave her a horrified look.
“He could be,” Anzu mumbled and bit her lip.
“These guys like to congregate in the afternoon and evening, Anzu,” Honda assured her. “Jou probably hasn’t even found Hirutani yet, he’s just trying to set up a plan so that he can get Hirutani on his own and fight him without the rest of the gang. He’s not stupid enough to take them all on alone.”
“You are giving him way too much credit, Honda,” Anzu gave him a withering look. “Jonouchi isn’t that smart.”
“Anzu, this isn’t funny!” Yuugi protested. “... Finding him should be our first priority though. As soon as they open the gate, we should try to find him and make sure he hasn’t gotten himself into trouble.”
“Agreed,” Honda said with a nod. “Assuming Jou is keeping Hirutani busy, Bakura should be safe on his own for an hour or two.”
...
Just after 3:30, Katsuya spotted Hirutani and his loud-mouthed henchman Inoue. Inoue was all bark and no bite. He probably joined the gang just so he could say whatever the hell he wanted about anyone without fear of reprisal. Katsuya wondered how that was working out for him. Last time he’d seen Inoue, the dickless douche-bag was sprawled out unconscious and bleeding from just one punch.
Now he and Hirutani were leaning against the wall of an alley, attending to their nicotine addictions. Katsuya set his jaw and strode into the alley, baseball-bat clenched firmly in his right hand.
“Jonouchi!” Inoue exclaimed, spotting him. He leapt away from the wall and set his feet in a ready stance, taking in the bat and whatever expression Katsuya must have had on his face. “What the fuck do you want?!” he demanded, cigarette clenched between his teeth.
Hirutani cast him a bored glare. He pushed himself away from the wall and flicked his cigarette away. “He just wants to cry about me punking one of his little bitch friends,” he said dismissively.
“You don’t know what you’re messing with, getting involved with Bakura. I’m probably going to do you a big favor right now,” Katsuya said, coming to a stop a few meters away from the two thugs.
Hirutani laughed. “What I’m messing with? That little bitch was a fucking find! Keeps the house clean, dinner on the table and he knows his fucking place! Perfect goddamned wife!”
Katsuya growled. “He’s not your wife and I’m gonna beat the shit out of you until you can’t remember where he lives!”
“You stupid, Jonouchi, or can ya just not count?” Inoue laughed. “It’s two against one dick-face!”
“Please, the bat’s worth three of you, puss-bucket!” Katsuya sneered. “I could knock you over with a cooked noodle!”
“You’re pretty confident, ain’t ya,” Hirutani chuckled as Inoue seethed. “You think you’re the only one who came prepared for a fight today? I knew you and your stupid bleeding-heart would be coming around here.” He pulled out a kendo-stick and rested it against his shoulder.
Katsuya narrowed his eyes. “You shoulda invested in aluminum, ass-hole!” he declared.
...
Yuugi was running ahead of Honda and Anzu, the Millennium Puzzle clutched between his hands. Here and there he’d stop at the corner of an intersection and close his eyes, concentrating on Jonouchi and willing the Millennium Item around his neck to give him a direction. Then he would take off again just as his friends caught up to him. If he were to be honest, he’d have to admit that he had no idea what he was doing, but if Bakura could dowse with the Millennium Ring, why couldn’t he use the Millennium Puzzle the same way?
His other self was helping, focusing his energy on Jonouchi and the Puzzle while Yuugi kept his eyes open so he didn’t run into anything. They were getting close. The Puzzle had already led them into the Rintama neighborhood and Yuugi could feel something like a warm breeze ahead of him, guiding his steps. And then he suddenly became aware of sound, just before he turned the corner into an alley.
“Jonouchi-kun!” Yuugi shouted, spotting his friend as he slammed a baseball bat across Hirutani’s gut. “Oh my god! Stop! You’ll kill him!”
“He fucking deserves it!” Jonouchi snarled, shoving the end of the bat into Hirutani’s face as the other teen tried to lunge for a kendo-stick on the ground. “I am so sick of this bastard’s shit!”
“Jou!” Honda yelled, blowing right past Yuugi and tackling his friend. “Knock it off, stupid! Do you want to get arrested?”
“Who fuckin’ ask’t you?” Hirutani slurred, getting back to his feet and lurching towards Honda, his fist in the air. “Ta growd-ups are talkin’, Hon’a, go play wid your bitch frien’s!”
Jonouchi pulled the bat back to take another swing, and this time it looked like he was aiming for Hirutani’s head. Honda grabbed the bat with both hands and wrenched it away. “I said knock it off!” he shouted.
Disarmed, Jonouchi instead decided to kick Hirutani, managing to catch him in the center of the chest and send him slamming back into the ground.
Yuugi felt himself being pushed back and then suddenly his body was moving, darting in front of Jonouchi and delivering a solid shove that sent him stumbling backwards. “That’s enough, Jonouchi!” the Pharaoh declared. ‘’You’ve won this fight already.”
“Kk- l’k’ hell he h’s...” Hirutani growled, trying to push himself up off the ground.
“You’ve lost, Hirutani, just admit it,” the Pharaoh snapped, rounding on him. “Five more minutes and Jonouchi would have most likely ended your life.”
“F-fu’k you,” Hirutani snarled and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“You go anywhere near Bakura and I’ll finish the job!” Jonouchi promised through gritted teeth.
Hirutani laughed. “You thin’ I’d led a pun’ li’e you mess this ub fo me?” he sneered. He hacked and spat again, clearing his throat and managing to speak more clearly. “Tha’ little bitch is the jackpot. Slut’ll do anything if I say I’m takin’ off.”
Jonouchi growled and started to come forward, but Yuugi’s hands came up again and pushed him back sharply. Then the Pharaoh rounded on Hirutani, glaring a moment before lunging forward and slapping his palm against his forehead. Hirutani’s eyes went wide and he started to gasp, and then he slumped, staring blankly.
“... What’d you do to him?” Honda asked quietly.
“It’s not permanent,” the Pharaoh said dismissively. “But it should leave an impression.”
“Are you guys okay?” Anzu’s voice yelled down the Alley.
“Yeah, it’s over,” Jonouchi shouted back, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand and examining the faint smear of blood it left behind.
“Jonouchi you’re an idiot!” Anzu shrieked.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever!”
“You’re really stupid!” she insisted.
“Fine! Sure! Do you want to go find Bakura now or what?” Jonouchi snapped.
“No,” Yuugi said quietly, sliding back into his body like a coat. “You guys, could you let me talk to him? This is something... He’s going to feel like we’re ganging up on him if we all go... Can you please let me talk to him today?”
Anzu cast him a worried look as they approached the mouth of the alley. Honda dropped a hand onto his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this alone, Yuugi,” he said quietly.
“No, I need to,” Yuugi said shaking his head. “I owe him that. Please, just give me today. There’s things... There’s stuff that you don’t really get- you can’t get because it’s so strange and it hasn’t happened to you and- and I can’t explain what it feels like... But I think in some ways I know Bakura-kun best...” he glanced down at the Millennium Puzzle, hanging from his neck and clutched between his hands, “when it comes to this...”
Honda and Jonouchi were quiet. Anzu frowned at the ground for a few moments and then looked back up at him. “Okay, Yuugi.”
…
* By the way, in Japanese schools, the teachers move between classrooms while the students stay in the same room all day. I've been writing this fic with that as granted, and it occured to me that it might be slightly confusing to readers who aren't familiar with this difference. So really, my use of the phrase 'passing-period' isn't quite correct in Japanese terms, because the students don't move about, but I felt like if I called it something else it would just get confusing and over-complicate the issue.
** Senbei- Japanese crackers/biscuits, like a hard rice-cake, commonly glazed with sweet soy-sauce.
*** Japanese teenagers seem to use the threat ‘I’ll kill you’ really liberally. It’s kind of disturbing.
A/N:
Oh my God, this chapter was hard to write. Remember back at the end of chapter three when I said I’d gotten through the awkward middle-bits and now I knew what I was doing and it would be easier to finish? I didn’t really think Point A to Point B through on this part of the story, so I knew that I had to go get Hirutani introduced to the rest of the crew, then beat up, but I didn’t actually have a plan in my head for how that was all going to go down, apparently. So now that Point B has been accomplished here, that leads me back into srs business plot scenes that I’ve had planned out from close to the start of this fic, and also brings us up to the climax.
Author: Fictatious
Character(s): Bakura Ryou, Hirutani, Mutou Yuugi, Jonouchi Katsuya, Honda Hiroto, Mazaki Anzu
Rating: M
Warnings: Violence and lots of swearing
Summary: Post Battle City, Bakura Ryou finds himself adrift, with no memories of his darker half and no understanding of what is making him so lonely. Yami Bakura is being 'reconditioned' to better serve the darkness. This is a sequel to Delusions and Bad Religion.
Previous: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four
Chapter Summary: Joey is not the goddamn Batman, but he does his best.
Yuugi kept glancing at Bakura, his lips curved into a little frown, all through the morning. They hadn't seen much of him that week. He'd started running home right after school again, which seemed to mean that there was a new boy-friend in the picture. And today... today he'd come to school with a purplish mark just under his left eye. It was faint, not a true 'shiner,' but it was definitely there. And it was terrifying Yuugi.
That kind of bruise didn't come from tripping or walking into a door. That was an intentional kind of bruise. He'd seen Jonouchi sporting or acquiring enough black-eyes to know what they looked like. Yuugi wasn't all that worried when Jounochi got a new black eye, because it was usually a result of him losing his temper and rushing into a fight; it wasn't good, but it was more or less expected from him. Bakura didn't get into fights. He got picked on sometimes, but that just resulted in Jounochi getting into yet another fight in Bakura's defense. There was no good reason that Bakura should have a black eye.
The first passing-period, Yuugi had made small-talk with him, during the course of which he had asked “Are you okay?” several times. The second passing-period, he tried asking about the bruise, which Bakura completely denied the existence of and insisted that Yuugi was seeing things. At that point Anzu had nearly started yelling at him, before the math teacher came into the room* and called the class to order.
Finally lunch came, and the thirty-minute reprieve from classes left a more suitable length of time to interrogate their friend. “Bakura! Stop being evasive!” Anzu snapped as soon as the door had closed behind Mr. Yamada. “Who the hell gave you that bruise?!”
Bakura jumped slightly in his seat and flustered at Anzu’s directness, seeming to flounder and cast about for a satisfactory answer before replying. “It- it’s not- You don’t need to make a big deal. It was just a cooking accident!”
“Cooking accidents burn your fingers, they don’t give you black eyes!” Anzu planted her feet in front of Bakura’s desk, her hands on her hips, and glared down at him.
“N-no, it wasn’t- I wasn’t at the stove, it was the cabinet!” Bakura insisted. “I wasn’t looking and- and I forgot I left it open!”
“That was not a cabinet,” Jounochi said darkly, grabbing Bakura’s chin and pulling his face up towards the light for a better look. “What do you think, Honda? How many kilos of force would that take?”
Honda perched on Jounochi’s vacated desk and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering the bruise. “More than a cabinet could do... Unless somebody smacked him with a cabinet?”
“It was an accident!” Bakura half-shouted.
“Bakura-kun, please!” Yuugi pleaded, putting a hand over Bakura’s shoulder and squeezing it. “We’re your friends! Please tell us what happened!”
“I already did!” Bakura snapped, pushing Yuugi’s hand away and reaching for his bag. He pulled out his lunchbox and started to opened it up, ignoring them.
“You’re lying!” Anzu slammed her hands down on the lid of his lunchbox, snapping it back shut, and glared, nose-to-nose with Bakura.
Bakura jerked back at her sudden movement and closed his eyes. Yuugi bit his lip, Anzu’s forcefulness not bothering him nearly as much as Bakura’s bizarre reaction to it. “What was that?” Anzu demanded as Bakura opened his eyes and peaked back at her again. “Why are you flinching at me? Who do you think is going to hit you?!”
“That’s not- you’re just too loud! You hurt my ears!” Bakura protested, shaking his head.
“Bullshit,” Jounochi spat. “What, do you think we’re stupid?!”
“Stop yelling at him!” Yuugi burst out, balling his fists at his sides. “You’re making it worse!”
Jounochi faltered, glancing at Yuugi with a worried, unsure expression. “But... What am I supposed to do! He keeps trying to feed me this crap about a cabinet!”
“Well don’t yell!” Yuugi shook his head. “That’s not going to help anything!”
“Shut up!” Bakura nearly screamed, shoving Yuugi away as he scrambled out of his seat. “Leave me alone!” he started towards the classroom door, apparently having given up on the lunch Anzu had confiscated from him.
Yuugi caught his wrist and gave him a pleading, miserable look when Bakura glanced back at him. “But you hate being alone, Bakura-kun,” he said quietly.
A jumbled series of emotions played across Bakura’s face in the span of a few seconds, before he shook Yuugi off again and bolted out the door.
...
They tried to corner him after school, but apparently Bakura had anticipated that and he managed to sneak away without any of them catching him. “That moron,” Jounochi growled. “What the hell did he get himself into?”
“... I have to work today,” Anzu said in a quiet, bitter voice.
“That’s okay,” Yuugi said, giving her a smile that he wasn’t really feeling. “You go to work. We’ll take care of Bakura-kun. Don’t worry.”
Anzu looked down at him and tried to smile back, but she looked about as convinced as he was. “I- I’ll call you on my break,” she said, before she started walking in the direction of Burger World.
They watched her leave quietly and stood still for a while after she’d turned the corner out of sight before Honda broke the silence. “Do you have a plan, Yuugi?”
“... I... I guess we should go to Bakura’s apartment and try to talk to him again...” Yuugi said quietly. “I mean... It was probably bad to attack him in school like that, with all our classmates listening... It was probably really embarrassing and... I guess I’d be mad if somebody started dragging out my personal life in public like that... We should apologize to him.”
Jounochi snorted. “If he’d just talk to us we wouldn’t have to start yelling in front of the whole class,” he grumbled.
“... It’s not his fault he’s like this,” Yuugi mumbled.
Honda’s hand landed softly on Yuugi’s head. “It’s not your fault either,” he said quietly. “All this magic stuff and everything that’s been happening lately, it’s way over all our heads.”
“Well I may not get that sort of thing,” Jonouchi growled. “But I’m totally on the level with beating the shit out of whoever hit Bakura.”
“Just try to do it without traumatizing Bakura any more, Jou,” Honda said in a stern voice. “No going crazy. Let’s follow Yuugi’s lead on this one, okay?”
“Yeah, fine, whatever,” Jounochi grumbled, crossing his arms and looking sulky.
“Okay, well,” Yuugi took a steadying breath and squared himself, “let’s go then.”
...
Ryou could hear the television on when he pushed open the door to his apartment. “I’m home!” he called, closing the door behind him and slipping off his shoes.
“We’re out of senbei**,” Hirutani’s voice called back to him.
“Ah? Really? I can pick up more tomorrow when I go to the grocery store,” Ryou said, putting his bag next to the door and walking into the living room.
Hirutani turned his attention from the TV to give Ryou and irritated glare. “Did I say we were going to run out tomorrow?” he demanded.
Ryou took a tiny step backwards and his breath caught. “N-no, I’m sorry, that’s really lazy of me,” he mumbled. “I- I can get some at the convenience store right now.”
Hirutani turned back to the TV, placated. “Make dinner first. I’m meeting my people, so I want to eat early,” he instructed.
“Of course,” Ryou nodded, smiling. “Do you know how late you’ll be out tonight?”
“Would it be any of your goddamned business if I did?”
“I’m sorry,” Ryou lowered his head a bit and moved into the kitchen. The TV continued to blare in the background as he pulled meat from the fridge and put it on the cutting board and then set up the rice-cooker and got it started. He’d finished cutting the meat and moved it aside into a bowl while he washed the cutting board to slice up vegetables, when the doorbell rang. He paused, his train of thought interrupted, staring down at the carrot he was washing for a moment, and it rang again.
“Someone’s at the fucking door, stupid,” Hirutani called from the couch.
“Y-yes! Sorry!” Ryou stammered, setting down his knife and wiping his hands against his pants. He walked around the counter and went to open the door, wondering vaguely if it was one of Hirutani’s gangmates. Ryou had received a couple of calls on his cell phone asking for Hirutani and he was curious if he had given them his address as well.
When he opened the door, he felt as though the bottom dropped out of his stomach. Ryou’s friends were standing on his porch, frowning at him. “W-what are you doing here?” he asked, his voice coming out as something akin to a whisper and he started to feel panic swelling in his chest.
“Who the fuck is it?” Hirutani’s voice demanded from the living room.
A strange expression came over Jonouchi’s face and he was suddenly shoving past Ryou, walking into the apartment unannounced and uninvited. “J-jonouchi-kun! What are you--!” Ryou started, panicking and chasing him. Hirutani had stood up and looked wary as they turned the corner. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Jonouchi and then narrowed again and a smirk spread across his lips.
“You!” Jonouchi hissed, his entire frame taut and trembling slightly. Ryou didn’t think he’d ever seen his friend look quite this angry before.
“... Jonouchi Katsuya,” Hirutani said with a hint of a laugh in his voice. “Long time no see.”
A few unintelligible sounds came out of Jonouchi’s mouth before he finally managed to snarl out, “I’m gonna fucking kill you, bastard!”
Ryou gasped and grabbed Jonouchi’s arm, pulling him back as the other teen started to surge forward. “Jonouchi-kun! Stop it! What are you doing?!”
Hirutani started laughing. “Oh this is too fucking rich!” he exclaimed. “I knew you went to the same school, but you mean to tell me this bitch is one of your precious little friends, Jonouchi?!” he asked, pointing to Ryou and wearing a manic grin. “Just when I thought things couldn’t get better!”
“You son of a bitch!” Jonouchi screamed, and Ryou only managed to hold onto him because Honda had grabbed Jounochi’s other arm. “Nobody’s gonna recognize your goddamned body!”
“Stop it! Stop it!” Ryou wailed, clinging to Jonouchi’s arm and feeling hysteria take hold of him. “Why are you doing this?!”
“Yuugi, what do we do?” Honda’s voice demanded and Ryou turned his eyes to where Yuugi was standing, slightly behind them, his face pale and eyes wide. “Yuugi!” Honda called again, trying to snap him out of his trance.
Yuugi’s entire countenance suddenly changed; he stood up straighter, he seemed taller, his face hardened and a strange sense of power seemed to seep out of him like some sort of glow. He sprang forward, dashing across the room and slamming Hirutani back into the wall, one hand clamping around his wrist and the other on his throat. Ryou’s mouth dropped open in shock at the display of strength and aggression that his diminutive friend should not have had.
“Have you forgotten what happens when you hurt my friends, Hirutani?” Yuugi demanded in a low, icy voice that made Ryou’s blood run cold. Something about it, the sight, the sound of this strange, different Yuugi was filling him by equal measure with terror and rage.
Jonouchi had stopped struggling and he and Honda were just staring at Yuugi too, seeming as frozen and rooted to the floor as Ryou felt. Hirutani made a strange, angry gurgling noise, Yuugi’s hand on his neck must have been choking him quite strongly, and Ryou felt a fresh lance of fear tear through him that seemed to shatter something deep inside.
The next thing he knew, he was grabbing the back of Yuugi’s shirt, throwing him at the ground and screaming. He landed on top of Yuugi, his knees hitting the floor hard, and punched him before the small teen could react but to look shocked. There was a commotion around him, but he barely registered it as he swung again.
This time Yuugi caught his punch and quickly secured his other hand as well. “Bakura! Listen to me!”
“I won’t let you take him away!” Ryou screamed, struggling to get his hands free, but Yuugi was just so absurdly strong for some reason.
“You don’t understand!” Yuugi protested.
“MURDERER!” the accusation slipped past Ryou’s lips without conscious decision. He couldn’t have said why he chose it, but some part of him knew it was the right word.
Strange emotions flashed across Yuugi’s face and then he shoved Ryou away and clamored to his feet. Ryou hit the floor and then sprang up again just as fast. “Get out of my home!” he shouted. “You’ve no right to be here!”
Yuugi stared at him for a moment and the room was silent, then he turned and walked towards the front door. “Y-Yuugi?” Jonouchi called.
“He’s right,” Yuugi said, his voice still strong and dark, but quiet now. “It’s his home. And I don’t have the right.”
“We’re not really gonna just leave, are we?” Honda asked, incredulity coloring his voice.
“I am,” Yuugi answered, looking pointedly at them, and then turning down the hall. The door opened and shut.
Honda and Jonouchi looked back at him and Ryou’s eyes narrowed. He spread out his arms, standing in front of Hirutani who was, for once, quiet. “You’ll have to go through me first,” he growled.
“... Bakura, can we please just talk to you?” Honda asked, his eyes dark and serious.
“No,” Ryou said through gritted teeth. “Get out of my home.”
“... Okay.”
“W-what?! Honda!” Jonouchi protested, resisting as Honda dragged him to the hall. “What are you doing?!”
The door opened and closed again on the sounds of Jonouchi’s objections.
Ryou’s arms dropped limply to his sides and his knees gave out. He found himself sitting on the floor, his limbs aching and his entire body trembling. There was silence for several minutes and then a hand landed on his hair. “... Dinner,” Hirutani reminded.
“Yes.” Ryou nodded and returned to the kitchen.
...
The other Yuugi was standing at the curb, leaned against a bicycle rack, when Honda and Jounochi reached the bottom of the stairs. Jonouchi was livid. “What is wrong with you guys! We can’t just leave Bakura with that bastard! He’s gonna fucking wake up dead tomorrow!”
“Calm down, Jonouchi,” the Pharaoh said in an uncharacteristically subdued voice. “Hirutani isn’t going to kill him. He wants to taunt us.” He looked up at the apartment building, frowning softly. “Most likely Bakura will come to school with new, and obvious, bruises tomorrow,” he predicted, “and with Hirutani’s version of what happened last year.”
“And you’re just going to let that happen?!” Jonouchi shouted.
“Jou, we need to get them apart,” Honda said quietly. “We can’t talk to him when Hirutani’s around. He’s too on edge.”
“So what! You just want to wait until that shit does something worse to him?!”
“Like Honda said. We need to separate them and talk to Bakura alone,” the Pharaoh’s voice was calm as he turned and started walking up the street.
“You’re leaving in less than a week!” Jonouchi protested. “What are you just going to trot off to Egypt and leave Bakura to get brutalized by that fucking psycho?! We don’t have time to let the honeymoon end or something!”
“I am aware of that, Jonouchi,” the Pharaoh said quietly. “Now that we know what we’re dealing with, we can plan to isolate Hirutani. We would have much higher odds of success if we made a plan and executed it tomorrow, rather than blundering ahead right now... Besides, Bakura is too... volatile, at this moment. He needs time to calm down.”
“What, because he almost remembered that he hates you?” Jonouchi growled.
The Pharaoh paused, looking back at him, and Jonouchi felt very odd and uncomfortable under that gaze. “... Because he’s transferring emotion. He is unwittingly making Hirutani a surrogate for the feelings of possessiveness he had for the Millennium Ring.”
“... So you think he’s starting to remember it?” Jonouchi said quietly.
“No. The spirit of the Millennium Ring was just a stand-in as well,” the Pharaoh said, shaking his head. “He used it to cope with the loss of his family. Now he’s again searching for a new subject to anchor his emotional distress over that tragedy.”
...
Kanaye felt shaken. Not just by the reappearance of that scary-ass psycho split-personality kid, but by the way mild little Bakura Ryou had attacked him. Apparently he did have fight in him after all; Kanaye would have to maintain the pecking order carefully and make sure Ryou didn’t get any ideas.
He carefully refocused the thrill of adrenalin that had been left in the wake of psycho-kid into anger as he quietly composed himself in front of the television, listening to Ryou chop vegetables. By the time Ryou carried dinner over to the table, Kanaye had successfully banished anxiety from his mind and turned all his feelings about the encounter into suspicion and blame against the other teen.
Kanaye rose up off of the couch and walked over to the table as Ryou straightened up and smiled sweetly at him, that pathetic, hopeful look that begged for a scrap of praise. Rather than settling himself at the table, however, Kanaye stepped right up to Ryou and grabbed a handful of his hair. Ryou yelped as he was yanked sideways and thrown to the ground.
“Hi-Hiru-“ he started to whimper.
“What the fuck were you trying to do, bringing those guys in here?!” Kanaye demanded. “You set this up, didn’t you! Trying to get your buddies to take me out! I oughta fucking kill you!”***
“N-no!” Ryou protested, curling his arms into himself and casting a pleading look up at Hirutani. “I didn’t know they were coming! I didn’t even let them in! Jonouchi pushed me!”
“Shut the fuck up!” Kanaye snapped, swinging back his foot to give Ryou a good, solid kick in the ribs.
An image, or a thought, just a faint suggestion, flashed through his mind suddenly. Kanaye got the impression of something terrifying, huge and dark and scaled, with glowing, blue eyes and a massive, open mouth rushing towards him. And just as suddenly, a jolt of pain shot through the leg he was balanced on, biting into him and making him loose his footing.
He slammed down next to Ryou, cussing and grabbing at his leg. “Fuck! What the fuck?!” he spat, grimacing.
“Are you okay?!” Ryou exclaimed, crouching on his hands and knees in front of Kanaye, looking worried. “What happened?”
“Shut the fuck up!” Hirutani said again, through gritted teeth.
There will be no kicking.
Hirutani’s head snapped up, glaring at Ryou. “What the fuck did you say?!” he demanded.
“I-” Ryou hesitated, biting his lip. “I asked if you were okay? Is it a charley horse? Maybe you need more calcium! I- I’ll make soup!”
“Shut up! It’s nothing!” Kanaye snapped, climbing back to his feet, though his leg still protested. He plopped down again next to the table and started shoveling the dinner Ryou had made into his mouth, eating it quickly so he could get out of here for a while.
Something about this whole situation was starting to creep him out.
...
Bakura did not have any new injuries when he came to school the next day. Yuugi waited for him to sit down and then shuffled up to Bakura’s desk, hands behind his back and head lowered sheepishly. “Bakura-kun,” Yuugi said quietly. “I- I’m sorry about what happened... I... I was out of line. I just got scared when I saw that guy in your apartment... I’ve met him before...”
“Please take your seats!” the homeroom teacher called, walking into the classroom.
Yuugi reluctantly walked over and slid down into his seat, biting his lip. He glanced back over at Bakura and then froze, realizing that the desk next to Bakura’s was empty. Jonouchi’s desk. He whipped his head around and scanned the classroom, searching for his friend but only finding Honda and Anzu, looking equally worried.
...
The school would call his dad when he didn’t show up. But his dad would be too drunk to remember why he was angry by the time Katsuya got home. He’d probably be too drunk to notice a few new bruises too. Though, Katsuya fully intended to look a lot better than Hirutani at the end of the day.
A teenager carrying a baseball bat around the streets looks suspicious. He might as well just wear a bright red T-shirt with ‘THUG’ written across the front. But a teenager carrying a bat and glove looks positively wholesome. That is, of course, assuming Katsuya didn’t run into anybody who knew him well enough to know that he hadn’t played baseball since he was ten. The fact that he was out in the streets during school hours, however, negated the wholesome effects of the baseball glove and dropped him back into the ‘suspicious’ category.
He stayed off the main streets though, keeping to the alleys and side streets of the Rintama High neighborhood and quietly looking around. For now he was scouting. He didn’t know (and rather doubted) if Hirutani had gone to school, but even if he hadn’t, he’d be in the area sooner or later. This was his gang’s ‘turf’ so he was sure to show up sometime.
...
“He’s not picking up,” Honda growled, holding his cell phone to his ear. “That stupid jerk...”
“He went after Hirutani, didn’t he...” Yuugi whispered, his stomach in knots at the thought of what happened the last time Jonouchi had tried to take on Hirutani’s gang alone.
“That- that moron!” Anzu shouted, attracting the attention of the rest of the class, who looked at the trio curiously for a moment. Anzu dropped her voice to an angry murmur. “This is just so- so like him!”
“What do we do?” Yuugi asked. “Should we try to sneak out? I- I could pretend to be sick, and Grandpa would probably tell the school it was alright to send me home...”
“No way my mom would give me a pass,” Honda grimaced. “Even when I am sick she thinks I’m faking.”
“Take your seats!” Mister Yamada called as he breezed into the classroom and pulled down the projector screen.
...
At lunch, Bakura promptly disappeared before anyone could intercept him. “Damn it!” Yuugi cursed. “Damn it! This is the worst timing!”
“At least we know where he is right now,” Anzu said, shaking her head. “What if Jonouchi’s got his head bashed open and he’s stuffed in a dumpster or something!”
“Anzu! What the hell is wrong with you!” Honda gave her a horrified look.
“He could be,” Anzu mumbled and bit her lip.
“These guys like to congregate in the afternoon and evening, Anzu,” Honda assured her. “Jou probably hasn’t even found Hirutani yet, he’s just trying to set up a plan so that he can get Hirutani on his own and fight him without the rest of the gang. He’s not stupid enough to take them all on alone.”
“You are giving him way too much credit, Honda,” Anzu gave him a withering look. “Jonouchi isn’t that smart.”
“Anzu, this isn’t funny!” Yuugi protested. “... Finding him should be our first priority though. As soon as they open the gate, we should try to find him and make sure he hasn’t gotten himself into trouble.”
“Agreed,” Honda said with a nod. “Assuming Jou is keeping Hirutani busy, Bakura should be safe on his own for an hour or two.”
...
Just after 3:30, Katsuya spotted Hirutani and his loud-mouthed henchman Inoue. Inoue was all bark and no bite. He probably joined the gang just so he could say whatever the hell he wanted about anyone without fear of reprisal. Katsuya wondered how that was working out for him. Last time he’d seen Inoue, the dickless douche-bag was sprawled out unconscious and bleeding from just one punch.
Now he and Hirutani were leaning against the wall of an alley, attending to their nicotine addictions. Katsuya set his jaw and strode into the alley, baseball-bat clenched firmly in his right hand.
“Jonouchi!” Inoue exclaimed, spotting him. He leapt away from the wall and set his feet in a ready stance, taking in the bat and whatever expression Katsuya must have had on his face. “What the fuck do you want?!” he demanded, cigarette clenched between his teeth.
Hirutani cast him a bored glare. He pushed himself away from the wall and flicked his cigarette away. “He just wants to cry about me punking one of his little bitch friends,” he said dismissively.
“You don’t know what you’re messing with, getting involved with Bakura. I’m probably going to do you a big favor right now,” Katsuya said, coming to a stop a few meters away from the two thugs.
Hirutani laughed. “What I’m messing with? That little bitch was a fucking find! Keeps the house clean, dinner on the table and he knows his fucking place! Perfect goddamned wife!”
Katsuya growled. “He’s not your wife and I’m gonna beat the shit out of you until you can’t remember where he lives!”
“You stupid, Jonouchi, or can ya just not count?” Inoue laughed. “It’s two against one dick-face!”
“Please, the bat’s worth three of you, puss-bucket!” Katsuya sneered. “I could knock you over with a cooked noodle!”
“You’re pretty confident, ain’t ya,” Hirutani chuckled as Inoue seethed. “You think you’re the only one who came prepared for a fight today? I knew you and your stupid bleeding-heart would be coming around here.” He pulled out a kendo-stick and rested it against his shoulder.
Katsuya narrowed his eyes. “You shoulda invested in aluminum, ass-hole!” he declared.
...
Yuugi was running ahead of Honda and Anzu, the Millennium Puzzle clutched between his hands. Here and there he’d stop at the corner of an intersection and close his eyes, concentrating on Jonouchi and willing the Millennium Item around his neck to give him a direction. Then he would take off again just as his friends caught up to him. If he were to be honest, he’d have to admit that he had no idea what he was doing, but if Bakura could dowse with the Millennium Ring, why couldn’t he use the Millennium Puzzle the same way?
His other self was helping, focusing his energy on Jonouchi and the Puzzle while Yuugi kept his eyes open so he didn’t run into anything. They were getting close. The Puzzle had already led them into the Rintama neighborhood and Yuugi could feel something like a warm breeze ahead of him, guiding his steps. And then he suddenly became aware of sound, just before he turned the corner into an alley.
“Jonouchi-kun!” Yuugi shouted, spotting his friend as he slammed a baseball bat across Hirutani’s gut. “Oh my god! Stop! You’ll kill him!”
“He fucking deserves it!” Jonouchi snarled, shoving the end of the bat into Hirutani’s face as the other teen tried to lunge for a kendo-stick on the ground. “I am so sick of this bastard’s shit!”
“Jou!” Honda yelled, blowing right past Yuugi and tackling his friend. “Knock it off, stupid! Do you want to get arrested?”
“Who fuckin’ ask’t you?” Hirutani slurred, getting back to his feet and lurching towards Honda, his fist in the air. “Ta growd-ups are talkin’, Hon’a, go play wid your bitch frien’s!”
Jonouchi pulled the bat back to take another swing, and this time it looked like he was aiming for Hirutani’s head. Honda grabbed the bat with both hands and wrenched it away. “I said knock it off!” he shouted.
Disarmed, Jonouchi instead decided to kick Hirutani, managing to catch him in the center of the chest and send him slamming back into the ground.
Yuugi felt himself being pushed back and then suddenly his body was moving, darting in front of Jonouchi and delivering a solid shove that sent him stumbling backwards. “That’s enough, Jonouchi!” the Pharaoh declared. ‘’You’ve won this fight already.”
“Kk- l’k’ hell he h’s...” Hirutani growled, trying to push himself up off the ground.
“You’ve lost, Hirutani, just admit it,” the Pharaoh snapped, rounding on him. “Five more minutes and Jonouchi would have most likely ended your life.”
“F-fu’k you,” Hirutani snarled and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“You go anywhere near Bakura and I’ll finish the job!” Jonouchi promised through gritted teeth.
Hirutani laughed. “You thin’ I’d led a pun’ li’e you mess this ub fo me?” he sneered. He hacked and spat again, clearing his throat and managing to speak more clearly. “Tha’ little bitch is the jackpot. Slut’ll do anything if I say I’m takin’ off.”
Jonouchi growled and started to come forward, but Yuugi’s hands came up again and pushed him back sharply. Then the Pharaoh rounded on Hirutani, glaring a moment before lunging forward and slapping his palm against his forehead. Hirutani’s eyes went wide and he started to gasp, and then he slumped, staring blankly.
“... What’d you do to him?” Honda asked quietly.
“It’s not permanent,” the Pharaoh said dismissively. “But it should leave an impression.”
“Are you guys okay?” Anzu’s voice yelled down the Alley.
“Yeah, it’s over,” Jonouchi shouted back, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand and examining the faint smear of blood it left behind.
“Jonouchi you’re an idiot!” Anzu shrieked.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever!”
“You’re really stupid!” she insisted.
“Fine! Sure! Do you want to go find Bakura now or what?” Jonouchi snapped.
“No,” Yuugi said quietly, sliding back into his body like a coat. “You guys, could you let me talk to him? This is something... He’s going to feel like we’re ganging up on him if we all go... Can you please let me talk to him today?”
Anzu cast him a worried look as they approached the mouth of the alley. Honda dropped a hand onto his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this alone, Yuugi,” he said quietly.
“No, I need to,” Yuugi said shaking his head. “I owe him that. Please, just give me today. There’s things... There’s stuff that you don’t really get- you can’t get because it’s so strange and it hasn’t happened to you and- and I can’t explain what it feels like... But I think in some ways I know Bakura-kun best...” he glanced down at the Millennium Puzzle, hanging from his neck and clutched between his hands, “when it comes to this...”
Honda and Jonouchi were quiet. Anzu frowned at the ground for a few moments and then looked back up at him. “Okay, Yuugi.”
…
* By the way, in Japanese schools, the teachers move between classrooms while the students stay in the same room all day. I've been writing this fic with that as granted, and it occured to me that it might be slightly confusing to readers who aren't familiar with this difference. So really, my use of the phrase 'passing-period' isn't quite correct in Japanese terms, because the students don't move about, but I felt like if I called it something else it would just get confusing and over-complicate the issue.
** Senbei- Japanese crackers/biscuits, like a hard rice-cake, commonly glazed with sweet soy-sauce.
*** Japanese teenagers seem to use the threat ‘I’ll kill you’ really liberally. It’s kind of disturbing.
A/N:
Oh my God, this chapter was hard to write. Remember back at the end of chapter three when I said I’d gotten through the awkward middle-bits and now I knew what I was doing and it would be easier to finish? I didn’t really think Point A to Point B through on this part of the story, so I knew that I had to go get Hirutani introduced to the rest of the crew, then beat up, but I didn’t actually have a plan in my head for how that was all going to go down, apparently. So now that Point B has been accomplished here, that leads me back into srs business plot scenes that I’ve had planned out from close to the start of this fic, and also brings us up to the climax.