Summary: Five trips to the counselor's office, five outside events, and one guy that just wouldn't give up. Ten moments that changed the course of Jou's life forever. Preseries, MidddleSchoolJou, Oneshot.

Warnings: Some strong language and swear words (the F-bomb is dropped a few times, so be warned). Based off of manga-canon. Set preseries during Jou's middle-school years.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. There are, however, a few original characters interspersed through the fic.

So, this plot bunny hit me while I was re-reading my volumes of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and, knowing that my plot bunny would break through the fence and eat all the vegetables unless I wrote, I typed my heart out and got this story done.

Enjoy!

OOOO

More Than You Are

ONE

Ookita looked up when the door swung open, folding his hands on the desktop. In the doorway stood two figures: the PE teacher Miyata, who was stereotypically buff and muscular and looked like he'd stepped out of a high-school-themed manga; and Jounouchi Katsuya, a surly looking student who had, by grace of God, managed to stay under the radar and out of the counselor's office. Until now.

Miyata bowed his head respectfully to Ookita, shoving the teen into the room. The student turned, actually spitting at the teacher as Miyata shut the door. The projectile hit the door with a small 'splat' and slid down the polished wood. Ignoring the mess, Jou turned, hands fisted deep in his pockets, and slouched to the other empty chair.

Ookita smiled genially at the boy, ignoring the defiant behavior. "Good afternoon, Jounouchi-kun."

Jou's scowl deepened, his eyes rolling uninterestedly towards the window. "Whatever."

Looking down at the disciplinary report in front of him, the counselor asked, "Do you know why you're here, Jounouchi-kun?"

Jou shifted, his gaze locked firmly out the window. He didn't say anything.

"Jounouchi-kun?"

Amber eyes flicked towards him, just for a moment, then returned to the window. "Because Shibata is a wuss."

"You beat Shibata-kun unconscious, Jounouchi-kun. He almost had to be taken to the hospital. Why?"

The teen slouched even further in the seat, stubbornly glaring out the window. Ookita could see the teen's jaw tightening. "Who cares?"

With a shake of his head Ookita leaned back, crossing his hands over his stomach. "I'm trying to understand your motivation, that's all. Shibata-kun's parents and several other teachers want to suspend you. I'd rather not see that happen."

A small, disbelieving sound of scorn left the student, but he didn't still say anything.

Sighing softly to himself over youth's stubbornness, Ookita leaned forward. He should have known this wouldn't be easy. Most middle-schoolers had trouble opening up in the first place, what with puberty turning them into surly teenagers. That attitude was only escalated in delinquents.

"Witnesses say Shibata-kun was talking to you," Ookita said as the silence neared a pointed of awkwardness. He watched Jou, having already read the disciplinary report twice. "They claim that you leapt upon him without provocation in the middle of your conversation."

Jou visibly bristled at that, his words laced with venom. "Shibata's an idiot bigot. He deserved what he got."

Keeping his voice level, not wanting to aggravate Jou back into silence, Ookita prodded gently. "What did he say, Jounouchi-kun?"

For the first time since coming in, Jou right looked at him, eyes blazing. "He called me a fucking gaijin. Just because my hair isn't black, I'm gaijin"? I haven't even been out of Domino!" As though realizing what he'd just admitted, his face closed off and he slumped back in his seat.

Before Ookita could respond, the teen cut in, his voice flat and disinterested. "Look, I know how this works. Just give me my lecture and detention or whatever and send me off. I don't give a damn."

Mentally, Ookita knew he should do just as Jou suggested and get it over with. Some students just couldn't be helped, especially if they didn't want it. But Ookita thought he'd seen…something in the boy's eyes during the outburst, something that said maybe, just maybe, Jou wasn't beyond help.

Maybe Jou could be saved.

"I'm not going to lecture you, or preach, or try to help unless you want me to." Jou's eyes flickered towards him, confused. Ookita leaned forward, hoping his words made an impact.

"I don't know what you're battling, Jounouchi-kun, and I'm not going to pry. I just have a question. The fights, the delinquency…is it helping?"

Silence met his query. That was alright. Ookita wasn't expecting an answer. Not yet.

Leaning back, Ookita scribbled on a notepad, ripping the sheet off and holding it out to the boy. "You won't be suspended. But you will have to attend after-school detention for three weeks. Try not to get in anymore fights. Oh, and Jounouchi-kun?" he called, an afterthought as the boy moved to leave.

The teen paused, hand on the doorknob. Ookita smiled gently.

"Make sure you clean my door before you go."

TWO

"So what'd Oobaka want to talk to you about?"

Jou hardly glanced up as Hirutani plopped down beside him, beer in one hand, lit cigarette in the other. Despite being the same age as Jou, Hirutani had been drinking for two years and smoking longer than that.

Avoiding the question completely, Jou nodded towards the cigarette. "That stuff'll kill ya, y'know."

The response he got to that was a stream of cigarette smoke blown into his face. Habit kept him from choking. Hirutani did this a lot when he was being an ass ---which was most of the time. "You should try it yourself. Might relax ya a bit."

"Nah, I'm good. There are better ways to die." The teen leaned back, propping his feet on the scarred table in front of the ratty couch.

"Then have a beer, my friend. Rio, get a beer for Jou!" Hirutani slung an arm over Jou's shoulder, watching the rest of the room with the eyes of a predator, waiting to see which of his gang he could tear down and use to his own ends. Jou saw Rio, a scrawny newcomer to the gang, jump and scurry towards the cooler. Jou didn't particularly want the beer, but he took it when Rio offered, clicking tops with Hirutani. "Kanpai."

"Kanpai, my man." They both took a sip, and Jou swallowed and cradled the bottle in his lap.

"So what'd Oobaka say? Did he give you his 'you can do better than you are, be more than you are' speech?"

Damn. Jou hoped Hirutani had dropped it. "Yeah, something like that," he muttered noncommittally and tonelessly. "Gave me detention," he added a moment later, feeling like something more was needed.

Hirutani guffawed, clapping Jou on the shoulder as he stood. "Well, relax, drink up. You got out of Oobaka's den with nothin' more than detention. That's cause for celebration!" Still laughing, he walked off, leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

Jou stayed where he was, nursing the beer in his lap. Dark eyes were cast his way, and he returned the looks with twice the glare. Hirutani's blatant favoritism towards Jou made internal enemies, and harsh mutters followed him when Hirutani wasn't around, but no threats were made ---out loud, at least. Jou could beat any of them up with one hand if he wanted to. Besides, he knew why they were annoyed, and tried not to let it bother him too much.

Jou was Hirutani's second in all but name.

"Is it helping?"

Scowl deepening at the intrusive thought, Jou shot back a sip of his beer, wincing as the nasty taste scraped across his tongue. He hated this stuff, hated how it reminded him of his drunk dad at home, but it did dull his thoughts and help him to forget. No wonder his dad drank so much.

Was this helping?

Not really. But it was better than going back to dear old dad.

He took another swallow of beer.

THREE

"I haven't gotten in a fight."

Ookita looked up. Jou hovered in the doorway, perpetual scowl across his face. Smiling, Ookita beckoned the student in. Warily, Jou entered, shuffling across the floor to the empty chair.

"I haven't gotten in a fight," Jou repeated, making sure Ookita knew of his innocence.

"I know," Ookita smiled, hands crossing over a stapled booklet on his desk. "And your detention is almost up. Good job. I actually want to ask you about a different matter." Pushing the booklet forward, he asked, "Do you know what this is?"

The teen barely glanced down. "It's a test."

The counselor suppressed a smile, nodding. "That's right. It's a special test called an aptitude test." He paused. "I'd like you to take it."

A harsh bark of laughter left the boy's mouth, and he rocked back in the chair. "You're off your rocker. I know how stupid I am. I don't need a test to prove it. Just ask any of my teachers."

"I know you think so," Ookita said slowly, trying not to push it too hard. Reports from most of Jou's teachers said the boy was lazy, a slacker, and dumb as well ---not necessarily in those terms. But Ookita didn't always take such reports at face-value. "But this is a different kind of test. I'd like you to take it."

Now Jou was watching him with open suspicion and hostility. "Why?"

"Humor me," he said simply, pushing the booklet at the boy. "You take the test, gain some points with me, and that'll be that." A little more insistently, he pushed the booklet across the desk. "It won't take more than an hour. You can use the corner of my desk." He'd already cleared a space.

Slowly, still radiating suspicion, Jou's hand crept out, picking up the booklet. He almost snatched the pencil from Ookita's hand, dragging his chair across the floor with much scraping and grumbled protests. He fell into the chair with a huff, flinging open the cover of the booklet, and made a point of letting Ookita know that he didn't like doing this at all.

But he was doing it.

Ookita bit back another smile, bending to his own papers. For nearly an hour, there were only the sounds of the ticking clock and the scratch of pencil on paper. But fifty-two minutes later, Jou stood, nearly throwing the booklet and pencil down in front of Ookita. His scowl was still plastered on his face.

"There, I did it. Can I go now?"

Ignoring the pencil as it rolled off the desk, Ookita peered up at Jou. "Why do you come to school, Jounouchi-kun?"

The teen stiffened, rocking back on his heels. "What?"

"Why do you come to school if you hate it so much?"

Like the first meeting, Jou's face closed off, his words becoming brittle with anger. "That's none of your damn business. Fuck off." With that parting shot, he left, slamming the door shut behind him.

Ookita smiled triumphantly, picking up the test booklet.

It was amazing how much a person could reveal when they didn't say anything at all.

FOUR

"Lemme get this straight. He called ya back to take a test?"

Jou shrugged, regretting mentioning it al at. "Hmm."

Hirutani sounded incredulous. "Like, what kind of test?"

"I don't know, it was just a stupid test. Drop it alright?"

Why'd Ookita have to bother, anyway? Jou had looked up what 'aptitude' meant, and he didn't get it. Ookita was testing his skills and smarts? Why? Jou knew he was an idiot only good at fighting and PE. What was Ookita after?

He couldn't figure it out, and it was pissing him off.

Hirutani stopped suddenly, eyes fixed across the street. "Hey guys, looks like someone's overstepping their bounds. Wanna teach 'em a lesson?" He cracked his knuckles, striding towards the group of high-schoolers on the opposite corner. The high-schoolers had already spotted the danger and were prepping for a fight.

Jou let a dark, feral grin cross his face, flexing his fingers. This was what he needed. This was what he was good at. Not stupid tests or stupid counselors who thought they could change hopeless kids like him. He didn't need any of that.

He just needed to fight.

Hirutani let out a shout, echoed by the gang members around him. Jou threw himself in, letting all his thoughts and worries disappear with the pain and adrenaline of battle.

And for a while, this was all there was.

FIVE

"You got into another fight."

This time it was Ookita coming into his office. Jou sat in the empty chair, fiddling with his fingers, and when Ookita's words sounded, his head snapped up. Ookita paused at the vivid bruise that discolored the boy's right eye, swelling purple. Other bruises and scrapes marred his face and hands, but the black eye was the most noticeable. It caught the eye, no pun intended.

Moving to his desk, the counselor sat down. Jou watched his progress, bangs hooding his eyes and keeping the counselor from reading the teen's expression clearly. Ookita paused a few moments, hoping Jou would say something. When the boy kept silent, Ookita sighed. "One of the boys ended up in the hospital, you know. His parents are thinking of pressing charges."

Jou shifted uncomfortably, but his face showed none of the uneasiness his body betrayed. "You can't prove I was there."

One eyebrow raised in question. "Really? Then how did you get those bruises and cuts and that stupendous black eye?"

Lips lifted from teeth in an expression no one could ever call a smile. More of a shark-like baring of teeth. "I fell."

Disbelief ringed Ookita's voice. "Fell." It wasn't a question.

Jou's voice became amused, as though he saw the whole thing as nothing more than a game. "Yup. I fell. Took a header right down the stairs last night. Miracle I didn't break anything, huh?"

With a sigh, Ookita pushed up his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Darn it, Jounouchi-kun, why can't you do something with yourself? Why do you have to make everyone believe you're nothing more than a thug?"

Again Jou shifted, the shark-tooth grin dropping into his familiar scowl. "What the hell do you mean? I am a thug, or have you not been paying attention?"

Another sigh left Ookita. "You're not just a thug, Jounouchi-kun."

Ookita could almost hear something snap in Jou, and all of a sudden the teen was on his feet, slamming his hands against the desk. "What the hell do you know about me?! I'm just a fucking name on a piece of paper to you! You don't know squat about me!"

As though there wasn't an upset student looming over him, Ookita shuffled the papers on his desk, pulling one out. "Do you know what this is, Jounouchi-kun?"

The teen glared at the paper, but didn't say anything, his lips pressed into thin white lines. Ookita continued. "It's the result of that aptitude test you took last week. I know more about you than you think." He turned the paper around so Jou could see it. "I know that you learn better when you're active, so PE is your best subject. I know you probably have some sort of attention-deficit disorder, which others have most likely seen as clowning around and disrespect. You're good with numbers, especially when it comes to money, but you're horrible at history. Even though you have trouble learning, you can retain information quite well, can recall it easily once it's learned, and you can make some impressive intuitive leaps when you try." Leaning forward, Ookita said, with all earnestness, "You're not stupid, Jounouchi-kun. You're just street smart more than you are book smart."

As Ookita had been talking, Jou had retreated back to his chair, his eyes widening with every statement the counselor made. By the time Ookita finished, Jou was watching him, jaw hanging open slightly, the former anger on his face replaced with nothing more than shocked surprise. "You…you got all that…from a test?"

Shrugging sheepishly, Ookita admitted, "Also some observations. But don't you understand, Jounouchi-kun? You're not stupid. You don't have to be just a thug. You can be so much more if you try."

Jou blinked, and the shock on his face melted away. Surprisingly, he chuckled, looking relaxed for the first time in this office. "I was wondering when you'd give me that speech."

A half-smile tugged at Ookita's lips. "Ah. You've been expecting it, then?"

Shrug. "You're kinda famous for it."

Amused by the notion that he was well-known for a motivational speech, Ookita pushed the test results towards Jou again. "Just look at the scores, Jounouchi-kun. I want you to see what you got." Almost as though he was expecting it to bite him, the boy took the paper, eyes roaming the page with little interest, though Ookita thought the fact that Jou took it was a good sign. He continued. "I know your first choice of high school was Rintama, but with what I see there, I think you could make it in several other high schools."

He paused, letting the silence stretch, then dropped his bombshell.

"I think you should apply to Domino High."

A disbelieving snort met his announcement, but Jou was still looking at the paper in his hands, a frown tugging at his lips. Ookita waited.

Tugging at a lock of hair, Jou peered at the counselor, his questioning look appearing a little menacing with the swollen black eye. "You…really think I could get into Domino?"

"I think you have a chance, if you take it. Like I said, Jounouchi-kun. You're not just a thug. You can be more than you are now."

The teen looked down at the paper in his hands once more, gnawing absentmindedly at his lip. He seriously seemed to be considering the option in front of him. Finally, he stood, folding the test results into fourths and shoving it in his pocket. "Well, thanks for the pep talk."

The door closed behind him, and Ookita sighed.

"Please think about it, Jounouchi-kun."

SIX

"Domino High, huh?"

Lying on his back on his bed, held the test results above his head, the paper glowing weirdly with the light shining through it. For the past three weeks he'd been thinking about what Ookita said, and he just couldn't get it out of his mind.

Since his mother and sister left, he'd been doing badly in school. He hadn't been the greatest student in the world before the divorce, but afterwards, school just seemed pointless. With his teachers telling him how dumb he was, he'd assumed that Rintama ---a school known for the high number of thugs and dumb kids that got in--- was his only option.

But Ookita said that Jou could aim as high as Domino High. It wasn't an elite school, but it was loads better than Rintama. More expensive too, but there were probably scholarships and financial aid he could look into, or something.

Sighing, he dropped his hands, the paper fluttering onto his chest. All of a sudden, he didn't know what to do. He'd known what he was going to do after middle school. He'd follow Hirutani to Rintama, become second in the gang, and hopefully make it to adulthood without getting killed or thrown in prison. Now, though, he had all these options in front of him. He could go to Domino High ---according to Ookita. Why would the guy lie? He didn't seem the type of person who would get Jou's hopes up, then dash them to the rocks.

But going to Domino High would mean leaving the gang.

Jou didn't know if he could do that.

He didn't know if wanted to.

Rolling onto his side, he sighed again, ignoring the crinkling of the test results underneath him. Truth be told, he didn't exactly feel at home in Hirutani's gang. He stole stuff, and he got into fights, but he didn't get some of the same kicks Hirutani did. He didn't like bullying weaker kids, and he didn't like taking beating people up unless they could fight back.

But even still…he belonged. He was Hirutani's second, and the other kids…well, it wasn't exactly respect, more like fear, because they knew that he could beat them up without thinking about it. But it was something he never had at home or from the other kids at school. It was sort of like belonging. Even if he didn't like the gang too much, it was someplace he could escape to.

If he left, then he would have nothing to fall back on.

He didn't know if he could do that.

The front door slammed, startling Jou out of his thoughts. As his father's drunken words called through the apartment, Jou slid his shoes on and moved to the window, near silent. The window, well-maintained ---about the only thing that was, in this place--- slid open without a sound, and Jou slid through onto the fire escape. Turning to close it, he spotted the test results on the bed, and he hesitated, almost wanting to go back to it, back to thoughts of better.

Then his father's heavy steps moved down the hall, and Jou slid the window shut, scrambling down the fire escape. His dad wouldn't bother to throw a mere piece of paper away. It would still be there when he got back.

Leaping the last few feet, he let his feet take him where they would, not really thinking about it. Usually, he would go straight to whatever abandoned bar or warehouse or karaoke place Hirutani called headquarters this week, but right now, he wanted to think. Without anyone looming over his shoulder or trying to change his mind. He wanted to think about what Ookita said.

The same thoughts had been running through his mind ever since Ookita gave him those test results, and Jou just couldn't get them out of his head. But he always came up with the same problem. Could he really leave the gang and go to Domino High, change his life entirely? Stick it to the teachers who said he'd never get anywhere in life, at the other kids who mocked and jeered at him? Even if he did go to Domino, could he be anything more than a delinquent bully? Apparently he could, because, according to Ookita, he could be 'so much more than he was.'

But did he want to? Did he want to leave the broken sense of family the gang offered, the strength of riding in a pack and knowing your boys'll have your back? They would betray him in an instant if they thought it would gain them points, he didn't have any illusions about that, but in a fight, they would protect their own. Did he really want to leave that?

Without thought, his feet led him through the park. Stopping, Jou leaned against a tree, breathing silently through his nose. 'Want' versus 'could'. He didn't know which one would win out.

As he stood there, a group of teens walked by, talking and joking with each other. They paid no attention to the brooding boy in the shadows of the tree, and Jou watched them. One of the teens said something, and another one retaliated, jostling the kid playfully with a laugh. The others laughed too, walking on.

Had that been a scene with any of the gang, fists would have been thrown instead of playful jostling, angry words instead of laughter. That scene was so…homey. He wanted that.

The answer came to him in one of those surprising intuitive leaps Ookita mentioned. He didn't want to leave the gang because it was sort of a sense of family. He wanted a sense of family. The gang could only give him a partial sense of that.

Why couldn't he try for a real sense of belonging, a real sense of family?

This was usually where his thoughts ground into dust and died for the night, but tonight, the thought was persistant. The urge to do something, change something, be something, was pushing at him, telling him to go, to just---

Pushing up from the tree, Jou shoved his hands into his pocket, long strides eating up ground towards the den they hung out in. He needed to do this before he changed his mind. Needed to say it before he managed to talk himself into silence.

Five minutes later, his resolve was weakening, and he grabbed those last few strands of determination, stalking down the stairs. He could hear the laughter and jeers from the street, the smell of foreign cigarettes burning his nostrils, but he ground his teeth and forged on. He had to say this. Had to do it now, before he changed his mind.

The laughter stopped for a moment when he stepped inside, and he saw Hirutani, lounging on a couch. The gang leader's face broke into a dark grin, and he raised a hand in greeting.

Jou took a breath.

"I want out."

SEVEN

The white hallways smelled like death. Ookita took shallow breaths, his hands curled around the neatly-wrapped fruit basket as the nurse led him down the hall. She stopped in front of room 305, and Ookita nodded gratefully as she slid open the door.

"Try not to excite him," she admonished, and Ookita nodded again, sliding inside.

Thankfully, the window was open, bringing in the scent of fresh air and removing some of the lingering smell of death and sterilizers. Jou was propped up in bed, staring absently out the window, but he turned when the door opened. Ookita winced.

He'd heard it was bad, but he hadn't expected how bad it was. The boy's leg was elevated, and though there wasn't a cast, there were enough bandages wrapped around the limb that Ookita suspected something must have torn or ruptured or something. Jou's left wrist was in a cast, each individual finger splinted up, and a sling kept him from moving it and from aggravating the cracked collarbone the nurse had reported. Cracked ribs were hidden under the loose hospital gown, and the visible parts of his skin were swollen and black-purple with bruising.

"Aw, c'mon, it i'n't that bad," Jou said, trying to sound jovial. His words were a little mushy, thanks to the swelling around his face.

"Yes. It is," Ookita said frankly, setting the gift basket on the nightstand. He took the available chair, trying not to stare at the mass of injuries in front of him.

Jou turned back to the window. Ookita stayed quiet, not wanted to disturb the contemplative look on the boy's bruised face.

"I quit m' gang," the teen murmured at last.

"Good for you."

Jou glanced over, a smile cracking his face. It was almost immediately replaced with a wince as his injuries reminded him of their existence. "I t'ought about what ya said. It sounded…bett'r th'n what I had now." He looked back out the window.

Another moment of silence passed. Ookita let Jou work through what was in his head. Sometimes it was better not to say anything at all.

"Docs say I w's lucky." He glanced at Ookita, as though expecting confirmation of that fact.

"You were lucky," the counselor responded, and both of them look surprised at the force in the words. Ookita shifted, softening his tone. "You were. I've seen kids a lot worse off when they try to leave their gangs." He hesitated. "I've seen kids die when they try to leave. You were very lucky."

A half-smile cracked the boy's lips, followed by another wince. "I t'nk s'meone stopped 'em. I r'member p'lice lights."

Ookita nodded, not commenting. He'd read the report, gotten the call. Someone had seen the battle and called the cops. Knowing Hirutani's reputation ---as he did with most trouble students--- Ookita was sure that Jou very well could have died otherwise. He was a very, very lucky boy.

"He said…" Jou hesitated, as though unsure whether he wanted to continue. Ookita waited.

"Hir'tani said I could come back. Said he'd al'ays welc'me me back." Sighing, the boy fell back into the pillows supporting his back, still staring out the window. "I don'…I don' wanna go back."

The counselor nodded. "Good for you," he murmured again, sounding as supportive as he possibly could.

"Course, high school might no' be any diff'rent, right? But…mebbe it'll be bett'r." Shifting, looking somewhat uneasy about his next question, Jou glanced at Ookita from the corner of his eye.

"C'n I…still take the exam?"

Ookita smiled, knowing what exam Jou meant. "It's in a month. You'll have time to heal a little and get out of here." Standing, he leaned over and patted the teen on the shoulder, his touch light, in case there was a hidden injury there. "You'll be fine, Jou. You're already more than you were." Another light pat. "You'll be alright."

Jou turned, smiling again, and this time he didn't look like he was in pain, even though Ookita knew those injuries must hurt.

"Yeah. I will be, won't I?"

EIGHT

A month later, Jou stood outside Domino High School, staring up at the grand building in front of him. It was larger than he'd expected. Then again, he'd never come over and looked at it, and Rintama was quite smaller. With the crowds of junior high students around from better middle schools, Jou felt intimidated. And his still-healing injuries made him feel self-conscious, as curious glances were thrown his way.

Most of the bruises and cuts had faded, but he'd wrenched something in his knee the night of the beating, so until that was fully healed, he was hobbling around with a crutch and a brace. He also still had the cast wrapped around his broken wrist and fingers ---he vaguely recalled Rio, that little bastard, stomping on his hand and grinding it down, which, according to the doctors, had broken all his fingers and his wrist and a lot of the little bones in his hand; it sucked. The cast wouldn't come off for some time, and that was in a sling, but the doctors said his hand would (probably) heal well and be perfectly usable.

Jou pretended not to notice any of the looks and slowly made his way towards the front doors. A commotion caught his eye, and, not really interested, he glanced over. Off to one side, a group of kids had a smaller kid backed against the wall. The smaller kid looked terrified, his eyes wide as saucers in his skull. The taller kids were obviously taunting him, and Jou sighed. He hated being a decent human being sometimes. Damn conscience.

"Oi!" he hollered, stepping off the path towards the group. All eyes turned towards him, and he pointed with his crutch. "Leave off."

He would probably be much more intimidating if he wasn't trussed up in bandages like a mummy, but a few of the taunters' eyes widened, as though recognizing him. A hurried discussion was done, and the boys took off, leaving the small kid huddled against the wall.

Jou gave the kid a disdainful look, scanning the kid up and down. Boy had the weirdest hair, sticking up in crimson and black spikes from his head, with bright gold bangs over his eyes. He was short, too, Jou realized when the kid pushed himself up. No higher than Jou's chest. No wonder the kid was being bullied. He looked like an elementary student.

"Th-th-thank you," the kid stammered, gathering his fallen stuff. Jou thought about helping him, then decided that he wouldn't be able to get up again, and didn't. Shrugging the thanks off, Jou scoffed, turning back towards the front doors. "Tough up, kid. Learn how to be a real man and fight back." A glance back showed the weird kid still standing there, watching after Jou. Jou just shook his head. Weirdo.

Thankfully, his exam room was on the first floor. No stairs to maneuver with the crutch. Picking an empty seat in the back, against the wall, Jou looked around the room. To his immediate right was a brunette reading a book, sitting stiffly like there was a board strapped to his back. As Jou settled down in the seat, the brunette glanced over, surprising Jou with brilliant blue eyes ---gaijin eyes--- and scanned Jou up and down. The look was insulting. Definitely insulting.

After a moment, the brunette stuck his finger in his book and closed it. Leaning down, the teen picked up a metal briefcase ---oh, too good for regular bags, huh?--- and, with a pointed glance at Jou, got up and moved to another seat.

What a prick.

Scowling, Jou slumped in his seat, glaring at anyone else who came near the now-empty seat. A few minutes later, the weird kid with the weirder hair came in, side-by-side with a pretty russet-haired girl. Huh. Maybe the kid wasn't as pathetic as he first seemed, if he was friends with a girl like that. Jou was (almost) jealous.

While he wasn't glaring darkly and protecting his territory, someone plopped down in the prick's vacated seat. Jou turned his glare on the guy, noting the same uniform he wore. The kid ---another brunette, but with brown eyes instead of blue--- grinned, not intimidated, leaning over in his seat. "Hey, you're Jounouchi, right? Man, you're a hero of mine. I'm Honda. Nice to meetcha."

"Hmm."

Honda wasn't deterred in the slightest by the lack of response, nor was he bothered by Jou's pointed glare. He started up a steady stream of conversation ---which Jou mostly tuned out--- until the exam proctor walked in. The whole classroom quieted, the air suddenly turning serious, and Jou sighed as the exam packets were handed out.

Well then, this was it. This was the day his future started changing.

Ookita would probably say his future started changing when he left the gang (or maybe even before that), but this…this was definite.

He picked up his pencil and flipped the packet open.

NINE

"Can people really change?"

Ookita looked up, smiling at the figure in the doorway. Beckoning Jou inside, he closed the folder and set his pen down. Jou walked inside, falling heavily in the open seat, only the barest hint of a limp in his walk. The boy still wore the cast around his wrist and fingers, and would for another month or two yet, but Ookita heard positive reports from the doctor. The knee brace had been taken off a week ago, the crutch done away with, and it seemed to hardly bother the student at all. The remaining limp would go away with time too.

"I like to think so," the counselor answered thoughtfully. "Otherwise my job would be kind of pointless."

Jou chuckled, and Ookita marveled at one obvious change in the boy. This student before him was so different from the angry young man who'd been dragged in here that first meeting. If that wasn't a sign of change, if Jou couldn't see how much he'd changed in just a few months, then Jou needed to take a good look at himself.

"Exam results come out today," Jou said suddenly, changing topics.

"I know." A pause. "Do you think you made it?"

Jou shrugged, leaning back. "I dunno. I like to think so, but there were a lot of questions I didn't know. But hey, crazier things have happened."

Ookita tiled his head, curiosity prompting him to ask, "What will you do if you don't get in?" He knew that Jou hadn't taken the Rintama test. In fact, the only entrance exam Jou took was the Domino High test.

The teen shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll get a job, I guess. Try again. It's not the end of the world if I don't get into high school."

"You won't go to Rintama?" A legitimate question. Rintama was easier to get into than Domino. Plus, he wanted to see how Jou responded.

The boy took the time to seriously think about his answer, not just flippantly saying the first thing that came to mind. Finally, he shuddered. "Naw. If I go there, Hirutani'll just force me to be in his gang again. I don't think I can stay out of it if he did that. Nope, it's Domino or nothing." Something crossed his face, and he flashed a toothy grin at Ookita. "Huh. I guess people can change. A few months ago, I wouldn't have said that."

The counselor smiled. "Good for you. Now keep it up."

A knock on the door interrupted any comment Jou might have made, and a brunette poked his head in. "Jou? You ready?" He turned, nodding his head at Ookita. "Ookita-sensei."

The counselor bowed his head back. Honda had come through his office several times for minor scuffles, but he didn't have the fearsome reputation that Hirutani or Jou did. He seemed like a decent kid, overall, despite the penchant for fighting, and it was…good to see Jou hanging out with other students, even if only the one.

Jou pushed himself to his feet, striding to the door with only the barest hint of a limp. In the doorway he paused, looking around the room. "I guess this is the last time I'll be in here, huh?" A small, sentimental grin crossed his face, and he looked at Ookita. "Thanks. Thanks a lot."

A swell of pride rose in Ookita's chest. This was why he did what he did. This moment, right here, was why he was here. He smiled.

"I couldn't have done anything if you weren't trying too. Do your best out there, Jounouchi-kun. Good luck."

That boy would be alright.

TEN

"I don't want to look."

Honda sighed in exasperation, running a hand over his face. "Neither do I, Jou, but they're up, and it's now or never." He pulled the slip of paper with his number out of his pocket, holding it in his hands but refusing to look at it. "Let's do it together. If we both get in, I'll buy Korean barbeque."

Jou let out a nervous breath through his nose, anxiety twisting his stomach into knots. He'd acted nonchalant earlier in Ookita's office, but he really wasn't. So much was riding on this. He needed this. He needed to get in this school. Or else he was so certain that he would fall back into his old ways, back to his old crowd.

To become a truly new person, he needed a new environment. He needed to get in.

"What if I don't make it?" he questioned his new friend, trying not to sound as sick as he felt.

Honda shrugged, trying to sound as upbeat and unconcerned as Jou was pretending. "I'll still buy Korean barbeque."

Jou managed a weak grin. "Sounds good." His fingers clenched around the slip of paper in his pocket, pulling it out with shaking hands. "Same time?" he questioned. Honda nodded, and on the count of three, they both looked up at the boards, checking for their numbers.

Beside him, Jou heard Honda breathe a sigh of relief when he found his number. Jou bit the inside of his lip and kept looking, hoping, hoping so badly…

His fingers went slack, the paper fluttering from nerveless digits, and the wall of numbers went blurry. Gasping softly, he reached up, fingers trembling, and wiped vigorously at his eyes. Oh god…

"Jou? What's the verdict?" Honda's voice was this side of anxious, pretending not to notice the welling ---but thankfully not falling--- tears. Saving his words until he knew if they should be congratulations or sympathies.

Jou turned, still wiping his eyes, and the smile he gave Honda was so wide, so ecstatic, that for a moment it was like he wasn't crying at all. "I made it. Oh god, man, I made it!" Around him, cheers and tears were falling from other people, but right now, right here, this was just about him and the black numbers on the board. Almost disbelieving, he looked back at the wall. His number was still there, plain black and white.

4036.

He repeated the words in wonder. "I made it."

Honda's clap on his shoulder felt distant, along with promises of Korean barbeque. Jou couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the board.

He made it.

Everything was going to be different now.

OOOO

I thought that was a good place to end it. It was getting really long. I initially meant for each part to be a little snippet, but…well, you see how well that ended.

For those who don't know, 'Oobaka' can mean 'big idiot'. Thus Hirutani calling Ookita that. Also, gaijin means foreign or outsider. Thus, blond hair and blue eyes are gaijin traits to Japanese people.

I hoped you all liked it. I made up a few instances in Jou's past (such as Honda and Jou's meeting, since they don't talk about it in the manga), but I hope I managed to keep everything fairly IC. Did you notice the cameos of the other main charries? Heehee! Review and let me know what you thought of it, please!

~Until next time!