Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Rated M for language and other adult situations.
Iris
Chapter 1 - You & I
"Give it back, you jackass!"
Honda was sitting alone on the playground when he heard a girl screaming at a boy who was picking on her. It was her first day in Honda's class, and she was already making an impression. Honda may have been young, but he could tell two things about her: she was mean, and she liked to cuss. A lot.
"You asshole, give me my basketball back!" she shouted.
"Short girls like you don't play basketball." the boy laughed, taunting her with the orange sphere.
"You're just mad because I beat all of your slow asses at the relay races this morning!" she shouted back.
"Pfft, please! I could have beaten you if I was actually trying!"
Honda's mother had always taught him chivalry, so he couldn't stand by any longer and watch this bully torture his new classmate. He slid off the playground and headed over to them, tapping the boy on the shoulder.
"Give her the ball back." Honda said, glaring at him.
"Or you'll do what, Hiroto?" the boy asked.
"I said, give her the ball back."
"Make me."
Honda, giving the bully a taste of his own medicine, shoved him. The boy was bigger than him, and was barely fazed back by his efforts. The bully retaliated, and shoved Honda to the ground.
"Hey!" the girl shouted, grabbing the bully by the arm. "Don't be mean to him!"
"Shut up!" the bully said, pushing her out of the way.
As Honda watched the girl fall to the ground, he could feel himself getting angry. He stood up and threw himself at the bully, attempting to start a fight with him. His efforts were in vain, as the bully threw Honda back onto the ground and ran off to go tell a teacher.
"Here."
Honda looked up as he brushed off his face to see the girl standing above him, holding out her hand. She was awfully pretty. She had long, raven hair with bangs that framed her face perfectly. Her eyes were a bright shade of grass-green, and sparkling in her hair was a giraffe bobby pin. Honda took her hand, and she pulled him up.
"You're going to be in a lot of trouble." she said.
"I know." Honda said, rubbing his cheek.
"You're really cute. I like you. You're going to be my best friend, okay?" the girl demanded, still holding his hand.
"Um, yeah." little Honda replied, blushing bright pink. "I'll be your best friend."
"Good. My name's Ayame."
"I'm Honda."
"That's a cute name." Ayame said. "Today's my birthday you know. I just turned ten."
"Here." Honda said, picking up her basketball and handing it to her. "Happy birthday, Ayame."
"Thanks," Ayame said, smiling. "Honda."
Eight years later...
Honda stretched as he walked out his front door, ready for another long day. He took a long, deep breath before beginning his march to school. It was summer, his favorite time of year, and he loved the smell the air had in the morning. He wasn't exactly used to walking to school, so by the time he arrived at his destination his feet were screaming. He wasn't out of shape by any means, but he was used to getting picked up in the morning and driven to school, and he had become spoiled. On that particular morning, his usual ride had other obligations, so sadly, he was stuck walking. He changed into his school shoes, walked to his first class, and sat in his usual spot in the back, by the door. Shortly after, class started.
"Everyone, take your seats." the teacher said as she walked through the door. "It's time to start the lesson."
"But, we're still missing someone." Honda thought, looking at the vacant seat behind his. "She's late."
Over twenty minutes of class flew by as Honda scribbled in his notebook. The classroom was usually silent, so when he heard the sounds of his fellow students whispering, he looked up. When he saw who was entering the classroom, he felt his heart skip. He grinned as she locked eyes with him, tucking a hair behind her ear.
"Miss Tanaka, you're very late." the teacher said, tapping her foot on the ground.
"I apologize." the raven-haired girl said, bowing slightly, her long ponytail falling over her shoulder. "I had something important to take care of."
"Take it up with the principal. I'm writing you up. Now, go take your seat."
She nodded politely and made her way to the back of the classroom. When she reached her seat, she hung her designer backpack on her chair and sat down.
"You're terrible." Honda whispered to her. "You know better than to be late to her class. You probably would have been better off if you hadn't shown up until our next class."
"She can be mad if she wants. I don't care." the girl said rudely. "Besides, I couldn't wait."
"Couldn't wait for what? You hate school."
"To see you."
Honda felt his face grow hot, so he turned around to pay attention to the lesson. Or, at least, he attempted to pay attention. He could hear her sketching on a piece of paper behind him, ignoring history class as usual, and it drove him crazy. He wanted so desperately to turn around and talk to her, but didn't. He wasn't dumb, but he wasn't as bright as some of his other friends either, so he needed all the help he could get. He wanted to go to college, and he didn't have the advantage his best friend sitting behind him had. When the bell rang telling them class was over, he finally was able to start a conversation with her.
"So, how did everything go with, Shuichi?" Honda asked her as the two of them stood up.
"Everything went great. The doctor said he should be able to play soccer in the spring without a problem." the girl replied as they walked into the hallway.
"That's great, Ayame." Honda replied with a smile. "I can't wait to see him."
"He's pretty excited to see you too." Ayame said. "We should make him something special for dinner tonight at my place."
"You mean I should make him something special. You can't cook for shit."
"Shut up, Honda." Ayame replied, blushing. "You're no gourmet chef either."
"Yes, but at least my food is edible."
"Oh, hush." Ayame said. "You know what tomorrow is, don't you?"
"Yes, of course. It's your-"
"It's my birthday!" Ayame squealed, squeezing Honda's arm. "I'm finally going to be eighteen!"
"Yes, and finally the start of our summer vacation." Honda sighed, ignoring the stares the two of them were getting.
"I know! We need to do something fun this year."
"You could try coming and hanging out with my friends so I'm not running back and forth like I am every summer." Honda replied.
"Um, no." Ayame said, throwing her backpack over her chair before sitting down.
"Please?" Honda asked, holding her hands in his.
"No."
"Pretty, pretty please? For me?"
"No. Don't think so." Ayame replied, crossing her arms under her small chest.
"Oh come on, Aya!" Honda begged, smiling at her. "You won't even give them a chance?"
"Remember the last time I gave them a chance?"
"I promise that won't happen again." Honda said, putting his hands up in front of him. "I'll make sure of it."
Ayame sighed deeply, closing her eyes for a minute. She didn't make friends easily, and that was fine with her. She had Honda, her co-captain Miki, her little brother, Shuichi, and her father. But she loved her best friend, and wanted to him to have a good summer. The previous summer, he was off on some adventure with his friends and was exhausted when he got back, so they didn't do anything together. So, for his sake, she caved.
"Fine. But-"
"Thank you!" Honda exclaimed, hugging her from across their desks. "You won't regret it, I promise!"
"Honda, sweetie, let me go." Ayame said, her cheeks bright red.
"Oh, sorry." Honda replied, letting her go.
"As I was saying," Ayame said, crossing her legs. "I will hang out with them. Once. If I don't like it, I won't be doing it again. Is that all right?"
"That's fine. At least you're making an effort." Honda said with a smile. "I think you'll enjoy yourself. I'll have to get together with the gang and come up with something fun for us all to do together."
"It sounds like so much fun." Ayame sighed, trying to act excited.
"Okay, stop hamming it up." Honda said. "We will do something for your birthday first. I know that's important."
"Um, you're damn straight it is. Too bad, Shu won't be there to join us."
"Oh yeah, that's right. He's got soccer camp. But how's he going to take part with the other kids with his wrist the way it is?"
"He's the captain, so he's going to watch." Ayame replied. "You can still learn a lot about the game from just watching."
"You've already taught him so much. One would think there wouldn't be anything else for him to learn."
"Being a good athlete takes discipline, sweetie. Which is why after summer break is over, I have to throw myself into planning this season. It's my last year of high school basketball, you know."
"I know. Do you have any colleges picked out?"
"No. I'm saving that for later."
"Don't procrastinate too long. You always do that when it comes to school."
"Speaking of school, the teacher is coming." Ayame sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, don't whine." Honda laughed. "Let's just make the best of today, all right?"
"See? That wasn't so bad!" Honda said as they made it to their lockers.
"Not so bad?" Ayame snapped as she slipped on her expensive blue heels. "I bombed that math quiz. Coach is going to kill me at the start of the season if I don't get my grades up to at least a solid C-."
"I'll help you study." Honda said, wrapping his arm around her as they exited the building. "We always manage to get your grades up. It'll take some work because neither of us are the brightest, but we can do it."
"I am not spending my summer studying. Daddy is coming to spend our vacation with us, so no thanks."
"Kioshi's coming home, huh?" Honda said. "Cool. I've missed him while he's been gone."
"I know me too." Ayame said as they approached her fancy car. "He asks me about you every time he calls."
"He does? What does he ask about?"
"I will never tell." Ayame said, winking at him.
"All right, fine. Aya, I'm going to go home and change. I will meet you at your place, yeah?"
"Of course, sweetie." Ayame said as she slid into the driver's seat. "Shuichi will be waiting for you. He wants you to sign his cast."
"I will be there soon." Honda laughed as she backed out.
Honda watched quietly as she drove away and began to walk home alone. He normally didn't walk home; Ayame always drove him. If he did walk, he walked with his friends, so walking alone was odd to him. When he approached his home, he felt relief. He hurried in, greeted his mother with a kiss on the cheek, and rushed upstairs to change.
Honda's room had always been extremely tidy. Everything was perfectly organized, from the desk just as you entered, to the shower in his bathroom. Nothing was ever left out of place. He wasn't always that way. As a child, his mother had to remind him to clean up after himself, just like every parent has to. He just grew out of it as he got older, unlike a certain girl in his life.
"She's never going to grow out of it." Honda thought as he pulled his black t-shirt over his head. "She's always going to be a mess."
Honda zipped up his biker jacket, grabbed his keys out of the bowl on his dresser, and jogged to the garage. He absolutely loved his motorcycle. Ayame had been begging him for over two years to get rid of it, to sell it for a car. He knew she nagged him out of love, which he appreciated, but it didn't make it any less annoying.
Honda sighed, a deep sigh of content, as he pulled up to his best friend's home. It was beautiful; it was a large, all-white house perched on a hill overlooking the ocean. It wasn't a mansion, but it was still much larger than his. He spent many years playing in that house, making memories with Ayame and her family, and he always felt good when he saw it.
After parking, Honda removed his helmet and saw a second car in the driveway; it belonged to Ayame's father.
"It's good to have him home." Honda said to himself as he took a step forward.
"Hey stranger." a man's voice said.
"Oh, hey Kioshi." Honda said, making his way to him.
"Look up," Kioshi said, a cigarette hanging from his lips.
The brown-eyed boy looked in the direction the man was pointing and was pleased by what he saw.
"God damnit, she's beautiful." Honda thought as she saw Ayame sitting peacefully on her balcony, focused on her easel. She had changed out of her uniform into a simple white tee and crappy jean shorts, which meant she was painting. She had pulled her hair up into a tight, messy bun on top of her head, rouge strands falling all over her shoulders. Her tongue was sticking out slightly, and Honda knew not to disturb her until she was ready to be bothered.
"Avoiding homework again, I see." Honda joked as Kioshi let him in.
"When is she ever doing anything else?" he laughed, flicking his cigarette butt into the garbage can on the front porch.
"You know, you could put your foot down and tell her to do her homework."
"Ah, I wish. She's my only baby girl. Besides, I've tried. It never works. She's incredibly stubborn."
"You mean kinda like you?"
"Heh, you're right about that. I still wonder how her mother put up with me for so long."
"Same reason I put up with Ayame."
"True." the man laughed as he led Honda through his American style house. "I'm gonna have another smoke. Care to join me out back?"
"Sure." Honda said, following him outside. "That shit will kill you, you know."
"You don't know that. My father and his father smoked all their lives, and all they got out of it was yellow teeth. And nowadays, they have procedures to fix that. So I will be fine."
"Uh-huh," Honda said, rolling his eyes.
"So, are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"You're almost done with high school! It's an exciting time! I know Aya's thrilled as hell."
"Of course she is. She's hated school since we were kids. I, however, am not so stoked."
"Gonna miss your friends?"
"Yeah," Honda replied, thinking of his beloved companions. "I am."
"I'm sure high school won't be the last time you ever see them."
"I know, but they're all most likely going to leave. Anzu wants to go to New York. Yuugi and Ryou both want to move for college. Jounouchi wants to move closer to his sister. I don't know what I want yet."
"You'll figure it out." Kioshi said, running his fingers through his short, black hair. "You always do."
"I know. Hopefully I can figure out what I want sooner than later."
"You better. Speaking of that, guess what?"
"What?"
"Shuichi is applying for a very prestigious private school in Maryland. He wants to start going next year."
"I remember him mentioning something like that to me. They have a great soccer program, don't they?"
"Yep. I think he should be able to get in without a problem. And with me working in New York, I won't be as far away. They provide everything: housing, food, transportation, security. It's perfect."
"It sounds good, but don't you think one closer to you would be better?"
"I do, but you know Shuichi. He'd do anything to avoid me."
"Are okay with that?"
"He's my little boy. If it makes him happy and he's safe, that's all that matters."
"Honda!" a cheery voice called from the back porch. "You're here!"
"I am." Honda said, turning around to face Ayame.
"What have you got there?" Kioshi asked, his dark brown eyes glowing at the sight of his daughter.
"I just checked the mail." Ayame said, handing the man some envelopes. "I got a bunch of college stuff. A bunch of them all over Japan want to come see me play this season, see if I'm a good fit for their teams."
"You'd be a good fit for anyone's basketball team." Kioshi said. "Do you want to go to school?"
"I don't know." Ayame sighed. "I hate it enough as it is. I don't know if I can handle four more years of it."
"You don't have much time to make a decision." Kioshi said, his voice growing stern.
"I know Daddy, relax." Ayame said, kissing him on the cheek. "Honda, what are we making Shu?"
"I thought we could maybe do classic burgers and fries. I can grill them here, out back. How does that sound?"
"It sounds great. When should we start?"
"I'm going to start now. You, on the other hand, need to go wash up." Honda laughed, rubbing some blue paint off her cheek with his thumb. "You're a mess."
"All right, fine." Ayame said, pushing him playfully. "I'll go shower."
"Okay, hurry." Honda laughed as he watched her run back into the house.
"All right then," Kioshi said, putting out his smoke. "Let's get started."