Scuffling in a dark alleyway.
"Don't you dare!"
It was past midnight. He took a moment to wonder whether his father had noticed his absence, before whirling around to face the second thug. His faded green jacket caught a dim beam of streetlight. "You shouldn't have messed with Jounouchi Katsuya," he growled, planting his fist firmly in the man's stomach.
The man cried out.
And that was when Jou saw the glint of silver reflected in his eyes. His eyes widened. He had thought that the first guy was out for the count –
The knife plunged forward –
Jounouchi realized that he would never see his dad again – he would never see anyone again –
And then –
It stopped.
Jou gasped in unison with the second thug, as he turned to stare. Emerald vines had spun, weblike, to snare the man up against the dusty brick wall. His mouth opened and closed in shock. Jou's eyes traveled to the man's hand.
The knife was gone.
A brown figure dropped gracefully to the ground before Jou. "Are you all right?" came a male voice not much deeper than Jou's.
"I- I'm – thank you," said Jou awkwardly. "How did you-"
The face behind the thin fabric twisted up into a smile. "I'll hang onto the knife, if you don't mind. You might wanna get out of here."
"Who are you?" said Jou.
"Hang on," said the man. He rushed past Jou – lithely, smoothly – and grabbed up the other thug, slamming him into the wall. "Don't run away," he commanded.
The thug trembled.
"Who are you?" repeated Jou.
"Can't say," said the young man, shrugging. "I only just started doing this. It's kinda weird."
Jou grinned. They were alike, weren't they? "Well, thanks, man."
"Any time." A friendly salute. "Now, get out of here before the cops show up."
"I won't forget this," Jou promised.
I'll make it up to you someday.
MONKEYMAN
by Lethe Seraph
"There you have it," announced the busty reporter with a bright smile. "For now, the press have taken to calling our unknown hero 'Monkeyman,' as a tribute to his demonstrated agility as well as his reportedly brown costume. And speaking of agility, Channel Three News will be airing the eleventh national Duel Monsters tournament on-"
Jounouchi sighed heavily and turned off the television. "There. That's what I want. I want to track this guy down and get his story."
"Jounouchi," the elderly man opposite him said sternly, "it's a lost cause. This guy, this Monkeyman, has been plastered all over the news for the past month. Nobody's been able to get the scoop on him."
"But I can!" Jou's eyes flashed. "They call me the best for a reason, Boss!"
"Yeah, 'cause you pay them to say it." Boss chuckled. "Listen, kid, I know you're the best. But I'd rather not have you running off on wild goo- monkey chases on company time. Clear?"
"I'm not a kid, I'm twenty-two," muttered Jou, before pushing out his chair. "Yes, sir. I'll do it on my own time, then."
"You do that," said Boss dismissively.
Jou left, feeling more determined than ever. He was going to find this guy. It had been his dream since he was, what, seventeen? He clenched his fist as he left the tall building. He was Jounouchi Katsuya, ace reporter.
And right now, he had a class to go to.
Honda sighed heavily and turned off the television. "Monkeyman? Monkeyman?" he grumbled. "What the hell kind of superhero name is that? How do they come up with this stuff?" He looked down at his dog. "I don't look like a monkey, do I, boy?"
It stopped chewing its toy, cocked its head, and blinked. "Wurf."
"Well, fine," said Honda, rubbing its ears absentmindedly. "Be that way."
Honda Hiroto, age twenty-one. Dedicated college student and part-time coffee shop counter guy – in the daytime, anyway.
In the night, he was apparently now something called 'Monkeyman.'
What the hell kind of name was that?
He stood. "Sorry, pup, but I'm going to be late for work if I don't stop petting you."
It whined.
"I said I'm sorry! I'll come back and take you for a nice, long walk, okay?"
Its ears perked up. It scrambled to the door, tail wagging expectantly.
"Oh, great. No! No, after work!"
It slowly sagged to the ground. No?
"Damn it!" Honda cursed. He ran over to the doorway and started petting it again. "I didn't mean no like you're a bad boy-"
It slumped down even further.
"No! You aren't a- oh, God, I won't say it again – I'm just saying I'll take you for a walk after work."
It perked right back up. Walk!
"Damn it, Blankey! After work! Okay? I don't have time for this!" He bolted to his bedroom.
Where had he put his apron?
He could have sworn he had left it on his bedpost before he went out last night, figuring that he would be running late the next day – so much for that.
…Wait a moment.
He had a sudden, sinking feeling. "Hey, Blankey?"
Blankey trotted in, newfound 'toy' in tow.
Damn it.
That had taken way too long.
Jou groaned and stretched. What he wouldn't do for a pick-me-up.
Come to think of it, he hadn't written anything outside of home for a long while. Maybe a nice café would be a good change of pace. After all, he needed to take his new laptop ("only for work, Jounouchi!") for a spin.
And food was good, too.
Sugary food.
Muffins.
Cafés had muffins.
It was for the good of his job.
"I said I'm sorry, boss! But my dog ate my apron, so I had no choice, and-"
"Your dog ate your apron?" The young, jade-eyed man smirked. His pitch-dark hair was tied back in a long ponytail, showing off an odd die-shaped earring. He was Honda's boss – and he was Honda's freaking age, at that! At least it was understandable; the guy was charming, with a knack for management.
"Yes, my dog ate my apron. I'm telling the truth!"
"Well, you haven't lied to me yet. Grab a spare until we can order you a new one, okay?"
"Thanks, man."
"That's sir to you," joked Otogi. "Now hurry up. You're already late."
"Right, sorry, going now." Honda ducked into the supply room.
Muffled voices started filtering through the wall. A customer.He hastily grabbed an apron and knotted its strings loosely behind his back. "Honda!" called Otogi. "You about done in there?"
"Coming out now," sighed Honda, plastering a grin on his face as he stepped out of the supply room. "Hey, what can I do ya for?"
"This guy wants two blueberry muffins and hot cocoa," declared Otogi. "If you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork to get to."
"You do that," muttered Honda.
He bustled around, getting the two muffins – two muffins? he must be hungry; those things are huge – and cocoa. "You want whipped cream on that?"
"Yeah, thanks," replied a charming alto voice. Sounds about my age, Honda decided. And then he turned around. His breath hitched.
Honda would joke later that, at that exact moment, he had been able to hear a full orchestra, and golden rays of light were shining through the café windows on the exact spot where Jounouchi stood. As a matter of fact, though, he had heard an orchestra, and seen light – but the orchestra had been playing a very ominous tune, and the rays were tinted a rather murky red.
"Um, can I have my food now?"
The cashier – Honda, by his nameplate – was staring at him like he had never seen a hot guy before. Well, Jounouchi hadn't been to the café before, so it was understandable, but still! They must have at least passed each other by on the street once.
Jou sighed and held out his money. "Um, can I have my food now?"
Honda finally came to life, his face a little redder than it was before. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I was just – do I know you? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." He placed the muffins in a paper sack and pushed them across the counter to Jou.
"Well, I'm a pretty well-known journalist for the Daily," said Jou, taking the muffins and cocoa gratefully. "Do you read it?"
A very recognizable expression flitted across Honda's face – oh, shit, it said – before being replaced with a grin. "Oh, that's really cool! Yeah, I read the Sunday edition. You're Jounouchi K., then?"
"That's me," said Jou, throwing Honda his most amiable smile. "Hey, tell you what – when do you get off?"
"About six," said Honda sheepishly. "I had to come in a bit late today."
Jou sipped his cocoa. I like him. He's got character. And, by the look of his face earlier, connections to a good story. "Tell you what, Honda, I'll swing back here around six, and we'll go out to grab a bite to eat. My treat."
"Oh, I couldn't – that's really-"
"The girl I was gonna go with backed out suddenly," explained Jounouchi, "and I can't pass up the reservation this late. It'll just go to waste if you don't come with me."
"Isn't there someone you, um, know?"
"Nope. All busy. It's down to you."
Honda laughed awkwardly. "Well, I'll look forward to it, then. Thanks." He turned to greet an entering group of girls.
Jou sat down, and was very pleased that he had chosen today to work outside of home.
The muffins were heaven.