Notes: In chapter eleven, one of Hirutani's thugs tells Honda that Hirutani threatened Jounouchi's friends in order to coerce him to rejoin the gang. This is my take on exactly what those threats were. There's some pretty vulgar language contained within, but considering who we're dealing with that probably isn't a surprise.
Anything containing "Domino-shi" is a home address. Addresses work differently in Japan, and I had a friend who is both fluent and has lived in Japan for years help me come up with these ones.
As one final note: Japanese students start high school at around age fifteen, which would be roughly equivalent to a sophomore here in America. They only have to suffer through three years of high school, though elementary school is a bit longer for them, I think. Regardless, Jounouchi and the others are in their first year of high school when we meet them in the manga, despite being fifteen.
It Will Be Held Against You
Hirutani was a patient guy. It was one of his virtues, or so he felt—one of the few he had, maybe, but one he valued all the same. Oh sure, there were things he wanted—there were a lot of things he wanted, and when it came to putting plans into motion to get them, Hirutani didn't dawdle. But he was fine with letting his plans simmer, fine with waiting until the perfect moment to strike. This was one such moment, and he lounged back on the stairs leading up to Jounouchi's apartment, a slow burning cigarette held between his lips.
The rest of his boys weren't so patient. Many of them paced back and forth at the base of the stairs like prowling dogs, kicking the curb or pushing each other with a little more force each time. Others sat below—always below—Hirutani on the stairs; one flicked a zippo lighter open, closed, open, and closed again, while another gently bumped his head back against the concrete wall in a steady rhythm. They were bored, Hirutani knew. They were anxious. They weren't used to waiting, hadn't yet learned how to deal with being denied. They hadn't yet learned what delayed gratification felt like.
Hirutani smirked around his cigarette, and took a slow, steady drag.
This would be a good lesson for them. Patience was the only virtue worth keeping; it always gave Hirutani what he wanted in the end.
Just as they were told, Hirutani's boys let Jounouchi pass when he finally arrived an hour later, dressed in a Domino High uniform that made Hirutani grind his teeth. There was no reason to let it get to him, Hirutani knew. Jounouchi would be wearing a Rintama uniform soon enough. They would have that little matter settled within thirty minutes, tops.
With Hirutani seated near the top of the stairs, Jounouchi didn't notice him at first. It wasn't until Jounouchi was halfway up the stairs that he finally noticed his path was blocked, and when he looked Hirutani in the eye, Jounouchi's face scrunched in confusion. "Hirutani?"
"Good to see you, Jounouchi," Hirutani said, and even his disgust for Jounouchi's Domino High uniform couldn't quell Hirutani's grin. He pulled his cigarette from his lips with two fingers as his gang formed a loose semi-circle behind Jounouchi, effectively blocking his exit, just as ordered. Jounouchi cast a furtive glance over his shoulder; it was a subtle move, one Hirutani was sure others wouldn't catch, but one that filled him with a strange sense of pride. It was good to know Jounouchi was still at the top of his game, Hirutani thought. "It's been awhile."
"Since middle school," Jounouchi said, and he canted his weight to one side, his hands in his pockets, his bangs falling across his eyes. Hirutani resisted the urge to laugh in incredulity. A few months had passed since they had last seen each other, and still Jounouchi refused to cut that disgusting mop. That would change, too, Hirutani decided—but all things in due time. "What are you doing here? Can't say I remember inviting you over for a play date."
"No, you never invite me over anymore, do you?" Hirutani tsked and shook his head, and Jounouchi gave him a flat look. Hirutani's grin widened. "With the way you've been acting, one would almost think we aren't friends."
"Are we?" Jounouchi asked, and he raised his eyebrows. Behind him, a few of Hirutani's boys muttered something Hirutani couldn't catch, the lot of them casting disparaging looks Jounouchi's way. Hirutani flicked the ash off his cigarette, and made a mental note to deal with that later. "Last I checked, you weren't in the business of making friends."
"Ah, but we always had something special, didn't we? Something different from the norm." Hirutani stretched out his legs and made a show of lounging back, and judging by the scowl that flickered across Jounouchi's face, Jounouchi didn't appreciate Hirutani's casual posture. Good. "Even if we had our . . . fights, you were never like the rest."
Jounouchi snorted, and this time he didn't bother to hide the look he cast over his shoulder at the rest of Hirutani's underlings. "Yeah," he said. "Going off the pack you've still got following you around, I'd have to say I agree."
Hirutani nodded in their direction. "New crew from the last time you were with us," he said. "Or the last time you were with me, anyway. Things are different now, Jounouchi. You'd be surprised."
"I'm sure," Jounouchi said, and his tone was as deadpan as his expression. "But actually, I've got some things to do, so if you'll excuse me . . ."
"Ah ah ah," Hirutani said, and he stood up as Jounouchi started up the stairs again. Still Jounouchi made to move past him—he had apparently been gone for long enough that Hirutani saying 'no' no longer had the intended effect—and so Hirutani placed one hand on Jounouchi's chest to physically stop him from going further. Jounouchi pulled away from Hirutani's touch—a wise move, really, if a disappointing one—and Hirutani tossed his cigarette over the stairwell's railing. "We're not done talking yet. What, I come out all this way, and you can't even talk to me for five minutes?"
"I don't think there's anything we need to talk about," Jounouchi said. "You and I had our time, but we're done, all right? You went to Rintama, I went to Domino . . . we're done. End of story. Good talk." Once again he made to move past Hirutani to get to his apartment, and once again, Hirutani put a hand on his chest to stop him. Jounouchi knocked his hand away, and while several of Hirutani's underlings bristled, Hirutani raised his other hand to quiet them. "Knock it off, man. Don't touch me."
"I won't touch you if you agree to talk for five minutes," Hirutani said. Jounouchi glared at him, and Hirutani felt another rush of amusement at Jounouchi's ire. That he could still rile Jounouchi so easily after all this time . . . yeah, that was definitely something to smile about. "Five minutes with your old friends. What could it hurt?"
"You're the only one I recognize, and again, pretty sure we never had anything close to actual friendship," Jounouchi said.
It was important to keep up appearances, but Hirutani couldn't help but laugh outright, more out of disbelief than anything else. "And you know a whole lot about 'actual friendship,' I'm sure," he said.
Jounouchi crossed his arms, and raised his chin as he glared; it was a pose that screamed of both defensiveness and defiance. The defensiveness was gratifying, and that could stay, but Jounouchi's ever-aggravating defiance . . . that, Hirutani decided, would have to go.
"Actually," Jounouchi said, "I do."
Hirutani snorted. "Right. Sounds . . ." He pulled a fresh cigarette from his pack, and waved it through the air as he pretended to search for the right word. "Legit." His underlings laughed, but Jounouchi rolled his eyes with an angry huff.
"Whatever. Think what you want. I really don't care." He tried to move up the stairs for the third time, and this time Hirutani stepped in front of him, blocking Jounouchi wholesale instead of giving him the small warnings of before. "Get the fuck out of my way," Jounouchi said.
Hirutani raised his eyebrows. "Are you going to make me? 'Cause really, it's been a few months." Hirutani spread his arms wide. "Might be fun."
Jounouchi's fingers flexed into fists, and he shifted his weight just enough that Hirutani could tell he was readying himself for a fight. A smirk that didn't meet his eyes in the least split Jounouchi's lips as he said, "I've got half a mind to if you don't move in the next three seconds."
Hirutani raised three fingers, and counted each one down. "I'm not going anywhere," he said. "Not without you, anyway. See, that's what we came all this way to talk about. You. Interested yet?"
"No," Jounouchi said flatly. Hirutani nodded to his followers, who tightened the half-circle behind Jounouchi. Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "What, you think I'd make a break for it that way? Come on, you know me better than that. I don't run."
"No, you don't. It's one thing I always liked about you. One of the reasons I'm here now, actually." Hirutani pulled his lighter out of his pocket and lit his cigarette in a slow, deliberately casual motion. He took a long drag, and slipped his lighter back into his pocket before he said, "You were always one of my most reliable men, Jounouchi. The only one worthy of being called my partner. When we were together, there was nothing we couldn't do, no one and nothing we couldn't take. We were unstoppable, and every plan, every goal . . ." Hirutani huffed a laugh. "It was all well within our reach."
Hirutani's boys bristled, and once again Hirutani caught a few of them whispering among themselves, while others shot Jounouchi nasty looks. Jounouchi, for his part, looked relaxed again; his arms were folded loosely across his stomach, and the look he gave Hirutani was caustic.
"Is there a point to this trip down memory lane?" he asked. "Because if not, then really, clear out. All this bullshit is making me feel sick to my stomach."
"Hirutani-san is offering—" one of Hirutani's boys spoke up, but even as Jounouchi raised his eyebrows in mild interest, Hirutani held up one hand to silence the one that had spoken.
"The point is that I'm looking to expand my influence," Hirutani said, and he tapped the ash off his cigarette. "I've got plans, as you're well aware. There's no doubt I'll get what I want, but you could say that I want to . . . relieve a little bit of the pressure. Make it a little easier. Not that I'm afraid to fight, but things are always so much more satisfying when they go smoothly. The stronger power structure I have, the easier it is for me to get what I want without the hassle. You following along so far?"
"I am," Jounouchi said through gritted teeth. His face was contorted in a scowl, and once again his muscles were taut, his fingers curled into fists in the crooks of his arms. Hirutani couldn't help the grin that stretched his own face. Excellent.
"I want you to come back with me, just like before. You and me, we'll spearhead the entire operation. Of course, technically, you'll be number two . . . but in an organization of this size, that still puts you right on top of everyone except for me. You'll be on top of the world." Hirutani took another hit off his cigarette, and when he exhaled, the smoke brushed against Jounouchi's maddening bangs. Jounouchi didn't flinch. "It's a seat of honor, really."
The look Jounouchi gave Hirutani was nothing short of scathing, but he glowered for only a moment before he snapped, "Pass," and once again made to shove past Hirutani to head up the stares.
"Pass? What the fuck is wrong with you?" one of Hirutani's boys exploded, and the others joined in with various sounds of agreement. "What sort of ungrateful ass moron passes on this? Do you even—no, you know what, forget him, Hirutani-san, you don't need him, he's not worth—"
"Shut up!" Hirutani snarled, and at once the entire group went silent, save for a couple that hit or shoved the one that had spoken up. Hirutani turned and grabbed Jounouchi by his arm, and in the same motion yanked hard to pull Jounouchi back down the stairs. Jounouchi stumbled, but he flailed out one hand to grab the banister and reclaim his balance, and swung his other arm to break Hirutani's grip. That was fine, as far as Hirutani was concerned; so long as Jounouchi was on the steps between Hirutani and the rest of the gang, he could do whatever he wanted.
"What the Hell did I already say to you?" Jounouchi snapped. "I said to get out of here, I said not to touch me, I said fuck no to whatever stupid ass plan you've worked up this time—"
"You know exactly what plan I've got," Hirutani said, and he forced his voice back to a level of relaxed neutrality. He had to maintain control, after all. He'd lost his temper before, had gotten a little rash; it was fine for Jounouchi to see that side of him, so long as Jounouchi remembered that even if Hirutani let loose every now and then, that didn't change a thing between them. It was another for the gang to think he was a loose cannon, to think that he was anything less than their leader. Keeping a level head, even when issuing execution orders, was key to keeping the boys in line.
"—and yet you're still insisting on hanging around, pissing me off. What's it gonna take for you to get a clue, huh? What, do I actually have to break your face? Was listening to your spiel not enough, do I really have to actually beat the word no into your thick skull?"
Hirutani shot a warning look to his boys, several of whom had started to reach for the weapons tucked into their waistbands, before he looked back at Jounouchi.
"You've been away too long," he said after a moment. "I think you've forgotten how this works. See, Jounouchi, when I negotiate things, the other party doesn't really get to decide the terms. You're no exception to this. I came here to get you back, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm not leaving until you come with me."
"Well then, looks like you better make yourself comfy cozy," Jounouchi said, "because I meant what I said before. I'm fucking done."
"Oh, you will be if you don't listen," Hirutani said, and he held his cigarette between his lips before he reached into his pocket once more to pull out his trump card, written on a carefully folded piece of notebook paper.
Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Bye." Jounouchi turned to start up the stairs for what had to be the fifth or sixth time—he really was a persistent, stubborn bastard, Hirutani would give him that—and Hirutani waited until Jounouchi was several stairs up before he started reading off the piece of paper.
"Mutou Yuugi: Domino-shi, Yuuraku-chou 4-5-6. Honda Hiroto: Domino-shi, Tamachi 2-1-7. Mazaki Anzu: Domino-shi, Iwasaki-chou, Takenoyama 3-3-5."
Hirutani looked up to see that Jounouchi had stopped stock-still on the stairs, his entire body rigid. Hirutani felt a shiver of thrill run through him at the sight, but even that was mild to the elation that flooded through him when Jounouchi finally turned. Jounouchi's dark eyes were wide, wild with what Hirutani recognized as disbelief, anger—and this was the best part—fear, and even from a few steps down Hirutani could see that Jounouchi's breathing was more shallow and rapid, his body so tense he was shaking a little.
Hirutani could not remember a moment sweeter than this.
"What the Hell are you playing at?" Jounouchi demanded. "How the Hell did you—?"
"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to—or questions you should know the answer to, anyway." Hirutani carefully folded the paper again and slipped it into his pocket, smiling broadly around his cigarette. "It can't really be so long that you've forgotten, can it? You know who I am. You know what I'm capable of. You know how easy this is for me, to just run a few names through my old man's database. Well," Hirutani said, and he shrugged as he took a drag on his cigarette, "the national police database using my old man's credentials, but it's all the same in the end. I can get any information I want, at any time, and no one will be any the wiser."
"Until you just up and admit it in public," Jounouchi said.
Hirutani snorted. "What, in front of all of you? Is that supposed to scare me? Am I supposed to feel threatened?" Hirutani's boys laughed. "None of them will turn me in," Hirutani said, and he jerked his head toward his gang, "and even if you tried to say something, who's going to believe you, huh? You're nothing but a street punk barely straddling the poverty line. They'd laugh you out of the precinct, and that's only if they didn't find something to cuff you for first. Face it: You have no credibility. You have no power. You have nothing without me."
Jounouchi scoffed and folded his arms, but he avoided Hirutani's eye contact and pressed his lips tightly together, and Hirutani saw Jounouchi's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Bullshit," Jounouchi said after a moment, and Hirutani shook his head with a smile as he tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette.
Even after a few months of separation, Jounouchi was still so, so easy to read. His words said one thing, but his body? Oh, that screamed another. He would have to learn how to better control himself, Hirutani thought, to avoid giving so much away. But that was fine; they would have all the time in the world for Hirutani to teach him.
"Is it?" Hirutani asked mildly. "Hm, then I wonder: What are you going to do if I decide to pay ol' Honda-kun a visit one day, to relive the old days? We always did leave things unsettled. I wouldn't mind taking a few of the boys over to Honda's place, or maybe finding him when he's out walking that dog of his, just to see if we could settle a few old debts."
"I'll kick your ass, that's what," Jounouchi said.
Hirutani raised his eyebrows. "When? Before or after? It'd have to be after, wouldn't it, unless you want to stick close by and be his shadow. Of course, in that case, there's always that other kid we've seen following you around like your shadow. Yuugi, I think his name was?" Hirutani smiled wide as Jounouchi's face went pale, his pupils dilated so wide they seemed to swallow his irises. "He lives over at that game shop. We could stop by there and it wouldn't even seem suspicious, given that his house is a business. And he's a shrimpy little thing, isn't he—so tiny. If we stopped to play there's a chance we could break him without even meaning to."
"I'll kill you," Jounouchi hissed, and Hirutani bit his bottom lip to stop his grin at the exhilaration that ran through him at the venom in Jounouchi's shaking voice. "I swear to fucking god I'll—"
"You could try," Hirutani said, "but that wouldn't really help Yuugi, would it? You know what they say . . ." Hirutani dropped his cigarette to the ground and ground it beneath his foot. "Dead boys can't say thanks.
"But then," Hirutani said, raising his voice a little as Jounouchi opened his mouth to say something else, "there's always that chick, Anzu. I know more than a few of my boys would love to see her."
"That's that chick that works at Burger World, right? The one that's got legs for days?" one of Hirutani's boys asked, and Jounouchi's attention snapped to the one who'd spoken with the speed of a dog who caught sight of a rabbit. Hirutani's underlings seemed not to notice, for even as Hirutani nodded in confirmation to the question, another one of his boys hit the first one on the shoulder.
"Dude, her legs are fine, but don't forget the rack on that bitch," the second one said. "She's got some good tits, especially in that tight little uniform? Man, imagine what they look like out of it, god I'd love to see them when I'm fucking h—"
Hirutani moved as Jounouchi pounced; he looped his arms under Jounouchi's from behind, and pulled Jounouchi's body flush against his own before he laced his fingers together against the nape of Jounouchi's neck, holding him in a firm standing half—nelson. Hirutani's gang had scattered back when Jounouchi went for the second speaker's throat, nearly tripping over each other in an attempt to get away, and they only relaxed when they saw that Hirutani had Jounouchi restrained. Hirutani felt disgust rise in his throat. Bad enough his fingers were tangled in Jounouchi's ridiculous hair this way, but his men proved themselves to be bigger pussies than the girl they wanted to fuck in the same beat. Hirutani had more work to do whipping them into shape than he thought. This would have to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
But there were more pressing matters to tend to at the moment.
"Hey now, Jounouchi," Hirutani said, and he dug his heels into the step as Jounouchi shoved back against him, strengthening his hold. Jounouchi was so wiry; he had the edge on Hirutani in speed, but not in strength. That, at least, did not seem to have changed in the past few months. "Take it easy. Remember we're just here to talk."
"Bullshit," Jounouchi snapped. "Your fuckboys there were doing a lot more than talk—"
"No, they weren't. They were just running their mouths. They won't do anything without my orders." Hirutani shot his boys a look, and the ones up front nodded fervently; both of the boys who'd spoken out about Anzu were still staring at Jounouchi, their expressions more than a little wary. "Your orders will carry weight with them, too, if you're smart enough to catch on. See, I'm not really interested in the little pack you've picked up at Domino. They can do nothing for me, at present. But if you turn me down, if you tell me no, if you continue to put up a pointless, drawn out fight to waste my time when we all know what the end result is going to be, then maybe I can find some things to do with them in the meantime. Maybe I'll look the other way if a few of my boys decide to hit up that chick on her way home from work. Maybe I'll see just how many games I can play with that little twerp that follows you around. Maybe I'll see if I can settle a few things with Honda, for good this time." Hirutani pulled Jounouchi back more tightly against him, and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You're only one guy, Jounouchi, and I've got three targets and ten times as many men that can take them at any time. More, even. But it's your call. Your choice to decide what we do with them."
Jounouchi wasn't struggling anymore. Hirutani held him for only a moment more before he released him and stepped back to observe. Jounouchi wasn't looking at any of them; his eyes were downcast, hidden by his stupid fringe, his fingers curled into taut fists. His shoulders rose and fell with every quick, shallow breath. When he finally spoke, his voice was lethally soft, but no less defeated to Hirutani's ears.
"Don't touch them," Jounouchi said. "Don't even look at them. Don't go anywhere fucking near them, do you hear me?"
"Don't tell me," Hirutani said, and he nodded his head toward his boys. "Tell them."
Jounouchi shot Hirutani a look filled with sweet loathing before he looked at the gathered pack, more than a few of him took another cautionary step back. "You heard me," he said. "If I see you so much as fucking look in their direction, I'll break your faces all over the concrete before you've got a chance to think, got it?"
Just as they'd nearly tripped over each other to back away from him before, they seemed just as eager to agree to Jounouchi's order now; while a good few of them gave simple nods or "yeps" in confirmation, Hirutani heard more than a few answer "yes, sir."
Jounouchi didn't answer them. He just continued to scowl at the stairs. His attitude would change in time, Hirutani knew. Hirutani would make sure of it.
He reached over and looped an arm around Jounouchi's shoulders to pull him into a one armed hug, and even as Jounouchi tensed in his grasp, Hirutani pulled his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered it to Jounouchi for him to take one.
"I knew we could come to an agreement, Jounouchi," he said, and beamed as Jounouchi's eyes met his. "Welcome back."