Sparks Within the Heart

Chapter Seven: The True Face

"Come on, Yuugi!" Lauren cried when their classes finally ended. "I want to go over to your home again! Please! Your grandfather promised to show me some more games!"

Yuugi smiled at his American friend. "Of course, Lauren. When Grandpa found out that you loved putting together games, he wants to know all your ideas!"

She chuckled and scratched her cheek. "I do warn you, some of them are crazy. My friend and I seemed to turn it into a competition of who could come up with the craziest ideas of a game."

"You say that your bad at games, but I seen you put together puzzles, Lauren." Yuugi pointed out. "You're really good."

Lauren shrugged. "Puzzles to me are a different type of 'game'. And to me, sometimes I don't even think you can really call a puzzle a game. But yeah, I enjoy them. But I'm terrible with about every other game!" She smiled. "Ironic how I'm good at making games but not playing them." She and Yuugi chuckled.

"Hey Yuugi! Lauren!" Both turned to see Jonouchi.

"Ah… Jonouchi…" Yuugi greeted. "Going home?"

"Not really…" Jonouchi smiled. Lauren noticed Honda, and he just stared at Yuugi. She cleared her throat and Honda looked at her. She gave him a very cool look that promised pain if he tried to hurt Yuugi. "In fact, Yuugi, Lauren… We need your help!" Lauren raised an eyebrow at Jonouchi.

Honda freaked out. "Hey, Jonouchi! You mean Yuugi and Lauren are the ones you think can help?"

"Yeah!" He answered.

"You're kidding! No way, not from these guys!" Honda said, pointing at them. Lauren and Yuugi shared a look. Lauren shrugged, showing she had no clue.

"Hey, hey…" Jonouchi said. "You're the one who asked me for advice!"

"Yuugi, Lauren, I need to talk to you! But everything I say is a total secret! Tell anyone, and I'll beat you to a pulp regularly…" Lauren growled at him, warning him.

"Honda!" Jonouchi intervened before Lauren could tear off his head. "That won't be necessary with Yuugi and Lauren… I guarantee it!" He turned to us. "Yuugi and Lauren can keep a secret! Just between the four of us…"

"Yeah, I won't tell anyone!" Yuugi said.

Lauren shrugged. "Sure, my lips are sealed."

"Y'see… That Honda is suffering from 'love sickness'!" Honda freaked in the background. Lauren blinked once, twice, and a third time. Suddenly, her laughter burst through her lips and she fell backwards, rolling on the ground, holding her sides. Even if her ribs still ached from the pain of the Inogashira incident, it didn't stop her from laughing like a hyena. "Lauren!" She saw Honda standing over her past with a tick mark past her tears. "Stop laughing at me!"

"You're in love and you're asking our advice? Oh my God! This is classic!" Lauren went into another laughing fit as Jonouchi rolled his eyes and Yuugi just sighed, both having a small smile on their lips. Lauren was finally able to calm herself down, since her ribs were starting to ache pretty badly. She got back up and they started walking to Yuugi's place. Giggles and chuckles still burst through her lips from time to time though.

Jonouchi, Yuugi, and Lauren were walking together in a group, while Honda was a little ways behind them, brooding. "The girl's in our class, Nosaka Miho! You know her, Yuugi…"

Lauren tapped her chin, still grinning like a loon, mind you. "Isn't she on the Library committee?"

"Yeah, that's the girl…" Jonouchi answered. "She's very quiet, but you can tell her by the yellow ribbon she always wears!"

"Her friends call her 'Ribbon'." Yuugi said.

"Ah… Lovely and tidy ribbon… Haha…" Lauren started chuckling again at Honda's love filled mutter.

"Well… Honda's about as bright as a box of hair, and can't think of anything! So… He needs your help… Can you guys get the girl's attention for him?" Hmmm… Lauren tapped her chin… I suppose we could… "Like… Maybe something from your house, that weird shop!"

"Yeah, maybe the game shop…" Yuugi said.

"A game shop?" Honda asked. "Shut up!" Lauren ignored him.

"Then we'll go to Yuugi's place…" Jonouchi announced.

-x-

They finally got to Yuugi's place within a few minutes. "We're here!"

"Jonouchi… This is a waste of time…" Honda muttered. They went in, and after a comment about Lauren's chest growing – which gained a stress mark and an eye-twitch – they told Suguroku about Honda's problem. "Ha! I've got just the thing!"

"Really, Grandpa?" Yuugi asked.

"I used this to get your grandmother, back in the old days!" Suguroku said as he pulled a box down from a top shelf. "Here!" He handed the box over. They opened it up and it was a blank jigsaw puzzle. "It's a blank jigsaw puzzle! You write down your thoughts, and give it to her all broken up! As she joins the pieces one-by-one your message will float to the surface! It's very romantic!"

Lauren smiled, she actually agreed, it was romantic. Jonouchi had very different thoughts about it. "Pff… Pfff… Ahahahaha! Honda! It's not your style!" Lauren felt a tick mark grow on her temple and she smacked Jonouchi hard enough to smack his face into the floor.

"Shut up, Jonouchi! It's very sweet!" Lauren said.

"Whaaaaat?" Jonouchi shot back up and got up into her face. "You actually like this?"

"Yes! I do!" She bit back. "It's very sweet!" She repeated.

"It's fine…" Honda's statement caused the argument to derail.

"Huh…?" Jonouchi asked.

"No! It's perfect! Yes!" Honda said. "This is just what I need! Something romantic…" He slapped some money onto the counter. "I… I'll take it, Mister!"

"Glad you like it!" Suguroku grinned as he took the money.

"B… But, wait a sec…" Honda paused. "What do I write? I can't write a love letter… What do I do?" He whirled around and looked at Yuugi. "Yuugi… You'll write it!"

"Whaaa?"

"Here! It's hot!" Honda put Yuugi's hand to his chest, where his heart was. "My chest is filled with all these burning thoughts! I can't write them down! It's that simple!"

"I don't get it!" Yuugi protested.

"Therefore, I will give this puzzle to ribbon… But… Let me down and I'll kill you, Yuugiiiii!"

"Honda, you're being crazy!" Jonouchi said.

Lauren rolled her eyes and smacked the back of Honda's head swiftly. He hit the floor and Lauren gently took the puzzle from Yuugi. "I'll write down the message." She sighed. It wasn't like Yuugi had any love experience either.

-x-

And so…

Lauren wound up writing Honda's love jigsaw puzzle for him…

The girl sighed as she stared at the blank puzzle, thinking about what to write. Finally, she just shrugged to herself and wrote down whatever came to mind.

'My dead, lovely Ribbon,

Your yellow ribbon is perfect as it flows behind you. You mean everything in the world to me, and much more.

Please be mine forever,

Honda Hiroto.'

"Well, that's the best I can come up with." She sighed and rolled her shoulders. She took the puzzle and gently broke it up and wrapped it up. Lauren figured it would be cute if the wrapping was yellow, like her ribbon. They then came up with three ways to give it to her: Give it to her directly, mail it to her house, or leave it in her desk. In the end, they just ended up going to the school an hour before it started to carry out the third option.

"Hey, Lauren!" Honda said as they all gathered around Ribbon's desk. "You wrote down all my loving feelings, right?"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I did…"

"Honda… I'm putting the present into Ribbon's desk!" Jonouchi announced. "It's in!" Honda blushed a bright red.

"Yaay!" Yuugi cheered.

"It's done… I need a hamburger…" Honda muttered.

-x-

They all were in class right now, and were watching and waiting to see when Ribbon would find the present. "Hey, Yuugi, Lauren!" Jonouchi said. "It looks like Ribbon still hasn't found the present!"

"Yeah!"

"Give it time," Lauren said. "She'll find it eventually." She could see Honda fidgeting. He kept glancing over at Ribbon's desk.

"Look… Honda is all fidgety, and his face is bright red!" Lauren chuckled.

"What a riot…" Yuugi said.

"He's such a dork…" Lauren commented. She watched when Ribbon glanced over and Honda turned his head quickly, his face becoming brighter. The teacher came into the classroom, and Lauren felt her eyes narrow as she sneered at the teacher.

Something about that woman just made her skin crawl.

She wasn't sure what it was, but everything about Chouno-sensei got under her skin. It felt like under all that pretty make-up and that pretty face, there was a truly black soul. "Stand up!" She ordered. Everyone did as told. "Well, everyone! Before you open your textbooks… I'd like you to empty your bags and desks onto your desktops! This is an inspection!"

"What?" Jonouchi said.

"Huh?" Yuugi echoed.

Oh $*!! Lauren yelled in her head. They all watched as Ribbon pulled out the present. She put it on her desk, looking at it confused. "Come on… Bring them out!" Chouno-sensei walked around the classroom, and she got to Ribbon's desk. "Hm?" She picked up the present. "What's this, Nosaka?" Lauren smacked her face quietly with her hands. Oh man, this is not going well!

"Uh… Um… I don't know… I found it in my desk, Ma'am…"

Without any warning, Chouno-sensei ripped the wrapping off. "Ah!" Honda said.

"That teacher!" Jonouchi growled. Lauren snarled under her breath and gripped her desk tightly.

"Ooh… It's a jigsaw puzzle!" Chouno-sensei said. "Interesting… I think the pieces spell out something! How exciting!" How dare she put it together! It's not hers! She shouldn't be doing this! "Well, well… 'My dear, lovely Ribbon… Your yellow ribbon…' How childish!" She laughed. Lauren was gripped her hands so tightly to the desk, that her knuckles were turning white. Everyone else in the class started laughing as well. "The question is… who gave this to her? We have rules about this… Students involved in illicit relationships will be punished! This puzzle was obviously meant to start one of those relationships! Now, will the person who wrote this puzzle please show himself? If you do so now, I'll be tolerant!"

"I wrote it to help out someone!" Lauren said as she stood up.

"I helped!" Yuugi said as he stood up as well.

"Nope!" Jonouchi smiled. "I put the puzzle in her desk, ma'am!" It didn't matter if everyone laughed at them or if Ribbon hated them forever, it gave Honda another chance.

"Thanks, but no thanks guys!" Honda said. "Jonouchi, Yuugi, Lauren. My loving feelings are written on the puzzle! Really!"

"How… This couldn't be the work of four people!" Actually, it can… Lauren thought. "The offender has to be one person! Someone here is lying!"

"Ma'am… None of us are lying!" Jonouchi said.

"We all took part in making the puzzle…" Lauren added.

Chouno-sensei smiled. "Then you won't mind if I complete the puzzle! When the last four pieces are added, I'm sure the sender's name will be revealed! When I know the name, that student will be… expelled! I hold the sacred position of 'teacher'! Of course you can't fool me!" She put in one piece… "One…" She put in the next one. "Two…" She put in the third piece. "Three…"

Lauren was gritting her teeth together, so angry right now. She opened her mouth, about ready to let loose her fury when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked over, expecting to see Yuugi, but she found herself looking into Yami's amethyst eyes. Yami… She saw that he was silently telling her to stand down. She sighed and felt her eye twitch, but her shoulders relaxed, showing she did what he asked of her.

She saw something flash within Yami's eyes and waited to see what he was going to do. She was curious, to put it simply. It was why she had backed down. "I know the naaame!" Lauren titled her head in fascination as Chouno-sensei's face started to turn into puzzle pieces. "The expelled student's name is… Hon…" The pieces then started to fall from her face. Lauren's eyes widened as she watched with a flat face that the face underneath it was just… horrifying.

Lauren's teeth clicked together as she held back her urge to laugh. The other students spoke up at the horrible face. She figured Yami had pulled a penalty game or something, and by peeling away all the make-up that she wore, it showed her true face. It showed the true look of her heart. And without her make-up, she's just ugly

"C-C-Clases are over for today!" Chouno-sensei said as she rushed out of the room. "This is just between you and me! Tell anyone and I'll kill youuu! Bye!" She ran down the hallway. "I'll remember this!"

"!"

The laughter burst through her lips like a storm and she fell back into her chair, clutching her sides again. "Oh my God!" She said through her laughter. "I knew she really looked like that if you took the make-up away! Ha! I was right! Take that!" She dissolved into another laughing mess. She banged her fist on the desk as she laughed.

"Jonouchiiiii…" Honda said. "Did you see that… What a weird face!"

"Yeah… That was close!" Jonouchi said. Yuugi looked confused, and when Lauren calmed down, she figured he didn't remember Yami coming out. It seemed like it was a typical thing, Yami would come out in times when Yuugi was stressed, but when Yami would retreat back – to wherever he went – Yuugi wouldn't remember a thing.

-x-

After that, Honda asked Ribbon out personally…

And was magnificently rejected…

"Yuugiiiii… Jonouchiii… Laurennnn…" Honda moaned as they walked him away.

"It's okay!" Jonouchi said. "Let's go get a hamburger!" But something had started between Jonouchi, Honda, Yuugi, and Lauren… The red head was certain of it.