Episode 9: The Dangerous Yo-Yo Gang
Today was Friday for Yugi and the group, even though they had morning classes the day after, they still considered it to be the weekend. Yugi was especially excited today because of a new game. This time though, it wasn't one he was bringing, oh no. Jounouchi had called Yugi the night before and told him he got a great deal on something old school. This got Yugi interested as he hurried to school and headed for his first class. He ran as fast as he could to get to the classroom, wondering if Jounouchi would be there. He never misses a class unless he was sick, so therefore he was sure to be here. He looked around, trying to desperately locate the blond, but didn't see him at first. He did however see Miho and Anzu in the class.
"Ah, morning Yugi!" Anzu called out as she looked over at him.
Yugi smiled as he waved to the brunette. "Hey Anzu, have you seen Jounouchi?" He asked excitedly, hardly containing his giddiness.
"I think I saw him at the entrance." Miho stated as she answered the question. "Why are you so happy?"
"Jounouchi said he was going to show me something he got!" Yugi answered, the smile on his face not fading at all.
Anzu sighed in slight disappointment. "Don't tell me it's another one of those naked magazines." The brunette huffed, being reminded of the one he had snuck into school with pictures of girls in this summer's bikini lines. She knew the blond was some sort of pervert, but to think he would bring such a thing to school. He really had no shame at all.
Yugi could sense how upset Anzu seemed, so he tried to correct her. "Actually, he said it was some sort of old school game."
"Old school game?" Miho repeated. "Like Chess?"
"Considering how he doesn't know the difference between a Pawn and a Rookie, I doubt that." Anzu pointed out. This caused Miho to giggle as Yugi stared at the door, certain that Jounouchi was on his way. His instincts were right as the blond himself flew into the room.
"Finally! Damn light at the end of Ookami Street!" He sighed as he walked over to his desk to unpack his briefcase. His brown eyes soon looked over, seeing Yugi and the girls looking over at him. "Oh, morning Yugi."
The short boy still had an ecstatic smile on his face. "Hey, hey, Jounouchi, did you bring that thing you were gonna show me?" Yugi got right to the point.
The blond smirked as he reached into his bag and pulled out a specific item. "Ah yeah, I made sure it was the first thing I packed." He then pulled out a round object, attached to a string. He held it out for everyone to see before finally showing it all off. "Pretty cool, right? It's called a Miracle yo-yo!"
"Miracle yo-yo?" Anzu and Miho asked in unison, looking as Jounouchi fling the yo-yo down, then pulled it back up into his palm again. Yugi watched with a smile on his face, he remembered the toy that his grandfather used to play with as a child. They were pretty big back in those days, but Yugi never saw one in real life before. He never would have imagined Jounouchi getting one though. He really knew Yugi well to have showed him something that peaked his interests.
"Pretty neat, huh? This is the hottest street item right now, this brand especially." Jounouchi held up his toy for the two girls to get a closer look.
"It just seems like another old toy to me. How can it possibly be so popular?" Anzu had to ask, as it seemed she did not understand the appeal at all.
"They've been selling them pretty cheap lately, and I've seen middle schoolers and even high schoolers getting into these." Jounouchi explained, getting pumped up as his face had a glow of anticipation. "Alright, I'll show you some of my yo-yo techs! First up, the sleeping position." Jounouchi flung the yo-yo so it was hovering above the ground. Spinning still despite it being at the end of the string. "This is a basic technique, but the trick is to fling the yo-yo with the right force to keep it going. This is what we call the Long Sleeper." He showed off the skill to everyone. Anzu wasn't too impressed, but Miho started to get slightly excited.
"Look at that! The yo-yo stopped mid-air and is still spinning!" She stated.
"Once you master this position, make the yo-yo touch and roll on the floor, and you will master the move, Walk The Dog!" Jounouchi explained, rolling the toy on the floor before pulling it back into his hand once more.
"So cute!" Miho squeaked as she held her hands to her face, hiding her smile as she was all on board with this toy.
Anzu was still unimpressed as she stared at Jounouchi. "That's all? Those tricks are basic for beginners."
Upon hearing her words, Jounouchi seemed to have taken offense to that, backing away as he stared at her with a pessimistic look. He knew he had to come up with something to amaze her or else he would receive even more critique from her. "Alright then, I didn't want to have to show you but you left me no choice. I'll expose my even more amazing technique!" He then flung the toy around, making it spin around in oval and circular motions so quickly, they couldn't even see where it began or where it ended. "Loop to loop!" Jounouchi shouted as his hands were all over the place, trying to switch the yo-yo from one palm to another. Yugi was freaking out, standing as far back as he could as he was scared to get hit.
The girls were screaming as they covered their heads and ducked down. "Cut it out! This is dangerous!" Anzu screamed. The yo-yo was out of control, the three high schoolers terrified of possibly getting hit. Thankfully, the madness ended once someone had grabbed the yo-yo in their palms. Jounouchi looked over, seeing Honda had entered the room with a victorious smile as he stopped the danger before it caused any damage.
Yugi breathed a sigh of relief, glad that someone had managed to stop the out of control toy. "Thanks Honda, you saved us."
The brunet nodded, turning to his long time friend with serious brows and a sly smile. "Jounouchi, you shouldn't bring such toys to this school if they are going to be a danger to the students." He scolded the blond like a teacher, but Honda was still a mere student and on the same level as Jounouchi.
Not even the blond of the group was at all intimidated, rather he just mocked Honda. "Someone as closeted and old school like you wouldn't understand the appeal."
"Closeted and old?!" Honda freaked out at how Jounouchi described him. "I will have you know that I have no such skeletons in my closet! Nor am I that old! In fact, you are three months older than me, so you are the old one!"
"Heh, at least I don't act my age." Jounouchi retorted.
"That is the problem!" Honda stated back.
As the two boys were arguing, Miho was still fascinated by the yo-yo tricks that Jounouchi had done. Her eyes sparkling as her smile widened. "But still, it was pretty cool. Miho wouldn't mind trying to learn the yo-yo." Anzu stared at her with a judgmental face.
When Honda heard this, he turned towards Miho with saddened and worried eyes. "W-what are you saying, Miho? If you were to play with such a contraption, imagine what would happen…" Honda shuddered, as he helped to visualize the scenario. Miho would be tossing the yo-yo up and down, leaning her head towards it absentmindedly as she was trying to do some tricks with it. As she pulls the yo-yo up, it lands on her head and knocks her out, making her fall to the floor with spiral eyes. Honda rushes over, calling her name to try and wake her up, but she wouldn't respond. He would then get on his knees, crying out as he howls her name in vain.
While Honda was helping Miho visualize such a thing, he placed his hands on her shoulder and stared at her with wavering eyes. "If anything were to happen to you… I beg of you, Miho, don't get involved with the yo-yo." Honda pleaded. "It's far too dangerous."
As he was talking to the young girl, Jounouchi just had this annoyed expression as he stared at the male burnet. "You're the one taking it to the extreme level." Jounouchi pointed out.
"And yet you were the one tossing the thing around like a weapon." Anzu reminded the blond.
"I didn't hurt anyone." Jounouchi told her in a bit of a loud tone.
"Not yet…" Anzu remarked.
Yugi was once again the one to try and disrupt the dispute going on. "Say Jounouchi, can you tell me where you got that yo-yo?" He asked as he was curious. "I want to see if I can try a few tricks myself." Jounouchi looked at his best friend, a smile crossed his face as he was happy at least one of the members of their group understood how cool such an old school toy was.
The blond nodded. "I'll take you to the place I got it from after school." He promised. This made Yugi all the more thrilled. As Jounouchi promised, the bell rang and everyone headed to their assigned seats. Yugi sat next to Jounouchi like he usually did in the first period. It was times like this Yugi was still baffled as to how they became such close friends. He could hardly even believe that at one point, Jounouchi would tease and even bully Yugi at times, but now he considered the blond like the brother he never had. It made the midget of the group all the more happy that he was able to have his most desired wish to be granted.
School soon came to a close once again, as the final bell rang out for everyone to go home. Yugi was already at the lockers, all changed into his normal sneakers as he was waiting for Jounouchi to take him to get a yo-yo like he promised. Thankfully Yugi had enough change on him, so he felt he would be able to afford the yo-yo. According to Jounouchi, it was pretty cheap when he got his, so Yugi had no doubt that he should be able to afford the toy. Thankfully, Yugi didn't have to wait long as the blond student hurried over.
"Ah, there you are!" Yugi held onto his backpack and smiled.
"Sorry about being late… anyways, let me get my shoes and we can get going." Jounouchi promised as he walked over to his small locker to switch footwear. Yugi watched him, his smile showing off how content he was about heading out and spending time with Jounouchi. He was really looking forward to it, as he giggled giddily.
"Ah, good afternoon Yugi." A female voice called out as a green haired girl walked up to him with a smile. Yugi looked over and saw Cosmo approach him.
"Ah, Cosmo!" He smiled as he looked at her.
"Are you heading home?" She asked as she approached him.
"Actually, Jounouchi and I are heading to get a yo-yo." Yugi explained. "He showed me one this morning, and I'm interested in learning some tricks."
Cosmo blinked as she seemed curious. "I didn't take you for the type to do tricks."
Yugi laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I know I'm more into strategy games, but I wanted to give it a try to do something new. Plus Jounouchi is into this, and it's only fair I take a try at his interests."
Cosmo smiles at his words. "You are very kind and open minded." She tells him.
This caused the young boy to blush and scratch his cheek. He didn't deserve such praise, but he wanted to at least try and support his friends as they have for him all this time. Jounouchi finally got his home sneakers on him as he held his briefcase behind his head. "Ready to head out, Yugi?" He asked, looking at the short boy, as he was not aware of the young girl.
Yugi looked back over at the blond and nodded. "So, where are we going?" He asked.
"Well the store that sold me the yo-yo was on the east side of Domino. We can catch a bus there if we have to." Jounouchi told him.
Upon hearing that, Cosmo gasped. "Wait, you're going to East Domino?" Jounouchi and Yugi looked over at her as they were confused. "You haven't heard? There's been some dangerous activities going on. Apparently, there's some group of young men in that area causing trouble, beating and robbing people on the streets."
"Eh?" Yugi and Jounouchi shuddered in response. This was the first time either of them were hearing of such a thing.
"What's worse, they apparently have been using yo-yos as weapons as well to attack people if they have to." Cosmo held her hands close to her heart as she looked down, clearly terrified. "Some of our classmates and students from this school who live on the East Side confirmed this. Losing a lot of their money and getting beaten up in the process."
"Is that really true?" Jounouchi asked, still processing this information. Cosmo nodded, confirming it for them.
"But a yo-yo shouldn't be a tool used for hurting people…" Yugi stated as he was upset by the news. This may have been his first time hearing it, but he also couldn't disbelieve it.
"Well, I figured I'd warn you. The police are currently tracking them down from what I hear, but so far they have come up empty handed. Until it's resolved, the teachers and staff have told students to avoid going to East Domino if they can. If not, they recommend staying in groups or being close to crowds."
Yugi nodded solemnly, as he understood the consequences of not following the warnings. "Still it isn't right of what they're doing." Jounouchi added.
"I agree, but it's best we wait for the police to handle it. The last thing the school needs is for more students to fall victim… and I really don't want to see your guys hurt either." She practically begged as she looked at the two with wide, wavering eyes. "Just promise me you will be careful, please?"
There was something about her sapphire eyes that sparkled, wanting to make anyone keep their promise. As much as Yugi really wanted that yo-yo and to try some new tricks with Jounouchi, he also knew he couldn't disobey direct orders from staff and teachers. Plus, he didn't want to get beaten up by any punks on the street, he suffered through that for a whole life time. The short male looked up at the blond, being just as scared as the green one was. "Maybe we should take a reign check on that yo-yo, Jounouchi. Going to East Domino now sounds too dangerous."
Jounouchi noticed the terrified look in Yugi's eyes. He didn't blame him, after all he had bad experience with those that picked on him in the past. The last thing he wanted was Yugi getting hurt by these delinquents. And considering how he looked now, he would no doubt be easy prey for them. "Don't worry, Yugi. I'll get you that yo-yo myself."
When Yugi heard that, at first he was relieved that he wouldn't be going to a dangerous part of Domino. But when Jounouchi seemed determined to get Yugi a present, the young high schooler seemed very worried. "Jounouchi…" he wanted to tell him that he could wait. He didn't want his friend getting hurt because of his own wants.
"Don't worry, I live in East Domino, remember? I know the ins and outs like the back of my hand." He held up his right one to prove a point. "I'll be alright, I'll get you a yo-yo and tomorrow after school, I'll show you my ultimate tricks!"
"But what about if those gang members catch you?" Cosmo had to ask, as she was just as worried about him as Yugi.
"I'll be alright, I may not be smart, but I make up for it with my brute strength." He assured with a cocky grin. "I promise to avoid a fight if I can, but I'll be able to handle myself."
As much as Yugi wanted to protest all he could, he knew that once Jounouchi had made up his mind, he would be stubborn to no end until he saw it through. Words alone would not persuade him, and Yugi was not strong enough to stop him himself. He was still unsure though, but didn't want to say anything. "J-just don't stay there for too long…" The short boy reached into his pocket to take out the yen he was going to spend for the yo-yo. He placed it in Jounouchi's palm. "Use my money, I was going to use it for the yo-yo anyway and it isn't much." Yugi stated. "Just please be careful."
The blond pocketed the money quickly, then looked at Yugi with his kind brown eyes and a sly smile. "You worry too much, Yugi." That was all Jounouchi said before turning on his heels and heading out the door, leaving Yugi and Cosmo there as they watched him go. Yugi still couldn't help but be worried. Sure, Jounouchi could handle himself in a fight way better than he could, but there was a limit to what the blond could do. And the last thing he needed was for something bad to happen to him.
"Uh… are you sure you should let him go on his own?" Cosmo had to ask, staring at Yugi. "What if he ends up getting hurt?"
Yugi looked over at the green haired girl and shook his head. "Jounouchi has already made up his mind. You won't be able to change it unless there is something literally blocking him." Yugi told her. "As scared as I am for him, I have faith that he will be okay. He's one to always keep his promise no matter what."
"You must really have a lot of confidence in him." Cosmo noted.
"Well, I do consider him my best friend." Yugi admits, smiling as he was happy with the label he had on Jounouchi. He then got an idea as he looked at Cosmo. "Want to walk home together?"
She smiled and nodded, heading to her locker to quickly gather her things. Then when she was ready, the two high schoolers headed out. They walked together back to their homes, having done this a few times before as they had gotten closer now. It was so strange, Yugi could remember walking like this with Anzu back when they were still in elementary school. And even though he still walked with his friends occasionally, it was either Jounouchi or Cosmo. Not that he complained, doing this activity only certain times made it more special to him. And it meant he could learn a lot more about his friends as they traveled. "So, why were you getting a yo-yo exactly?" Cosmo had to ask, looking at him curiously.
Yugi looked over at her as she asked that question. "Well, Jounouchi got his real cheap and they have become a bit popular lately. Jounouchi seems interested and I wanted to give it a try myself. It may not be a board game of sorts, but that doesn't mean I can't have any fun."
The green haired girl smiled. "I think you could master the yo-yo in no time."
Yugi blushed at her comment. "R-really?"
"Of course! If it is game related, Yugi Muotu can master it like a pro." She assured him. Yugi became embarrassed by her statement. She was the one being kind with how she praised him. Mastering a yo-yo wasn't the same as leveling up in a video game or forming a strategy for a table top role play. It was all about the skills he needed, but hopefully he could master it. Jounouchi seemed to have gotten the basics down in just one day, so that gave Yugi some hope.
Cosmo skipped a bit as she and Yugi were near the street where their houses were. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Yugi." She waved to him with a smile.
"Yeah, have a good night." Yugi called to her as she began heading to her home. He then walked towards his shop, going through the door and sighing. "I'm home, Grandpa." Yugi called out, expecting his grandfather to greet him as he walked to the counter. He soon saw for himself that his elder was not at the stand where he was waiting for him. However, there was a small note on the surface. The high schooler walked over, grabbing it and read it over out loud. "Yugi, had to run a personal order. Will be back before dinner." Yugi sighed as he set the paper down again. Looks like he would be alone for a while. He was tempted to take Sugaroku's place and run the store until he got back, however the shop was already labeled close and he knew that if he didn't get his homework done, his grandfather would not be pleased.
Yugi adjusted his bag and hurried upstairs to his bedroom to finish up his homework. Thankfully he only had an assignment in two classes, and it was ones he was good at so they shouldn't take him long. He sat at the desk next to his bed and began taking out his books and papers. As he did, his mind wandered to the yo-yo group that Cosmo mentioned and how they were close to where Jounouchi lived. "A dangerous group that uses yo-yos as weapons…" Yugi repeated as he looked out his window. The view of Domino was miniscule, but he could see plenty of buildings and street lights as well as the mixed color sky. A very disturbing thought popped into his head. Even though Jounouchi promised to be safe, he knew what the blond was like back in the days before their friendship. Yet even now, if anyone hurt those from his school or got involved with hurting his friends, he was not one to sit by and allow it to happen.
"It's Jounouchi… I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to run into the group on purpose to confront them." Yugi feared that would be the case, and he grew even more terrified at the thought that it would come true. Now Yugi wished he could have gone with Jounouchi, at least he could have been there if something happened. The group tended to target lone people, but if they had been a pair then the likelihood of them getting cornered would have decreased. It was times like this that Yugi wished he wasn't such a scaredy cat. Then again, even if he did go and they still ran into that gang, it wasn't like he would be much help. He was physically weak compared to Jounouchi, so he would have been dead weight. Still, Yugi wished he had gone with Jounouchi just to make sure he stayed out of trouble. "I hope he'll be okay." Yugi begged as he looked out to the sky, his expression of concern. All he could do was wait for tomorrow and hope for the best.
Yugi came to school the next day, preparing for what was to come. He had hoped that his friend was there and was alright. He didn't even care about the yo-yo anymore, he just wanted to be sure that Jounouchi was safe. As he walked into the building and down the hallway, he went over to the classroom where he would have his first class. When he got there, he noticed that the blond was not at his seat. Yugi didn't begin to panic just yet, since there was still some time before the bell rang. So he took his seat and waited, believing that Jounouchi would show up. As more students came into the classroom and took their seats, Yugi kept his eyes on the one that Jounouchi sat in. He was expecting him to come in even when the period began. As the minutes progressed through, Yugi glanced over at the desk that had no student in it. Now his fears began to grow. And this only became worse when the class ended and the seat that belonged to Jounouchi was still empty.
"Unbelievable! This is a state of emergency!" Honda was hysterical as he backed away from Jounouchi's empty desk. Everyone else had gathered at the desk as they were just perplexed by the situation.
"What's the big deal? Jounouchi is just absent from school. It happens to everyone." Anzu pointed out. "He probably came down with a cold or something."
"But Jounouchi's health is his one good point." Honda stated. "Plus this is the first time that Jounouchi has ever been absent from school."
"You know, I kind of miss his loudmouth now that I can't hear it." Anzu commented.
Yugi's worries began to grow more as he was fearing the worst case scenario. He desperately wanted to tell his friends about what Jounouchi had planned on doing yesterday, but he didn't want to get them all riled up, especially Honda. He was already in a panic state as it was and he didn't want to get even more wound up. Plus, Yugi can't assume that Jounouchi ran into that gang unless he could get some sort of confirmation. For now, he turned towards the male burnet in the hopes for some answers."Honda, did you hear anything about Jounouchi at all?"
Honda remained silent for a moment, looking down at the ground as he shook his head. "From what I heard, he didn't contact the school about his absence either."
Now Yugi was more suspicious, as his amethyst eyes looked down to the desk. "I'm worried that Jououchi must have ran into that yo-yo gang yesterday."
"Yo-yo gang?" Anzu asked.
Yugi nodded as he looked up at both Honda and Anzu. "Me and Jounouchi were going to East Domino to get a yo-yo so he could teach me some cool tricks. But as we were about to head out, Cosmo told us about a dangerous group that has been mugging students, including our own, that dwell in East Domino. I didn't want to go there, so Jounouchi said he would get me a yo-yo himself… I tried to stop him but…"
Anzu spoke up as she had her hands on her hips. "He's a stubborn one, that blond. Although, now that you mention it, I did hear from other students that this group was a bunch of other high schoolers from another school, but they didn't know where."
"I know Jounouchi promised he would try to avoid a fight if he could… but I'm worried that he ended up fighting regardless…" Yugi admitted as he couldn't help but imagine the worst case scenario with Jounouchi and that group.
Honda and Anzu could tell how upset Yugi was, they knew how close he and Jounouchi were and if something happened to either one of them, the other would be livid. Honda wanted to ease Yugi and give him some hope. "After our final class, we can go check his house. We only have three more classes today, so after our fourth one, we'll head over there." Honda instructed, to which everyone agreed.
The next three classes seemed to have dragged on for quite a long time. Everyone was all the more anxious to want to leave school right now and find out where Jounouchi was. For every hour that passed, Jounouchi could be laying dead in a ditch by now. Though since they were in a very concrete jungle called the city, Yugi doubted there were any ditches for his body to be in. However, he knew that Jounouchi wouldn't last long at this rate. Once the final bell rang, Yugi gathered his belongings and hurried towards the main entrance as he waited for everyone else. Honda was the first one to show up, then Anzu as she brought along Miho for moral support. They didn't say much as they were heading off the school grounds, letting Honda lead since he seemed to have been the one to know where to go. As they were heading to East Domino, the group began to get a bit antsy of the idea of seeing where Jounouchi lived.
Now that Yugi thought about it, he never had been over at Jounouchi's place before. Sure, they didn't know each other for that long, but even so they usually only hung out at Yugi's house or at other locations. Then again, Yugi never brought up the idea of spending time at where Jounouchi lived. But he didn't think much of that, still he wondered why Jounouchi himself never brought up the idea. "Hey, Honda… How long have you known Jounouchi for?" Yugi wondered as they were nearing the street to where Jounouchi's apartment was.
Honda didn't turn around to answer Yugi, he just kept walking but he did respond to him. "We've been friends since the early days of middle school. We mocked each other and picked fights with one another at first, but as time went on we began to grow closer. We found out we were passionate about wanting to best everyone that thought little of us, and so we bonded based on that common ground."
"You and Jounouchi sure have a strange bond." Anzu commented.
"But a strong one nonetheless!" Miho added in.
"So, have you ever been to his house then?" Yugi asked.
"Only once, but he's lived at the same place for most of his life, so I know where he is." He explained, but as he spoke, he had a weirdly somber tone to his words. Almost as if he hated the memory. With a few more turns, they soon made it to a white apartment complex. Though it wasn't too fancy, only having four floors in total, and the windows were pretty clear. Still, it wasn't run down either, the place seemed well kept and nothing was busted or broken, it seemed like a decent enough place on the outside.
"Is this it?" Miho asked, staring at the building in awe.
Honda hummed as he looked over the complex. "If I remember correctly, his place is the first door on the third floor." He was the one that walked up the stairs, the other three following behind as they climbed up to get to the door. Jounouchi's last name was plastered on the apartment number next to the door, confirming that it was in fact where Jounouchi lived. "Here we are." Honda approached the door, knocking on it as he called out to get the one at home attention. After a good thirty seconds of knocking through, it was futile.
"Maybe no one is home?" Anzu pointed out. For a moment, it seemed that they were going to give up on the apartment. Since it appeared that no one was home anyways. But, that was not the end of it. Miho had the brilliant idea to go over and grab onto the doorknob, giving it a twist and opening the barrier slightly.
"Looks like the door isn't locked." She giggled, holding onto the knob still. The other three had a look of horror, watching as Miho held the door open still.
"Miho, you can't just go into a person's home without their permission!" Anzu scolded her, trying to keep her voice down in case someone overheard. The last thing they needed was to get in trouble on their search for Jounouchi.
"Don't worry," she assured as she leaned in to the crack the door provided. "We're just taking a peek to make sure." As wrong as the situation was, Yugi wanted to see what the inside of Jounouchi's house was. Just to be certain he wasn't there, this was the only way they could see without going in. Anzu and Honda leaned in to see for themselves, looking as far in as they could with such a small sliver of open space. At first, all seemed quiet within the small space they could see. That silence did not last long as a bottle flew across the room, landing on the solid door, breaking and spilling what smelt of alcohol inside. Yugi and Miho gasped as they were terrified by the sudden weapon thrown their way. Thankfully it didn't hit them, but the scary part wasn't over.
"You damn kid!" A gruff and clearly drunk voice called out. It was a man who was hiccuping throughout his slurred speech. They couldn't see the man fully since the door had closed somewhat after the bottle broke. They saw a pair of black rubber boots on a wooden table. He kicked another bottle off the surface as he said in his drunken state. "Why have you been gone since yesterday?"
Everyone was in too much of a panic to answer that question that was clearly not meant for them. Honda frantically apologized as they ran off, closing the door and headed as far away from the complex as they could. They ran at least a good mile away from that place, stopping near the park. They stayed there to catch their breaths, panting as they couldn't believe what they saw. "That was a surprise…" Yugi commented. Of all the things he could have seen, he didn't expect to see something such as that. He didn't even know how to describe what just happened. Yugi turned toward Honda, needing to know for certain. "Honda… that man, was he…?"
Honda looked back to where the apartments were, not even he could lie about what was behind that door. "Yeah, it was his dad. He has a terrible drinking habit and resorts to gambling to make ends-meet. From what I've heard, he's been that way for a long time." His features grew somber as he explained it to the group, lowering his head he added, "He's the reason why Jounouchi doesn't invite his friends over to his house." When he heard that, Yugi grew even more sympathetic towards his blond friend. He couldn't even begin to picture what it must be like having to live with such a parent. It made Yugi all the more grateful that even though his parents weren't around so often, they never treated him like that. Not even his grandfather would ever curse at him, yell at him sure, but that was very rare.
Honda turned back to everyone again, as the big question was still on everyone's mind. "But where is Jounouchi now? From what his old man said, he hasn't been home since yesterday,"
"Guess we are back to searching for him." Anzu noted. "Hopefully he is still nearby in East Domino."
"It would be easier if we split up to look for him then." Yugi suggested. "Honda and I will take the lower side of East Domino."
Anzu nodded. "Alright, Miho, let's see what we can find in the upper section."
Everyone agreed to go in their pairs, as Honda told everyone the places he usually hangs around with Jounouchi. They searched game stations, restaurants like a cheap ramen shop. They headed to the park that he tends to visit, movie theaters, any place for Jounouchi to hang out either with Honda or by himself. As the search dragged on for hours, none of the groups were able to locate the blond. Yugi and Honda were at the marketplace, waiting for the girls to bring them their status. For now, Honda sighed in defeat. "No good, he's not anywhere."
Yugi looked up at the brunet as he still tried to hope for a miracle. "Isn't there any other places for him you can think he'd be?"
Honda looked around, trying to clear his head and think straight. "We've been to all of the places that I could think of." That was all he could say.
The smaller of the two looked down in disappointment, muttering Jounouchi's name. Yugi was growing more anxious as they didn't know where their friend was.
"Damn, and here I thought he might have changed…" Honda grunted as he rubbed the back of his head. "I thought he would have gotten better once we entered high school…"
Yugi looked up at his friend, raising a brow. "What do you mean, 'better once we entered high school'? Do you mean that Jounouchi was more rough in middle school?"
Honda nodded as he turned back to the young student. "Well… he was…" The two of them got interrupted as they heard what sounded like boxes crashing against one another, and the grunting of a young man. The two guys heard the commotion and went to investigate for the sake of curiosity. Yugi turned around a corner to check in an alleyway, and that was when he froze as his eyes went wide, seeing a group of six guys ganging up on a young boy in a dark blue suit and tie.
Yugi was able to get a good look at most of them. There was one guy with light tan skin and sleek back black hair, looking like someone out of the American movie, Grease. Another guy with a shaved back head but very pointed, upward orange spikes. There was a tall but scrawny guy, with a green beanie hat, silver circular glasses and a yellow turtleneck, despite it being pretty warm out. The other guy was the biggest of the group, but based on his looks he seemed pretty derpy with slick back lavender hair and an empty expression in his eyes. Then there was one guy that was semi-built with piercing blue eyes, and a shaved back head with navy blue hair in a short ponytail. There was a sixth member, but Yugi couldn't tell who it was since he was being blocked by the others. One thing he noticed though was that they all had on gray, school uniforms, meaning they must go to the same learning education. Yugi didn't know which one though, since he never saw such a uniform before.
"I-I'm sorry…" The guy being held up by the buff one in the group looked down, apologizing in fear.
"What was that? You believe that you can just step one someone's foot and act like it was no big deal?" The black haired one got up close to the guy in the suit.
"Now, now… it was just an accident." The blue haired guy assured in a calm, yet very threatening tone. "If you'd give us some money, we may just let you go with a warning."
Yugi and Honda could only watch the group pick on the defenseless man, for they did not want to get involved at all. Honda however, muttered something for only Yugi to hear. "Those uniforms… they must be from Rintama High. That school has a reputation for delinquents, and the bad ones usually hang out together. We should leave before they spot us." Honda offered as he turned to begin to walk away.
Yugi however still looked at the group, for some reason his eyes were captured by the gang, as if being reminded of something that was said to him not too long ago. However, he soon realized that there was more to this group than meets the eye as he saw one of the guys moving out of the way, revealing a familiar blond. Yugi gasped, pointing at the one that was out of place. "Jounouchi?!" He gasped in both shock and fright, seeing his friend hanging out with such rough people.
Honda looked over, just as surprised for better or worse. He couldn't believe that Jounouchi was hanging out with those rebels. It reminded him too much of the old days. "Why is he hanging out with those Rintama high rebels?" He asked, staying to the corner and hoping that they would not see him.
The big guy with the purple hair tossed the man in the suit away, after the one in the green beanie hat held up the yen that the man had on him. "Not a whole lot, should have kicked him around a lot more for his worthless cash." The guy with the glasses said smugly.
"You kidding? With all the cops running around here lately, we need to try and be on good behavior or they will have our heads." The greaser guy stated. "Besides, a little money is better than none at all."
"Looks like we are done here," The one with the blue hair stated. "Come on, let's show Jounouchi where our hideout is. It's a place called J's Club. Reserved for college students, but I have someone that works there that lets us stay for protection." The group began to walk out of the alleyway, heading off to cause more trouble more than not. Yugi felt his heart skip a beat, watching Jounouchi leave with such people that would do such damage. He couldn't let him walk away with those creeps, so he ran off. Honda tried to stop him, but Yugi was faster, calling out to Jounouchi. "Jounouchi! Wait!" Yugi had managed to get the attention of the group, even the blond who turned around.
"Jounouchi, what are you doing hanging around these guys? Why weren't you at school today?" He flew one question after another towards his friend, hoping to get at least one answer.
The one in the green beanie chuckled. "Guys like us, what is that supposed to mean?" He glared at Yugi, towering over him all threatening like. "Do you know this kid, Jounouchi?"
The blond had a neutral expression on his face as he only looked back at Yugi for a split second, before turning back and looking straight ahead. "Nope, he's not worth it. Let's go." Upon hearing that, Yugi felt his heart break.
Was Jounouchi ignoring him? How could this be? This can't be real. It wasn't the Jounouchi that Yugi had gotten close to these past few months. "Jounouchi! Wait!" Yugi called out again. This time, Jounouchi did stop but he didn't turn to face Yugi, despite him calling out for attention. He couldn't let him go off like this, he could get hurt by these people. They had to be using him, or blackmailing him. This wasn't Jounouchi.
That was when the guy in the blue ponytail stepped up, being by Jounouchi's side with a sly grin on his face. "Heh Jounouchi, you've gone soft haven't ya? I can't believe you allowed some brat from Domino High to follow you. This is why you should have gone to Rintama High." He told him. It was the first time Honda was able to get a better look at the blue haired man, the moment he saw him, his face froze in horror. He recognized that face belonging to that guy, the one that would hang out with Jounouchi before Domino High.
'That guy...Hirotani! He was the one that Jounouchi hung out in middle school! Why would he come back to him and his group now?' Honda wondered in his head as he watched Yugi still trying to reach out to the blond, hoping to get to him and even to get him away from those gang members.
"Jounouchi, come back with us!" He begged. All Jounouchi did was keep his back turned from the spikey haired midget as he dare not say anything. Somehow that response was even more damaging to Yugi.
"Damn, this brat is annoying, ain't he Hirotani?" The beanie hat guy said, raising an eyebrow at Yugi. Before the young student could even blink or move, the guy with the glasses ran over, swinging a punch directly at his face and knocking him to the ground, stunned. "Do yourself a favor, and quit whining you little brat!"
Honda gasped, watching as Yugi was forced onto the concrete, running towards him and picking him up. Jounouchi still remained silent as the guy in the glasses had a crazed look in his eyes. "Don't stress out our friend, bother him again and I'll kill ya." He threatened with laughter.
The brunet looked at Yugi, trying to make sure he didn't black out since he knew how weak Yugi was. "Yugi, are you okay?" Honda then looked up, seeing Jounouchi's back as the group of the other high schoolers began walking away, laughing at the scene they caused.
"Let's go, Jounouchi." The blue haired guy began to lead the others, the blond included, began walking away leaving Honda and Yugi on the ground. Honda ratted on Jounouchi, calling him things like scum and bastard, but the Domino High student didn't say anything, he just kept walking until they were out of sight.
Yugi wasn't too damaged, the guy may have been a thug but it was clear he wasn't that much of a muscle. Still, his cheek really hurt and knew that he would have a mark for a long while. Honda managed to bring Yugi to the nearby park, it was just the two of them as the girls were still searching for Jounouchi but came up empty handed. During that time, the brunet gave Yugi a wet handkerchief and held it up on his wound. Despite his flinching, the shortest of the two held onto the cloth and left it on his face to try and keep it from swelling. Honda then used his cellphone to contact Anzu, saying that they were at a dead end with their search and figured that the girls should head back home. Even though he was lying to them, he did not say the truth until he knew the reason behind Jounouchi's betrayal. On top of that, he didn't want to get the girls in danger with this gang. He knew the history those thugs had, and he didn't want Anzu or Miho to get hurt or worse. When he ended the call, he walked over to Yugi and sat down on the bench with him.
"I just told Anzu and Miho that they could go home. It's getting late anyways and the last thing we need is them getting involved in this."
Yugi nodded, he actually agreed with Honda on that bit. His eyes downcasted towards the ground, holding the cloth to his skin. "That was too surprising though… I can't believe Jounouchi would become friends with guys like those…"
Honda saw how upset Yugi was, he was just as heart broken as himself. Honda's brown eyes looked to the sand of the playground. Though his head was in reality, his mind went back to the past. One that he wished would have stayed buried. "That gang used to be his old friends." Yugi took his eyes off the floor and towards the burnet. "Believe it or not, when I was a kid I did some stupid and bad things. That was how I met Jounouchi, he was in the same boat as me. Back in middle school, we'd spend our time picking fights, which was how we learned to brawl. But Jounouchi would pick fights everyday, until he met one guy from Rintama High, who began leading Jounouchi around as part of his posi. The same guy with the blue ponytail back there. At first, Jounouchi seemed to admire him, but I never did. He and his gang were nothing but trouble, vandalising, stealing, and picking on weaklings. When Jounouchi realized this, he left with my help. He may have kept some habits when he entered high school, but I believed he cut it off with them." Yugi listened to Honda, hearing the tale of the friendship between him and Jounouchi, as well as a bit of backstory. It made sense that Jounouchi would have such a rough attitude based on his home life. "But why did he return to them now?" Honda had to wonder. "Maybe he really didn't change after all."
Yugi could see the disappointment on Honda's face. He never knew how much trouble the two of them got in together when they were younger, and it made Yugi all the more sympathetic towards the blond. To think he did all of those acts, but managed to clean himself up a bit as he got older. Yugi smiled as he held the Millenium Puzzle in his hands. He was remembering the time when Jounouchi would tease him about his treasure, and have him fight for it back. Even though some may call it bullying, it was just the blond's way of trying to teach Yugi how to stand up for himself. Something that he still has yet to learn, but getting better at it slowly. Yugi held the golden item in his hands, a soft expression on his face. 'Before the Puzzle, I couldn't even picture Jounouchi as my friend. But ever since the Puzzle was completed, that day he and I realized we weren't so different.' The memory played in his head over and over, how he went from stealing Yugi's treasure to giving it back to him then making amends. The smile on Yugi was shining as bright as the Puzzle itself. Giving Yugi the confidence to fully believe in his friends.
"I believe… I know Jounouchi hasn't changed!"
Honda raised a brow at him, questioning his belief. But seeing that kind smile upon Yugi, somehow filled Honda with hope. It made him realize that despite all the bad things he did, Jounouchi ended up fixing his mistakes. He became more open with his feelings and didn't pick fights for the heck of it. After all, Hirotani and his gang could be very persuasive, so maybe it was possible they somehow threatened Jounouchi into coming back. If he really was on the Rintama's side, then the blond would have attacked Yugi and Honda while they were in that alleyway, but he remained neutral. There definitely was something amiss. Which made Honda all the more confident as he stood up, fists pumped in the air. "Yeah, I'm sure that knucklehead has his reason! And if he doesn't, I'm gonna make him wish he'd never messed with either of us!"
Yugi got up from the bench, as his wound had finally gone down though the mark was still there. "In that case, we're gonna go bring Jounouchi back!"
Now Honda really was concerned as he looked down upon Yugi. "Yugi, I get your enthusiasm, but I don't think you can stand up to those guys."
"I'll be alright, besides, I can't go unless I'm certain he comes back." Yugi was stubborn, and Honda knew there would be no way of changing his mind. There was no point in arguing, and they couldn't afford to waste any time.
The brunet nodded as he and Yugi were now set on locating their friend. "That guy said they were going to J's bar. If I remember correctly, that should be seven blocks from this park. We better get there quickly." Yugi nodded in agreement as he followed Honda towards the location. He tried to be prepared for what they would face, no matter how horrifying or brutal it could get, Yugi didn't want to leave Jounouchi at the hands of those punks. It took a lot longer to find the location than either of them had expected, since it was a lot longer than Honda thought the last time he was here. Yugi guessed it took them roughly twenty five minutes just to locate the place. "Jeez, I can't believe it took me this long to find it."
"You sure this is the place?" Yugi asked, wanting to confirm they were in the right location.
"Yeah, should be around this corner." Honda promised. "Stay close, we don't know what this place could be." He told Yugi, who nodded as they peaked around the wall and saw the American-styled bar. It was nothing more than a sign pointing to a set of stairs going down into a brick building. As they got closer, they noticed some commotion going on outside the stairwell. There was an old man wearing an apron, hunched over as he talked with someone who was taking notes. She had on jeans and sneakers, sunglasses on her face and a purple crop top as her lavender hair was put up in a bun.
"What do you suppose is happening?" Yugi asked as he watched the scene those two were putting on.
"I dunno… but I just hope that whatever it is, didn't involve Jounouchi." Honda prayed.
Yugi looked at the woman that had finished writing in a notepad, then placed it in a large shoulder bag before bowing to the old man and began heading off. As she was talking to what seemed like the store owner, Yugi kept looking at her as this strange sense of deja vu was getting stronger.
"Thank you for your time, sir. The police will be on their way to deal with the mess." Her voice rang out, and that was when Yugi knew who it really was. When she walked off, Yugi once again acted without thinking. Honda tried to stop him but he was faster. Yugi tried to catch up to that woman, in the hopes to get to her and talk with her if she was who he thought she was. Honda followed close behind, as he tried to keep up with the smaller high schooler.
Yugi kept up as best he could, but soon lost the woman in the crowd. He scanned the place but could not find her, giving Honda time to take a breather. "Damn, for someone your size, you run fast." The brunet panted. He then managed to pull himself together and look at Yugi. "Why were you running?"
The short high schooler looked at Honda. "I was trying to find her!"
Honda blinked, looking at his friend. "Her?"
"The woman who was questioning the owner at the bar." Yugi tried to explain. It took a minute, but seeing how Honda's face lit up, made Yugi realize he knew what he was talking about.
"Oh yeah, she was one strange woman…" Honda noted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I wonder if she was with the police."
"Police?" Yugi repeated.
The brunet nodded. "Hirotani's gang have had a reputation of stirring up trouble in East Domino, and especially as of late. I've noticed more police cars down here, so maybe they are on their trail."
"But why would Sp-" Yugi was cut off from his sentence as he with Honda heard what sounded like a pained scream. The two of them got curious and followed, leading towards another alleyway to see what was going on. To their shock, they saw some guy being pushed up against the wall by a strong female. The guy that was being held by his neck had the same Rintama outfit that the gang had on, indicating that he was from the same school and must have had some sort of connections with Hirotani.
"L-let me go, you psychotic bitch!" The guy yelled as he thrashed in her grasp.
The woman smirked as she looked at him. "I may be a stalker, but at least I don't beat the crap out of people just for some money. Seriously, it's students like you that give this Rintama high school a bad name." The woman shifted her gaze over to where the two Domino High school students were looking from the alleyway. She let the guy go, as he attempted to scurry away from her. He was heading towards Yugi and Honda, hoping to slip past them. What he didn't count on was for the taller of the two students nailing his fist inside of his gut, making the rouge cough and double in pain. He fell to his knees, holding his stomach from the punch he took.
The woman smiled as she walked over to the three boys, looking at the scene. "Thanks for the help, I owe you one." She stated. Both Honda and Yugi looked at the girl, getting the familiarity of her. However, it was Yugi who knew who she was.
"Sparkle?!"
The woman chuckled as she took off her sunglasses, showing off her light purple eyes. She gave a cute smile their way, pocketing her shades and looking at them. "Didn't think I'd run into you two here."
"I could say the same about you." Honda noted as he made sure the Rintama student wouldn't attempt to crawl away. "Are you some sort of volunteer detective? Because this is no place to be playing Nancy Drew."
Sparkle rolled her eyes at the comment, losing her smile as she looked at the brunet. "For your information, I'm actually helping the police on a case. With the recent activity from Rintama students in this area, they are on endless stake outs."
Yugi gasped as he wondered something. "Are you going after Hirotani's gang?"
Sparkle glanced over at Yugi, raising an eyebrow at the mention of the name. "Hirotani? Is he one of the Rintama students that have been causing the muggings and vandalism as well?" She questioned.
"More like the leader," Honda corrected. "He's a senior at Rintama high if I am not mistaken. He's had his gang in the past, but they have gotten more violent lately. He's a pretty built guy with piercing eyes. He has blue hair, usually in a small ponytail."
Sparkle nodded, making mental notes on the guy. "Yeah, that sounds like the person that was at J'z bar a while back."
Yugi's eyes went wide at the mention of the bar's name. The same one that Hirotani and his gang were leading Jounouchi to! "Did you see Jounouchi there?!" Yugi asked, needing to know the answer.
"Jounouchi?" Sparkle blinked. "Why would he-"
"Hirotani someone got him to join his gang." Yugi cut her off as he explained the situation.
Honda nodded as he added in. "We ran into them about an hour ago. Apparently Jounouchi didn't show up for school today and we got worried, so we began looking for him. That was when we found him with those guys. He has a history with them, so I can't say it was too surprising."
Sparkle rubbed her chin, taking this information as she processed it all. "I'm not surprised that guy was part of a gang. Based on his aggression and even violent tendencies, he seemed like the type. But I find it too convenient that he would end up going to that gang right now, especially when they are gaining in crime and on a watchlist." She then went over to the Rintama guy who she pushed against the wall, glaring at him. Honda was right next to her as Yugi watched, letting them do the interrogating.
"Tell us why Jounouchi is hanging out with you Rintama jerks!" Honda demanded, holding the guy by his collar as he shoved him against the brick wall.
He looked at the two, a sly smile on his face. "Heh… dunno what you mean…" he tried to act innocent, when in reality he was just as guilty. Honda gritted his teeth as he punched the guy square in the jaw, making him all the more angry and serious.
"Tell us now, or I'll kill you and leave your corpse here for the authorities!" Honda gave his last warning, with crazed eyes.
That was enough to make the guy shake in utter fear, and looking over at Sparkle with a raised brow, it seemed she would allow him. "Alright, alright!" He coughed up a bit of blood, trying to not shake from terror. "Hirotani wanted to expand the influence of his group, so he began to bring in some of his older recruits from middle school. One of them he was after was that Jounouchi guy, who he saw yesterday walking down the streets. He was disrespectful, but he was one hell of a brawler. The guy wouldn't join again willingly, so Hirotani threatened to keep attacking more Domino High students if Jounouchi didn't cooperate."
Yugi's eyes went wide at the explanation. "So Jounouchi didn't go back on his own! He was blackmailed!" Yugi knew Jounouchi wouldn't want his gang to attack the other students, let alone Honda and Yugi. Yugi himself would have been a great target for them. His friend was only doing what he could for the sake of others.
"Looks like I doubted him too soon." Honda noted. "But where is Jounouchi now?!" He glared at the guy as he kept him up against the bricks.
"I… h-he was taken away…" The guy gulped. "W-when we went back to J'z, Jounouchi punched Satoshi, the guy with the glasses and the beanie hat. Knocked him right out. He said he wanted him to pay for hurting his friend and going back on their word. The next thing I knew, a brawl broke out, and they took Jounouchi to the execution grounds. Hirotani wanted him to pay for betraying him."
"And where are these grounds?" Sparkle asked.
"T-The East Docks of D-Domino… W-Warehouse f-fourteen…" He stuttered. "I swear!"
The brunet looked over at the purple haired woman. "Think we can believe him?"
"He's the only lead we've got. Better to take it and see for ourselves than just wait here." Sparkle walked over to the Rintama student, grabbing his wrists and placed them against one of the large trash cans. She then reached over to Honda, grabbing at his belt. Immediately, he jumped back and looked at her with a blush.
"What are you up to?!"
"I need your belt to keep him in place. We can't let him get away." Sparkle told him. "Besides, you don't need the belt."
"If you want it, ask next time!" Honda shouted as he took off the leather piece and handed it to her. She used it and tied the kid attached to the dumpster, as he just slumped there. She sighed as she took out her phone and texted something that Yugi or Honda couldn't see. After that, she pocketed her phone. "Alright, I just texted the Domino Police, they should be there by twenty minutes."
"Is that all?" Yugi asked.
The woman turned towards the smaller one, raising a brow. "As of now, you two better head back. The police will be on their way."
"But it may be too late by then!" Honda declared as he looked over at Sparkle. "The docks are only eight minutes from here! We can go there and try to at least get Jounouchi out of there."
"Or we could end up getting caught by those guys, and get seriously hurt. I can't put you two in danger." Sparkle pointed out with her arms crossed.
Honda glared at her, wanting to desperalty go there. "If it's the three of us, we should at least stand some chance! Jounouchi could be dead by the time they get there! We have to at least buy him some time!"
Sparkle gave him a very harsh stare, she was not for this plan. She opened her mouth as she was about to protest more, wanting desperately for the two students to head home. Yugi was the one that stepped forward, looking Sparkle in her eyes with a pleading look. "Sparkle, please… I know that Jounouchi may not be the best person, but his flaws make him even more of a great guy. He put himself in harm's way just to avenge me for what happened in the alleyway. I don't want him to face the same fate I did. If these guys are as dangerous as you say they are… then they won't hesitate to kill him…" Yugi seemed on the verge of tears, just picturing his best friend in danger.
When she saw this, Sparkle felt her heart strings tug. She saw that look before, way back when she was younger. As much as she wanted to let them be on their way, they clearly were strongly against them leaving their friend in the hands of the police. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She knew how they felt, and as much as their safety was a top priority, they wouldn't change their minds. "Okay…" She finally gave in. "We can go ourselves. However, you two follow my lead, and we try to get in, get your friend and get out without being alerted." Those were her conditions. It may have been a bit strict, but at least she was allowing them to go with her. Yugi smiled, hoping that they could get Jounouchi out of there.
Sparkle led the two boys towards the warehouse location, taking about eight minutes as Honda said. The harbor was pretty quiet, though it was getting pretty late in the day. They had to look around for the right warehouse that was holding the gang. Hiding behind crates and boxes, making sure they weren't easily seen. It was easy to find the one they needed to get in, because the three of the five guys from Rintama were standing outside guarding the door. The one with the black hair, the one with the orange and the last one with the plum hair. They were standing around, using the yo yos they had on them to do some tricks.
"That's them…" Yugi whispered, trying to make sure their voices weren't heard by the gang.
"They're just standing there with the yo-yo's…" Honda noted.
"It was said they use those as their weapons, when they aren't using their fists." Sparkle stated as she looked them over. "Two of the three don't seem that tough, the big guy seems like he needs to be taken down by you and me." She addressed Honda. "But if we were smart, we would avoid a fight."
"So, what's the plan?" Yugi asked.
"They most likely have Jounouchi inside. Chances are, Hirotani is in there with him. The other three are just guarding the door. But warehouses like these usually have either a back entrance or a window opening. Honda and I will find it and get in. We'll look for Jounouchi and get him out of there. We may end up meeting with Hirotani, but if that happens, we may have to fight him." Sparkle warned.
Honda nodded. "If it's the two of us, and maybe with Jounouchi, we could stand a chance."
"But ideally, we should avoid it if we can." Sparkle reminded Honda. "Yugi, you better stay here and lay low. No offense, but you don't seem like you will be able to fight in battle." The shortest of the group didn't complain, especially with how easily he went down with just one punch.
"You sure he will be alright?" Honda asked, worried about Yugi being on his own.
"Don't worry about me, I'm far from them so they shouldn't see or hear me." Yugi assured. Honda seemed skeptical at first, but knew that with time running out there was no reason to stay and argue. With a nod, Sparkle and him began to sneak their way towards the back, hoping to stay vigilant and to be sneaky. Yugi watched them go, holding his Millennium Puzzle as a way to ease his nerves. As he watched them leave, he looked back over to the gang that was looking over the warehouse. At this moment, he wished he could have done something to help out, instead of just staying on the sidelines. Everyone was doing everything they could to help out Jounouchi, yet here he was just standing by. "I wish I could do more… I need to help Jounouchi… I need to do something." He urged himself. He squeezed the gold on his pendent, shaking as he could suddenly feel a familiar sense going through his body. It made him freeze up for a second, but soon he relaxed as he knew what was coming. The glowing of the Puzzle engulfed him once more.
The black haired member of the gang reeled up his yo-yo in his palm, sighing in frustration. "How much longer do we have to stand out here for?"
The orange haired one raised a brow his way. "Hirotani wanted to be the one to personally end Jounouchi for his betrayal. And you know how much of a sadist he is. He wants to make sure he suffers."
The plum haired one chuckled. "Too bad we couldn't join in. But he is the boss, the last thing we want is to make him upset."
"True, but how long has he been in there?" The greaser wondered.
The plum guy turned back to the door. "I'd say ten minutes? I didn't bring a watch."
"You sure we should be doing this stuff here though? I hear that the cops are covering more grounds to locate us." The orange haired darted his eyes, getting a bit nervous.
This caused the one with the sleek hair to laugh. "Relax, they must have already searched this place. We're perfectly fine." He tried to assure the guy. His confidence though dwindled as the three of them looked out of the corner of their eyes, seeing a figure approach them.
"I wouldn't be so sure. Scum such as you can never get away from their crimes forever." 'Yugi' stated as he stepped up, being in their eyesight of the three.
"Hey, isn't he the guy that was calling out to Jounouchi?" The orange haired asked.
"Looks like he found us, but there's no way we are letting him get away." The greaser assured as he ran over, balling his fist and tried to land a punch on him. 'Yugi' dodged with inhuman speed, making the black haired one lose balance. He then began to run off, heading towards the ladder leading to the roof of the warehouse.
"We can't let him get away alive!" The greaser yelled as he and the other two began to follow after 'Yugi' up on the roof.
Meanwhile, Sparkle and Honda managed to locate the back door, or in this case a hole covered by scrap metal. It was just big enough for the two of them to crawl through, and lead them behind the staircase of the catwalk balcony of the warehouse. They hid behind what appeared to have been punching bags. They peered up, watching what was happening. Honda saw that Jounouchi had been tied up with his wrists on a hanging hook. He had bruises on his face as Hirotani towered over him. That smug bastard was smiling as he cracked his bloody knuckles. "You really had gotten soft, eh Jounouchi?" Hirotani mocked as he was the one torturing the high schooler.
Honda watched as his hatred towards the leader of the gang grew more. Sparkle noticed it, holding his shoulder and looking at him. She knew that if he didn't keep his anger in check, he could do something to jeopardize everyone. She whispered her plan next to Honda, being as quiet as she possibly can. "I'll go around and distract Hirotani… when he's far away enough, you go and free Jounouchi."
The brunet nodded, watching as Sparkle snuck away. Honda stayed where he was, watching her as she was near the entrance of the warehouse. "Hey you!" She called out. Hirotani looked around his shoulders, seeing the young woman on the other side of the warehouse.
He mused as he saw her. "Well, it seems that a little girl got lost on her way home." He chuckled as he took a step towards her. "I suggest that you get out of here now and forget you saw anything if you know what's good for you."
Sparkle crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Big talk from a high school student still wearing his uniform." She countered back.
She was doing her job, and Honda hurried towards Jounouchi while Hirotani's back was turned. He snuck up, beginning to untie the rope holding up the blond. Jounouchi looked up at the brunet, wanting to say something but was cut off as the binds were finally taken off. He held him up as best he could, making sure he didn't fall to the floor. Thankfully, the blond still had enough strength to keep himself on his feet. He groaned though, from the pain radiating from his body. This caused Hirotani to turn and noticed his prisoner being freed. "What is this, some sort of rescue?"
Honda glared up at the blue haired leader, his vengeance getting much stronger. "This is the end of the line for you."
A smirk appeared back on the gang leaders face, with a hint of a challenge in his eyes. "Oh? And who is going to stop me?" He asked. So much for not getting out of here without a fight.
Elsewhere, 'Yugi' had successfully gotten the rest of the gang on the roof. He stood there, acting cool and tough, as they followed him. The black haired one laughed. "You idiot! Now you have nowhere to run.
'Yugi' didn't seem scared, as he reached into his pocket and took out a spiral blue yo-yo. He had a confident face as he twirled his toy around, as if he didn't know how to use it, just wanted it to make him look intimidating. "Alright then, it's game time."
"Game time?" The plum headed one asked.
"The rules are simple; you can only use your yo-yo as the weapon. The goal is to get your opponents off the roof. The last one standing wins."
The other three looked at each other, questioning about this guy. Either he somehow gained such a cocky attitude after being punch, or he was just stupid and sucidal. However, they couldn't risk him getting away. Plus, he didn't seem to know how to use a yo-yo and with him having little space to go, they figured it would be a quick job. "Alright, corner him!" the greaser ordered. The gang began to fling their weapons at 'Yugi', but he managed to dodge their incoming attacks. He began to run off, stomping on the roof and making the gang members follow him. He didn't use his own yo-yo, instead letting the other three use their weapons. It was like a wild goose chase, as 'Yugi' just led them around the top of the warehouse. He wasn't showing any signs of slowing down, or even attacking. At this point, 'Yugi' was using a defensive tactic rather than just offense.
"How long is this guy gonna keep running?" The orange haired one asked, still flinging his yo-yo at him, only to miss. They kept hitting the ground every time, leaving small holes in the roof as 'Yugi' picked up the pace. The high schooler smiled as he kept leading them on, making them create more marks in the roof. Eventually though, he found himself at one of the corners, looking back as the other three members had managed to get him into a tight spot.
The greaser chuckled, holding out his yo-yo as he was ready to strike once more. "Too bad for you, looks like you made your own grave. Either you get hit by our yo-yo's or you end up falling. Either way, there's no way you will survive."
'Yugi' still had that smile on his face as he stared at the group. "Are you sure I am the one who made their grave?"
"Ha, this guy must be crazy if he still thinks he can win." The plum haired one cackled as he stepped forward, only to hear an eerie creaking noise coming from where he was standing on.
"This roof is pretty decrepit. It's easy to put holes in it with even the simplest of objects, like a yo-yo." 'Yugi' explained. The three men looked down, realizing that they were standing in a circle of the holes they created while trying to hit 'Yugi'. The creaking sound got much louder, as they could feel their weight putting pressure on the aged roof. "I doubt that this damaged roof will be able to hold your weight for much longer.
"N-No way! This brat made us use our yo-yos to trap us!" The spiky haired one cursed as he felt the roof giving way.
'Yugi' held up his own yo-yo, glaring at the group as he knew he was about to win. "Maybe next time, you will be more aware of where you aim your yo-yo's." He gave them their final warning, as he used his own blue toy to shoot at the ground near their feet, making the roof finally give way as the three remaining gang members began to fall, gravity pulling them into the warehouse.
Sparkle, Honda and Jounouchi were panting harshly. They had to face Hirotani together, but the leader was a lot tougher than they gave him credit for. Jounouchi was already weak from the beating he had gotten earlier, but he was able to land a kick to his knee to make him lose balance just for Sparkle to nail him in the nose. Despite that advantage, it was an even plain field for them. Sparkle and Honda took some hits, leaving some bruising and making them short of breath. Hirotani still stood tall, but a noticeable limp was there from where Jounouchi kicked him. He chuckled, still believing that he had the upper hand. "You think that this is enough to keep me down? You hardly even made any dents in me."
Honda grunted as he rubbed his cheek. Hirotani chuckled as he saw them struggling. "It's a shame you didn't just leave while you could, this whole fate could have been avoided. But, it looks like someone really wanted to die today. Now, any last words?" He asked, cracking his knuckles as he began to step towards them to finish this match. Sparkle and Honda were ready to fight again, even if there was a chance for them losing. Hirotani only took one more step, before hearing a strange creaking noise nearby.
He looked around, only to turn his head upwards to see the roof caving in. Falling on top of him along with the remaining members of his crew. Hirotani screamed, not being able to get away in time to avoid the collision. Sparkle, Honda and Jounouchi covered their faces, as the debris fell there and all the rest of the Rintama gang. Moaning in pain on the floor from the impact. When the dust settled and they looked at the group, they were relieved to see at the moment they were out of commission. A wave of peace fell over the group, glad that those four were taken care of by their own downfall. Smiles graced their faces, and when their ears picked up the sound of sirens, it was even more satisfying.
It was about ten minutes just to gather the Rintama gang into the police cars. They were handcuffed and any weapon on them were confiscated. The police officer was standing by Sparkle, giving her a warm smile. He was the same one that was after the escaped convict that was hiding out at Burger World a few weeks back. Yugi, Honda and Jounouchi were by an ambulance, the medics were making sure that the blond's wounds were taken care of and patched up. Thankfully, they wouldn't cause any permanent damage and should be able to heal up within a week or two.
"I must admit Sparks, you were able to do something not even my own men could do." The Detective told the purple haired woman.
Sparkle gave a modest shrug. "What can I say, detective work is in my blood. And besides, someone needs to make sure rebels like these get what's coming to them. Sorry for the rush in though, I tried to get those two to go back and wait it out, but they are persuasive.." She admits.
The detective looked over at the Domino High Students, mostly at Yugi who was staring at him. He looked down with a guilty expression on his face. "We're really sorry, we just wanted to make sure Jounouchi was safe."
The shark-finned styled detective looked at Yugi, seeing that he wanted to take the blame for this last minute infiltration. With a deep breath, the detective rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed. "Well, if you three didn't do anything, we probably wouldn't have gotten them so easily. And no one else was hurt, so I will let it slide as long as you agree not to do something like this again." He promised. Yugi smiled and was relieved that they would be alright.
"So, what will happen to Hirotani and his gang?" Honda asked as he walked up with Jounouchi by his side.
The detective himself looked over at his younger, doppelganger and rested his hands on his hips. "Technically, they are still minors in the eyes of the law. But with their history and crime count, they may end up getting tried as adults."
"Do you need us to give out statements?" Yugi asked, wondering if this meant they would end up going to court.
The officer shook his head. "With the evidence and witnesses we have already, it will be more than enough to give these guys at least ten years in federal prison. Though if you would like to give your own statements about the damages they did, give us a call and we will take your word."
Sparkle nodded, thanking him again as the cop turned towards Jounouchi. "But what about him?" The blond looked at him with a bit of regret in his eyes. He had no choice but to be honest, he needed to. The high schooler was about to say something, opening his mouth.
"He was working with me to infiltrate Hirotani's gang." Sparkle explained before Jounouchi could get a chance to get his sentence out. "He had a history with them, and we figured he could get close to him while he was looking to expand his group. His cover was blown, so the other two wanted to get in to help him." The other boys were lost for words as she gave her own side of the story, leaving out a huge portion of the truth. However, none of them said anything to correct her. They would rather she tell the story her way, then have any risks of getting Jounouchi sent to jail with the other Rintama gang.
The officer looked at Sparkle, then back at Jounouchi before rubbing his chin. "I suppose if that is the case… I trust you Sparks. Sorry we couldn't have been here sooner." He apologized to the blond.
Jounouchi gave a small smile towards him. "It's fine, just make sure those bastards pay." The Detective smiled back, nodding at Jounouchi. He then went to his own car and began to lead his squad out with the rest of the criminals.
Jounouchi then looked at Sparkle with a raised brow. "Why did you lie to him back there?"
She shrugged. "All I saw was a guy getting blackmailed to join a gang, only to turn on them when they broke that promise. Besides, you weren't in their gang long enough to have done any damage associated with them. And honestly, after the beat down you got, I think you suffered enough." She waved her hand at him.
Yugi smiled up at Jounouchi. "I'm glad you are safe, Jounouchi. I knew you didn't change."
Honda nodded. "He was the one that had the most faith in you." He admitted.
Jounouchi panted, looking over at him with a glint of happiness. "Thanks Yugi… I'm sorry… I guess in the end I'm a terrible friend, huh?"
"Are you kidding? You risked your own safety just to get back at the guy that punched me! You had to join or they would have hurt more of our classmates. Honestly, I think it shows that you have grown as a person. In the past you would have joined that group for yourself, but you did it for the sake of others. You're a good person deep down, Jounouchi. Even if no one else believes, I do."
Somehow, hearing that did make Jounouchi feel better. In the past, Honda was the only one that really believed in Jounouchi, but only after he left Hirotani's gang the first time. He was certain that Honda would have given up on him had it not been for Yugi. But the midget of the group really loved his personality, and saw how much change he went through. The fact he was the one that went through so much just to prove that… he wasn't as gullible as he first believed. He just had a very caring heart. "Yugi, I'd like to go home now…"
Yugi gave a smile, helping Jounouchi back home. Though he planned on letting Jounouchi stay at his place for the night. After seeing his own home, he didn't want the blond to go back the way he was at the moment. Plus, Yugi was excited as it meant that it would be their first sleepover.
It was now Monday, two days after the yo-yo gang incident. Yugi had let Jounouchi stay with him at his house for a while, just until his cuts and bruises were fully healed. His grandfather was okay with him staying, though the room would be a bit cramped. Jounouchi was okay with that, and when he told his father, he didn't seem to care so much. During that time, Jounouchi helped around the shop. He was a good worker for the most part, though he mostly just did some stocking and cleaning. He also played a few games with Yugi and they both practiced their yo-yo techniques. Everything was going well after what they had been through. Yugi and Jounouchi were always looking at the news for any information about the group to see what would become of them. It seemed that they would be in a juvenile detention center until their trial would be held. There was no date that was confirmed to be set, but at least they were technically locked up so they wouldn't be hurting anyone for a while.
Jounouchi was happy to be back at school, since it felt like a routine for him. When he got back, Anzu and Miho were glad to see him. Honda, Jounouchi and Yugi agreed to keep what happened on Saturday a secret. They didn't want to worry them, and the last thing he wanted was for Anzu and Miho to not trust him. Besides, he wanted to show everyone the new skill he worked on with Yugi the day before.
"You created a new yo-yo technique?" Anzu asked.
Jounouchi held up his yo-yo, with a proud smile as he looked at everyone with confidence. "That's right. Yugi and I worked on this yesterday, and now you all will see it at it's final product."
Miho smiled with excitement. "I can't wait to see it!"
"You got this, Jounouchi." Yugi cheered.
Anzu gave a warning glare at the blond. "I have a bad feeling about this…" she stated out loud.
"Here we go!" Jounouchi struck a dramatic pose. "Special Loop! In the Sky!" He began to do circular and oval motions with his yo-yo, creating an updraft near the girls to the point their skirts were lifting up. Their underwear showing off, for the boys to see. When Jounouchi noticed, he stopped as the yo-yo wrapped it's string around him. Yugi and Honda gasped in shock. The smaller of the two covered his eyes as he hid his blush, while Honda stood there in pure disgust, though he secretly enjoyed it. So much so, he started seeing spirals in his eyes. Miho tried covering her skirt, just as embarrassed.
The blond began running away from Anzu, who grabbed a chair and chased after him for pay back. "Jounouchi! Get back here, you pervert!"
"I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!" He tried running away, doing all he could to avoid her wrath. Somethings really didn't change it seemed, but Yugi nor Jounouchi minded how everything was at this particular moment. To them, this was normal.