Authors notes: Hello again! *sighs* It's been a long day today. I don't
know why, it just seemed long. So the chapter might seem long in that
term. You can usually tell by how I write how I'm feeling that day.
To angelkohaku- Hello there, again! It's okay about the whole e-mail thing, I understand. I used to have that problem too, but I finally got my own computer and my own e-mail address. ^^ It made it a lot easier.
Yea, I know the last chapter sucked. Hopefully this one will be a bit better in your opinion. I am skipping a lot of things for some reasons. I'm eventually going to put them in there in flashbacks. I may write that story on Jou and Seto when I finish this one, but they didn't really become 'friends', so to speak. They're people who can stand each other for about five minutes now. ^^ No, everyone isn't going to be all cuddly and stuff, Kaiba and Jounouchi still have their feud. (Jou still hasn't forgiven him for picking on Yuugi)
About the OC, she is eventually going to become a main character, but she isn't going to be the MAIN character. The most that you will hear of her is about her relationship with Jounouchi. I have to add OC's eventually, because it never did mention the names of the other gang members, you see? She's just one of them.
Yes, I'm going to try on the POV's sometime, but for right now, this story is going to stay in the third person. Also, I'm sorry the story is going slow, I know it is, but I'm trying to make ends meet, you see? I have the beginning planned, and have the last chapter in my head, now I've just got ot make everything come together. Usually stories are kind of like that at the beginning. You have to get passed the third chapter for it to get interesting. Hopefully this will be the chapter.
Thanks for all the reviews guys! I didn't get as many last time, but I still appreciate the people who are reviewing for me. Thank you SOOO much! *hugs all of you* ^^
BTW: From now on, so you guys will know when flashbacks are coming, if you see these **********, the flashbacks are in between them.
Disclaimer: Look at the previous chapters. ^^
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Jounouchi coughed, trying his best to hide how horrible he felt from the other members. He was one of their best fighters, and the last thing in the world a gang needed was to lose their best fighter to a sickness. It was only a few more miles back to the warehouse, but with the feeling on sleepiness that was coming over him, he wasn't sure if he would be able to make it without passing out first.
Hirutani looked down at him as he coughed again, a annoyed look on his face. "You're not getting sick of us, are you Jounouchi?" He slapped Jounouchi on the back roughly, sending the blonde scooting forward a few steps. Grinning as Jounouchi sent him a annoyed glace, he simply chose to ignore the string of curses directed at him and continued talking with the other members. Looking over his shoulder, he saw one of the two girls lagging behind slightly. "HEY!" he yelled at her. "If you're going to be with this group, you're going to have to learn how to catch up!"
Jounouchi looked at his side as the small girl scooted up behind him, apologizing for her wandering mind. As he coughed harder, she gave him a questioning look. "What?" he snapped, annoyed by the fact that someone had noticed.
"Nothing, I was just wondering if you were starting to get sick."
Brown eyes rolled as he stifled another cough. "No, I'm not getting sick. Geeze, just because I'm coughing doesn't mean that I'm coming down with the plague. Come off of it. It's Setsuko isn't it?" She nodded slightly. "Good. Setsuko, mind your own friggin business, okay?" He smirked as she lowered her head, obviously embarrassed.
Finally reaching the warehouse, he collapsed on the floor and curled into a small ball, trying to keep the little warmth in him that his coat provided for him. Feeling a wave of sickness come over him, he leaned over and vomited on the floor, trying to ignore the disgusted looks of the others.
He jumped slightly as a cool rag touched his forehead, and he opened his eyes slightly, seeing Setsuko trying to wipe the sweat off of his face. "Just lie there. We'll clean this up. Not sick my ass."
He grinned slightly before giving into the darkness that had been threatening to take over him.
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Bakura sighed, once again sitting behind the counter of CD Resale. He might as well have worked there for all the time that he spent with Jounouchi there. No body knew why he seemed to enjoy spending time with Jounouchi, usually he hated the mere presence of the blonde. Most guessed him bored. With Ryou at work and school, and Malik....wherever, he had no one to spend time with.
But it was something a tiny bit deeper than that. With a gang after Jounouchi, and him aware that he could scare them off quite easily, he felt it was his job to protect the blonde. Jounouchi didn't seem to mind, instead teaching Bakura how to run the counter, use the register, and how to talk 'kindly' to the customers.
"Do you think they'll be back?"
The question shook Jounouchi out of his thoughts, blinking back sleepiness. "Do I think who will be back?"
"Those gang members?" Bakura answered. "Who WERE they anyway? They didn't seem to like you much."
"Aren't you Mr. Obvious," Jounouchi said, sarcastically. Sighing, he fiddled with the bands on his wrists, trying to figure out how to explain this without making himself sound like a complete idiot. "They're.......they're from a gang that I used to be involved in. When I was in middle school, I wasn't one of the most...favorite person of the other gangs. I left though, and now they're after me again. When you enter a gang, you're never supposed to leave. The punishment for it is death."
A silence encased the two, giving both time to think. Jounouchi continued to play with the wristbands, looking at each one in detail. But the one thought that kept entering his mind when he stared at them, that no matter how he put it, they were gangster like. Yuugi could wear them and get away with it, but when he put one on, everyone looked at him like he was going to shoot them down.
Both jumped as the phone rang, scaring both of them out of their thoughts. Joey picked up the phone quickly, cursing to himself, for letting his mind wonder. "CD Resale. Can I help you with something?"
"Hello Jounouchi, long time since I've heard your voice."
Jounouchi's blood went cold as the recognized the voice on the other line, his muscles tensing. "Hirutani...what the HELL are you doing?"
"Why I'm just calling an old buddy of mine, that's all." the voice said mockingly. "Since it's probably going to be the last time I'll ever talk to you."
"And why would that be?" Jounouchi growled, not paying attention as Bakura caught notice of the warning note in the blonde's tone, and rose to see what the matter was.
"Is that the thugs from last Thursday?"
Jounouchi shook his head slightly, putting his hand over the mouthpiece. "No, it's their leader, Hirutani." Turning back to the phone, he repeated his question. "Why would this be the last time that you will talk to me?"
"Because we're going to kill you.....tonight. And everyone one of your little friends as well. When we get through with you, there will be no one left on the face of this earth to even aknowlege that Katsuya Jounouchi even existed."
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"Tonight?"
Jounouchi nodded, putting his head into his hands, sighing. "I don't know how I could have ever been stupid enough to get myself into something like this. I was smarter than that, or at least I thought I was." Slamming his head down on the table, he growled in his throat.
Bakura paced back and forth, lost in thought. If some gang was after Jounouchi, he was in trouble. From what the blonde had told him, they were a powerful group now, known throughout Tokyo for being one of the most ruthless gangs in Domino. Jounouchi would need all the help that he could get. Well, if it was help he needed, it was help he would get. He had contacts, he could get some people to fight with him. "Jounouchi?"
Not lifting his head from the table, he replied. "What?"
"If this gang is as bad as you say it is, then you're going to need help. You can't do this alone, and Honda isn't gong to be enough. What we need to do is form a group......and tough group."
"You mean a gang."
Brushing white hair out of his eyes, Bakura nodded. "In a way, yes I do mean a gang. But ours can he different than most peoples. Ours can be the type that helps, not destroys...though destroying would be so much more fun, but I think I can handle it."
"You keep saying 'ours'." Jounouchi commented. "So does that mean..."
The albino yami nodded. "Yes, I'll help you out. I haven't had a good fight in years and it actually sounds fun." At the disgusted look on Jounouchi's face, he grinned. "Yes, I'm psychotic, thank you for asking. Now, all we've got to do is find out who will join us. I'm sure those friends of yours will be more than happy to help, but we have to pick the ones that will help us protect you."
Jounouchi nodded, rising from his chair and running a hand through blonde hair. "I'll do that job. Besides, if this is my last night to live....I have some things on my mind that I would like to get off my chest. And one of them deals with Yuugi. I'll tell him to call people. We're having a meeting tonight."
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"Jounouchi! I haven't seen you in a while! Nice to have you in here, my boy!"
Jounouchi smiled down at the old man, glad to have a friendly face looking back at him. For years Sugoroku Motou had been his adoptive father, teaching him about everything that he needed to know to get by in the real world, not the world of gangs and robberies.
He had always been more than kind to the wild teen, accepting his behavior and patiently helping him when he needed it. He treated everyone of Yuugi's friends like his own children, but it seemed to Jounouchi that he was a favorite. Besides Anzu, he had known Yuugi the longest and was quite possibly, with the exception of Yami, the closest to the naive boy.
But Jounouchi hadn't come here to chat with the old man; he had come here to make a confession that he knew would break Sugoruku's heart. He was taking Hirutani's death threat seriously this time; who knew what those thugs might pull off? "Hey there Gramps. How's it going?"
"Oh, same 'ol, same 'ol." The gray haired man replied, sitting at the table and motioning for Jounouchi to do the same. He smiled as Yuugi came running downstairs along, Yami in tow. "You said you wanted to speak to me about something important?"
Jounouchi nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yes....." 'Here goes nothing' he though, taking a deep breath. "Yuugi told me that a few years back, you guys were robbed, but you never found out who did it."
Sugoruku nodded, not understanding where this was going. "Yes, we were....what does this have to do with anything, Jounouchi?"
"Because I was involved in it."
Seeing Yuugi's eyes go wide, and the disappointment in Sugoruku's eyes made Jounouchi want to sink very far down into his seat. "I know you probably hate me now, and if you never want to speak to me again, I understand. But something very serious is going on in my life right now and I knew I wouldn't feel any better if I had died not telling you this."
The older man nodded slowly, still trying to let this bit of information sink in fully. "So you helped rob my store?"
"Yea.......I was the one who helped break the glass and things. I didn't actually go inside, I stood guard. I was never much into robbing places, but Hirutani lived for it. I just helped him not get caught."
He cringed as Sugoruku took a deep breath, closing his violet eyes that seemed to have dimmed in the last five minutes. "I can not say that I am not upset, Jounouchi. I am. But I have also seen how you have changed in the past three, almost fours years since I have known you, and I love you like one of my own children. It will take time, but I will forgive you."
Releasing breath he didn't know he had been holding, he put his head in his hands. "Thank you SO much. You have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest and to hear you say that you will eventually forgive me." He grinned, then turned to Yuugi, his face straightening. "I need to ask you a favor, Yuugi."
"Of course."
"I need you to call the group together tonight. Tell them to meet me at the school at seven. We have extremely serious business we need to talk about. It's a literal matter of life or death with me."
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Yuugi had done his job well, calling everyone under the sun to Jounouchi's apartment that evening, even Setsuko, who hadn't been to his apartment in years. As Jounouchi stood in front of everyone, memories flashed in front of his eyes. These people had always been there for him, always been there to take his back when he needed help with something. He needed it more than ever this time around.
There were Yuugi, Honda, and Anzu. Those three had been his friends the longest, and quite possibly, with the exception of Bakura, were the only one's who knew about the whole gang situation. They had always supported him, even Anzu, who didn't mind his constant making fun of her.
His eyes moved over to Otogi, remembering the first time he had met him. He was cocky, and a little self-centered., but he did make a good addition to the group. He was jealous of him though. With Otogi's emerald eyes, spiky black hair that was almost always in some kind of pony-tail, and thin figure, he was a magnet to the females of the world. Almost every girl in the class, including his own sister had admitted that they had, at one time, had a crush on him.
Ryou, Bakura, and Malik were sitting next to him, talking amongst themselves, and next to them sat Kaiba and Mokuba. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw Kaiba chatting idly with Shizuka, who was blushing all the while. Growling slightly in this throat, he moved his eyes from the site, deciding to stare at the wall instead. That led to looking at Mai, and he blushed, trying to keep his eyes away from the pretty girl.
Setsuko was the last to enter the room, a slightly amused look on her face. "You really DID turn your room into your house, didn't you Jounouchi?" She grinned, setting herself down beside Mai and crossing her legs. He mearly rolled his eyes at her, taking a deep breath, and deciding it was time to discuss what he had brought them there for.
He cleared his throat, and noticed the room went silent. Trying to smile, he began. "Thanks, you guys, for showing up here tonight. I know some of you had to take off of work," He gave Kaiba a look. "But this is really important to me that you all there this."
"Most of you know the situation I was involved in while I was in Middle School, and if you don't, well....to make a long story short, I was in a gang. And they don't take kindly to leaving, either." He sighed, his face suddenly looking a lot older than his seventeen years. "A few days back, I was attacked by some punks that were involved in the gang that I was in."
"Would I know them?"
Everyone turned to Setsuko, who blushed. Jounouchi shook his head. "No, I didn't even recognize them. All I know was one was named Raven. Anyway, I got a call from someone today, at the Resale shop....It was Hirutani." Deciding to ignore the way most of his friends went pale, he continued. "He was the leader of the gang.....and he's coming to kill me...tonight."
"I know you guys have been there for me in the past, and I'm asking you to help me once again. I'm not worried about me, it the rest of you that I fear for. He said that he will not only wipe out you, but everyone that has contact with me. Everyone of you are in danger, and what I am asking you to do is basically, act like you don't know me. I don't care about myself, but I would never forgive myself if I was the reason why everyone died. I already have blood on my hands, I don't need anyone else."
"Pretend we don't know you?" Yuugi asked, his violet eyes shining in confusion. "Hell no! You're our friend, Jounouchi, and you always will be. I don't know about anyone else in this room, but I'm not going to stand here and watch you get yourself killed by some bullies. I'll stand beside you."
"Yuugi....." Jounouchi muttered, trying to keep himself from crying. "Thanks pal."
Bakura stood, taking his place next to Jou, giving the blonde haired boy a cold look. But cold looks were Bakura's specialty. "He needs help. There is no possible way that he can take on fifteen guys by himself. He needs an alliance. Technically, he needs a gang. I'm standing beside him on this one. Jounouchi isn't one of my favorite people, I will admit that, but he's a friend of Ryou's......and for that, I'll help him."
"What we need to know now is who is willing to fight. Let me remind you that this is extremely dangerous...and there is a chance that whoever goes into this, may not come out of this alive. Since that is the case, Ryou, you are FORBIDDEN from entering this. I'm not letting the person I share a body with die on me." He smirked at the look in Ryou's eyes. "There is also a chance we could get arrested for this. Now that you know all the chances...who's with us?"
Both waited a moment, but no one stood up. Obviously they were all trying to weigh out the possible outcome of death, and possibly, murder. Jounouchi didn't blame them. He wouldn't have willingly gone into this position either if he had a choice.
"I'll fight with you."
Jounouchi looked up from his place on the floor, seeing Yami standing there, a determined look in his eyes. "I've never once backed down from a fight, not even in the past," he continued. "And I'm not about to start now. I'll fight with you, Jounouchi."
Malik stood after him. "I will too. Heck, I never get to be involved in anything like this, might as well start now. Might be fun to kick someone's ass." He grinned.
Slowly, one by one, they stood, all of them swearing to help Jounouchi no matter what would happen. Even Kaiba said he would take part in the fight, despite the look of terror Mokuba was giving him.
Yami, Malik, Kaiba, Otogi, Honda, Bakura, Setsuko, and even Ryou, who had thrown away Bakura's warning. "I'm not missing out on a chance to help someone that's a friend of mine." He had explained. " I don't care what you think, Bakura. It's my own life."
A rock suddenly came flying through the window, missing Anzu by inches, as she scooted away from it, yelping slightly. Picking it up, Jounouchi noticed a not was tied to it.
Meet us at the warehouse at midnight.
Bakura took the note from Jounouchi, reading it over. A slight grin went over his face as he looked up. "And so it begins........" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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(Flashback)
"Everyone, this is Michael. He will be joining our gang as of today." Hirutani explained, a grin coming on his face. "I've already tested him, believe me, he's worthy of joining. Even if he doesn't look like much."
"Like Jounouchi does?"
The boys laughed, but the blonde rolled his eyes. He was used to people making fun of how skinny he was by now. But what he lacked in weight, he made up for in a punch. "Whose the kid behind him?"
A small boy, no older than nine, looked out from behind his older brother, his eyes widening at he site of the gang before him. Brown hair fell to his ears, and frightenend green eyes stared around the room, taking in each and everyone of the guys, before looking up at his brother, making a slight 'eep'.
"This is Chris." Michael explained, brushing black hair out of his brown eyes. "We just moved here from New York." He pushed the smaller boy in front of him, letting the gang take a nice look at his brother. "He's nine, in case you want to know, and don't worry. He'll stay out of your way." To spread this effect, he sent a small glare to the child, making him skitter away to a corner.
Setsuko shook her head slightly, turning to Jounouchi. " That's horrible. Bringing a kid to this gang. You know he's going to get himself beat up all the time, and he can't even defend himself properly yet."
"He'll learn." Jounouchi commented, walking towards the back of the warehouse to the office that was his room. It had been a major project for Hirutani and Jounouchi to find a place that could hold everyone, and still have running water and bathrooms. The warehouse was the perfect place, for although no one had had a business there for years, the property still paid the bills, keeping the electricity and water running.
The girl had complained enough to make it very important to find a place where there were showers, and separate bathrooms. The warehouse had been perfect. Jounouchi still hadn't figured out why there WERE showers, but the fact that they were there made the peace between the two girls and guys a little easier.
"How can you say that, Katsuya?" Setsuko said, making her point by using Jounouchi's first name. The only other people who had ever called him that were his mother, father, and his sister. "He's NINE. He's just a baby. He doesn't need to be exposed to things like this yet."
"Because I learned and so will he. Besides, by the time that he's twelve, he'll be old enough to fight with us. We could use some more people, and he'll be perfect."
Setsuko sighed, shaking her head slightly. She doubted she would ever understand Jounouchi and his gangster like way of thinking. Even though she had been with the gang for almost a year now, she still hadn't adjusted to the way of life that they lived. She had changed her entire life to fit theirs, even dying her red hair black.
But the blonde had grown up with that way of life and thinking, and she seriously doubted she would ever get used to it.
Jounouchi found the small boy in the corner, staring over to where his brother was standing with the other guys. "Hey there." he said, sitting next to him.
Chris turned to him, green eyes running over the blonde. "Hi...." he said quietly, curling himself up into a smaller ball, trying to keep what little warmth he had.
Jounouchi sat for a second, taking off his coat and placing it over the boy. "There, now you'll be warmer. Don't worry about the others, okay? They'll get used to ya."
Christ nodded slightly. "Thanks....." he muttered, pulling the coat over him even more.
"No problem."
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WHEW!!! That was a long chapter. I know it wasn't the greatest in the world, but the next chapters should be a bit better. Now, about the new character I introduced. Chris will eventually be the link to why Jounouchi leaves. And if anyone has read the manga, it also said something about Jounouchi never picked on the weaker, and smaller kids.
Please leave a review!!!
To angelkohaku- Hello there, again! It's okay about the whole e-mail thing, I understand. I used to have that problem too, but I finally got my own computer and my own e-mail address. ^^ It made it a lot easier.
Yea, I know the last chapter sucked. Hopefully this one will be a bit better in your opinion. I am skipping a lot of things for some reasons. I'm eventually going to put them in there in flashbacks. I may write that story on Jou and Seto when I finish this one, but they didn't really become 'friends', so to speak. They're people who can stand each other for about five minutes now. ^^ No, everyone isn't going to be all cuddly and stuff, Kaiba and Jounouchi still have their feud. (Jou still hasn't forgiven him for picking on Yuugi)
About the OC, she is eventually going to become a main character, but she isn't going to be the MAIN character. The most that you will hear of her is about her relationship with Jounouchi. I have to add OC's eventually, because it never did mention the names of the other gang members, you see? She's just one of them.
Yes, I'm going to try on the POV's sometime, but for right now, this story is going to stay in the third person. Also, I'm sorry the story is going slow, I know it is, but I'm trying to make ends meet, you see? I have the beginning planned, and have the last chapter in my head, now I've just got ot make everything come together. Usually stories are kind of like that at the beginning. You have to get passed the third chapter for it to get interesting. Hopefully this will be the chapter.
Thanks for all the reviews guys! I didn't get as many last time, but I still appreciate the people who are reviewing for me. Thank you SOOO much! *hugs all of you* ^^
BTW: From now on, so you guys will know when flashbacks are coming, if you see these **********, the flashbacks are in between them.
Disclaimer: Look at the previous chapters. ^^
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Jounouchi coughed, trying his best to hide how horrible he felt from the other members. He was one of their best fighters, and the last thing in the world a gang needed was to lose their best fighter to a sickness. It was only a few more miles back to the warehouse, but with the feeling on sleepiness that was coming over him, he wasn't sure if he would be able to make it without passing out first.
Hirutani looked down at him as he coughed again, a annoyed look on his face. "You're not getting sick of us, are you Jounouchi?" He slapped Jounouchi on the back roughly, sending the blonde scooting forward a few steps. Grinning as Jounouchi sent him a annoyed glace, he simply chose to ignore the string of curses directed at him and continued talking with the other members. Looking over his shoulder, he saw one of the two girls lagging behind slightly. "HEY!" he yelled at her. "If you're going to be with this group, you're going to have to learn how to catch up!"
Jounouchi looked at his side as the small girl scooted up behind him, apologizing for her wandering mind. As he coughed harder, she gave him a questioning look. "What?" he snapped, annoyed by the fact that someone had noticed.
"Nothing, I was just wondering if you were starting to get sick."
Brown eyes rolled as he stifled another cough. "No, I'm not getting sick. Geeze, just because I'm coughing doesn't mean that I'm coming down with the plague. Come off of it. It's Setsuko isn't it?" She nodded slightly. "Good. Setsuko, mind your own friggin business, okay?" He smirked as she lowered her head, obviously embarrassed.
Finally reaching the warehouse, he collapsed on the floor and curled into a small ball, trying to keep the little warmth in him that his coat provided for him. Feeling a wave of sickness come over him, he leaned over and vomited on the floor, trying to ignore the disgusted looks of the others.
He jumped slightly as a cool rag touched his forehead, and he opened his eyes slightly, seeing Setsuko trying to wipe the sweat off of his face. "Just lie there. We'll clean this up. Not sick my ass."
He grinned slightly before giving into the darkness that had been threatening to take over him.
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Bakura sighed, once again sitting behind the counter of CD Resale. He might as well have worked there for all the time that he spent with Jounouchi there. No body knew why he seemed to enjoy spending time with Jounouchi, usually he hated the mere presence of the blonde. Most guessed him bored. With Ryou at work and school, and Malik....wherever, he had no one to spend time with.
But it was something a tiny bit deeper than that. With a gang after Jounouchi, and him aware that he could scare them off quite easily, he felt it was his job to protect the blonde. Jounouchi didn't seem to mind, instead teaching Bakura how to run the counter, use the register, and how to talk 'kindly' to the customers.
"Do you think they'll be back?"
The question shook Jounouchi out of his thoughts, blinking back sleepiness. "Do I think who will be back?"
"Those gang members?" Bakura answered. "Who WERE they anyway? They didn't seem to like you much."
"Aren't you Mr. Obvious," Jounouchi said, sarcastically. Sighing, he fiddled with the bands on his wrists, trying to figure out how to explain this without making himself sound like a complete idiot. "They're.......they're from a gang that I used to be involved in. When I was in middle school, I wasn't one of the most...favorite person of the other gangs. I left though, and now they're after me again. When you enter a gang, you're never supposed to leave. The punishment for it is death."
A silence encased the two, giving both time to think. Jounouchi continued to play with the wristbands, looking at each one in detail. But the one thought that kept entering his mind when he stared at them, that no matter how he put it, they were gangster like. Yuugi could wear them and get away with it, but when he put one on, everyone looked at him like he was going to shoot them down.
Both jumped as the phone rang, scaring both of them out of their thoughts. Joey picked up the phone quickly, cursing to himself, for letting his mind wonder. "CD Resale. Can I help you with something?"
"Hello Jounouchi, long time since I've heard your voice."
Jounouchi's blood went cold as the recognized the voice on the other line, his muscles tensing. "Hirutani...what the HELL are you doing?"
"Why I'm just calling an old buddy of mine, that's all." the voice said mockingly. "Since it's probably going to be the last time I'll ever talk to you."
"And why would that be?" Jounouchi growled, not paying attention as Bakura caught notice of the warning note in the blonde's tone, and rose to see what the matter was.
"Is that the thugs from last Thursday?"
Jounouchi shook his head slightly, putting his hand over the mouthpiece. "No, it's their leader, Hirutani." Turning back to the phone, he repeated his question. "Why would this be the last time that you will talk to me?"
"Because we're going to kill you.....tonight. And everyone one of your little friends as well. When we get through with you, there will be no one left on the face of this earth to even aknowlege that Katsuya Jounouchi even existed."
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"Tonight?"
Jounouchi nodded, putting his head into his hands, sighing. "I don't know how I could have ever been stupid enough to get myself into something like this. I was smarter than that, or at least I thought I was." Slamming his head down on the table, he growled in his throat.
Bakura paced back and forth, lost in thought. If some gang was after Jounouchi, he was in trouble. From what the blonde had told him, they were a powerful group now, known throughout Tokyo for being one of the most ruthless gangs in Domino. Jounouchi would need all the help that he could get. Well, if it was help he needed, it was help he would get. He had contacts, he could get some people to fight with him. "Jounouchi?"
Not lifting his head from the table, he replied. "What?"
"If this gang is as bad as you say it is, then you're going to need help. You can't do this alone, and Honda isn't gong to be enough. What we need to do is form a group......and tough group."
"You mean a gang."
Brushing white hair out of his eyes, Bakura nodded. "In a way, yes I do mean a gang. But ours can he different than most peoples. Ours can be the type that helps, not destroys...though destroying would be so much more fun, but I think I can handle it."
"You keep saying 'ours'." Jounouchi commented. "So does that mean..."
The albino yami nodded. "Yes, I'll help you out. I haven't had a good fight in years and it actually sounds fun." At the disgusted look on Jounouchi's face, he grinned. "Yes, I'm psychotic, thank you for asking. Now, all we've got to do is find out who will join us. I'm sure those friends of yours will be more than happy to help, but we have to pick the ones that will help us protect you."
Jounouchi nodded, rising from his chair and running a hand through blonde hair. "I'll do that job. Besides, if this is my last night to live....I have some things on my mind that I would like to get off my chest. And one of them deals with Yuugi. I'll tell him to call people. We're having a meeting tonight."
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"Jounouchi! I haven't seen you in a while! Nice to have you in here, my boy!"
Jounouchi smiled down at the old man, glad to have a friendly face looking back at him. For years Sugoroku Motou had been his adoptive father, teaching him about everything that he needed to know to get by in the real world, not the world of gangs and robberies.
He had always been more than kind to the wild teen, accepting his behavior and patiently helping him when he needed it. He treated everyone of Yuugi's friends like his own children, but it seemed to Jounouchi that he was a favorite. Besides Anzu, he had known Yuugi the longest and was quite possibly, with the exception of Yami, the closest to the naive boy.
But Jounouchi hadn't come here to chat with the old man; he had come here to make a confession that he knew would break Sugoruku's heart. He was taking Hirutani's death threat seriously this time; who knew what those thugs might pull off? "Hey there Gramps. How's it going?"
"Oh, same 'ol, same 'ol." The gray haired man replied, sitting at the table and motioning for Jounouchi to do the same. He smiled as Yuugi came running downstairs along, Yami in tow. "You said you wanted to speak to me about something important?"
Jounouchi nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yes....." 'Here goes nothing' he though, taking a deep breath. "Yuugi told me that a few years back, you guys were robbed, but you never found out who did it."
Sugoruku nodded, not understanding where this was going. "Yes, we were....what does this have to do with anything, Jounouchi?"
"Because I was involved in it."
Seeing Yuugi's eyes go wide, and the disappointment in Sugoruku's eyes made Jounouchi want to sink very far down into his seat. "I know you probably hate me now, and if you never want to speak to me again, I understand. But something very serious is going on in my life right now and I knew I wouldn't feel any better if I had died not telling you this."
The older man nodded slowly, still trying to let this bit of information sink in fully. "So you helped rob my store?"
"Yea.......I was the one who helped break the glass and things. I didn't actually go inside, I stood guard. I was never much into robbing places, but Hirutani lived for it. I just helped him not get caught."
He cringed as Sugoruku took a deep breath, closing his violet eyes that seemed to have dimmed in the last five minutes. "I can not say that I am not upset, Jounouchi. I am. But I have also seen how you have changed in the past three, almost fours years since I have known you, and I love you like one of my own children. It will take time, but I will forgive you."
Releasing breath he didn't know he had been holding, he put his head in his hands. "Thank you SO much. You have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest and to hear you say that you will eventually forgive me." He grinned, then turned to Yuugi, his face straightening. "I need to ask you a favor, Yuugi."
"Of course."
"I need you to call the group together tonight. Tell them to meet me at the school at seven. We have extremely serious business we need to talk about. It's a literal matter of life or death with me."
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Yuugi had done his job well, calling everyone under the sun to Jounouchi's apartment that evening, even Setsuko, who hadn't been to his apartment in years. As Jounouchi stood in front of everyone, memories flashed in front of his eyes. These people had always been there for him, always been there to take his back when he needed help with something. He needed it more than ever this time around.
There were Yuugi, Honda, and Anzu. Those three had been his friends the longest, and quite possibly, with the exception of Bakura, were the only one's who knew about the whole gang situation. They had always supported him, even Anzu, who didn't mind his constant making fun of her.
His eyes moved over to Otogi, remembering the first time he had met him. He was cocky, and a little self-centered., but he did make a good addition to the group. He was jealous of him though. With Otogi's emerald eyes, spiky black hair that was almost always in some kind of pony-tail, and thin figure, he was a magnet to the females of the world. Almost every girl in the class, including his own sister had admitted that they had, at one time, had a crush on him.
Ryou, Bakura, and Malik were sitting next to him, talking amongst themselves, and next to them sat Kaiba and Mokuba. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw Kaiba chatting idly with Shizuka, who was blushing all the while. Growling slightly in this throat, he moved his eyes from the site, deciding to stare at the wall instead. That led to looking at Mai, and he blushed, trying to keep his eyes away from the pretty girl.
Setsuko was the last to enter the room, a slightly amused look on her face. "You really DID turn your room into your house, didn't you Jounouchi?" She grinned, setting herself down beside Mai and crossing her legs. He mearly rolled his eyes at her, taking a deep breath, and deciding it was time to discuss what he had brought them there for.
He cleared his throat, and noticed the room went silent. Trying to smile, he began. "Thanks, you guys, for showing up here tonight. I know some of you had to take off of work," He gave Kaiba a look. "But this is really important to me that you all there this."
"Most of you know the situation I was involved in while I was in Middle School, and if you don't, well....to make a long story short, I was in a gang. And they don't take kindly to leaving, either." He sighed, his face suddenly looking a lot older than his seventeen years. "A few days back, I was attacked by some punks that were involved in the gang that I was in."
"Would I know them?"
Everyone turned to Setsuko, who blushed. Jounouchi shook his head. "No, I didn't even recognize them. All I know was one was named Raven. Anyway, I got a call from someone today, at the Resale shop....It was Hirutani." Deciding to ignore the way most of his friends went pale, he continued. "He was the leader of the gang.....and he's coming to kill me...tonight."
"I know you guys have been there for me in the past, and I'm asking you to help me once again. I'm not worried about me, it the rest of you that I fear for. He said that he will not only wipe out you, but everyone that has contact with me. Everyone of you are in danger, and what I am asking you to do is basically, act like you don't know me. I don't care about myself, but I would never forgive myself if I was the reason why everyone died. I already have blood on my hands, I don't need anyone else."
"Pretend we don't know you?" Yuugi asked, his violet eyes shining in confusion. "Hell no! You're our friend, Jounouchi, and you always will be. I don't know about anyone else in this room, but I'm not going to stand here and watch you get yourself killed by some bullies. I'll stand beside you."
"Yuugi....." Jounouchi muttered, trying to keep himself from crying. "Thanks pal."
Bakura stood, taking his place next to Jou, giving the blonde haired boy a cold look. But cold looks were Bakura's specialty. "He needs help. There is no possible way that he can take on fifteen guys by himself. He needs an alliance. Technically, he needs a gang. I'm standing beside him on this one. Jounouchi isn't one of my favorite people, I will admit that, but he's a friend of Ryou's......and for that, I'll help him."
"What we need to know now is who is willing to fight. Let me remind you that this is extremely dangerous...and there is a chance that whoever goes into this, may not come out of this alive. Since that is the case, Ryou, you are FORBIDDEN from entering this. I'm not letting the person I share a body with die on me." He smirked at the look in Ryou's eyes. "There is also a chance we could get arrested for this. Now that you know all the chances...who's with us?"
Both waited a moment, but no one stood up. Obviously they were all trying to weigh out the possible outcome of death, and possibly, murder. Jounouchi didn't blame them. He wouldn't have willingly gone into this position either if he had a choice.
"I'll fight with you."
Jounouchi looked up from his place on the floor, seeing Yami standing there, a determined look in his eyes. "I've never once backed down from a fight, not even in the past," he continued. "And I'm not about to start now. I'll fight with you, Jounouchi."
Malik stood after him. "I will too. Heck, I never get to be involved in anything like this, might as well start now. Might be fun to kick someone's ass." He grinned.
Slowly, one by one, they stood, all of them swearing to help Jounouchi no matter what would happen. Even Kaiba said he would take part in the fight, despite the look of terror Mokuba was giving him.
Yami, Malik, Kaiba, Otogi, Honda, Bakura, Setsuko, and even Ryou, who had thrown away Bakura's warning. "I'm not missing out on a chance to help someone that's a friend of mine." He had explained. " I don't care what you think, Bakura. It's my own life."
A rock suddenly came flying through the window, missing Anzu by inches, as she scooted away from it, yelping slightly. Picking it up, Jounouchi noticed a not was tied to it.
Meet us at the warehouse at midnight.
Bakura took the note from Jounouchi, reading it over. A slight grin went over his face as he looked up. "And so it begins........" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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(Flashback)
"Everyone, this is Michael. He will be joining our gang as of today." Hirutani explained, a grin coming on his face. "I've already tested him, believe me, he's worthy of joining. Even if he doesn't look like much."
"Like Jounouchi does?"
The boys laughed, but the blonde rolled his eyes. He was used to people making fun of how skinny he was by now. But what he lacked in weight, he made up for in a punch. "Whose the kid behind him?"
A small boy, no older than nine, looked out from behind his older brother, his eyes widening at he site of the gang before him. Brown hair fell to his ears, and frightenend green eyes stared around the room, taking in each and everyone of the guys, before looking up at his brother, making a slight 'eep'.
"This is Chris." Michael explained, brushing black hair out of his brown eyes. "We just moved here from New York." He pushed the smaller boy in front of him, letting the gang take a nice look at his brother. "He's nine, in case you want to know, and don't worry. He'll stay out of your way." To spread this effect, he sent a small glare to the child, making him skitter away to a corner.
Setsuko shook her head slightly, turning to Jounouchi. " That's horrible. Bringing a kid to this gang. You know he's going to get himself beat up all the time, and he can't even defend himself properly yet."
"He'll learn." Jounouchi commented, walking towards the back of the warehouse to the office that was his room. It had been a major project for Hirutani and Jounouchi to find a place that could hold everyone, and still have running water and bathrooms. The warehouse was the perfect place, for although no one had had a business there for years, the property still paid the bills, keeping the electricity and water running.
The girl had complained enough to make it very important to find a place where there were showers, and separate bathrooms. The warehouse had been perfect. Jounouchi still hadn't figured out why there WERE showers, but the fact that they were there made the peace between the two girls and guys a little easier.
"How can you say that, Katsuya?" Setsuko said, making her point by using Jounouchi's first name. The only other people who had ever called him that were his mother, father, and his sister. "He's NINE. He's just a baby. He doesn't need to be exposed to things like this yet."
"Because I learned and so will he. Besides, by the time that he's twelve, he'll be old enough to fight with us. We could use some more people, and he'll be perfect."
Setsuko sighed, shaking her head slightly. She doubted she would ever understand Jounouchi and his gangster like way of thinking. Even though she had been with the gang for almost a year now, she still hadn't adjusted to the way of life that they lived. She had changed her entire life to fit theirs, even dying her red hair black.
But the blonde had grown up with that way of life and thinking, and she seriously doubted she would ever get used to it.
Jounouchi found the small boy in the corner, staring over to where his brother was standing with the other guys. "Hey there." he said, sitting next to him.
Chris turned to him, green eyes running over the blonde. "Hi...." he said quietly, curling himself up into a smaller ball, trying to keep what little warmth he had.
Jounouchi sat for a second, taking off his coat and placing it over the boy. "There, now you'll be warmer. Don't worry about the others, okay? They'll get used to ya."
Christ nodded slightly. "Thanks....." he muttered, pulling the coat over him even more.
"No problem."
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WHEW!!! That was a long chapter. I know it wasn't the greatest in the world, but the next chapters should be a bit better. Now, about the new character I introduced. Chris will eventually be the link to why Jounouchi leaves. And if anyone has read the manga, it also said something about Jounouchi never picked on the weaker, and smaller kids.
Please leave a review!!!