Authors Notes: Wow, I got a lot of reviews for this last chapter. As
promised, I'll reply to those reviews. ^^
YAMIGIRL3: Thanks! I'm not sure if I'm going to kill one of them off or not...I actually think I may. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but this weekend has been horrible. -_-
Ieyre: Yup, they don't stand a chance. Bakura especially will kick them to the heavens. ^^
SnowyToni: Thank you! I love writing Jounouchi, and he's an awesome character with a wonderful past. Thanks again!
Angelkohaku: YAY!!!! I made a chapter that you liked well!!!! *does dance* It seems this chapter hit it well, most of the reviews I have are from this chapter. ^^ Thanks for putting it on your favorites list. I don't get put on them very often.
Yes, I'm a Christian. I take a lot of pride in being one, so I decided to put a little bit of it in here. It's a slim chance that Jounouchi IS a Christian, but he does have a lot of reasons that he could be. I AM making him one in this story.
Glad I cleared the thing up with Kaiba. I do feel like he WOULD help out Jounouchi if it came down to something of life or death, even if he doesn't like him all that well. And it is rumored that later in YuGiOh, Shizuka writes him a song and he develops a crush on her. -_- And I know, I was drooling when I wrote that. *dies* I LOVE Seto Kaiba!
I'm planning on doing a sequel to this when I'm done. I hope it will be as good. Thanks for saying it deserves more reviews! *hugs* Don't worry about the criticism; it's your review I look most forward to, just to see what you have to say about it. ^^
About me being on other places, I don't remember at the moment what Gaia is...^^ But if you want to find me on somewhere else, I'll be under one of these three names
Sphinx1187 Oichijouji Sphynx
Calcifer: Glad you think it's more realistic now. ^^ I can seriously see this happening to the gang (^^) since most gangs do not let you leave them very easily.
Kenyako Divination: Muchas gracias for reviewing. ^^ I GUESS I'll forgive you for being late about it. J/K. Yea, I love Chris too, in fact, besides Jounouchi and Bakura, he's my favorite character.
OKAY!! I'm done with that. ^^ Just for another note; there is going to be a bit of romance in the next few chapters. Jounouchi/Mai will be a big one, Kaiba/Shizuka, and a slight hint of Bakura/Ryou. ^^ I know, I'm strange, but those are the couples I love. Disclaimers: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own Chris, Michael, and Setsuko
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Nobody moved for minutes, each one of them looking at the other. Jounouchi took a deep breath as he noticed that his hands were shaking slightly as he gazed Hirutani in the eyes, feeling the other gang members glare at him. His eyes widened a bit and his heart sank as a girl stepped up behind Hirutani, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Her name was Aiko, and she was the second of the two girl in his gang back when he was in middle school. She was Setsuko's best friend; both of them leaning on the other's shoulders when the boys got to tough for them. Though Setsuko was the better fighter of the two, she still had excellent fighting skills. She had always had the hots for Hirutani, though Jounouchi personally couldn't see how she could stand to even LOOK at him, and they had finally gotten together about three months before Jounouchi had left.
He turned, seeing Setsuko's face fall, and he smiled at her, though inside, he wasn't looking forward to fighting what used to be a good friend.
Everyone jumped as a snap sounded, and Bakura stood there, grinning and rubbing his fist. "Jerk was hardheaded." He declared as she smirked at Hirutani. "Bring it on."
That was the straw that broke that camels back. The next thing everyone knew, fists were flying everywhere. Jounouchi ducked as a kid his age, whom he swore was related to Insector Haga, threw a punch at him. Jounouchi grinned and swung his fist, his grin getting wider as it connected with his jaw. He had always bugged him, trying to take over Jounouchi's place at second in command.
He looked over, seeing Bakura beating the crap out of somebody, grinning the entire time. Jounouchi shook his head, deciding he would be seriously surprised if the albino yami didn't kill someone before the night was over. The man was gurgling as Bakura strangled him, letting him go before the point of death, only allowing him to pass out. He grinned up a Jounouchi, winking slightly.
Feeling someone behind him, Jounouchi whipped around, grabbing the gangsters fist, and placing hit behind his back. But his grin soon faded as he felt someone seemingly stab him from behind. Letting go of the punk, he placed his hand to his side, feeling blood. He turned around slowly, coming face to face with Hirutani.
"It's just us Jounouchi, everyone else will back off of you. They know I personally want to kill you. And once you're out of the way, the rest of those fools...well they won't stand a chance if their motivation dies."
"If you kill me," Jounouchi growled out, brown eyes narrowing. "Every one of my friends will vow revenge on you. And I'll die protecting them."
"Just like you protected Chris?"
Jounouchi stopped for a moment, not paying attention to the pain in his side as he looked Hirutani in the eye. Memories from that night came flooding back as he tried his best to stay upright.
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(Flashback)
The ally was damp and cold, much like it always was, as the gang made their way towards their destination. Chris did his best to keep up, following right behind Jounouchi, looking up at him with innocent green eyes. The blonde smiled down at him, ruffling his hair slightly, making the boy giggle. "Stay behind me, Chris. I'll protect you."
"Is Mike mad at me?"
Jounouchi shook his head. "He's worried, and he is mad, but it's at Hirutani, not you. He didn't want you to come."
The boy looked at his feet, making Jounouchi pull him out of the way before he smacked into a pole. "I know he didn't want me to come, but I want to see what all you guys do. I want to learn how to fight like everyone here. "
"Your brother has a good reason for not wanting to let you come," Jounouchi explained. "Yes, it's true that I learned how to fight at your age, but I had to do it to survive. Literally."
"If I want to stay alive, I'm going to have to as well." Chris muttered. "I get beat up daily. I can't wait until the day when I'm strong enough to sock Hirutani in the face. I hate him."
The blonde grinned, glad that the leader had not heard the boy. "I'll teach you how to punch. That's my specialty. And if you can't do it, I'll be happy to do it for you. I've been wanting to punch him for a LONG time."
Chris hugged him as well as he could, tripping at bit, as they were both still walking. His grin soon faded though, as he caught site of he gang before him.
"Stay behind me, Chris, I'll protect you."
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Jounouchi snapped out of him memories, glaring up at Hirutani. "How DARE you bring up Chris! It was YOUR fault that--"
"No, it wasn't, Jounouchi. The boy plainly asked to come with us. I simply let him."
"You KNEW they had guns!" Jounouchi roared. The pain in his side didn't matter anymore. "You knew they would shoot at him!"
Hirutani smirked. "The kid was a weak link. He was stupid enough to come with us; he got what he deserved."
"You scumbag...." Jounouchi muttered, clenching his fist. 'This is for you, Chris.' Raising his right arm, he swung at Hirutani, catching the purple haired teen off guard. He had gone to far with what he had said and Jounouchi wasn't going to let him get by with it.
Hirutani looked down at him, the smirk on his lips gone. He swung back at the blonde, growling in his throat when he missed.
Jounouchi's fist connected with Hirutani's torso, yelling as he did. The leader fell to the floor, grunting as Jounouchi went with him, continuing to beat him. A smirk was forming on his lips as the fumbled with his belt. He rose suddenly, throwing Jounouchi off of him. "You've still got your fist, Jounouchi. But this ends here."
Jounouchi closed his eyes as he felt the end of a gun being pressed against his temple. Memories again flashed through is mind as the though of Chris.
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(Flashback)
The fight was brutal and one of the toughest Jounouchi had ever been involved in. He had done his best to protect Chris like he had promised, but he could see the fear in the bright green eyes. He had been prepared for a horrible fight, and a tough one; nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen.
No one even saw the gangster pull out the gun; only the sound of the gun firing. Time seemed to slow to a stop as the bullet made it's way to the most vulnerable of the whole group; nine year old Chris.
Jounouchi felt himself running and for the first time in his life, he prayed. Prayed that he would make it to Chris before the bullet hit.
But he wouldn't make it.
Chris suddenly jolted and his green eyes went wide. He stood extreamly still for what seemed to Jounouchi liked hours. His eyes lifted slightly to look his brother in the eye before his knees gave way, falling into Jounouchi's arms.
The blonde quickly checked the wound, closing his eyes and letting out a huge sigh as he saw it had hit his stomach. The boy was quickly losing blood, and he was shaking hard. "Jou--"
"Shh," Jounouchi whispered to him, brushing brown hair out of his eyes. "Don't talk, Chris." He could hear Michael in the background, doing his best to escape from the other members, who where holding him back.
Chris coughed, making the blonde flinch as he heard gurgling in his throat. "I'm sorry...."
"For what?"
"Not...being a better....man."
Jounouchi choked, not caring that tears were falling down his face. "Don't say that. You're going to be okay. We're going to get you to a hospital, and you're going to be fine. I promise...."
The younger boy shook his head slightly, closing his eyes and breathing softly. The red stain on his shirt was getting bigger. The larger it got, the shallower his breathing became. Jounouchi continued rocking him, crying into his hair, listening to the breaths. Breath;exhale, breath;exhale.....and no more.
"Chris?"
The boy didn't move seemingly more limp in Jounouchi's arms. Michael was going nuts behind him, doing everything in his power to get out of the arms over the others. He was screaming Chris' name, sobbing as he did so.
Jounouchi never said a word in that moment, picking the boy up and cradling him in his arms. ".............let's go back to the warehouse...we'll decide where to bury him from there......"
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It took all Jounouchi had not to cry at that moment, but he managed to keep his control as he shook, knowing in a few moments, he would probably be dead. He opened his eyes, looking around at his friends. He could hear them screaming, especially Mai, who was ecstatic. Bakura was fighting one of the others, who was attempting to hold him back.
"Goodbye Jounouchi. It's been nice knowing you."
Jounouchi closed his eyes again, bracing himself for the blow of the gun....but it never came. Instead he heard a slight yelp, and he opened his eyes as he saw Setsuko tackle Hirutani, trying to wrestle the gun out of his hand. He heard a gun shot and his eyes widened as he saw a slight red spot appear on her shoulder. "SETSUKO!!!" he screamed, trying to get to her. Hirutani scattered away, his eyes widening. Jounouchi picked her up, feeling her go limp and he shuttered, his mind remembering Chris. After he checked her pulse, and making sure that she was still alive, he laid her down, turning to Hirutani.
"NOW you're going to pay."
Two more gun shots ran out and Jounouchi staggered, feeling one of them hitting his right leg. His vision was getting blurry and his body seemed to go numb. He staggered over to the wall, leaning against it. He heard yelling in the background, especially Bakura, who was attacking Hirutani himself. Jounouchi slightly wondered if the leader would make it out of this whole mess alive.
He felt someone touch his forehead, and he looked up, seeing Mai's purple eye's looking down at him. He smiled at her a moment before unconsciousness finally overcame him.
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That was a hard chapter to write. -_- I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't that great, but I had to get the part in about Chris. I cried writing it. :( Please review. ^^
YAMIGIRL3: Thanks! I'm not sure if I'm going to kill one of them off or not...I actually think I may. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but this weekend has been horrible. -_-
Ieyre: Yup, they don't stand a chance. Bakura especially will kick them to the heavens. ^^
SnowyToni: Thank you! I love writing Jounouchi, and he's an awesome character with a wonderful past. Thanks again!
Angelkohaku: YAY!!!! I made a chapter that you liked well!!!! *does dance* It seems this chapter hit it well, most of the reviews I have are from this chapter. ^^ Thanks for putting it on your favorites list. I don't get put on them very often.
Yes, I'm a Christian. I take a lot of pride in being one, so I decided to put a little bit of it in here. It's a slim chance that Jounouchi IS a Christian, but he does have a lot of reasons that he could be. I AM making him one in this story.
Glad I cleared the thing up with Kaiba. I do feel like he WOULD help out Jounouchi if it came down to something of life or death, even if he doesn't like him all that well. And it is rumored that later in YuGiOh, Shizuka writes him a song and he develops a crush on her. -_- And I know, I was drooling when I wrote that. *dies* I LOVE Seto Kaiba!
I'm planning on doing a sequel to this when I'm done. I hope it will be as good. Thanks for saying it deserves more reviews! *hugs* Don't worry about the criticism; it's your review I look most forward to, just to see what you have to say about it. ^^
About me being on other places, I don't remember at the moment what Gaia is...^^ But if you want to find me on somewhere else, I'll be under one of these three names
Sphinx1187 Oichijouji Sphynx
Calcifer: Glad you think it's more realistic now. ^^ I can seriously see this happening to the gang (^^) since most gangs do not let you leave them very easily.
Kenyako Divination: Muchas gracias for reviewing. ^^ I GUESS I'll forgive you for being late about it. J/K. Yea, I love Chris too, in fact, besides Jounouchi and Bakura, he's my favorite character.
OKAY!! I'm done with that. ^^ Just for another note; there is going to be a bit of romance in the next few chapters. Jounouchi/Mai will be a big one, Kaiba/Shizuka, and a slight hint of Bakura/Ryou. ^^ I know, I'm strange, but those are the couples I love. Disclaimers: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own Chris, Michael, and Setsuko
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Nobody moved for minutes, each one of them looking at the other. Jounouchi took a deep breath as he noticed that his hands were shaking slightly as he gazed Hirutani in the eyes, feeling the other gang members glare at him. His eyes widened a bit and his heart sank as a girl stepped up behind Hirutani, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Her name was Aiko, and she was the second of the two girl in his gang back when he was in middle school. She was Setsuko's best friend; both of them leaning on the other's shoulders when the boys got to tough for them. Though Setsuko was the better fighter of the two, she still had excellent fighting skills. She had always had the hots for Hirutani, though Jounouchi personally couldn't see how she could stand to even LOOK at him, and they had finally gotten together about three months before Jounouchi had left.
He turned, seeing Setsuko's face fall, and he smiled at her, though inside, he wasn't looking forward to fighting what used to be a good friend.
Everyone jumped as a snap sounded, and Bakura stood there, grinning and rubbing his fist. "Jerk was hardheaded." He declared as she smirked at Hirutani. "Bring it on."
That was the straw that broke that camels back. The next thing everyone knew, fists were flying everywhere. Jounouchi ducked as a kid his age, whom he swore was related to Insector Haga, threw a punch at him. Jounouchi grinned and swung his fist, his grin getting wider as it connected with his jaw. He had always bugged him, trying to take over Jounouchi's place at second in command.
He looked over, seeing Bakura beating the crap out of somebody, grinning the entire time. Jounouchi shook his head, deciding he would be seriously surprised if the albino yami didn't kill someone before the night was over. The man was gurgling as Bakura strangled him, letting him go before the point of death, only allowing him to pass out. He grinned up a Jounouchi, winking slightly.
Feeling someone behind him, Jounouchi whipped around, grabbing the gangsters fist, and placing hit behind his back. But his grin soon faded as he felt someone seemingly stab him from behind. Letting go of the punk, he placed his hand to his side, feeling blood. He turned around slowly, coming face to face with Hirutani.
"It's just us Jounouchi, everyone else will back off of you. They know I personally want to kill you. And once you're out of the way, the rest of those fools...well they won't stand a chance if their motivation dies."
"If you kill me," Jounouchi growled out, brown eyes narrowing. "Every one of my friends will vow revenge on you. And I'll die protecting them."
"Just like you protected Chris?"
Jounouchi stopped for a moment, not paying attention to the pain in his side as he looked Hirutani in the eye. Memories from that night came flooding back as he tried his best to stay upright.
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(Flashback)
The ally was damp and cold, much like it always was, as the gang made their way towards their destination. Chris did his best to keep up, following right behind Jounouchi, looking up at him with innocent green eyes. The blonde smiled down at him, ruffling his hair slightly, making the boy giggle. "Stay behind me, Chris. I'll protect you."
"Is Mike mad at me?"
Jounouchi shook his head. "He's worried, and he is mad, but it's at Hirutani, not you. He didn't want you to come."
The boy looked at his feet, making Jounouchi pull him out of the way before he smacked into a pole. "I know he didn't want me to come, but I want to see what all you guys do. I want to learn how to fight like everyone here. "
"Your brother has a good reason for not wanting to let you come," Jounouchi explained. "Yes, it's true that I learned how to fight at your age, but I had to do it to survive. Literally."
"If I want to stay alive, I'm going to have to as well." Chris muttered. "I get beat up daily. I can't wait until the day when I'm strong enough to sock Hirutani in the face. I hate him."
The blonde grinned, glad that the leader had not heard the boy. "I'll teach you how to punch. That's my specialty. And if you can't do it, I'll be happy to do it for you. I've been wanting to punch him for a LONG time."
Chris hugged him as well as he could, tripping at bit, as they were both still walking. His grin soon faded though, as he caught site of he gang before him.
"Stay behind me, Chris, I'll protect you."
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Jounouchi snapped out of him memories, glaring up at Hirutani. "How DARE you bring up Chris! It was YOUR fault that--"
"No, it wasn't, Jounouchi. The boy plainly asked to come with us. I simply let him."
"You KNEW they had guns!" Jounouchi roared. The pain in his side didn't matter anymore. "You knew they would shoot at him!"
Hirutani smirked. "The kid was a weak link. He was stupid enough to come with us; he got what he deserved."
"You scumbag...." Jounouchi muttered, clenching his fist. 'This is for you, Chris.' Raising his right arm, he swung at Hirutani, catching the purple haired teen off guard. He had gone to far with what he had said and Jounouchi wasn't going to let him get by with it.
Hirutani looked down at him, the smirk on his lips gone. He swung back at the blonde, growling in his throat when he missed.
Jounouchi's fist connected with Hirutani's torso, yelling as he did. The leader fell to the floor, grunting as Jounouchi went with him, continuing to beat him. A smirk was forming on his lips as the fumbled with his belt. He rose suddenly, throwing Jounouchi off of him. "You've still got your fist, Jounouchi. But this ends here."
Jounouchi closed his eyes as he felt the end of a gun being pressed against his temple. Memories again flashed through is mind as the though of Chris.
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(Flashback)
The fight was brutal and one of the toughest Jounouchi had ever been involved in. He had done his best to protect Chris like he had promised, but he could see the fear in the bright green eyes. He had been prepared for a horrible fight, and a tough one; nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen.
No one even saw the gangster pull out the gun; only the sound of the gun firing. Time seemed to slow to a stop as the bullet made it's way to the most vulnerable of the whole group; nine year old Chris.
Jounouchi felt himself running and for the first time in his life, he prayed. Prayed that he would make it to Chris before the bullet hit.
But he wouldn't make it.
Chris suddenly jolted and his green eyes went wide. He stood extreamly still for what seemed to Jounouchi liked hours. His eyes lifted slightly to look his brother in the eye before his knees gave way, falling into Jounouchi's arms.
The blonde quickly checked the wound, closing his eyes and letting out a huge sigh as he saw it had hit his stomach. The boy was quickly losing blood, and he was shaking hard. "Jou--"
"Shh," Jounouchi whispered to him, brushing brown hair out of his eyes. "Don't talk, Chris." He could hear Michael in the background, doing his best to escape from the other members, who where holding him back.
Chris coughed, making the blonde flinch as he heard gurgling in his throat. "I'm sorry...."
"For what?"
"Not...being a better....man."
Jounouchi choked, not caring that tears were falling down his face. "Don't say that. You're going to be okay. We're going to get you to a hospital, and you're going to be fine. I promise...."
The younger boy shook his head slightly, closing his eyes and breathing softly. The red stain on his shirt was getting bigger. The larger it got, the shallower his breathing became. Jounouchi continued rocking him, crying into his hair, listening to the breaths. Breath;exhale, breath;exhale.....and no more.
"Chris?"
The boy didn't move seemingly more limp in Jounouchi's arms. Michael was going nuts behind him, doing everything in his power to get out of the arms over the others. He was screaming Chris' name, sobbing as he did so.
Jounouchi never said a word in that moment, picking the boy up and cradling him in his arms. ".............let's go back to the warehouse...we'll decide where to bury him from there......"
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It took all Jounouchi had not to cry at that moment, but he managed to keep his control as he shook, knowing in a few moments, he would probably be dead. He opened his eyes, looking around at his friends. He could hear them screaming, especially Mai, who was ecstatic. Bakura was fighting one of the others, who was attempting to hold him back.
"Goodbye Jounouchi. It's been nice knowing you."
Jounouchi closed his eyes again, bracing himself for the blow of the gun....but it never came. Instead he heard a slight yelp, and he opened his eyes as he saw Setsuko tackle Hirutani, trying to wrestle the gun out of his hand. He heard a gun shot and his eyes widened as he saw a slight red spot appear on her shoulder. "SETSUKO!!!" he screamed, trying to get to her. Hirutani scattered away, his eyes widening. Jounouchi picked her up, feeling her go limp and he shuttered, his mind remembering Chris. After he checked her pulse, and making sure that she was still alive, he laid her down, turning to Hirutani.
"NOW you're going to pay."
Two more gun shots ran out and Jounouchi staggered, feeling one of them hitting his right leg. His vision was getting blurry and his body seemed to go numb. He staggered over to the wall, leaning against it. He heard yelling in the background, especially Bakura, who was attacking Hirutani himself. Jounouchi slightly wondered if the leader would make it out of this whole mess alive.
He felt someone touch his forehead, and he looked up, seeing Mai's purple eye's looking down at him. He smiled at her a moment before unconsciousness finally overcame him.
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That was a hard chapter to write. -_- I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't that great, but I had to get the part in about Chris. I cried writing it. :( Please review. ^^