Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.
For those who have seen the Japanese version: does Mai speak with or without attaching suffixes to people's names?
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#10: The Wheel of Fortune
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Three days later, that Monday, Jounouchi came in from lunch ten minutes late and looking like he wanted to punch someone's lights out. The teacher told him to go stand in the hall, and then gave him an afternoon detention when he slammed the classroom door.
Ryou glanced over at Yuugi, who was exchanging a look with Anzu and Honda as well. None of them knew exactly what was going on, but they could take a pretty good guess.
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The four of them were lingering on the steps in front of Domino High, waiting for Jounouchi to get out of detention, when Mai's car pulled up.
Anzu stopped kicking her heels against the short wall she was sitting on and gave the car an unsure look. ". . . Should we go ask what happened?"
Honda glared at the car before looking away, and Yuugi chewed his lip. "I don't know. . . ."
"It couldn't hurt, could it?" Ryou asked.
Jounouchi picked that moment to walk out the door, shoulders slouched and hands deep in his pockets. Honda straightened, Anzu hopped off the wall, and Yuugi smiled and said, "Hey, Jounouchi-kun."
Jounouchi glanced over at him with a blank look, before shifting his gaze slightly and spotting Mai. His eyes narrowed and the blankness was rapidly replaced with anger. He turned and vaulted over the wall, taking off across the school lawn in the opposite direction.
Mai slid out of the car and shut the door. "Katsuya!" she called.
Jounouchi kept walking.
Mai's tone grew irritated, but she took off after him anyway. "Katsuya! Will you listen to me?"
Jounouchi stopped, but kept his back to her.
Mai paused once she was a few feet away from him. "Look," she began, "I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't think you'd take it like that."
Jounouchi twisted around and glared at her. "How did you think I was going to take it? Or was I supposed to be too stupid to understand, huh?"
"I didn't say you were stupid!"
"Right, not stupid -- 'immature,' was that it? Just some immature punk kid!" He spat out the last word.
Mai put a hand on her hip, glaring at him. "I did not say that. But you're sure acting like one, if that's what you're going for!"
Jounouchi's mouth twisted up in an ugly imitation of a smile. "You know what, Mai? Forget it. Screw it all. Why don't you go hang out with someone your own class, and quit degrading yourself by being seen with me?"
Mai threw her hands out to her sides. "Fine!" she replied, turning around abruptly. She tossed her hair over her shoulder before striding back to the car and saying, "Call me if you grow up, Jounouchi-kun!"
Ryou and the others -- who'd been watching the exchange with extreme discomfort -- were torn between calling out to Mai, who was climbing back in her car, and catching up to Jounouchi, who was taking off across the lawn again.
"Mai-san!" Anzu called, taking a step down the stairs. Mai replied by peeling out and taking the corner turn so sharply that Anzu flinched.
Honda vaulted over the same wall and ran to catch Jounouchi. Ryou, Yuugi and Anzu followed, though Yuugi seemed to still be listening nervously to the roar of Mai's engine as she speeded off.
Honda jogged forward slightly and grasped Jounouchi's shoulder. "Oi," he said. "What hap--"
Jounouchi shrugged his hand off. "Go away."
Honda made an annoyed face and caught his arm again. "Look, don't be--"
Jounouchi shoved his hand away hard and turned around long enough to glare at them. "Fuck off already!" he yelled at Honda. "I don't want to talk to you guys!"
"Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi said carefully, but the blond just turned around and began running towards and down the sidewalk.
They stared after him.
Finally, Anzu huffed and began to head down the sidewalk. "We'd better catch him before he does something stupid, like get in a fight."
"Maybe you should give him some time to cool off," Ryou suggested hesitantly. "He really didn't look like he's going to listen to anything we say. . . ."
"Yeah . . ." Yuugi said, "but I don't want to leave him like this. Honda-kun, what do you think--"
"Do whatever," Honda said, shouldering his backpack and turning around.
"Hey!" Anzu called. "Where are you going?"
"Home," Honda said shortly. "Bye."
Anzu stared at him as he walked away, looking a little flabbergasted. Ryou shifted on his feet slightly.
"Yuugi-kun," he said quietly, "maybe you should. . . ."
"Yeah," Yuugi agreed. "I'll go look for him." He glanced over at Anzu. "It might go better if I go alone -- he'll talk more to one person than several."
Anzu nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know. . . . Just be sure to tell him we're here, okay?"
Yuugi nodded. "I will." He paused, and then waved slightly to Ryou and Anzu. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow, then."
The two said their goodbyes and watched as Yuugi jogged down the sidewalk in the direction Jounouchi had taken.
Anzu sighed once he was out of sight, and her shoulders dropped slightly. She turned and gave Ryou a half-hearted smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bakura."
"Goodbye," Ryou said as she headed off. He watched her cross the street before turning and starting down the route that would take him back to his apartment.