Disclaimer: WookieeBeta still does not own Yuugiou. Please call off the rabid lawyers. They're slobbering on her keyboard.

Warning: Language.


Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Chapter Eleven: High Scores

By WookieeBeta


"Seeya later, Honda," Jou said.

The brunette grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Hey, where're you going? I thought you were coming to the arcade with me and Otogi."

"So did I," Jou replied. "But Mokuba wanted me to come over for a while. Se - Kaiba's going out of town today, and the poor little guy didn't want to be alone all evening."

"But doesn't he usually go with his brother?"

Jou nodded. "Usually, yes. But this time Moneybags said no, since he doesn't know how long he's gonna be gone and he doesn't want Mokuba to miss any more school."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense..."

"Yeah. I'll see if Mokuba wants to come hang out at the arcade, okay?"

"Sounds good - see you 'round!" The two separated, the brunette heading for the front exit while the blonde made his way to his locker to grab his books. Ever since he and Kaiba had more or less gotten over their differences, the CEO had been giving him a bit of a hand with schoolwork; his grades had improved considerably, and he wasn't about to let them fall again just because his unofficial tutor was halfway across the world. He could figure natural logs out on his own...right?

If not, he could always ask Mokuba.


"Hey guys!" Mokuba chirped, bouncing into the arcade with his eternal hyperness. "What's up?"

"Otogi's score," Honda groaned. "He's absolutely destroying me! Not to mention wasting all of my money..."

The black-haired incarnation of energy grinned. "Here, let me try!" Honda stepped aside, and the young Kaiba took over the controls. In all of seventy seconds he'd quadrupled his score and wiped out Otogi's character, not to mention beaten the previous top score.

Honda just shook his head. I shoulda known.

"So, who'd you beat?" Jou asked, leaning over. "Other than...ah." The first set of initials on the screen was, of course, Mokuba's, but each of the sets below it was the same: YM. Yuugi Mouto, or possibly Yami. Half-forgotten guilt rose again in his throat, and he turned away.

"Oh, Jouno...I'm sorry," Mokuba murmured. If only he'd remembered... Of course the top scores on this machine would be his. It had been his favorite for years. Mokuba mentally cursed himself for forgetting something so obvious.

"It's all right," the blonde replied, ruffling the short kid's hair. "It's not your fault." It's not your fault. He made the decision to stay, not you. He chose to sacrifice himself; don't waste his life...! Jou shook his head, trying to forget Kaiba's words from so long ago. How long now? Was it really only three weeks? It felt like ages.

"Hey, wait a second," Mokuba said, frowning as he peered at the screen. "Someone else must be using his initials, Jouno."

It was Jou's turn to frown. "Why? What gives you that idea?"

"Look at the dates on the side. These scores are from yesterday!"


"A short, spiky-haired kid, you said?" the teenaged cashier parroted. "Yeah, he was in here yesterday. Didn't stay long; played a few games on that machine over there and then left. Only reason I noticed him was because of his hair."

Jou tensed. "What precisely about his hair?"

"Well, it was all spiky and shit, and had three colors - pardon my French, kid," he added, glancing at Mokuba.

The latter's eyes were wide. "Jou...that's him!"

"Who, 'him'?" The cashier frowned. "Hey, you guys aren't stalking this guy, are you?"

"No...he's a friend of ours who's been avoiding us recently," Otogi replied when he realized Mokuba and Jou were too busy muttering to each other to answer. "Has he been here any other time?"

The cashier shook his head. "I don't know. I only started last week."

"Well, thanks anyway, dude," Otogi said. Then, to Jou and Mokuba, "Look, guys, don't get your hopes up. He's pretty famous. Couldn't it just be that he's got some wacky fan who stole his hairstyle? I mean, I've had that happen to me before, and I'm nowhere near as well-known as he is; besides, the scores aren't that good. If it really was him, even Mokuba wouldn't have been able to beat them."

Jou sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right." Then he glanced at his watch. "Ah, sheik! It's nine-thirty! Mokuba, I'd better get you home - your brother will kill me if he knew I kept you out late on a school night." Mokuba's eyes widened in agreement, and the two tore out of the arcade and down the street.

"...Kaiba'd be happy to kill him just on a general basis, but that's a whole 'nother set of stories," Otogi couldn't help but comment. Honda punched him upside the head.

"Owwww..."


A/N 1: (a) Natural logs are evil, too. Just thought I'd let you know. (b) Sheik is a fun word to use. I don't think it really exists, at least not in the sense that I use it, but it sounds cool.

A/N 2: Took care of some typos; title change. – WB 09Nórui2006