Chapter 4

Oh, my. And the reviewing war continues… But please give me a moment to laugh hysterically- 1 moment- Ok, now I shall tell you why I am laughing. Teh Ownage is not my brother- she's my sister and my LITTLE sister at that! Dude, I think you should give up now because all those reviews did was make me laugh. Coughtrollcough. But thankyou to my other reviewers- I'm touched that SOMEONE appreciates greatness (blowsraspberry) JK, guys.

The clock in Domino Square chimed thrice and Anzu met back with Jonouchi and Yugi.

'His motorcycle is gone, guys,' said Anzu.

'And nobody has seen him,' said Yugi uneasily. 'It isn't like Honda to just up and leave without saying.'

'Ah, the meathead probably went home to pee,' said Jonouchi. 'Let's just walk home.'

'What will you say to your mom and grandpa, Yugi?' asked Anzu. 'You'll get a big bruise on your face.'

'I'll just say I slipped,' suggested Yugi.

'You don't want to tell them you got beat up by a girl, huh, Yuug?' asked Jonouchi.

'I don't want to start trouble,' said Yugi. 'Emara must have had a good reason for hitting me. She seems too refined a person to strike without one.'

Jonouchi looked at him incredulously. 'You still like her even though she whooped you?'

Yugi shrugged. 'There's a lot to like. Jonouchi, you should know better than to judge someone on their actions.'

Jonouchi blushed. 'I know.'

Anzu's jaw stuck out and she glared. 'Let's just go back to Yugi's,' she snarled, breathing heavily out her nose.

'Sure,' said Yugi, sidestepping Anzu nervously.

0o0o0

The telephone rang in the Mutou house just as Anzu and Jonouchi were about to leave.

'Hello?' asked Mrs Mutou after she answered it. 'Yugi,' she called. 'It's Honda!'

Yugi, Anzu and Jonouchi raced back indoors. Yugi thanked his mother and took the phone from her.

'Honda, where did you go?'

'I followed Emara's limo to try and make sense of everything,' said Honda.

'Okay, then, where'd she go?' asked Yugi.

'To this big fancy house. She and this kid got out of the limo and she went up to this room with a tree outside it and stayed there for ages.'

'Hmm,' mused Yugi. 'I think we oughta check it out tomorrow.'

'Why?' asked Honda.

'Because I want to know,' Yugi paused and smiled at his mother and continued to Honda in a whisper, 'I want to know why she punched me.'

'Right. We'll talk battle plans tomorrow, then.' Honda cut the connection and Yugi replaced the receiver. Yugi turned to Anzu and Jonouchi. 'Tomorrow we'll work this whole thing out.'

0o0o0o0

As she had on Tuesday, Emara arrived first at school. Honda stayed out in the hall until Jonouchi joined him.

'Jonouchi, Emara has a big bandage on her hand,' said Honda.

Jonouchi glanced through the doorway into homeroom. Emara had a large tourniquet wrapped around the knuckles of her right hand. 'Is that from hitting Yugi?'

Honda shrugged. 'Did she hit him that hard?'

'You can see the imprint of her knuckles,' said Jonouchi. 'She was pretty pissed off.'

Anzu crept noiselessly over to them. 'What are we whispering about?'

Jonouchi and Honda jumped. 'Anzu!' cried Jonouchi. 'When did you get here?'

'Just now,' said Anzu carelessly. 'I got here with Bakura.' She tugged Bakura along by the wrist.'

Bakura straightened his collar. 'Anzu told me about our little problem on the way here,' said Bakura.

'Stop blocking the doorway, Miss Priss!' shouted Takeshi and he and his boys shoved Bakura out of the way and stampeded into homeroom.

Bakura regained his balance and fixed up his fringe. 'Pushy lot, aren't they?'

'Maybe we should go in, too,' suggested Honda.

'Sure,' said Jonouchi.

Anzu lead the guys into homeroom. Nobody looked up at them, even in curiosity.

'How about a game of Duel Monsters, Anzu?' asked Jonouchi.

'Only if you're prepared to lose!'

'Never!'

The rest of the class trickled in slowly. Yugi arrived just as Jonouchi played his trump card: Alligator Sword. Anzu began laughing at Yugi and he slid into his desk, glancing around self-consciously.

'What is that on your face?' gasped Anzu. 'Your mom's entire stash of foundation?

Yugi looked quickly over at the swarm of boys cocooning Emara. 'What?'

Jonouchi, Honda and Bakura squinted at Yugi's face, trying to see Anzu's point.

'Did you raid your mom's make-up cabinet?' chuckled Anzu. 'You've only done half of your face!'

'Right!' sad Jonouchi, catching Anzu's thought train. 'You covered your bruise with make-up!'

'Yugi, you can't go around like that,' said Anzu. 'I'll fix up your face.' She dragged Yugi from the classroom.

'He did look a little strange,' said Bakura.

'I couldn't really tell,' said Jonouchi. 'Hey, wait! Anzu never finished our duel! Anzu!'

'Pipe down, Jonouchi!' shouted Ryou, another of Emara's fan boys.

'Make me!' shouted Jonouchi, kicking back his chair as he stood up to his full height, fists clenched.

Honda held Jonouchi back. 'We don't need another fistfight!'

Ryou tossed his head uncaringly. 'I don't make trash, I put it on the curb, where it belongs.'

Jonouchi bellowed like a wounded bull and strained against Honda, trying to get free to break Ryou's face. The rest of the class was deathly quiet.

'Ryou,' said someone finally. 'Shut up.'

'Huh?' said Jonouchi and Ryou in unison.

Emara flipped a wayward strand of her hair over her shoulder. 'You are no match for Jonouchi. He's a pro at street fighting. You'd end up a stain on the carpet.'

Ryu blushed and crept away to his desk, humiliated.

Jonouchi's jaw dropped. He was so surprised that he stopped struggling against Honda. 'How'd she know that?'

'Who doesn't know that?' asked Bakura.

Anzu returned with Yugi, whose skin tone was thankfully evened out. They were closely followed by Suzake.

'Now, children, to your individual seats, please.' Suzake pulled at his tight turtleneck sweater. The class obeyed grudgingly.

Thus began the school day.

0o0o0o0