A/N - Well... what can I say...
I'M SORRY I TOOK SO LONG!
Thank you all for reading this and keeping up with this story, even if you don't review - I'm simply hope you're enjoying this.
But in particular, thanks reviewers: AtomBunny, SJ95, WoNdY Alice, fanficlover555 and kitty tokyo uzumaki.
This one's extra long for you guys.
CHAPTER 9.
It had been three days since the museum trip and, fortunately for Jou, nothing had happened. In fact, it seemed as if school was becoming a lot more boring than usual.
It must have been because the Ishtars had gone back to Egypt, and even though the class cheered as they left; many felt that they had lost the biggest source of entertainment (from their crazy stunts and arguments) they would ever get in school, at least they still had the antics of Jou and Kaiba.
In fact, it was in one of these low-down and dull moments that Jou was confronted by a disgruntled Anzu.
"Jou, not that we don't want you here or anything," although it was quite clear she was irritated by his mere presence, Jou doubted her gormless partner, Kogano Yuuta, helped matters, "But shouldn't you be doing your own work, you know, with your own partner?"
Jou looked at her over his crossed arms as he laid across the desks the group had pushed together so they could all work on their projects at 'one' table.
"But, Anzu, I've already finished my work. And I don't think Kaiba would ever need or ask for my help."
The stares he got from this sentence were incredulous.
Even Ryou coughed a little in embarrassment.
"Jou, I don't want to sound mean or anything... but... are you sure you finished and aren't just skivving off?"
"Skivving?" Honda looked confused.
Ryou flushed, "Oh, you know... bunking off, playing 'hookey'..." At their blank expressions he sighed exasperated, "Not doing what he's supposed to be doing. Honestly, you should be used to the way I talk by now, it's only British slang."
"Right..." Jou sat up properly now, but he still leaned on his right hand, "No really, I'm done. You see, when me and Shizuka were kids, we had to do a project like this for our Mom. She was half-Greek and totally mad on that part of her hermitage..." He looked blank and sat straight up while the others laughed at him.
Yugi stopped giggling enough to inform him he meant 'heritage' not 'hermitage'.
"Right, that's it, well, anyway, she was totally into stuff like that and made sure we knew, like, EVERYTHING to do with the ancient Greeks. I swear, she was such a snob about it sometimes," He shook his head from the 'memory', "So, yeah, that's it."
'Thank Zeus, I had time to think about this excuse – and that 'Mom' doesn't really exist to refute my explanation. Now all I have to do is tell Artemis some how...'
"Wow, Jou, I never knew you were part Greek," Yugi and Yami both looked quite stunned by Jou's admission, as did Bakura, Ryou, Otogi and Anzu – Kogano Yuuta was suspiciously quiet and Jou felt it probably had something to do with the way he was hunched over, headphones in ears and his hands jostling under the table with the Nintendo DS.
However, it was Honda's face that upset him.
"Wow, Jou," Sarcasm dripped from his every word and an ugly expression found its way onto his face, "Yet another thing I didn't know about my best friend," He stood up loudly and suddenly everyone in the classroom was now privy to their conversation, "I guess that just doesn't mean as much to you as it does to me."
And he stormed out of the classroom.
Jou was immediately hot on his tails.
"Honda! Honda!"
Honda had already reached the school front doors and upon hearing Jou he slammed the left one open before savagely facing him. Jou nearly ran into him before stepping back a pace.
"What? You're not the only one with a life – I'm busy!"
"Honda, just listen to me, buddy-"
Honda trust his finger into Jou's chest.
"Oh? So now I'm you're 'buddy'? You promised in the museum we'd talk, and I left it at that – thinking you would talk in your own time, but no. It's been days and you still haven't said ANYTHING!"
Jou stood his ground, his anger flaring up.
"Well, what was I supposed to say? You've seen what my half-brother's like! He's a cross-dressing weirdo with a leopard fetish!"
Honda seemed at a loss for words, as if the very wind had been taken out of his sails.
"Not to mention the fact that he's only alive because my Dad had an affair with another woman. I mean how am I supposed to put into a conversation? 'Hi, I'm Jou and my brothers a transsexual bastard?'"
Jou wasn't afraid to admit that at this point he was laying it on pretty thickly.
"Not only that, but I'm not even fully Japanese? Do you know how difficult it is to live where I live, with little ta no money and be a natural blond. I can't even count the number of times I've been called a Gaijin – even though I've lived here all my life. So, I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry. Please, Honda... don't do this to me... you're my best friend – the best friend I've ever had -"
"What about Yugi?"
"Yugi? Yugi's Yugi, but you've been there for me since we were kids. You're like a brother to me."
"Jou..." Honda looked honestly touched, enough to move over to Jou to hug him. Briefly, before becoming awkward again and moving away. Both boys reasserting themselves in their own 'manly' images.
"So," Jou looked down and scuffed his dirty trainers on the floor, "We cool?"
"Yeah, but I still gotta go."
Jou head nodded up so sharply he might have got whiplash if he'd been really human.
"What?"
Now it was Honda's turn to look sheepish.
"Well, you know my dad?"
"I thought he died when you were really young?"
"Yeah, well I thought so too. Until he called that is. Turns out mom's been trying to keep me a secret from him all these years."
"Ouch."
"I know, man, totally strange, but the cool thing is dad really seems to want to get to know me – apparently he's always wanted a son."
"Oh... well, cool, I guess."
"So, anyways, he's picking me up today and we're gonna pick up some food at Burger World," Honda looked up at Jou, "If you wanna come along I don't mind... I mean, you're like my brother too."
Jou looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.
"Nah, I don't wanna cramp your style, but I will take a look at him. I am an excellent judge of character."
He pushed past Honda and walked down the school steps, regardless of the fact that school wouldn't be out for another ten minutes.
"You?" Honda moved to walk next to him down to the school gates, "A good judge of character? That's news to me." He laughed and moved out of the way of Jou's punch.
"Yeah, I am! Ya got somethin' ta prove I ain't?" He grinned as he chased after his friend to grab him in a headlock.
"Yeah! I do! Years worth of experience!" He moved quickly around a tree to escape Jou, "Remember in pre-school, when you thought that our teacher was a 'real friendly guy' when he gave you sweets after school, and then we found out," Honda laughed, just a little hysterically, at the memory while ducking under Jou's arms, "He was a convicted paedophile!"
"Dammit, Honda! Stand still!"
Jou finally managed to grab Honda by the scruff of his neck and he dragged him back towards him, intending to give Honda the noogie of his life – until he heard the unmistakable rumble of a motor-cycle.
Jou stood still as he slowly watched the sleek, shiny vehicle approached them – Honda and brotherly bonding forgotten.
"Hey," Honda was now back on his feet, "That must be dad, he said he was gonna turn up on his bike – must be where I get my liking of them from. Apparently, dad works as some sort of courier."
The rider wasn't that striking.
It was hard to tell from his sitting position, but the rider looked to be of an average height. He was also neither too skinny nor particularly fat. You could tell he worked on his physique by the subtle abs that were accented by the navy t-shirt the rider was wearing under his leather jacket, but not too much – as his arms were still recognisable as arms, rather than skin covered melons.
His clothes weren't too outlandish either. The t-shirt and jacket normal for a cyclist and the jeans and slightly scuffled trainers well-cared for, but obviously used.
The only thing that did seem odd, was the fact that the driver had yet to take off his helmet, even though he had just gotten off his bike and was heading towards them, and the fact that he had a single reoccurring symbol, of two snakes wrapped around a staff with wings, on both his bike and the breast of his jacket.
It wasn't until he had taken off his helmet, and standing not more than a few feet from him, did Jou finally realise just who exactly it was he was staring at.
A/N - Well can you guess who it is? Kudos to you if you do, and if you don't you can always ask me to tell and I will - as a sneak peak into what'll happen next chapter! REVIEW!