Chapter 3: - Brute Force
Yugi hated taking the bus to school.
Normally she walked in with Anzu, but every so often she wasn't ready when her friend arrived so Anzu would go ahead and Yugi would catch the bus. The only problem with that was the bus was normally full of senior students who weren't exactly friendly.
It didn't help matters that if she got shoved towards the back of the bus Sozoji, one of the oldest students in the school, would often grab her to sell tickets to one of his 'Ultra Special All Night Solos'. This basically involved her and whoever was stupid enough to buy the tickets, which Sozoji expected her to sell at 500 yen a shot, being stuck in a karaoke room with him from six till closing.
This wouldn't have been so bad if Sozoji didn't keep control of the microphone all night and treat them all to at least four hours of his, in his own ever so modest opinion 'exquisite' voice.
Yugi never came away from these solo nights without a headache and ringing ears.
What was worse was being dragged up on the very very rare occasions where Sozoji needed a female co-singer (Sozoji had worked it out over a year ago but thought it was hilarious to take the mickey out of her because everyone treated her like a guy) and made to look like an idiot because, while her voice wasn't bad, nothing in the entire universe could harmonise with Sozoji's constantly off-key wailing.
Of course the very worst part was that Sozoji expected you to come up with the difference if you didn't manage to sell all of the tickets that he'd given you and everyone was getting smart to his 'karaoke nights'. The last time he'd given her tickets, she'd had to fork out 2500 yen, hadn't been able to come up with all of it and ended up with a black eye which she'd had to pass off as her walking into something to Anzu just so her friend didn't get into a fight with the much larger senior.
Not that she'd been dragged to one in the last couple of months as she'd been rather good about making sure all her stuff was up together the night before so that she didn't have to take the bus.
Last night, however, she'd completely forgotten about it, having come home bouncing off the walls from a combination of Anzu's success and too much sugar and spent the greater majority of the night (when she hadn't been doing her chores) playing games with her Grandfather, at least until she'd crashed and Sugoroku had sent her to bed at around tenish.
So this morning she was on a bus and slowly getting pushed towards the back by the ever increasing number of students that climbed on to get either to Domino High or the local Elementary.
Not that the back of the bus was crowded as she found out when an impatient senior had pushed her towards the back when he'd tried to get to his friends. No, as per usual the back of the bus was empty of everyone except Sozoji and the music that was perfectly audible even though Sozoji was wearing headphones.
More than once Yugi had wondered if Sozoji was tone deaf because he'd damaged his hearing by having his music up so loud. She was certain that it couldn't be good for someone's ears for the music to be so loud you could hear it from almost a meter away.
"Yugi-Chan."
Yugi squeaked and froze at the sound of his voice, having hoped that she could make her way back into the crowd before Sozoji had opened his eyes and spotted her.
"Come here, Yugi-Chan."
Her shoulders sank as she turned around to face him. She really didn't want to go and talk to him, but she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter as he was at least twice her size and would get want he wanted unless she got Jonouchi or Honda involved and she had no intention of doing that. So, instead of fleeing like a sane person, she sat down next to him meekly, dreading what he was about to say.
"I was beginning to think you were going to miss my next concert, Yugi-Chan." Sozoji commented as she sat, "You're in luck though. I still have tickets." Sozoji produced five out of his jacket pocket. Obviously she hadn't been the only one avoiding him, "I need you to sell these by tomorrow."
"What?" Yugi yelped, looking at the tickets as if they were diseased.
"That's right, tomorrow." He shoved them into her hand.
"But..." There was no way she could come up the sales or the money in time and then she'd have to explain to the others...
"You will sell them, won't you Yugi-Chan?" Sozoji continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I mean I'm only giving you five."
There wasn't much point arguing and by the time they arrived at school, Sozoji had managed to elicit a promise from the girl that she would sell as many as possible in such short notice.
Never mind that Yugi knew full well that there was no one in the entire school stupid enough to buy the things off of her.
The matter left her mind completely though when she got into class only to find Jonouchi wasn't there.
This wasn't unusual. Jonouchi was always in school, but that didn't mean he was always on time. In fact some of the students ran a book on what time Jonouchi was finally going to get into class each day.
What was unusual was when lunch time came around and Jonouchi still hadn't shown up.
"It's not like him." Honda commented as they finished their dinner, though Yugi hadn't felt very hungry and as such hadn't finished her bento, "He's never missed a day of class the entire time I've known him."
Yugi bit her lower lip, concerned but didn't really know what to say. It could have just been because her friend had come down with something, but considering that she'd seen Jonouchi in school even when he'd had a horrendous cold and had been falling asleep at his desk the entire time, she didn't think that was the reason.
"I hate to say it," Anzu said, looking a bit embarrassed, "But it's kind of lonely without him around."
"I'm going to head around his after school." Honda told them, though it sounded more like he was deciding out loud, "I know where he lives."
"I'll come." Yugi told him almost instantly.
"Me too. I don't have work." Anzu said only seconds behind her, worried about the other member of their group even if the pair of them didn't normally see eye to eye.
Honda just nodded, looking uncomfortable.
"You alright, Honda?" Yugi asked, thinking, too late, that he might not have wanted them to go.
"Yeah..." He looked around, saw there was no one else around and nodded to himself before picking up his bag and dumping what looked like half a sweet shop on Yugi's desk. "Sorry."
"For what?" Yugi blinked at him, completely confused by the huge pile which appeared to be made, primarily, of chocolate bars.
"For acting like an idiot and not noticing a cute girl when she's right in front of me." Honda got the reaction he'd been hoping for as Yugi went bright red and looked incredibly embarrassed, unused to someone calling her cute.
Anzu however gave Honda an irritable look. Though Yugi had forgiven the boys for the bullying even before it had ever really finished, Anzu had still been angry about the way the pair had treated her friend. Especially considering that an apology hadn't been forthcoming.
At least until she'd seen Honda on the way to school this morning and he'd asked her what kind of sweets Yugi liked and she'd dragged an explanation out of the teen. That hadn't quite been the apology that he'd promised though.
"You weren't acting..."
"Yes, I was. I treated you badly and I'm sorry. Now just take the chocolate." Honda interrupted Yugi's attempt to reassure him.
"Thank you." Yugi nodded, with a small smile, thanking her friend for both the gift and the apology as Anzu helped her sweep the sweets into her bag. They were just finishing up as the bell rang for the end of lunch and the rest of their class filed back into the classroom.
Yugi's thoughts finally trailed back to the tickets that were in her bag when she pulled out her text book and a couple came with it.
She spent the majority of class thinking about them and she still wasn't sure what to do when class finally kicked out. Because of that she was slower to pack her stuff away then the others and her friends beat her out of the door.
The corridors were slowly emptying by the time Yugi left the classrooms and no one was around when Hanasaki, a boy who was around her height, with black hair that was only just shorter then her own and huge glasses, called her over.
"Are you alright Hanasaki?" Yugi asked, mentally slapping herself when she thought about selling him a ticket. Just because Hanasaki was a loner as she herself had been, didn't mean she had the right to inflict Sozoji on him.
"Uhh..." Hanasaki nervously pulled something out of his pocket. Yugi recognised it as one of Sozoji's tickets. "Would you buy this from me?"
"Sorry," Yugi shook her head, pulling hers out her bag and showing them to Hanaskai. "Sozoji gave me some to sell too."
"Oh..." Hanasaki looked crushed, "I... He gave me five a week ago..."
He'd had a week to sell them? She had just over a day...
"I have an idea," She said finally, as Honda walked around the corner, looking for her, "Give me the tickets. I'll pay Sozoji and you won't have to go."
"You sure?" Hanasaki asked even as he scrambled to pull the remaining four tickets out of his pocket and push them into her hands.
"I'm sure." Yugi nodded, shoving the tickets in her bag quickly, not wanting Honda to see them, "See you later."
Hanasaki nodded and scooted off as Honda caught up the pair, uncomfortable around the former bully.
"Everything alright Yugi?" Honda asked, noting Yugi's nervousness as she zipped up her bag.
"Yes... I'm ok." Yugi nodded as she started towards the lockers to change her shoes, "Shall we?"
They quickly changed and headed out, heading away from their usual haunts and into Rintama territory.
Yugi looked around nervously as they walked down the streets. The other local High School had a reputation as a breeding ground for bullies and thugs and Rintama students didn't take kindly to Domino High students hanging around their territory.
Some thought it was because Domino High had the better reputation and the higher grades, others thought it was a gang war thing, but there was one thing she did know. It wasn't good for them to be wandering around here.
It made her wonder though, why Jonouchi had decided to come to Domino High if he came from around here. Not that she was complaining but it was food for thought.
"Here." Honda said as they reached a block of flats and he led them up to the third floor, "Stay behind me."
He tried the door, only to find it wasn't locked.
"Jonouchi?" He called in as he pushed the door open, noticing someone on the sofa, surrounded by empty bottles and cans, only to pull it almost shut as something came hurtling towards the door. The glass bottle smashed upon impact, shattering into a rain of green glass.
"Jonouchi!" A blonde head rose from the couch, a much dirtier colour then Jonouchi's own, belonging to someone very similar to their friend but at least twenty years Jonouchi's senior, "Where have you been for the last couple of days you useless waste of space!"
"That answers that question." Honda scowled as he shut the door.
"Who was...?" Anzu asked nervously.
"Jonouchi's father." Honda's tone spoke of his disgust, "Jonouchi doesn't like talking about him."
"I won't say anything." Yugi promised.
"Me either." Anzu nodded her agreement, suddenly understanding why Jonouchi had such trouble studying at home. There was silence for a few moments, then... "So what now?"
"The arcades?" Yugi suggested, "Jonouchi likes games almost as much as I do... maybe..." She trailed off at the look on Anzu and Honda's face.
"It's a good idea." Honda reassured her, "I just think it might be better if you two go home first."
"No." Yugi shook her head, nervous about being in Rintama territory but refusing to retreat until she knew her friend was safe. "I'll come with you."
When Anzu nodded her agreement, the three headed into town to search through the arcades. It didn't take them very long. In the second arcade they went into a group of Rintama thugs were causing problems. Jonouchi was with them.
"Jo..."
"No, Yugi." Honda grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away. "That's Hirutani's gang. You don't want to get involved."
"But Jonouchi..."
"Let me." Honda pushed her and Anzu behind some arcade games and walked towards the group. "Jonouchi."
The blonde froze for a moment, then turned around and sneered at his former friend. "What do you want?"
"I thought you were out of this crap." Honda scowled at the ice in Jonouchi's tone, slipping into a defensive stance as a couple of the gang members moved towards him.
"Get lost, Honda." Jonouchi snorted, "You're weak and pathetic and I don't want to be seen with you."
"You..." Honda took a step towards his friend, only for the blonde to lash out. Honda blocked the blow but the intention was clear.
"Jonouchi," Honda cringed slightly as Yugi stepped out from her hiding place and spoke up, "I was worried."
"Do you know the little bit, Jonouchi?" Hirutani asked. The huge, blue haired, thug who was built like a brick outhouse looked the girl over, highly amused.
Jonouchi merely glanced at her before snorting dismissively. "No. I have no idea who he is."
Hirutani glanced at Yugi, then at Jonouchi, then sniggered and turned away. "Let's go." The entire gang started to leave, including Jonouchi.
"Jonouchi..." Honda grabbed Yugi's arm as she went to dart past. Their friend didn't even respond to Yugi's call. He just continued on like she hadn't spoken. "Jou!"
"I'm sick of this brat." A shorter, weedier thug wearing a beanie hat turned around, striding towards Yugi, raising his fist.
"Leave it." Hirutani snorted as Honda pulled the girl behind him. "We're going. Now."
The small thug snorted but followed Hirutani's orders.
The group left.
Honda wheeled around to give Yugi an earful, only to find the small girl looked crushed.
"We should leave." Anzu said, making her way to their side. "Now."
Honda nodded, pulling Yugi out and down the street.
They finally stopped walking when they reached the park. Yugi sat down on a bench and Anzu hovered nervously.
Honda went in a completely different direction and kicked the nearby bin, kicking the bin several times until there was a rather large dent in it, the noise startling Yugi out of her slump.
"I thought he was out of the gangs." Honda said finally, sitting next to Yugi, "I thought he'd shaken Hirutani."
"What do you mean?" Anzu asked.
"When I first met Jonouchi he was in Hirutani's gang. He managed to get out just before he started at Domino High but I guess..."
"No." Yugi shook her head, hands resting on the Puzzle. Jonouchi had become her friend because of her wish and she didn't think... at least she hoped... "I don't think Jonouchi's changed."
"I hope not..." Honda sighed as he got to his feet, "We should go. I'll walk you girls home."
The three walked back the way they'd come. They dropped Anzu off first and then Honda and Yugi parted ways once they reached the shop.
For some reason, as she slipped inside to do her chores, Yugi felt rather lonely.
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The next morning Yugi came into class with a lot on her mind.
She'd ended up on the bus again and Sozoji had informed her that he knew she'd taken the tickets from Hanasaki and not only had he given the boy five more tickets, but he expected her to either sell all ten tickets.
And no. She didn't have the option to pay him instead.
Which was fine. She didn't have Y5000 anyway.
Still Sozoji had promised her pain if she didn't sell the tickets and promised that Hanasaki would get worse if she didn't show so she didn't know what to do...
Anzu would just tell her to report it to someone, not that Yugi had any clue who to report Sozoji's actions to, while she didn't really know what Honda would do. He was much more level headed then Jonouchi, who would have gone and kicked Sozoji's butt for her... or at least he would have tried...
Just thinking about Jonouchi made Yugi's thoughts fall off the rails again. She didn't think her friend would just turn his back on them like this but...
It was the first time actually focusing on her school work helped her get through the day. Not that it helped her with her Sozoji problem. She still hadn't worked out what to do by the time she'd walked home. She hadn't been able to sell any tickets and Sozoji would be waiting for her and her 'guests'...
She didn't even know why she bothered getting changed, swapping her male school uniform for a t-shirt and knee length skirt, it was always a waste of time but, since she was going out she did feel some effort was required. It was, after all, nice to be acknowledged as a girl for a change.
Not that it made much of a difference when she got there.
Hanasaki didn't appear to be there and, as she hadn't sold any tickets, Sozoji roughly shoved a pair of headphones on her head, shoved her into a seat, kicking the table on his way past so it crashed into her right leg hard, and started 'singing' before Yugi could say anything.
Yugi loosed a pained cry as her eardrums nearly exploded. It wasn't just that Sozoji's voice was painful to listen to, he'd cranked the volume right up and it was so loud it practically vibrated her brain.
She went to rip the headphones off, only for someone to beat her to it, ripping them off of her head and tossing them aside. Her ears were ringing as she looked up at her helper, becoming surprised when a rather angry Honda, with a ticket in his pocket, nodded to her and wheeled around to confront Sozoji.
"What do you think you're playing at?" Honda demanded, interrupting Sozoji mid-song and angering the teen.
"So you did manage to sell a ticket, Yugi-Chan?" Sozoji asked, giving Yugi a sly look, "You told me you hadn't."
"I'm talking to you." Honda growled, his hands balling into fists.
Sozoji smirked as he moved towards the brunette. Yugi darted to her feet, recognising the senior's intention and got between Honda and Sozoji as the bigger, older teen lashed out.
Sozoji's fist struck hard, sending the much smaller girl tumbling into the table, smacking her head on edge of it on the way down. When Yugi didn't get back up, Honda snarled and launched his own punch which Sozoji blocked with difficulty before shoving Honda backwards over the table.
The brunette got to his feet quickly, glancing at his friend, who was beginning to stir, and scowling at Sozoji. "What do you think you're playing at?"
"Yugi-Chan was supposed to sell tickets for my concert." Sozoji informed him as she sat up, hand on the side of her head, expression pained, red eyes scanning the room, "Weren't you, Yugi-Chan?"
"Where's Hanasaki?" She asked with a growl as Honda helped her up.
Sozoji's smirk didn't reassure her. "Well you see, Yugi-Chan. You were late so..." He pulled the curtain that normally hid the equipment aside, to reveal Hanasaki, who was crumpled on the floor, bruised and unconscious, "I kept my word."
"Sozoji, you bastard..." Honda took a swipe at Sozoji but the senior ducked under Honda's attack and stuck the brunette in the solar plexus, winding Yugi's friend and causing him to crumple up, coughing.
"Leave him alone." She growled, stepping between Honda and the bully, Puzzle glowing, "It's me you're after." She considered him carefully for a moment, then smirked, "How about you and I play a game?"
"A game, Yugi-Chan?" Sozoji asked, bemused. "This is a karaoke room, not a game room."
"Not even if I promise to pay you with my life if I lose?"
Sozoji's eyes widened as the possibilities sank in. He'd always wanted someone to do all his chores and homework for him. Having a slave would make his life so much easier... of course there was a flip side to this generous offer. "And if I lose?"
"You suffer a penalty game." She shrugged without care as she set up the game, "These are Sound Pierrots," She showed him the odd clown like dolls as she put two of them on the table, "They react to sound. You'll sit in front of one, I'll take the other and the one whose Pierrot reacts first loses."
Sozoji nodded, kicking Honda again, this time hard enough for something to crack, as he took a seat. Her hands tightened into fists as her friend let out a pained grunt, her glare impressive as Sozoji sat opposite her.
The older teen was irritated by the silence as the pierrots settled again and the two teens stared each other down, her ruby red eyes boring into his brown ones. Her gaze swiftly became too much for him and he had to look away, his eyes resting on her glass instead, where...
'I'm going to win!' Sozoji crowed in his head, clutching the microphone closer to his chest, his heart pounding in excitement as he waited for the headphone jack from Yugi's headphones, which was balanced precariously on the edge of her glass, to fall into the cola and cause a horrendous squeaking noise.
It had to have come to rest there when Honda had ripped the headphones from Yugi's head. It was delicious irony that the friend that had come to save her was going to be the one to doom her to a life of servitude.
'Fall! Fall! Fall!'
Suddenly the pierrot in front of him started dancing. But the jack hadn't fallen...
"But what..." Sozoji paused, suddenly realising that it had been completely silent just moments ago, even Honda's groans had stopped, but now there was a steady thump thump thump coming from the speakers which he'd left on full volume.
"It's the sound of your heart, Sozoji." She told him, smirking, "Your habit of keeping the microphone close to your chest has brought about disaster! Penalty Game! Beat Festival!"
Sozoji started screaming as a pounding sound started in his ears, "Make it stop!"
"When you listen to fast music your heartbeats speed up to match." She explained as she moved around the table, to her friend's side. "You're now, appropriately, a human pierrot."
Sozoji left, his hands over his ears, still crying about the noise, as she reached Honda's side. At her touch, her friend's eyes opened, concern obvious in his features as he pushed himself to his feet, trying not to wince as he did so. "Yugi, are you alright?"
"I'm ok." She promised him, "Sozoji left. We should too."
Honda nodded, slapping Hanasaki lightly until he came around and giving the boy some support as the three of them left.
They left Hanasaki, who was insistent that he was ok and he'd had much worse, at the bus stop and were heading for A&E so Honda could get his ribs looked at when the tall brunette pulled Yugi behind him.
Yugi, who was confused as to what had happened earlier as it was, looked around, concerned as a bunch of the thugs from earlier moved out of alleyway and surrounded them.
"I thought there was someone following us." Honda commented, silently cursing that he hadn't been more vigilant, having been lost in the thoughts that he should have been able to take one senior. "What do you want?"
"Where's Jonouchi?" Hirutani asked, stepping out of the nearby alley and watching the pair, amused.
"How are we supposed to know?" Honda demanded, planting himself in front of Hirutani, hoping Yugi would run if he gave her an opening, "We haven't seen Jonouchi since yesterday."
At the gang leader's gesture Yugi was pulled away from her friend by a black haired thug who twisted her right arm behind her back with one hand and held her shoulder with the other. Yugi tried to wrench free only to let out a pained yelp as the thug twisted her arm further up her back, and, half afraid her arm was going to break, she froze.
"Let her go." Honda demanded, scowling at the thug holding her, "We have no idea where Jonouchi is. Last time we saw him, he was with you lot. Now piss off."
"Should I teach him some manners?" One of the thugs pulled a stun gun out of his back pocket and pointed it at Honda.
Yugi somehow knew what the answer was going to be before Hirutani said it and, though she wouldn't be able to explain how she did it later, she twisted free, tearing her top as she did so.
"Honda!" As Hirutani nodded his ascent Yugi tackled her friend, knocking him below the stun gun.
The thug carrying the aforementioned weapon stumbled and tripped over the pair, sending him crashing into Hirutani, shocking both himself and the gang boss.
Even before the electricity had cut off and Hirutani and the thug had pulled themselves together, Yugi had scrambled off a confused and pained Honda, who hadn't quite pulled together what had happened, and put herself between him and the gang leader.
Honda tried to get to his feet to protect her, but he let out a pained moan and fell back as his hand went to his chest where Sozoji had cracked his ribs earlier and the second jolt had done more damage.
Hirutani was furious as he pulled himself to his feet shakily, ignoring the injured boy to glare at the girl, who trembled slightly but didn't move.
For a moment they stared at each other, scared amethyst meeting angry stormy blue, then Hirutani smacked her, the power behind the blow enough to send her crashing to the floor.
Before she could recover, the gang leader had dragged her to her feet and pinned her against the wall by her throat, his grip tight enough to cause her difficulty breathing.
Dazed from the blow and having trouble breathing, Yugi tried to free herself, her hands trying to pull away Hirutani's, only for the gang leader to pull her away from the wall slightly and slam her head against it hard.
Yugi's hands fell away as her body became unresponsive, her mind barely able to move beyond the fear, her breath catching in her throat.
"I think you need to learn a lesson about interfering in things that don't involve you." Hirutani snarled, as Honda tried to force himself to his feet, only for a couple of the goons to beat him back down. "Kikuchi," He let go and Yugi collapsed in a heap at the bottom of the wall, coughing badly "Take her."
"N...No... Leave her alone." Honda groaned as the black haired thug scooped his mostly unconscious friend up.
"If you see Jonouchi," Hirutani continued, as if Honda hadn't spoken, "Tell him we have her. Maybe then he'll bother to keep his word."
With that one of the thugs bashed Honda around the head and by the time the teen's world had stopped swimming the thugs, the gang leader and Yugi were gone.