It Should Have Landed in the Dirt (Part 1)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves The Day)

Manga Note: Death-T was a life or death game Kaiba made Yuugi go through. It was where the happy face was first drawn, to lift their spirits up, instead of letting them sink.

Italy- Six years after Graduation

"I don't know how, but I know you're cheating," Jounouchi accused Skeezy. "Cheating all over the place. You've beat duelists who are three times as good as you." Skeezy was like his name. He dressed nice, but underneath he was a worm.

Jounouchi made friends with some duelists, but not this guy. He reeked of being a cheater. He was asking Jounouchi for a challenge, but he wasn't rushing for it. Until he knew how Skeezy was cheating, he'd probably lose. If he lost? Then, well, life went on but he wouldn't have as much money to make life go on.

Jounouchi heard a beep on his phone. Hm? He looked and saw a text from Anzu. Subtle, about her style now. He followed her texting step with his own better one. A flat-out call. "Hey, Anzu, how ya been? How's America treatin' you now? Still down in the dumps?"

"Hey, Jounouchi. It's, uh, fine." Code for not fine. "I just wanted to see how your dueling went?"

"Doing great," Jounouchi insisted. "Absolutely, wiping the floor left and right with these guys. Trying to figure out a cheater right now, but besides that, pretty good. Looks like I'll probably win. So, how you been?"

"I have a new address."

"New address, huh? Well, you might as well fork over the details," Jounouchi insisted as he walked to his next destination. She said she texted it to him. "Hey, great. Next time I come down to dueling in America, I'll come see you."

"Sounds great. As long as I don't have to work the next day. I'm serious about that. Mai almost cost me my job."

"Heh. Yeah, yeah." It was doubtful he'd ever actually make it to America for awhile, but it was good to keep in touch. "So? There's something me and Mai wanted to ask you about. You know. Next time we can come down? You know what it is?"

"Yeah, probably." Ooh, it sounded like she was starting to cave. "Keep my address handy and I'll call you from a different number next time. I can't um . . ."

"Got it, no explanation necessary," Jounouchi said. She couldn't afford her phone anymore. When she first went to America, she was doing fine. Right on track with her dream. Dancing school and everything. Then, there was some kind of economic crash or something, and she wasn't doing so fine. She was making ends meet, barely.

Jounouchi knew what roughing it was like, he paid for a lot of his own things growing up. He wanted to talk about a small loan from a friend, or maybe even possibly-

"Jounouchi!"

Jounouchi looked at Kajiki coming toward him. "Looks like I got a dueling emergency. Talk to you late-hey!" Kajiki made him drop his phone as he shook him. "What's the big idea, Kajiki? Geez. Making me drop my phone and everything." He looked down. Right on the hard dirt trail. Better not be broken.

"Jounouchi, I just found out about Skeezy. Come on." Kajiki dragged him away.

"So you found out he was cheatin' and how?" Jounouchi asked.

"No." Kajiki looked terrible. "I eavesdropped on the wrong thing." He showed him pictures he snapped. "He was talking to these other guys and it wasn't about the duel. At all." Kajiki gave him his phone to show pictures he snapped.

Oof. Jounouchi had a feeling this wouldn't end pretty. Too many suits in that cave meeting. "What was it about?"

"Human trafficking."

"A-wha?" Jounouchi could barely believe it. He whispered softly. "You're kidding me?" That was way bigger than cheating at a duel. "We gotta let someone know. We gotta find the person in charge of the duel." Maybe the local laws could help take him down. Especially with pictures.

But, that was not currently the big thing. Skeezy was standing there, with a bunch of the suits right now. Jounouchi tried to fight for the cell as Skeezy grabbed it, but he was punched out by one of the suits with him. That didn't stop him though, just made him madder. "You only think you can take me on!"

Several of them ganged up on him until they finally backed off. Between him and Kajiki, they were sore, but alive and kicking.

"Stop it," Skeezy demanded. "You come after me, you'll regret it. I know where that sister Shizuka is of yours. Be a good boy, or she'll join into my little ring."

"You touch her and I'll kill you." He wasn't bluffing.

"I can get to anyone at any time. So back off, and if you win the tournament? Might be a nice gesture to send some money my way 'cause now I gotta bail."

"Damn it! He's got the pictures," Kajiki said. "I don't believe this." He looked over toward Jounouchi. "We tried."

"That's not good enough." Jounouchi needed to protect Shizuka, and he needed to stop that trafficking. Who knew who was involved, or what they did? It wasn't right to let it slide by. He reached for his phone. Huh? "Aw, my phone." That was right, Kajiki made him drop it in the excitement. He could go digging for his phone soon, he needed to get in contact with Honda now. He'd do anything to protect his sister. "Mai, I need Mai's phone!" He took off toward the direction he last saw Mai.

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"Got it back, nice and sound." Kajiki looked at his phone. "He deleted the pictures, but I'm sure the authorities can find them again."

"Yeah, they'll find everything," Jounouchi said as he got off Skeezy. Skeezy was 'black and blue'. That was the nice way of putting it. After what he did, and threatening his sister? His little sister? "Your lucky I left enough of you alive for the cops to find." Skeezy was screaming in pain too. He'd done more than cause a few bruises. He did enough that Jounouchi was gonna have to leave the tournament now. "Tell anybody. They better not mess with Jounouchi or his family." He looked over and saw the authorities coming. "Take it from here, Kajiki. I'm going to check up on Honda and Shizuka. Good luck on winning the tournament."

As soon as Honda found out, he didn't waste any time. He didn't even play 'I'll keep her safe inside'. He flat out bought plane tickets and got them out of there. Probably overkill, but when it came to his sister, nothing was overkill. And if Honda had a prayer of Jounouchi letting him into the family closer, he better be watching her as tight as he himself would.

"Damn, Jounouchi, I can barely remember what he looked like before you roughed him up," Mai said as she came toward him. "You got my phone, Hotshot?"

"Yeah. Sorry. That guy, he wasn't someone I could play with," Jounouchi said as he handed her phone back. "I gotta go fishing around for my phone."

"I'll help you find it," Mai insisted.

Jounouchi scoured the area with Mai. "I was on the trail right here," he insisted. "Kajiki came up from that way." He pointed. "I even remember the presence of a cave, right there." Jounouchi even found his tracks before he veered off to where Kajiki took him. "It should be right here. Right here."

"Well, it is a good thing you came for my phone because I still don't see it," Mai said. "Jounouchi that phone is nowhere to be found."

"Nah, it's here." It might be a bit broke, but it was there. On the edge. He knew he dropped it, right around there. He heard Mai a small distance away.

"This it?"

Jounouchi came over. "Yeah, but." He took his phone from her. They were a good five feet in the grass. "I dropped it in the middle of the trail. Why was it five feet in the grass?"

"Can't you just be happy you found your phone?" She complained. "When Kajiki came over he probably shook the phone to go that way."

"Yeah, but."

"Yeah but nothing Jounouchi, you got your phone, let's just get going."

Eh. Yeah. Yeah, that was probably a good idea.

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