It Should Have Landed in the Dirt (Part 3)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

Yuugi's Home

Yuugi had been concentrating on his games again when he got the news. Smack dab in the middle of his work with a knock and a voice at the door. "Yuugi, great news."

Yuugi went to the door and opened it. Jounouchi was there, as well as Mai Kujaku? Wow. He hadn't seen her in some time. Since . . . Battle City when they were teens?

"Got 'em." Jounouchi made his hand into a fist toward Yuugi. "They got Skeezy's whole part in the role. Turned out he was a medium boss in America, and he narked out bigger guys. He signed his own death warrant with that. Anyhow, no more threat and no more trafficking."

"That's good to hear," Yuugi said to him. "Hi, Mai Kujaku."

"Yeah. Sure." She turned her back more. "Can we get this going, Jounouchi?"

Just as pleasant as Yuugi remembered.

"So, it's great news. So, Shizuka doesn't have to stay with Honda anymore," Jounouchi said, staring at Yuugi. Really staring at him. "Right? Because he wasn't living with her before that, right?"

Oh no. Yuugi could act like he knew nothing when nobody asked him. A direct question? Lie, don't lie?

"Knew it," Mai answered. "Look at that face, he's not the type to hold a poker face. Told you, your sister's been doing the business with the business man. You owe me 500 now and your Time Wizard."

"Yu-ugi?" Jounouchi looked at him. Carefully. Straight and head on. "You didn't answer."

Yuugi shrugged. "Time Wizard, Jounouchi, you really bet that?"

"Bam, right there, solid, out of the mouth, and it is mine." Mai yanked Jounouchi's deck and took his Time Wizard. "One nice card for Mai, coming right up. Thanks, Jounouchi, a first-time printing Pegasus card too. Aren't you the sweetest. I don't know whether to hang it up or beat you in a duel with it, Honey. Don't forget the 500."

"Here." Jounouchi reached into his deck while he glared at Yuugi. "Take my baby dragon too. First-print. Just do it. It's useless now."

///Yuugi: Ow. I could feel that./// Yuugi didn't know which was worse. Jounouchi losing his precious cards he kept since Duelist Kingdom, or his sister and Honda not being honest? ///Yuugi: His sister and Honda./// And now, he watched Mai watching him longer. Yuugi felt like he was about to get attacked. ///Yuugi: Let's not ask Yuugi anymore questions? He minds his business, he plays games all day and he doesn't know anything? Come on, stop that, Mai.///

"You already knew about the live-in conditions, but you are still in a full sweat kind of look," Mai said. "Is there something else Jounouchi should know?"

"Hm?" Jounouchi hadn't even noticed Yuugi's mood. "Yuugi, you know something else?"

Uuh. "It's great that the guy's been taken care of," Yuugi said, changing the subject. "Him and the whole thing. It was bad news."

"What do you know about my little sister, Yuugi?"

Uh. "N. Well? Um."

"Jounouchi already knows their doing the dirty business and living with each other, so what's worse?" Mai asked. "They engaged?"

"What?" Jounouchi's eyes lit up and he looked at Mai, then at Yuugi.

Yuugi held his hands out, waving them back and forth defensively. "No, no, he hasn't asked yet." Then he immediately covered his mouth. Busted. ///Yuugi: Note to self. If Mai visits with Jounouchi, pretend you are not home./// Jounouchi stared at him, waiting. It was too late. "Honda has an engagement ring."

Jounouchi just looked back toward Mai. Then to Yuugi. Then back to Mai. Then back to Yuugi. "For how long?"

"Three months or so," Yuugi admitted. "He hasn't planned on when he wants to tell her yet. He wants to get everything in order, that's what he said."

"But, what? Have it if Jounouchi finds out so he can go elope with her?" Jounouchi didn't look mad anymore. It was the opposite. He looked miserable. Sad.

"Hey." Mai tried to cheer him up. "Don't cry you big lug." She handed over his Baby Dragon and Time Wizard again. Then. "Here, I won't take your first prints, but you owe me a second print. Let's go. We gotta ride out of here."

"Nah, you take them. We'll duel when we get to where we are going." Jounouchi looked toward Yuugi. "Gotta ride. Uh? Yeah. Sorry about your grandpa too. The place is still out there, I noticed it coming through."

Grandpa's Game Shop. "Yeah. I don't know what to do with it yet." Yuugi had moved out some time ago when his games started to pay off with Kaiba Corp, but his grandfather had willed the shop to Yuugi. He cared the most about it, more than anyone else.

Yuugi grew up with that shop, in that shop, and with all the games and puzzles and cards. It was a second home, and now that his grandfather passed on. He had to do something. He paid for it still, but he never opened it up to anyone. Who was he supposed to trust to watch everything? There were simple games, but those duel cards. Yuugi already vaulted all of them away. They were classic and ultra-rare editions.

There were cards of all bracket values, from copy prints that weren't allowed in real duel systems, to cards that could have paid for a small house just by selling it.

"Well, don't worry," Jounouchi said. "The right person will come along. Meanwhile, I'm going to make Honda's life miserable until he confessed what's up himself. Do you still got Otogi's number, Yuugi?"

Really? "Jounouchi." Taking sides with either one was a bad idea. Yuugi told him the first time Honda showed him the engagement ring that it was wrong to involve him. This wasn't his mess, this was between all three of them to work out. But, since Jounouchi was telling him, right in front of him, making him a part of it all. "Honda loves her. You know how much he loves her."

"Yeah, fine, I get it," Jounouchi said. "Then if he loves her that much, he should man up and tell me what's going on. Not sneak around my back! And you, Yuugi, I can't believe you didn't tell me this. Some friend."

"We need to go Jounouchi," Mai said to him again. "If we don't, you don't get to duel with me." She crossed her arms. "No harpy ladies for you, Stud."

"Ooh." Jounouchi groaned. "Alright, head to the rental car, Mai. I'll be there in a second."

Yuugi watched Mai leave. ///Yuugi: That was nice. A little different. The usual flair, but also something else. Did Jounouchi have an actual relationship with her now? It could make sense. They were probably always seeing each other at tournaments./// Yuugi hadn't seen her really since the Battle City disaster. Jounouchi obviously ran into her a lot as close as they were.

"What, you wondering if I'm hittin' that?" Jounouchi asked without shame. "Sure would make tournament betting a lot more interesting. I could win back my cards with interest, if you get my drift." Jounouchi pulled out his cards. "I already got two harpies. I wonder what I could get with another two?"

Yuugi held his hands up. "I don't need to know."

"Yuugi." Jounouchi tucked his cards away again, done with the teasing. "I get it, you didn't want to get involved. You don't want to get involved either way 'cause we are all friends. But?" Jounouchi flipped his thumb across his nose. "Honda finds out I know 'cause you didn't keep your mouth shut, you're not gonna see a pleasant side of me, Pal. By the time I'm done with him he's either going to back off or face me with some truth!" He pointed at Yuugi. "Got it?"

///Yuugi: Great. Threatened by Honda. Threatened by Jounouchi. I have such really great friends sometimes.///

"My butt wait in the car," Mai said as she went back to Jounouchi. "You still talking about your sister or the shop option, Jounouchi? Let's go." She grabbed his arm. "Move it."

///Yuugi: Shop option? Hang on./// Yuugi looked toward Jounouchi. "Shop option? You know someone who could run the game shop?" He didn't guess Jounouchi would want to do that, but maybe he had different plans. Yuugi could definitely trust Jounouchi with it, if he wanted it.

"Potentially," Jounouchi simply said. "I gotta go now, bye. Got two more harpies to get."

"You wish. I got your Time Wizard, Jounouchi, and I am coming after that Red-Eyes Black Dragon next," Mai said. With a bit more flirting in her voice.

"Yeah, I know you are. Question is, which one?" Jounouchi smirked.

Oh, these two! Yuugi couldn't tell if it was flirting or fighting with duel words. It was too complicated with them. ///Yuugi: No. Just, no, I'm not even guessing./// "Take care, Jounouchi. See you when you get back." Yuugi closed the door and shook his head.

Now what? Honda wanted him keeping things from Jounouchi, which he hated. Now Jounouchi wanted him to keep things from Honda? This wasn't even his battle and he was supposed to choose? "No way. I'm not going through this, they are figuring it out themselves." He wasn't getting in the crossfire again.

Yuugi opened the door and strutted over to their car. He wasn't going to get involved in their games against each other.

-----------------------

Jounouchi's Car

"Oh, you are so lucky Yuugi got uncomfortable and didn't ask more," Jounouchi complained as they got in the car. "I can't do that to him, don't tell him that."

"Why?" Mai asked. "They used to be good buds, what's the problem?"

"Because the day I say 'Yuugi, I'm trying to sweet talk Anzu to come back to Japan', then I better damn well make sure she is," Jounouchi said as he looked out his side window. "He had the biggest crush on her for years. It'll devastate him if I can't convince her."

"Yeah?" Mai asked. "Are you sure it's not because he kept Honda's secret from you that you don't feel like you should keep a secret a little longer?"

"He's got her number, he could find out more himself." Although she wasn't exactly shouting out to everybody about her situation. And. "Oh yeah, her phone got turned off."

"She's at the lowest part of the totem pole right now, Jounouchi. She can't hang on much longer without something changing. She's a lot better off coming back here and giving her life a reboot again."

"Yeah, but the chances she'll want to return and start all over? I'm going to start first trying to see if I can't give her a hand because Yuugi's feelings and his grandpa's shop aren't reboot categories. Plus, dancing was always her life. She took some risks for it when she was younger, believe me. If she wants it that bad again, then she'll find a way to climb back up," Jounouchi said. "I'm just going to keep tabs on Yuugi's place too. Never know what happens, and, at least he knows I know somebody that would do his grandfather's legacy right. If worse comes to worse."

"When I visited her last place, I didn't see how she made it each day. Now she can't afford that dump I saw, so I don't wanna know how much farther she'll really go to see if she can climb back up." Mai sighed and looked out the window. "You guys, always trying to achieve everything. Sometimes, you just don't make it. You gotta find something else. Make another dream."

"Says the one obsessed with being the best at Duel Monsters?" Jounouchi accused her as he stared at her now.

"And I can't always be. I've learned that. Sometimes I beat the pants off of you, and sometimes I don't. I make do with other dreams. Like spending prize money on fun stuff, I like that," Mai smiled. "I'm going to see Anzu again. You can come too. We can take some of our winnings and get her out of the slums for a week. All three of us will have a real blast."

"Well?" Jounouchi rubbed his cheek. "That's the weirdest threesome, but you're all beautiful so every guy takes what he can-" Jounouchi felt an immense pressure from beside him. Oh. "Hey, Yuugi."

He didn't even look like a mad Yuugi. That expression, he looked just like the Pharaoh. He didn't say anything. No warning. No grab. No emotional wail. Just an expression so strong that Jounouchi was sure he'd probably try to beat his ass if they weren't friends. He'd been looking out the window, enjoying the last bit of the city before taking off before he turned and started jabbing at Mai. Yuugi didn't hear everything, but he definitely heard some 'Mai only' jokes. ///Jounouchi: Shit, I didn't think Yuugi followed me. "Sorry, Pal, just a joke."

Yuugi didn't answer back, and Jounouchi needed to get this fire burned out, now.

"Just talking smack, Yuugi, probably not even gonna see Anzu," Jounouchi said. "We're just joking around and I didn't see you there. No harm, no foul. We gotta go. Okay?" Drive, drive, drive. "Anything you wanted real quick?"

Yuugi backed away from the car like he was debating whether he should tell him something, or ask him something. "I'll let Honda know, before he messes up. Not to rat anyone out, but to give you guys the chance to talk this out. We've had a strong friendship for a long time, and something like this shouldn't ruin it. Friendship." He hit the term harder on point. "Is important."

Jounouchi watched Yuugi hold up his hand, the outside facing inward. The hand that they made the pack with so long ago. In Death-T, when they were trapped in a room of white, thinking it was the end and they were talking about hating themselves. Anzu drew it on them, a happy face. Yuugi and Anzu were the smile parts, while him and Honda were the eyes. She talked about how one day they'd grow up and be separated, but they would still be together too.

Yep. Yuugi holding up that hand like that? ///Jounouchi: Oh he so knows I'm lying. Continuing will just get me in deeper. "When this friend has more concrete information about another friend, then he'll be sure to tell that friend. As for Honda?"

Yeah. Yuugi wasn't impressed that Jounouchi didn't say more.

"Look?" Ugh. "Fine, okay, do that for Honda, but after everything he hid? Then there are terms. Terms being he duels me." Of course, Yuugi still didn't look happy with that either. Honda wasn't the greatest duelist. It'd probably been years since he'd picked up a deck. "He can get as many tries as he wants to duel, but he has to duel me and win. If he wins, he can ask her. I'm not promising Shizuka to him, but he's gonna have to duel me to get that permission to try. If he doesn't? He'll never have my respect. Make that clear."

"Fine." Yuugi didn't add anything else to that.

"Cause if a pretty girl just walks straight up and he's already with my sister-"

"I got it, Jounouchi. I'll make it clear." Still, Yuugi was eyeing him. His hand, still up.

"Oh, for gosh sakes," Mai said, tired of it. "Anzu is almost broke in America, has been for some time. We are going to talk to Anzu about giving her a small loan. Jounouchi however wanted to see if Japan might-"

"It's hers!" It couldn't have been quicker. "Room, board, and I'll move in and help her learn the business." Yuugi's eyes danced like he just won the lottery of his life. "Should I come down too?" He picked up his own phone. "I should call her myself."

"I was just gathering info. I never even asked, and I wouldn't rush to ask. Yuugi, this is sensitive territory," Jounouchi said. "Plus, her phone doesn't work anymore." Which Yuugi now knew because he was getting that disconnected beeping noise. "Think her internet and phone are gone now. Just, let me take care of it? When someone's down real low, there's a way to handle it." He could still see the sparkle in Yuugi's eyes. "I don't think you can handle it."

"Right. Shoot," Yuugi muttered. "No, really, I am sorry. It was all her dream. It made her happy. So, no phone?" He hung up. "What's her address? I can be there afterwards."

///Jounouchi: Dangit, Yuugi, this is way too high of hopes. I can't believe Mai just had to spill./// "Hang on. It's on my . . ." A. A creepy feeling just went up Jounouchi's back. He grabbed his phone. "I was in the middle of a conversation. Asked her to text me it. Then I got interrupted by Kajiki. Before it ended." Jounouchi looked back at his phone.

"You were in the middle of talking to her?" Mai asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Kind of forgot. Sister's life in peril and all." He looked toward Mai. "I still swear that phone should have landed in the dirt. That wrong number about the blue. What's uh . . ."

Mai looked alarmed. "Oh no. Anzu's uniform? She switched jobs. It used to be green. I don't know, is it blue now?"

"Whaaaaat?!"

The biggest what Jounouchi ever heard from Yuugi. "Okay, don't freak out. I'm sure I'm just overthinking this." Yeah, that's it. Sure, of course. He watched Yuugi dial the phone again. "It's turned off, you know that."

"Well, how else can we contact her?!"

"I don't know. I mean, from where we are? No email and no phone. She's living on fumes. Short of going over there-"

"Then I'm going to America!" Yuugi insisted. "Her newest address now, Jounouchi."