Honda's Ghost Part 12

I woke up the next morning realising what I had done.

Befriended one of the most dangerous people on the planet.

I walked through the next several days in a daze.

Doomed. I was doomed.

What was I thinking making overturns of friendship?

I wish you had told Jonouchi I directed towards Honda, but he didn’t respond. He had been entirely too quiet lately.

Then again we had both retreated to think.

I had offered friendship. What had I been thinking? I hadn’t intended to put that option on the table.

He was dangerous, and not in the powerful gun sort of dangerous, but the way a broken bottle dangerous, sure you could use it as a weapon, but you’re more likely to hurt yourself.

This was not Spirit I knew of.

Or was it?

My mind brought up memories of an almost forgotten duel. Standing outside Pegasus’s castle, Kaiba prepared to die, the Spirit prepared to let him.

This was the Spirit untempered by Yugi’s mercy, willing to go to any lengths to achieve his goals.

Thankfully protecting Yugi’s friends seemed to be one of those goals.

My mind jittered between concepts.

I no longer had that blade at my throat, but neither was I entirely comfortable. There was still danger, the Spirit was standing on the edge of sanity, why else risk not only his life, but Yugi’s?

Jonouchi was dangerous. As was Honda. I studied that concept, I had no problem being friends with them.

Was it just the mental instability that had me on edge? Did I still expect the Spirit to turn on me?

I couldn’t exactly call myself sane.

There was something desperate about the Spirit, something that wanted to lash out at the World, some nightmare that he was keeping tight rein on.

But I knew all that already. I even had a pretty good idea of what his nightmares contained.

Something felt wrong to me.

Why?

I blinked, standing at our usual meeting spot. There was no Jonouchi.

I glanced around, checked the time, waited.

Where was Jonouchi?

I waited far longer than I should, dashing to school and getting to class just as the bell rang.

Still no Jonouchi.

Worry descended on me, and Honda spent most of the lessons glancing towards that empty seat.

I had offered friendship to the Spirit.

Why?

Well why had I offered a truce in the first place? Why had I made myself known?

Because I was afraid of him?

Yes. And No. That wasn’t the sole reason.

What had been my options?

I could have taken off with Honda, just walked out the house one day and not return. It would have been difficult to convince Honda, but I could see ways around him, if that was what I wanted to do.

I had stayed.

I could have distanced us from Yugi’s social circle.

The sudden flash of pain at the thought of giving up Jonouchi surprised me and startled Honda.

Robin?

Jonouchi, I sent back.

He nodded, rubbing his chest. After school.

Had I simply offered friendship because I was afraid of him? It felt wrong. No, it was wrong.

I was going to follow him. No matter if I considered him a friend or not, he was going to take Yugi, Jonouchi would follow Yugi and Honda would follow Jonouchi.

I had been preparing for that. All my plans focused on that eventuality.

I wanted to help him. I planned to help, planned to protect, planned to watch his back.

Huh.

Sounded like friendship to me.

I sighed. Maybe I just disliked the fact he had tricked it out of me.

Honda guided Yugi and Anzu to Jonouchi’s home.

Irritation skirted along my nerves at the scent. Cheep alcohol, and lots of it. My mind flung apart as I realised I recognised the musky smell that had lingered around Jonouchi, familiar to the point of home. So familiar I hadn’t realised I had taken comfort in it, even as the stronger scent taunted me.

I disliked alcohol. I hated drunkards.

My fury washed against me as I tried to rise above it. It wasn’t important. Jonouchi was.

We exploded Domino, checking everywhere we knew Jonouchi went.

I didn’t expect to find him, if he was avoiding us there was no way he was going to waiting at Burger World, or the Arcade.

Our eyes skipped over the gang of teenagers, their ash grey uniforms marking them as Rintama students.

Until Yugi yelled out. “Honda! It’s him! It’s Jonouchi!”

A flash of blue among the grey, topped by that blond mop.

He wasn’t moving like Jonouchi. I thought. A silly thought, but I was far too used to recognising people by their movements first, faces second.

Damn it Yugi.

The kid ran up, demanding Jonouchi answer, drawing the gang’s attention.

Hirutani

The big guy, with swept back hair, a line of rings piercing his lobes.

Honda was frozen, I stepped forward as the brat in glasses knocked Yugi down.

Damn it.

“Jonouchi.” I growled, stepping in front of Yugi. “They are lying Jonouchi.” I glanced at the gang. “Whatever they promised? You think these guys are going to hold to it?”

A flicker of movement at the edge of my vision, a tenseness in Jonouchi.

He didn’t move.

I grinned.

I doubt it was a nice grin.

“Shame these guys don’t know you as well as I do.” At this Hirutani snarled, and Jonouchi stepped forward, his hands fisting.

“You don’t know me at all.” He growled.

I tilted my head, “Want to go for a swim?” I asked teasingly, and Jonouchi took a swing at me, I let him hit me, rolling with his swing.

He turned away.

Anzu started yelling.

The gang walked away laughing.

Anzu turned to me, her hands on her hips. “Now you, Honda, are going to tell me what that was about.”

I glanced towards the street the gang had vanished down, “Yeah, I suppose you should know.” I pulled Yugi up, “Come on, let’s find someplace to sit.”

As Honda explained about Jonouchi and Hirutani, I couldn’t help but feel his admiration for his friend. I echoed it, impressed that Jonouchi had managed to escape from that life so well.

There were still signs, Jonouchi had a way of thinking about things, I guess.

He wasn’t that guy.

Even as Honda worried about Jonouchi falling back into that life, ending up in jail can’t follow him there or worse, I plotted and planned. If I had to drag Jonouchi back from the Gates of Hell I would.

He was mine.