I love Yuugi. He's so weird and he doesn't even realise it. I love characters who bluster into incredibly odd things like they're every day occurrences. I love Honda. He's so normal and I love normal characters who are confronted with weird situations and remain the voice of sanity in an increasingly ridiculous situation.

I think this is why I kinda ship them. They aren't my favourite pairing, and they don't even have that deep a relationship in canon, but I think it's fun nonetheless.

This may or may not end up YxH (or even YxYYxH if I get really wild). However it is the tale of two boys and a haunted house.

Title: Here Be Monsters; Prologue
Author/Artist: Inkapability
Rating: Overall story will be rated T. This chapter rated PG.
Focus Character(s): Yuugi and Honda
Paring(s): Implied YY/Y. May or may not end up being Y/H or Y/YY/H
Warnings: Overall story will contain violence, gore and depictions of consensual relationships between two or more males.
Chapter Warnings: None.
Spoilers:N/A
Summary: Yuugi and Honda found themselves with two tickets to a haunted house, with a grand prize waiting for whoever can make it too the top floor. Seemed easy enough, but at what point do the menaces stop being harmless fun, and start to become real?



Here Be Monsters
Prologue



Honda didn't spend much time with Yuugi.

Well, actually that wasn't really true. He followed Yuugi to tournaments and arcades and hung out with him at school. He had probably seen Yuugi almost every day that year. But he didn't spend much timealone with Yuugi. Jounouchi was usually around, doing stupid things that Honda and Yuugi had to join forces to prevent. Really their relationship was founded on gazing at Jounouchi with despair and mocking him. They'd never really built that special kind of friendship, though Jounouchi had tried to play matchmaker in the early days. That wasn't to say he didn't like Yuugi. The guy was a great friend and no one could ever claim to be really bored when Yuugi Mouto was around, and if Yuugi was in trouble he wouldn't hesitate to punch out whatever was bothering him... but they weren't 'sit around the coffee table gossiping' pals.

So he was rather surprised when Yuugi sidled up to him in class and wondered if Honda wouldn't mind maybe just coming round to watch a movie and maybe get a pizza or something and could sleep the night if he felt like it?

Their other friends were all busy, Anzu with some dancing audition she was working non-stop for, Bakura off visiting his father in Kyoto and Jounouchi hadn't shut up about how for their extended weekend he was gonna take his sister out to the best malls in Tokyo which Otogi had coincidentally decided to visit on the same day. This was probably the motivating factor in asking Honda, but he could deal with that. Besides, the Mouto family were fun to be around. Sure, maybe Jii-san could be a bit weird, and Yuugi's mother was rather more forward than he was used to in his own house, and the Other Yuugi could be kind of a sociopath when in the mood, but they had something that Honda thought was missing from his home.

Yuugi was acting a bit strange though, bouncing on his toes like he was nervous about something as Honda changed into his day shoes in the entrance hall. He kept looking around like he was expecting someone to jump out at him. Was someone threatening him again? Honda scowled. Even though the number of bullies and sociopaths after the little guy had dropped since news got out that picking on Yuugi was like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets, that didn't mean that some new dumbass wouldn't try to chance his luck.

Yuugi was still fidgeting with his puzzle as they started walking to the game shop. Honda poked him in the arm. 'Hey Yuugi, earth to Yuugi! You okay, man? You look like you're waiting for the firing squad.' Honda waggled his eyebrows in a way he hoped conveyed a serious offer of help to a possibly troubled friend. Besides if he just asked outright Yuugi would deny anything out of reflex.

'Oh, yeah I'm fine Honda-kun! Just excited about the weekend. You know there's a carnival in town, maybe we should check it out! And Kaiba's opening that new arena at Kaiba Land, maybe we could see how he's doing...!'

'I doubt that jerk would appreciate it. He'd probably bitch that the King of Games was taking all the attention off him and challenge you to a duel.'

'Honda-kun! Kaiba-kun isn't like that.'

'Heh, you're right.' Yuugi nodded in satisfaction and they swung round the corner turning into the parade of shops.

'He'd probably just try to use the famous Moutu Yuugi as a publicity stunt knowing that guy.'

Yuugi frowned at him and Honda thought it was time to lighten the conversation. 'You could probably make a career out of it!'

Yuugi cocked his head. 'Out of stealing attention from Kaiba-kun?' He smirked slightly at him, 'I already have.'

Honda sniggered; Kaiba would probably never get over his losses to Yuugi. 'No, I meant out of publicity. Think about it! Duel disks and cards and stuff, endorsed by the King of Games.'

'I don't think any one would really care if I thought it was good or not.'

'Sure they would. You're like a legend, man. People would probably pay double for something with your face on it.'

'Or put them off entirely more like.' Yuugi interjected. Honda bopped him on the head.

'Nah, this face could launch a thousand ships.'

'Only cause they'd all be desperate to get away.'

They jumped over the cracked pavement on the corner of the main parade, passing in front of the Black Crown as they headed towards the street that was home to the odder, independent shops where Yuugi lived. 'You're so gloomy sometimes.' He pulled a face at him. 'Maybe you could do those public service announcements! Y'know, make people aware of the dangers of gaming. Paper cuts, and carpal tunnel syndrome and demonic possession. ''Do you know what your kids are doing?'''

Yuugi grinned and then gravely intoned 'Domino City does hold the highest rate of game-related deaths in Japan. I suppose it's my moral duty to aaaggh!'

Honda reacted instantly. He didn't even have time to look at the thing properly before he drove a fist into it's hairy blue nose. He faultered for a moment as he realised it was oddly spongy but the thing went down anyway. Yuugi was clutching his puzzle, eyes watching the thing but looking slightly unfocused. Honda guessed the Other Yuugi had something to say about the thing too.

The thing was currently rolling on it's back, woolly arms waving in the air alternately making choking noises and roaring. Yuugi hopped over to its side. Honda didn't think that was wise until he noticed three things. One, the monsters arms looked rather threadbare and patchy; two, the monster was wearing a tshirt that read 'Domino Horror Festival'; and three, no monsters Honda had ever seen had worn hi-tops. They usually went for classier shoes.

'Are you alright?' Yuugi helping the monster to it's feet. 'Sorry about that, you kind of scared us.' The monster shook its large felt head and coughed. It turned its plastic gaze upon Honda probably thinking he didn't get payed enough. He wrenched his hand out of Yuugi's grasp then handed him a flyer.

Honda could almost see the forced smile as the monster said 'Our Horror Festival is coming to Domino for the first time this weekend! And we're giving one lucky person the chance to win two free tickets worth five thousand yen to the scariest haunted house this side of Tokyo!'

'A horror festival? I've never heard of a horror festival.' Honda flipped over the flyer scanning it for any reference to Egypt, millenium items or card games. Maybe he was being slightly paranoid, but the last five times someone invited them to a surprise tournament or fun house, or anywhere with a gathering of more than four people they had ended up almost dying.

'We've been only in major cities before now, but Domino has such a quirky reputation it seemed perfect for what we're sure will be the best horror festival we hold this year.' Honda threw a sideways glance at him. He'd never heard someone actually use 'quirky' in a sentence before.

'We have booths set up in Domino Square, and we'll be selling films and books, and of course, our haunted house is highly praised by our customers. Well, those who survive it of course.'

'How do we win the tickets?' Yuugi was looking excited now, smiling widely. The monster motioned them over to his table. On it was a large cardboard face cut into a perfect circle. Someone had painted a vampire with overly large teeth inside it. Next to the face were five smaller circles with pictures of holy water, stakes and rivers. Sellotaped to the table was a sheet with names and addresses of previous players and percentages written next to them.

'Simple! You must defeat the evil vampire by dropping these weapons on him. If you can make the circles cover the whole vampire you win! Or else the tickets go to whoever covers the most. You gonna play?'

'Ah, I'll play!' Yuugi turned to Honda, 'You wanna go with me? To the haunted house?'

Honda scanned the flyer again, decided that the picture of a cartoon mummy wasn't an indication of the horror festivals true motive and gave Yuugi a thumbs up. 'I'll be there man.'

'You have to win first.' The monster reminded them.

'Aa!' Yuugi nodded. Honda leaned over the top of his head to look at the game.

'It doesn't seem so hard. Why has no one got a hundred percent then?' This seemed like a con to Honda. Like a carnival game where they tilted the basket so the balls would bounce right out again. But then again, the guy wasn't asking for money was he? It seemed like a win-win situation.

Yuugi, of course, knew the winning trick though. Honda smirked at the monster as Yuugi began not only to win the game but explain how and why he could.

'It's a spot drop game Honda-kun.' He carefully positioned a circle halfway over the vampires face. 'If the coins aren't positioned in the exactly the right way then you can't ever win, because the circle is too big.' He bit his lip as he put the second and third coin in place. They looked to wide apart but he guessed Yuugi knew better than he did. 'And sometimes they try to cheat by stretching the circle or making it too big, but there is normally a way to win, even if it is hard.' He put the last two circles over the remaining in place, slightly covering each other. Then turning to the monster he smiled and asked, 'Do I win?'

The circles were indeed covering all of the picture. The monster leaned close to the table and Honda wondered if he could see anything through his mask. After a few moments deliberation he nodded his head. 'Seems to be all right. Well done.' He didn't sound to pleased to Honda's ears. The guy must've been counting on being able to run the game all evening. But hey, he shouldn't have set his booth so close to Yuugi's house in that case.

The guy started to rummage under the table before raising his head in realization. 'Hey, wait, I need to check your age. No under sixteen's in the haunted house.'

Honda chuckled as Yuugi got that familiar outraged and embarrassed look on his face. 'Um, I amsixteen. I'm in high school, see?' He motioned to his school blazer. Honda hooked an arm round his neck.

'We're both sixteen man, so give us our tickets.'

'Honda-kun-!' Yuugi started to protest, either at Honda's impolite speech or the fact he was grinding his knuckles into Yuugi's hair. Yuugi wriggled, trying to escape. Honda had just grabbed him at the waist when Yuugi jerked backwards suddenly, stumbling into the put upon worker. 'Ah! Sorry!' He righted himself, red in the face and not looking Honda in the eye. Weird, he didn't think he'd been too rough.

The monster looked like he'd had about enough of playful school children. Yuugi managed to dig out some official school form that listed his age, and the guy handed over the tickets. 'You'll also need to sign this waiver stating Domino Horror Festival is not responsible for anything that might happen during your visit to the haunted house.'

'What?' Honda didn't like the sound of that. 'You didn't say that before? What's so bad about this thing?'

'Have people been hurt before?' Yuugi gazed up at him, wide eyed.

'It's routine. Everyone has to do it, but nothing usually happens.' The guy sniffed, 'We've never had any complaints before.'

Yuugi frowned. 'Well, I guess it's alright,' he looked up at Honda. 'It doesn't mean anything, right?'

'I guess.' He replied uncertainly. But then, no complaints could mean no one was around to make them. Chewing his lip, he made a decision he grabbed the pen the guy had stuck to his tentacle. 'It'll be fun!' He signed the paper and pushed it over to Yuugi. 'We can't waste all your hard work!'

One hand resting on his puzzle, Yuugi hesitated only slightly before signing as well.

'Right. The haunted house tour group opens Sunday, 8:30 p.m. and lasts as long as you can bear to stay. There's only one group allowed into the house, so if you miss the start you don't get in at all. And there's a prize for you if you manage to make it too the top floor unscathed. We'll see you there. Feel free to visit any of the stalls running during the festival.' He must have felt their dialogue ended there as he turned away to pack up his stall.

Honda and Yuugi watched him briefly and then turned away. 'Hey, where'd you learn about those coin drop things anyway?' Honda looked at him curiously. Yuugi's face turned ever so slightly red.

'Um, when I was younger I used to like con games and stuff. Jii-chan used to be into gambling and he taught all these things about counting cards and coin tricks. I used to practice lots of them till I could figure out how to do it right.'

'Hah! I didn't realise you were a delinquent,' he teased.

'Not a delinquent! I never did any of them, I just liked the idea!' Yuugi's protests fell on deaf ears as the entered the game shop. Honda smirked, feeling that he now had something he could hold over Yuugi's head for the rest of his life.

'Anyway, that festival sounds fun doesn't?' Yuugi expertly changed the subject.

'Just thank god Jounouchi isn't in town. We wouldn't be able to get him out his door.' Yuugi giggled, and moved to take their coats and bags and dump them in his bedroom. He watched Yuugi slip over the kitchen floor in his socks, and chuckled when he stumbled. But he couldn't quite quell his feelings of uneasiness. Something about that haunted house just didn't click right in his head.

Then Yuugi called down to ask if he wanted vegetable pizza or pepperoni and all perturbed thoughts were forgotten at the prospect of food.