A/N: Was posted first in my LJ. Thought I'd share. : Multi-chaptered. :
Cameras flashed. Hands waved. Pens and papers were eagerly thrust towards him. And all around him, he heard ceaseless cheering.
To Yami, this was what life was all about.
Although some people dubbed him a materialistic person, Yami could care less. He was realistic, at the very least. A life of fame and stardom was enough to make him contented, and everything else he needed was covered by the money he earned.
They say life could be so perfect at times that it hardly seemed believable. Yami was living the life that most people could only dream about. And it was because of that that people were awed by him.
But then, appearances can be deceiving and despite of Yami's bright smile, he was inwardly worried. After all, an actor like him could pull off something that easy…
"Look over here, Mutou-san!" voices said in unison, cutting off his thoughts.
Yami turned his head to look sideways and, seeing the familiar group of schoolgirls who always seemed to attend his movie premiers, waved to them. Normally, he would have been irked by their presence and outright ignored them but right now, he needed all the supporters he could get.
One of them, a girl with long blond hair shamelessly blew him a kiss. Yami, though he was obviously desperate to save his career, decided to ignore her.
"Hey Yami! Over here!" A familiar blonde standing by the limousine called to him, and Yami was more than delighted to see him.
"Yo, Jounouchi." Yami grinned, coming to his side. "Been there long?"
Jounouchi slapped his friend's back good-naturedly. "I've gotten used to that a long time ago! You getting in or what?"
Yami said nothing, but he flashed him a smirk before getting in, and Jounouchi followed close behind him. The door shut almost as soon as both of them slipped inside, and Yami found himself engulfed in sudden silence, with nothing more than a few soft murmurs from the crowd outside. Yami found comfort in that silence, yet there was an air of uneasiness and apprehension between the two of them. He dropped his façade almost immediately.
Jounouchi noticed this too. "There're even fewer people than the last time."
Yami massaged his temples. "Yeah, I know that. I noticed it, too."
The limousine gave a sudden lurch. Yami felt the vehicle inch forward, although slowly.
Jounouchi threw Yami a sideward glance and, seeing that the star was too frustrated to even notice the people who were taking advantage of the slow speed and crowding over to the windows, rolled down the windows himself.
"Sorry, guys! Yami is a bit tired out right now. But thanks a lot for coming!" he waved one more time and hurriedly rolled up the windows again.
"Boy, Jou, it sure is nice to have you as my manager." Yami smiled, gratitude showing in his pale face.
"Don't mention it, bud." Jounouchi grinned, but concern replaced his otherwise jovial demeanor. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just…well, tired." Yami leaned his head back. "So, how do you think should we fix this?"
Jou scratched his head. "You know, Yami, a sharp drop in ratings shouldn't really be a cause for concern. It happens all the time to other stars, too."
Yami snorted. "Hell yeah. Those very same people who end up as one-liners. Seriously, Jou."
"Well, you started out as a one-liner, too." Jounouchi pointed out bluntly, and Yami flinched visibly for a second.
"I did," he replied with distaste, "But now it's a whole new story. And whoever said that I wanted to be a one-liner again?"
Jou fell silent after that and once again, the limousine was quiet. Yami took this time to notice that they were moving a bit faster now, and that they were quite a distance away from the crowd. He waited for Jou to answer, but he doubted that Jou could come up with something else to negate him. His reasoning made obvious sense, although it did sound selfish. He was stubborn to begin with, so no matter what Jou could come up with, Yami would persist to no end.
His musings were cut off by Jounouchi's voice. "So, what do you think we should do? What do you want to do?"
Yami's answer was automatic. "Up my ratings, of course."
"By getting more supporters?"
"I suppose."
"The reason why you probably dropped in popularity is because of the number of Masaki's fans," Jou noted, taking out a piece of paper. "Most were your fans." He added as an afterthought.
"Jou, I already know that!" Yami exclaimed exasperatedly. "But tell me why."
Jou sat back for a second, wallowing in his thoughts. "Well, it might be because of those rumors I've been hearing…" he muttered thoughtfully.
Yami sat bolt upright, suddenly attentive. "Rumors? What rumors?"
"I heard from someone that he read in a magazine that Masaki told a reporter that she turned down a guy, because she was holding out for another."
Yami scowled. "And? What does that have to do with my ratings?"
"Well, juicy rumors like that tend to pique people's interest pretty fast."
"I don't understand the logic in that." Yami furrowed his brow.
Jou thought for a second. "Put it this way: people are curious about Masaki. They want to know more about her life, especially her love life. Fans usually pay attention to those the most. So they flock to her, try to get as much information about it as they can. Something like that." Jou scratched his head again.
"So, you're telling me, Jou, to get myself a love life in order to get my ratings up?" Yami thought about the schoolgirls who had called him earlier and cringed inwardly.
"Well, not exactly, but that would probably get you more popular than Masaki." Jou replied, studying Yami's expression. "But there might be some other way, seeing as you don't like staying in a relationship."
Yami crossed his arms over his chest. "I quit dating a year ago. I just don't like girls. They're too noisy. But if there's not other way, I'll do it."
Jounouchi looked worried. "Yami, you don't have to force it. Fame isn't everything you know."
Yami scoffed. "Fame is everything to me. …fine, I'll do it."
Jounouchi sighed, recognizing defeat. He could not dissuade Yami, no matter what he said, once his mind was made up. "Well, if that's what you want. Now…we need to get you hooked up with someone…preferably someone who is a lot popular than you are."
Yami thought of Masaki. "There's no way I'm going out with my rival." He said defensively.
"Yeah, yeah I know that. But the only person who is more popular than the two of you is…" he trailed off and then, he visibly paled.
"Who?" Yami pressed.
"You wouldn't like it, but since you said you didn't like girls, it might work out for you-"
"Jounouchi, who are you talking about?" Yami interrupted impatiently.
Jou cleared his throat, hesitant. "We're talking about the current CEO of Kaiba Corporation. Seto Kaiba."
For a moment, Yami thought about the schoolgirls and their shrilly voice.
"Look over here, Mutou-san!"
He really hated girls.