Note: Finally! I thought I was never going to get this chapter done! Not only was I going through a bad case of writer's block (with an easily distracted muse), but my brother's recently got a bad case of brain fart as well! But now I finally got it up and running, so without further delay, let's get on with the story! There will be tons of suspense and humor, and in Varon's case, unrequited love. As I've said before, someone is going to get framed for theft and murder. Here's a hint as to who it is: It's not who you think! Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Framed!
It was the start of New York City Fashion Week, and that night the moment of the first fashion show had finally arrived. The famous Valentine Models were getting busy with preparations for their time on the runway—including a very new face.
"Isn't it amazing?" Kisara queried as she applied the red lipstick on Anzu's lips. "Today is your first day of being a real Valentine Model! How does it feel?"
"Well, I can't help but feel a little nervous." Anzu replied.
"Make way, coming through!" shouted a young attendant rushing by with a wheeled rack full of Mai's chic dresses, knocking over the blue-eyes model and smearing the lipstick across the new model's right cheek. "Sorry!" she managed to stutter in embarrassment before she disappeared into the background.
"I take it you have to deal with something like that all the time, huh?" Anzu asked.
"Yeah." Kisara admitted, wiping off the resulting smudge, "Such is the behind-the-scenes life of a fashion model. You'll get used to it. Besides, a lot of fun stuff happens even before the show starts!"
"All right ladies!" Mai announced, "It's almost time for you to strut you stuff! When you get on the runway, keep in mind that tonight is the appetizer of what's to come; we want to leave our fans hungry for more as the week goes by!" The models all cheered enthusiastically and the fashion queen continued on. She approached one model that was going through the motions of chewing. "Feeling a little nervous?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm." The model replied, "That's why I chew gum before going on the runway. It helps to relieve my stress. But don't worry, I always spit it out before I go on."
"Glad to hear it." Mai stated before moving on. Before long another model called out to her.
"Lady Valentine, I can't find my eyeliner! Do you know where it is?"
"It's on the top shelf to the right of your vanity." Mai directed, "You can't miss it!"
"Oh, thank you!" the model replied with a relieved sigh when she found the eyeliner.
Soon a third model brought out a pair of worn out high heels. "May I please have a different pair of shoes? This pair is on its last legs."
"Sure! Let me help you find some nice stilettos." Hiding in the shadows, Varon watched Mai adoringly as she passed by.
"It's been so long…" he mused, "And she's still so beautiful."
Very soon though, Bakura came out to join him. He was not very pleased. "Out of all women, why did you fall for her, the one woman who should have been dead by now?"
"I've known her from way back." Varon replied sadly, "The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me!"
"Well, you better snap out of it if I were you." Bakura growled.
"You don't understand!" Varon protested, "I love her! We're meant to be together!"
"Oh really? Are you certain that she's your one and only? What if I told you she's in love with someone else?"
Varon gasped in horror. "…You're lying! YOU'RE LYING! Mai would never leave me in favor of another bloke!"
"Then go prove it." Bakura stated, "Try to win her love. You've made that attempt many times in your Wart Hog days." The biker stood speechless as the master thief continued, "That's right. I know more about you than you realize. You were hoping that if you gain a fortune, she'll fall head over heels for you. That's why you left that old biker gang behind, isn't it?"
"…Y-yeah." Varon admitted, "And that's also the reason why I started working for you in the first place!"
"Yes… so now that you're on my team, I highly suggest you forget about that woman and go forward with the plan."
Vivian stepped out of the shadows to join her master. "That's right." She stated, "Since our attempt at attacking Lady Valentine was all messed up, the police will be asking questions sooner or later. Luckily for us, we managed to find someone who's going to take the fall for us—and not many people are going to have any doubts about him."
Marik joined in as well. "He may be the richest teenager in half the world, and he may have contributed to a lot of charities and famous events, but Seto Kaiba has a well-known reputation for being a total jerk. When we plant the goods on him, nobody will think twice about sending him to prison."
But Varon's gloved hands curled into fists. "Well, I can't concentrate on Seto Kaiba right now! I will not forget about Mai! You want proof that she loves me back? Fine! I'll find her and win her heart! You just wait!" And with that, he ran off to find the fashion queen. Bakura simply sighed in disgust.
Mai smiled to herself as she sped by, having found a perfect pair of stilettos for one of her models. All of a sudden, she found herself colliding with someone. The impact was enough to take both parties off balance, but thankfully not enough to send them to the floor. "WATCH IT, BUSTER!" Mai snapped angrily, but her anger turned into shock the moment she recognized the young man she collided with. "V-Varon!"
The biker smiled at her. "G'day love."
"W-what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see you before the show starts." Varon replied, taking hold of the fashion queen's hand. "I know I've asked you this before, but when the show's over… you wanna go out with me?"
Mai pulled her hand away from the biker's grip. "Sorry, but I can't." She then proceeded to leave and continue her business, but much to her dismay, Varon followed her.
"Wait… wait! Just a-" But before he could finish, Mai tossed some clothes onto the biker, hoping to discourage him. But he just pulled the clothes off of his face and sped onward. "Just a moment, please!" Finally, he caught her in his grasp and spun her around so that she was facing him, her back against the wall. "Mai… Do you even know how much I love you? You're not like the other girls I've known so far. Sure, they got long legs, chiseled noses, pearly white teeth and soft skin, all the things I adore in a woman… but they don't have strong bodies, strong minds… or even strong hearts… like you do."
Mai only gave the lovesick biker a glare. "You know, I'm not surprised if I gave you restless nights! Because guess what! I'M NOT THAT INTO YOU!" she momentarily broke free, but Varon grabbed hold of her again giving her a desperate look.
"Mai, please! You don't mean that! Please don't put a door between us!"
"Too late Varon, I already have!" Mai snapped, struggling in his grip, "NOW LET GO OF ME!"
Luckily for her, a familiar voice called out to save her—the voice of the young man she loved. "YEAH, YOU HEARD HER, PUNK! LET HER GO!" Startled, Varon did just that. Jonouchi rushed in, angered at Varon's presence but filled with concern for his girlfriend.
"Jonouchi!" Mai cried, allowing herself to fall into the safety of the sandy blonde's embrace. For a moment, the two of them stayed in that position.
"Are you all right Mai?" Jonouchi asked.
Mai simply nodded. "I'm okay. Thank you."
Varon stared at the couple in utter shock, recognizing the boy who had come into the picture. "Hey! I've seen you before! You're the bloke who barged in while I was dancing with Mai!"
The two of them glared at him, but it was Mai who spoke. "I suppose I should give you a proper introduction." She stepped back a bit and held a hand out toward the sandy blonde. "Varon, this is Jonouchi Katsuya… my boyfriend."
Varon's eyes widened in shock and dismay; he just could not believe what he had just heard. "Your… boyfriend?" At that very moment, the tears began to build up in his eyes. T-this can't be! I thought she…! But the more he stared at the couple before him, the more it began to sink in that what Mai said was true. She had found the love of her life.
And it was definitely not Varon.
His heart broke on the spot. "Why…?" the biker whimpered, "We… we could have had something special together!"
"Well, it should have been obvious to you by now." Jonouchi growled, "So listen up: from now on, you better stay away from my girlfriend. Otherwise, I'm not gonna hesitate to make mincemeat out of you!"
Varon could tell by the tone of the sandy blonde's voice that he meant business… and the heartbroken tears began to flow. "O-of course. I…I'll stay clear. I won't be responsible… for what may happen." And with that, he bolted.
Once the biker was out of sight, Jonouchi let out a frustrated breath, then turned toward his girlfriend. "You know, a small part of me feels sorry for him. But he is one of the bad guys. Are you sure you don't want to tell the police right away?"
"Yes Jonouchi, I'm sure." Mai answered, "I know it's a big risk to wait until after the fashion show, but in this way Bakura and his fellow bandits won't know what hit them. I even asked Atem to bring the photo evidence to help back me up. And besides that, it helps me focus on my job as a famous fashion designer."
Jonouchi nodded in understanding. "In that case, I'll see you doing your stuff on the runway. I'm looking forward to seeing your line, especially since Anzu became your new top model."
"Thanks Jonouchi!" Mai replied, kissing the sandy blonde on the cheek before he departed.
All the while, Varon's eyes widened in even greater shock. Although he was out of Mai's sight, he didn't leave; even after learning the truth, he just couldn't bear to do so. Instead, he had hidden himself in a shadowy corner, listening in on the conversation that took place.
And he had heard everything.
"Now which design should I wear first?" Anzu asked, scanning the flowing dresses in the rack. "They're all so amazing, I don't know which one to choose!"
"I know!" Kisara replied, "Mai makes the most stunning outfits, and it's not just dresses!"
"Well, I don't really care that much." A familiar voice suddenly stated, "Any of them would suit you just fine."
Anzu spun around and immediately her expression brightened. "Atem!" she exclaimed happily as she ran to meet her love. The two exchanged a quick kiss on the lips before the new model asked, "What are you doing backstage?"
"I just wanted to wish you luck before you go on the runway." The elder Mutou twin answered.
"Aww, how sweet of you!"
"Thank you Anzu." Atem stated, "I also want to confirm that I have the photo with me, just as Mai had requested."
"That's great!" Anzu replied, "You'll be a big help in catching those thieves!"
"My pleasure. In the meantime, Yugi and I are looking forward to seeing you strut your stuff. The same goes with the rest of our friends."
"Okay ladies, the show's about to start in five minutes!" they heard Mai announce, "We'll start the week off with our summer line, so make it work!"
"Guess this is my cue to get back to my seat." Atem mused. "I'll see you on the runway."
"Thanks, see ya!" Anzu replied, and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek before he left to join his friends.
Bakura, Marik and Vivian all were lurking in the backstage shadows. Just when they were about to lose their patience, a certain biker came in, a dejected look upon his face. "Hey, I'm back." Varon stated.
"Ugh, it's about time you showed up Varon." Marik groaned. "I was ready to go after you and drag you back here."
"So are you done flirting with your little Juliet, Romeo?" Vivian asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"…Yes." Varon replied sadly.
"Heh. By the way you look, it turns out I was right." Bakura noted with a smirk. "All right, let's get on with it. Marik, do you have the bait?"
"Yes." Marik replied, holding out Mai's gold necklace, which was now devoid of all its diamonds. "All we need to do now is plant it into Kaiba's pocket. As to how we'll do that and have him 'expose' himself, I presume you'll figure that out as we go along."
"Excellent!" Bakura stated with a wicked grin. "Now let's start finding the whereabouts of the Millennium Diamond so we can get on with the heist tomorrow night! Once I get my hands on that diamond, everyone in the fashion industry will finally see me as number one!"
As Varon listened in on the master thief's plan, his heart started beating faster. He still loved Mai, that's for sure, and he was now growing even more hesitant to follow along with the rest of the thieves. But then he remembered the fashion queen in the arms of that boy, Jonouchi. Just the thought of seeing the girl of his dreams giving her heart to the sandy blonde shattered his heart and made him sick to his stomach. Of course, the thought of going along with Babura's murderous schemes now sickened him too. Needless to say, he was completely torn. His loyalty to the master thief was quickly wavering, and he was unsure about whether or not to warn him about what Mai was planning. But soon the image of Mai leaving him for Jonouchi finally overwhelmed him… and he could bear the heartache no more.
"SHE KNOWS!" a teary-eyed Varon blurted out, instantly grabbing the attention of the other three thieves.
"What did you say?" Vivian snapped.
"Lady Valentine… she knows! She knows we did the deed!" the biker repeated. "She's planning to rat us out at the end of the show tonight! And one of her friends, Atem Mutou… he's got a picture of us from last night; it caught us red handed! And he's gonna back her up by showing it to the world!"
The three of them stared at him in utter shock. "And how do you know if it's true?" Bakura asked.
At first, Varon didn't answer. But finally he replied, "I was listening in to their chatter… I heard everything."
Vivian soon boiled up in fury. "Why—that—bitch! I knew she was up to something since our blunder last night! There's no way we can get Kaiba to take the heat now! She'll ruin everything!"
"So I guess that means the gig is up, right?" queried Marik.
"Not quite." Bakura replied, a smirk curling onto his lips as he faced the biker. "You said she'll rat us out after the fashion show, right?"
"Yeah." Varon confirmed.
"Well… you just improved my plan." The master thief chuckled, "Both for Kaiba and for getting the Millennium Diamond. And all the while, it'll strike Miss Kujaku where it'll hurt her the most."
"Really?" Vivian gasped excitedly, "Do tell!"
"All right, now listen carefully to what I'm going to tell you."
Marik let out a sinister chuckle. "You know Varon, you're not such an idiot after all."
But in the corner, Varon felt that he was exactly that: a total idiot. He had just warned his accomplices of Mai's plan to expose them… and he regretted every minute of it. He turned his face away from the thieves so that they wouldn't see him cry. "Mai Kujaku…" he muttered sadly, "Please… forgive me!"
The crowd surrounding the large runway, with its futuristic multicolored lights and spraying fountain, was abuzz with excitement. Dance music blared out from the speakers, adding to the spectacle to come. But none were as excited as a certain pair of perverts blending into the crowd at the front. "Oooo! I can't believe we're actually here!" Haga muttered excitedly.
"Yeah!" Ryuzaki agreed, "We're only seconds away from seeing Lady Valentine and her models in person! I'm feeling pumped up just thinking about it!"
The bug boy looked around and blinked in surprise. "Hey! L-look over there!" he exclaimed, pointing toward the audience. There, not so far away from them, were the Mutou brothers, along with Jonouchi and Honda. "It's those guys again!" Haga stated. "Sheesh! It's like wherever we go, there they are!"
"Aw, who cares?" Ryuzaki replied smugly, "They're not gonna get in the way this time! Besides, we got the best seats in the house!"
Haga was all grins when he heard that. "You're right! Nothing can stop us now!"
It was right at that moment that Kaiba came striding in, microphone in hand. There was a round of applause as the audience realized that the show was about to start. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," Kaiba greeted, "and welcome to the first day of New York City Fashion Week. I am your host Seto Kaiba. Like you, I have been looking forward to this time when latest and greatest creations of world famous fashion designers go on display on this very catwalk. And I'm sure for some of you, you'll be bombarded with overactive hormones."
"Is he talking about us?" Ryuzaki asked.
"Nah." Haga replied.
"Without further ado, let's get on with it!" Kaiba continued, "Tonight we will start off with one of the most famous designers around. Her line has been seen all over the world and the fame of her models outshines even the stars. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you… Lady Valentine!" The whole audience erupted into cheers the moment Mai stepped up and took the microphone from Kaiba's hand.
"It's her! It's actually her!" Haga gasped, "That's the one and only Lady Valentine!"
"Yeah Mai! Do your stuff!" Jonouchi shouted in encouragement.
"Hey, what's up New York!" Mai announced cheerfully, to which the cheers grew louder. "I have to say, it is an honor to finally grace you with my presence and introduce you to the most stunning fashionistas known the world over! And tonight, you'll get to meet a new face in the fashion world, and I'm sure you'll love her just as much as I do. Anyway, let's get that show started! To start off, we'll be taking you to a tropical paradise with the first half of the Valentine summer collection!" And with a wink she added, "Hope you enjoy!" Again, the audience erupted into cheers as the fashion queen moved backstage. Soon the lights started flashing, and upbeat music blared out of the speakers. The fashion show had begun. One by one, the famous Valentine Models stepped onto the catwalk, each wearing a sarong-like outfit. Some were like evening dresses, others composed of a top and a pair of pants. But no matter the look, each of Mai's creations were more stunning than the last.
"You seem to be having fun Honda." Yugi noted as Honda eagerly flashed the camera at the models.
"At least save some film for Anzu." Atem reminded, "She'll be coming out last for this part."
Meanwhile, Haga and Ryuzaki both stared at the models, practically drooling as each of them passed by on the runway. "It's a dream come true!" Haga sighed, "Look at the legs on that one!"
"You should see the boobs on that one Haga." Ryuzaki replied. A photographer from the paparazzi stepped in front of the dino boy, flashing his camera before moving onward. "HEY! YOU'RE MESSING UP OUR VIEW! Sheesh, I hate the paparazzi…"
"You and me both." Haga agreed. Then the two perverts resumed their sightseeing.
Backstage, Kisara and Anzu watched the other models intently. Both were wearing the most stylish sarong dresses that their friend and employer had made. The one worn by the blue eyed model was a beautiful white evening dress inlaid with light blue tiger stripes, the top of which resembling an elegant tube top. The new Valentine model, had a similar dress, but the top resembled a strapped bikini and was colored hot pink with golden yellow flower patterns. "Well Anzu, this is it!" Kisara stated, "I'll be stepping up in fifteen seconds and to finish off this part of the show, you'll be strutting on after me. You ready for the flashing lights?"
"With Atem and his friends watching, I'm ready as I'll ever be." Anzu replied. "As for you Kisara, good luck!"
"Thanks."
"All right Kisara!" Mai shouted in encouragement, "You're up next, and Kaiba's watching! Go for it!" Quickly, the blushing Kisara came out onto the runway to display the fashion. There were cameras flashing everywhere, and Kaiba couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend.
"I've got to admit," Jonouchi stated, "Kisara really looks stunning in that dress."—he nudged the elder Mutou twin with a playful smirk—"But I bet Anzu's gonna be even more so when she gets on!" Atem simply blushed.
As one of the models returned backstage, the fashion queen gave her new model a hard pat on the back. "Anzu! It's your time to shine! Give it all you got Hon!"
"Okay!" Anzu replied and hurried over to the runway. She paused to take a deep breath… then stepped into the spotlight. There were wild cheers all around as the crowd realized that she was the new top model—and it was love at first sight. The paparazzi, eager to capture the images of this new beauty, began to swarm like honeybees at the runway, flashing their cameras as she strode by. A particularly fat cameraman with a big butt stepped in front of Haga and Ryuzaki, much to their chagrin.
"HEY! DOWN IN FRONT!" Haga exclaimed, "WE CAN'T SEE!"
"YEAH," Ryuzaki roared, "GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF THE WAY!" But the cameraman paid them no heed.
The whole time, Anzu still couldn't believe it was actually happening. She was now officially a Valentine model! True, that dream was second to her dream of being a dancer, but it was still on the list of dreams come true. And as she caught a brief glimpse at the Mutou brothers and their friends smiling at her—especially Atem, the love of her life—she couldn't help but smile in return as she struck a pose and then made her return stroll back to the stage. Indeed Honda wasted no time taking pictures; he was really getting into this! But the crowd really went wild when all the models lined up and returned for an encore of their fashion, with Mai at the end of the line. The fashion queen winked at her fans before she and her beloved models went backstage to prepare for the next part of their show.
"Oh Crud!" Ryuzaki groaned, "We missed the new girl!"
"Stupid paparazzi!" Haga growled, "We didn't even get a chance to see her!" The playboys both stood there blinking before they faced each other, grinning as they got the same idea
"LET'S GO BACKSTAGE!" they both stated. And immediately they bolted toward the back, hoping that they won't get noticed since they have no backstage passes.
"Yeah! We can still get a sneak preview of the bikinis!" Haga noted.
There was laughter backstage as the models rejoiced at their success. "Oh Anzu!" Mai stated, giving her new model a hug, "I'm so proud of you! You really knocked their socks off tonight!"
"Yeah, you should have seen all those people gathering around you!" Kisara noted.
"Thanks… but we've barely gotten started." Anzu admitted sheepishly.
"And that's why you need to get ready for the avant-garde swimwear collection." Mai reminded turning toward her other models, "Now let's get going ladies. We've got some nosebleeds to make!"
"Right!" the models replied and giggled, and they hurried over to their dressing rooms, all of them unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. Bakura, Vivian and a reluctant Varon nodded to each other, then began sneaking over to one of the dressing rooms on the far left. At the same time, a certain pair of perverts managed to get by into their destination and had now snuck behind some curtains.
"Wow! We're actually backstage!" Ryuzaki gasped in excited awe. "I wonder where the new girl is?"
"I dunno." Haga replied with a shrug.
"Let's look over in the dressing rooms. I'm sure she must be over there."
"Oh, good idea." And immediately the playboys hurried over to the right of the backstage area.
The girls busied themselves choosing out their favorite swimwear from the latest line. Anzu and Kisara had yet to choose their favorites among the wardrobe, so they had not started dressing yet.
"Maybe I should do this swimsuit with the dragon wings and tail," Kisara stated, pointing to a beautiful light blue bikini outfit with a pattern similar to scales.
"It's beautiful Kisara!" Anzu replied, "It really brings out the color of your eyes." At that moment, the two perverts inched their way into the dressing room, unnoticed by its beautiful occupants. Both boys were grinning like maniacs at what they were seeing.
"This is even better than the runway!" Haga chuckled, "We get to have our own backstage peep show!"
"All right, you got me inspired!" they heard Anzu declare, "I'll take the yellow and orange fairy look!"
The bug boy and dino boy looked over and their eyes were full of hearts. "Look… it's her!" Ryuzaki gasped, "The new Valentine model! The same girl we saw at Lady Valentine's place! And she's even more gorgeous up close!"
Haga did a wolf whistle and whispered, "C'mon, we just have to get close to the action!" And with lusty chuckles, they snuck inside trying to find a good hiding place. Even so, neither could get their eyes off of the new model, who began to undo the top of her dress. "Hee hee hee! She's taking it off!" Haga noted and for some reason he couldn't control it anymore. He blurted, "YEAH BABY, TAKE IT OFF!"
Immediately Anzu spun around, and her eyes widened in shock as she laid eyes on the two promiscuous playboys before her. In fact, every girl in the dressing room was looking at them.
"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Just as immediately, there were screams as the models quickly covered the exposed parts of their bodies.
"Nice going bug boy, way to blow our cover and ruin the show!" Ryuzaki snapped at his partner. But soon they looked up just in time to see Anzu standing right in front of them. And she was fuming.
"You—PERVERTS!"
Seconds later, the two perverts in question were running out of the dressing room, with the angry model hot on their heels. "HELP!" they screamed in horror, "OUR BEAUTY'S TURNED INTO A BEAST!"
Meanwhile, back in crowd, Atem somehow took notice of the commotion taking place behind the runway and immediately became concerned.
"What is it Big Brother?" Yugi asked.
"Something's going on backstage!" Atem replied, standing up from his seat. "And it sound like Anzu's part of it!"
"You know, now that you mention it, she sounds pretty angry back there." Jonouchi noted. "Maybe she's caught some peeping toms in the act and is chasing after them?"
"Perhaps," Atem replied, "but just to be sure everything's all right, I'm going to check it out. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay." Yugi stated as his brother made his way through the crowd and behind the curtains, where he immediately began his search.
"Anzu?" Atem called out, "Anzu? Where are you? Are you all right back there?" Suddenly, without warning, a hard stick darted out of the shadows and struck the elder Mutou twin on the back of the head. He was out cold in an instant, and collapsed face down on to the floor. Soon the unconscious form was dragged away into the shadow.
Once he was sure his victim was well hidden, Marik chuckled as he searched his pockets. "Sorry Mutou…" he sneered as he got the photo evidence from the elder Mutou twin's jacket. "But I'm afraid your big reveal isn't going to be happening anytime soon." And with that, the Egyptian thief ripped the photo to shreds. Then he hurried over to join Bakura and the other thieves.
"Anzu?" Mai shouted above the noise when she arrived at the back of the hall leading to the dressing rooms. "What's going on? I heard the girls screaming and…" The fashion queen didn't get to finish her sentence as a terrified Haga and Ryuzaki sped by with a scream, as did a furious Anzu, who was still chasing them in hot pursuit. Neither the chaser nor the chased even noticed Mai as they once again disappeared down the hall. "O-kaaay… I guess that answered my question." She had walked past the dressing room of her favorite models when suddenly a pair of hand grabbed hold of her from behind, covering her mouth and dragging her backward. Her eyes widened with shock as she recognized her attacker.
"Don't move a muscle." Bakura threatened. Of course, the fashion queen's shock gave way to a glare, and she jerked her head away from the hand that held her mouth.
"What do you want Bakura?" Mai demanded, "Let go of me!"
The master thief then took out a knife, pointing it toward his captive. "You think I don't know what you're planning, Lady Valentine? Well, I'm not going to let you spoil to fun I'm going to have here! In all honesty though, I didn't expect you to catch on to what I did to your partner in fashion."
"You bastard…!" growled the fashion queen.
"You're lucky that you got away with your life last time, so listen well: I'm not going to finish what I've started… yet. In light of your plans for tonight, I've decided to use another way to keep you from ratting us out." Bakura then spun her around toward the dressing room. Mai was horrified. There, right before her, were her favorite models, all bound and gagged, all being held captive by Vivian and an unhappy Varon—including Kisara!
"Girls!" Mai gasped.
"You get it now?" Bakura stated with a wicked smirk, "We've got a plan of our own, and if you interfere, your little models are going down." As if to prove her master's point, Vivian took out a gun and pointed it to Kisara's head. Right at that moment, Marik came running in with a look of satisfaction.
"I took care of the photograph." The Egyptian thief announced, "Now we can go on with phase two."
"Nice work." Bakura stated, shoving Mai toward Varon. "You ready, Vivian?"
"Of course." The Chinese ex-model replied, handing her blue-eyed captive to Marik and adjusting her hair so she could put on a blue glam-style wig.
The Master thief adjusted his bow tie. "Let's get the show on the road."
Back out at the runway, everyone was growing a bit impatient about the next part of the show. But Yugi and his friends had something else in mind. "The second part of the show is going to start soon," Yugi noted, "And Atem still hasn't come back yet. He's gonna miss out."
"Maybe he had to go to the bathroom or something." Honda guessed with a shrug.
At the very same moment, Kaiba was making preparations to introduce the next part of the Valentine collection, when Bakura stepped up. "Excuse me. Seto Kaiba?" he queried.
"Oh Bakura." Kaiba stated, "You rarely show yourself like this. Is something going on back there?"
"Uh, yes." Bakura replied, faking concern. "If you would please come with me backstage, I'll show you what I mean."
Annoyed, the teen millionaire let out a sigh. "This better be worth my time." And with that, he followed the so-called 'second in command' behind the stage. And once he was there… "WHAT?!" Kaiba exclaimed, "Lady Valentine's top models have gone missing?!"
"That's right." Bakura replied, "Apparently, they have bailed out at the last minute. We were able to find replacements for most of them, but we still need one for Kisara."
"But the top models would never bail out!" Kaiba roared, "Especially not Kisara! They love modeling so much that quitting the show is unthinkable!"
"It doesn't matter now." Bakura reasoned, "What matters is that we need to find a stand in before the next show gets started."
"Oh! Oh, I can stand in! Let me take over!" a high pitched voice squealed and in an instant the disguised Vivian appeared, all dressed up in her blue hair wig and the avant-garde bikini that Kisara was planning to wear. She took on the persona of a squealing fangirl, raising the pitch of her voice in hopes that her victim wouldn't recognize her.
Bakura, faking surprise, asked, "And who might you be?"
"Oh I'm Rachel! And I've always wanted to be a fashion model!" Vivian explained in her act, "The Valentine Models are my favorites, with all the cool stuff they get to wear! See? I'm all dressed up in their swimwear right now! So can I go on the runway in Kisara's place, please?"
"Hmmm, well…" Bakura replied, "We'll see if Kaiba approves. He is the host of New York City Fashion Week this year."
"Shouldn't we ask your superior about this?" Kaiba suggested, getting a strange feeling that there was something familiar about the girl before him.
"She's, uh, busy trying to bring her top models back." Bakura replied.
The teen millionaire turned toward Vivian. "Well…"
"PLEEEEASE?" Vivian repeated with big sparkling puppy dog eyes.
Kaiba let out exasperated sigh and, against his better judgment, replied, "All right. You can take Kisara's place until she gets back. But you better not mess up."
"OH THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" Vivian squealed, wrapping her arms around the teen millionaire, "I promise I won't let you down!" It was at that moment that she slipped a certain piece of stolen jewelry into Kaiba's trenchcoat pocket. It was so well-hidden on her person and her reaction time on the hug was so fast that he didn't even notice what was going on.
"Yeah, yeah," Kaiba grumbled, "Now hurry up and get ready. You'll be on in about 30 seconds." And with that, the disguised Vivian hurried over to take her place on the runway.
"Why don't you let me announce the next line?" Bakura suggested with a smirk, "It's highly unlikely that Lady Valentine would return in time."
"Be my guest." Kaiba answered and both men hurried back to the main stage.
The Master thief chuckled to himself and thought, Now, for phase two.
The audience cheered loudly once Kaiba returned to the spotlight, completely unaware of the fate that will soon befall him. "Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentlemen." Kaiba announced, "I think it's high time we pick up from where we left off, right?" The crowd went wild in response. "All right, now here to introduce our next line is a man who rarely shows his face in the public eye, but is considered trustworthy in the eyes of Lady Valentine. May I present to you… Bakura Akeifa." There was a round of applause as Bakura stepped up to take the microphone. But Yugi, Jonouchi and Honda all stared at the Master thief in shock.
"Bakura?!" Jonouchi gasped, "What's going on?! Why is he on center stage?!"
"Thank you everyone!" Bakura greeted, "I'm sorry that Lady Valentine couldn't be here for the second half of her summer fashion show. As of this moment, she had some urgent business she needed to take care of. So until she returns, I will have the honors. And now, without further ado, I present the Lady Valentine avant-garde swimwear collection! That's right, I'm talking about beautiful girls in the most sexy fantasy bikinis ever made on Earth, so for all you playboys out there in the audience this is the moment you've been waiting for! Now let's get it on!" Again the audience erupted into cheers. Soon a new upbeat soundtrack began to play, and flashing lights dazzled, all signaling the start of the show. However, this time the young reporters were not attentive to the fashion show itself.
"I don't know about you guys," Honda stated, "but I smell something fishy going on here!"
"Yeah, me too!" Yugi agreed. "Why would Bakura take Mai's place as the announcer of the next line?"
"I got a bad feeling about this…" Jonouchi muttered. "Hey, Yugi! Go backstage and find your brother! That goon is up to something, and if my gut feeling is correct, there's a good chance that Mai is in danger again!"
"Right!" Yugi replied, and in a flash he got out of his seat and rushed toward the backstage area. Or at least, he tried to. Unfortunately, a large crowd of perverts had decided to gather around the runway as the models each passed by in their fantasy swimwear, thereby impeding the younger Mutou twin immensely. He swore under his breath, but realized that he had no choice. Slowly, he pushed his way past the crowd, hoping that nothing bad had happened to his elder brother. The whole time, he, like his friends, was looking toward the catwalk, hoping to find anything suspicious. So far, though, everything seemed normal. But backstage, a certain crony of Bakura readied for the next move.
"All right Vivian," Bakura whispered, "Do your stuff!" The disguised ex-model nodded, and strutted into the spotlight. More wild cheers erupted as she came on and cameras flashed like crazy as she traveled down the runway. Although the vain thief enjoyed her time on stage like she always did, she didn't let it distract her from her covert mission. Wait for it… she thought to herself, Wait for it… Finally, she reached the end of the stage, and struck a couple of poses, making certain that she was at the very edge as she did so. Now! In a flash, she let herself slip and faking shock, she fell from the runway into the fountain. The crowd stared and gasped in alarm, especially Kaiba. The music stopped in an instant, and as Vivian slowly came up from out of the water, she inwardly smiled. The reason was, number 1: the waterproof adhesive on her wig was working perfectly, and number 2: she had successfully pulled off her little stunt. And just like she and the other thieves had planned, Kaiba was fuming.
"Damn it!" he cursed, "I told her not to mess up, and what does she do? She messes up! She's just officially made herself a laughingstock of the entire fashion industry!" Still, he reasoned, it would be bad if he didn't help her out. He approached the sneezing 'Rachel', pushing past the crowd.
"I-I'm sorry!" Vivian sobbed in pretend misery, "I don't know what went wrong! Everything was going so perfectly up to this point! I can't believe I just slipped! I've ruined everything!"
"Hey now, there's no need to mope." Kaiba reassured, "Here, you can have my coat. Just let me get my stuff out of my pockets so they don't get wet…" Just as he reached into one of his said pockets, the teen millionaire felt cold metal against his fingers. He peered at the hand in his pocket and did a double take. "Hey… hold on! What the hell?!" He pulled his hand out and revealed the strange contents: a gold necklace. He stared in shock. "This isn't mine!" he exclaimed, "What is this?! Where did this come from?!"
Right at that moment, Bakura snagged the necklace. "This necklace looks awfully familiar!" he stated, and handed it over to the disguised Vivian. "Do you recognize this?" Taking the necklace, Vivian stared at it before she let out a gasp.
"It's Lady Valentine's necklace!" the ex-model replied, "But… where are the diamonds?"
"Well! In either case, the evidence doesn't lie." Bakura announced, and pointed at the teen millionaire exclaiming, "It's Seto Kaiba! HE'S the one who stole Lady Valentine's necklace AND killed Mystique!"
The whole audience gasped, but their shock did not compare to that of Kaiba's. "What?! NO! What gave you that idea?! I DID NO SUCH THING! There's no way that necklace would be in my pocket!"—He stared into his trenchcoat pocket again.—"Unless…" Slowly he looked up at the Master thief, as he finally put all the pieces together. Before he knew it, the fires of rage built up within him. "You…!" he growled, and he could contain it no more. "YOU BASTARD!" In an instant, he lunged at Bakura, intending to choke the thief. "YOU TRICKED ME!" Kaiba roared, "YOU LYING, THIEVING, MURDERING SNAKE!"
"Well, look who's talking!" Bakura insulted confidently, "Security! Take him away!" The security guards obeyed, and pried the angry teen millionaire away.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Kaiba bellowed as he got handcuffed, "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, BAKURA! YOU HEAR ME? A DEAD MAN! THEY HAVE DNA TESTING, YOU KNOW! AND WHILE I'M AT IT, I'M CALLING MY LAWYER!"
Back in the audience, Yugi and his friends stared bewildered at the scene before them. "Whoa!" Honda gasped, "Kaiba's a big jerk, but he's certainly not that big of a jerk!"
"If the real thieves weren't right in front of us, I'd say that Rich Boy got what he deserved." Jonouchi stated.
"JONOUCHI!" Yugi yelled angrily.
"All right, all right!" the sandy blonde quickly replied, "I get the point Yugi!"
"We have to find my brother, and fast!" Yugi explained as he neared the backstage area, "He's the only one who has our photo evidence, and we have to use it to expose the real thieves and prove Kaiba's innocence before the police take him away!" Finally, to his relief, the younger Mutou twin broke from the crowd and passed the curtains. "Atem?" he called out, "Atem, where are you? We've got an emergency!" It didn't take long for him to hear a moan from a shadowy corner. Filled with concern, Yugi followed the sound. There, he found the elder twin, sitting up and rubbing his head. "Atem! Gasped Yugi, "Are you all right?"
" Ow…" Atem groaned, "Yugi…? What just happened? I was searching for Anzu, when something hit me on the head…"
"You can look for Anzu later Big Brother!" Yugi stated, "Right now, we've got a big problem: Kaiba's been framed!"
"WHAT?" Atem shouted in shock.
"Bakura took Mai's place as the show's announcer and set him up! We have to show everyone the photo evidence, now!"
"Oh, right!" replied the elder twin and he reached into his jacket pocket—only to find that it missing. "Huh? Where is it?"
"Atem? What happened?"
"The photo evidence! It's gone! Help me find it!" The two brothers searched frantically for the missing photo, until suddenly, Yugi stopped. There was a look of dread in his eyes.
"Uh… Atem?" Yugi murmured, "I think the cookie jar just got busted."
"What do you mean?" Atem asked, and his little brother pointed to the floor. His eyes widened with dismayed shock. There, all over the floor, were the tattered and torn remains of their photo. Their only evidence has been destroyed. "DAMN IT!" Atem bellowed slamming a fist against the wall, angry at himself for letting his guard down. Just when he thought they were one step ahead of the murderous thief and his thugs, they had once more slipped through his fingers.
Back at the front of the runway, reporters were gathered around Bakura to have an interview about the unexpected turn of events. "As everyone knows, in spite of some moments of brightness, Seto Kaiba had always been known to be a selfish, spoiled young man, quick to insult those he believes to be inferior to himself. I'm glad the world is finally rid of that menace; Lady Valentine would be very pleased to hear this."
"Would she hire any more men like him as a Fashion Week sponsor?" a reporter asked in curiosity.
"After she hears about tonight, I highly doubt it."
"And what of the most famous gem in Lady Valentine's possession, the Millennium Diamond?"
"As of tonight, it is no longer in her person or among her other belongings. She will disclose the exact location of the diamond later. Now if you'll excuse me, this interview is over." And with that, the Master thief walked away, escaping to the backstage area to reach the farthest dressing room. All the while, he was smirking, congratulating himself at ridding himself of yet another rival. Finally, he reached the very back of the dressing room, and swung open the door. The whole time, Mai and her favorite models were all forced to see the whole thing on their TV monitor, and she could do nothing but watch helplessly as Kaiba got framed for theft and murder. Vivian had already thrown off the disguise by the time her master arrived. And Marik was no less pleased when Bakura stepped in.
"Great acting, Master Bakura." Marik complimented. "That will keep the public distracted for a while."
Mai glared at the thieves. "You're not going to get away with this!"
"And why not?" Bakura taunted, "Since Seto Kaiba had been publicly 'exposed' as the murderous thief, it's highly unlikely that the authorities would believe you. But I'm not taking any chances." Once more he pointed his knife toward the fashion queen. "Now you listen carefully. You tell us the location of the Millennium Diamond. If you don't cooperate…" the Master thief directed the Egyptian to point the gun at the head of a terrified Kisara. "I hope you're prepared to say goodbye before I have them blow her brains out." Bakura chuckled.
Mai couldn't stand it, and burst into tears. "Don't hurt her! I'll tell you!"
"Where is it then?"
"It's on display at the Marquis Gallery!"
Bakura smirked in satisfaction. "Very good."
"Can you please let go of my girls now?" Mai pleaded.
"Not yet." Bakura replied, "They'll be coming with us. They have their uses after all. But I assure you, if you disclose any of this to the police, we will kill your lovely little girls one by one." And with that, he and the other thieves made their way toward the exit, with the captive Valentine Models in tow. "One more thing. Once the Millennium Diamond is in my possession, I'm coming back to finish you off. Farewell." One by one, the thieves departed. Varon lingered, however, and the expression of sorrow was written upon his face.
"Mai…" the biker stated sullenly.
"You told on me didn't you?" Mai spat accusingly, "That's why your new master knows what I was going to do. And now you're going to go out and help commit the biggest theft and murder in history! You're a real traitor, a stain in the memory of all the Wart Hogs!"
Varon flinched at the harsh accusations, knowing full well that they were true. Finally, with tears in his eyes, he replied, "I guess I am… but if I say I have no regrets about it all, I'd be lying." And with that, he left to join the other thieves. Yet even as the love of his life stared at him in dismay as he departed, his heart was in a state of turmoil.
"Hey you!" Anzu barked, wandering the halls, "Come out and face me!" The new Valentine model huffed in frustration. "Grrr, where could those perverts be? Once I catch up with them, I'm going to rearrange their faces!" Right at that moment, she saw some shadows coming in her direction. She gasped in shock as she recognized the shadows at once. "The thieves!" Immediately she rushed around, searching for a place to hide before finally settling to go under the table. And as chance would have it, she was right in the face of two certain perverts.
"EEYAAAA!" they screamed in panic when they saw her.
"Please don't kill us!" Ryuzaki begged.
"We won't do it again! We promise!" Haga pleaded, and the two boy continued with their begging until at last, she covered both of their mouths.
"Shhhh! Keep it down!" Anzu stated, "They'll hear you!"
Haga and Ryuzaki both stared in amazement before they asked, "Who'll hear us?"
The thieves all came into view, and with them their bound captives. Anzu was horrified to discover Kisara among them. "This couldn't be any more perfect!" Vivian snickered, "Lady Valentine was right when she said that the Millennium Diamond would no longer be in her possession—because it will be in our possession!"
"Oh yes! You got that right!" Marik agreed.
"Tomorrow night, we'll be taking a little trip to the Marquis Gallery." Bakura explained, "And these lovely ladies will help us out all the way. The diamond will be in our hands by midnight, and when that is done, we'll do away with everyone: First, these models… and then Lady Valentine herself! Now let's get to it! We have no time to waste!"
The whole time, the thieves were all unaware that Anzu was hiding in the shadows under the table along with Haga and Ryuzaki, all listening in on the conversation that took place.
And they all had heard everything.
Note: How Awful! Bakura and his thugs are on a roll in their wicked endeavor, silencing Mai by taking her models hostage! Luckily for her, our heroes finally decide to step up! But they're going to need some help, and Mai herself just so happens to be on the list. Will Jonouchi get her out of her funk? And how are the Mutou brothers going to rescue their cousin? Find out in the next chapter! Until Next Time!