Her Sweetness: I'm not working on my computer tonight because I'm over at my dad's house. I'm going for my first day of work tomorrow so, yeah, hopefully I can do this chapter in like a few hours because I have a lot to do.
Rascals R Wee
Chapter 21:
The scenes with Orlando were going fairly well as he had gotten over his second giggle-fit of the day. Peter had a group huddle with everyone handy including the hikaris and told them not to mention giggle-fits or the word "labia" as that seemed to set him off laughing.
Ryou raised his hand. "How would that word come up in—"
"Hey, it's happened before."
So they accepted it and agreed to keep their conversations low and to relatively normal subjects. Malik, Yugi and Ryou sat on the sidelines and sipped on their lattes; watching Orlando and Viggo and John battle orcs left and right.
Ryou looked down at the drink he was sipping. "Hey, are low-fat mocha latte with caramel foam and chocolate sprinkles fattening at all?"
Malik frowned. "Even if they were, why would it matter? You've guzzled down more than half of it."
"Is it?" Ryou persisted.
"Anything with the words chocolate and caramel in it are bound to be fattening, Ryou. Fact of life," Yugi said and took another large sip.
Ryou gasped, outraged. "Yugi, you wanker! You just let me sit here and chug this thing like no tomorrow knowing that I'd blow up like a balloon! Is that how you get your kicks? You panty-stealing, Windex-drinking midget!"
Malik started to say something then paused, looking at Yugi. "Windex-drinking…?"
"Ryou! You promised not to tell!" Yugi said, dismayed.
"But… oh, whatever. Listen, Ryou, stop acting like that latte is going to make you eligible for Jenny Craig. You're anorexic as it is and don't let me catch you with your finger down your throat after this." Malik turned to the tri-color haired boy to the right of him. "And Yugi… um, stop drinking Windex."
"It was only once," he sulked.
Just then, Peter called over to them, "We got the shot and we're leaving for the next location just a ways up at a local mountain we're using for the Mount Doom scene. You guys coming along?"
"Oh. Yup!" Yugi chirped and they stood with Ryou throwing his latte cup into the woods.
"Ow!"
The hikaris and Little Fruitcake blinked simultaneously and turned towards the thickness of woods where Ryou had launched the container. Emerging from the underbrush and growth was a bound and almost naked old man whom Yugi and, as a matter of fact, almost all of them recognized on sight.
"Grandpa?" He asked in amazement.
'Oh, there you are. Wondered when you would show up.' Little Fruitcake regarded him without much interest.
The old man's hands were tied behind his back and his ankles were bound together as well with tight cloth. He was stripped down to his underwear, even his bandana was gone.
"Oh my gosh, what happened to you?" Yugi asked, rushing over with Malik and Ryou at his sides and they proceeded to untie him.
"I… I searched for you, for someone to help! I was snatched," he explained. "Some odd man who said his name was… uhh… Was it Mario? No, it was Marty! That was it. He took my clothes and disguised himself as me before leaving me tied up in the woods!"
Malik pursed his lips. "Why would anyone want your clothes?"
Yugi elbowed him.
"Listen to me, you guys," Grandpa insisted, sitting up and rubbing his wrists sorely. "The boys are in trouble."
They blinked. "Our yamis?"
"That's right, this Marty fellow said he was after them! He's a sick freak, that one is. Some kind of pedophile from the way he was talking. He took my clothes so they'd trust him! He knows everything about how they got turned small and how I wanted Yami for my grandson."
Ryou looked horrified. "But how does he know all that?"
There was a moment of silence.
Grandpa coughed into his fist. "Um… funny story, actually…"
They did not look in a ha-ha mood.
"Spit it out, old man," Malik said, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, um, he kind of tricked me into telling him…"
"What? How?"
"Well, there were candles… and wine…"
Yugi flailed his arms around. "I don't want to hear anymore! Grandpa, how could you betray Yami that way?"
"Did I mention there was music?"
"Ugh!" Yugi rose with the others and he told them what they obviously already knew, or were thinking. "Come on, you guys, no time to lose. We have to find them; I'm not going to let Yami's rose be deflowered by some maniac."
Ryou and Malik exchanged odd glances but nodded anyway. The movie crew was already moving out, leaving them behind and so they ran as fast as they could, following them through the woods and calling out their yamis names with Grandpa and Little Fruitcake following.
The chibis and Grandpa walked under the rising New Zealand sun. The sky lit up in golds and pinks from the east and a fleeting purple sky to the west. The leaves on the trees blew in the mid morning breeze and the tiny prince in the group of travelers was getting more and more nervous by the minute and had been complaining since they left the marked trail of the movie crew. They now could not see the foot prints any longer as they had past so far behind.
Marik was still riding on Grandpa's shoulders, now lapsed into a bored silence and Bakura was silent as well, walking to Yami's left as they followed the old man. Upset and agitated at the trust they were instilling in an utterly untrustworthy man at the moment, Yami yelled at the man:
"Hey! Jus where are ya takin' us? Dis ain't no shortcut an' you know it!"
"Sure it is," he said calmly, not sparing Yami a glance.
Yami squinted a glare at him. "Dwoes no one tink dere's sometin' off 'bout him?" he screeched, waving his arms about.
"Well, he smews funny," Marik said. "But den again, dat may be 'Kura I'm smewin'."
Bakura shrugged in response.
Yami frowned. "I'm not talkin' 'bout dat!"
"Wait! Listen…" Marik put his tiny hand to his ear and paused. "I tink it's da sound uh no one CARIN'!"
"… Dammit, Mawik, jus wisten ta me! Dis doesn't feel wight!"
"Keep ya feelings ta yerself."
Bakura stepped in this time, putting his hand over Yami's mouth before he could form a retort and they walked that way for a little while, with Yami mumbling protests and Bakura clearly not caring. They kept going in the clearing along side the woods and just beyond them, there were beautiful mountains and hills.
In front of them now was a small, rickety shack standing in the middle of the valley. It looked weathered and old and a bit unsafe, as if it would cave into itself any minute. There was a door just hanging onto it's hinges and Grandpa continued to go towards that shed, not saying anything.
"Wat's dat?" Marik asked.
"It's not safe!" Yami wailed and Marik spat in the young prince's eye. "Uck…"
"Oh…" Grandpa paused. "The crew is coming here to shoot one of the last scenes in the movie. See that mountain over there?" He pointed. "That's what they're using for Mount Doom. Should be quite a scene."
"How conbenient!" Yami huffed.
"It's true. Let's wait in here until they come."
"Wha? Yer nuts! If dey weally are comin' den deres no weason not ta wait OUT HERE in da OPEN."
"Sure dere is," Bakura spoke up.
"Wat?"
"In dere is prolly a lot warmer."
Marik nodded sagely. "Good pwoint, 'Kura."
"Dat is NOT a good point! Are ya all stupid? Didja bonk yer heads? Wats wong wid you?"
"Come on then," Grandpa said and entered with Marik on his shoulders. Bakura dragged the kicking and screaming Pharaoh inside as well and once they were in, Grandpa shut the door behind them.
Bakura sat Yami down by one of the walls and the young prince was breathing raggedly when Bakura let go of him. His amethyst eyes were lined with red and he seemed about to go off on Bakura for taking him against his will but before he could, Grandpa leaned against the door and his kindly eyes turned crazed and savage.
He cackled wildly, ripping off the bandana and revealing himself to be the dreaded Marty. "YOU'RE IN THE JUNGLE NOW, KIDIES! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
They gasped.
"YAMI!"
"BAKURA!"
"MARIK!"
They screamed as they ran through the woods and tried to listen at the same time for any sound of their other halves' voices. They were, however, rather annoying Peter as they ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.
He frowned deeply and looked to his cameraman and said, "Damn, they're screaming like their kids are about to be molested or something."
Yami, at the sight of that horrible man once again, yipped soundlessly and then turned to Marik and Bakura who were just as shocked and afraid. "See?" he yelled at them. "I was wight an' da two uh you jus didn't wisten! Ya didn't wisten!"
"Awright, awright," Marik shushed him. "Wets be sowution oriented."
"Sowution fuh wat? Dere is no sowution! Tanks to you simpletons, he's got us cornered in da middle of nowhere!"
"That's right, kiddies," Marty said, a slimly tone to his voice that made the boys shiver. "And for making the biggest fuss out of the bunch, you get to be first."
He picked up Yami by the hair and Yami struggled against the man's grip with all his strength but even when he was normal size, that strength was questionable. Marik looked up at him and shouted, "Do sometin', you idiot! Pwotect yaself!" So, using his only weapon left, Yami wet himself.
Bakura deadpanned. "Oh, dats wovely."
Marty frowned as the golden liquid dripped down his hands, forearms and ultimately his pant legs. Marik rolled his eyes at the spectacle and rushed over with Bakura at his side and they bit the man's ankles. Unfortunately, they screamed and yelped, holding onto their young mouths as Marty grinned in triumph and rolled up his pant legs to reveal steel plates wrapped around them.
"After my defeat on the plane, I came prepared."
"Well, so did we," Bakura said matter-of-factly. He slid over to stand in between the man's legs and Marik jumped on Bakura's head, gaining balance and head bashing Marty's crotch.
Marty doubled over in pain and dropped Yami. Marik ended up catching the prince and as soon as Yami was going to thank Marik, the little tomb keeper tossed him up and high-kicked him foreword and into the wooden door of the shack, knocking it down.
Bakura blinked. "Dat… was awesome."
"Tell me sometin' I don't know. Now c'mon," Marik said and with Bakura, they raced outside, making Yami get to his feet as they came out onto the grass. Marty began to get up on his hands and knees and they raced behind the little shed and saw the mountain behind them with people walking up its trail and the distant calling of their names.
TBC…
Her Sweetness: Oh, yes. Less than two hours. XD I did it!