Key:
"Normal speak"
:a hikari's thoughts or speaking to his/her Yami:
#a Yami to his/her hikari#
Everyone Gets A Yami: Part 3
Treasure of the Princesses
"Thank you for coming in this afternoon, Ms. Valentine," said a sniveling little man, who was hovering around a tall blonde woman as she walked into the photo studio.
"Yeah, yeah... no problem Yowasso." Mai Valentine; Harpy Duelist, Battle City Finalist, and all around Blonde-Bombshell, said while over-viewing the set. "I wouldn't make such a late-day trip back too Domino City to do a photo shoot for any old reason, but you do pay well. Just remember to give me that bonus you promised."
"Of course Ms. Valentine." Said Yowasso as he guided Mai back to the dressing rooms. "Your usual fee of 15 hundred-thousand Yen plus the bonus of 100 thousand Yen and one box of Duel Monster cards."
"The 'Harpy Masters' set correct?"
"Of course," Yowasso said as soon as they arrived in a dead end hallway with a door on either side. "Here we are Ms. Valentine. Your room is on the left, which you will be sharing with Ms. Suzuki. The other room will be occupied by Ms. Saito and Ms. Tanaka."
A look of shock crossed Mai's face. "Wait, Kumi Saito and Norie Tanaka?" Yowasso nodded in conformation. "How did you get those two to agree on sharing a room?"
coughcough The small little man seemed to shrink before Mai's eye. Almost as if he was hoping to disappear and thus avoid that subject. "Well... Miss. Suzuki is new to the modeling business... and neither Ms. Saito nor Ms. Tanaka wanted to be stuck 'showing her the ropes'..."
"I take it that they 'volunteered' me to do it."
Yowasso nodded, meekly.
"It'll cost you another box of cards." Mai said before she opened the dressing room door, and saw the short-haired brunette sitting at the vanity.
"Yes, Ms. Valentine," were Yowasso's words as the door slammed in his face.
On the other side of the door, Mai spun around to look at the other girl in the room, putting on a 'make friends' smile. :That's another thing I owe Joey and his friends for. If I never met them, I would have continued avoiding newbies like the plague:
"Hay there," Mai said while extending her hand. "I'm Mai Valentine. You must be Suzuki."
The other girl tentatively shook the blonde's hand. "Yes, I am Sora Suzuki. It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Valentine. I saw you duel during the Battle City Tournament."
"Please, call me Mai." She said while releasing the young girl's hand and waved her hand in dismissal. "The whole 'Ms. Valentine' thing is only for suck-ups like Yowasso out there." Both girls smiled as Mai took a seat at the other vanity.
As they began preparing, Mai took a few seconds too look Sora over, and she realized that Yowasso wasn't kidding when he said she was knew. :She must be fresh out of high school. Not that I'm one to talk, but I've also been modeling sense I could walk:
"So," Mai said while taking a brush to her blonde tresses. "Did anyone tell you what the theme for this shoot was going to be?"
"Ummm..." Sora nervously stuttered. "Mr. Yowasso..." Mai gave her an amused glance, and Sora, catching on, smiled back. "...Yowasso said that we're going to do an 'Ancient Beauties' theme. He also called it a 'princesses thru time' concept."
Mai's eyes perked up. "Ooooh... that's good news." A grin crossed her lips.
"Why's that Mai?" Sora questioned.
"One word sister," Mai spun in her chair around and touched a finger onto Sora's nose. "...ACCESSORIES!!!"
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Studio
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Several hours later, and the last set of pictures were ready to be taken.
For each set, Yowasso had the girls dress up in costumes from a specific period in time. For each period, one of the girls would get to play the part of the 'princess' and the other three would be her entourage.
Norie had been first with the Medieval England theme. Next was Russia monarchy with Sora playing a Czar. Kumi showed of with gusto when she got to play a Lord's wife for the Feudal Japan set. Apparently, she liked to flaunt the fact that her mother's family is of 'distant' relation to the old Imperial line.
Now it was Mai's turn.
"Ms. Valentine, are you almost done?" came a whiney voice from the other side of the door.
Mai continued her visual scan of the prop room. "Just a sec Yowasso. Beauty like mine can't be rushed." :Not like I need much with my looks, but it wouldn't hurt to add something to top Kumi.: It wasn't often said, but everyone who's worked with those two before knew, there was some deep rivalry between Mai Valentine and Kumi Saito. It was clear to everyone, except Kumi, that Mai was the better model, but her other carrier as a Duelist made Mai a little less know in the business than Kumi, who had contracts with several fashion magazines.
"Now," Mai bent over to look at a shelf meant solely for headwear as she continued talking to herself. "What here just screams 'Queen of Egypt'?"
After a few more seconds, her eyes finally came across a golden crown. It was a bulky, over adorned, grouping of metallic tubes. When she lifted it up, Mai heard it clank around and saw parts of it shift, as if it had been smaller and other parts were added onto later.
Mai held the heavy headgear in front of her face. "Not something I would dare wear in public, but it'll defiantly make Saito jealous." She smiled as she placed it onto her forehead. "Sorry Kumi-chan, no crowns for a Feudal Lady."
As she made her way out of the prop room, Mai noticed that the studio had grown rather quiet. #Something is not right#
Trusting her instinct, Mai crept slowly back to the main room of the studio, she leaned against the doorway, only to be shocked by the sudden: "EEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!!" and other yelps of Yowasso, his crew, and the other models.
"Shut Up!" came a deep, gruff male voice that Mai knew didn't belong to one of the crew members. "Stop yer yelling or else someone's getting' hurt!"
Mai peered around the corner. At the edge of the set, a large burly man, wearing jeans and a windbreaker, stood with his back to Mai. He had backed the crew and models into one of the corners, but Yowasso slowly stepped forward. "N...now see h...here... This...This is a private set. You gulp ...you cannot come in here without permission."
"Shatup, twerp, I'm gonna leave as soon as get what came here for."
:Why don't I think he looking for petty cash.:
"Suku..." came the voice of Sora, "...what are you doing here?!? I told you it was over between us!"
"Wench!" the now identified Suku yelled, "It's over when I SAY IT"S OVER!"
Hearing this, Mai scowled. :What's his problem?: #He's treating her like a possession# :This isn't right: #We got to stop him!# She was so livid, she didn't notice the oddity in her thoughts.
Suku grabbed Sora by her wrist, and began dragging the girl towards the studio entrance. "Suku, LET ME GO!"
"You heard the girl." With the grace of a healthy young woman, Mai slipped from behind some lighting equipment and got in between the thug and his way out. Her dramatic entrance was not as effective due to the costume she was still wearing, including the bulky crown. "Now are you going to let her go, or do I have to stop you?"
BANG
Suku grinned as he watched Mai's head jerk back; her body fall lifelessly to the floor. "I don't think so, 'you highness'." He said while placing the smoking revolver back into his shoulder holster.
Still within arms reach of her ex, Sora fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. "Mai..."
"The #!# got what she wanted, she 'played hero'," Suku calmly said while once again grabbed Sora's wrist and began dragging her towards the door.
"You... MONSTER!" Sora yelled while trying to break his grip on her arm.
"Call me whatever ya want, your still comin'." Suku said as he took a step over Mai's prone body.
THUNK
"ARRRGGGG!!!" The brute of a man suddenly stumbled back, bring his arms to his waist, letting go of Sora in the process.
His pain came from a knee that had shot up to where his waist had been. Slowly, the rest of Mai also came up. "Have to warn you, I fight dirty." As she spoke, the excess pieces and a single bullet fell off the crown, revealing the Eye of Horus that now rested high on her forehead.
The center of the Eye shined. Mai's hair changed from her normal golden trestles to a lighter shade, almost white in color. As she moved forward, Mai's movements became more precise and elegant, as if she flowed across the floor instead of walked.
"You #((!# #!#!" Suku yelled as he tried to stand up straight. His shaky hand began to move back toward his gun. "This time I'm going to be sure I kill you."
Mai's glide picked up speed, then she swung her leg around and ax-kicked the gun out of his hand. As soon as the revolver hit the floor, her other slid across the floor to knock it into the awaiting darkness. She then spoke with a softer voice that carried tremendous force. "If you want to kill me, you're going to have to do it without your little toy."
Fear crossed the brutes face as he looked into Mai's eyes.
"This is how we're going to play this GAME." She said, "You got five seconds to find something to kill me with, and I will try and find something to stop you. Whoever finds what they need first wins." Suku's fear became confusion as Mai continued to speak. "You win, and I'll no longer be in your way. However, If I win you will have to play a penalty game."
Suku said nothing, but his eyes shifted toward where his gun had disappeared.
"Game Start."
At the sound of her words, Suku scrambled over toward where the gun was last seen. The yami within Mai just stood there and said, "One..."
Suku began digging around the stray boxes. Mai still did nothing. "Two..."
He finally spotted his revolver, but tripped over the debris he had scattered around in his earlier search. Mai was unmoved. "Three..."
Suku got his hand on the gun and knocked the hammer back, ready to fire. Still nothing from the girl, "Four..."
He spun the gun around, trying to take careful aim despite his shaking hand. "Five!" With precise movements Mai's yami crouched down and scooped something off the ground, and with a flick of the wrist launched a blot toward Suku. The bolt flew threw the air, straight toward Suku's hand.
Ban-Kunk-Boom The bolt had become logged in the barrel, causing the bullet to backfire.
"So you like to treat others as posessions. It's time you felt what's it like to be claimed by another. Penalty Game: Posessed Mind!"
As soon as he was sure the gunman was unconscious, Yowasso scrambled over to Mai's side. "Ms. Valentine, are you alright?"
With a glow from the tiara, Mai smiled down at the photographer. "I'm alright Yowasso. You should go call the cops."
"Of course," the sniveling little man said while heading back to his office.
"One more thing..."
"Yes, Ms. Valentine?"
"I'll take this instead of my bonus." Mai said while pointing to the tiara still on her forehead.
"Whatever you want Ms. Valentine." He said as the blond woman headed back to the dressing room.
:I don't know who you are, but thanks for your help:
#I apologize. I am Mere, personal bodyguard of the Royal Treasurer of Egypt and Spirit of the Millennium Tiara.#
Mai slipped out of the costume she was wearing and got her clothes out of the dresser.
:Wow, I never thought I'd get a Item of my own. Just don't be making me go nutso like Marik did:
#I would never go against your wishes. I only ask that you allow me to stay with you... and help me find someone as well.#
:Sure you can stay, but who is it you're looking for?:
After Mai got into her clothes, she walked outside to her car; planning to get a hotel room for the night.
"I've received some training under the High Priest. Thru my skills as a priestess, I sensed the awakening of Joseph. He is the Treasurer that I was sworn to protect. I wish to find the one who hosts his spirit.#
:Of course I'll help. Besides, his 'host' maybe a cutie:
#I'm sure of it, destined host greatly resemble those of us who reside in the items. I doubt you would find my fiancé ugly#
:You may be right, Yugi and his Spirit are almost identical. Wait a second...... fiancé!:
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Domino Museum
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Ishizu sat at her desk, resting her head upon her hands. She was seemingly asleep from the late hour.
KnockKnock
"Come in," came the tomb-keeper's quiet voice.
"Mistress Ishizu," said the hooded man who walked thru the door.
"Odion, you completed your task." She stated rather than asked.
"I've witnessed the awakening of the Treasurer. Also, I delivered the Tiara and it's been found by who you predicted."
"And the other two," She once again stated.
"...have been place exactly where you said they needed to be. They have not been found yet."
"It won't be long. It's been awhile sense all the ancient ones have been together."
Author's Notes:
(Psycho King get's pummeled by Death, GSO-Techu6, and Lunix95)
Me: Arp... You know the drill... review... Ack!