Disclaimer: Okay Mr. Scary Dude in a Creepy Suit, there is nothing you can do to make me say it. Absolutely nothing.
Mr. Scary Dude in a Creepy Suit: If you don't do it, I'll turn Ryo nonexistent.
Me: You wouldn't be that cruel!
MSDiCS: I would. totally straight, Kaiba-ish face
Me: Agh! NO! RYO MUST SURVIVE! I DON'T OWN YU-GI-OH!
MSDiaCS: disappears
Me: That was... odd.
Bring! Bring!
"Hello?" Mai answered the phone in her apartment Saturday night.
"Mai?" she heard a scratchy voice ask.
"Um... yeah, this is Mai. Who is this?"
"It's me, Atemu."
"That's YOU? What happened, hun? Were you attacked or something? OHMYGOSH, are you all right?"
"What do you mean, Mai?"
"Your voice, you sound like you've got like, I dunno, laryngitis or something."
"That's probably not far from the truth."
"Wha- But you'll be able to sing tomorrow, won't you?"
"I'll be able to, yes. But I need your help -well, the band's help really- with getting there."
"What do you mean, hun?"
"Well... I have just some cold or something and Jii-chan kind of... forbade me to go. So I just need a way to... sneak out of the house."
"Oh, so you're going for the whole 'rebellious' rep, eh?"
"No, I just-"
"At least you're not too pure to break a few rules. We NEED your voice to perform Weakling of the Night. And we can't go for another song now. We've been preparing it for weeks."
"Unless, of course, we go for Rishid as the bass singer."
"Uh... He can stick to his electric guitar, but nice thought. I'll work an escape plan with the band and call you tomorrow morning, all right hun?"
"Thanks. Bye."
"See ya hun."
Click.
Click.
Atemu hung up the phone and placed it back on its hooky-thingymajiggerbobber in the kitchen.
"So," a voice came from behind him. Atemu winced and spun around.
"Yugi... Hello."
Yugi smirked devillishly. "Sneaking out?"
"Uh... That was the plan. But you just go tell Jii-chan and I'll call Mai back-"
"What? No way! I won't tell, as long as I get something in return."
"And what would that be?"
"Do my homework for a week."
"Deal."
"... So... how do you think you're going to do this?"
"I don't really know. That's why I called Mai for help. I mean, it's not like I can just sneak out. My hair is a bit... hard to miss."
Yugi doubled over with laughter. "Oh 'Temu, you are in trouble now!"
"Only if you tell. We trust Mai for all deeds sly, devious, or otherwise untrustworthy."
"You've got a good point there."
"I know."
"Boys! Time for bed! Especially you, Atemu! Bed, now!"
"Okay!" Yugi shouted. Atemu ended up coughing.
The Next Day:
Bring! Bring! Bri-
"Mutou residence, Sogoroku speaking."
"Hey, Mr. Mutou? This is Mai Kujaku, from Atemu's band?"
"Atemu called last night, I thought. He can't go."
"Oh, he did call. I just need to... work something out with him about the performance and his part. Our other bass singer is kinda... sunk."
"All right, but don't expect to be able to hear him. He can barely talk." He put his hand over the phone. "Atemu!"
"Yes, Jii-chan?" came a scratchy reply.
"Phone for you."
"Oh yeah! I was expecting a call from her!"
Sogoroku looked suspicious. "You were?"
"Oh, um... yeah. We have a bit of a... problem with using our other bass voice."
"Okay. Here you go." He handed his grandson the phone.
Atemu took it. "Do you have a plan?"
"Of course I have a plan. I always have a plan, hun."
"Good point." His voice was terrible.
"Mai? Are you there?"
"Um... Are you SURE you'll be able to sing today?"
Atemu smirked on the other end. "I'm whispering. I've been saving my voice since last night."
"I need proof, hun. Otherwise we'll have to switch to another song with either me or Isis as the lead. The judges in this thing like either bass's or soprano's, I've noticed."
On the other end, Atemu smirked. He cleared his throat and said in the loudest voice possible without being overheard by Sogoroku, "How's this? Better? And I thought you were an alto?"
"Same diff, darling. Okay, you're gonna have to sing really loudly to get over the crowd roar. Are you sure you can do that?"
"I'll be fine," Atemu reassured her, switching back to whispering.
"Okay, here's the plan. You know how Jou and Honda are each well over six feet tall?"
"You brought the whole gang into this?"
"They wanted to help... especially Anzu," she added slyly, "You two would look awfully cute together, you know."
"Stick to the plan, Mai," he said through gritted teeth.
"Ooh, have we found a sensitive spot in the Game King?"
"Mai!"
"Oh wow, I'm gonna HAVE to tell Anzu about this!"
"Shuttup Mai."
"Uh-huh... Well anyway, Jou and Honda are gonna have on fake beards and mustaches -Well, Jou's will be fake. Honda's will be real but enhanced by a make-up job Anzu's giving him.- and they're gonna dress in those really corny, stuffy, Kaiba-like business suits, right? And they're gonna come up to your door working for the local food pantry asking for collections-"
"What are they going to do with the money? They're not really going to steal that much from people, are they?"
"Oh, we worked out that little glitch, too. They actually ARE going to be from the food pantry, as part of their required school community service stuff that they put off 'til the last minute."
"Nice."
"Very. And I'm not even to the good part. So you'll be in normal clothes, right?"
"Well, yeah. If I get dressed like I'm going to that concert, Jii-chan will get suspicious."
"Okay. Well you know Ryo? He's about your size, so he has some of those cool black jean things and a red flame shirt he's gonna give to Jou and Honda when they pass his house asking for donations, right? And Jou and Honda are gonna hide them in their suits. Got all that, hun?"
"Just one thing- Where did Ryo get those clothes? He's never worn them."
"Bakura insisted he have at least one set of cool clothes. But anyway, you know how you turn that corner around your house and there's that really wide alleyway with that dumpster that someone as small as you or Yugi or Ryo or Shizuka can crawl under?"
"Yes?" He decided not to bring up the 'small' comment.
"Jou and Honda will leave the clothes tied in a package under that when they pass the alley, then go and ring your doorbell. So when two weird guys in suits show up, it's them. They'll sort of... extend their conversation with your grandfather long enough so you can slip out the shop's side door and into that alley. Get your clothes, then take a left, then a right, then another right through the little web of alleys, and you'll come to Cross Street. A Kaiba limo will be parked right to the left of where you emerge from the alley. Bingo."
"KAIBA'S helping?"
"Yup. He was actually a last hope, but he said he'd do it right away. He said he liked our music. Weird, I know. Join the Confused Club... But anyway, the limo's got those windows where you can see out but others can't see in, and a screen thing to prevent the driver from seeing you. So you can get into those clothes during the limo ride. The driver will be Kaiba by the way, not one of his goons. So then you'll drive to the concert hall, and you'll be there! Just make sure to bring a backpack for your normal clothes, and probably some water in case your voice goes dry or funky. Remember what happened to Malik that one time we did that gig in that little town? He had like the tiniest cold and it totally screwed him up. But then again, you've got a stronger voice. But then again, by the sound of it you're sicker than he was when that happened... but whatever... and you can use your shadow magic to hide your absence from your grandfather, and presto!"
"I'll remember everything. Don't worry"
"Okay then. Honda and Jou'll be up your way around four o'clock, plenty of time for you to get ready and get there."
"Mai... what if this goes wrong? Have you got a back-up plan?"
"Nope. So be sure you don't mess it up, hun."
Atemu gulped. "Okay Mai. See you at four. Bye."
"Bye hun."
Click.
Click.
Atemu walked up the stairs to his and Yugi's room.
"Got a plan?" the shorter teen asked.
"A good one. But you're going to the concert, right?"
"Yup. It's a good thing Jii-chan isn't, though. Wait! How are you gonna cover up that you're gone?"
Atemu held up his hand. A black orb of energy started glowing in his palm. "Shadow magic, Yugi. I can create the illusion of my presence, as well as toy with someone's mind. It's already in effect right now, as a matter of fact."
"But you're bound to get photographed. How will you hide that?"
"Destroying tomorrow's morning paper, also with shadow magic."
Yugi looked impressed. "Wow."
Atemu nodded. "Mai is really a genius when it comes to planning."
What Atemu chose not to think about was what would happen if something went wrong.
Electric Fire: Oh yes, Atemu is a bad boy. Naughty, naughty. But then again, I suppose pretending to be healthy is better than pretending to be sick... in a very ODD, twisted way. We did great Saturday and Sunday, and my mom says poor Kevin was WAY better on Sunday, though he was still really good Saturday she says. He'll probably read this. HI KEVIN IF YOU READ THIS! Though you'll sign your review under your new disgusting pen name... you are a twisted little boy. Inyhoo, back to Electric Fire, the cooler person. You'd never REALLY fake sick, would you? Not my mild-mannered friend, Electric Fire? Hehe, neither would I. -shifty eyes-
Pharaoh Atemu's Angel, thanks for the compliment. You flatter me and my stinky stuff! I'm happy that you like it though. Personally, I can just picture Atemu as a singer, or on the flute if you've read my other story, Cry of the Black Magician. Music always pops into my stories somehow, I can't resist it. And most of my stuff is sappy sick-fics, so... yeah. You like how I did Atemu? Shucks, thanks. He's kinda moody though, ne? Sure I'd love to add your OC/s, just send it's/their description to me in a review or an e-mail by the next chappie or so, 'cuz the competition's gonna start VERY soon!