~*Little Red Riding Hood*~
Tea: Little Red Riding Hood
(Yami) Marik: The "Wolf" (Okay…he's actually a schizophrenic)
Ishizu: Little Red Riding Hood's Mom
Yami: Doctor
Mai: Little Red Riding Hood's Aunt
"All right Yami, this story better be worthwhile." Yugi sat up on his bed facing Yami, watching him skim through the pages."
"Oh hold on." Yami continued looking for a good story to read. "Ah, here we are."
"Uh-oh," Yugi was being sarcastic. "What is it now?"
"Here's a rather intriguing story. Little Red Riding Hood." Yami placed on his reading glasses, as he looked the story over briefly.
"Hey wait a minute," Yugi snatched Yami's glasses. "You don't wear reading glasses."
"Well," Yami snatched the glasses back. "It makes me look smarter. Now anyway…"
Once upon a time, in a far away land, in a cottage tucked away in the woods, there was a young girl who always wore a red cloak. In fact, she had become so addicted to this cloak that she had dubbed herself 'Little Red Riding Hood'. To everyone else, they still call her Tea.
One day, word reached Tea's mother that her aunt had been sick for quite some time. Hoping to lift her spirits, Ishizu packed up a few goods such as bread, a muffin, three peaches she plucked from the trees outside, and Dim Sum. "Tea? You wouldn't mind doing me a favor right?"
"Coming." A voice called out. Tea ran down the stairs, the red cloak flying behind her as if the wind was pushing it back. "Sure I wouldn't mind doing a favor. What is it?"
"Oh Tea." Ishizu frowned. "You're still wearing that red cloak? I thought you would finally stop using it. You've been using it since you were, what…five?"
"Just forget it." Tea looked over at what Ishizu cooked up. "Hey, what's this for?"
"Well," Ishizu sighted, taking out a straw basket. "Your aunt has caught the flu once again. Her fever has gotten quite worse I believe. I want you take this to her house. The car is broken so you would have to walk up the forest paths."
"Aw man," Tea frowned as she took the basket, holding it by its handle. "But it's three miles from here. Do I really have to walk?"
"Oh don't be silly Tea." Ishizu smiled. "It will be good for you." She watched Tea opening the front door, about to leave with the basket in hand as she called out. "Oh Tea, wait."
"Huh?" Tea stopped at the doorway, looking back at Ishizu. "Yes?"
"I'm not sure if you heard the news but there has been a mad man running around the woods as of late."
Tea's eyes widened, unable to believe what her mother just said. "What?"
"Yes. So you must be careful." She hurried her daughter out the door, practically pushing her.
"Jeez," Tea muttered under her breath as soon as her mother closed the door behind her. "If there is a schizophrenic dude on the run, why the hell would mother send me out here to deliver food for my aunt?" She shrugged the thought off as she began her trek into the woods, which was three miles from the cottage. The basket in her hand was much heavier than she had expected. "Oh for the love of god! My aunt has the flu and mom packs enough food to feed the soldiers that went to fight off in the Middle East."
Time slowly ticked into half hour and already, Tea's legs seemed to wear her down. Lucky for her, a tree stump stood a few feet away from her. Tired and exhausted, she settled down on the stump, taking out a peach from the basket helping herself to a small bite of the delicate fruit.
"What young girl such as yourself would be doing out here in these parts of the woods at this time?"
Looking up, a bit startled, there stood a tall young man with wild hair that appeared to be in the shade of light brown or gray*. Tea's face flushed for quite some time, as she could not seem to remove her gaze from the stranger. His body had been sculpted nicely. Perhaps this stranger had been lifting weights for quite some time. Finally, after mustering up a bit of courage, her voice came out into a small whisper. "Who are you?"
The young man released a soft laugh. "Some people refer to me as Marik. Why do you ask?" he looked down at her red cloak, gazing at Tea oddly. "Wait a sec, you're that…what's her face…" he snapped his fingers, as if trying to remember her name. "Little Red Riding Hood. There you go…now I remember."
Tea smiled to that. "Yep, a lot of people call me that since I always wear a red cloak. After all, today is a windy day. But my real name is Tea and so far, only my mom calls me that."
"Is that so?" Marik smiled. "Where are you headed?"
Tea sighed, slouching, placing the basket on the ground. "I'm on my way to my aunt's house. Apparently, she came down with the flu so my mom asked me to deliver her this basket."
"Hmmm…" Marik took the basket, looking inside. "Your mother wanted you to give your aunt peaches, bread, muffins, dim sum and a bottle of sake?"
"Yeah. It's so heavy too." Tea groaned.
"Where is this aunt of yours?" he looked at her quizzically.
"Well, it's about a mile from here. All you have to do is cross the bridge from the river which is probably a few kilometers from here."
"Tell you what. You can take my motorcycle to your dear aunt's house. And my dear, I just know the shortcut to get there besides taking that silly old bridge."
"Really?" Tea took a glance at the black motorcycle that parked right by the tree.
"Oh yes. You just follow the forest path and turn right. That's the quickest shortcut to get across the river."
"You don't say." Tea then made her way towards Marik's motorcycle, placing the basket on the rack. "Well, thanks a lot. I don't think I'm up for walking any further."
"You just take the path I told you to go to. You'll reach your aunt's house in no time."
Tea sat on the motorcycle, placing the helmet on her head. "Thanks for lending me your bike Marik."
"Anytime my dear," he smiled as he watched her ride off. His lips curled into a smirk as she was finally out of sight. "Anytime." He then turned around, making his way down the opposite of the forest paths, laughing at his own joke. The directions he had given her guided her to a longer way to reach her relative's home. He knew the forests a bit too well as he took the real shortcut to Tea's aunt's house. It took him no longer than five minutes to finally reach the small log cabin tucked away beside the river. Reaching inside his cloak, he took out a gold object, appearing to be a rod. On the top was a sphere with an eye carved. Slowly, he approached the door, knocking on it ever so softly.
"Who is it?" a woman's voice called out.
"It's me dear aunt," Marik replied, imitating Tea's voice. "Mom told me you were sick so she sent me to bring this for you."
"Is that so?" a sneeze shot out. "Well, just lift the latch and come in. I sure could use some company."
"Indeed you do." Marik smirked, saying this to himself. Lifting up the latch, he opened the door entering the small home. There on the couch, laid a blonde woman, perhaps younger than he was, with a blanket over her and an ice pack on her forehead.
"Just put the basket on the coffee table dear." Mai's voice was a bit hoarse, her nose stuffed up as she sneezed once again. "God, I thought flu season was over but no."
"Flu season is over for you my dear." Marik took out his millennium rod. "I can assure you that."
Mai weakly looked up at Marik, her eyes widened as she sat up. "What the? Who the hell are you?" she eyed the rod in his hand. "What's going on?"
"Have you ever heard of the schizophrenic that escaped the mental ward weeks ago?" Marik leaned forward towards Mai, pointing the millennium rod to her forehead.
"You're him are you?" Mai scooted back, trying to avoid him.
"Oh yes I am my dear." He inched closer to her. "Have you ever wondered how my victims die without any trace of a blood or a bruise?"
"Wha…what? How…"
Marik laughed softly. "Why, I send them to the shadow realm my sweet." The millennium rod glowed. Marik watched Mai's eyes turning lifeless, falling off the floor. Marik looked down at the body, wondering what to do with it.
"Damn," he muttered to himself. "And that little girl is going to drop by any minute." He picked up Mai's lifeless body by her ankles, dragging it on the floor and to the bathroom, laying her in the tub, closing the curtain. He then went up the stairs, looking through her closet. "I guess I would have to kill off that kid too." He found a nightgown on the far end. A bit tacky but as long as they fit him. Shrugging himself off of his cloak, he placed on Mai's nightgown before making his way down the steps, lying on the couch.
Not too long after his rather intriguing deed, Tea soon came knocking on the door. "Aunt Mai. It's me, Tea. Mom told me you were sick so she sent me over here to drop off a few goods for you."
Marik started to imitate Mai. "Oh how sweet of that dear mother of yours to send me something."
Tea made a funny face, quirking an eyebrow. "That's weird Aunt Mai. Usually, you call my mom a worthless old hag."
What?!? Marik knew this wasn't a good sign. He had to think fast but how? "I guess I must have been hallucinating. Come in."
Tea opened the door, entering the living room. "Wow Aunt Mai, I didn't know you were that sick. Oh well," she placed the basket on the coffee table. "Maybe you're becoming a nice person when you are sick." She then looked over at the covered up body except for the hair and arm that's dangling over the edge. "Aunt Mai, did you dye your hair? It used to be blonde now it looks…beige."
"Can't a young woman dye her hair once in a great while." Marik answered.
"And Aunt Mai, your skin is darker." She picked up Marik's hand. "Not to mention a bit more manly."
"I've been lifting weights my dear. Plus I have been getting a great tan before this flu came along"
"And Aunt Mai," Tea smelled a strange scent coming from Marik. "You're wearing cologne?!?" she then pulled off the covers discovering that her aunt wasn't the person she thought she would be. "You?!? You're that guy who lent me the motorcycle."
Marik smirked, sitting up on the couch. Tea took a few steps back, pretending to look at her wrist. "Oh would you look at the time, I think I hear my mom calling me." She then ran towards the door.
With the smirk never leaving his lips, he took out his millennium rod watching it glow. The door simply became nothing more than a drawing on the wall.
"What the hell? What's going on?" Tea turned to Marik.
"I'm afraid there is no escape my dear." He laughed softly, slowly rising up from the couch. "Didn't your mother tell you about the mad man that escaped from his own prison." He twirled his millennium rod like a baton, making his way towards her. Tea leaned against the wall, looking up at Marik as he trapped her. He was not more than an inch from her as his body pressed to hers. "A beautiful young girl, hmmm…I wonder if I should let you live after all." Marik pressed the millennium rod onto Tea's forehead, watching it glow.
"What are you going to do to me?" her eyes looked at the rod curiously.
"What I have done to your dear aunt, silly." Marik laughed.
"All right Marik, that's enough sending people to the shadow realm." Another man, close to Marik's age, stepped in from the kitchen, an injection needle in his hand.
Marik whirled his head around seeing the man dressed in white, as if he were a doctor. "How…how were you able to get inside. There's no way!"
The doctor pointed to the door behind him. "Back door. Now come on, you need you're injection and it's back to the doctor for you."
"Make me you quack!" he yelled.
"I'll make you." Said Tea, kicking him right in the nuts, causing Marik to jump up and down, screaming in pain before falling to the ground.
The doctor watched in surprise, seeing Marik on the ground. He then looked up at Tea with wonder. "Little girl, could you help me hold this guy down?"
Tea nodded as she held Marik down by the arm. The doctor approached Marik, injecting something through his neck. Suddenly, Marik became dull and started to fall asleep as the doctor placed him in a straight jacket.
"Thanks a bunch little girl." He smiled as helped Marik up. "If you want, I could give you a ride home."
"All right." Tea nodded. She looked around assuming her aunt isn't home before picking up the basket giving it to the doctor. "Here, it's for you."
"Is that so?" the doctor looked through the contents inside the basket. "Not bad, there's sake in here."
The two slowly went to the car parked outside while the doctor dragged Marik behind him. He placed Marik in the backseat while the two sat up in front. Fifteen minutes pass by as they finally reached Tea's home.
Tea hopped off the car, watching the car drive off. She then went inside seeing her mother sewing as usual. Ishizu looked up, seeing Tea arrive so soon. "How's your aunt."
"Oh…" Tea looked up at her mother. "A bit strange at first but other than that, she's doing okay."
"Nice to hear," Ishizu smiled before going back to her sewing, then muttered. "I guess."
"Okay Yugi, what do you think now?" Yami closed the book, eyeing Yugi.
"First of all, the story sucked. Second, if the schizophrenic is who he says he is, why didn't he just send Little Red Riding Hood to hell with that stupid rod?"
"Well, you see Yugi, that's how the story…"
Once again Yugi cut his Yami off. "Read another one. Another one! ANOTHER ONE!!!"
"All right, all right, all right." Yami skimmed through the pages of the book, trying to look for a good story that would actually put his hikari to sleep.
~*To Be Continued*~