Ryou Bakura, Film Maker
Ladies and gentleman, prepare for Yami to lose what few shreds of sanity he ever had!
Chapter 6
Yami and Mai
"Bakura, I was thinking about adding in some scenes." Joey said, holding out a stack of papers to Bakura.
"What kind of scenes?" Bakura asked.
"A few more scenes with Yami and Téa." Joey explained. Bakura swallowed. Uh-oh.
"We can't, that would require off-screen contact, and he doesn't want any." Bakura said.
"I know, but I think these new scenes, like the one where Téa pulls off her top, might really help boost viewer response." Joey said. Bakura rubbed his chin.
"I don't want anymore scenes with Yami, but I like the thing about Téa's top. Try and to write Yami out of that, but for now, we can't do any more scenes with him." Bakura's phone rang, and he picked it up. "Yeah?"
"It's Malik. Yami just went up to the head office at Paradias, he'll be down any minute." Malik said. Bakura nodded.
"Check, I'll be there." He said. He hung up. "Joey, tell Mai and Kaiba to get into costume, Yami wants to shoot the parking lot scene."
- - - - - - - - - -
Yami stepped off the elevator to the Paradias parking garage and walked to his car, whistling. He reached into his pocket for his keys as he walked down the row of cars, and slowed. There was another set of steps, following his own. Yami stopped, and waited as the footsteps stopped as well. Yami looked over his shoulder. Nothing. He frowned and looked forward.
"Pharaoh…" A voice whispered. Yami's eyes widened.
"Hey, who's there?" He called. No answer. He looked ahead, and after a moment, stepped forward, beginning his walk again. A moment later, the second set of steps started again as well. Yami froze and whirled around. Nothing. He gulped and turned to keep walking.
Had he stopped looking behind him, and looked behind the row of cars to his right, he might have seen a golden retriever wearing a pair of sandals. Rochelle sat patiently as Bakura sat on the edge of a Red Wagon. Behind him, Drake sat filming Yami over the cars. Luckily, the darkness of the garage helped them blend in. Yami started walking again, and at the front of the Wagon, Malik creeped forward on his haunches, pulling Bakura and Drake behind him. Bakura waved Rochelle forward, and she followed them, her sandals clopping on the asphalt. Drake watched as Yami stopped, and reached down to tap both Malik and Bakura on the shoulder. Malik stopped pulling, and Bakura held out a hand, beckoning Rochelle to stop.
"YAH!" Yami screamed, whirling around, hands up in a fighting stance. Nothing. Yami's eyes darted back and forth behind him. Yami growled and cracked his knuckles. He started walking.
"Fast." Bakura hissed. Malik pulled the wagon faster, and Rochelle started running to keep up. Yami looked behind him to see nothing, but hearing the footsteps. He gasped and looked forward, running.
"Keep it together, keep it together." He moaned, sprinting for his car. He literally leapt into the front seat and revved the car. A moment later, Yami broke the speed record for accelerating from a dead stop. The car screeched down the exit ramp.
"Cut" Bakura shouted. "Okay, let's get Mai and Kaiba out of make up and shoot part 2!"
- - - - - - - - - -
Once again, the cast and crew were in Bakura's living room, watching the edited film. Yami crept down the parking lot, slowing as he heard footsteps. The shot changed to show Mai in her Kisara outfit, hiding behind a car. Yami spun around and let out his scream.
"My god, he's amazing." Mai breathed. "His fear is so real, it's almost like he thinks he's really being stalked." Bakura nodded and fought to keep from grinning. Yami dashed to his car and drove away as Mai ran for him. Kaiba, clad in a blue and white armor with a golden ahnk on the chestplate (1), appeared from behind a car and grabbed Mai from behind, wrapping a hand around her mouth. Mai reached out and screamed, the sound muffled, as Yami's car vanished.
"Bakura, can I talk to you." Mai said, pulling him aside. "Look, I respect Yami's work ethic. You know, no off set contact, only one take. But I've waited years to shoot with a big star, and now that I am, I want to meet him."
"No, you cannot meet him. Yami's very picky about who he talks to. I'm sorry, I wish you guys could meet him, but he says absolutely not." Bakura said. Mai nodded.
"Alright." She sighed.
-Sometime the Next Day-
Mai drove down Main Street, whistling in time to a song on her radio. She frowned and looked to the side of the street. Yami and his agent were walking into a clothing store. Mai looked ahead. Ryou said no off-screen contact with Yami, check. But…surely a little visit wouldn't hurt? Mai looked for a parking spot.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yami sat down on a sofa near the change rooms as Mai pretended to browse. Tristan came out of the change room wearing a dark blue suit. Yami nodded.
"Yeah, I like it. Turn." He said. Tristan turned around. "Nice. Turn back, do the thing." Tristan turned forward and held up a cardboard cutout of Yami's head over his face. Yami grinned. "Yeah, there it is. I'll look good in that. I'll take it." The clerk nodded.
"Perfect sir, if you have your measurements, we can have the suit ready on Friday." The clerk said. "And if possible, could we maybe take a few shots of you in the clothes, for advertising?"
"Sure, but it'll run ya a hundred bucks. Friday is fine, I'll pick it up at 4." Yami said. "Tristan, go give the guy my measurements." Tristan and the clerk walked into the back room. Mai watched them go, and swept around to face Yami.
"I'm sorry, I know you don't want to see me, but I have to talk to you." Mai said. Yami turned and gasped, jumping up.
"You again!" He muttered. Mai nodded.
"I just want you to know I think it's amazing, what you've done with the monsters. It was if your soul really is in danger." She gushed. "And, your reaction when Seth turned against you and took on dark magics was truly incredible." Yami backed up as Mai walked towards him. "At first I wasn't sure I could play the White Dragon, but now I'm enjoying it! You, you truly make the monsters come alive!" Mai gasped. "Oh, and, I want you to know that at first, I wasn't comfortable with them implying we had sex. But then Ryou told me that Téa is your confirmed love interest and that makes me glad, because I don't want either of us to look like idiots on screen, after all, a lot of people will watching. I'll leave now." Mai spun and briskly out of the store.
Yami stood, mouth open, eyes wide with terror, shaking to his shoes.
- - - - - - - - - -
The limo screeched to a halt in front of Yami's mansion, and Dartz climbed out followed by two lackeys carrying medical equipment.
"Where is he?" Dartz snapped as Tristan opened the door.
"In the grotto." Tristan said. Dartz nodded and marched past him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yami's feets were shaking, his hands were being wrung over and over, his skin was deathly pale, and his eyes were wide. Electrodes on his forehead were monitoring his heart rate and brain waves.
"So…what did this woman want?" Dartz asked.
"My balls, she wanted my balls!" Yami shrieked. Dartz frowned as his heart rate shot up.
"Your…balls? You mean she wanted your testicles?" He asked. Yami nodded.
"Yeah yeah, ya see, what they do is they come and act like they wanna shake your hand, but they ain't! They drain your soul and steal your balls and mix them together so they can make a magic potion to conjure up monsters to steal more souls and more balls to conjure up more monsters." Yami explained. He groaned. "Keep it together, keep it together…I can't keep it together!" He wailed, slamming his head down on the table and sobbing. "I don't wanna die Dartz, I don't wanna die!" He cried. Dartz coughed lightly.
"Yami…I want you to come with me…to a place." Yami's head jerked up.
"What kinda place?" He snapped.
"A good place, a happy place. Remember happy, Yami, the 3 Happy Rules?" Dartz assured him. "It's a…special celebrity relaxing center, where you can be safe while we try and sort out this testicle-stealing woman you are so frightened of." Yami whimpered.
"I'd like that…I want that." He blurbled.
-3 Days Later-
"He's gone." Malik said. Bakura looked up from his desk.
"Huh?"
"Yami's gone, we can't find him." Malik explained.
"No, you just aren't looking. He's one of the most famous faces on the planet, he's not gone." Bakura insisted. Malik shook his head.
"We staked out his house, Paradias, everywhere. He's vanished, poof gone. It's Paradias, they're like a cult, they control him. That guy Dartz is brainwashin' him or something." Malik said. Bakura growled and stood up.
"Damn it, we can't shoot the film without the star!" He snapped. He thought for a moment. "Okay, there have to plenty of guys out there who look and sound like Yami."
"You mean violet eyes, spikey tri-colored hair and a superiority complex?" Malik asked dryly. Bakura glared.
"Not helping. Look, we find a couple of look-a-likes and sound-a-likes, we just use them for sound and long shots, we use Yami when he gets back. Go find some." Malik shrugged and turned. "And hey, Yami showed his ass in all of his last 4 films, and all of his last 4 films have been great hits, so we need a guy with a fabulous ass." Malik left his office, and Bakura ran to the doorway.
"And we're not using mine!" He called.
1: Basically, Priest Seth's outfit.
