Okay. This isn't the interview itself like I had thought. It's setting it up. Next chapter will the actual interview. I promise!
Enjoy!
Chapter 41- The Interview part 1
The following morning, Yugi and the others all go ready for the interview that they would have that day.
"I really don't look forward to any of this." Jou muttered.
"Why?" Bakura asked as they all sat down at the breakfast table.
"Because these people are going to want to know every detail of our lives." Jou said.
"That's one of the reasons that we wanted to keep our identities a secret. We just didn't want people trying to pry into every part of our lives." Heba said.
"And we certainly didn't want this." Malik said, looking out the window.
"Media or fans?" Touma asked.
"If I had to guess, I would say both." Malik replied.
"Well, come over here and eat. We'll have to leave pretty soon to get to the studio. Since it's been advertised that we'll be coming, I think that we'll have as much trouble getting in the studio as we will getting out of the driveway." Touma said.
"Tou, are you taking Jun with us to the studio?" Yugi asked.
"After the last time, not a chance." Touma replied.
"What happened last time?" Seiji asked.
"He wandered off when I told him not to, and it took the six of us about an hour to find him in the studio. I don't want a repeat of that." Touma explained.
"That's why you called Shin and Shu. You want them to come over here so that they can baby-sit Jun." Seiji said.
"Yes." Touma replied.
"How long is this interview going to take?" Yami asked.
"There's no way to tell. It could last from an hour up to three. That's the longest that we've had before." Ryou said.
"Three hours?!" Marik exclaimed.
"Yep. It all depends on how many questions the interviewer has to ask." Malik said.
"How do you guys stand sitting there being asked questions for that long?" Atemu asked.
"Well, I guess it's not so bad for us because we're used to it now." Yugi said.
The doorbell rang.
"That must be Shin and Shu." Seiji remarked, getting up to answer it.
"How did they get in the gate?" Seto asked.
"We gave them a key. I'm glad I did." Touma said.
Shin and Shu walked into the kitchen with Seiji.
"Man! Talk about vultures." Shu said.
"We know. That's why we didn't want anyone knowing who they were." Touma replied.
"Well, we were finally able to get in the gate, although we had to be quick so that no one else got in." Shin said.
"Don't worry. A quick threat of being thrown in jail for trespassing would have easily gotten them out." Touma said.
"I guess you guys have a lot that you're going to have to deal with now." Shin said.
"Yeah. We do." Yugi agreed.
"Anyway, just don't let Jun go outside. I don't want those people close enough to him to talk to him. Most of them will die out when we leave since they know that they're going to be interviewed later." Touma said.
"Well, we'll be ready for anything." Shin said.
"Don't worry about a thing." Shu added in.
"Thanks, guys." Seiji said.
"Not a problem." Shin assured them.
"Boys, go and get dressed. We're going to be leaving very soon." Touma said.
The teenagers nodded and then headed upstairs.
Jun came down the stairs and said, "Hi, Papa. Daddy." Jun said.
"Morning, Jun. You remember Shin and Shu, right?" Touma asked.
"Sure." Jun said.
"While we're gone, they're going to be taking care of you, so behave and listen to them both." Touma said.
"I will, Papa." Jun said.
"Don't worry. I'm sure that he'll be just fine." Shu said.
A few minutes later, all of the teenagers came downstairs, dressed and ready.
"All right. Let's get this over with." Jou said.
The group then headed downstairs.
"How are we going to get out?" Bakura asked.
"People move when there's a moving vehicle coming at them." Touma explained.
The group then split up into two vehicles, and they all left the house.
As Touma had said, the media and the fans moved out of the way when they left, but they made sure that the gate was shut and locked before they headed to the studio.
At the studio, the two vehicles were parked behind the studio so that they would be able to get into the studio a little easier even though there was still media at the back.
"Best thing to do is make a run for it." Touma muttered.
"Not exactly easy in your case." Seiji said.
"Yeah, well, I'll manage." Touma said.
The entire group got out of the cars and then started to run for the doors while the media was throwing questions at them as well as snapping pictures. They were all glad when they got into the building.
The security of the studio kept everyone else from getting in.
"I'm glad that you made it." a female voice said.
The group saw a woman with red hair and green eyes in a business type suit standing there.
"You must be Mizo Tachigawa." Touma said.
"Yes, Mr. Hashiba. I am. Please follow me." the woman said.
The group did as they were told.
"We're very pleased that you wanted this studio to do the first interview since the news broke out." Tachigawa said.
"Well, we're done several interviews here before." Touma said. 'Besides, this is the only national television studio in Domino.' Touma thought.
"Well, these are your dressing rooms. You're an hour early, so you'll have to wait until the appointed time." Tachigawa said.
"Thank you. We understand." Touma said.
Tachigawa nodded and then walked off.
"Inside." Touma said.
The entire group walked into one of the dressing rooms, figuring that Touma wanted to say something to them.
"All right. You five remember what to do, right?" Touma asked.
"We know. Be polite, but direct." Yugi said.
"Don't let anything they say get under your skin." Jou added.
"Don't let our tempers get the best of us." Malik added.
"Sit proper and don't slouch." Ryou said.
"Stay calm, and if you're upset, don't show it." Heba said.
"Good. I really don't want you guys doing something that you'll regret" Touma said.
"I think that all of you need to remember all of that." Seiji said.
"He's right. You'll probably be asked questions, too." Touma agreed.
"Okay. We'll try to remember that." Yami said.
"If possible, just let us handle all the questions. We know what to expect." Heba said.
"Trust me. I really don't want to have to answer any questions." Bakura said.
"Well, if you do, try not to let your temper get the best of you." Seiji said.
"I won't." Bakura said.
"Well, all that we can do now is wait and until the interview starts." Touma said.
"At least we have things to read." Seto said, seeing the magazines.
"Don't tell me. They're about us." Yugi said.
"Yep. From yesterday and today." Seto said, looking through them.
"I doubt that there's much difference in the issues from yesterday and today." Jou said.
"Yes, they will be. Don't forget that people know that you guys are dating now, not to mention the claim that that girl made." Touma said.
"And here's one now." Seto said.
"Meaning?" Malik asked.
Seto showed them the cover.
"Love Interests of Hikari and Aibou." Ryou read.
"Well, this is just great." Heba said.
"We knew that this one was coming." Touma said.
"Yugi. Yami. You two are going to love this one." Seto said, handing them one.
"Damn it!" Yami cursed.
"What?" Atemu asked.
"Listen to this. 'Who is Yugi Mutou of Hikari and Aibou really dating? Who is lying, or is he sneaking around with both?' Yugi read.
"This wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for what Rebecca did." Heba growled.
"Calm down. That's exactly the way you don't need to act. Yami, it might be best to let Yugi handle the questions on Rebecca." Touma said.
"Tou, I'll be honest in saying that when it comes to the questions about Rebecca, I might not be the calmest person on the set." Yugi said.
"I know. Just do the best that you can under the circumstances." Touma said.
Yugi flipped through the article and read it.
"What does it say?" Bakura asked.
"The title pretty much says it all. It's just speculation of why there are two different reports on who I'm dating." Yugi said.
"Can I assume that they spoke to Rebecca?" Touma asked.
"Yes, and she said that I've been dating her, and that I left Yami for her. She also said that anyone who says I'm dating Yami is liar. She claims that I asked her to marry her a few weeks ago, too." Yugi said.
"Geez. She's been busy making up stories." Marik said.
"Yugi can refute everything she's said though." Touma said.
"And I will. I know that this is going to be one of the big things that are going to be discussed during the interview." Yugi said.
Tachigawa walked to a dressing room and knocked on the door.
"Come on." a feminine voice said.
Tachigawa opened the door and walked in to find a blonde woman with purple eyes sitting in the room.
"Ms. Kujaku, I just wanted to let you know that the members of the Hikari and Aibou band are here." Tachigawa said.
Mai Kujaku turned to look at Tachigawa. "All right, hun. Thanks for letting me know. I'll head over there and talk to them about what's going to happen on the show." Mai said.
Tachigawa nodded and left.
Mai Kujakuwas the one who had interviewed them the few times that they had done interviews at the studio, and she liked them because they were not the stuck up types who flaunted their wealth and success. She liked the five because hey were down-to-earth. "Well, I might as well go and meet them." Mai said. She stood up and walked out the door.
The others were sitting in the dressing room, waiting.
"Who's doing the interview, Tou?" Yugi asked.
"They hadn't decided yet. I hope that it's Mai Kujaku." Touma said.
"Why?" Seiji asked.
"Because she's the one who has done all of the interviews with them, and she's good. Most interviewers will try to twist things to make them look bad or something, but she just does her job and wants honest answers." Touma said.
"Plus, she's nice to us, and she makes us feel comfortable." Yugi added.
"Sounds like she's the one that needs to do the interviewing." Yami remarked.
There was a knock on the door.
Seiji opened the door.
"Hello." Mai said.
"Ms. Kujaku." Touma said.
"Mr. Hashiba, it's good to see you again." Mai said.
"This is Mai Kujaku." Touma said.
"Oh. You're the one that's done the other interviews." Yami said.
"Yes, I am." Mai replied as Seiji let her in the room.
"Are you doing the interview today?" Yugi asked.
"Yes, I am." Mai said.
"That's good to know." Heba said.
"I just thought that I would come here and talk about the interview first. Can I assume that these guys are your boyfriends?" Mai asked.
"Yes." Jou said.
"Well, if you boys don't mind, I think you might take part in the interview, too." Mai said.
"We figured that might happen." Yami told her.
"How is this going to go?" Touma asked.
"Well, I think that I'll just have the band members and you out there. We'll talk about why you didn't tell anyone who you were and deal with that first. After that, I'll talk about your boyfriends, and I think that's when I'll have them come out on the stage as well. I know that a lot pf people want to know about that as well." Mai said.
"Meaning me?" Yugi asked.
"Yes." Mai said.
"That's understandable. The girl isn't going to be here right?" Touma asked.
"No." Mai said.
"Good." Touma said.
"Why is that good?" Mai asked.
"Because if she was here, there might be bloodshed." Yugi replied.
Mai laughed. "Well, I saw no reason for her to be here given that people make fake claims like that a lot. I decided to just let you speak about that." Mai said.
"Thanks." Yugi said.
"Well, the interview will be in about forty-five minutes." Mai said.
"We'll be there." Touma said.
"Good. I want all six of them out there when I ask for them." Mai said.
"Six?!" Seiji, Yami, Atemu, Marik, Bakura, and Seto exclaimed.
"Yes. I assume that you're Mr. Hashiba's boyfriend, so I figure you might as well be out there as well." Mai said.
Touma smirked. "He'll be out there.' Touma said.
"Good. I'll see you alter." Mai said before walking off.
"Why did you do that?' Seiji asked.
"Because you're going to suffer along with the rest of us." Touma replied.
The group laughed.
"Well, at least she is the one that's doing the interview." Yugi said.
"Yeah. That's a relief." Jou agreed.
"At least we won't have to stay out there as long as you guys do." Yami said.
"That might be a good thing." Ryou said.
"Yeah. I just hope that we're not interviewed for three hours." Yugi said.
"I can tell you now that the studio has set aside that time length for the interview. It doesn't necessarily mean that it'll take that long, but they have left that amount of time open." Touma said.
"Probably because this is one of the biggest stories that they have at the moment." Heba said.
"So, I guess we all might as well be ready to have to answer questions." Atemu said.
"Well, Seiji and I won't get many questions mainly because I am not in the spotlight that often. It'll be all of you that Ms. Kujaku concentrates on." Touma said.
"Then we'll just have to be ready for whatever is asked." Seto said.
Mai sat in her dressing room, looking over the list of questions that she was expected to ask.
"Well, this might take a while." Mai muttered.
Mai didn't particularly like to pry into other people's lives, which is why she was always kinder and less intrusive when it came to her interviews.
It had surprised Mai that the studio asked her to do the interview. She had thought that they would get one of the more aggressive interviewers to get as much information out of the band as possible.
'Than again, the members of the band are underage, and the studio could get in trouble for any aggressiveness toward the minors.' Mai thought.
Mai was glad that she could do this because she knew them and would make it as easy for them as possible.
Hope you liked it. I would like to say that Mai will not be bashed in anyway. I don't see her as much of a villian. She's just the interviewer in this story.
Next: The actual interview.
Also, if there are any questions that you think I should ask during the interview, then you can either PM me or put in your review what question you think should be asked as long as it deals with the story itself. I would appreciate the input.
I have a poll up, so please vote in it.
R&R.
