When it Isn't Actually a Cosplay

Start Date: 6/14/10

Yes, this pretty much is a self insert. If you hate those, then kindly get lost; do not flame. Constructive criticism is awesome though. Also, I have not a beta, so please let me know if you see errors.

Edit note: I went back and read through only to find more errors I had missed. I hate when I do that.

Also, the use of ' indicates thoughts.

'Anime conventions', Auri decided, 'are the best things ever, but only until the panels run out and they kick you out of the game room.' Throngs of cosplayers and general convention goers scurried about or paused for photos on the floors below her. Auri was currently perched on a bench next to the balcony of the third floor walkway, her elbows resting on the railing as she looked down at the crowds below. Despite it being nearly 1:30 in the morning, the con goers were still going strong. She dug one hand into the Chobits messenger back at her side and fished out the copy of the con schedule. Holding it over the open expanse in front of her, she flipped to the page for Saturday night and scanned down the list.

'Bugger,' she muttered. 'There's nothing left save for the rave and the karaoke room.' She hmmed and turned around to sit properly on the bench before reaching into the bag again. Plucking out her phone, she scrolled through her contacts list and hit the call button on "sis." Regrettably, it went straight to voice mail. 'Ugh… she must still be in the rave, and I can't very well leave her here. When does the con shut down for the night again?' She glanced down at the schedule again. 'Three in the morning; great.' Auri sighed, leaning her head back on the bench and looked up through the skylights in the ceiling. 'Huh.' The rolling storm clouds that had hung over the town all day were gone. 'When did that happen? Oh well, at least it's safe to go out in search of munchies now. Blasted con facilities all shut down by, like, nine.' She got up and stretched for a moment before heading off to the elevator at the corner of the floor. As Auri turned the corner by the stairs to reach the elevator, she abruptly stopped, flung the phone and schedule back in to her bag and now reached for a new item. The target of her mad search? A camera.

Waiting at the elvator, and facing away from her, was the best Yugi cosplay Auri had ever seen. He wore the school uniform from season one, and he'd somehow managed to get his hair to flair up perfectly. Well, it looked to real too be a wig. Not only that, he was the right height! Her inner fangirl squeed happily. "Hi," she said cheerily.

He jumped slightly and spun around. "H-hello," he replied nervously. Now that she saw him from the front, she realized just how all out he'd gone with the cosplay. It wasn't just the outfit and the hair, he had violet contacts, the same face almost, and even a gold colored millennium puzzle. Funny though, he seemed oddly on edge.

"Your cosplay is awesome," Auri said with a grin. "How did you get your hair to do that?"

He relaxed slightly. "Um…thank you. The hair…" he paused again. "It's a secret."

Auri pouted. "Boo. Oh well." She shrugged. "You okay?"

"Huh?"

"You seem like something's bothering you," Auri clarified.

"Ah…well," he fiddled with the puzzle hanging from his neck on a rope for a moment before finishing his reply. "I've lost someone, and I've been looking all over for him."

"He wouldn't have gone back to a hotel room, would he?"

The cosplayer shook his head. "No."

"Hmm….What's he look like? Maybe I've seen him wandering around."

"Yugi" hesitated again. "He looks a lot like me, but he's a little taller and…"

"Oh! He's a Yami!" Auri interrupted. Her inner fangirl was most pleased at this. Now she could not only a Yugi but also a Yami piccie. Yeas!

The petite cosplayer's eyes widened. "Yes, but how did you know?"

Auri grinned at him. "Who else could you have meant?" At his dubious expression she added, "This is your first con, isn't it?"

He offered a small, sheepish smile. "Kinda."

She nodded knowingly. "That explains it then." The elevator doors at last dinged and opened with a soft hiss. "Let's go find your Yami then."

"You're coming with me?"

She stepped inside the elevator and held one hand in front of the sensor. "If you don't mind me tagging along. I've got an hour and a half to kill before I can drag my little sister home anyway."

This time he offered a real smile. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'm Auri."

He joined her in the elevator and Auri removed her hand from the sensor to allow the door to close. "I'm Yugi."

'As if I hadn't already guessed that from your outfit,' her inner sarcasm remarked as she hit the button for the first floor. Out loud she replied, "Shall we start with the first floor then?"

Yugi nodded. "Sure, but can I ask something."

"Shoot."

"Why are all the escalators shut off in this building?"

"Dunno, but it doesn't matter anyway."

"Hm?"

"Screw the stairs, we have elevators!" she declared cheerily.

Yugi just shot her a blank look.

"You're Yugi and you haven't seen the Abridged series?"

"The what?" he asked.