Yeah, yeah, I realize I've still gotten Nowhere near the main plot.but bear
with me cause all this is fun to write sooo~
Disclaimer: (I hate these. Are these really necessary after Ch. 1??) I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any characters thereof (though if someone would buy them for me, I'll take 'em!), neither do I own Lenny Kravitz's song 'Dig In' which I've splurged and used here, and um, I don't own duel monsters either. **sigh**
Now, Onwards!
Open Sesame
~Chapter2~
It was one of those dark drizzly nights where the night lights were hazily reflected in the puddles on the streets. The light rain coursed down the glass window of the sleek black Kaiba limo, and Mokuba had his face pressed up against it, squinting out.
"Are we there yet, big brother?"
Seto looked up from the laptop and Kaiba Corp transactions, smiling fondly at his excited younger brother. "No, not yet Mokuba. And if you don't sit back properly, you're going to fall and get hurt."
Mokuba flopped back with a whuff, then bounced back up. "Is everybody gonna be there? Are you going to duel? And what about Yugi? Seto!" he fixed the elder Kaiba with a glare until Seto looked up again.
"I've sent invitations to all of our friends; they should all be coming. No, I don't think I'll be dueling tonight. And Yugi." He didn't know whether he counted Yugi as a rival or a friend. Being crowned King of Games at the Duelist Kingdom, Yugi Mutou posed a threat to his own standing. But then, without Yugi he wouldn't have been able to save Mokuba and he would still be trapped in a card.
"He IS coming, right?" Mokuba cut into his thoughts, prodding his laptop.
Seto closed the laptop with a click, smiled again and said, "Of course. He wouldn't miss the grand opening of a duelist bar for anything." A bar/nightclub just for serious duelists to exchange cards, news, swap strategies and get together, have a good time. And duel, of course. He had been the spearhead of the whole enterprise, with all the resources of Kaiba Corp at his call, Isis and Malik Ishtar being the other patrons. Malik had been called away to Egypt on family business, but Isis should be there.
"Is that it, Seto? Wow, look at the crowd!" As the limo glided towards the main entrance, he winced at the sight of so many people. He wasn't really thrilled about all this publicity. The chauffeur brought the car to a smooth stop and as soon as the doorboy had the door open, Mokuba bounced out, exuberant. Seto got out and glanced around at The Pharaoh - Duelists' Bar. The Ishtars, insisting that duel monsters had originated in ancient Egypt, not to mention they had their roots there too, had put the name forward. 'Pharaoh' meant 'great house' after all. He gave the doorboy a generous tip - the kid was trying to answer all of Mokuba's questions - and headed on in.
Even though he knew they were early, the nightclub was already well over half full. The dueling elite had all been invited and he could see some talking about dueling right then and there. In contrast with the brightly lit exterior, the inside of The Pharaoh was shadowy, the blue lights creating a slightly mysterious atmosphere. Here and there golden lights illuminated the mini dueling arenas, not yet open to the public but already attracting groups of eager duelists. Classy and casual with style, the whole place had a slight Egyptian feel to it, the showcases lining the walls displaying rare and powerful cards as well as models of the seven legendary Millennium Items.
"Seto, c'mon!" Mokuba tugged on his sleeve. "Let's go sit over here! I've never been on a real bar stool before!"
Kaiba helped his younger brother up onto a nearby bar stool, where he twirled around enthusiastically. The bartender looked a bit dubious at this when he walked over, but Seto threw him a meaningful glance and he was all smiles.
"So, young fella, what'll it be tonight?"
Mokuba beamed, looking up at his older brother, "Can I order anything I want, big brother?" Seto hesitated for a moment, but then nodded encouragingly.
"No alcohol," he stated firmly, then muttered under his breath, "Goodness knows you don't need any."
Mokuba scowled momentarily. "I heard that, Seto." Then he brightened up when he saw the list of drinks. "I'll have, uh, that one!" He pointed to a long and complicated name of a drink. Seto sighed with relief when he saw the words '.ice cream milkshake' at the end of it. He nodded to the bartender, who jotted it down.
"And you, sir?"
"A martini on the rocks."
As the barkeep bustled away, Mokuba spun round and round happily. "Why don't grown-ups do this if they're the only ones allowed on the seat?" he chirruped. "They don't know what they're missing!"
"You better stop that before you throw up," Seto reprimanded, "You'll get dizzy."
"Okay, big brother." As he spun to a halt, he said, "Look! Isn't that Isis over there in the corner?"
Kaiba looked up and caught Isis' eye. She waved regally, and he nodded to her. "Right you are, Mokuba. That was Isis."
"What're those people doing at the side entrance over there, Seto?"
"Fighting already?" Kaiba frowned. The Pharaoh's security should've been able to quiet that kind of tussle in no time. "I should've known," he said annoyed, "Mai Valentine would cause this kind of trouble." He stood up and told Mokuba, "Stay right where you are and don't cause any mischief." With that, he headed in the direction of the tussle.
"Well, I don't see why I can't get in, after all, I was a finalist in the Duelist Kingdom! Get your hands off me you losers!" Mai's voice carried all too well. Kaiba grimaced. Another one to be quieted. "So I forgot the stupid invitation. Big deal. The main thing is, I'm here now, and I'm going in."
"What seems to be the problem here?" As if I needed to ask, he thought sourly. The head of security shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, sir, this woman here claims she misplaced her invitation, and I was under strict rules to let in only those with invitations." Kaiba nodded, eying Mai doubtfully.
"Hello there, Kaiba hon, I know you could tell them I'm supposed to be here." Mai tapped her foot impatiently. "Hurry up with it, will you? I haven't got all night, you know."
He restrained the urge to strangle this woman and managed a grim smile at the head of security. "Let her in. I mailed off the invitations to the top duelists personally. I can vouch for her." Anything to get her quiet.
Shooting an 'I-told-you-so' glance over her shoulder at the guards, Mai sauntered in. "Nice place you got here, hon."
He gritted his teeth. "Yes." Spotting Mokuba peering into his martini from afar, he hastily excused himself. "Mokuba!"
Mokuba started guiltily. "I just wanted to know what your weird drink was made of, big brother. You always said learning was important."
"Yes, but you can learn that later. Why don't you finish off that ice cream before it all melts?"
"So Kaiba does have a soft side, doesn't he?" drawled Mai as she (to Kaiba's dismay) slid into the seat on the other side of Mokuba.
"My big brother is always nice," asserted the younger Kaiba confidently, twirling the mini umbrella from his drink.
"I'm sure of that." Mai raised an eyebrow, but thankfully, refrained from further comment. To the bartender, she said, "A Bloody Mary, and make that snappy."
"We'll talk about that later, Mokuba, all right?" Seto said hurriedly, forseeing Mokuba's curious reaction to Mai's order. To Kaiba's relief, Mokuba turned his attention to the dripping chocolate syrup that was all over his ice cream.
The stage was a state-of-the-art platform, which also doubled as a dueling arena, but right now technicians were scurrying across it, wiring up the amps in preparation for the night's performance. Off to a side, three odd yet familiar figures were seen lugging equipment around clumsily, and occasionally one yelped in pain.
"I do hope tonight's performance will be good," Mai sniffed, eying the three skeptically, "Those movers you hired might ruin it all by themselves." Then, as a blue spotlight glanced off a head of unruly blond hair, a recognizable voice yelled, "You clumsy oaf! Watch where you're going with my guitar ~~~ow!"
"Joey Wheeler?!" Now Mai's face was filled with disbelief. "What is that dueling monkey doing here?"
For once, Kaiba had to agree with Mai's assessment of Joey. "You're looking at tonight's performers, Mai." Satisfied at her horrified reaction, he took a sip of his drink. "Him?!" Mai was struck speechless. "Well, let's hope he plays a heck of a lot better than he can duel, hon, or tonight is dead."
Mokuba waved at the entrance. "Look! That's Yugi and Téa! They're here too!" In the dim doorway, Kaiba could just make out two figures, one with very distinctive tricolor hair, and both were waving enthusiastically back.
"C'mon and sit with us!" Mokuba called out as soon as they were in hearing range. Téa led the way and soon the pair was chatting amicably with Mai and Mokuba. "Kaiba, when I got the invitation I never guessed it was going to turn out this great!" Yugi complimented. "So, how's everything going?"
"Fine." Kaiba responded, still glancing at the struggling trio onstage. "So far." Cymbals clashed discordantly in the background.
Looking in the direction of Kaiba's murderous glare, Yugi reassured, "They're good, don't worry. They'll keep their part of the bargain just fine. Trust them."
"Oh look! There's Bakura! And Tristan too!" Téa got up and waved to her friends, who had now finally gotten their instruments into some semblance of order. They all waved back, even the disgruntled Bakura.
"Huh." Mai rolled her eyes, swirling her drink around, "And what are you doing here, Dino Breath?" Rex Raptor had been trying to get her attention for the past few moments. "Get your sorry behind outta here hon, before I do something about it."
"I didn't know I'd be seeing you here, Mai," gushed Rex, pathetically attempting to act macho and cool. Next to him, Weevil Underwood was complaining about the music and tugging unhappily at his bow tie.
"Get lost, loser. I don't have time for lowlifes like you, especially not for ones who don't even have any fashion sense."
The curtains had closed, and the MC was tapping the mike. ".Testing.testing.1..2.3.eeeEERRRWWwwwuggggnnnn" the loudspeaker groaned, making everyone wince and glare at the poor MC. Backstage, a voice could be heard saying, "Tristan, you'll bust our eardrums!" "Oops. Oh well."
"Heh." The MC straightened his jacket nervously, then said, "Well, now that I have all of your attention.Good evening fellow duelists, and welcome to the opening ceremony of The Pharaoh! .yadayada." Sensing after a minute or two that he was losing the audience's attention, he quickly wrapped up with, ".And now, without further ado, let's welcome the persons who have made this duelists' dream reality - Will Ms. Isis Ishtar and Mr. Seto and Mokuba Kaiba come onstage please?"
A red ribbon materialized across the stage and on the count of three, the three founders cut the ribbon to the audience's loud applause. Mai shoved Rex Raptor off the seat and commented, "About time they started too."
Now everyone with reserved seats at tables in front of the stage seated themselves, and the rest stationed themselves around the club, craning their necks to see what tonight's entertainment might be. The MC dusted himself off superfluously, and announced, "Annndd now, please put your hands together for 500MM!!!"
The audience clapped on reflex; most of them wondering What in the World was 500MM? But then the curtains parted to reveal the band in all of their black leather glory: Joey standing center stage, sporting a red-and-black electric guitar and looking very uncharacteristically professional; Tristan off to a side, playing bass and hair slicked back; Yami Bakura looking evil sitting behind the steel drumset, holding the drum sticks like they were weapons.
Joey was loving the attention. He walked right up to the MC, snatched the mike (forgetting he had a headset on), and bellowed, "Yo! Duelists! Are ya ready to rock and rumble~???" Sheesh, he sweated inwardly, What if we're a flop? What if no one likes us? What if -
For a very tense moment for those onstage, the audience was completely silent. Yami Bakura scowled.
"Go Joey! Go Tristan! You can rock, Bakura!" Someone at a front table was yelling, and standing up. A very familiar blonde stood up at the bar, and began clapping. "You show 'em, hon!"
Within seconds, the whole nightclub had erupted into noise, applause and whooping. It took a full minute for the MC to quiet the audience enough to begin the music.
Yami Bakura began whacking away on the drums.
"It's time to face and come-on in and join the party
Life has been waiting for you to care
Don't try to fake it, jump on in and get it started
There's so much lovin for you to share !"
"Well, who would've guessed that dueling monkey could sing?" mused Mai admiringly.
"Mokuba, don't sing with your mouth full," Kaiba said, handing his little jumping brother a napkin. "So the puppy dog can yap better than he can duel."
"There is nowhere to run
There is no way to hide
Don't let it beat you
Say 'nice to meet you' and 'bye'
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
You'll find you'll have yourself a good time
Wake up and shake it, you didn't make your contribution
There ain't no time for you to spare
If you ain't part of the game then how can you find a solution
Nobody said that it would be fair
When the mountain is high
Just look up to the sky
Ask God to teach you
Then persevere with a smile
Yeah yeah yeah
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
You'll find you'll have yourself a good time
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
You'll find you'll have yourself a good time
Once you dig in
Yeah yeah yeah
And once you dig in
You're gonna have yourself a good time
Once you dig in
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
Instant silence.
"D'you think they liked it?" muttered a nervous Tristan to Yami Bakura, who shrugged and said,
"I liked it. That's all that matters."
"I sure hope they did too." Even Joey was looking more worried than cocky.
Then the place roared its approval.
"Encore!"
"Wow, you guys rock!"
"MORE!! MORE!!" Mokuba banged his fist on the table, narrowly missing his brother's glass. "Oops. Sorry big brother." Even Kaiba was clapping, albeit a little grudgingly.
At Yugi's table, both he and Téa were giving their friends a standing ovation, beaming like proud parents. "C'mon over and sit with us!" called Yugi, gesturing towards the empty seats. Joey could only nod.
Mokuba tugged on Kaiba's sleeve. "Seto, let's go sit with them too!"
"Don't you think you should ask Yugi first?" Kaiba floundered for a plausible excuse, but to no avail. Mokuba had already single-handedly dragged both big brother and table over to Yugi's, who looked pleasantly surprised.
"Glad you decided to join us, Kaiba!"
Kaiba muttered something unintelligible.
"What was that? I didn't quite catch what you were saying..."
"I said, That was a good show, Yugi!" Kaiba said through clenched teeth.
"Big brother, this is the best time I've ever had!!" trilled Mokuba, eyes shining as he hugged Kaiba. Whatever misgivings Kaiba still held dissolved, Mokuba's happy excitement being contagious, and he smiled, a real genuine smile.
"Me too, Mokuba, me too." he said softly.
The rest of the night passed by in a blur of happiness, color and loud music. In between performances by other groups, the teens at the two tables talked and laughed freely, discussing everything from dance to food to music, and inevitably, to duel monsters.
".and then, you wouldn't believe what Tristan did next, the big doofus." Joey was well into a funny tale about his taller buddy.
"Oh yeah, well at least I didn't lose five times in a row to Téa playing Duel Monsters!"
"Tristan, I'd like to see you try and beat her!"
"All right, maybe I will. And watch me win, buddy.'cause that's what I'm gonna do as soon as I finish this piece of cake."
"You better get your deck ready, Téa, he'll be done with it in less than 4 seconds," Yugi teased.
Téa rolled her eyes and smiled fiercely back. "Ready when you are, Tristan."
Mai sighed. "At least Joseph had the sense to admit to female superiority. You go show him, hon."
"A duel! A duel!" Mokuba leaned over from his perch on his older brother's lap to get a better look. Yami Bakura, seated right next to him, scowled but moved over for the eager kid.
A man in a suit walked over to the table just as Téa's Magician of Faith crushed Tristan's Cyber Commander. "Mr. Kaiba, sir? The mini dueling stations have been opened.your reserved table is waiting."
Seto nodded to the man, who left. To Yugi, he said, "I've reserved one of the dueling stations that are over there.care to 'consecrate' one with its first duel?"
Yugi's eyes lit up, but he shook his head. "No.I'd prefer not. All of our duels have been in anger, or at least ended on a bad note."
"And 'sides, you two'd be hoggin' all the spotlight. So ." Joey, still cocky after his first successful performance, stood up and looked pointedly at Kaiba, ".what do ya say to concluding some unfinished business between us?"
Mokuba glanced from Joey's grin to the beginnings of a sneer on his brother's face, and then bounced up. "I'll duel you! And I'll cream you!"
The tall blonde looked surprised that the younger Kaiba had taken up his challenge. "But Mokuba.. you."
"What's the matter, Joseph, are you scared of losing to a little kid half your size?" Mai purred, enjoying the sight of Joey looking uncomfortable.
"Can the puppy dog live up to his challenge, or is he going to back away with his tail between his legs.again?" Kaiba's eyes had turned back into cold blue stone.
Joey clenched his fists. Beside him, the Téa vs. Tristan duel ground to a stop. The happy atmosphere of before was turning into something ugly and Yugi didn't like it one bit. "Oh I can take on your little brother just fine," Joey spat, "Tell ya what, I'll even let ya do some backseat dueling for him! Just lead the way to the table."
"OK!" Mokuba bounded ahead, forcing cheerfulness. If Seto duels him, it'll turn really bad, and then no one would be happy.this way, at least I can make things a little better. "You sit here." He poked the red seat of the table to emphasize his point, then dug out the deck Seto had helped him put together. Fixing the uncomfortable Joey with a fierce gaze reminiscent of the elder Kaiba, he announced, "Let's duel!"
As the duel progressed, the tension slowly evaporated and soon Joey found that dueling Mokuba wasn't as easy as it first appeared, even without Kaiba guiding the kid. Joey winced as his Rock Ogre got turned into dust.
"Did I do that right, big brother?" Mokuba looked up at Seto, who was standing behind him, arms crossed and glaring daggers at Joey. He nodded approvingly. Mokuba really didn't need all that much help from him.
"Aw, man, I let him do that," Joey bragged, slapping down another card face down and a new monster in attack mode. "Let's see how you do against this!"
In the end, with a lot of hard work and a little luck, Joey managed to beat the younger Kaiba, who scowled and said, "Oh, I'll get you next time, 'cause my big brother's gonna teach me more about duel monsters. And then you won't be letting me anything!"
Catching the murderous face of Seto Kaiba, Yugi quickly said, "Hey guys, look! Some other group is getting ready to perform! Why don't we go sit back down and enjoy the rest of the evening?"
"Yes, let's!" Téa agreed, shooting Tristan a glance, "Besides, Tristan and I have a duel to finish."
"Oh, really?" Tristan whistled and feigned amnesia, "Really?"
"Yeah and she was beatin' ya, worse than she beat me the first time too!" Joey punched his pal on the shoulder.
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"You wanna settle this outside, bud?"
Isis watched everything from her private table in a corner, smiling to herself. She was happy at the way things turned out after Battle City, how everybody seemed so happy and content with their lot. Suddenly, she sensed something, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.a disturbance in the Shadow Realm? On impulse, she touched the Millennium Tauk, and then -
Malik? -
Her cell phone vibrated.
"Hello?"
"Isis! This is Malik"
"Malik? I thought you were in Cairo? What's wrong?"
"Just this: I saw the Millennium Rod in Egypt."
"Impossible! I locked it away in the security vaults, after, after."
"I know, but remember the theft incident? The one weeks ago, when someone tried to steal that artifact on display, the Anubis Crown. Ever since then, I had this feeling that whatever we'd locked up in the vaults.it wasn't the Rod."
"Are you sure about this? But the thief had wanted the Anubis Crown, not the Rod.and only you and I know where the Rod is."
"I just have this feeling that It's loose again." An uncomfortable silence followed this statement. "And then I saw it in Egypt."
"Malik, I" The phone bleeped call waiting, and she said quickly, "Hang on, someone else is calling in - Hello? Who is this?"
"Miss Ishtar, this is Ramón, from the Museum security. I'm afraid there's been another break-in.and this time the rogue got what he wanted."
"He stole the Anubis Crown," Isis said flatly.
"Y-yes."
By Ra! But what if Malik was right about the Millennium Rod too. "Ramón, keep the security tight around the Museum. By no means let anyone, I repeat, anyone past until I get there."
"Yes, ma'am."
She switched back to Malik's line. "Malik.there's been another break- in at the Museum, and they've got the Anubis Crown. Listen, how fast can you get here from Cairo?"
"I still have some unfinished business here that requires seeing to, but in a day or two, give or take a couple of hours."
"Get here as soon as possible.I think you may be right." Ra forbid.
She got up and prepare to leave, pondering whether she should tell Kaiba and Yugi.especially Yugi about this. After all, Yugi's Millennium item might cast some additional light onto this mess.
"Later," she decided. First to deal with this theft.
By the time the performance was over, Joey and Tristan were too full to even argue anymore, Yami Bakura was slumped scowling in a tilted back seat, fingers twitching as if he wanted to snatch the Millennium Puzzle and strangle Yugi with it, and Mokuba was curled up in his big brother's lap, sleeping.
"Aww.look.Mokuba's asleep!" Téa remarked softly.
"Yes." Kaiba gazed fondly at his little brother, then said abruptly, "It's way past his bedtime, we should be going now."
Yugi nodded. "Thanks for everything, Kaiba. And while I still remember.we -my grandpa and me that is - are going to have a bake sale at the game shop tomorrow. If you or Mokuba want to come, you're welcome anytime. It starts at 10 a.m."
"We'll see." Kaiba knew Mokuba would be begging to go, but. He picked up the sleeping kid easily and headed towards the exit.
"'Bye Mokuba," Téa called out softly. To Yugi, she said, "Kaiba was actually decent tonight."
Yugi only nodded.
"A call for you, Master Kaiba, sir." The chauffeur held the door open for the tall boy and his brother. "You told us you turned your phone off for tonight." "Yes, I'll take it now. Line 1?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hello, Kaiba speaking." He listened attentively for a few moments, frowning. "Yes, I see how that can pose a problem. I'll see what I can do.No, I left early too" a glance at Mokuba stirring in his sleep "I'll be there tomorrow at, say, 3 p.m. Goodnight."
Mokuba yawned sleepily and mumbled, "Wh-what was that, Seto? Are we going h-home now?"
Seto smiled and tucked his coat over the younger kid. "That was Isis. Something bad happened and she wanted me in charge for a while tomorrow. Go back to sleep, we'll be home before you know it."
Mokuba yawned again and snuggled next to his brother. "Okay Seto."
Oookay, I understand that virtually everyone in YGO is underage and therefore should not be drinking, but hey~ Author Liberties!! So only Mokuba is underage here. I don't know a lot **koff** about the Ishtars etc so if anyone Out There has any info, you have my Eternal Gratitude. ^^ Again, review if you want. I'm just doing this for the heck of it. And YES the pace will begin to pick up. Hopefully.
Oh and by the way, the 'Dig In' song was really random (actually so was the band name). I just saw the gang bashing away at it when I heard the music. And then etc etc. Yami Bakura on the drums would be awesome, don't you think?
Disclaimer: (I hate these. Are these really necessary after Ch. 1??) I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any characters thereof (though if someone would buy them for me, I'll take 'em!), neither do I own Lenny Kravitz's song 'Dig In' which I've splurged and used here, and um, I don't own duel monsters either. **sigh**
Now, Onwards!
Open Sesame
~Chapter2~
It was one of those dark drizzly nights where the night lights were hazily reflected in the puddles on the streets. The light rain coursed down the glass window of the sleek black Kaiba limo, and Mokuba had his face pressed up against it, squinting out.
"Are we there yet, big brother?"
Seto looked up from the laptop and Kaiba Corp transactions, smiling fondly at his excited younger brother. "No, not yet Mokuba. And if you don't sit back properly, you're going to fall and get hurt."
Mokuba flopped back with a whuff, then bounced back up. "Is everybody gonna be there? Are you going to duel? And what about Yugi? Seto!" he fixed the elder Kaiba with a glare until Seto looked up again.
"I've sent invitations to all of our friends; they should all be coming. No, I don't think I'll be dueling tonight. And Yugi." He didn't know whether he counted Yugi as a rival or a friend. Being crowned King of Games at the Duelist Kingdom, Yugi Mutou posed a threat to his own standing. But then, without Yugi he wouldn't have been able to save Mokuba and he would still be trapped in a card.
"He IS coming, right?" Mokuba cut into his thoughts, prodding his laptop.
Seto closed the laptop with a click, smiled again and said, "Of course. He wouldn't miss the grand opening of a duelist bar for anything." A bar/nightclub just for serious duelists to exchange cards, news, swap strategies and get together, have a good time. And duel, of course. He had been the spearhead of the whole enterprise, with all the resources of Kaiba Corp at his call, Isis and Malik Ishtar being the other patrons. Malik had been called away to Egypt on family business, but Isis should be there.
"Is that it, Seto? Wow, look at the crowd!" As the limo glided towards the main entrance, he winced at the sight of so many people. He wasn't really thrilled about all this publicity. The chauffeur brought the car to a smooth stop and as soon as the doorboy had the door open, Mokuba bounced out, exuberant. Seto got out and glanced around at The Pharaoh - Duelists' Bar. The Ishtars, insisting that duel monsters had originated in ancient Egypt, not to mention they had their roots there too, had put the name forward. 'Pharaoh' meant 'great house' after all. He gave the doorboy a generous tip - the kid was trying to answer all of Mokuba's questions - and headed on in.
Even though he knew they were early, the nightclub was already well over half full. The dueling elite had all been invited and he could see some talking about dueling right then and there. In contrast with the brightly lit exterior, the inside of The Pharaoh was shadowy, the blue lights creating a slightly mysterious atmosphere. Here and there golden lights illuminated the mini dueling arenas, not yet open to the public but already attracting groups of eager duelists. Classy and casual with style, the whole place had a slight Egyptian feel to it, the showcases lining the walls displaying rare and powerful cards as well as models of the seven legendary Millennium Items.
"Seto, c'mon!" Mokuba tugged on his sleeve. "Let's go sit over here! I've never been on a real bar stool before!"
Kaiba helped his younger brother up onto a nearby bar stool, where he twirled around enthusiastically. The bartender looked a bit dubious at this when he walked over, but Seto threw him a meaningful glance and he was all smiles.
"So, young fella, what'll it be tonight?"
Mokuba beamed, looking up at his older brother, "Can I order anything I want, big brother?" Seto hesitated for a moment, but then nodded encouragingly.
"No alcohol," he stated firmly, then muttered under his breath, "Goodness knows you don't need any."
Mokuba scowled momentarily. "I heard that, Seto." Then he brightened up when he saw the list of drinks. "I'll have, uh, that one!" He pointed to a long and complicated name of a drink. Seto sighed with relief when he saw the words '.ice cream milkshake' at the end of it. He nodded to the bartender, who jotted it down.
"And you, sir?"
"A martini on the rocks."
As the barkeep bustled away, Mokuba spun round and round happily. "Why don't grown-ups do this if they're the only ones allowed on the seat?" he chirruped. "They don't know what they're missing!"
"You better stop that before you throw up," Seto reprimanded, "You'll get dizzy."
"Okay, big brother." As he spun to a halt, he said, "Look! Isn't that Isis over there in the corner?"
Kaiba looked up and caught Isis' eye. She waved regally, and he nodded to her. "Right you are, Mokuba. That was Isis."
"What're those people doing at the side entrance over there, Seto?"
"Fighting already?" Kaiba frowned. The Pharaoh's security should've been able to quiet that kind of tussle in no time. "I should've known," he said annoyed, "Mai Valentine would cause this kind of trouble." He stood up and told Mokuba, "Stay right where you are and don't cause any mischief." With that, he headed in the direction of the tussle.
"Well, I don't see why I can't get in, after all, I was a finalist in the Duelist Kingdom! Get your hands off me you losers!" Mai's voice carried all too well. Kaiba grimaced. Another one to be quieted. "So I forgot the stupid invitation. Big deal. The main thing is, I'm here now, and I'm going in."
"What seems to be the problem here?" As if I needed to ask, he thought sourly. The head of security shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, sir, this woman here claims she misplaced her invitation, and I was under strict rules to let in only those with invitations." Kaiba nodded, eying Mai doubtfully.
"Hello there, Kaiba hon, I know you could tell them I'm supposed to be here." Mai tapped her foot impatiently. "Hurry up with it, will you? I haven't got all night, you know."
He restrained the urge to strangle this woman and managed a grim smile at the head of security. "Let her in. I mailed off the invitations to the top duelists personally. I can vouch for her." Anything to get her quiet.
Shooting an 'I-told-you-so' glance over her shoulder at the guards, Mai sauntered in. "Nice place you got here, hon."
He gritted his teeth. "Yes." Spotting Mokuba peering into his martini from afar, he hastily excused himself. "Mokuba!"
Mokuba started guiltily. "I just wanted to know what your weird drink was made of, big brother. You always said learning was important."
"Yes, but you can learn that later. Why don't you finish off that ice cream before it all melts?"
"So Kaiba does have a soft side, doesn't he?" drawled Mai as she (to Kaiba's dismay) slid into the seat on the other side of Mokuba.
"My big brother is always nice," asserted the younger Kaiba confidently, twirling the mini umbrella from his drink.
"I'm sure of that." Mai raised an eyebrow, but thankfully, refrained from further comment. To the bartender, she said, "A Bloody Mary, and make that snappy."
"We'll talk about that later, Mokuba, all right?" Seto said hurriedly, forseeing Mokuba's curious reaction to Mai's order. To Kaiba's relief, Mokuba turned his attention to the dripping chocolate syrup that was all over his ice cream.
The stage was a state-of-the-art platform, which also doubled as a dueling arena, but right now technicians were scurrying across it, wiring up the amps in preparation for the night's performance. Off to a side, three odd yet familiar figures were seen lugging equipment around clumsily, and occasionally one yelped in pain.
"I do hope tonight's performance will be good," Mai sniffed, eying the three skeptically, "Those movers you hired might ruin it all by themselves." Then, as a blue spotlight glanced off a head of unruly blond hair, a recognizable voice yelled, "You clumsy oaf! Watch where you're going with my guitar ~~~ow!"
"Joey Wheeler?!" Now Mai's face was filled with disbelief. "What is that dueling monkey doing here?"
For once, Kaiba had to agree with Mai's assessment of Joey. "You're looking at tonight's performers, Mai." Satisfied at her horrified reaction, he took a sip of his drink. "Him?!" Mai was struck speechless. "Well, let's hope he plays a heck of a lot better than he can duel, hon, or tonight is dead."
Mokuba waved at the entrance. "Look! That's Yugi and Téa! They're here too!" In the dim doorway, Kaiba could just make out two figures, one with very distinctive tricolor hair, and both were waving enthusiastically back.
"C'mon and sit with us!" Mokuba called out as soon as they were in hearing range. Téa led the way and soon the pair was chatting amicably with Mai and Mokuba. "Kaiba, when I got the invitation I never guessed it was going to turn out this great!" Yugi complimented. "So, how's everything going?"
"Fine." Kaiba responded, still glancing at the struggling trio onstage. "So far." Cymbals clashed discordantly in the background.
Looking in the direction of Kaiba's murderous glare, Yugi reassured, "They're good, don't worry. They'll keep their part of the bargain just fine. Trust them."
"Oh look! There's Bakura! And Tristan too!" Téa got up and waved to her friends, who had now finally gotten their instruments into some semblance of order. They all waved back, even the disgruntled Bakura.
"Huh." Mai rolled her eyes, swirling her drink around, "And what are you doing here, Dino Breath?" Rex Raptor had been trying to get her attention for the past few moments. "Get your sorry behind outta here hon, before I do something about it."
"I didn't know I'd be seeing you here, Mai," gushed Rex, pathetically attempting to act macho and cool. Next to him, Weevil Underwood was complaining about the music and tugging unhappily at his bow tie.
"Get lost, loser. I don't have time for lowlifes like you, especially not for ones who don't even have any fashion sense."
The curtains had closed, and the MC was tapping the mike. ".Testing.testing.1..2.3.eeeEERRRWWwwwuggggnnnn" the loudspeaker groaned, making everyone wince and glare at the poor MC. Backstage, a voice could be heard saying, "Tristan, you'll bust our eardrums!" "Oops. Oh well."
"Heh." The MC straightened his jacket nervously, then said, "Well, now that I have all of your attention.Good evening fellow duelists, and welcome to the opening ceremony of The Pharaoh! .yadayada." Sensing after a minute or two that he was losing the audience's attention, he quickly wrapped up with, ".And now, without further ado, let's welcome the persons who have made this duelists' dream reality - Will Ms. Isis Ishtar and Mr. Seto and Mokuba Kaiba come onstage please?"
A red ribbon materialized across the stage and on the count of three, the three founders cut the ribbon to the audience's loud applause. Mai shoved Rex Raptor off the seat and commented, "About time they started too."
Now everyone with reserved seats at tables in front of the stage seated themselves, and the rest stationed themselves around the club, craning their necks to see what tonight's entertainment might be. The MC dusted himself off superfluously, and announced, "Annndd now, please put your hands together for 500MM!!!"
The audience clapped on reflex; most of them wondering What in the World was 500MM? But then the curtains parted to reveal the band in all of their black leather glory: Joey standing center stage, sporting a red-and-black electric guitar and looking very uncharacteristically professional; Tristan off to a side, playing bass and hair slicked back; Yami Bakura looking evil sitting behind the steel drumset, holding the drum sticks like they were weapons.
Joey was loving the attention. He walked right up to the MC, snatched the mike (forgetting he had a headset on), and bellowed, "Yo! Duelists! Are ya ready to rock and rumble~???" Sheesh, he sweated inwardly, What if we're a flop? What if no one likes us? What if -
For a very tense moment for those onstage, the audience was completely silent. Yami Bakura scowled.
"Go Joey! Go Tristan! You can rock, Bakura!" Someone at a front table was yelling, and standing up. A very familiar blonde stood up at the bar, and began clapping. "You show 'em, hon!"
Within seconds, the whole nightclub had erupted into noise, applause and whooping. It took a full minute for the MC to quiet the audience enough to begin the music.
Yami Bakura began whacking away on the drums.
"It's time to face and come-on in and join the party
Life has been waiting for you to care
Don't try to fake it, jump on in and get it started
There's so much lovin for you to share !"
"Well, who would've guessed that dueling monkey could sing?" mused Mai admiringly.
"Mokuba, don't sing with your mouth full," Kaiba said, handing his little jumping brother a napkin. "So the puppy dog can yap better than he can duel."
"There is nowhere to run
There is no way to hide
Don't let it beat you
Say 'nice to meet you' and 'bye'
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
You'll find you'll have yourself a good time
Wake up and shake it, you didn't make your contribution
There ain't no time for you to spare
If you ain't part of the game then how can you find a solution
Nobody said that it would be fair
When the mountain is high
Just look up to the sky
Ask God to teach you
Then persevere with a smile
Yeah yeah yeah
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
You'll find you'll have yourself a good time
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
You'll find you'll have yourself a good time
Once you dig in
Yeah yeah yeah
And once you dig in
You're gonna have yourself a good time
Once you dig in
Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
Instant silence.
"D'you think they liked it?" muttered a nervous Tristan to Yami Bakura, who shrugged and said,
"I liked it. That's all that matters."
"I sure hope they did too." Even Joey was looking more worried than cocky.
Then the place roared its approval.
"Encore!"
"Wow, you guys rock!"
"MORE!! MORE!!" Mokuba banged his fist on the table, narrowly missing his brother's glass. "Oops. Sorry big brother." Even Kaiba was clapping, albeit a little grudgingly.
At Yugi's table, both he and Téa were giving their friends a standing ovation, beaming like proud parents. "C'mon over and sit with us!" called Yugi, gesturing towards the empty seats. Joey could only nod.
Mokuba tugged on Kaiba's sleeve. "Seto, let's go sit with them too!"
"Don't you think you should ask Yugi first?" Kaiba floundered for a plausible excuse, but to no avail. Mokuba had already single-handedly dragged both big brother and table over to Yugi's, who looked pleasantly surprised.
"Glad you decided to join us, Kaiba!"
Kaiba muttered something unintelligible.
"What was that? I didn't quite catch what you were saying..."
"I said, That was a good show, Yugi!" Kaiba said through clenched teeth.
"Big brother, this is the best time I've ever had!!" trilled Mokuba, eyes shining as he hugged Kaiba. Whatever misgivings Kaiba still held dissolved, Mokuba's happy excitement being contagious, and he smiled, a real genuine smile.
"Me too, Mokuba, me too." he said softly.
The rest of the night passed by in a blur of happiness, color and loud music. In between performances by other groups, the teens at the two tables talked and laughed freely, discussing everything from dance to food to music, and inevitably, to duel monsters.
".and then, you wouldn't believe what Tristan did next, the big doofus." Joey was well into a funny tale about his taller buddy.
"Oh yeah, well at least I didn't lose five times in a row to Téa playing Duel Monsters!"
"Tristan, I'd like to see you try and beat her!"
"All right, maybe I will. And watch me win, buddy.'cause that's what I'm gonna do as soon as I finish this piece of cake."
"You better get your deck ready, Téa, he'll be done with it in less than 4 seconds," Yugi teased.
Téa rolled her eyes and smiled fiercely back. "Ready when you are, Tristan."
Mai sighed. "At least Joseph had the sense to admit to female superiority. You go show him, hon."
"A duel! A duel!" Mokuba leaned over from his perch on his older brother's lap to get a better look. Yami Bakura, seated right next to him, scowled but moved over for the eager kid.
A man in a suit walked over to the table just as Téa's Magician of Faith crushed Tristan's Cyber Commander. "Mr. Kaiba, sir? The mini dueling stations have been opened.your reserved table is waiting."
Seto nodded to the man, who left. To Yugi, he said, "I've reserved one of the dueling stations that are over there.care to 'consecrate' one with its first duel?"
Yugi's eyes lit up, but he shook his head. "No.I'd prefer not. All of our duels have been in anger, or at least ended on a bad note."
"And 'sides, you two'd be hoggin' all the spotlight. So ." Joey, still cocky after his first successful performance, stood up and looked pointedly at Kaiba, ".what do ya say to concluding some unfinished business between us?"
Mokuba glanced from Joey's grin to the beginnings of a sneer on his brother's face, and then bounced up. "I'll duel you! And I'll cream you!"
The tall blonde looked surprised that the younger Kaiba had taken up his challenge. "But Mokuba.. you."
"What's the matter, Joseph, are you scared of losing to a little kid half your size?" Mai purred, enjoying the sight of Joey looking uncomfortable.
"Can the puppy dog live up to his challenge, or is he going to back away with his tail between his legs.again?" Kaiba's eyes had turned back into cold blue stone.
Joey clenched his fists. Beside him, the Téa vs. Tristan duel ground to a stop. The happy atmosphere of before was turning into something ugly and Yugi didn't like it one bit. "Oh I can take on your little brother just fine," Joey spat, "Tell ya what, I'll even let ya do some backseat dueling for him! Just lead the way to the table."
"OK!" Mokuba bounded ahead, forcing cheerfulness. If Seto duels him, it'll turn really bad, and then no one would be happy.this way, at least I can make things a little better. "You sit here." He poked the red seat of the table to emphasize his point, then dug out the deck Seto had helped him put together. Fixing the uncomfortable Joey with a fierce gaze reminiscent of the elder Kaiba, he announced, "Let's duel!"
As the duel progressed, the tension slowly evaporated and soon Joey found that dueling Mokuba wasn't as easy as it first appeared, even without Kaiba guiding the kid. Joey winced as his Rock Ogre got turned into dust.
"Did I do that right, big brother?" Mokuba looked up at Seto, who was standing behind him, arms crossed and glaring daggers at Joey. He nodded approvingly. Mokuba really didn't need all that much help from him.
"Aw, man, I let him do that," Joey bragged, slapping down another card face down and a new monster in attack mode. "Let's see how you do against this!"
In the end, with a lot of hard work and a little luck, Joey managed to beat the younger Kaiba, who scowled and said, "Oh, I'll get you next time, 'cause my big brother's gonna teach me more about duel monsters. And then you won't be letting me anything!"
Catching the murderous face of Seto Kaiba, Yugi quickly said, "Hey guys, look! Some other group is getting ready to perform! Why don't we go sit back down and enjoy the rest of the evening?"
"Yes, let's!" Téa agreed, shooting Tristan a glance, "Besides, Tristan and I have a duel to finish."
"Oh, really?" Tristan whistled and feigned amnesia, "Really?"
"Yeah and she was beatin' ya, worse than she beat me the first time too!" Joey punched his pal on the shoulder.
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"You wanna settle this outside, bud?"
Isis watched everything from her private table in a corner, smiling to herself. She was happy at the way things turned out after Battle City, how everybody seemed so happy and content with their lot. Suddenly, she sensed something, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.a disturbance in the Shadow Realm? On impulse, she touched the Millennium Tauk, and then -
Malik? -
Her cell phone vibrated.
"Hello?"
"Isis! This is Malik"
"Malik? I thought you were in Cairo? What's wrong?"
"Just this: I saw the Millennium Rod in Egypt."
"Impossible! I locked it away in the security vaults, after, after."
"I know, but remember the theft incident? The one weeks ago, when someone tried to steal that artifact on display, the Anubis Crown. Ever since then, I had this feeling that whatever we'd locked up in the vaults.it wasn't the Rod."
"Are you sure about this? But the thief had wanted the Anubis Crown, not the Rod.and only you and I know where the Rod is."
"I just have this feeling that It's loose again." An uncomfortable silence followed this statement. "And then I saw it in Egypt."
"Malik, I" The phone bleeped call waiting, and she said quickly, "Hang on, someone else is calling in - Hello? Who is this?"
"Miss Ishtar, this is Ramón, from the Museum security. I'm afraid there's been another break-in.and this time the rogue got what he wanted."
"He stole the Anubis Crown," Isis said flatly.
"Y-yes."
By Ra! But what if Malik was right about the Millennium Rod too. "Ramón, keep the security tight around the Museum. By no means let anyone, I repeat, anyone past until I get there."
"Yes, ma'am."
She switched back to Malik's line. "Malik.there's been another break- in at the Museum, and they've got the Anubis Crown. Listen, how fast can you get here from Cairo?"
"I still have some unfinished business here that requires seeing to, but in a day or two, give or take a couple of hours."
"Get here as soon as possible.I think you may be right." Ra forbid.
She got up and prepare to leave, pondering whether she should tell Kaiba and Yugi.especially Yugi about this. After all, Yugi's Millennium item might cast some additional light onto this mess.
"Later," she decided. First to deal with this theft.
By the time the performance was over, Joey and Tristan were too full to even argue anymore, Yami Bakura was slumped scowling in a tilted back seat, fingers twitching as if he wanted to snatch the Millennium Puzzle and strangle Yugi with it, and Mokuba was curled up in his big brother's lap, sleeping.
"Aww.look.Mokuba's asleep!" Téa remarked softly.
"Yes." Kaiba gazed fondly at his little brother, then said abruptly, "It's way past his bedtime, we should be going now."
Yugi nodded. "Thanks for everything, Kaiba. And while I still remember.we -my grandpa and me that is - are going to have a bake sale at the game shop tomorrow. If you or Mokuba want to come, you're welcome anytime. It starts at 10 a.m."
"We'll see." Kaiba knew Mokuba would be begging to go, but. He picked up the sleeping kid easily and headed towards the exit.
"'Bye Mokuba," Téa called out softly. To Yugi, she said, "Kaiba was actually decent tonight."
Yugi only nodded.
"A call for you, Master Kaiba, sir." The chauffeur held the door open for the tall boy and his brother. "You told us you turned your phone off for tonight." "Yes, I'll take it now. Line 1?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hello, Kaiba speaking." He listened attentively for a few moments, frowning. "Yes, I see how that can pose a problem. I'll see what I can do.No, I left early too" a glance at Mokuba stirring in his sleep "I'll be there tomorrow at, say, 3 p.m. Goodnight."
Mokuba yawned sleepily and mumbled, "Wh-what was that, Seto? Are we going h-home now?"
Seto smiled and tucked his coat over the younger kid. "That was Isis. Something bad happened and she wanted me in charge for a while tomorrow. Go back to sleep, we'll be home before you know it."
Mokuba yawned again and snuggled next to his brother. "Okay Seto."
Oookay, I understand that virtually everyone in YGO is underage and therefore should not be drinking, but hey~ Author Liberties!! So only Mokuba is underage here. I don't know a lot **koff** about the Ishtars etc so if anyone Out There has any info, you have my Eternal Gratitude. ^^ Again, review if you want. I'm just doing this for the heck of it. And YES the pace will begin to pick up. Hopefully.
Oh and by the way, the 'Dig In' song was really random (actually so was the band name). I just saw the gang bashing away at it when I heard the music. And then etc etc. Yami Bakura on the drums would be awesome, don't you think?