Carved in Stone

Necropolis of Thieves (con’t)

disclaimer- I don’t own Lexus

 

Seto frowned as he stepped out of his sleek, black Lexus.

“I can’t believe I’m here” he grumbled sarcastically to himself as he closed his car door.

A cool night breeze blew through his hair as he walked towards Duke’s recently renovated
tavern. Duke and Tristan had suddenly started coming into a lot of money, and they used it to
expand and update their “baby.” The music playing inside was so loud that Seto could feel the
bass shaking the pavement outside.

He was momentarily distracted by a group of haphazardly dressed thugs standing on the street
corner hurling insuand and fists at one another.

“Morons” he grumbled under his breath as he passed them by.

            As Seto drew nearer to the entrance of the tavern, he distinctly heard Joey’s voice over
everybody else’s.

“If I want any lip out of you I’ll pull down your pants, you got that?”

Seto rushed inside the smoke filled tavern to see who his significant other was at odds with this
time. It wasn’t hard to pick Joey out of the drunken crowd. He was standing only a few feet from
them entrance running his mouth over a pool game.

“HA! Take that! That’s twenty bucks you owe me! You ready to give up now?”

Seto rolled his eyes and sided up to Joey.

“Hello Wheeler”

Joey whirled around and grinned.

“Hey sexy! You actually made it!” Without warning, Joey drunkenly grabbed Seto by his hips
and jerked him against his body and boldly stole a kiss from the CEO. Seto made a sour face
and pulled his lips away.

“Wheeler, never do that in public again. Where’s Mokuba” he snapped as he wiped the residue
of Joey’s kiss off of his mouth with his shirt sleeve. Joey was so drunk all his did was laugh.
Seto rolled his eyes and walked away. He was used to Joey acting like an ass every time he had a
little too much to drink. This night was no exception.

Seto wandered over to the bar and got himself a drink. He was rather uncomfortable with his
surroundings. This definitely wasn’t his type of crowd. He glanced up from his mixed drink and
happened to catch a glimpse of Yugi Motou sitting on a barstool nearby laughing and talking
with Tristan Taylor. Seto scowled and quickly looked away. He still held a strong grudge against
Yugi for assaulting Mokuba six months prior. Fortunate for Yugi, Mokuba had insisted they
didn’t press charges. Seto reluctantly honored his younger brother’s request. Even though Yugi
had underwent six months of intense psychotherapy and endured countless electroshock and
drug therapies to balance him out, Seto still wanted to rip his little head off.

Seto was jolted from his malevolent thoughts when he heard a woman behind him shrieking his
name.

“Kaiba! I’m so happy to see you! You need a BIG hug!!”

Seto cringed as two arms wrapped around him from behind and squeezed his so tightly that his
arms went numb.

“Gah! Get your greasy tentacles off of me!”

Seto wiggled free of her death grip and whirled around.

Tea Gardener, who’s recently returned from some kind of bizarre trip, stood in front of him
wearing a big sombrero and a big dorky smile.

“I missed you Seto! Sit down, I want to tell you everything about my trip!”

Seto straightened his black button up shirt and backed away.

“No thank you, I’d rather be strung up from the ceiling by my toe nails and smashed in the head
with a claw hammer.”

Seto quickly walked away. He noticed a sign above one of the doors he passed read, ‘No
admittance under 18.’

Seto was well over 18, so he decided to investigate. He quietly turned the shiny gold door knob
and peeked inside.

The room was dark except for the stage. The music wasn’t obnoxiously loud like the
music in the main bar, but it was loud enough that it made Seto feel like his teeth were vibrating.
Seto covered his mouth and gasp when he observed his younger brother amongst the motley
crowd surrounding the stage. The stage was lit up with blue, purple, and white chase lights.
Strobe lights flashed wildly from above. A woman with dark hair dressed in a white lace bra
and panties was sliding down a pole with heck tck towards the crowd. She evoked the allusion
of a snake by the way she wound herself around the slippery metal pole, driving every pervert
within eyeshot out of their minds. She moved her body with the grace of an angel- a fallen angel
that is. Her movements were intentionally orchestrated to leave her audience with their jaws
dropped.

Mokuba was joined by a couple of his friends from school and their half brother, Noa
Kaiba. Seto was completely blown away by their unbelievably lewd and disrespectful behavior.
Mokuba had managed to coax the dark haired women over to him and slipped a tightly folded
bill into the front of her thong panties. The woman winked at the younger Kaiba, causing him to
blush. Noa took things up a notch when he hoisted Mokuba up on the stage with the woman. She
had taken an obvious liking to him and pulled him on top of her. They rolled around a few times
and stopped in the middle of the stage with her on top of him. She grabbed Mokuba by his shirt
collar and pulled him up into an extremely animated kiss. Mokuba had no qualms about kissing
her back just as fervently. Seto’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw what Mokuba
did next.

He reached around the woman and slid his hands slowly over her tight little ass. She playfully
started thrusting her hips against his. Mokuba responded to her lasciviousness by mimicking her
actions. Both of them were giggling like school girls in the midst of their shenanigans.

 

Seto could have died right there.

Mokuba and the woman were shamelessly portraying as if they were having sex right out in the
open.

Nobody seemed to mind though, which aggravated Seto even more. In fact, the crowed cheered
them on loudly as Mokuba got his money’s worth.

Seto couldn't handle watching the debauchery any longer. His air felt as if it suddenly had grown
thin, and he felt as though he was going to pass out. Seto quietly closed the door and backed
away rubbing his eyes..

He ran into the closest men's restroom and gripped onto the sides of the white porcelain sink. He
turned on the water and splashed his face. A light hiss escaped his lips as the ice cold water hit
his warn skin. Seto heard the bathroom door open and sody ody walk in, but he ignored them as
he dried his face with a brown paper towel.

“Kaiba? Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale.” Yugi ask with concern in his voice as he
walked passed the blue-eyed CEO.

“I’m perfectly fine” Seto snapped sharply in response to Yugi.

He glared as he threw open the bathroom door and stormed out.

“Fuck this” he growled under his breath as he stalked back into the main bar.

 

***********************************************************

After further exploring the small oasis, Marik and Bakura discovered something
completely unbelievable: a mass grave not far from the first four. A single stone tablet was used
to commemorate those buried there. The stone was badly worn down. The word “Anunnaki” was
all they could make out. Bakura scratched his head and stared at the stone. "-Anunnaki? Isn’t that Ancient Sumerian?”

Marik raised his eyebrow and looked up at Bakura.

“I’m shocked Bakura, you actually DO know more than just sending people to the shadow
realm! Bravo, tomb robber!”

Bakura casually extended his middle finger at Marik.

“I bet you don’t even know what Anunnaki means.”

Marik smugly crossed his arms and smiled.

“Those who from heaven to earth came” he said confidently.

“Lucky guess.” Bakura scoffed.

Marik looked back at the eroded marker and scratched his head.

“Actually Bakura, I have no clue as to why I knew that. I have very limited knowledge of the
ancient Sumerians. I know the name “Ishtar” originated from that culture, but that’s about it.”

Bakura nodded his head.

“Yes, that’s right. Ishtar was a goddess they worshiped. She was the goddess of love, sex, and
war. ”

Marik cocked his head and stared curiously at Bakura.

“When did you become so knowledgeable about the Sumerians?”

“Actually- I don’t know jack shit about them. Ryou’s telling me all this through our link” Bakura
smirked.

Marik rolled his eyes and laughed.

“I should have guessed. Speaking of Ryou; his father is probably starting to wonder where we
wandered off too. We’re going to have to start wag tog to the site if we’re going to get there by
dark.”

Bakura brushed his bangs out of his eyes and looked around the oasis. A mischievous grin spread
across his face.

“Not just yet, there’s something I’d like to do before we leave.”

Marik cocked his head.

“What would that be?”

Bakura reached out and ran his finger down Marik’s taut chest. Marik’s body shivered from the
yami’s ghostly touch.

“Remember when I had my way with you in that cemetery back home? That was hot.”

Marik tilted his head and smiled.

“I remember; that was definitely exhilarating. Are you inferring that you want to do the same
here?”

Bakura licked his lips and grinned evilly at Marik.

“Damn right I am.”

Marik looked up at the sun and laughed.

“I like your idea, but we really need to get going. It might be hot now, but once the sun sets, the
desert is colder than a witch’s t-”

“I know, I know.....you’re right. Let’s go.....” Bakura snapped sharply, “coward” he mumbled
under his breath.

 

             Marik and Bakura started walking back to the marooned SUV. They were surprised and
relieved to see an identical SUV parked directly behind it as they trudged through the hot desert
sand. They spotted David and Ramose dumping a jug of gasoline into the gas tank of their
stranded vehicle.

“What are the chances?” Marik chuckled as they drew nearer.

“We’d better make ourselves scarce.” Bakura suggested.

“Good idea” Marik agreed as he receded to his soul room.

 

            Instead of driving the boys back to the excavation site, David drove them into Luxor
where he brought Ryou to the hospital. Ryou’s sunburn was bad enough that David felt it
required medical attention. Ramose drove the other SUV back to camp. Malik stayed with Ryou
at the hospital, while David left to find them a hotel room. Ryou was released within a few hours
and laying in an air conditioned hotel room not long there after. David had insisted they stay at a
hotel because it would be more comfortable for Ryou to sleep in a soft bed rather than in a
sleeping bag on the hard ground. He also offered to go out and pick up some food before he
headed back to camp. While they waited for Ryou’s father to return, Malik and Ryou relaxed in
their hotel room after their yami’s little adventure.

             Ryou painfully shifted around onto his stomach and winced.

“Owe.....damn it.”

Malik sat on the bed next to him flipping channels on the television.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked as he stared at the television screen.

Ryou clenched the quilt underneath them tightly between his fingers. He looked up and Malik
and groaned.

“I’m fried like a fish stick and feel like absolute shit”

Malik chuckled lightly as he set the remote control for the television down on the bed next to
him. He rolled over onto his side so that he and Ryou were face to face.

“Maybe you should go have a word with Bakura.”

“Good idea, Can you keep watch for my father while I’m busy rattling my yami’s neck?”

Malik leaned over and gently kissed the tip of Ryou’s cheery red nose.

“Of course.”

Ryou reached for Malik’s hand and closed his eyes.

“Thank you Malik. I won’t be long.”

 

*****************************************************

            Joey tossed his pool stick off to the side when he saw Seto storm out of the tavern. He
quickly ran out after him.

“Kaiba, wait up!”

Joey had chased Seto halfway down the block before he finally caught up to him. He could see
in Seto’s eyes something was very wrong. Joey walked along Seto’s side with his hands in his
pants pockets.

“Kaiba, what’s going on? Did you get in a fight or something?”

Seto shook his head and sighed.

“No Wheeler, I didn’t get into a fight. I’m just tired and want to go home.”

Joey rolled his eyes.

“Riiiiight......don’t lie to me Kaiba. I’ve known you long enough to know when your pissed off.
Did something happen in the bar?”

Seto pulled his keys out of his pocket as they neared the his car.

“I said I’m just very tired. I’ve been up for over 48 hours straight now and not in the best of
moods. Now please Joey, leave me alone. I don’t want to say something to you that I might
regret.”

Joeyuctauctantly backed off. He’d learned over the course of his relationship with Seto that when
it came to being stubborn, Seto took the crown. There wasn’t much room for reasoning with the
CEO. Joey wasn’t much better though. He wasn’t as obstinate as Seto was, but damn close. Joey
usually was the one that ended up backing off in the end, but not without holding a grudge. He
stood on the sidewalk and watched Seto walk around the front of the expensive car.

Seto got in and started up the engine. He rolled down the automatic window and looked back at
Joey.

“I’ll see you at home, okay?”

Joey rolled his eyes and started walking away.

“Just go to hell, Kaiba.”

Seto ran his fingers through his hair and slammed his fists against the steering wheel.

“Damn it......JOEY! Stop! Don’t be like this! You don’t understand.”

Joey didn’t stop. He continued walking away as if Seto didn’t exist.

Seto leaned back on his leather seat and closed his eyes.

“This is not what I need” he groaned to himself.

****************************************************************

 

Sorry I posted this a little late. Things got a little busy- but what else is new, right? I’ll go over it
for grammatical mistakes this weekend

***Anyway***

I should have the next chapter up by Monday. I have a funeral tomorrow, a wedding Saturday,
and shopping Sunday, so I’ll be a bit on the busy side. Hopefully Ryou’s sunburn will get better
while I’m away. Any more volunteers for rubbing him down with aloe vera gel??? *grin*