A sweaty palm against the cold stone wall of the staircase, several pants of heavy breathing emerging from a nearby face, a nearby identity. A ring of a golden colour hanging down upon the neck, clanging against itself as it was held up only by its wearer. A rounded cylinder bag, slung loosely over the left shoulder, containing more said items. A burst of albino-white hair upon the intruder's head, fixed to appear as a mane of determination and wonder. Several stairs, laid out before this intruder, deep down into a cold cavern of a tomb, its identity lost and only remembered by the very few. Only inviting to its secrets those who know wiser...
These were the visions of a certain female, Ishizu Ishtar, protector of the final resting place of the millennium items. She could not picture a face, a voice, only several images of fate itself. She ran the fingers of her right hand through her tied back fringe and sighed as she knelt before a towering spire of light, only lit by a candle at its peak. Her mind was racing, her heart catching up with its pace. What was her necklace trying to tell her? She could feel its pulse, its desire as she gently stroked it with her right hand, closing her eyes partically to focus on it. Again, the same images appeared, clouding her mind further until her eyes shot open, breathing heavily from its power. She had known her necklace to become powerful and controlling, but never like this. It was as if it was afraid of the fate it was trying to show her. Ishizu got to her feet, stretching her right hand over her back to pull up her hood. Her left hand held a burning candle, sitting upon a small holder to guide her way. She turned to the long staircase, dreading the long walk back to where Marik and Rishid were watching the sport through the caravan's portable TV. They were several miles off, Ishizu insisting she could walk the way to the tomb as her necklace claimed. Of course, Marik and Rishid had to let her, she had a stronger intelligence than them and she had her necklace to protect her.
It was as she reached the first stair that she heard something - a heavy breathing, the clink of metal, just as her necklace had shown her. Was there an intruder? Ishizu calmed herself, planting her feet wide as to halt the intruder where they stood. It came as a great surprise to her when she realised that the intruder entering the tomb was a familiar face. They stood upon the top stair, looking down at Ishizu and gritting their teeth. The familiar bag was hung over their shoulder, slightly muddy and coated in sand. It was the ring around their neck, though, that triggered Ishizu's memory. Bakura descended the staircase slowly, his tightly closed mouth curling into a cruel smile as he did so.
"What a surprise, Ishizu. I thought you would be busy playing card games with your brothers." Ishizu cringed, narrowing her eyes at Bakura as she continued to light Bakura's path with her candle.
"If anyones surprised here its me, spirit. My necklace told me of an intruder and although I didnt expect it to be you, I do believe you are trespassing onto the Pharaoh's tomb."
"Oh, am I really?" Bakura snarled back with a large smirk, as he shrugged the bag and unzipped it. Inside were the remaining Millennium Items, with evidence that Bakura had stolen the bag straight from Yuugi before he could return. Ishizu's eyes widened in horror.
"I guessed Yuugi would have given you the necklace to spend a little time with before its gone forever," Bakura continued, running a tongue over his top lip before holding out his right hand, "May it be returned?"
"Never, not to you, spirit! Only to the Pharaoh!" Ishizu replied, throwing a cupped hard over her necklace. It began to spark again, trying to tell her, warn her, but she was too in rage to hear its cries.
Bakura didnt reply to this outburst, and Ishizu relaxed her muscles, eyeing the items nervously. She could see them all, Scales, Puzzle, Key, Rod, Eye. Only two were missing, but they were both in the presence of the others. Ishizu's eyes looked back up at Bakura, who had folded his arms and was examining the ring with his left hand. His cackle laughter which followed caught Ishizu by surprise, making her shiver inside. Bakura's head was arched back as his own body shuddered from the release of such air from his lungs, until he took a breathe in and dropped his head back down, picking up the bag by one handle.
"The Pharaoh wont be seeing these again, so you might aswell give in your necklace," Bakura growled with his fangs curled over a cruel smile. Ishizu hesitated, her hands slowly moving to the back of her hood. Bakura's eyes widened in desperation, keeping his right hand outstretched while he held the bag in his left. Ishizu paused, looking directly into the pupils of Bakuras eyes, before pulling the necklace gently away. Her head rang with a silent scream as it parted, removing the memories she had foreseen moments before.
"Bakura..." She said softly, gazing down at the necklace in her hand. By now Bakura had used his right hand to take off his ring, eyeing it as he listened to her speak. The sooner she was quiet, the sooner he could attain the pharaohs' power!
"Bakura..." Ishizu murmured again, looking up to face him now, her eyes wide and threatening to overspill some tears, "You dont have to do this to gain respect. Look at my brother, Marik. He was just like you.. now he is a good companion.. you could be like him.."
Bakura's eyebrows raised, but he continued to stare at his ring, deep into the carved eye. "Marik..." Bakura muttered, his thoughts turning back to his last moment alongside Marik, when Marik had surrendered to Yuugi. Marik hadnt been attacked or disrespected, and he had managed to stay alongside his item, until... Bakura looked down at the millennium rod, which shone brightly as soon as Bakura's gaze fell upon it.
"You know as well as I do that I cannot change who I am, or my past, Ishizu," Bakura said quietly, turning his gaze back to his ring, "I am a thief king, and always will be. That does not mean I have a fraction of care in my soul towards others. Take my Hikari, for example. If I had pure hatred he would not still be alive..."
Ishizu looked up at that remark, holding the necklace in her palm. She clenched it into her fist before stepping forward, placing her free hand on Bakura's shoulder.
"Try and follow his favourite card, Bakura."
Bakura looked up and into Ishizu's eyes, seeing a maze of questions and answers lurking inside. His souls anger seemed to die down a little, soothing him and making him feel less tense, more rested. He gave a sigh, before smiling down at Ishizu.
"The Change of Heart," He replied. Ishizu nodded, holding out her palm. The millennium necklace lay upon it, beckoning to Bakura. "Lay your palm upon this, Bakura, and see your destiny upon your change of heart."
Bakura did so, laying his right palm upon the necklace as the millennium ring slipped down his arm to his elbow. Bakura's eyes closed in concentration, several images floating through his mind as he seeked his answers inside of it. What he saw stunned him, causing him to gasp out loud. The images, his millennium ring, a desert, two hands, crumbling ruins...
Did the future mean of destruction? It told a similar story to the past.
Bakura opened his eyes to find himself standing as he had been infront of Ishizu. She blinked and moved her palm from Bakuras, clutching the necklace again in her fist.
"Did you see your future, Bakura?" She asked politely, examining her necklace as she spoke. Bakura didnt reply for a few minutes, breathing heavily as his mind raced faster than his knowledge.
"It was clueless, I didnt know what they meant," He panted, leaning on the wall slightly. Ishizu's eyes widened as she slipped one arm under his own, semi-carrying him to the bottom of the stairs where he had less chance of falling. Once down there she sat him against the wall, before sitting beside him, looking from him to the millennium stone and back again.
"Destiny is never clear, Bakura," She said softly, stroking her necklace with her thumb, "It gives you a hint on what may come to pass, unless it is changed. Destruction foreseen in the necklace can be changed to hope. My necklaces' power is a lot like your change of heart card - it focuses on change itself."
"But my destiny, I've been destined to be a thief king..." Bakura moaned, rubbing his eyes and standing up, "Your necklace lies about its fate! I am Thief King Tuzoku, and I always will be!"
Ishizu stood up beside him, looking into his eyes again to seek his truth. There it was.
"Your destiny is your own path to carve, Bakura, but do not be hasty. Your time will come, you must be prepared. Starting with these items..."
Bakura looked at Ishizu before picking up the bag and hanging it back over his shoulder.
"I should return to the city before that brat Yuugi wakes up," Bakura said shortly, tugging the millennium ring from his elbow and over his neck again. He turned to leave, but was called back by Ishizu.
"You may need this to take back to the pharaoh," Ishizu smiled, laying her necklace into the bag and zipping it up, "It will help both of your futures. I have seen what I must, now you must go..." Ishizu stood higher slightly on her toes and planted a kiss on Bakura's left cheek, before dropping down and turning to go. Almost immediately she was pulled back to Bakura, who had taken her by the shoulders and let his hands slip to her elbows as he stared at her.
"I may see you again someday, Ishizu Ishtar," Bakura muttered. Ishizu nodded, letting her eyes close came as a complete shock to her when she felt lips being pressed to hers seconds later, feeling the force from behind the mind of those lips. They were gone all too soon, and her eyes remained closed as she took a shuddering breath. She could hear the footsteps moving away from her, and she smiled, tears brimming, as she heard the last words from Bakura's visit.
"I have my destiny to carve out."