Title: Divination
Author: Doubleplusgoodduckspeaker
Summary: "You practically threw yourself over the platform after her…for someone who doesn't know her at all—" His smile widened, revealing teeth that looked like daggers. "How interesting." Swiftshipping IshizuxKatsuya.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Notes: Written for Round Eleven of Compy's YGO Contest. Set chronologically when everyone is just out of school (post-series), but also AU—it's like a later introduction to the magic of the series. It'll make sense. Again, Archaeology major who has studied museums/Egypt extensively, therefore everything should be as contextually accurate as possible.
With this one, the collection would at last be complete.
Ishizu Ishtar had been working towards this exhibit for months. It was the sort of opportunity that only came once in one's career—a rare collaboration between the Theban Museum for Antiquities and the Domino Museum, and the first time the items would be allowed outside of their native land in almost a decade. This was one of the reasons she had been so tenacious in bringing the collection here—the final piece resided, oddly enough, in a private collection.
He was a recluse, so she had been told, and had been extremely reluctant to part with his most prized possession. That was why she was here. Ishizu walked up to the neatly-swept front porch, raised a hand to the door, and knocked twice.
The Ryou Bakura that stood before her in the entry hall looked nothing like she expected him to. His clipped, accented voice over the phone did not prepare her for the man who, wearing a striped t-shirt and a courteous smile seemed much younger than she had anticipated. "You're here for my Ring," he beckoned, leading her into the house.
It was apparent that he lived alone—the furnishings were masculine, the fabrics simple, and the colors dark. Sepia tone travel photos dotted the walls, but they weren't of her host.
"My father," he said upon noting her interest. "He was a famous archaeologist who specialized in Upper Egypt mortuary architecture. It was he, incidentally, who found my Ring. But of course, you know all that already."
"The information about the finding will be displayed next to the artifact, I assure you," Ishizu followed him into a wood paneled study, the curtains left loose over the windows as to block out the light, aiding in the preservation of the object. Ishizu appreciated his caution.
"Your name will also go on the list of esteemed donors and receive a commendation at our opening gala in two weeks' time." She reached into the pocket of her coat and retrieved an embossed card with the Museum's logo clearly visible.
"I don't often take it out," Ryou murmured, opening a drawer at the desk and retrieving a black box. He eased open the top, revealing the twinkling metal ring. The eye of Horus was visible to them both for several seconds before he closed the box and handed it reverently to her.
"Thank you for your generous contribution," she said, bidding him farewell. "Having all seven Items in one collection will be something Domino will not soon forget."
He stayed at the window until he could no longer see her car driving down the street.
Domino Museum had never before had a blockbuster exhibit of this caliber. The building stood aloof and unassuming, frequented mostly by students or the elderly. Ishizu stood in front of the building, noting the colorful banners displaying the information for their newest event. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride—her efforts were finally coming to fruition.
"Ishizu!"
She welcomed her brothers with a smile. The next day would make her career, and she wanted her family there. It wasn't a hard sell like she had anticipated; in fact, Marik and Rishid had the flights already booked when she had invited them. "How was the flight?"
"Long and boring." Marik shifted the backpack on his shoulders, his eyes taking in the grand façade of the Museum. "You going to give us the grand tour?"
"Follow me," Ishizu led the way into the bright Atrium. Every surface had been scrubbed and polished until it gleamed, and Museum staff rushed all around them—it seemed to Ishizu that problems arose at every turn, from missing electrical cables to their sound-track not uploading properly, but everything was coming together just in time for the gala.
"You two are lucky—no one else outside of the Museum will be getting to see any of this until tomorrow night." She pulled aside a heavy black curtain blocking out the light coming from the Atrium. They wanted to control every aspect of the museumgoer's experience once inside the exhibit. Lighting and sound would be directed at certain spots, heightening each sense.
"We are on the guest list for that, right?" Marik stopped in front of a large display, where information about the Valley of the Kings was inscribed to look like a giant roll of papyrus.
"Of course. There are some benefits to being the curator, after all." As Marik moved onward to a display about Upper Egyptian mortuary sculpture and relief panels, Rishid took his place beside her.
In a low, articulated whisper: "I need to make sure you realize how dangerous it is to—"
"Nothing will happen! We're not in Egypt, Rishid." She crossed her arms. They had had this conversation before, but that didn't stop him from trying to convince her otherwise. Once he had learned that she intended to bring this exhibit to Domino, of all places, he instinctively reached out across continents to save her from what he believed was certain destruction.
"You must know of the history of the Items. What those inscriptions at the tablet from Kul Elna warned. The seven have not been this close since they have been created!"
Ishizu breathed out slowly and counted to ten. If he was this worried now—she hesitated. "We have the tablet set up for the exhibit as well."
"You never told me that!" His eyes darted back to where Marik stood, making sure he was still in one piece. "I just want everyone to be safe. The Items were forged in darkness, and if that comes back tomorrow night—"
"Everything will be fine," Ishizu gently guided him away from the initial room of the exhibit. She had worked too long and too hard to let these superstitions get in the way. This would benefit the city of Domino, and most importantly, this was her project—everything would be fine. It had to be.
Jounouchi liked the city when it was lit up the best. Looking out the window at the brightly lit streets made them look like he was traveling past hundreds of twinkling stars.
The building he were headed for was lit the brightest of them all. He didn't know what to expect from this new exhibit the Domino Museum was premiering, but the invitation promised a lavish gala, which meant lots of food. He was never one to refuse food.
The bus stopped at the Museum's entrance and Jounouchi got out, stretching his arms and feeling the unforgiving material of his jacket strain against them. He grinned—they even had a red carpet. It was soft and felt like a cushion underneath his feet. "Jounouchi!"
Yugi stood farther down the carpet, clad in formal attire. "I didn't know you had a tux," Yugi joked.
"I rented it," Jounouchi straightened his bow tie once more; it always seemed to sit crooked. "I'm not sure if it's just the cheap tux or it's supposed to feel this uncomfortable. So Yugi, you got an invitation too?"
"Yeah." Yugi smiled as they headed up the stairs to the museum's entrance. "Really, with all the dueling competitions in this town, we're practically celebrities."
They were waved inside by the museum staff to an atrium already crowded with people. Tables strained under the weight of hors d'ouvres and punch. Jounouchi immediately made himself a plate with fruit and sandwiches.
"Don't look, but there's someone else we know here." Yugi took a sip from his cup of punch.
"Oh god—it's Kaiba," Jounouchi projected his mouthful of cheese and crackers onto an unfortunate passersby's starched white shirt. The man glared at them before being pulled along by his dark-haired companion.
"I told you not to look!" Yugi stretched his neck a little to see through the crowd. "Who do you suppose he's talking to?"
"Whoever she is, she's a saint for putting up with him for this long," Jounouchi went for a second round of food, wondering briefly if he could stuff the bunches of grapes in his coat pockets. "I've never known Kaiba to tolerate any event where he wasn't the main attraction." His gaze jumped from his arch-nemesis to the woman. She looked familiar… he'd probably remember any woman who looked like that.
"That's Ishizu Ishtar," Yugi whispered conspiratorially over, a mouthful of food. "She's the curator of the Domino Museum. She's, as you said, the main attraction."
Yes she is. Jounouchi couldn't help but watch her as she worked the room, talking to Kaiba and then a tall man with immaculately white hair. In the clockwise direction she was moving, it was a matter of minutes before she arrived to their position near the table.
"Yugi Moto, I'm so glad you were able to attend." Ishizu's voice was slow, purposeful, as if through one word she could convey several meanings. "And you must be Katsuya Jounouchi. It's a pleasure."
He shook the proffered hand, balancing his plate on the crook of his arm. Turning to Yugi, he asked, "Do you two know each other?"
"The exhibit before this one was about ancient games and puzzles," Yugi answered. "I was there nearly every day."
"Yes, you did mention that you worked in a game shop," Ishizu smiled, and Jounouchi couldn't help but notice how white and even her teeth were. "How about you? You are a duelist like your friend, yes?"
"I'm only the inter-regional champion! I was also the runner-up at the Duelist Kingdom tournament." He was acutely aware of how lame that sounded next to the 'King of Games.'
"Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening. You both are set to enter the exhibit first, along with some of our esteemed donors and sponsors. That will happen right after the commencement speech." She moved on to the next group, several businessmen in dark suits.
"Cool—we get to go in first." Jounouchi turned to Yugi, both their plates finally empty. "Just one small question—what is actually in the exhibit?"
Yugi laughed. "You didn't even read the invitation?"
"I stopped after 'You are cordially invited to—'"
"It's the biggest exhibit Domino has seen in years! This exhibit is pretty extraordinary—it's the first time that all seven Millennium Items, supposedly cursed artifacts from Ancient Egypt, have been reunited since their burial into the Earth thousands of years ago."
Jounouchi put his empty plate down on the buffet table. "Wow—you sound like you know a lot about this stuff."
"It's interesting. Maybe if you picked up a book once in a while, you'd know how much of a treat this exhibit is going to be." The chatter of the guests and the staccato clacking of their shoes on the Museum's polished floors moved to a diminuendo as Ishizu ascended to the temporary stage, where a podium was planted in its center. She appeared composed, but there was a slight tremor in her posture, whether from anticipation or anything else Jounouchi couldn't tell.
"Welcome to the gala premiere of 'Millennium Items: Hidden Treasures of Egypt,'" she intoned, her voice steady and even. "I hope you all have enjoyed yourselves so far, and found the refreshments to your liking."
Everyone laughed, even though it wasn't really a joke. It seemed appropriate.
"First, I would like to take a moment to thank our very generous sponsors, without whom tonight would not be possible. We have a plaque for each of you, and I ask that you come onto the stage to be recognized when I call your names. Firstly, thank you to Kaiba Corporation for their most generous contributions."
Everyone clapped as Kaiba himself walked smoothly onto the stage, accepting her plaque with a brusque handshake and a curt nod towards the cameras which flashed from the front of the room.
"Of course he had to be first—have I mentioned that I can't stand that guy?" Jounouchi whispered rather loudly as the next donor's name was called.
"That means you'll have to get through that exhibit together. You heard what Ishizu said, we're going in first with all of the donors."
"Just great." Jounouchi ran a hand through his hair.
"…And finally, on behalf of the Domino Museum I would like to thank Ryou Bakura for making our collection of all seven Millennium Items complete with his addition of the Millennium Ring, part of his own private collection." Ryou walked to the stage to receive his token of appreciation before hastily moving away from the cameras.
"…strange," Yugi was shaking his head as if he was trying to remember something, "Didn't we go to school with him?"
"Yeah, he never talked to anyone. Kind of like Kaiba."
"Watch what you're saying, Jounouchi, I'm standing right here." Kaiba had finally made his way to the back of the hall. "Yugi, I presume you're going to enter the Duel Monsters tournament I'm producing next week?"
"How come I didn't receive an invitation, you jerk—"
"Do you duel? I hadn't noticed."
"—and now we shall start the tour of the exhibit. To you all, I hope you enjoy your time in the Museum and your evening. Thank you."
Saved by Ishizu, Jounouchi had no time to retaliate before he found himself in the cluster of people preparing to enter the exhibit. The entrance was nothing unusual, simply a granite-bordered arch set into the wall with the words 'Exhibit Hall A.'
"Please follow me," Ishizu said, reaching to remove the tape draped across the doorway, opening to portal to them all at last. "We will go through the exhibit together."
It was cold.
That was the first thing Jounouchi noticed as the group moved as one into the dark foyer of the exhibit. Once they were all past a certain point, doors that he hadn't noticed before swung closed, separating them from the lively atrium and blocking out all the former light and sound. He could hear breathing, and saw a light at the end of the hallway.
The light formed words upon the wall, spelling out 'Millennium Items: Hidden Treasures of Egypt' in stylized lettering. As if activated by their presence, a sound track began to play, a low drum beat further setting the tone.
"Thousands of years ago, the Pharaohs of Egypt and their viziers held the seven Millennium Items, each created and said to hold a great and terrible power. Their function was only recently uncovered in the discovery of the Pyramid Texts, a series of inscriptions on the sarcophagi and mortuary chapels of these kings of Egypt. Supposedly, their power was to summon shadow creatures with apotrophaic powers—they could protect their bearer. But this power could also be used for destruction."
It took Jounouchi a moment to realize that even though it was Ishizu's voice, it was playing over the sound recording, giving an introduction to what they were about to see. The group moved onward to the next room, a reconstruction of the throne room at Thebes. One figure held one of the Items—the Millennium Scales if the label was anything to go by—up to the sky as if offering the balance to the sun god, Ré.
"The most trusted and loyal of the Pharaoh's court used their Items to keep the balance of power and peace in Egypt, and to mediate between the common people and the divine. The pharaoh was thought of as divine, but even more so as a link between the established pantheon such as Horus, Seth, or Hathor and to the people of Egypt. Perhaps the Items were forged to strengthen this divine connection."
They continued on.
The next room had several other Items in sight, their bearers given prominent positions in the scenes. "The Items were also thought to predict the future of this kingdom-state…" Jounouchi started to tune it out, instead focusing on the Items themselves. Really, it all looked like the sort of gaudy jewelry they sold in shops his sister visited. And each one had that eye on it… it was kind of unsettling, as if the thing could see out just as well as it could be seen. He could see one other person fidgeting; glad that he wasn't the only one, he turned towards him until he realized that he was the one Jounouchi had practically spit his food all over earlier. In his haste to get away before he was found out he stepped backwards, directly onto someone's foot.
"So sorry," the clipped British accent seemed to imply exactly the opposite of 'sorry.' Thankfully they moved onward, and as they descended up a ramp the music rose in dynamic, now the addition of stringed instruments providing a cacophony that added to his heightened sense of anticipation.
"The Millennium Items were found at the site of Kul Elna, just North of the first cataract of the Nile," and Ishizu's recorded voice was slightly more rushed, more urgent, as if she was imparting a secret and had only a limited time to do it, "The site was completely abandoned, whether by time or intentionally remains to be seen. What was found was a stone tablet, with space for each Item to rest. Can this tablet speak to us of what happened at Kul Elna? Do the Millennium Items hold a far darker role than we had originally believed?"
The elevated platform they were standing on overlooked a large cavernous space. The walls were made to look like stone, and resting in the place of honor was the stone tablet from Kul Elna. Each indentation where an Item would rest was empty, save one.
The last one.
In the scene there was a figure of a man, standing hunched over, arms stretching out towards the Ring. They could only see his back, but Jounouchi didn't need to see his face to understand that something about this part was wrong.
The music soared to a resounding crescendo, the spotlights in the cavern seemed like they were pouring light onto his shoulders, causing them to sag like the figure's, and as Jounouchi twitched his arms from the effort, the statue mimicked the movements.
He heard Yugi's sharp gasp and Kaiba's deep grunt and knew that they had seen it too. The statue turned, agonizingly slowly, and somehow, he had—
He was wearing the Ring.
He heard cries, but they seemed so far away, yet one stood out above them all. His eyes were riveted to the spot where the railing disappeared and a lone figure toppled from the platform, and before he could stop himself he had leaped off the platform towards her—
Both Ishizu and Jounouchi disappeared before they could hit the ground. A moment later, he turned and vanished, following them.
When Jounouchi sat up, his head swam. When his vision cleared, he looked around, then once more to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
This was definitely not the Domino Museum.
Unless the Museum had a storage closet somewhere that looked like some sort of subterranean chamber, he had been brought… somewhere. Then it hit him.
"Ishizu…?"
"She's rather…occupied at the moment." From behind a turn in the path he appeared, no longer bound by his previous inhuman shell; the man who stood before him was all coiled muscles and constrained movement, and from his years fighting on the streets, Jounouchi knew a threat when he saw one.
"What did you do with her?"
"Patience, patience." His tanned hand moved to absentmindedly stroke one of the pendants on his Ring. "Hmm… you are a surprise."
"…come again?" Jounouchi quickly stood up. He didn't like the way this conversation was heading.
"I didn't plan on you coming here along with the woman. You practically threw yourself over the platform after her…for someone who doesn't know her at all—" His smile widened, revealing teeth that looked like daggers. "How interesting."
Jounouchi was looking around the room for anything that could possibly be used as a weapon.
"You won't find anything here. This is my world."
Jounouchi's hands curled into the only weapons he needed. "…Your world?" He had already decided this man was a psycho, but this was just further proof.
"I was sealed here by the Pharaoh when my plan to bring Darkness to the world failed, and her precious exhibit was the perfect chance to make my escape. With the tablet and those Items I can meld our worlds together, unleashing my power over the entire world!" He began to laugh, the scar across his face stretching with the effort.
Jounouchi had enough of this. From what he could tell, the one exit was blocked, so no matter what he would have to get past him. "Take me to Ishizu!" Your crazy plan won't succeed—not if I have anything to say about it. But first, he had to make sure Ishizu was safe. And then figure out a way to get out of there. He had to come up with a plan. He was Katsuya Jounouchi. He always had a plan!
"Demanding, aren't you? Ishizu is right here. I don't think she's in any state to talk to you, though…" he walked further into the corridor he was standing in, which made a sharp descent, heading deeper into whatever mountain this passage was carved into.
The man ran one hand along the stone surrounding them almost lovingly. "This pyramid became my home for the past five thousand years. I think it will do nicely for you both." He hadn't even turned to Jounouchi, if he hadn't been there it would seem that he was talking to himself.
"We're almost at the burial chamber."
Jounouchi felt a chill run through him that had nothing to do with the coldness of being underground, surrounded by stone. Burial chamber—Ishizu was—he couldn't—
"It is often said that the past repeats itself. Too true. Isis, at last I have found you, and the future you will divine for me will be magnificent—"
The burial chamber was average size, rectangular, with decorated walls and a ceiling dotted with stars. The one thing in the room was a large limestone sarcophagus. He was mad—he thought Ishizu was some sort of goddess…? "Isis, vehicle of the royal ka, you will make me King!"
Jounouchi rushed to the sarcophagus with only one thought in mind. The top was very heavy; he managed to topple it to the ground after the fifth push. He cradled Ishizu's head in his hands—she still had a pulse, but it was faint, and despite the cold, her forehead was burning.
She was wearing one of them, one of those damned Items. He reached forward to yank it from her neck when her hands shot upwards, stopping him.
"Ishizu! Thank goodness you're alright! Listen, we need to get out of here…"
Her eyes were open but she couldn't see him, it was as if she was seeing something else entirely. "NO!" She shouted, and her broken voice echoed around the room. "Not Marik… Rishid, help him, he must not be allowed to win…"
"Ishizu," Jounouchi pleaded, wanting to brush away the hair that fell around his eyes but not wanting to let go of his only connection to Ishizu. Some part of him believed that if he let her go again she would fall into that Darkness and he would never be able to save her—
"Winged Dragon of Ré…Obelisk…Slifer… they belong to the Pharaoh!" She shouted, and her body thrashed in the stone sarcophagus. She was suffering, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.
"What did you do to her!?" Jounouchi's head turned to where he stood in the doorway, observing them with a triumphant smirk.
"She just needed her horizons to be…broadened, so to speak." The man crossed his arms and his words sent another chill down Jounouchi's spine. "I'm showing her what her world would be like with a little more Darkness… Isis has a talent, you see. With the Millennium Item she controls, she can predict the future. She sees everything… good and bad. With her, I'll be unstoppable." Ishizu's feet kicked the bottom of the stone, and Jounouchi winced—if they got out of this, she might be seriously injured.
"… brother, Pharaoh, Seto, Jounouchi—" Ishizu's breathing became erratic.
"I'm in her future?" Jounouchi's eyes were wide, taking in all the light that reflected off of her necklace.
"Why won't she go any further? I want to know; tell me I will triumph over the Pharaoh!" He shouted, running towards them.
"I won't let you hurt her!" Jounouchi swung his fist, connecting with his left cheekbone. He staggered backwards, a laugh escaping from his lips.
"What can you do? You are absolutely helpless, and you can't even save yourself, let alone the woman! You are trapped forever, and no one will save you! You—are—done!" He laughed again, staggering back towards them.
A bright light burst from the sarcophagus, causing both of them to stop and stare; him with wild-eyed aggression and Jounouchi with startled bewilderment. The light had no form, and seemed to be coming from her necklace.
"Thief King, you will be stopped!"
The light had a voice…? Jounouchi watched on as the Thief King's body froze. "…P-Pharaoh? It's not possible!"
"Pharaoh?" Jounouchi's voice sounded so feeble compared to the voice from the light.
"You're all right. Is Ishizu with you?"
"…she's in some sort of trance; I can't snap her out of it—"
"You have to. Her Item is still connected to your world. If she is awake, you both can be transported back."
Jounouchi looked down at Ishizu, where beads of sweat had formed on her temples. "But what about his?" The Thief King looked at his own Item, and a cold smile swept across his face.
"You will only have a moment. Now!" Jounouchi watched as the Ring around the Thief King's neck vanished. He turned his face to the stars painted on the ceiling of the chamber and screamed.
Think, Jounouchi. You've got to wake her up before he realizes where the only Item is… think! How do I wake her up?
As if realizing it at the same time, Jounouchi and the Thief King locked eyes. The smile returned.
Jounouchi looked down at Ishizu, and an idea sprouted in the back of his head. He had no idea if it would work, but he had to try, it was all he could think of—
As the Thief King began to run towards them, Jounouchi gently pulled Ishizu's head upwards and kissed her gently on the lips. He saw her eyes open, really open, and the last thing he heard was the Thief King's enraged howl before everything disappeared—
They were back.
It was too quiet, what happened to the screaming people, to the sound track…?
Jounouchi looked around and saw that they were in the exhibit, lying practically in front of the tablet. It had one Item left in it, which was presently being removed by a very familiar friend.
"Yugi…? Thank god you're alright—"
The man who turned around, Puzzle in hand looked like Yugi, but was definitely not him. Jounouchi took a deep breath. "You're the Pharaoh…"
"Once you two vanished, I was called forth from the Millennium Puzzle to make sure the Thief King's sentence was held. I was able to inhabit the body of your friend, Yugi. I'm not exactly sure how it happened; it was almost instinctual, and…" He cradled the Puzzle in his hands. "That tablet is fascinating. Using it, he managed to transport you both there. I'd say it was a matter of luck that you were able to bring yourselves back."
Ishizu! Jounouchi looked down, seeing her lying with her head in his lap, eyes closed, breathing steady. "She's asleep."
"They all are." He motioned to the scaffold, where he could see Kaiba's arm hanging off the platform. "I believe it's for the best that everyone thinks that it was simply a matter of the lights bursting which induced this state, and causing yourself and Ishizu to fall from the platform. Perhaps a little rearrangement of this exhibit is called for as well." He looked at the Puzzle fondly. "I feel a strange connection to this Yugi…it will be strange to go back now."
"I don't think it will be permanent," Jounouchi said, taking one of Ishizu's hands in his. "I'm not sure if the Thief King was crazy when he said she could predict the future, but she said some pretty amazing things, which makes me think I'm going to be seeing a lot of you in the future."
"Concern yourself with the present for now. Perhaps we will see each other again." Yugi's body glowed, along with the Puzzle in his hands.
"Wait! How is she going to wake up?"
"Well, what did you do the first time…?" The glow intensified before Yugi himself crumpled to the ground, the Puzzle still fluorescing gently, the only reminder of the events which had just transpired. Jounouchi looked down at the woman he held. He hoped that, whatever vision she had seen, he was in it. He leaned down and kissed her again.
He drew back when the sounds of the others stirring reached his ears. She was staring at him, a mixture of awe and confusion across her features. "Is this how you act with someone you've just met?"
He saw her smile, her eyes were so clear and Jounouchi knew that everything was going to be alright. "Not usually, but for you I'll make an exception."
He helped her rise to her feet; all around the room people were getting up. Yugi was rubbing his eyes with one hand, the other holding onto the Puzzle as if he couldn't let it go.
"…So it's all over?"
"I think so." The Museum was coming back to life; a side door had opened, letting in a stream of light along with several security and medical personnel. He picked up the Millennium Necklace lying on the floor and held it up to the light. He'd never know the true power that lay within just one of the seven Items, and he didn't want it. He saw what a thirst for power could do, so he'd just take what he could get, today.
…But it didn't hurt to ask. "I think this belongs to you." He placed the cool metal necklace into her open palm. Her fingers closed around it, then his closed around hers.
"So…I'll see you around later, right?"
She let a hint of a smile through, and he would treasure it more than any golden charm. "The Domino Museum is hosting an exhibit on Neolithic Pottery next month. You should come by and visit me then."
"…Neolithic Pottery? Sounds… great. Wouldn't miss it!"
They were helped back up onto the platform and walked into the light coming from the other side of the room.
The End.
Footnotes:
1. Now the AE parts of the anime are dreadfully inaccurate, but I've tried to be faithful to it while still keeping everything true to Egyptian mortuary architecture and the way things were done back in the day. Some burial chambers had stars painted on the ceiling. The Pyramid Texts do exist, they are inscriptions on the walls of Old Kingdom burial chambers, but they are lists of offerings/ritual spells and incantations, and they don't necessarily have anything to do with shadow games or Items.
2. Ré is how I spell Ra. They're the same thing, and there are just different translations depending on what academic sources you're using.
3. To be super clear, the 'visions' Ishizu is having are of anime canon Battle City… incidentally, also the new 'tournament' Kaiba forgot to invite Jounouchi to in this story. I mention Duelist Kingdom, which did happen but only as a card tournament. The reason Ishizu can't see farther than Battle City is because she takes a back seat for the rest of the series but also because Bakura loses to the Pharaoh at the end.
4. Thief King Bakura is insane. Yeah. He is calling her 'Isis' which is a royal divinity but also synonymous with the 'royal mother' from whom the King is able to 'be' royal, to 'be' divine. He is elevating her to that status because she can see the future but also because he wants that divinity for himself.
5. Neolithic means 'New Stone Age.' Wooo… fascinating. Well, I think so, anyway.