Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, plots or anything dealing with Yu-Gi-Oh.
Author's Note: This is my first time posting any fics up on the internet so please read and review (all comments are welcome-I intend to hone in on my craft and waste my nights typing away at my computer *clears throat* I mean become a better writer for the sake of the fanfic community *right hand raised in the air, left hand placed on a stack of doujins*). Since I am very new at this, I welcome any advice anyone has to give. I intend on publishing more chapters to allow this story unfold, but if no one tells me how good/bad/awkward my writing is, then how will I know what direction to go in and what improvements to make? *sighs* And now I've managed to waste even more of your time, so please enjoy before I ramble on carelessly.
Guardians of the Gods
Chapter 2
An Attraction to Someone I Once Knew
Domino Museum, Domino City, Japan Present Day
Ishizu blinked her eyes, coming out of sleep. She actually jolted awake, rather than slowly and easily coming out of her slumber. The millennium necklace felt warm against her skin and irradiated slightly as she touched one hand to it. What a precarious apparition, she thought to herself. I usually have dreams of the future. Ishizu tried to recall the events that happened in her dream, but all her mind could recollect was the moon shining down on sand, waves crashing onto a beach and a loud roar. When she tried to concentrate further on the source of the noise in her dream, the necklace became unbearably hot to the touch. She quickly snatched her hand away from it. She heard faint whispers in ancient Egyptian but could not make out what said in the dream.
Ishizu looked down to find that she had fallen asleep on her desk again. She pulled parchment paper off her face, sat up in her chair and organized the mess of papers in front of her.
Most of the pieces were legal documents, waiting for her signature: the layout for the exhibit, which artifacts she was going to display on which days, and the security hired to protect against thieves.
Ishizu sighed. She decided that Odion could look through the background checks for all the men hired to transport and watch the artifacts. There were going to be two rooms on display, the larger, more accessible museum hall would exhibit the less valuable, unimportant usual remnants of ancient Egypt, while the smaller, more private showcase room would hold the more prized artifacts.
She sat alone behind her desk in one of the offices of the Domino Museum. She had a great business relationship with the curator, who wanted nothing but for his dear friend and fellow society member Ms. Ishtar to premier her newly discovered artifacts at his museum. Abasi Funsani had been a mentor of sorts to Ishizu when she left her tombkeeper responsibilities and her home behind to nurture her brother's desire to live above ground and in the public world.
That was a mistake however, for as soon as Marik was released into the world she quickly lost contact with him and feared the evil spirit within him grew stronger with the influence of the outside world. Her brother hopped on the first plane out of Egypt and she had not heard from him since, only rumors and whispers about him coming to Japan and starting a gang.
She wished so much that she had not disobeyed and disregarded her family's responsibilities and their roles as tombkeepers. Ishizu knew that if they had remained below ground Marik would not have caused the mischief that now plagued Domino City.
Beyond Funsani's pleas to have her at his museum, that was the main reason she came to Domino the minute she confirmed Marik's presence.
To get her brother back.
Now, she supported herself and Odion with the money she earned giving lectures and showcasing the artifacts she brought with her from Egypt.
But Marik's curiosity-turned-mischief and her museum life were not her primary reasons for her hiatus above ground. Ishizu had a greater task at hand. While she was not in close proximity to the Pharaoh's tomb, she still had a duty to protect him, his remains, and his safe return to the Spirit World. Conveniently, and perhaps ironically, the body the Pharaoh inhabited was that of a young boy who lived in Domino City.
Ishizu had no idea how she would accomplish all of these things, she was not even in possession of all the Egyptian God Cards to simply give the Pharaoh. Sure, she had managed to keep Obelisk the Tormentor from whom she assumed were graverobbers, but Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra slipped through her grasps. And now, keeping herself busy was the only way she could deal with her shame and failure to uphold her family's millennia long traditions and responsibilities.
But Ishizu knew the Pharaoh would eventually end up with the most powerful cards ever created, her necklace had shown her that much. She just did not know what events had to transpire to reach that certain future.
The Tablet of Lost Memories sat securely in a room at the back of the museum, it was brought from Egypt to easier assist the Pharaoh, but without the necessary tools, it seemed useless.
She looked up at the clock on the wall and after reading that it was a little past eight, decided to give Odion a call. He picked up the telephone and with fervor stronger than any sibling's protective concern, asked her a flurry of questions from 'Where was she?' to 'Why was she out so late?' to 'Was she on her way now?' She could hear the worry in his voice, and Odion could hear the stress and exhaustion in her's.
She reassured him that she was coming home soon, she had a long day organizing for the opening of the exhibit at the museum and was going to call a taxi. He reluctantly consented to let her ride the public transit and told her not to hesitate to call him if anything happened.
Ishizu knew that if Odion caught wind that she was in the slightest bit of trouble, his legs would carry him farther and faster than any vehicle.
"Thank you for your concern brother, but it is not necessary, I shall be home soon," and with that she dropped the wired phone onto its receiver. The phone bounced, knocking off the television remote that lay beside it. The remote fell to the floor with a loud clack that echoed throughout the small office and hallway.
Ishizu picked up the phone, placed it gently on its receiver and then bent down to pick up the remote. She heard the small static of the television and looked at the remote to turn it off.
Ishizu had become fluent in Japanese once she knew that Domino City was her destination and temporary home until the Pharaoh's ordeal was complete and her brother was back safely. She wrote the language far better than she could speak it being that her own language and ancient Egyptian required eclectic characters of their own.
Reading the language proved no challenge at all. However, the moment she looked at the foreign remote she did not know which button was the power switch. She assumed it would be the largest, highest button on the remote, but the device sported four buttons at the very top that were identical in size, shape and color.
Experimentally she pressed one, and a Japanese drama flashed onto the screen. For a second she contemplated which characters were male and which were female before hitting another button. This time, Ishizu was sure it was some sort of news channel. Before her finger hit the switch again, she saw duel monsters cards blink onto the screen and decided to listen a little before she assaulted the remote again.
It looked like a press conference of some sort. Reporters and cameramen were all gathered around a podium, flashing bright, blinding lights. The wallpaper behind the podium had the letters KC uncharacteristically written in English in a repeating pattern. Next, she saw a small raven-haired boy clutching a briefcase for dear life before resting her eyes on the center of attention.
'Seto Kaiba, what prompted this sudden release of your upgraded duel disk system?' Ishizu heard an off-screen reporter ask. She saw the little boy beside the tall CEO grab the microphone and speak.
'The Kaiba Corp. Company is always ahead of current technology, no one should expect less,' he answered.
Then Ishizu saw the taller man, with his arms crossed, aloof demeanor and a stern expression on his face, scoff and turn to leave the stage. The little boy hurried behind him, followed by eager reporters trying to salvage their stories.
'There you have it ladies and gentleman, the CEO and owner of the Kaiba Corp. Company, Seto Kaiba exiting the stage. His only response to the barrage of questions and whys was 'Why not?' The big shot gaming company just released its second duel disk system now complete with built-in holographics, sounds, upgraded card data and statistics, and interactive capabilities. Stay tuned after this commercial break to see an exclusive tour of Kaiba Corp's facilities and a close, in-depth test run of the company's new product. Stocks have-'
Ishizu managed to find the power button and carefully placed the remote back on her desk. She promptly called a taxi, gathered her belongings and waited by the exit doors to the museum with security.
When the taxi car arrived outside and honked twice, she bid the guard farewell and then ventured outside and entered the taxi.
During her ride home, the press conference played over and over again in her head. The CEO of Kaiba Corp kept coming to her mind. Soon, the only thing her mind could recollect was him, his stance, the way he walked out of the room. He intrigued her for someone reason and she could not shake the thought that she had met him before or at least seen him in the street. Maybe because she was in the city where his headquarters were located no one could help but see his face everywhere.
Ishizu sat still in the back of the taxicab, her face lit up every time the driver passed by a streetlight or the lamp of someone's home. Her necklace became warm at every thought of that young billionaire. It seemed very active that particular evening, she chalked it up to her anxiety. The necklace was deeply in tuned with her body, and if she felt out-of-whack, then the necklace sometimes would decide to act wonky.
A certain tall brunette was still in her head by the time the driver hit a button beside the steering wheel to automatically open the door(3) for his fare, letting her know that she had reached her destination. She paid the driver and wished him a good night before walking up to the apartment building she and Odion shared.
Ishizu unlocked the front door and then took the elevator up to the eighth floor. When she stuck her key into the door, Odion unlocked it for her and took her bag.
"I have been waiting for you sister, your dinner has gotten a little cold," he mentioned leading her to the small kitchen they had become accustomed to. Living in Japan for more than seven months, they both had quite an adjustment to make, but soon overcame it by spending most of their day outside the small apartment.
"It is okay Odion," Ishizu picked up her plate from the kitchen and sat at the dining room table with her brother. Most of the time, both of them cooked dished from their homeland, but at other times, it was more convenient to be adventurous and try a new Japanese dish.
When half of their meal was eaten, Odion placed his chopsticks down in front of his plate pointing to the left(4). Ishizu thought they had gotten the best of him again, remembering how much he struggled with the utensils when they came to this foreign country. Odion simply waited for her to acknowledge his pause.
"Yes Odion?" She also formally placed her chopsticks down in front of her plate. Ishizu knew to pay close attention to her older, quieter brother. He rarely spoke, save polite greetings, but the times he found it difficult to begin speaking, she knew that he had a lot to get off his chest.
He looked at her sincerely and placed his hand on top of her's on the table. "I heard of Marik today."
Ishizu's heart jumped through her chest. She wanted to stay positive about her brother's situation, but when she was honest with herself, she was worried that they heard nothing from him or of him since they moved to Asia. She almost wanted to give up looking for him, after all her duty was to the Pharaoh was first, and she felt confident that Marik was going through a phase and would eventually come back home with his family.
"What is it Odion? Please tell me out brother is healthy and thriving," she almost pleaded with him.
"I'm afraid he's more than healthy, and a bit more than thriving. It took some work, but I have found where Marik is. Even worse, I've found out what he has done and plans to do now," Odion said.
"What do you mean 'even worse'?" Ishizu almost did not want to know what her brother had been up to while he was missing. Marik's actions reflected on his family and upbringing as the sole heir to the Ishtar clan. So, by extension, everything that had happened so far was Ishizu's fault.
"You must not blame yourself, sister. Do you promise not to be hard on yourself if I tell you? After all he is my brother too, his faults are my own as well."
"Yes Odion, now tell me!"
"Ishizu," she knew Odion was serious when he used her name. "He has the two Egyptian God cards."
Ishizu sat stunned in disbelief. "But that means-,"
"Yes, the very man who swore to protect the Pharaoh's tomb has stolen from it himself. Worse than that, I'm afraid that he is taking out all of his repressed anger on the Pharaoh. He blames him for everything that happened while we were home. He has gathered a group of men he calls rare hunters and together they are scouring the city looking for the third Egyptian God card, knowing that you have come to retrieve the other two and help the Pharaoh. The horrible part about it is he seems to be creating a small army of mind-controlled followers to carry out his will. We are going to have to be careful Ishizu, go to the other Egyptian God card and hide it again. Do not even tell me where you have placed it. For I don't think Marik is past torturing me for its location. You however, even to carry out his plans, I don't think he would entertain the thought of harming you.
Trying to find words in her shock, she asked "How are you so sure?"
"I spoke with one of these cloaked men under the pretenses that I wanted to join him and his 'master'. He said that of the most important rules Marik gave him, brining no harm to his sister regardless, was strictly enforced and under no circumstances annulled."
Ishizu sat back in her chair trying to take in all the information she had just received. Her clever brain started devising a scheme to (she hoped) safely retrieve the God cards, snap Marik back to his senses and help the Pharaoh on his long, millennia-old journey.
Then a smile crossed her face. "Odion, it may seem extravagant, but I have a wonderful way to solve our problems."
"How sister?"
She placed a hand on the left side of his face where he tattooed himself to help Marik cope with his coming-of-age ceremony as a tombkeeper. Even though he was not her blood, she had the same love for him as she did Marik. She needed him to cooperate and go along with everything she wanted to cultivate into action.
Ishizu smiled warmly at her brother, and then answered him. "With a tournament."
Thank you all for reading, and please review (even if you have criticisms, they are all appreciated). This chapter was somewhat slow and seemingly useless, but don't worry it was necessary for the chapters to come. I promise the story will pick up fast very soon. Less than half of the story will take place during the Battle City Tournament, with the remainder taking place much afterwards.
Next, Chapter 3: Battle City Beginnings- Backstage
(3)I went to Japan last summer and the taxis there are similar to those where I live, with one difference, when it is time for the fare to exit the taxi, the drivers have a button that controls the automated door allowing the customer to exit.
(4)A part of Japanese etiquette calls for proper placement of chopsticks. Laying them across the bowl is never acceptable, neither is pointing at someone with them, passing food with them, dragging a bowl closer to you with the chopsticks, licking or using the chopsticks to scoop food into your mouth, stabbing food with them, or picking up another dish while holding chopsticks. These are all considered rude.