" Sister, why do you want me to watch the museum?" Marik asked his sister.
" Because you are the only one who knows Egyptian history as well as I do." Ishizu replied.
" But I know nothing about running a museum exhibit…" Marik complains to his sister.
" You'll be fine, all you need to do is tell what you know of the stone tablets. But one thing to keep in mind: don't talk like you are certain of what you are talking about; try talking more like everything you know is more like speculation. People respond better to the uncertain then they do to the certain that they do not understand." Ishizu reassures him, " I really need this day off Marik, so I could use your help today."
" Okay sister, I'll try."
" Thank you Marik."
Marik left the apartment to go to the museum downtown, while Ishizu moved to lie down on the couch. She had accidentally over-worked herself, and that late night visit from Tea did little to help matters. It was an odd situation, and one that she was glad didn't involve her. She didn't, however, know how wrong she was.
No sooner had her back rested on the pillows of the couch, had the Millenium Necklace appeared around her neck. Ishizu snapped her eyes open at the coldness of the gold around her neck, and she was undoubtedly shocked when she saw what it was.
" What is this doing here?" Ishizu asked out loud, not expecting an answer, as she was alone in the apartment.
Suddenly she heard a voice tell her the answer to her question; it sounded like an old woman who spoke as it she knew everything, " I am here to talk about destiny."
Upon hearing the voice Ishizu realized whose voice this was, " You are that fortuneteller that told Tea's past self to marry the high priest! How are you talking to me?"
" Much like the Millenium Puzzle and Millenium Ring, the Millenium Necklace has a soul within it." Replied the fortuneteller.
At first it didn't make sense, how did a Millenium Item come into the possession of a fortuneteller? And how did she put her soul inside of it? Something inside told Ishizu that this was no ordinary fortuneteller, especially if she once owned the Millenium Necklace.
" You said something about destiny, whose destiny?"
" The girl who asked you to use the Millenium Necklace last night. The one who is destined to the happiness I promised her five-thousand years ago."
" Tea? So it is true, is Tea destined to marry Kaiba?"
" Yes. Despite their hardships as a couple in Egyptian times, the events of the past started a flow of events that will lead to their happiness in this time period. I have foreseen it. But…there is one who will try and stop this gentle flow of events, and stop destiny. He must be stopped, even though he means well, his actions will cause more grief for that young woman than she did five-thousand years ago."
" But won't this cause grief for someone no matter what?" Ishizu asked with concern for Yugi, certain that it was him who was going to try and stop destiny.
" Yes, but only for a while. It is not the young woman who he is destined to be with. Actually," The fortuneteller began, " this will bring them all together."
" Very well, what do I need to do?"
" Since the young man will try to get to the young woman before the descendent of the high priest will realize his feelings, we must speed up the pace at which the high priest's descendent realizes how he feels for the young woman. The best way to do this is to keep them both together, this should cause the flow of events to speed up."
The proposed plan was not without its flaws, however, as Ishizu could think of no way to get Kaiba to meet with Tea. There was no conceivable method with which she could have the CEO of Kaiba Corp. meet up with someone who is friends with his rival. This would be undoubtedly be her hardest task, she only hoped that she could make Kaiba fulfill destiny like she did before the Battle City Tournament.
" I can set them up to meet, but I still cannot think of how to deal with Seto Kaiba…" Ishizu started when the fortuneteller interrupted.
" Do not worry about Kaiba, he will agree to meet with Tea. There is no way he can resist." The fortuneteller said all-knowingly.
" Then I have one last question for you. Who are you? How did you put your soul into the Millenium Necklace?" Ishizu asked, despite the fact that it was pretty rude she needed to know the answers, and it was quite surprising.
" I am the original owner of the Millenium Necklace; oracle of the Pharaoh. I am known as Fate for my ability to tell the future, by studying the past, with one hundred percent accuracy. Farewell, my descendant!" Answered the fortuneteller, and her voice disappeared with the Millenium Necklace.
It took Ishizu several minutes to take in what had just transpired. Tea Gardner, Seto Kaiba, Yugi Motou, and Ishizu Ishtar. All of their destinies will become intertwined in the following events, with this mysterious ancestor of the Ishtar family being seemingly the mastermind of it all. After it all had registered in her mind, Ishizu called the museum, and asked for her brother.
" Marik, I'm going to need some more days off…"
If she was going to bridge the gap between Tea and Seto, and keep Yugi at bay, she was going to need some time. Time she hoped was not running out. If the fortuneteller, Fate, was telling the truth, then her involvement was very important. For the sakes of everyone involved.
Author's Note: I haven't any idea about the entire Ancient Egypt story-line, so please do not rip me a new one if Ishizu's ancestor isn't Fate (my original character), or if there are any other inconsistencies in that aspect of the story.
Things are really starting to heat up here, enjoy the rest of The Most Unlikely Love Tale of all Time!