Disclaimer: Hi there! *waves then puts one giant panda with a wooden sign I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh in front of everyone to see* ...Oh, yeah *points to the panda*  - don't own him, either! ^_^

A/N

Okay...sorry it took me some time to write this chapter but I finally passed that bloody driving test so I was out of it all for a while...ahem, right. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and I hope you'll like this chapter and review further. *happy grin*

The legend of the three Souls

Chapter XI – Visions

-by Alena S. Anigor

***

A small crowd of people were standing in front of the doors of the museum, wondering why they couldn't open them and not comprehending why was the 'closed' sign turned on for everyone to see instead of the 'open' one. It was past nine in the morning and it was Monday – and as they presumed, the museum should've been opened by now.

One taller man, apparently a tour guide explained something to the people behind him and some of them frowned and some of them nodded in confusion. One of them, an older man with glasses and grayish hair mumbled something in German and walked away angrily, huffing.

The crowd of people turned and left, and Ishizu sighed, observing them from the nearby. She could see them but they couldn't see her, which was just fine, because she was in no mood for explanations why she decided to close the museum. When they vanished down the street, she skipped to the doors and carefully hung a note, written on a piece of paper that said 'closed until further notice'. She sighed heavily, wishing she could open the doors of the museum and let everyone in but circumstances were against her will and she was forced to do that. Besides, she didn't know how could she let someone in and then let them roam around the museum when there was a kidnapped girl missing, and her hall was full of people sleeping soundly on the floor like they haven't slept in ages. The only one who was not asleep was a certain CEO who was strolling absentmindedly down the museum's corridors, observing artifacts and mummies that were exhibited.

Turning around, she headed towards the main hall and almost stumbled when she accidentally hit Joey's hand. She smiled softly, noticing how he was sprawled all over the floor, his right hand near Tristan's nose, hanging loosely in the air. Mai and Serenity were sleeping a few feet away; Mai turned on her hip, blondish hair pooling around her while Serenity was turned with her back to her, breathing deeply in her sleep. They all seemed to dream peacefully except the young man with spiky hair who was frowning ever so slightly in his dreams and jerking.

Ishizu's face saddened when she remembered how it was mainly her fault for all the mess that happened. If only she had let go of the legend and never decided to start looking for the Souls...

She flinched visibly when she felt a hand resting on her shoulder. Turning around she saw a serious and cool expression of the man with a turban. Shadi was looking at her calmly, as if the whole situation was nothing more than a mere dream, not concerning him at all.

She presumed he was trying to read her thoughts when he told her a few seconds later that it wasn't her fault.

"You must not blame yourself, Ishizu Ishtar," he said quietly, his voice carrying a note of comfort in it, sounding soothing and gentle. Ishizu wondered for a moment how he could be so calm and stoic when everything seemed like a disaster to her; a complete catastrophe. As if on cue, he shook his head and closed his eyes slowly.

"It was destined to happen," he spoke calmly, "it was our destiny to meet, and it was your destiny to find the Soul and reveal the legend. In my visions, Ishizu Ishtar, you are the instigator."

Ishizu looked at him strangely, now starting to think that the man was able to read minds. When he smiled after that thought that crossed her mind, an odd chill ran down her spine and she suppressed the sudden urge to shudder.

"The instigator?" she asked him, confused and even startled for a moment. Shadi nodded in that same calm and peaceful manner, bluish eyes penetrating and she had a feeling that he could indeed read minds and see into people's souls.

"The one who shall start everything," he explained knowledgeably and then retrieved his hand from her shoulder. Ishizu was perplexed for a moment, staring into the deep depths of his eyes, trying to comprehend the extent of his powers. If he was the Prophet...then he must've known what would happen for a long time already. Ishizu stared at him, mystified and stiff, amazed by the young man in front of her.

He turned around and pointed behind her and she jerked, snapping out of her stupor. When she turned around, she noticed Mai yawning and eyeing them sleepily, wiping her eyes.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily, observing her surroundings and trying to see where she was. When she noticed the familiar hall around her, she groaned and plopped down on the floor again. Ishizu smiled a bit, looking at her watch.

"Near ten," she answered and Mai stiffened a yawn. She looked around, wanting to get up and bumped Serenity in the process. The younger Wheeler stirred a bit and opened her eyes soon after. Mai smiled sheepishly and muttered 'sorry'. Serenity looked tired as well, the lack of sleep evident on her pale face and dark circles under her eyes.

Mai stretched lazily, getting up and almost stepping on Tristan's hand. She managed to graze his finger however and he mumbled something, turning around and hitting Joey on the head. Ishizu watched in awe the domino effect in front of her eyes: when Tristan hit Joey, he growled and turning around, practically slapped Yuugi who grimaced and opened a pair of violet and drained looking eyes. His face was pale and he looked exhausted and bleary. Soon, murmurs and grumbles filled the quiet atmosphere in the hall, as they started to get up from their slumber.

When Ishizu turned to see where Shadi was, he was already sitting behind the table, relaxed in his chair, observing them all with ardent eyes.

"I'm hungry...do you have anything to eat?" Mai mumbled, stiffening another yawn with her hand. Ishizu let out a surprised 'oh'. Amidst all the things that happened, it didn't even occur to her that they hadn't eaten anything since that dinner at the restaurant. Her stomach growled at the sheer thought of the fine food at the restaurant and she lowered her head, ashamed that she forgot to treat her guests properly.

"Can you order pizza here?" Mai asked on which Joey and Serenity exchanged strange glances. Tristan scratched his head.

"Pizza?" he looked at Ishizu who raised her eyebrows in puzzlement, "Uhm...I don't think so." He added dejectedly and Mai's face faltered. Yuugi was still looking rather dazed until he heard footsteps coming from the corridor nearby.

Everyone turned their heads when Seto Kaiba walked in. His trench coat billowed slightly as he was approaching them. His face revealed his usual cold and haughty expression, his eyes icy and sharp. He didn't bother to look at Joey who was the nearest to the corridor, nor he bothered to say anything to them. When he stopped in front of the table where Shadi was sitting, he crossed his hands and lowering his head, directed his demanding gaze at him.

"How long do we have to wait for this...Soul?" he asked, gritting his teeth at the mention of the last word. He was still convinced that Shadi was playing some kind of sick joke on him and he still refused to believe that he was the supposed reincarnation of the Second Soul.

Shadi greeted him with 'good morning' on which he just glared. Joey grunted, mumbling something about conceited bastards under his breath. When Kaiba turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, Joey simply narrowed his as well and they glared at each other for a while, before Shadi decided to break the charade.

"Till the evening," he replied calmly, closing his eyes. Kaiba turned to look at the man with turban, his expression revealing a slight disbelief.

"Till the evening?" He almost hissed, irritation and anger breaking trough his usual cold façade, "you expect me to stay here till the evening?! You must be mad!" he added, now dangerously close to being furious. Shadi observed him for a while, before he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Your stay here, Seto Kaiba, is crucial, therefore, may I ask you to sit and calm down?"

Kaiba looked at him, perplexed. He couldn't believe the man was actually giving him orders and demanding from him to follow them. Nobody has ever ordered him. His fists clenched by his sides, and when he was about to yell at him that he could go to hell with his legends and fairytales, Shadi got up so quickly that the chair behind him fell with a loud thud.

"Seto Kaiba!" He shouted, his voice thundering trough the spacious hall and startling everyone who was currently in it. Serenity and Mai gasped, becoming afraid of the sudden change of behavior in the calm and composed man. Yuugi and the boys, together with Ishizu were staring at him, shocked and slightly frightened by the powerful demeanor Shadi was suddenly showing. Kaiba, though, seemed even more agitated than he already was. He was looking at him intently, almost wanting to burn holes trough the Prophet.

Shadi forced himself to breathe deeply, trying to control his actions and choosing his next words carefully. He closed his eyes and sighed, lowering his head to look at the table's surface. As much as he wanted to look at Kaiba, he couldn't bear to look into his eyes and to see such swirl of emotions, to see such cold and ruthless soul resting inside the tall and powerful CEO.

"I beg you, Seto Kaiba," he bowed his head slightly, gripping the edges of the table tightly, "please stay. When the evening comes, things shall become clear to you, be assure of that."

Nobody dared to speak or even breathe as the atmosphere in the hall became tense; the air becoming sultry and if the looks could kill, Kaiba wouldn't just kill everyone by now, but he would probably wipe out the whole museum by now. He glowered at Shadi, almost slicing him with penetrating blue eyes, his mind thinking rapidly and trying to come with an adequate solution.

He could just leave; leave this stupid museum in the hands of that woman, and give up on the bust...he could simply turn around and ignore the crowd of losers around him and a weirdo who obviously watched too many science fiction movies. He could go to hospital and be by Mokuba's side...doing his job on his laptop now...

But something was telling him that he should stay, non the less...he couldn't pinpoint the little voice in his head that was telling him to stay, but he had a strange impulse, a strange feeling that overwhelmed him suddenly and before he wanted to simply snort, turn around to leave and ignore the voice in his head, a sudden flash of light appeared in front of his eyes and he closed them shut tightly, wanting to get rid of it. He growled, lowering his head into his hand and the rest of the crowd around him stared at him, perplexed and confused. It looked like the CEO was in pain, struck by immense headache.

No one even thought of the idea that he was currently experiencing visions that dashed trough his mind, almost ripping his head in half, pain pulsating and making him squirm and grit his teeth.

He bent slightly and Serenity wanted to approach him and ask him if everything was all right, but Joey stopped her, afraid for her safety.

Ishizu and others watched him, now starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. Whatever it was that was happening to the tall man in front of them wasn't quite enjoyable because he was clenching his fist tightly, his other hand resting firmly on his forehead, shading his eyes. Shadi's eyes were slightly wide though, as the realization hit him – he was experiencing the same thing he was experiencing since he was a child...

Kaiba wanted to yell and scream out loud for the blasted light to go away and leave him alone, but the light only intensified, almost blinding him although his eyes were shut tightly. The painful throbbing in his head increased, making him flinch and dig his fingers into the soft flesh of his palm. The light was getting brighter and brighter until it finally vanished and he almost gasped when the sudden flashes disappeared and made room for another set of images, these being clear and almost touchable.

He was standing suddenly in the middle of the room, watching the young man who was sitting in a chair that was similar to a throne. The young man smiled at him gently before the image faded and another one popped out of the bright light. This one was different – he was now in pain, lying on the ground, half dead. He could hear voices around him, some of them screaming, and some of them crying. What he saw next made him shudder as he met a pair of malevolent emerald eyes and hands of a cloaked shadows crawling all over him. He wanted to scream and cry out but he couldn't. The next second, image disappeared again and was replaced by two people, one of them looking so familiar, offering him a hand and he got up to see fire burning around him, destroyed village and wrecked construction that resembled a palace. He sudden felt such despair and misery that it threatened to shatter him into a wreck himself but two men in front of him held him, one of them raising his hands towards the sky. He felt himself raising his as well, and he could feel his lips moving, hear himself saying words he had never heard before. The fire flashed around them and the sky darkened rapidly, and he almost gasped in amazement when three figures, surrounded by a tremendous light appeared in front of them, occupying the whole sky.

The figure in the middle, reached for him, light becoming brighter again, a sudden rush of power and electricity surging trough him, making him strong and weak at the same time, overwhelming him completely and he fell on his knees, closing his eyes...

"Kaiba!"

He jerked so violently that Yuugi and Tristan stepped back in shock, scared and stunned by the CEO who was now kneeling on the floor of the main hall, breathing rapidly and shaking tremendously. His eyes were still closed but when he opened them, they were wide pools of blue, seeming out of focus. Everyone stared at him, shocked and alarmed by the whole incident.

"Kaiba, are you all right?" Yuugi asked him and when he raised his eyes to look at him, they widened even more, and he was watching the spiky haired boy in some sort of wonder and...recognition.

"Yuugi..." he murmured absentmindedly, still observing him as if he hadn't seen him in ages and now he finally met him again.

Yuugi opened his mouth in confusion, now baffled and puzzled with the CEO's behavior.

"Uh...yeah?" He asked him apprehensively, stepping back a bit just in case if the man beneath him decided to go berserk again. 

Kaiba closed his eyes, thoughts racing in his mind wildly; the images still too fresh and too real to forget. The pulsating pain in his head started to subside slowly and after a few moments vanished as hastily as it came. He focused on the floor of the hall, the tiles slowly becoming clear again and he wondered for a second what just happened and why Yuugi seemed so familiar when he looked at him a few moments ago.

And what were those...

He got up quickly, putting two fingers on the bridge of his nose in an attempt to clarify what just took place in front of his eyes. When he looked at Shadi, the first random thought that came to his mind was 'it was his fault!' He roared angrily, now glaring at him again and Yuugi and Tristan stepped back quickly, already afraid he'd go crazy again.

"What did you do to me?!" He shouted in fury, eyes blazing with a deep shade of blue. Shadi wore a blank expression on his face that was completely unreadable to all of them. When he realized what was going on, he felt a sudden satisfaction that it left him simply amazed.

Shadi let out a silent 'hmph' and sat back in his chair. That seemed to infuriate Kaiba even more because he showed him his grinded teeth and almost snarled.

"Answer me!"

Shadi, when he finally settled in his chair again, gave him the simplest answer.

"Visions."

Silence.

Everyone except Kaiba gaped at him.

The hall was quiet again but not for long.

"Visions? Visions?!" Kaiba screamed, now on the verge of bewilderment, "what the hell was that supposed to mean!?"

Shadi gave him a blank look again and Ishizu could've sworn that he was actually enjoying the moment.

"You experienced something I've been experiencing all my life, Seto Kaiba," he replied coolly, explaining the situation as it was the most common thing in the world, "you saw what happened 5000 years ago...you saw your past and you saw your future as well...you saw your destiny."

"Bullshit!" came the not so subtle reply of the CEO. Serenity's eyes widened slightly and she gasped while Joey yelled at him to watch his mouth.

"I will say whatever I want to say you simpleton!"

"Hey! Watch it, you stuck – up piece of – "

"Joey!"

"Come on, that's enough!"

"If he wants to pick fights, fine by me!"

"Joey, please calm down!"

"You wouldn't last a second anyway."

"Oh, yeah, why don't you come here so I can show you how much can you last you arrogant basta – "

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?!"

Silence followed again in which everyone froze and gawked at Ishizu who looked like she could burn holes trough the hall. She was standing stiffly, breathing rapidly. Her own vision started to get blurry from the impending tears, and she was struggling not to shake out of anger and grief.

"Tea is kidnapped, someone is after the bust and after our lives, Yuugi's grandfather and Kaiba's brother ended up in a hospital, we are constantly under attack and all you an do is fight and argue like seven year olds! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

No one said another word after Ishizu's outburst; they all hung their head in mute apologies, staring at the floor thoughtfully. True – in all that mess that happened, they seemed to forget about Solomon and Mokuba, and about Tea who was, as they presumed, kidnapped by some hideous monster and wondered if she was still alive in the first place...

"You shouldn't worry about Tea."

Ishizu and everyone spun around to look at an almost amused expression on Shadi's face. He was smiling slightly, observing for a while the whole fight and waiting until it had finally stopped. Yuugi frowned in confusion and Mai's face revealed hope.

"What do you mean?" he asked, still feeling a bit lightheaded from the whole incident. Shadi craned his neck aside a bit and smiled again.

"She is fine and...she shall also come tonight."

"What?" Mai almost shrieked in excitement while others gaped at the Prophet. As if sensing their anticipation and impatience he almost chuckled...almost. He knew that there would come some serious situations to handle in the near future but those people around him were making him smile always involuntarily. He had never thought that being surrounded by them would make him feel so content and happy...Something he lacked when he was a child and everyone was avoiding him the best they could. Now, the loneliness he was consumed with was finally blown away like a speck of sand and he allowed himself to smile brightly at the crowd of people.

However, that gesture made them all shudder from the inside as he could feel, but he didn't mind.

He crossed his fingers on the table and opened him mouth to speak again.

"Seto Kaiba, I beg you once again to stay here, and as for Tea...yes, she shall come tonight as well."

"But...how? Did she escape?"

Shadi shook his head but kept his smile on his face.

"No, not quite, but...she shall come...together with the Third Soul."