Watchshipping (Jonouchi x Priestess Isis)

(so, this takes place in Ancient Egypt, sometime after Atem died, Zorc was sealed, and Seto became the pharaoh. Sorry if I spoiled that for anyone, but come on, this fandom is so old now that it's impossible not to run into spoilers, even just looking up the episodes.)

Isis took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. But the lump had forced its way back into her throat, and the deep breath turned into a gargling half-sob. She choked, but didn't want to let herself cry.

She walked down the hall of the pharaohs for perhaps the thousandth time. It wouldn't be long before she had to return to the pharaoh's tomb, but she wanted one last look at the palace before she went down with the others for who knows how long.

Drawing another breath, this one much clearer, she drew the gods' circle on her breast for strength. She would wait for hundreds, even thousands of years for the pharaoh to return. And she would defend the place of his eternal rest until her dying breath.

She stopped, staring at the wall where her pharaoh's history should have been recorded, next to the accomplishments of the many who had come before. But the hieroglyphics that marked his place in history were few, and a vital piece was missing – the name.

The sobs returned, and she stood with her hand over her mouth, trying to still herself. Her shoulders wouldn't stop shaking. Her pharaoh was gone – gone forever, a wandering spirit with no home, for he had made the ultimate sacrifice to destroy Zorc. His own name, renounced and gone forever, forgotten even in the minds of those he was closest too. There would be no afterlife for him. A name was an identity, and without that, the doors to eternal life would never open.

She managed to regain control of herself, but then her eyes fell on the small painting of Mahad – no, the Dark Magician – that had been added next to the image of the pharaoh, and she dissolved into tears again. So many gone – so many dead. It was too much to handle – and had it really only happened a few weeks ago?

Instinctively, her fingers went to the softly warm metal at her neck, the mark of her status, and of her power. Some power, she thought bitterly. After all, the Millennium Tauk no longer showed her the future. She was, effectively, blind and useless to the others. All she could do was descend into the catacombs to guard the secret of the pharaoh.

It's a dismal future that I see for myself, she thought. I will do whatever is required to protect the pharaoh and ensure his return, but...a life in the catacombs. I would not wish that upon anyone. I hope our pharaoh returns soon, and frees my descendents from the burden as soon as possible.

Was there any light at all in her future? If only the Tauk could show her.

As if in answer, the metal warmed softly, gently. Startled, Isis reached up to touch it.

Then light flared in her eyes, and with a cry, she tumbled head first into a full body vision. The even when the light faded, the scene before her was much lighter than the hall of pharaohs, and it took her some time to adjust to the scene.

"Yugi! Hey, Yugi – wait up!"

Someone whooshed past her, a blur of dark blue and yellow. A boy up ahead paused, and turned around. Isis drew in a sharp breath – the silhouette was familiar. So familiar she thought she might faint: it was the pharaoh!

Once her heartbeat slowed, she realized that it was not the same person. The hair and face was similar, yes, but this new character was shorter, and looked younger. His eyes as well were round and violet, not sharp and red like the pharaoh's had been. Still, he wore the Millennium Puzzle around his neck...was this the reincarnation of the pharaoh?

The other boy caught up to him – a tall, blond boy in strange blue garb which the pharaoh lookalike also wore.

"Yugi, you left me behind to finish the cleaning with Honda!" the blond boy said. "Do you know how awkward that was? He kept simpering over Miho – it was embarrassing to watch!"

"Sorry, Jonouchi-kun," Yugi said, laughing. "But I have to hurry home – grandpa needs some help with the game shop, and my mom made me promise to clean my room too. I need to get a head start so I can finish early – then we can play Duel Monsters like you promised!"

"You still left me alone," the blond boy pouted. "With love crazy Honda, who doesn't give up even when he's been clearly shot down."

Yugi laughed again, and Jonouchi grinned, jumping forward to put him in a headlock. Isis gasped, thinking this was some form of attack, but quickly realized that it was a strange form of affection instead. Yugi wriggled from his grip and ran away, grinning. Jonouchi's face became mischievous, and he put his hands behind his head, laughing at Yugi stuck his tongue out at him from farther down the street.

They were so cheerful, Isis thought enviously. I wish I could be here for real.

As if he had heard her thoughts, Jonouchi's face became puzzled. He glanced back over his shoulder, and inexplicably, his and Isis' eyes met. He blinked a few times, looking confused.

"Ishizu?" he said, his voice warm and questioning. "When did you get here?"

The vision shattered, and she stood panting in the middle of the pharaohs hall. The Tauk had gone cold again, but the remnants of the vision danced in her eyes.

The pharaoh...or his reincarnation...had seemed...so happy. So cheerful. That other boy had seemed to be the major source of his happiness. Could this future really be possible? A future of peace? Isis barely dared to hope.

But those brown eyes of the blond boy lingered in her mind, the warmth of his voice fled into her heart and heated the icy coldness. And even though the Tauk had gone cold, she could feel the spark of its magic reigniting.

"Jonouchi," she whispered softly, her voice an echo in the darkness.

She wondered if she would see him again.

A/N: okay...not a very convincing one. But how else were Isis and Jonouchi supposed to meet? I have this pet peeve of mine: I hate it when people stray way far off the original canon storyline. That's why I try to stick so close to what actually happened in these, and even in OC fanfics, I try to preserve the original story and let the main characters do their thing. Well, whatever. Next will be Warnshipping (Yami no Bakura x Ishizu x Ryou). I'm moving pretty fast here; let's see if I can keep up this pace. :3