Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Aeternitas ❯ A Deal With Destiny ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: When I am rich and famous, I will consider asking what the going price is for YuGiOh! Until then, I still don't own it.

Sometim e later found Bakura lounging in that same armchair, this time his eyes glancing over some novel and a glass of water in his hand. Malik had returned from his room and neither of them had spoken since the disagreement earlier. Instead, he was now busying himself with notebook and pen working on something of a journal he had started earlier in the year. While the two were lost in their own doings, they almost missed the loud knocking at the door. However Bakura was up in a flash, book discarded, glass set precariously on the arm of the chair. As he hurried on to the door, Malik sighed and put the glass on a table before following him to the door as well.

"Who are you?" Bakura snapped at the visitor.

Malik looked past the white haired one's shoulder to find a younger girl standing there. She looked almost offended at the tone in Bakura's voice but soon her lips curled in a smirk. Without hesitation, she replied, "My name is Destiny, Destiny Blair." Flicking her long red hair over one shoulder, she held out her hand to shake.

For a few seconds Bakura looked disdainfully at it, as if she might bite him. However, Malik pushed to the front and shook her hand politely. "It is nice to meet you, Ms. Blair. To what do we owe this visit?"

Bakura's eyebrow twitched, "You aren't selling anything, are you?"

Destiny laughed, a jovial sound that made both men smile abruptly. It was like the promise of something bright and hopeful for the both of them. "Not unless you're buying, darling."

As the laugh subsided, so did the sudden swell of fancy in Bakura's heart. "Hardly."

She quirked an eyebrow and then looked past the two into the space just beyond the door. It was a modest house, she could see a couple of paintings on the wall. Some more intricate wall lighting, beige paint. Nothing exciting, but hardly dull either. "Well, can I come in, or are you two going to make me stand here all day?"

"We would let you in, Miss, but we're not sure why you're here," Malik offered a small explanation.

Destiny cast her eyes downward, "All right then. I have a proposition for you. But I'm not about to stand outside and tell it to you. You have to let me in."

****

"Hmmm." Ima was watching the swirling waters again, checking up on his sister. Concern filled his face, contorting it into something of a frown. "They're certainly a suspicious pair," he commented.

Konomae chuckled, "Well, I don't blame them. After all they've had such a ... tragic? ... past."

"I believe that's your area of expertise, Konomae. I only know that which is now."

"Ah, yes. Sometimes I forget that you and Shorai don't know the rich wonders of the past unless I share them with you. Very well then. I shall tell you of this Malik and Bakura." She patted the space on the marble floor beside her, atop of a single step that led down into a crystal clear pool of water. Several large calico, orange, and albino goldfish flitted through the water there.

With one last glance at the image of Shorai with the two men, Ima joined Konomae there. He bent down to undo the laces on his sandals before tossing the leather items over his shoulder. "Now, let us hear."

And then the Past let her story begin.

****

Bakura eyed Shorai ('Destiny,' clever, ne?) suspiciously once more. They had finally allowed the girl to enter their home and she was patiently sipping on a glass of water as they watched her expectantly. Abruptly she set down her glass, crossed her legs and said, "Well, do you want to hear me out?" Her dark eyes glanced them over, meeting eyes the color of her own in Bakura's face and then Malik's pale violet pair. She resisted the urge to cast them a flirtatious smile, for they were both very attractive. Instead she settled for a look of indifference. After all, she was here on business.

It was Malik who spoke up. "What is it you want to propose?"

This time she let herself smile, so that they knew she was very much interested in their prospectivity. "Ever heard of the Eien? Or Aeternitas?"

Bakura's eyebrows shot up, his face suddenly laced with interest. Shorai chuckled to herself, she knew he was hooked. It would be impossible for him to turn her down.

Malik did not let his companion speak, instead he replied, "Sure, we've heard of it. But that's just some legend. What's it to do with us?"

"Hah. Legend, you say?" Shorai waggled a finger at them, "That's where you're wrong. The Aeternitas is very much a real thing. I've come to ask if you should like to see them." She grinned at them, a grin very much like her laugh before. It made promises of grandiose measures, ones that this ex tomb robber and former tombkeeper could not possibly turn down.

The two exchanged a furtive glance, even Bakura was feeling a bit skeptical. However, it was already in the bag. Shorai was the Future, and she knew it inside and out like the back of her hand or the roving maze of corridors in her home temple. No matter how hard she tried she could not hide her smile. Finally, they looked back at her. "We'll follow you, but how do we know you're telling the truth?" Malik said softly.

Shorai rose from her chair and drank down the last of her water. She stepped forward, grin still in place, then leaned down kissing both men on the cheek just under their left eye. "Trust me, I am nothing but the truth."

****

A few hours passed as Konomae finished up her story of Malik and Bakura and Ima found himself not blaming them in their suspicious natures. He stood from his sister's side and again slipped over to the basin. As he stood there, images of Shorai speaking with the two men appeared once more. Ima jumped a little when he felt a hand slide onto his shoulder. He turned to find Konomae standing there.

"Ima, she will be okay. Shorai might be the youngest of us, but she can take care of herself." Konomae flashed him a smile, "Besides, we're great cosmic beings of power!"

The Present allowed himself to chuckle. "You are too right. But aren't I allowed to worry at least a little?" He held up two fingers a short distance apart and looked inquisitively at Konomae.

She laughed, "No, you're not."

****

"Now, what does meeting Aeternitas entail?" Malik asked softly, fingers absently rubbing the spot where Shorai's lips had touched his face. Although Bakura was now definitely entranced with the woman sitting before them, Malik still tried to keep up some facade of skepticism.

Yawning, Shorai crossed her jean-clad legs. These are so uncomfortable! she grumbled to herself. However outwardly her face was nothing but a smile, her hands folded lightly in her lap. For a few moments she considered her answer. "It means you have to follow me and trust me. It means you have to take heed of any advice or instructions I give you, no matter how much you don't want to." Suddenly, she stood and stretched her arms over her head with another yawn. "It also means we're leaving right now."

Bakura's attention was finally snapped back into reality. "Right now!? Are you mad, woman?"

With a giggle, Shorai shrugged.

"You are crazy," Bakura answered his own question. "I don't know why the two of us should follow you."

"What?" Malik turned to Bakura with a surprised look on his face. "Bakura, you're the one who wants to find Aeternitas! And yet here you are trying to shoot holes in everything she says." He sighed audibly through his nose. "Make up your mind!"

"Fine, fine." Bakura grumbled but threw up his hands. "I do want to go. I'm just not keen on this girl here." He jerked his thumb in Shorai's direction, who rolled her eyes and smirked.

"You don't have to be keen on me, Bakura. I'm not asking you on a date or something," She chuckled as his eyes widened at that last part. For just a brief second she could have sworn that she'd seen a blush on his cheeks. "Anyway, all you need to do is pack the bare necessities. Some clothes, perhaps a few things to eat until we can accomodate you."

Malik's eyebrow shot up. "We?"

"We? Huh?" Shorai coughed. "Anyway," she continued ignoring Malik's questioning stare, "you should really start packing. Enough for a couple of days perhaps. No more than a suitcase a piece."

Exchanging a glance, the two men finally shrugged and Shorai grinned as they walked off to begin their packing.