Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh, the property of Kazuki Takahashi and rightful publishers.

Everything non-canon will be explained, and as a heads up, I will incorporate some historical info but may not be accurate to the letter. If you see any outstanding mistakes, please leave a review. Every chapter has a preview, although these COULD be subject to change as well. That said, there's nothing left to do but read, enjoy...(and review! :)

---

PROSPECTUS

---

21st century

Domino, Japan

Ishizu touched the hieroglyphs etched in the stone tablet with her tender hands, as though some sappy emotion were tied to every picture beneath her fingers as well as beneath Kaiba's understanding. He watched her impatiently, considering the load of shit she had just conveyed to him. What idiot did she take him for? Hell, even an idiot wouldn't buy the past-life nonsense she (and maybe her brother, who was also off his rocker) concocted. Nevertheless, something kept his feet rooted in the gallery and his intense gaze on the crumbling Ancient Egyptian artifact she was so strangely caressing...

"Do you plan on wasting more of my time with your rubbish, Ishtar?" he demanded sharply, losing patience with this woman every second. "You're about to see me walk out that door in five seconds. One--two--"

"Will you open your eyes?" she retorted. "You have no patience…"

"Feh. The same way you have no practical judgment."

Ishizu gave him a sharp glare. "Do you think it was an accident that you found the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards? Do you even know the history behind them, or do you think they just rolled off a printing press?"

Like a typical businessman or politician, he straightened his coat and returned with a sharp return: "How I came by them is none of your damn business, Ishtar."

She pushed back her thick black hair, hardly able to believe that she coexisted in a long-past lifetime with his eternally rigid personality. Well, it was time for Mr. Kaiba to be pushed. "Here is your proof, under the picture of the Blue Eyes White Dragon," she said, pointing at a row of hieroglyphs, and read the Ancient Egyptian pronunciation. "In Arabic: ana behibak, habibi. Japanese: I love you, darling. Message from a female to a male."

Kaiba raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Is that supposed to mean anything to me?"

---

5,000 Years Ago

Memphis, Egypt

One of the hourglasses lined along the High Priest's desk had been empty since the afternoon, and the long shadows cast along all sundials in the capital meant that the day was almost over. Set leaned over the prospectus he was writing for the Pharaoh. He had spent three hours on it thus far, and more time holding his dripping pen above the inkwell than writing. The document had to be clear enough for His Majesty to have an idea of Set's plans, but vague enough so that he would only have an idea.

His concentration was interrupted by high-pitched giggles down the hall. Just as he was about to shout at the young page to keep quiet, the pest entered the study and hung its stringy brown arms around his neck and shoulders.

"Gotchya!"

Set rose from his seat and whirled Ma'at, his three-year-old daughter, in the air so fast that she shrieked in laughter.

"Wowww, I almost reached the ceiling!" she cried.

"You mean I almost brought you to the ceiling," Set corrected her. He tossed her up again and again, and she continued to laugh mirthfully as her tightly-curled cinnamon-brown hair bounced across her lively face. His papyrus roll, inkwell and pen lay idle; he forgot the layers of tomes and scrolls waiting for him later; suddenly his austere center of academic study was put on hold, forgotten as though Set had never begun it.

Neither he nor Ma'at heard the first few gentle raps on the door; after a few polite attempts, his wife Antigone showed herself in. "I suppose I'm not interrupting?" she asked, beaming.

"No, not at all." Set kissed her forehead, which barely reached his shoulder. He balanced Ma'at on one arm. "This one's already taken care of that."

Antigone winked at her daughter, who grinned puckishly. His wife was striking in both appearance and personality. Although she wasn't very educated, intelligence lay in her large, kohl-rimmed black eyes and under an abundance of tight honey-blonde curls, which contrasted sensually with her amber-brown complexion. She articulated her wit and expressiveness with the pert chin, full lips and full cheeks that Egyptians prized. And years after retiring from a career was a court dancer, she still had the grace and confidence of a dancer, as well as the voluptuousness to carry it all.

She said, "I was going to interrupt anyway. Supper is about to begin, and it's sundown already." She pointed at his window, which barely let in enough light for him to work. He had been in the study since dawn. "Have you even stopped to take a proper meal today?"

No, he'd only eaten for a small meal after this afternoon's sacrifice. He sighed. There were times when his duties were dull, requiring little more than his presence at formal events, a few words to his master the Pharaoh and the small, daily religious ceremonies. But in times crisis (well, this situation was not yet a "crisis") he could be kept up round the clock in his study or the laboratory, for his master's sake (as well as for his own gain).

"I ate a little."

"But not enough…"

"I know, I know," he said so he wouldn't hear a fuss.

"Are you joining us for supper, at least…?"

He glanced at the work he'd left at the desk and began, "Well, I planned to continue for a few more hours--" but she hooked her finger on his tunic, tugged and insisted: "It's only an hour of your time, you haven't eaten and we haven't seen you much today--"

"All right, woman. You don't have to pull my arm."

What a fuss, he complained to himself. But Antigone beamed; he knew she was happier to settle the matter on her terms than to see his hunger satisfied. Hell, their marriage was settled on her terms. Set could hardly believe that he threw out a politically-advantageous marriage to marry a court-dancer that refused to have anything to do with him unless he demonstrated his genuineness and commitment. Four years later, he had long moved past offending Princess Calista and her Greek city-state to the point that they severed diplomatic ties with Egypt. His family was worth more to him than the Nile.

"I'm hungry," Ma'at complained.

"Let's eat then," Set said.

The dining hall was lit with a combination of candles and twilight that cast a strange glow on the chamber's potted palms, generous dinner table and caramel marble floor. The glowing candelabras mingled with the soft twig light, which cast a strange glow on the potted palms, Lady attendants opened the dishes. Set ate a handful of dates, falafel, white rolls, small desert birds on a roast skewer, and cakes dripping with honey.

After supper Antigone's maid put Ma'at to bed, and Antigone suggested she and Set also retire. He relented again. They drank wine on the balcony's cushioned chaise longue. The alcohol had a drowsing effect. Set rose from the chaise longue and rubbed his head.

"Tired?" Antigone yawned. "I'm about to go to bed…"

"Yes, but I still have some work left," he said, remembering the prospectus.

"Hmmm." She went back inside the chamber and blew out the candles. He heard her unlock her tunic clasps, then climb into bed. "Don't stay up too late again."

Set placed his silver wine cup next to the chaise longue, where the maids would tidy up later. He went back inside, stood over his wife, and stroked her head. Her eyes opened slowly. Her fingers caressed his wrist.

"Forgive my negligence," he said quietly.

"Set. I know you have your duties," she whispered. "I understand. But please, if you can, put aside a night in the month so we may see more of you. Hmm?"

He nodded. "At this point I can make no promises, I will have to see what I can do…. Have you any ideas in mind?"

"Well, the King's Great Wife is presenting the Royal Zoological Collection soon, so…that would be nice for all of us to visit. And the new Athenian Theatre has many interesting shows coming up…"

"Since when did the capital have a Greek Theatre? Is it truly Greek?"

"Well," she said, smiling, "it is modeled after Greek style. From what I hear, Egyptians have taken more liberty with costume design and naming Greek deities as Egyptian ones, and of course ladies are allowed to attend the comedies." Antigone yawned, and closed her eyes.

"Very well. I will see. If you can find a play I'd like, that would be good."

She sighed, "That would please me, My Lord."

Set returned to his study and after lighting a candle reorganized his thoughts and plans.

The only way to guarantee the Thief King's defeat before anyone else did was to beat the rogue at his own vile, base game: find an all-powerful Ka. That would be like finding a fertile bloom in the barren desert, a bloom difficult enough to find, let alone harness before the powerful Ka disappeared in minutes (if not seconds). It was only a few minutes before he was satisfied with his plan, written as vaguely as he could convey.

I should not worry this much, Set credited himself. Atem will approve my measures; he has great trust in me. Besides, His Majesty has little time to monitor my course of action, and he has a late start. He rolled the papyrus and placed it in a polished cedarwood case. He was now unable to remember why he fussed about the stupid thing when he sent scavengers to look for specimins already, without His Majesty's official approval. Set latched the case's clasp. His dishonesty was for the good of the kingdom as much as his own power.

A slight smirk curved Set's lips as he blew out the candle and went back to his bedchamber.

---

Chapter 2 Preview:

She navigated between the crush of people, avoiding eye contact with the putrid states passerbys gave her, but none bothered her. Her heart thundered in her chest. A few more minutes, and she would be easily spotted by law enforcement, who would make the end of her. She had to find the alleys, but she was lost in the crowds and coudln't get away.

Suddenly a rough hand seized the back of her collar. "Help--!" she cried out, but the attacker violently jerked her back into his sturdy legs. Disgruntled pedestrians cursed the brute, whose grip kept her completely restrained more out of fear than strength. She whimpered.

"Satis! Take a look!" he shouted. "Hey! Shut up you," he snapped.

The young woman squeezed her eyes shut in terror, while Alexander waved at Satis, who pushed past people and stumbled forward, out of breath. "What is it?" he panted.

"Look what we have here," Alexander said with amusement. "An albino."

As the young woman expected from a typical Egyptian, Satis' face contorted in digust and he raised his shawl to his face as though to protect himself from disease. "Revolting!"

But his Greek friend didn't have the same aversion to her cursed kind. Alexander cuffed her collar with one fist and with the free hand jerked her bare forearm up. Satis took a precautionary step back, but Alexander noted, "A runaway slave, it seems. She's a specimin worth noting.... Let's haul her in."

"Are you MAD?!" Satis screamed.

"She looks okay to me," Alexander said.

"An albino? It is a cursed thing here. Whoever bought her must have been a starving peasant, because nobody wants to incur that kind of misfortune upon oneself. I'd rather drown myself than touch that thing."

Stay tuned...