I MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND. OH YES. HELLLL YESSSS. :DDD Um, random spazzy moment is over…this is the contest entry for round two of the YGO Fanfiction Contest, Mizushipping (Priest Set x Kisara). Y'know, that one pairing I totally hate because I am secretly a closet Corruptshipper. XD Ah well, just because I don't like it doesn't mean I can't work with it!

…Uh, also, I don't own YGO…forgot to mention that in my last fic…

I had discovered that Egyptians supposedly slept in their underwear…BUT for the sake of the fic they don't. Or they do. I'm being vague, so you guys can decide. XD

Notes:

In fact, the ancient Egyptian royalty did not live in palaces, if my research proves to be correct. They lived in large stone villas on the edge of the Nile. :D
I've never written either Set or much of Kaiba before, so I hope I did alright – I've always pictured him with a strong sense of justice, but I may have overdone it…I hope not.
And the italic paragraph is Aishisu's vision. :3

"Set - Set. You need to wake up."

"Hnngh.."

"Set! The Pharaoh needs you! Please, wake up!"

"…"

Set opened his eyes and he was instantly looking into another pair of deep blue ones, outlined with thick lashes and dark skin. The woman was wearing a strange headdress with the golden head of a bird on it, the white cloth surrounding it flowing over her shoulders and concealing most of her dark hair. A thin necklace emblazoned with a large eye hung around her neck, and the torchlight illuminating the room cast dancing shadows across her features, further pronouncing the worried expression of her face.

"Priestess Aishisu." Set greeted, his voice toneless. He sat up, Aishisu moving away from him as he did so, and glanced around the room. It appeared to be a combination of an office and a bedroom; the walls, made of white stone, were lined with shelves that had a variety of texts filling them, and a desk was situated against the far wall, cluttered with several miscellaneous objects. A golden rod with crescent-shaped blade-like appendages protruding from the top sat amidst the mess, an eye of Wedjat staring back at him from its surface – the Sennen Rod. "What is it that the Pharaoh needs?"

The Priestess shook her head quickly, obviously shaken, and lowered her voice. "Not here, Set, not here. This is not the place – quickly, you must come!" She hurried out of the room, motioning for him to follow. He looked down at himself and wondered what was so important that he could not change from his sleeping garments into his proper robes, but nonetheless stood to follow Aishisu, grabbing the Rod as he went.

She had waited for him outside the room, and with another muted "Hurry!" she set off quickly down the stone hallway, torches lighting their path. Set hastened to follow her, distantly asking himself exactly what was so urgent that he needed to be awoken in the middle of the night – for it was surely dark outside, the sun boat of Ra not having completed its cycle through the sky.

Aishisu led him through the main hall of the large villa they inhabited, turning twisted corners as if she had the mess of pathways memorized – which, Set realized, she likely did, as since she was a Priestess and he a High Priest, it was their duty to be able to assist their Pharaoh as swiftly as they could.

At last, her pace started to slow, and she came to an abrupt halt in front of a door that Set knew well and recognized. His voice cracked slightly as he spoke, "It is – it is one of those matters, then?"

The Priestess nodded, her face set in solemn lines as she wrung her hands. "It is not of dire consequence," She choked out, her frame wracked with shivers – from the cold of the room or from lack of composure, Set was not sure. "But it is certainly – most definitely something that must not continue. Shada, of course, tells me this – she is such a strange –" Aishisu cut herself off with another shake of her head, strands of black hair falling out from under her headdress.

"You are distressed, Aishisu. Calm down, so that we may enter and I can find out what is going on." Set ordered in a placating manner, gently pushing Aishisu aside and opening the door. He then stepped into the room, taking note of his fellow Priests – Shada sat stony-faced, next to Mahaado, who seemed nearly as stressed as Aishisu. Shimon was worrying about near the Pharaoh himself, and Karim simply looked bored. Set's attention focused on each of them for half an instant before his eyes were drawn to the back of the room – the only space hidden with shadow.

His rage flared.

"You insolent fools, what has this girl done that is so damnable? She is scared out of her wits, look!" The High Priest gestured furiously at the girl, whose long silvery hair covered her face. Her arms were bound tightly to her body, and she was shaking inherently, very clearly terrified. Set's natural instincts took over and he stepped forward, as if to help her; she flinched at the very same moment that Shada stood up, dark anger shadowing over his features.

"Set, you do not know of what you speak," Shada warned, his tone dangerous, "My Key has allowed me a look into her soul-"

"I do not care!" Set exploded, further enraged by the way she had flinched; he, for one, would never dream of hurting her without due cause. "I will not have you harming innocents!"

Aishisu's weak voice drifted forward, and she settled a hand on his arm in a feeble attempt to calm him. "That is what you are not seeing, Set," She said shakily; one quick glance at her showed all of her disbelief and sorrow. "She is not innocent."

"Set, the others speak nothing but truth," the Pharaoh Atemu said, his voice calm despite the disturbance. "If you would be so kind as to allow Priest Shada to explain our current situation, then perhaps you would be more aware of what has happened this night."

There were a few tense moments in which Set seethed, before he nodded curtly at Shada, who resumed his former monologue.

"As I have stated, my Key has allowed me a glimpse into her soul," Shada told him, his hand reaching to grasp the said Key, "She has committed many misdeeds, whatever her cause may be, and her ka is one of great strength..greater even than your own, Set, and I believe it to equal the Gods. If left unchecked, this supposed 'innocent' could destroy everything that our society is built upon. Do you not agree?"

Set clenched his jaw stubbornly. "I am the Priest who has most sway on if she is to be 'checked', as you say, when we really all know you mean executed," He ground out. The girl looked up, as if she hardly dared to believe what she was hearing; he stared at her, hating to see the fear in her eyes as she stared back.

A broken, muted voice whispered slowly, "W-why..are you..defending me?"

"Yes, Set, why are you defending her?" Atemu asked, his voice light despite the slight narrowing of his eyes. "As Shada has told you, she has committed several crimes…and we believe she may be an ally of that Thief King."

"I am not!" The girl cried, tears springing into her eyes as she struggled against the rope that held her. "I am a street rat, and it is not hard to see why! I did not know that I was attempting to steal something that belonged to the Pharaoh!"

"Ignorance!" Mahaado spat, "This foolish child speaks out of turn, as well! Surely you see the problem, Set?"

Set glared at Mahaado, then turned to Shada, clenching his fists. "I repeat my earlier inquiry," He hissed, "What has she done that condemns her so thoroughly, and why do you think she is allied with the Thief King?" He was shaking with anger, unable to believe that they had stooped so low as to take a lowly peasant into custody as they had – he hated looking back in that one small corner and seeing her hide behind her hair, curling her legs up defensively.

"She stole food from the kitchen's merchant when he was in town today, and when she was caught she attacked the guards." Karim explained smoothly, easily meeting the angered High Priest's dark glare with a stony face. He raised an eyebrow, asking more calmly still, "You must, of course, agree that this cannot go on."

Set turned to the girl again, stepping towards her and ignoring Shada when he attempted to push him back. "Tell me," He said in a strong voice, looking down at her as he moved until he finally stood in front of her. "What is your name?"

She stared up at him, not without fear, and shrank back against the wall before whispering in a low voice, "Kisara."

"Kisara," Set murmured, getting a feel for the name, then turning back to her. "Is what the others tell me the truth?" He asked solemnly.

Kisara shrank back even further, hiding her face behind her hair in shame. "…Yes."

"Why did you do it?"

She looked up, like an animal scenting faint escape from a hunter it had been fleeing from. Her eyes were wide as she answered quickly, "I have not eaten in days, High Priest, I just wanted to find some small amount of food so that I could survive – I swear I did not know –" Her voice came to a choking halt as the tears welled forth again, "I fought back on instinct; as it is, I am practically just some animal who was backed into a corner! I did not mean to cause all of this!"

A long, tense pause.

She whispered brokenly, "You do not believe me, do you…?"

"I believe you." Set said abruptly, drawing a cry of outrage from Mahaado and Shada, "Am I to believe that all of the supposed 'misdeeds' you have committed were for the sake of your survival, then?"

Kisara winced. "No."

Set raised an eyebrow. "What are the crimes that were not for that sake, Kisara?"

"I killed a man, once." She mumbled, closing her eyes. "It was in self-defense, but I would have lived if I had not. And believe me…I wish I had not."

The High Priest regarded her in thoughtful silence for what seemed to be quite a long time. He then stood, turning and striding calmly back to where he had been standing. His voice was thoughtful when next he spoke.

"My Pharaoh, I request that we do not punish this woman. She was merely trying to survive when she committed the offense she was brought her for, and all others..well, do we not have bigger problems about which we may worry than the mistake of a foreigner girl?"

"Foolishness!" Shada spat, clenching his fists in anger as he, too, turned to face Atemu. "Surely you cannot be considering this, my Pharaoh!"

Atemu, however, seemed to be weighing Set's words, his eyebrows furrowing as a frown marred his features. "Aishisu," He asked suddenly, "What do you think of it? Shall we follow Set's wishes, or Shada's?" He turned his regal crimson eyes upon her, finding her confidence to have gradually returned over the course of Kisara's explanation. She smiled slightly.

"As the Tauk tells me, my Pharaoh, I believe we should follow Set's."

"You have had a vision?" Karim asked swiftly, shooting the Priestess a slightly curious look. "Of what was it?"

Aishisu's smile grew. "That is for me to know presently…and everyone in this room to find out rather soon."

"It is settled, then," Atemu's voice was decisive, cutting through the befuddled silence the only female of the court had created. "The woman – Kisara – will go unpunished this time. However, I would not expect us to be so lenient again." And then, surprising everyone present, he winked at the white-haired girl. "I leave what to do with her next to you, Set."

Set bowed. "I thank you, my Pharaoh." He moved back to Kisara, untying the ropes around her, and raised an eyebrow once more in question. "Kisara, I shall give you a choice."

Instead of asking what that choice was right away, Kisara flung her arms around him, shaking with presumable relief. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," She whispered, tightening her hold on him, "I'll never be able to thank you enough for this, High Priest."

"…As I said, then, I shall give you a choice." Set coughed, awkwardly prying her off of him and pushing her back so he could look at her. "Would you rather be released and return to your life as it were, or remain here in the court? I am sure if nothing else we could find a job for you, if you wished."

Kisara blinked slowly, a smile spreading over her features for the first time since Set had first seen her. "You do not even have to ask; I would much rather remain here than return to being 'the devil woman'." Her smile dropped, and she shuddered.

"I shall arrange it." Set nodded, standing and extending a hand to her. Kisara hesitated, then slowly reached up and took his hand, pulling herself to her feet.

"Kisara."

The white-haired woman looked up and smiled softly. "Hello, Set."

Set returned her smile slightly, sitting down next to her and sighing. Her lips quirked further.

"Tired?"

He sighed once more. "Like you would not believe."

Kisara leaned over and swiftly planted a kiss on his lips, withdrawing with a fierce blush on her face. Set blinked, thoroughly stunned.

"Better?"

He full-on smiled. "Yes, I think it is, actually."