Seto was pissed; perhaps more than pissed.

It had been a couple days since Kisa and he had agreed to start dating. He had driven over to the Dragon's Den after work like he said he would, only to find Akira outside the closed warehouse doors. The older man sat cross legged on the concrete, back against the metal framing of the warehouse wall with his long leather coat pooling around him. There was an oddly blank expression on his face as Seto walked up, fully intending to ignore the red head and foul cigarette smoke he was emitting from the stick in his mouth.

Seto drew his long grey wool coat tighter around him against the icy October breeze as he approached.

"It's locked." Akira said suddenly as Seto drew level with him.

Seto glared down at the man before reaching out and trying the handle anyway. It didn't budge.

"I told you. Kisa locked it."

"And why would she do that?" Seto didn't hide his frustration at being locked outside with the other man, whom he greatly disliked.

Akira pulled the cigarette from his mouth and blew a large cloud of gray smoke up a Seto. "She kicked me off the band." The man sounded frighteningly calm. "It's your fault too."

Seto irritably waved away the arid cloud before it reached his face. "How is that my fault?"

The other man scoffed, sticking his cigarette back between his teeth, "cause you just had to walk in here that day. You come waltzing into our lives and Kisa suddenly can't stop talking about you. I don't get it. Kisa never used to get that excited over someone before, not even me. What makes you such hot shit?"

Seto didn't appreciate the choice in language. "Don't know, perhaps she decided she was better off with someone farther up on the food chain." His voice dripped with loathing.

"Yeah right," The other man didn't even sound fazed by the insult as he finished off his cigarette. "She never tells me anything. Rena knows more about her than I do and I was the one who was with her for all those years. She never even gave me a good reason for why she dumped me."

Seto watched Akira flick his dead cigarette away, watching its path as it hit the concrete and rolled to finally come to a rest by the front driver's side door of Seto's black sedan.

"But you know what? I stuck around after she dumped me cause I cared too damn much. I believed that after she'd had a while to think and get her shit in order that she'd want to get back together." Seto watched him pull a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket. Akira held the pack out to Seto, who shook his head in refusal. "Suit yourself."

"Why are you telling me this?" Seto asked suspiciously.

Akira didn't answer right away. He tapped the pack until a cigarette popped out and grabbed it with his teeth before storing the pack away again. "Cause you need to know what you're getting yourself into. Kisa's a good woman; don't get me wrong, but she's got secrets. She only confides in Rena, and getting anything out of Rena about Kisa's real secrets is harder than pulling teeth from a bull's mouth." He pulled a lighter out of a different pocket and lit his fresh cigarette. "Trust me, I tried once. Sure Rena will tease unimportant shit, make you think she's letting you in on something big, but she's not. Unless Kisa tells her otherwise, I'll bet Rena will take Kisa's secrets to the grave."

Right, Kisa's secret. Seto remember the conversation he'd overheard. There had been something Kisa was supposed to tell him after the concert, but the subject had never come up. Or, had Kisa done that on purpose? Had she purposefully delayed telling him so their moment together wouldn't be ruined? But there was the other thing too:

"Why?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

What did she think he wasn't going to believe?

"Look, I may not like you, but I don't dislike you enough that I wouldn't tell you to watch yourself." Seto was driven out of his musings as Akira continued to talk. "There are just certain things that are off about her."

"And what is that?" He raised a brow at the older man, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"That magazine article a few months back that Kisa had done an interview for said she was born and raised in Hokkaido. I know for a fact she wasn't. Her family moved to Hokkaido when she was in primary school. I remember. I was there."

"What does it matter?"

"It matters cause she's been lying to everyone. It's what she told everyone in Tokyo and it's what she's telling everyone here. I don't know where she moved from, but she's trying to hide it. You can't look me in eye and tell me there haven't been times where you've felt Kisa's been hiding things from you."

Akira was right. Seto could think back to at least two times where he'd had the distinct feeling that Kisa had been trying to deflect him from something or had been trying to avoid answering a specific question. But Seto wasn't going to admit it to the man's face.

"Once again, I don't see how it matters." He crossed his arms defiantly. "It's Kisa's business. If she wanted to tell me about it, then she would."

"Alright, kid," Akira said, a challenging tone in his voice as he finally glared up at Seto. "You really trust her that much?"

"You don't?"

"I've gone and run out." Akira moved to stand up, brushing dirt from his coat. "I've had enough of hanging on and being lied to. If you're any of the genius you claim to be, you'll force the truth out of her now before the two of you really start getting serious."

Seto watched, bewildered, as the other man started walking away. "That's it?"

Akira stopped, barely turning to look over his shoulder at Seto. "Was there something else?"

"You're just going to give up and leave like a coward?"

Akira laughed, not cold or dismissive; more like he found Seto's accusation funny. "That's a riot! Me a coward! That's a good one!" He turned back and stepped close enough to clap a hand on Seto's shoulder. "You know what, kid? I don't think I gave you enough credit. You're a regular comedian."

Seto scowled and shoved Akira's hand away. "Forget it, just keep walking."

"Right, I'll be sure to get right on that." Akira grinned around his cigarette. "Look, I'm not leaving because I'm scared or anything. Kisa's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't need or want me around anymore. Why would she need me when she's got you, right? That's probably what you wanna hear."

"I thought you cared about her." Seto sneered.

"I do man, believe me, I still do. I've been holding out for a long time, waiting for Kisa to take me back. But it's been like she'd been waiting for something. Kinda like she's been the one holding out, you know?"

"Odd…" Seto said absently, thoughts starting to swirl. "How long ago did she dump you?"

Akira had to think, chewing the filter of his cigarette as he did so. "Would have been… around six years ago? I remember the day, now that I think about it. I'd gotten back to our apartment late, around nine I think cause the nightly news was just wrapping up. She always used to sit and watch the news every night, said it was cause she wanted to stay current. Wasn't five minutes after I'd gotten in the door that she told me we had to break up."

"That you had to or that she wanted to?"

Akira narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Seto's question. "I'm pretty sure she said had to. Like I said, she never gave me a reason."

Seto nodded quietly, thinking. Around six years ago had been when he'd launched his takeover of Kaiba Corporation from his stepfather, causing the man's suicide. The event and Seto's face had been all over the news, over every region of Japan. But he'd only been about twelve back then.

Could seeing his face on television, even back then, have prompted Kisa's breakup? If so, why?

"Is that it? Cause I need to get home and pack my shit so I can move out of this God forsaken city."

Seto looked back at him, not realizing that he'd looked away as he thought, "One more thing."

"Just one."

"Kisa's bracelet…"

"You've noticed too? Yeah, she doesn't take it off. She wears it to bed, in the shower; I've even seen her wear it swimming once, and I've seen most girls get uppity it they accidently wear their earrings in the pool. She said it was a present she got from someone a really long time ago, but most people wouldn't doing things in presents that Kisa's done in that bracelet."

"How long has she had it?"

"Since before she moved to Hokkaido. Had to since she was wearing it the first time I ever saw her. It looked old even back then."

"And you don't find that odd?"

Akira threw up a dismissive hand. "Sure I think it's weird, but girls are weird when it comes to their stuff. Now is that it?"

"That's it." Seto answered, even though he was left with more questions than their conversation had started with. But they were questions he knew could only be answered by Kisa.

"Finally!" Akira exclaimed, turning away again and walking to his car. But he stopped with his hand on the driver's side door and faced Seto one last time. "Just know that if I find out you did something to hurt her, you'll have to hire people to guard you; cause I'll be out to kill you."

From the look in Akira's eyes, Seto believed him. He watched the other man get into his car and drive away, mind still reeling from the information he had learned. When the car was finally out of sight, Seto reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to send a text message to Kisa. She would most likely not hear him banging on the door from way in the back section of the warehouse. It would be quicker this way.

Kisa, I am outside. He has left.

After sending the message, Seto stored the phone back in his pocket and leaned against the side of the warehouse to wait. There were too many questions Seto needed answered. He couldn't move forward without them, even while his chest ached with guilt at all the knowledge he'd gained without Kisa's consent. He had to confront Kisa today, at the risk of ruining the shred of happiness he'd gained only a couple days ago.

The warehouse door creaked open and Seto turned his head to meet Kisa's eyes. They shined with relief and excitement at seeing him standing there. Seto had to remind himself to breath.

"I'm glad you're here." Kisa's voice sounded better, it was not back to normal by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely an improvement from the state it had been in. At least she seemed to be able to speak normally without it causing her physical pain. "Come in. I was about to heat up leftovers from the dinner Rena had cooked me yesterday. I'll heat some for you too."

Seto nodded and followed her inside, all the way to her living quarters. The door to her living room stood open, so Seto went ahead through it and started making his way to the couch, as had become a habit. He was stopped when her arms wrapped loosely around his waist from behind, halting his movement. He craned his neck to look, only to find Kisa burying her face into the fabric of his wool coat.

He felt his pulse quicken and he turned his head forward quickly, hiding the color rising in his cheeks incase Kisa decided to look up. "What are you doing?"

"Its okay, isn't it?" Her voice was muffled by the fabric, "Because we're dating now."

Seto felt his face heat up worse. He hadn't thought about that part; the regular physical contact with someone other than Mokuba. He had not had regular physical contact with anyone other than his little brother since before they were adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba. He found it unnerving at first, but the longer he stood in Kisa's gentle embrace the more he found himself leaning into it as the seconds passed.

"You talked to Akira, didn't you?" Kisa's sudden question after the long comfortable silences made Seto stiffen slightly. She felt it and sighed into his coat. "Do you think I did the right thing?"

Seto let out a heavy breath. She was referring to kicking Akira off the band. There was no way she could know about what Akira had told him. The thought made Seto let out a heavy relieved breath before answering.

"Do you?"

"I don't know. I just got so sick of seeing him glare at you like that all the time. Then there was the fighting…"

Seto turned his head slightly and opened his mouth to interrupt.

"I know you guys hadn't been fighting recently, but if Akira stayed on the band now that we're dating he'd start picking them just to get on your nerves. He's just that petty."

Seto sighed and wrapped his hands gently around Kisa's wrists, pulling her arms from around his waist so he could turn to face her. Kisa looked up at him curiously; nose slightly red from rubbing into the rough material of his coat.

Seto reached up uncertainly and cupped her face in his hands. "If you believe it was the right thing to do, then I'll support your decision."

Kisa smiled, reaching up to pull his hands away. "Thank you." Before Seto could react, she pulled herself up to place a quick kiss on his lips. "I'm gonna go heat dinner up. As always, make yourself comfortable."

She pulled away and hurried off to the kitchen before Seto could think to pull her back. His face burned and his heart throbbed heavily in his chest. Once again his brain had ceased all intelligent thought at the mere touch of her lips on his own. It was a problem he hoped would eventually rectify itself. Now that his brain was working properly again, Seto's thoughts went back to the situation at hand; Kisa and her secrets.

Seto turned to watch her as she moved about the kitchen; setting the oven, pulling dishes out of the cabinets, and taking said dishes to the dining table in order to set it. He supposed there was no better time to confront her. They were alone and, by the looks of it, would be until he decided to go home for the night. Seto shrugged out of his coat and laid it across the back of the couch before making his way over to Kisa.

"We did have an interesting conversation before he left." Seto kept his voice casual.

"Is that so?" Kisa sounded surprised, glancing up as she set two place settings next to each other. "I find that hard to believe. Akira could hardly wait to get out of the room whenever you were around. I can't imagine what the two of you would have to talk about."

"You."

"Me?!" Seto had said it so abruptly that it surprised her, making her drop the fork she had in her hand. "Well," Kisa recovered and quickly put the utensil in its proper place. "If it's the only thing you have in common, I guess that's okay."

"He told me a lot of interesting things." Seto watched her finish setting the table and followed as she headed back into the kitchen.

"Like what?" Kisa went to open the fridge.

Seto stopped her, laying a hand next to her head, flat against the cold steel before she could open it. He kept his stance open so as to allow her to move away if she felt at all threatened. When Kisa turned to face him she stared up at him curiously, back against the fridge.

"What are you doing?" She asked, not sounding at all intimidated.

Seto didn't want to turn back now. He wouldn't; not with all the doubts he had swirling around in his head.

So he spoke carefully. "From day one I've had the feeling that you have been keeping something from me. I ignored it because I wanted to believe that you wouldn't lie to me or keep secrets from me. Then I overheard that conversation you had with Rena the day after you fainted…"

Kisa's eyes widened. "You heard that?!"

"I didn't hear all of it; just enough to understand that you really were keeping something from me. But I didn't press the issue. I wanted to believe that you'd tell me when you were ready, that if it really was important, you would let me know. And now I've had that enlightening conversation with Akira and I can't wait anymore."

Kisa turned her face away, biting her lip nervously. But she said nothing.

Seto placed his other hand on her cheek and gently nudged her face back to look at him. "Kisa, I'm going to ask you some questions and I want you to tell me the truth. No ultimatums, no threats; I promise. I will not go back on my request to have you be mine if you refuse to answer."

She seemed to think it over for a long time, long enough for the oven to finish heating and announce as such with a chime. But Kisa never moved. She stood against the fridge with Seto's hand on her cheek, his eyes boring into hers. He watched her search his face, examine it, though he didn't know what for. Whatever it had been, she must have found it.

Kisa sighed and leaned her full weight against the fridge. "Alright, go ahead."

Seto took his hand away from her face. "First, you're not really from Hokkaido, are you?"

She shook her head.

"Then where?"

She sighed heavily "From a town way up north. It's really small. It's so small that there's only one school house for all the kids in town. I think I remember that my class was shared with a bunch of middle-schoolers. I was six when we moved from there."

"Why did you move? And why is it so important that you hide that you lived there?"

Kisa averted her eyes awkwardly. "I don't exactly remember what happened. Whatever it was was in the papers and it caused my family a lot of trouble. So we moved to Hokkaido where no one knew us. I hide it because I don't want anyone to go looking around where I was born and find out."

Seto narrowed his eyes at her. She was telling the truth, but not the entirety of it. He glanced down at the bracelet around her left wrist. "That has something to do with it, doesn't it? It's why you never take it off."

She moved to toy with the bracelet absentmindedly. "What would make you think that? What if I never take it off because I like it a lot?"

"Kisa," Seto said sternly. "You've had that on your wrist since before you moved to Hokkaido. There has to be a reason for it."

Kisa cut her eyes at him. "Akira really did run his mouth, didn't he?" Seto didn't answer, only watched as she sighed and bowed her head. "It's not something I really want to talk about right now, okay? Please just leave it at that for now."

"Alright," He agreed. "My next question: Do you remember Egypt?"

Kisa's head whipped up. "What?" Realization seemed to dawn in her eyes before Seto could formulate an explanation. She started fidgeting; shuffling her feet, picking at her fingernails. "What are you talking about? I've never been to Egypt?"

"You're a bad liar. The name I called you the day we met; you remember it, don't you? It meant something to you, didn't it?"

She nodded, bowing her head again as she did so. "Say it again."

"Kisara."

He felt and saw her reaction to it this time. There was a tremor through her entire frame and Kisa's eyes closed against it; breathe hitching. It only lasted a few seconds. He wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been in such close proximity.

Seto felt his chest constrict with apprehension. "You know who that is, don't you?" His voice came out much gentler then it had been. He watched her nod and his apprehension was replaced with excitement. "Are you… you're Kisara."

But he watched, disappointed, as Kisa shook her head. "No, I'm sorry."

"But you…"

"Just listen." Kisa looked up, the pleading in her eyes making Seto close his mouth tight. "Yes, I know who she is. Yes, I have her memories from Egypt. I know what happened to her. I know what happened between her and that man that looks like you. I know that I look and sound just like her; but I'm not her. It's a lot more complicated than me being a reincarnation like you are."

"I see." Seto couldn't hide his disappointment. He looked down at the floor, trying to process what he'd just learned, trying to understand how it could be possible.

"Seto, can I ask you a question now?"

He looked back up to find her looking at him worriedly. He nodded.

"Did you… did you ask me to date you because you thought I was her? Is she the only reason why you wanted to get close to me?" Kisa's eyes brimmed with sadness, shining with tears that were threatening to gather at the corners of her eyes.

Seto stared at her, dumbfounded, and she gazed right back, waiting for an answer. He straightened his posture, taking his hand from the fridge, not noticing that it was trembling. Instead, he reached out and took her face in his hands once again, dislodging the gathering tears and sending them cascading down her cheeks. Seto's heart wretched at the sight. He didn't need to think to come up with the answer. He'd already questioned and answered himself regarding the exact same thing days ago. He only needed to relay that answer to Kisa.

"I won't lie to you," He said softly, leaning down to rest his forehead on hers. "It was at first. I had been hung up on Kisara ever since those memories came back to me two years ago."

"But?" Kisa asked hopefully.

"But that has changed. Whether you were Kisara or not you became important to me. I grew to care for you."

"Seto…"

"The woman I want is Kisa."

More tears rolled down Kisa's cheeks, accompanied by the happiest smile Seto had ever seen her give. And he couldn't hold himself back.

He ignited their second kiss, tilting his head in order to capture her lips as he held her face gently between his hands. Kisa wrapped her arms around him, pulling him almost flush against her. It was better than the first time. There was no apprehension. Seto may not have completely known what he was doing, but he'd always been a quick study; quickly finding that tilting his head slightly made the act of kissing far more comfortable, among other things. And Kisa let him lead this time.

When he finally pulled away from her, Seto was satisfied to find her cheeks flushed and her breath uneven. Then she reached her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. Kisa's breath against his neck sent pleasant tingles racing down his spine.

"Thank you," she breathed against the skin of his neck.

Seto smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close against him as was possible. Despite her secrets, despite the fact that she wasn't Kisara; Seto had fallen.

He had fallen hard.

***Hey everyone! I know I've been getting these chapters out pretty quick this week, but this will more than likely be the last one for about a week. Finals week is coming up and I've gotta spend all of next week studying. I'll work on what I can while I'm taking my breaks (between studying, sleeping, eating, and working) but I don't wanna promise anything and end up leaving you guys disappointed if I end up not being able to keep it.

One more thing! If I have any artistically inclined fans who have felt inspired to draw some art based on my story(s), please feel free express your inspiration! I don't really have any money for commissions since I'm saving to move into my own place and to get married, so this is clearly on a "if you wanna do it, go ahead" bases. Just make sure you give credit where credit is due. *cough* Me *cough*

I do have a deviantArt account that messages and images can be sent to if anyone does end up doing anything. My username is GesshokuOfTheMoon. I don't really have much on there myself since I have no artistic talent AT ALL (just some old crap I wrote back in high school).

So that's it. I'm going to go to bed now. Love y'all!***