*Author's Note & Disclaimer*

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! :) But this chapter does NOT contain any form of Citrus whatsoever! :O I will have it at some point in this story, but just not at the moment... Patience is a virtue, my readers! ...& a fucking struggle!... ;( I hope you enjoy this chapter though! ;)

Also: Some words mentioned in this chapter are in Arabic.

Habibi: Darling/Beloved.

Noor/Nour: Light.

Ya Rab: My God/OMG.

All copyrighted characters solely belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Rumiko Takahashi, & Tetsuya Nomura as well as all copyrighted products & consumers used within this story rightfully belong to their respective Companies & Affiliates. All original characters, theme, & plots being used & written solely belong to Taz Tehrani. Any changes towards names, locations, or objects is only used for fictional purposes, with or without alphabetical translations of other languages. Viewer Discretion is strongly advised. Please feel free to review & comment. To get to know more about me, please go forward to my bio & visit my Instagram page xoladytaz. Thank you!

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'Thoughts/Flashbacks'

Songs/Translations

Location/Date/Time

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Chapter 4: Lapis Lazuli

Memfis, Ancient Egypt

3000 B.C.

Pharaoh Seto lay on his bed in his chambers, deep in slumber. Though his chambers were on the highest floor, away from any unnecessary intrusion should it occur, the breeze from the Nile flowed through his balcony windows & the light from the moon entered inside, illuminating his room in an ethereal glow. Unbeknownst to him, a ghostly ball of white & blue floated through his window & towards his bedside. The ball took form, shaped into a female body, still ghostly with a blue-ish glow around her.

Pale complexion, bright blue eyes, long flowing silver-white hair flowing behind her. Though this time, she was adorned with cream-colored robes, golden head & neck jewelry with blue stones, golden armored empire belt at her waist, & cream-colored gladiator sandals with the same gold color on her anklets & wrist bangles. She looked at Seto's sleeping form with a solemn smile. His face tensed, a frown marring his features, beads of sweat rolling down. She sat down on the left side of his bed, which faced the balcony, & placed her hands on his. She stayed quiet, hoping to calm his tense posture with her touch.

Seto's mind & subconscious was filled with memories of Kisara & her unfortunate demise. It would keep repeating over & over again, no matter how differently the turning points would play out, it was still the same ending. Kisara would come in front of him before he was attacked by the dark fatal blow his possessed late father sent his way & she died in his arms. Even in his sleep, his heart still ached for her to come back into his arms, alive & breathing.

The aches made him groan in pain & his heart felt tight. "Aarrghh…. Ggghhhh….." His breathing became shallow & he wheezed. His free hand came to clutch his chest, where his heart was. "Grrr…..argh…. Heehhh…. Ehhhh….. aaaaghh..." He forced his subconscious to come out of his nightmares, not being able to bare it anymore, & he choked in his throat. His eyes flew open in fear towards the ceiling, moving his hand from his chest to his throat. A white & blue glow came in front of his vision & flowed into him. The glow was numbing his pain & letting air come back into his lungs.

He wanted to close his eyes, feeling at ease with the glow flowing into him, but he wanted to know as well as see where this glow was coming from. Once his breathing became steadily normal again & the glow slowly dissipated, his eyes looked to where it was. Trying to make out the form, adjusting his vision, noticing the form was that of a female. Once his vision cleared, his eyes widened in shock, fear & calmness seeping into his heart & mind.

"...Kisara?!...Is that really you?!" He hoped it really was her in the flesh, but he had a feeling she wasn't truly back. "...How are you here? You were buried during the war against Zorc…. I buried you in front of the stone tablet of the white dragon… How?!" He croaked out in a breathy whisper.

Kisara smiled at him once more & placed one hand on his cheek. He felt her as if she was actually alive, but her touch was faint, like that of a ghostly spirit breezing by. "It is me, Seto. My spirit guided me here to give you a moment of understanding. I've not come back alive, my love." Tears flowed slowly down her cheeks from her bright blue eyes. "I wish I were, but it cannot be done. How much I longed to see you."

Seto sat up & lifted his hand to place on top of hers that still held his cheek, trying every bit to see if he can feel her physically. Tears started to well up in his eyes & he clenched his teeth, knowing that she was indeed only here right in front of him as a spirit. He felt her transparently, but still willed himself to feel as if her flesh was there.

"I prayed to the Gods that they would bring you back to me. You can't imagine how much I wanted you to come back from the dead. How much I wish none of this war would've taken you away from me." Now the tears flowed freely just as they did when she was dead in his arms in front of her stone tablet. To see her here brought a sense of peace for the moment.

"I came to tell you something. I wanted to let you know that all that has happened is not your own fault. My soul is at peace knowing I saved you. You have so much left to do in this world, Seto. Don't let yourself succumb to grief and pain til your last breath, my love." She gently put both of her hands in her lap, but still looked at him with a solemn smile. "Please live your life, not for me, not for the people, but for yourself. Just because I'm no longer of this world, does not mean you also refrain from falling in love again. You have every right to have someone stand by your side & love them with all your being. I will always love you. But I will not hold you back to love someone else."

"Kisara, there's only you who my heart belongs to. No one will ever be able to surpass it." He looked at her with so much intensity in his words. "I don't think there is anyone out there who exists to wholeheartedly give their all like you did for me."

Kisara sighed. "You're wrong, Seto. There is. I am one of the three souls of light of the white dragon. The second is you. The third one is out there & they are waiting for you as well. Why do you think I let you be the sole keeper of the white dragon?" He looked at her, taking in all of this new information. There's three souls of light for the white dragon? How can it be? He wanted to know more knowledge about it. "I will explain it to you, my love."

He sat up straight to give his full attention. "There're really three souls of the white dragon? How is it that I haven't been able to harness the power to make the other come forth?"

"You can bring the second soul to come forth once you achieve to understand the light in the deepest parts of your heart. I can feel that you still hold on to pain, longer before I ever came into your life. That pain & darkness that no one was able to have knowledge about because you've bottled it up." He knew what she was referring to.

The absence of his father throughout his whole childhood. The unexpected demise of his mother because he helped Kisara escape from the bandits who kidnapped her years ago. The harsh studying he had to do to be chosen for the Pharaoh's court. Learning that his blood father was actually alive after all those years & then witnessing his true nature of the dark forces behind the millennium items. He held in a lot of resentment for that. It was all out of his control but he still couldn't help it knowing he was supposedly the main reason for some of the events that occurred.

"Seto, you must stop blaming yourself. It was out of your control. What's done is done & we can't change it now. I can't persuade you to move past everything right away. But eventually, you will learn to walk forward slowly." He lowered his gaze to his lap & contemplated on what she said. He won't heal right away, but at some point, things will get better.

"Kisara, how do you know things will get better? I'm being thrown with tasks left by Atem that were not meant for me. I'm now the ruling Pharaoh. I'm being sent off to find the bride that was meant for him & bring her back here to live a life with me. How do I know if things will eventually heal? What if this person does not want to leave her homeland once she sees that I am not the intended she was expecting? What if I even ruin her life like all the others? Or worse, what if she is taken away from me like everyone else was? How Kisara, how will time heal everything?" He clenched his teeth & his posture tensed up again.

She let her aura glow & held his clenched hands with hers. "I know because you always think through everything with rationality. You have a strong leadership that I've even seen with my own eyes. You have kindness & tolerance for those who exuberate compassion." She leaned forward, a bit over him, & held him in her arms. He held on to her tightly, laying his head on the junction of her neck & shoulder. "With time, you will heal. Do not once think you will forever be alone. My Ka is always with you, even if you're in danger. You will be able to harness your own Ka once you come to terms with your own light. The third will come across your path in due time."

Seto held on tighter, making sure her touch was etched onto his memory & skin. "Please don't leave, Kisara. Just stay here a bit longer." He cried quietly in her hair & shoulder, wrapping his muscular arms around her tighter. "I know at some point I must come to terms, but just stay here a bit longer with me. Even if it's just for a night. Let me hold you one last time." He moved his face out of her hair, to look straight at her, only an inch away from her face. He moved his hand to cup her chin. "Please, Kisara."

Kisara shivered slightly in his embrace, even though she was only a spirit right now. Her small, yet curvy frame in his hold made her wish she was alive, to want to live her life as a real woman by her lover's side. To be held intimately like this, with nothing on them or between them. To once hear each other's cries of pain, anguish, happiness, passion. To have each other's flesh burned into their memories.

But fate was cruel. Fate was just fucking cruel. To both of them & all of their loved ones. She let the last of her tears flow freely, looking into his eyes. "I'll stay for a while…...For one last time."

That was all he needed to hear before closing the gap between them, placing his lips on top of hers. Still holding her in his arms, he let themselves fall back on the bed. His head on the pillow first, then her thigh length hair covering them like a silver-white blanket. Her hands went up to his chest to keep herself lifted while her lips melted against his own. He really wished she was actually alive in flesh & blood. But all he had with her is here & now….in spirit. He let go of her lips, but still kept close. "I….I love you, Kisara."

She sighed deeply before moving her lips away to caress his face with soft kisses. His forehead, his eyelids, his nose, his cheeks, here, there, everywhere. Trailing down his jawline and neck with wet kisses before moving back up. She stopped right before his lips & looked deep into his azure eyes.

"I love you too, Seto. And I always will, habibi." This time, she kissed him & he opened his mouth to let each other delve deeper. To feel her, taste her, cherish her in some way.

Her glow emanated brighter around them, but his vision got darker ever so slowly. He let out a breathy sigh, kissing his way down to her neck. Moaning her name as his vision still kept getting darker. Letting his lips linger wet hungry kisses on her neck, he fought to stop his drowsiness from creeping up. He felt her head move & her arms wrap around his shoulders. He looked for her lips once more & claimed them. Drowsiness was apparently winning, because his vision had blurred & his world went black.

Kisara kissed his lips one last time, before looking at his face. "But please love HER more. With all your being, your heart, & your soul, love HER even more, Seto." She whispered to him, hoping it would seep into his subconscious. "She is waiting for you & you're even waiting for her, although you don't know it yet. Please love her with everything, Seto." She rested her head above his own on his pillow & held him against her. "I will still always love you…." She let herself fall asleep next to him, knowing that her spirit will fade away at sunrise.

Seto woke up from his sleep once the brightness of the sun seeped into his chambers. 'I feel really relaxed….after so long….But why? Did I sleep for too long?' His questions were running back & forth too early, at least for him, or so he thinks. He looked around his bed, thinking back on his dream of Kisara that seemed so real. That was the first time he had dreamed of her so pleasantly. Unlike the usual nightmares that he's had. But they were only dreams. Until he caught something in his line of vision that wasn't supposed to be there.

Gold jewels. Gold jewels that were on Kisara in his dream. 'But how can that be? So she was here?! All that happened….She was really here….holding me….I was holding her too….One last time.' He shifted slightly from his bed to the small post that had her jewels sitting on top. He tried to remember her words while he kissed her so passionately. He wished he didn't succumb to sleep & could've stayed awake longer with her.

He picked one of her necklaces up, the small gold band with an empty charm on it. He observed, seeing it was simple yet very elegant. The charm was empty of wadjet or even a gemstone. But it looked like it should be placed with a gemstone. He wondered what though. He placed the necklace down & got up from his bed to go towards his balcony. The sundial there told him it was mid morning, close to noon almost. 'Perhaps I did get an adequate amount of sleep. It was so peaceful with Kisara here with me.'

Seto looked over his kingdom from where he was standing. Citizens running around to restore the town along with his own soldiers that were giving them orders where to place everything. He breathed deeply & exhaled, knowing that today was the day that would have to leave for Greece. He turned around to go back into his chambers, picked up Kisara's jewels before anyone came into the room, & went to his private closet, where his family heirlooms were locked away underneath his royal robes.

Normally the servants of the pharaoh & his high court would place freshly cleaned robes in all of their closets. But Seto had made sure they didn't do that with him. He was skeptical of them, but also because he wanted no one to come close to his own heirlooms that were the last of his mother's before she was killed. He had very little left to remember her by. Praying to the Gods of Egypt that his mom was at peace in the afterlife throughout all these years. He moved the robes to the side, seeing the box where he stored his mother's belongings, & opened it.

His mother's Lapis Lazuli jewels. Having flashbacks of his mother, he remembered how beautiful she was, even when she wore these jewels on herself. The rich blue color would bring so much noor to her eyes, adding more blue depth to them. Her sweet voice telling him that one day, she would love for him to give these same jewels to his own wife. His heart started aching. This time, for his mother's presence. It has been several years since she's passed. But he still missed her everyday.

Picking up Kisara's jewels, he placed them into the box along with his mother's. He then noticed a lone piece of Lapis Lazuli stone that his mother never got to use to put on her newer jewels. He looked at the necklace of Kisara's & thought it would be possible after all that this stone would get used.

'Mother, if only you were here to witness me giving your jewels to my future bride, I'm sure you would have loved it. May your spirit always guide me wherever I go. I won't give all of your jewelry to my bride. But may your spirit even be with her in this stone that I will forge into Kisara's necklace. I will give it as a welcoming gift to my bride in Greece. I can only hope she will love it just like you did. But I hope that she will be compassionate & loving as you were even more than anything else.'

He looked deeper into the stone, getting lost in it's blue depths. No matter how much it would break to create more, it still held beauty in it's rich blue hue. He smiled, seeing how the spirit of his mom & Kisara would come together into this one piece, for his future bride from Greece. He took the necklace & stone, while putting the others locked away into the box, then covered it all again with his robes.

Not long after he got up, Isis came into his chambers. "My Pharaoh, how do you feel? Have you slept better?"

"Indeed, Isis, I actually did." He looked towards her after placing his new robes for the day & his journey down on his bed. "Kisara's spirit came to me last night."

Isis looked at him with a solemn smile. "How is she? Did she tell you what she needed to say?"

Seto, after days of grief & pain, finally gave a small smile in return. "She did come to make me understand. She is at peace knowing that I am safe & that I shouldn't blame this war on myself, that it's not my fault it happened."

"But she is right, Seto. Indeed, it was no fault of your own for what happened. You must not blame yourself further for this." Isis walked towards him until she was right next to him. "I came up once I felt that you were awake."

He looked to Isis' millennium necklace. "So it's working & not tampered with darkness. That's a very good sign." He looked back into his hand where the Lapis Lazuli stone & Kisara's necklace were. "I need you to do something & to make sure the task is completed before I leave for my journey today."

Isis placed her hand on his shoulder & spoke again. "I'm aware. I will tell the goldsmith to forge the stone into the necklace so that it is ready for your bride." She brought out a soft linen cloth for him to place the jewels in & hide from view from the servants & guards. "It will be completed very soon."

"Thank you Isis…. I apologize if I don't say it enough but I am grateful. Even with all that's going on & you handling this with the others remaining in our high court. I really am grateful." He placed the jewels in the linen cloth & folded it tight.

"Seto, you are very dear to us. We couldn't have chosen better for a new Pharaoh to rule over our kingdom. Not just from a bloodline, but also from intelligence & morality. May the Gods of Egypt always be with you." She placed the linen filled cloth in her pocket & covered her veil over her arms. "As well as your bride & queen when she arrives here. She will love this as well as her new journey." She came closer & wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him.

Seto not being used to this, but feeling much better after a long time, wrapped his arms around Isis & hugged her back. He would overcome this with time. Like Kisara said, not for her or for anyone else, but only himself. "I pray she does, Isis. I really do. May she love this like I do & cherish it."

Learning this new revelation of the three souls of light of the white dragon, his mindset had changed a bit as he realized. Kisara was the first soul, he was the second soul, & there was a third soul out there somewhere who was waiting to cross his path. What if it was the bride herself? What if the Greek Princess was the third soul of the white dragon? Even if the Ka was the protector of Egypt.

He can probably ask Isis through her power of the millennium necklace. But he knew better, after working alongside her for a few years now. If it was something very, very, very good that was bound to happen, she will not let a soul know about the good blessing to come.

He hugged her a bit tighter. "I must get cleaned up. I'll prepare some last few things before meeting Shimon. Have this ready soon." Loosening his arms, he let her go.

Isis stepped back a few inches from him & bowed. "Yes my Pharaoh."

"You know you don't have to do that when we're in private with one another of the high court." Seto reminded her. She stood up straight again.

"I know, but I still respect you enough to still bow to you, Seto." She turned to go leave his chambers. But not before letting her last words out before opening his doors. "I also respect that you didn't ask me how your bride looks or what she is like as a person or anything about what she likes or dislikes. I'm quite proud." She smiled as she opened his doors to leave.

Seto looked at her retreating back leave his chambers, a sudden frown on his face. "Damn woman! She still won't tell me." He took his new robes to his bathing chambers, seeing it was ready for him by the maids, and placed them on the bar nearby his bath. He stripped his body of his current sleeping robes, feeling the slight cool air hit every inch of his tanned skin & muscles, letting the robes drop to the floor. He let his fingers run through his long hair that came down to his mid back, and finally stepped into the warm water.

The essential oils mixed in with the water made the room smell so pleasant to his liking. He always had a strong liking to Oud mixed with a hint of coconut water & eucalyptus, & made it his signature scent. Not only was it a calming scent for him, but it was very relaxing for his muscles & mind, due to the stress relieving qualities of eucalyptus. He laid his head back on the ledge, letting the water touch every part of his body up to his shoulders.

A sudden thought occurred to him. What did the Greek Princess herself smelled like? What were her favorite oils or creams? What scents would she be fond of? What type of flowers would she love to smell or make herself smell like? Would she let herself be beside him in his bathing chambers like this? Or would it be different? Would she want it separate because she is shy?

If that were to be the case, how would they be with each other in the same chambers? If they're both stripped to nothing & she's still shy to be in front of him? What if he was shy to even touch her? Especially touching her very intimately…. "Ya Rab! Why am I even thinking, of someone I never met, like that?!"