V.E.: Oh wow, it has really been awhile. Sorry about the usual suspects acting up again; school work, lack of motivation, desire to write in other fandoms. This is going to take a while and several ideas I wanted to touch on probably won't really be given that much attention. I kind of just want this done.

Still, I did want to really finish this and there are a lot of people who do read this story. So I do owe you guys something after so….

…..wait do I really owe you guys something? I mean, I write this for fun and I certainly don't receive any monetary compensation for any updates.

….then again my conscience would kick me if I just abandoned this with no warning. Jeez, why did I have to have such a good idea with this that attracted a sizable and diverse audience? At least, I'm pretty sure that my readers are not completely comprised of heterosexual, white, middle class, American girls.

….you know what, I should probably just stop here. Let's get this chapter rolling.

Quote: "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."- Buddha

The Feast of Wag was not Kisara's favorite time of year.

She supposed a part of it had to do with how she had been born in a different land, with its own set of gods and their own festivals. She probably knew a good deal more about the gods and goddesses of Khemet than most peasants did due to her schooling, but she had no real personal connection to them.

But there was another part of it that was hard for most people to understand. The Feast of Wag was meant to celebrate a person's departed ancestors. It was when families would visit the mortuary temples, offer up food and drink to those who had gone before them. It was a time to remember one's family, look back on their history, and remind themselves they would all meet each other again in the afterlife.

This….made Kisara feel uncomfortable. On previous visits to the temple that belonged to her foster family (which she had visited on past Feasts of Wag as well as with Shimon one time when he wanted to give her a more in depth history lesson), she couldn't help but feel so foreign in this place. If her face was ever carved on here (and she had heard her foster father was planning to do so), she couldn't help but feel she would stand out even more than usual. Aknamkamon tried as well as he could and Atem loved her unquestioningly, but all it took was the stare of a stranger or Aknadin to remind herself that she would never truly be family in the way most people defined it.

She didn't have any ties of blood, she had no idea where she truly came from. Her parents (if she truly had any) had abandoned her as a baby and her Amma could tell her no more than that. Any chance of finding answers to those questions had died when she had been made a slave and forced to travel south. Even if tried to go back to her homeland, she doubted if she could ever find it again.

"Kisara! Kisara!"

Those words had brought her out of her brooding mood as she turned to find Atem looking at her with incredible concern.

"You okay?"

She smiled softly at her foster brother. She couldn't tell him what she had been thinking about or what she was planning to do after the ceremony, so she went for one of the easy options for conversation between them.

"Just lost in thought. These ceremonies seem to get longer and longer."

If it were not for the crowd of the Inner Court (on the Feast of Wag, the mortuary Temples were open to everyone while only those that belonged to the royal family could go in all year round) that had their eyes divided between the ceremony for the royal mortuary temple and the royal family (in which the two were included), Kisara was pretty sure Atem would be rolling in his eyes in agreement.

"Tell me about it."

"Have the offerings been prepared?"

The little prince nodded.

"Yeah, Shimon had all of it taken care of a week ago. Are you sure you don't want to stay after the ceremony?"

Kisara smiled as she nodded surely.

"I'm sure Atem, I'm probably going to retire early. Besides, don't you want to spend some time alone with your father?"

That got Atem's cheeks to flush a tinge of red as he answered.

"Well, yeah….he's been busy lately….but…."

Kisara's look turned questioning.

"But what?"

"What about you?"

The look she shot her foster brother told him quite clearly she was not amused by the lack of a straight answer.

"And what about me has to do with this?"

The young prince looked down, almost embarrassed.

"You've been acting kind of different lately. I mean, I haven't really seen you because we're doing different stuff and…."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her as she tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"Atem, whatever you are thinking, the reason I'm not going to be with you tonight has nothing to do with you or your father."

Purple eyes tinged with red sharpened as spoke in a pointed tone.

"He's your father too, you know."

The tone in that sentence caused her to cringe, causing her to retract the hand on his shoulder before she smiled in an almost painful manner.

"I know."

Once he saw her expression, Atem knew he must have said something wrong as he tried to backpedal.

"Kisara, I didn't mean to…"

But the ceasing of the chants of the priestesses and shaking of the sistrums had caught the two's attentions. The hymns to the gods seem to have finished and as such the crowd was beginning to disperse.

With that, Kisara gave one more smile to the tricolor haired prince.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Atem. Try not to stay up too late."

And with that said, the white haired princess seemed to sprint away. She darted throughout the crowd, narrowly avoiding just everyone, but unfortunately bumped straight into Priest Aknadin. She bowed her head in apology.

"I am so sorry."

Aknadin didn't seem pleased to see her, but sighed as he saw it was just as accident (believe it or not, he was not so petty as to blame someone for something that was clearly not intended).

"Be more careful next time. Where are you headed to?"

She kept her answer short and concise, she found it was always best to be honest with the one eyed priest.

"Back to the palace."

That seemed to prompt the man to raise an eyebrow at the white haired girl.

"And what are you planning on doing there?"

Kisara simply answered in a flat tone.

"As I recall, I did not probe into your past when you did not want it answered. I would think you should extend the same courtesy. Now, if you'll excuse me."

The white haired girl passed him by making her way out of the mortuary temple.

Aknadin watched her go, before he felt the corners of his lips twitching. Recognizing what he was doing, he put his stony expression back on and made his way through the crowd, most of whom seemed anxious not to look at his Eye (the looks he had been shot because of his Millennium Item did not bother him anymore, he was used to it).

He finally spotted Pharaoh Aknamkamon who was right beside his son, Atem looking rather regretful over something.

The Pharaoh also seemed to have some sense of regret in his expression, but also understanding. Then he glanced over form his son and found his twin, speaking as Aknadin came over.

"I take it you saw Kisara leave."

He nodded to him.

"Yes, though can you honestly say you're surprised?"

The pharaoh shook his head.

"No, not really."

Atem looked up in his father, showing that the young prince didn't fully understand.

"Why? Why does Kisara not want to spend time with us tonight?"

His father took a deep breath.

"Atem, it's not so much us that makes her uncomfortable as the festival itself. As close you are now, she had a very different start in life and she's always going to remember that. If you want more details, you'll have to ask her yourself. She'll be fine once it is over."

Atem didn't seem convinced by the king's words.

"She seems so weird lately….she always seems to be thinking about something. Mana said she tripped and made a big stain on her dress yesterday and she didn't even notice."

In a rare public display of affection, the pharaoh ruffled his son's spiky looking hair and smiled at him reassuringly.

"She'll be fine, just give her some time. Why don't you go ahead to where your grandmother's portrait is? Shimon is there, I'll be there soon."

Atem smiled as he nodded, still worried but reassured for now.

"Alright."

With that, the young prince went on into the mortuary temple. That left the two twins alone, a rare moment (with the crowds seeming to have dispersed almost completely from the room where the ceremony had been conducted) in which to talk to each other as the brothers they were.

"So, any problems?"

Aknadin shook his head.

"Nope, no reports or visions from Nephthys. This Feast of Wag should be mostly uneventful."

Aknamkamon's mouth twitched in good humor.

"Aside from the usual fools that almost drink themselves into the next life."

Aknadin's mouth twitched as well.

"Well, that goes without saying at any of these feasts."

Aknamkamon smiled for a few seconds longer before he spoke again.

"Still, this silence is making me uneasy. It's been awhile since that flower and nothing new has happened since."

The one eyed man did his best to stifle any urge to cringe as he spoke carefully.

"Pharaoh, I don't know how our tomb robber came to know that blood curse, but we WILL catch him. Soon."

The pharaoh sighed softly before he eyed his twin with a hard stare, almost as if issuing a challenge.

"I know. But Aknadin…..is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

The priest's face was utterly impassive as he responded.

"No, not anything that comes to mind."

For a moment, the silence between those two was almost stifling. Then Aknamkamon sighed, shifting topics.

"Then I suppose you wouldn't know what is going on with Kisara lately? She does seem a bit more lost in thought than usual."

"Didn't you just tell the prince…?"

The pharaoh nodded before he voiced his own worries.

"Yes and I have no doubt that that's a part of it, but I'm allowed to worry about her just as much as Atem. So, you don't know anything?"

His younger twin gave him a long side glance.

"Not a clue, I'm not the best person to be asking about this. I have my hands full with my own duties."

The pharaoh's eyes brightened at that.

"Ah, speaking that, thanks for taking care of Seto for us. I was hoping he could have been eased in to his duties gradually, but events didn't turn out like I was hoping. I hope it wasn't too much of a bother."

Aknadin shook his head.

"Not at all, it was my pleasure. I have no doubt Seto will do well."

The pharaoh nodded with a smile.

"Yes, that's what I've been hoping. It's a good thing he's been able to get along with Atem and the other sucessors. Though I am a bit concerned about him and Mahad."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Besides, private disagreements aside, they were able to work together well during the exhibition."

Aknamkamon's eyes darkened at that mention.

"Yes, before that was interrupted. Speaking of which, how is Bari taking his demotion?"

"Not well, but frankly Rashidi and the others were considering this step before it happened. Honestly, I'll be surprised if he manages to climb back up again. Assaulting a Sacred Guardian is quite the offense, he's lucky he got off this easy."

The pharaoh nodded as he remembered something.

"Speaking of Seto, do you have any idea where he is? I didn't see him in the crowd earlier."

Aknadin's expression was surprisingly very solemn.

"He stayed behind at the palace. Given his past, I'd say he probably likes the Feast of Wag as much as the princess does."

Aknamkamon seemed torn between smiling or solemnness on his face.

"Aknadin, are you finally warming up to her?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, but I will admit that I can understand what emotions are going through her head without using the Eye."

The pharaoh turned serious as the two finally made their way to where the vizier and Crown Prince were no doubt waiting for them.

"Still, I don't completely feel right leaving her alone. With everyone else celebrating tonight, what is she going to do all by herself?"

A sigh of exasperation escaped the white haired princess' mouth as she wandered through the moonlit corridors and mused to herself aloud.

"You know; I'm starting to understand how the new magicians to the Inner Court get constantly lost during their first few months or even the first year."

Never before had Kisara been so exasperated with the layout of the palace then she had tonight. Granted, she had not been allowed to wander the majority of the palace as she was mostly around specific wings (such as the wing where the royal family slept or the places where she was allowed to play with Atem, Mana, and Mahad), but sometimes it struck her at how ridiculously large this palace was.

If there are places bigger than this, than I certainly don't think I would want to live there no matter what.

Still, she knew that ruminating on the largeness of the palace was not her main reason for wandering the mostly deserted hallways. She took a deep breath as she trudged on.

Even so, doubts assailed her as she walked on towards the meeting place.

It took a while for the ceremony to finish and it took more time to get back to the palace. I know I said I would see him after the feast, but I completely forgot about the ceremony at the mortuary temple. Then again, as a Sacred Guardian he's become familiar with how Court works.

Still…..will he really be there? I mean, after all this time….what could he….?

The thought stopped her right in her tracks as something akin to fear crawled up her back. She had been used to being nervous, being uncomfortable, but this feeling….she didn't know whether to classify as a positive or negative emotion.

She took that moment to steel herself and walked forward.

That's enough Kisara. Keep moving forward, it's what gotten you this far.

And that was what kept her going until she reached the lotus pool.

It was perhaps the biggest pool in the palace, notable for the immense amount of lotus blossoms which contained both the standard white and the rarer blue. With the size, it took up almost the entire courtyard that had been designated for its placement. It was a magnificent sight under the full moon and starry night sky.

For a moment, seeing nothing, let Kisara feel a little self-conscious. Being that it was a festival, she had dressed with a little more finery than usual. Her dress was white as usual (though a part of her was really starting to feel like wearing some blue dresses to contrast) and so was the thin shawl that covered her shoulders. Her accessories, however, gave her some color with her silver neck collar adorned with precious blue stones as well as a blue belt with a white lotus as the center piece. To finish it, she still had her silver bracelets as well as her crown making her a vision of white and blue.

Many would call her beautiful (especially as her figure had begun to really fill out), but right now all she could think of was one person's opinion.

Just as her smile had dropped and disappointment had begun to touch the corners of her face, a very familiar voice caught her attention.

"You're here."

She looked up, finding Seto there and walking over until he stood right in front of her. His appearance for the most part was the same as he was every day, but the expression on his face betrayed astonishment where it was usually so calm and collected. His blue eyes were wide and solemn observing her in every detail, being up close to her for the first time since that night in the infirmary.

Eventually, however, he seemed to notice he was doing nothing but staring at her for a minute or two and so spoke.

"I didn't think you'd actually meet me."

Kisara was a little taken aback by his tone (which was not angry, she didn't know how to classify the emotion again), but smiled and recovered.

"How could I not? I'm the one who said when to meet."

"After all this time…."

She nodded, smiling sadly.

"After all this time…..you look well Seto."

That seemed to catch him off guard, his face flushing a tad.

"You….look well too."

"Thank you."

And with that, silence reigned again. It took a minute or two before Seto broke with an almost sheepish expression.

"You know, I've wondered since that night what I would say to you if I ever saw again. And now….I'm kind of coming up blank."

That through Kisara into a small laugh. Seto seemed a little bit insulted before she assured him.

"Same here! Even when I saw you, I knew I had to keep my distance or else people would gossip. I guess since I thought this would never happen and now that it's happening…. I'm not sure what to do either."

Seto smiled as he sat down near the pool, motioning her to follow him.

"Well, I suppose we can start with where we stopped that night years ago."

She followed his lead and sat down next to him.

"And what's that?"

"You rode off and I didn't get your name. Though, I suppose I don't need to ask about that….unless Kisara isn't your…"

She laughed a little at that.

"No, no. Kisara is my name, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, my mother used to say the first step in getting to know someone was their name and you already know mine. Like I said, I just wanted to talk to you…..so, let's talk."

Kisara felt herself smile at the idea, before her smile fell.

She saw the questioning look he sent her before she responded in a subdued manner.

"I heard about your village…. before that, I kind of saw it. It's kind of hard to explain how I did it…"

Seto responded, connecting the dots.

"The White Dragon, right?"

She stiffed and looked at him with some fear in her eyes, he continued on with a smile, not seeming to notice her expression.

"I remember seeing the white dragon in the sky that night. For some unexplainable reason, I knew you had something to do with it."

"I'm sorry."

That quiet sentence made Seto turn towards Kisara, her face looking down in shame.

"If you didn't save me that night, your town would not have been destroyed. Those men would have probably just passed by and I would have been the only one who suffered. If you regret it…."

"Stop."

That got her to turn and look at him, his expression utterly sincere as he spoke.

"I never regret anything. I have never regretted saving you and if I had to choose all over again, I would do the same. I must admit I was surprised to find you here, but I was also glad you were okay."

That reassured her before he went on with a questioning expression.

"Although, I do have more than a few questions about all of this."

She spoke up then, her voice much more confident as she responded.

"Umm, before I do, you have to promise me not to say anything about my dragon to anyone."

"Is it that big a secret?"

"My foster father and the rest of the Sacred Guardians as well as your former Master, but other than them no one knows. Aside from you, and this still has to remain a secret, so please…."

He nodded, conveying his sincere intent.

"I promise."

She smiled at that, the two of them seemingly caught up in a picture of a moment, sitting together as the moon shone down on them. Much like the last time they had talked, Kisara felt that something starting right now.

She wasn't sure what it would amount to, but Kisara wanted to see it.

Seto then talked, a wry quirk of his lips present as he addressed her.

"So, Princess of Egypt. Exactly, how did that happen?"

She smiled as she started the story.

"Well, it all started after I left you when I reached the capital…."

V.E.: Not as long as it could be, but hey after so long I'm just glad this is done.

You will not believe what I've been hit with while writing this. First, I got my wisdom teeth out and let me tell you, it's not been fun. Then the internet router has been having issues so that was fun.

Either way, I'm glad to get this done though I honestly have no idea how the next chapter is going to play out.

Make sure to read and review.

I'll see you all next time!