A/N: Back with a story I started writing a while ago until my train of thought got derailed. This may be a slower updating story. Not sure how long it will be. Likely not too long. I have no grand plan for it, but I really wanted to write something for Seto and Kisara. Our Kaiba boy never really got a good ending. I began writing it before the announcement of DSOD, so that's when it takes place. I hope you enjoy it.

PS: It's fun writing Kaiba! Freud would have a field day with him! Denial and repression. Sublimation and displacement. So many ego defense mechanisms at play all in one character! Poor Seto.

Chapter One: The Maiden's Return

Seto Kaiba sat in his office on the top floor of the greatest gaming corporation in the world, diligently typing up finance reports for the last few months. His eyes glossed over the data sheet, his mind converting that data into meaningful terms while his fingers flew across the keyboard to finish the quarterly report. He had been so conditioned to this process that it was almost relaxing.

It may have seemed strange to others, but filling out these reports was a breath of fresh air after a long day of work. It was simple to him, easy—and the best part was that he did not have to worry about fixing someone else's mistakes. He was in charge of the finances, and he managed them flawlessly.

He had just about finished proofing the data sheet when the red light on his intercom lit up.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked as he created a folder for the new year's quarterly reports.

"There's a woman here to see you. She says she understands if you are busy."

"Send her in," he said flatly. Whoever she was, he was sure he could get rid of her for the right price before he headed home for the evening.

"Yes, sir."

Kaiba moved the report file into the newly created folder, double checked to make sure it was in the right place, then exited out of his documents just in time for the door of his office to open.

"Can I help you?" he asked absently, shutting down his computer.

"Perhaps," came a quiet, feminine voice.

Lifting his gaze from the screen, Kaiba's eyes widened in disbelief and he stood abruptly.

"You!" he said accusatorily as he took in the long, white hair, pale skin, and big, deep blue eyes of the woman who stood before his desk.

"Hello Seto Kaiba."

The young CEO stared with wide-eyed disbelief at the hauntingly familiar face—the one that had not completely left his mind in the past six months no matter how much he wished to banish it from his memory for good.

"I see that you recognize me," said the young woman, her voice as soft and as haunting as those eyes that seemed to look deep into his very soul. She wore a white, Egyptian dress and matching cloak, moccasins, and silver bands around her forearms. There was also a silver necklace with a blue gemstone that hung around her neck, the pendant resting gently at her breast. Although she wore different clothing, he was sure it was her.

Regardless, the stubborn part of his mind remained in denial. A five-thousand-year-old illusion could not possibly be standing in his office at Kaiba Corp.

"Who are you?" he demanded at once. "And why are you here?"

"You mean you do not remember me?" came her gentle voice.

"Humor me."

She nodded gracefully. "As you wish. My name…is Kisara."

Kaiba's jaw dropped. No way. It…it just couldn't be. "You lie!"

"I assure you that I know my own name, Seto Kaiba. Now, as for your second question, I'm afraid that's a bit more difficult to answer. You see, until recently, I lived a normal life, unaware of my attachment to an ancient legend. I have you to thank for enlightening me."

"What on earth are you talking about? I've never met you before in my life!"

"That is correct. However, six months ago, you traveled to Egypt, playing a part in uncovering the Great Pharaoh's lost memories. It was during that time that I began having visions of the past. Or, more precisely, of my past."

"Stop right there! I've had just about enough of this ancient Egyptian nonsense to last a lifetime, and if I never hear the words Egypt or Pharaoh again, it will be too soon!"

Kisara remained unfazed by Kaiba's anger. She looked at him more closely; no, not at him—through him.

"I was told that you were stubborn, and some even go so far as to call you unkind. But I do not believe the latter to be true. A part of you wants to believe, but the other part is afraid."

Kaiba blinked, then straightened, closing his eyes and crossing his arms with a smirk. "You walk into my office in my company and accuse me of being a coward? If you hoped to endear yourself to me, well then, you're doing a terrible job. But because I'm such a nice guy, I'll continue to let you humor me. What connection do you think the two of us could possibly have?"

"Unlike you, Seto Kaiba, I did not run from my past. At first, I was frightened of the unbidden images that came to me even during my waking hours. But then I recognized the images. They were familiar. You see, I had seen the ancient tablets from the Pharaoh's tomb while they were on display in Cairo. My visions revolved around the sorcerer—or rather, the Priest, Seto. Once I realized this, I consulted Ishizu Ishtar. This was well after the Pharaoh's spirit was laid to rest, and she enlightened me to the events that had taken place recently at the tomb. Intrigued, I let the images come forth, and I came to realize that they were no mere images; they were memories—my memories. Kaiba, I am the reincarnate of the peasant girl, Kisara, the very one who gave her life for the High Priest Seto."

"How cute. Believe what you want, but this isn't ancient Egypt. In fact, you're not even in Egypt at all. This is Domino City, and you're standing inside of Kaiba Corp, the largest gaming company in the world. Fairies and spirits don't exist here outside of holograms."

"I also know that Yugi Muto is the reincarnation of the Pharaoh Atem. I know that Ishizu is the reincarnation of the Priestess Isis. And I know that you, Seto Kaiba, are the reincarnation of Priest Seto. I sense him in you."

"Please, just because some ancient dead guy happened to look like me does not mean we're the same person."

"Then tell me, why do you have the rare Blue Eyes White Dragon cards? The power of the dragon was given to Seto alone, and since you are his reincarnate, only you were meant to wield them."

"You want to know how I got the Blue Eyes White Dragons?" Kaiba demanded, his brief amusement waning fast. "I am the president of the Kaiba Corporation! I destroyed it and rebuilt it from the ground up by myself! The only reason I have those cards is because I had the money to buy them! You're right, I was meant to have them, but not because of some ancient fairytale! I earned the right to the Blue Eyes White Dragons! So spare me some story about fate! In this world, you make your own destiny!"

"Seto Kaiba… you may vocally deny your connection to the past, but I know that you believe that what I say, and what you saw, is the truth. No, you are not the same person as Priest Seto. You are indeed different. But at your core, you are the same." She smiled, a sweet, nostalgic smile. "You may present yourself as a selfish, mean-spirited tycoon, but I can see that deep down, you are kind, loyal, and extremely devoted to those you care for. Those are the qualities that Seto possessed, and ones that you greatly reflect."

Kisara placed her hand over her heart and held his gaze as she continued. "Once I realized my connection to the past, I embraced it. Now, I am not simply Kisara's reincarnate. We are integrated into one soul. I am the past as well as the present. That, Seto Kaiba, is why I stand before you now."

"Because of destiny? Because you share the same name as a girl that died five-thousand years ago? Spare me. You invited yourself here, destiny didn't just magically drop you on my doorstep. Now I've heard just about enough of this nonsense. So if you could do me a favor and leave, that would be great."

Again, Kisara nodded. "As you wish, Seto. But first…" She reached into the pocket of the white cloak she wore around her shoulders and pulled out a small box. "I have something to give you."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and took the small, metal box. He looked down at it, his blue eyes reflected in its mirrored surface, then glanced back up at the woman in front of him. She simply smiled at him sweetly. It angered him slightly.

"Then I shall see you soon."

"Not likely. Don't bother coming back here again."

"On the contrary, Seto Kaiba," she said as she reached the door. "It is you who shall find me."

She left his office without another word, closing the door behind her. Kaiba grunted. Yeah right. What reason could he possibly have to seek her out?

He looked back at the tin in his hand. Curious, he opened it. His eyes widened.

"No way!"

The card inside was an Arabic version of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

X-X-X

Mokuba flattened himself against the wall as he heard the door to his brother's office open. A moment later, the young woman stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She glanced over, having noticed the mane of wild, black hair from her periphery. Smiling, she lifted her hand in a polite wave, but said nothing as she walked back down the hallway to the elevators.

Mokuba's eyes followed her, intrigued. He had heard nearly the entire conversation as he eavesdropped through the door. Was it true? Was that pretty lady really the reincarnation of a girl from the past?

Mokuba had been well aware of the alleged connection his brother had with ancient Egypt, but he had never been sure of its validity. Seto certainly never seemed to believe in it. Mokuba, however, had always been more open-minded than his elder brother. Mokuba also knew that Seto preferred to deny more than he affirmed, so the younger Kaiba was never sure whether his brother had bought into the Egyptian myth or not.

There had been two Yugis, though. How could anyone deny that?

What Mokuba had not known, however, was that his brother's connection to the Blue Eyes White Dragon was supposedly linked to the ancient past too—and possibly to that woman. The young boy thought back to his and Rolan's trip to find Seto in Egypt, and how a hole had opened up in the sky, revealing the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Mokuba glanced back at Seto's office door and frowned. He was inclined to believe the white-haired woman, but he knew his brother would not be so easily swayed. Either way, Mokuba was wise enough not to mention the woman to his brother as they headed home.

X-X-X

He had tried to put the encounter out of his mind, and for a while, it had worked. He had been sufficiently distracted by helping Mokuba with his homework for a few hours, but as soon as the distraction was gone, and Kaiba was alone again in his suite in the Kaiba mansion, thoughts of Kisara came back to him in an unwelcomed rush.

He sat on the sofa in his suite, eyeing the Arabic Blue Eyes White Dragon card that she had given him. How had she gotten it? Hadn't there only been four Blue Eyes White Dragon cards ever created? He owned three and had torn the fourth one in half. The useless one still belonged to Yugi's pathetic grandfather.

Why hadn't Kaiba known that an Arabic version of the card existed? How had Kisara come to own it?

And why had she given it to him?

The memory returned—the memory of the Kisara of the past taking the fatal hit for the High Priest, her spirit sealed into the stone tablet along with the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He remembered the dragon's refusal to obey the Priest when his mind was overshadowed by Akhenaden, and how it fought for the Priest when his mind was once again freed.

As much as he did not want to admit it, perhaps there was some truth to the so-called fairytale.

He stared out of the French doors, out into the night, a scowl on his face. Maybe there were unexplainable things in the world, but he was not ready to accept the concept of fate. He meant what he had told Kisara; he made his own destiny, and he didn't need anyone meddling in his life and messing it up.

Placing the card back in its box, and placing the box in the drawer of his nightstand, Kaiba readied himself for bed. Sleep was what he needed. Sleep would give him distance from Kisara, from the Blue Eyes card, and from any thoughts of ancient Egypt and reincarnation.

Or so he thought.

X-X-X

He looked out into the darkness, the eyes of a child whose innocence was nearly lost. The pain and suffering he had had to endure had made him tougher, but he longed to remain a child. He longed to be care-free again, as he had once been.

"Seto!" yelled the demonic voice of his terrible step-father. The great, red, muck monster rose out of the darkness, its clawed hand reaching for the young boy whose eyes widened in horror and fear.

He closed his eyes, anticipating pain, suffocation, and death.

What he heard, instead, was a mighty cry of rebellion. He opened his eyes to see that the clawed, red hand had been stopped. He turned, and suddenly he was gazing up at the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It bared its teeth, snarling as it locked its sights on the monster that hid in the dark, the electric fire brewing in its jaws.

"What?!" came the demonic shout again. "No!"

When the dragon's mouth opened, white light burst from its lungs, hitting the monster and disintegrating it. The Dragon roared, a majestic light emanating from each of its scales, purging the darkness that had held the boy's most secret fears.

The dragon met his gaze, and as the boy looked on, it transformed. He shielded his eyes from the brightness, opening them once the light had subsided. He stared, fascinated, at the pale-skinned woman before him.

And suddenly, he was no longer an innocent child. His innocence had been lost, but his heart ached with a warmth that he had never known before. She reached for him, and he for her. That warmth only grew as his outstretched hand beckoned her near, but as their fingers touched, she began to fade away.

He reached out despirately, calling her name, a name that he knew by instinct.

But she was gone as quickly as she had appeared, and she took the warmth and the light that had filled his heart with her…

X-X-X

Kaiba sat up in bed abruptly, just barely managing to stop himself from shouting to the darkened room. After assessing that he was no longer in the world of dreams, he clenched his fists before running his hands through his hair in frustration.

It was the same dream that had been plaguing him since her visit. It had recurred every night for a week and a half afterward, and he had been relieved when a month had passed without its recurrence.

Now, however, it had reemerged, and Kaiba didn't know why. He had almost forgotten her—left her in the dim corners of his mind. He had other, more important things to concern himself with than the tales woven by a delusional woman.

But a part of him, the deepest, most irrational part, knew that she was not, in fact, delusional. That part of him was aware that all that she had spoken had been true.

X-X-X

One afternoon, Kaiba's level of annoyance with himself hit its peak when he found he had difficulty focusing on his work. Angry that his peace of mind had been disrupted once again, he looked up a number he'd sworn never to call. Picking up the phone, he dialed the number, jabbing irritably at the buttons.

"Hello?" came the voice from the other end.

"What did you say to her?" he demanded without preamble.

"Greetings to you too, Seto Kaiba," replied the woman, her voice tempered with cool annoyance. "And I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

"Don't play dumb with me, Ishizu! Recently I had an uninvited guest in my office who mentioned that she'd spoken to you! According to her, you spouted some nonsense about the past, and it led her here!"

"I assume you mean Kisara."

That name rang between his ears, and he found he couldn't give a verbal affirmation. Instead, he clenched his jaw, clutching the receiver tighter in his grasp.

"I assure you, I did not seek her out Kaiba. She came to me, hoping I could shed some light on the visions she was having. I admit, I was surprised when she relayed them to me, and it became clear that her ancient past was tied to yours."

"That's just it! Don't you get it?" He nearly shouted, slamming his other fist on the desk. "That's all ancient history! It has nothing to do with me, and I don't appreciate being drug into this fairytale again!"

"I'm sorry, Kaiba."

"No you're not."

"Believe what you will, but I did not encourage her to seek you out."

"Of course not," he sneered. "Because you don't have a habit of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"If you're through…?" Ishizu replied, sounding weary of the conversation and his thinly veiled insults.

"No. Leave me alone."

"You called me, Kaiba. And while you waste your time attempting to intimidate me over the phone, I'm guessing you're struggling to convince yourself not to speak with this woman and find the answers to the questions that continue to plague you."

Kaiba growled, biting back a retort that he didn't actually have. Instead, he slammed down the receiver before placing his elbows on his desk and holding his head in his hands.

X-X-X

Sitting in the back of his limo as he rode home from work a few days later, Kaiba was once again compelled to study the Arabic Blue Eyes card that that woman had given him. He wondered again about its creation, and how he'd never heard of it. If he had, he would have scoured the world to find the card and claim it, just as he'd tried to do with the one held by Yugi's pathetic grandfather.

For as long as he could remember, he'd always wanted to own the Blue Eyes White Dragons. His interest in them came even before Mokuba had drawn him one when they were children under the tyrannical thumb of Gozaboro Kaiba. He'd never thought to question why he wanted those cards out of all others. Were they powerful? Certainly. Not only that, but they commanded respect. But back then, the Blue Eyes was not the most powerful card in the game. That honor belonged to Exodia. Why hadn't he been compelled to seek out the pieces of Exodia and make the previously impossible task of summoning him possible? He'd always had a defiant personality, wanting to prove to the world that although he was left adrift in unfortunate circumstances that led him and his brother to an orphanage, he could crawl and fight his way to the top. Exodia should have been another entry on his list of things to accomplish.

Even now, Seto knew there were other cards capable of exceeding the power of his dragons. The question remained, why did he value the Blue Eyes White Dragon above all other cards? Even while he'd wielded Obelisk the Tormentor, even while chasing the other God Cards, he'd never failed to hold his dragons in the highest esteem.

He knew the answer. After the events that took place in Egypt, he could no longer fully deny the relevance of his past; and yet he still struggled to reconcile the concept of destiny with his own experience of having to claw his way to the top, going from a penniless orphan to the CEO of Kaiba Corporation—all because of his merciless determination and his flawless intellect.

Though he didn't consciously know it, the truth was that this woman was a wild card who threatened to tear a hole in the fabric of his carefully crafted identity. He'd pushed away those images of the ancient past, wanting nothing to do with the possibility that the course of his life may be bound by a force stronger than sheer will power.

Seto turned his attention to the world cruising by outside the tinted window, wanting to push aside those thoughts that kept running round and round inside his mind but scowling when he failed to do so.

His attention was caught the instant that long white hair came into view.

"Stop the car!" he demanded through the intercom.

His driver hit the brakes, and Kaiba pitched forward as the limo came to a sudden halt in front of the Domino Museum.

"Is everything alright, Sir?" the driver asked.

"Fine," he replied. "Wait here for me."

Releasing the button for the intercom, Kaiba reached for latch and stepped out of the car before the driver could walk around to open the door for him. As he did so, he turned around to face the woman walking towards him. In a few long strides, he was in front of her, towering over her, and yet she looked unsurprised to see him and appeared unfazed by his dark expression.

"Seto Kaiba," she acknowledged, her tone oddly sweet, and his name on her lips far too intimately familiar. It made him uncomfortable.

"We need to talk."

She smiled kindly at him. "Of course."

"Tomorrow, six o'clock, my office. And don't be late."

Her cerulean eyes flashed, as though she could somehow read him like an open book despite the rude way in which he issued his request for an audience. She gave a slight, respectful bow of her head.

"I'll be there," she assured him before meeting his eyes.

While Seto himself aimed to always and at all times project an imposing presence, he found himself withering under her gentle gaze. Inside, he squirmed, unable to fathom the depth within it, and feeling as though it somehow served as a window to the deepest part of himself—the part he'd successfully buried, but which was now being forcefully uncovered against his will.

In that moment, his pride clashed with his discomfort, and while he wanted to hold his ground against the urge to turn away and never look back, he took shameful comfort in the fact that he had nothing more to say to her until their meeting the next day, and he could thus retreat back into the safety of his limo.

X-X-X

By the time the next afternoon rolled around, Kaiba had composed himself. He was ready for his visitor, and he was determined not to let her get under his skin this time. Dressed in his white suit and blue tie, he stood at the window, watching the city and waiting for the woman to arrive.

He checked his watch. It was six o'clock sharp.

"Mr. Kaiba, your appointment has arrived," came the voice from over the intercom.

He turned back around and pressed the button to reply. "Good. Send her in."

Not a minute later, his office door opened, and Kisara stepped inside.

"Seto Kaiba," she greeted with another bow of her head.

"Kisara, welcome," he said with a mixed air of both politeness and arrogance. He gestured toward a chair on the other side of his desk. "Come in; sit down; make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you," she replied, taking a seat and seeming unfazed by the odd, conflicting nature of his tone. "I must admit, I'm surprised you asked me here at all. I was beginning to lose hope that you would speak with me."

Seto sat down in his large, black leather chair, leaning back and folding his hands in front of his chin.

"Make no mistake, I called you here on my own terms, not because you convinced me of anything, and certainly not because I feel obliged to entertain you."

She gave a crooked smile. "You're shrewd and brutally honest. I think I better understand your reputation."

He scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ishizu warned me that talking to you would not be an easy task."

"Don't mention that hack fortune teller to me. I've had enough of her nonsense to last a lifetime. Now, let's get back to the reason I called you here, shall we?"

Kisara narrowed her eyes, as though studying him. "Very well. Why did you call me here?"

He leaned forward to open a drawer from which he took the silver box she'd given him. He opened it and pushed it toward her.

"I want to know where you got this card."

"You mean because there were officially only four Blue Eyes White Dragon cards made?"

He didn't respond.

"Years ago, when I was just a girl, there was an exhibition at the Cairo Museum that featured the first stone tablets ever discovered that appeared to depict Duel Monsters. The creator of the game, Maximillian Pegasus, recreated these beasts on the Duel Monster cards. If it wasn't for the discovery of these stone tablets, the game all the world knows and loves wouldn't exist. So for this exhibition, Pegasus hand-painted special edition Arabic versions of some of the more famous monsters in the game. These cards were auctioned off, and my father gave the highest bid for this one. He gave it to me as a gift for my birthday."

"So Daddy got you a gift and you just gave it away?"

"I knew you would return it," she said, making no move to reach for the treasured card.

"Really now? Because if my reputation really proceeds me, you'd know how much effort I put into finding the others."

"True. But I had a feeling you wouldn't take my card from me."

"So why did you give it to me in the first place?"

"Simple. I had a point to make, a reason for my trip to Domino, and I knew my Blue Eyes would catch your attention."

"And what exactly do you want to prove to me? That you and I are somehow soulmates because we happen to own the same card? The fourth official, and now useless, Blue Eyes White Dragon belongs to an old man, so that argument is hardly persuasive."

"You were driven to be the master of the Blue Eyes because your ancient counterpart saved a girl named Kisara, and the Blue Eyes White Dragon was and still is her spirit. She sacrificed herself and her spirit went on to serve and protect Priest Seto…until his death and his reincarnation in you, Seto Kaiba."

"That was five-thousand years ago."

"And yet you found that you were connected to Yugi Muto and the Pharaoh. You've already seen proof that human bonds can transcend lifetimes. Why don't you want to believe that what I say is the truth?"

"Trust me, I was never ecstatic about any of it. And it's not that I don't believe you."

"So…you do believe?"

"Look, I can't deny what I saw. But that's all over. The Pharaoh's back where he belongs, which should have closed the door on this entire narrative. I want nothing more to do with it. It's time for me to move on, and I suggest you do the same."

Kisara's face fell. "I'm afraid…it's not that easy."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you, I am Kisara, both past and present. My past memories have been reawakened, and in order to be fully whole again," she said as she looked down at the card on the desk. "I must reunite with the other piece of my soul."

"You're here for my Blue Eyes White Dragons?" he nearly growled.

She met his eyes and slowly shook her head. "No, Seto. The spirit of the Blue Eyes White Dragon isn't in those cards."

"Oh really? Then where—?" He stopped as his own ancient memories returned.

Controlled by his father Akhenaden, it was the White Dragon that set Priest Seto free and gave him its life force. Its spirit rested with Seto.

But it wasn't just the White Dragon. It was Kisara. It was her light and strength, bequeathed to the High Priest; her final act of will. That was why Seto was the keeper of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Of course. It wasn't in the cards at all. The Blue Eyes—Kisara's spirit—had been inside him all along.

"I see you finally understand."

He could only stare back at her blankly. Finally, he shook his head. "So you are trying to say we're soulmates."

"I was…hesitant to use that term for obvious reasons…but yes. As I said, human bonds can transcend lifetimes. The strongest of those bonds is—"

"That's enough!" he shouted, getting to his feet. He narrowed his eyes, glaring down at her. "I don't want to hear anymore! This meeting is over."

Kisara stood, and he could see the hurt in her eyes at his clear rejection. It pained him, somewhere deep inside, and he didn't want to fathom why.

"I fear I've said too much too soon. I'm sorry, Seto. I didn't mean to upset you. I can see you need some time." She folded her hands and bowed her head. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me anyway."

Kaiba was conflicted as he watched her take back her card and walk out of his office. It seemed as though he'd only traded one set of uncomfortable feelings for another. He wanted rid of her because she stirred unknown emotions within him; and yet as the physical distance between them grew, so did a void in his heart.