Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thanks for being so patient as I dropped off the face of the earth once again - I really appreciate it! Thanks again to my sis Renolvr for kicking my arse into gear and for everyone's lovely messages on here and Tumblr! xxx

They can take the future that we'll never know.

Each and every one of them had the same mark. From the old picture of her mother holding her as an infant, the one of herself and Natalie and even the new pictures she had accumulated in Japan – they all had the same burn mark where her face should have been. The same black scorch that had ruined the photographs she had left in the chateau.

Putting the sabotaged pictures back into the metal box, Kisara closed the lid and left the trove of ravaged memories on the desk beside her laptop. She had hidden the images for months, relegated to the back of a high shelf in her wardrobe. But that was over and done with now; no more hiding.

A legal letter detailing her claim and her uncle's utter avoidance and lack of cooperation in handing over the Estates had been drafted and a copy sent to every branch of The Ashbrook Estates worldwide. If they heard nothing by the end of the week then it was to a judge the next letter would be sent. Biting the nail on her thumb, Kisara wasn't sure which way she wanted the handover to go; if her uncle relented and agreed to quietly sign the Estates over to her then she would have to meet him face to face, but a court case would seriously damage their brand's name in the process.

Her phone buzzed to life and the text message cleanly broke her train of thought. Some rebellious and unfounded hope bounded to life that the message might be from Téa – despite Yugi's assurances that he would pass on her new number, Téa had yet to make contact. Vivian's name flashed across the screen and Kisara smiled as she read the message; Viv would be great at her newest endeavour – she just needed a little help was all.

Heading downstairs, she felt oddly content despite the global scandal her family's business was generating; KaibaCorp had recovered from the stock market crash, Mokuba was leading the social media world with his charm and she had narrowed the dates for the wedding down to three possibilities.

It was just the act of actually choosing a date that threw her every time. It was the final step to make this whole arrangement tangible, but Kisara found herself procrastinating each time she sat down to finalise everything. That was why Vivian would be vital in the planning process; her friend would hit her over the head and make her choose a date.

Passing by the cork pinboard in the foyer she slowed and smiled happily up at the many dates and notes fixed to it. Mokuba was charged with bringing Kai to the vet today so she could finally get the graffiti-laden cast removed, Kuriboh and all. But there was another reason to get the teenager out of the house for today. Rebecca was in on the plan and had promised to keep him busy in the city after the vet and Seto had offloaded most of his meetings to Roland and would finish work early with dinner being his responsibility. There was an indubitable buzz in orchestrating a secret plot that Kisara couldn't deny; maybe that was why Mokuba and Rebecca were so skilled at pulling off their ploys.

Smiling to herself, Kisara flicked through the bundle of mail left on the small table beneath the phone. Mokuba's school had sent out the new term's timetable and a few invitations for Seto and herself; a movie premiere, award show, fundraiser and a meet-and-greet at a school in north Tokyo; Seto would sort through the many invites and relegate the less important ones to KaibaCorp employees.

One envelope caught her attention and Kisara felt her chest tighten as the Ashbrook crest sat bold in the centre of the thick paper. She had torn it open without noticing the elegant handwriting on the envelope's front. A rushed scan down the cursive content left her with a heavy dread in her chest, but she banished the trepidation just as fast; today was a special day. So the envelope and letter were folded up with mechanical apathy and relegated to the back pocket of her jeans – today would not be ruined by the mess her side of the family had spiralled into.

So Kisara carried on with the plan at hand.

She had never really appreciated the effects of being methodical in the past. Vivian was an expert at doing her daily yoga routine and she steadfastly shouted the benefits of a set pattern to start off her day. Even Seto was a slave to regime and logic; each morning began with a short burst in the gym room, then a shower before coffee and work. Even on the most hectic of mornings in the mansion that routine could be whittled down to a shower and takeaway cup, but the bones of the system were there nonetheless. She on the other hand had to struggle to remember where her phone was most mornings. Maybe it was the privilege of growing up in an affluent setting; routines hardly mattered when one could afford anything.

But this was the one thing Kisara forced herself to adhere to the rules and regiments set out; she had followed the listed instructions for years until the recipe was completely surplus to her needs. Measure, mix and taste before adjusting to suit. Preheat the oven and then hope for the best when the cooking time was up. The kitchen had no wire-rack for cooling so the open window would have to do in a bind. To find a measuring cup had been a mission in itself, let alone an electric mixer; a simple hand whisk had been her only choice in that department – thank goodness for Isamu's training and her improved upper body strength. For such a large kitchen, it was surprisingly low on baking equipment.

The minutes melted into hours as she worked with only her phone playing music in the background. Once or twice the maids drifted in to investigate the unmistakable scent of baking wafting from the kitchen; it had been a long time since that oven was used for anything more than a roast.

So lost in trimming the cooled cake down to size and making sure the icing was just the right consistency, Kisara was oblivious to the sneaky tastes being had of the cut-offs by the maids or the sound of the swinging door opening time and time again. The mansion moved around her like it was on a different timeline; time had slowed down in the kitchen as she concentrated on getting the frosting even with a rudimentary flat knife. No piping bag or nozzle meant no writing on the top; a simple sandwich bag with the corner cut allowed for some simple decorating. Roland appeared at some point during the day, but faded into the background again as she focused on her task; this was of utmost importance.

By the time she was finally happy with her attempts, the sweltering day was turning into another gorgeous summer evening and her arms were aching in tandem with her lower back. But it was finished and she felt silly pride at the confection. The top was a little uneven on one side and the icing was in sore need of a palette knife to smooth it out, but these faults skimmed under her notice – it had been years since she had properly baked anything and Kisara was happily satisfied with the cake. The last time she had dusted off her baking skills had been back in China; Vivian was a demon when it came to cupcakes.

And then came the inevitable downside of baking a cake; the cleaning required afterwards. The ability of flour and icing sugar to coat every surface would never cease to dumbfound her – she hadn't even been anywhere near the microwave! Sink full of bowls and dirtied utensils, Kisara looked up as her phone pinged on the table – a Snapchat update. Drying her hands on a cloth, she clicked on the icon and smiled as Mokuba's voice called out in the video and Kai ran ahead on her four unhindered legs with Rebecca throwing a ball for the husky. Replaying the video, she noticed the teenagers were at Domino's park – that meant Mokuba would be home soon. Checking the time, she frowned; where was Seto? He should have been home more than an hour ago if Roland had taken the evening meetings. The sound of the front door opening answered her silent question and Kisara breathed a sigh of relief – she just needed today to be perfect.

Looking up from washing a mixing bowl as the kitchen's swinging door opened, she looked him up and down. No injuries meant he had no excuse for being late.

"What took you so long?"

Sorting through the mail, he had to blink in surprise. For one surreal split-second Seto thought maybe he had zoned out and the wedding had taken place already; having someone to answer to was something he still hadn't quite adjusted to. But then he saw the full sink, the clutter of things drip-drying on the sideboard and the film of flour coating the table and a terrible smirk surfaced; he wouldn't mention anything of the dishwasher hidden in the cupboard beneath the coffee percolator.

"Meeting with the architect for eastern Domino ran late. Hello would be nice."

Scrubbing at a stubborn burnt spot where the cake mix had overflowed slightly, Kisara checked the time again and looked up at Seto's sarcastic tone; the kitchen needed to be clean before Mokuba got home or it just wouldn't be right. She had had a long day and was tired and irritable ... and so was Seto she realised a second later. He had been in KaibaCorp all day and probably sped through meetings in a bid to get home some increment earlier than usual. Twisting the dish cloth in her hand, Kisara took a breath and wiped at the counter top.

"I'm sorry. It's just this is the first birthday since I've been here and Mokuba has been fantastic ..."

She knew what she wanted to say, but Kisara found it so hard to convey all of her thoughts in words. Mokuba had been the first person she met in Japan aside from Kosuke. The teenager had shown her around the mansion and been a lifeline of information and aid during the first couple of weeks of her new life, all impartial and unbiased by her engagement to his big brother. To put it bluntly, Mokuba had been her first friend after so long floating in loneliness. And he had taken it on himself to travel to Shibuya and retrieve her parents' belongings; the least she could do was to make today perfect.

"I'll wash and you dry; we'll get it done faster that way."

The briefcase was abandoned on the table with the mail, suit jacket thrown onto one of the chairs and shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Slowly drying the bowl he handed her way, Kisara smiled her thanks and had to realise how lucky she was. Being in an arranged marriage was by no means fortunate or conventional but some trick of fate had landed her in the middle of this new life with a dog, teenager and a fiancé that didn't call her out on her bad mood.

"Kisara ..."

She blinked out of her reverie just in time to get a splash of water in the face. She stood with her mouth open in speechless shock and placed the dried bowl on the sideboard, eyes never leaving the wonderful helpful man she had been mentally lauding only seconds ago. A smile pulled at her lips and she tried her hardest not to let it show.

"I can't believe you did that."

"You looked too serious- ah, did you really think that would work?"

The smile won in the end and Kisara laughed when he caught her wrist without even looking; the wet dish cloth an arm's length away from retaliation. Shaking her head in answer, she giggled into the light kiss and would have loved nothing more than to curl up in those toned arms. But today was a special day and they still had a kitchen to clean.

Wiping flour from her jeans, Kisara replaced the mixing bowl and whisk in their respective corners of the kitchen, talking over her shoulder as Seto took care of the things in the higher cupboards; she could have really used his height earlier when trying to find a cake tin. Poor Ko from the security team had walked through the kitchen right on time earlier and his tall stature had been ideal to retrieve the cake tin from atop a cupboard. Closing the window, she stretched and looked back to Seto.

"So what made the meeting run late?"

Pulling the plug from the sink and drying his hands, Seto pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to fight the inevitable migraine today would cause; he had been in nonstop meetings since this morning trying to free up schedules and get eastern Domino's development back on track. The new KaibaCorp branch was supposed to open its doors more than three weeks ago but Domino's council had given all of the new developments an extra month before opening to fine-tune details. And a good thing too as their building was still a shell and they were on to architect number four as of this evening.

"I fired another architect."

Kisara cringed at his words and switched on the kettle; that was just another in a line of architects that had come and gone from the new development. The location in eastern Domino was turning out to be trickier than initially foreseen; trying to connect electric wiring from the city's main grid had been the first hurdle, then the logistics of getting a construction company in and out without an eventual fight or crash with every other new development's contracting team. And now that overall problem of a floodplain was creeping up again; architect after architect had proclaimed they could work within the constraints of the anti-flooding plans ... and each had stalled and balked and eventually been fired from the project.

"How will you be ready for opening next week?"

Seto shrugged his shoulders as an answer and smiled at her worried face; it would work out eventually. He had sent word to their Hong Kong base that a new architect was needed and payment wasn't an issue so hopefully the wider net would catch someone useful in China. Utterly done with architects for today, Seto picked up the mail and flicked through it again as Kisara placed a mug of coffee on the table beside his briefcase. Her own mug sat beside it full of tea and her arm circled his waist as she nestled closer and he rested his chin on her crown for a few seconds. The stress and annoyance of the day seemed to ease little by little and he smirked and passed the movie premiere invite to her.

"I'm game if you are."

Studying the invitation properly, Kisara immediately shook her head and hid it under the briefcase; it was a movie about giant arachnids.

"Not a chance! Besides I'm busy that day."

"Busy? You have plans that don't involve me?"

Giggling at his mock surprise, Kisara nodded her head and made sure the premiere invitation was fully covered by the suitcase before answering in a measured tone; this was a topic she usually skirted around and would rather not get involved, but her friend had asked for help.

"Vivian is taking care of Miki and I promised to help, so we were going to visit the zoo. It's a big step for Viv ... I mean she doesn't do kids, so she must really like Toshi."

And Toshi must actually like Wong if he trusted her enough to have his daughter for an entire day Seto conceded silently. He wasn't sure how to feel about that development, but it was his friend's choice and Seto became aware that Kisara was looking up at him and trying to gauge his response. He saw the cake for the first time then and made a decision. Pulling his phone from a pocket, he gave nothing away and dialled the first number on his speed-dial. It rang only once before he picked up.

"Roland I need three passes for the zoo. All-area ones for feeding zones too."

Waiting until he hung up, Kisara smiled brightly and sat up on the table in front of him with her legs swinging.

"You big softie ..."

"I can cancel them just as fast-"

"No Seto, I'm joking!"

It was his turn to laugh as she tried to grab his phone and stop him redialling Roland. Smiling as she reached for the phone, Kisara gave up her attempts and instead stole a kiss. A kiss that promised more, but the excited barking of a husky in the foyer signalled Mokuba's arrival home.

Kai didn't even wait for the teenager, instead barging her way through the swinging door and into the kitchen, running circles around the table in a bid to show off her four working legs. Seto didn't know who was more excited when Mokuba did make it to the kitchen; Kisara hopped from her seat on the table to grab her cake and proclaim Happy Birthday, Kai was barking happily and then there was Mokuba himself stood dumbstruck at the door when he saw the cake. A big goofy smile bloomed and the kid raced forward to hug Kisara with Kai still barking.

And the sudden pride that he felt swell up in his chest caught Seto off-guard. They had had it rough and there had been times when a light was impossible to find in all that darkness. Being left at the orphanage, Gozaburo's threats, Death-T, Duelist Kingdom, Battle City and the virtual world. Even the Paradius takeover ... all of it he had taken head-on and come out the other side, hoping that if he took the brunt then his little brother would be less affected and maybe have as normal a life as a Kaiba could.

It had worked. Smiling as Kisara placed the cake on the table and returned Mokuba's hug, Seto knew it had all been worth it to protect him. Gone was the little kid and slowly had emerged a tall seventeen-year-old with short black hair, guileless eyes and the most infectious laugh he had ever heard. Seto thought maybe he hadn't done such a bad job raising Mokie after all and somehow had gotten lucky enough to find the love of his life in the process.

The world's media had been drip-fed snippets of information since the implementing of Mokuba's social media scheme weeks ago and the plan had worked as expected. With just one little side-effect; they sometimes got over-excited and ran to the rumour mill when given a seemingly harmless piece of news.

Twirling the ring on her finger again, Kisara couldn't stop a smile from creeping across her face as Vivian grilled her for the umpteenth time that day.

"So you two didn't get hitched in secret? Promise?"

"No we didn't. Trust me, you'll know when we do now let it go Viv. Miki, don't go too far sweetie."

Forgetting about her charge again, Vivian cringed and smiled when the little girl skipped back towards them. If it hadn't been for Kisara she would have definitely lost the kid a few times – you needed eyes in the back of your head! The zoo had been packed full of people making the most of the summer sunshine and little Miki was very skilful at disappearing into the crowd, but at least the special passes allowed them entry ahead of the queuing public and special access to off-limit areas. To be honest, she had forgotten that Toshi and Kaiba owned the zoo chain nowadays; she would have probably queued and paid an entry fee if it hadn't been for Kisara handing over the passes this morning.

"Well you can't blame me for over-reacting; half the world did!"

Resisting the urge to groan and face-palm, Kisara nodded her head and kept an eye on Miki as they passed a toy store and approached a pedestrian crossing. Taking a breath to call the little girl, she was pleasantly surprised when Viv beat her to it and Miki grabbed her friend's hand with no qualms. The two hadn't been too sure of each other this morning before the zoo and Kisara couldn't quite decide who had been the most nervous; Miki, Vivian or Toshi himself. But Vivian had calmed down and Miki had become less shy and they had had a nice day at the zoo with pictures for the excited little girl to show her daddy when they reached eastern Domino. Toshi had text Vivian to say some last-minute meetings with contractors were running late, so they had decided to walk to the new development and meet up there seeing as it was such a lovely sunny day; Seto was at the new KaibaCorp branch straight across from Toshi's new building so it would suit them all to meet there.

"Look, we don't even have a date set yet so I promise we didn't get married!"

Rolling her eyes as Vivian feigned being upset, Kisara blushed when a couple of pedestrians looked her way; maybe a lowered tone of voice would be better. The media world had gone into overdrive when Mokuba updated his Instagram a few days ago. The post had been a picture of her cake with the caption "Best sister-in-law ever! Fight me on this!". And the newspapers, magazines and social media bloggers had catapulted into a frantic frenzy at the inferred notion that she and Seto had tied the knot in secret. They had been oblivious to the media meltdown as Seto had fulfilled his dinner responsibility and they had visited one of Domino's most expensive restaurants. It was only when they got home that night that Roland and Rin had filled Seto in on the happenings. The PR team had been so inundated with requests for confirmation that KaibaCorp had issued a statement later that night denying any wedding taking place. Mokuba had found the entire thing hilarious and stated he had had the best birthday ever.

"Kisara, when you get married can I come?"

Making it across the wide road just as the pedestrian light turned red, Kisara felt her cheeks burn and looked to Vivian for help. Her friend was grinning and shrugged her shoulders in the universal sign for you're-on-your-own. Narrowing her eyes at Viv, Kisara smiled and looked down at Miki.

"Of course you can, but do you think I should let Vivian come?"

She had thought maybe the little girl would take a few seconds and think over her answer, but Miki nodded her head enthusiastically and smiled as they walked on and Kisara could see how relieved Viv seemed; she really didn't do well with kids and preferred to steer clear of them whenever possible. Catching her friend's eye, Kisara winked and smiled over Miki's head; she could do this. But then Toshi's daughter gave in to the unbiased honesty that children were infamous for.

"She can go with daddy because he kissed her on the lips and that means they have to go on dates, or that daddy is her true love because she's a princess. Oh! Are you a princess?"

She had never cackled in her life, but Kisara threw her head back and cackled like a witch at that moment. She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop the laughter as Miki stared up at Vivian with utterly innocent expectance. She had never seen Vivian lost for words, but her friend was silent as she stared down at the ingenuous child. Kisara actually snorted before she composed herself enough to speak.

"When did you see daddy kissing Vivian, Miki?"

"At home. I had to go to the bathroom and the living room door was open but I was really quiet. Why? Is she a secret princess?"

Little Miki's eyes grew as wide as saucers when she looked back up at Vivian, tilting her had as if that would reveal if the woman was royalty or not. Seeing the new KaibaCorp outlet and Fujiwara Pharmaceuticals building up ahead, Kisara smiled and deigned to answer in Vivian's stunned absence.

"No sweetie, Vivian isn't a princess. Daddy and Vivian are just really good friends, but how about I tell you a secret?"

Miki nodded immediately, all disappointment at Viv's commoner status disappearing in an instant.

"She will look like a princess because she's going to be my maid of honour, right Viv?"

The horrified silence vanished and Kisara had to catch her balance as her friend wrestled her into a tight hug. Miki surrendered into a fit of giggles as Vivian almost capped her over and the little girl clapped her hands as she watched the hug-wrestling-match. Finally reaching the newest target of Domino Council's revitalisation scheme, Kisara could remember the last time she had been in this area of the city; it had been months ago after Rie had sold information to the press and she had decided to confront her once-friend about it. Looking to Zigfried's building, it still seemed as stark and uninviting as they walked past.

A taped cordon prevented the public from entering the development area with police officers standing at increments along the barrier. The new developments were arranged around a central plaza that all outlets could be accessed from with KaibaCorp and Fujiwara Pharmaceuticals facing each other across a centrepiece fountain. The smaller KaibaCorp outlet was an extension of their high street unit; Duel Disks, replacement hardware, collectibles and various other KaibaCorp merchandise would be sold from the store.

Rumour had it that the Emperor himself would visit Domino to officially open the development in a couple of days. Looking around the area right now, it was difficult to see it as anything more than a construction site. It would take some serious effort to have everything ready for opening day. The heavy police presence was to ensure the safety of the location for the rumoured visit of His Imperial Majesty.

"There is no entry to the public."

It took a slow second but Kisara recognised the officer as the same man who had tried to stop Isamu taking her from the mansion on the night of the break-in. She felt immediate dislike for him and was sure Isamu had labelled him as a Superintendent. Why was a Superintendent on lowly crowd-control?

"We're not nosey public, officer. We're covered by the corporate insurances of KaibaCorp and Fujiwara Pharmaceuticals."

Smiling at the policeman, Vivian hoped that sounded correct and resisted the urge to check her phone; Toshi had text her the correct wording to allow them on-site whilst work was still taking place and warned her of the police monitoring the area.

"I said there is no entry."

Blushing at the man's brash attitude, Kisara tried not to appear intimidated. She didn't want to sound egotistical, but surely he should recognise her as Seto's fiancée? She was saved from pointing out just how many people passed by with white hair and blue eyes thanks to Vivian. As elegant as ever, her friend jabbed a thumb at her and eyed the policeman coldly.

"You do realise who she is right? Been living under a rock, dude?"

This Superintendent was a character Kisara hoped never to have to deal with again as he outright ignored Vivian and she almost swore at him. A fake cough and pointed look at the oblivious Miki made Vivian bite her tongue and she instead fumbled for her phone to prove they were covered by the companies' insurance.

"I have a text to prove it if you-"

"No entry."

Quite tired of the exchange and genuinely afraid Vivian would hit the man, Kisara felt her inner snob blow back into life and chose to exercise her privilege; she had done her homework after the break-in and learned her terminology. She stole a quick glance at the surname stitched into the officer's shirt as she dialled the number into her phone. It didn't even ring once before it was picked up.

"Ms. Ashbrook?"

The officer bristled a little and probably suspected she was calling Seto for help. No, what she had in mind was much more fitting. Locking eyes with the rude man, Kisara felt detached from the situation as she spoke calmly and politely into her phone, not a hint of nerves affecting her.

"Superintendent Adachi is refusing us entry to the new development. We are facing the central fountain and if you could please bring Roland I would really appreciate it Isamu, thank you."

"Right away."

Isamu was measured and characteristically stoic at the best of times, but she could detect the hint of a smile in his voice as he hung up. Looking to the Superintendent again, Kisara raised an elegant eyebrow; she could make things difficult too. He sweated and turned an interesting shade of puce before realising the predicament he had walked himself into.

"I suppose I can permit you entry."

Vivian smiled happily and made to walk forward with Miki, but Kisara shook her head and reached out an arm to stop her friend; the police officer was trying to back-track now as some of his colleagues and subordinates became interested in the unfolding scenario.

"We will wait until our security escort arrives, thank you very much."

Vivian bit her tongue and took a step back. She smiled down at Toshi's daughter and shrugged good-naturedly, but Vivian was fit to burst on the inside; she had never seen this side of Kisara before. Not only was she standing up for herself, but she was doing so with elegance, politeness and not even the slightest shadow of a blush.

It took a few testy minutes before some KaibaCorp goons arrived at the tape barrier. She recognised Roland and the other guy was Kisara's bodyguard-personal-trainer-guy who moonlighted at that bar they had visited. Vivian smirked with glee as the men refused to duck beneath the flimsy tape and instead broke it to flank their trio. This rude police officer was in for a world of trouble; not only was Kisara angry, but both of Kaiba's guys looked furious – this ought to be a good show!

Roland was the first one to speak, cutting across the Superintendent as he took a breath to explain himself. The only time Kisara had seen him angrier had been when the fat little man called Hobson had arrived at the mansion.

"Ms. Ashbrook and Ms. Wong have personal relationships with Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Fujiwara that have been submitted to the Keishichō pre-emptively ahead of the opening to avoid this from happening. Are you negligent enough not to read your paperwork Superintendent Adachi? Or are you merely oblivious to the media-"

"Would it be possible to enquire if there is a Senior of Chief Superintendent on-site today?"

Puce in turn deepened to beetroot before the man nodded his head and spoke a few reluctant words into his radio. Proud that her research into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department after the break-in was turning out to be very useful, Kisara was pleasantly surprised when the Senior Superintendent arrived and was a lady. Kisara took the initiative and bowed first to the older woman, noticing how Roland and Isamu had moved from in front of her to their places behind her now.

The new woman bowed in return, offering a deeper bow which Kisara chose not to argue social importance with a shallower show of respect.

"Very pleased to meet you Ms. Ashbrook, how may I be of assistance?"

Just as she thought she might falter at this lady's smile and friendliness, she looked to the rude Superintendent again and stood a little straighter before speaking.

"I would like to bring to your attention the inability of Superintendant Adachi to follow and comply with acceptable protocol. When stopped from entering the development site, my friend politely informed your subordinate that we are covered by the relevant insurances of Kaiba Corporation and Fujiwara Pharmaceuticals, yet we were still refused entry until I privately contacted Roland Tanaka and Isamu Watanabe of our security force."

Pausing for a moment, Kisara noticed how the woman listened to her every word before looking to Roland and Isamu in turn. All four certified members of the security team had begun their careers in the ranks of Keishichō and most likely had been acquainted with this past-middle-age lady at some point.

"I can only offer you my sincerest apologies Ms. Ashbrook, and hope that you will not let this sub-par conduct colour your opinion of our officers. Please don't let us waste any more of your time and thank you very much for bringing this failure of civil duty to my attention."

The Senior Superintendent's eyes never once left the offending Adachi as she spoke in an icy tone. The police officers of Tokyo were supposed to be the best in the world at dealing with city problems and civilians, especially given the population density of the capital and its surrounding satellite cities.

"Isamu, could you escort Vivian and Miki to Toshi's building please?"

Isamu complied without a word and stood forward, Vivian and Miki falling into step behind the tall bodyguard. Kisara flashed a reassuring smile when Viv looked back over her shoulder at her; she would be right behind her in a matter of minutes. But there was something annoying her first and Kisara returned her attention to the female officer.

"I want to lodge an official complaint with the Superintendent-General in regards to this man's conduct when attending the break-in at my home a number of weeks ago. He attempted to prevent my personal bodyguard from ensuring my safety and it is my opinion that Superintendent Adachi allows personal feelings to colour his treatment of Isamu Watanabe. I trust my concerns will be forwarded and I will hear from the relevant superiors on the chain of command?"

A silent heartbeat passed before the Senior Superintendent nodded her head and bowed deeply. Kisara didn't wait for a response and instead walked past the embarrassed Adachi and his irate superior. She continued walking and didn't dare look back at the man as a deep blush consumed her cheeks and her hands started shaking. Striding forward until she was sure to be out of the officers' earshot, Kisara slowed and looked up at Seto's right-hand man.

"Did I just do something stupid, Roland?"

Roland shook his head immediately and took off his shades, eyes full of surprise and something she couldn't identify. Doubt had begun to creep over her now that the moment had passed; maybe she had had no right to drag the police officer down like that in front of his colleagues.

"Not at all, what you did was prove you are quite capable of taking control of your company Ms. Ashbrook, well done."

It was pride. That other thing showing in his kind eyes was pride, she realised a second later. Blushing for a whole other reason now, Kisara scuffed the ground and offered a small smile; she felt just the tiniest bit proud of herself too.

"Thank you Roland."

Following his charge as Ms. Wong beckoned to her, Roland replaced his shades and reined his smile back to an unreadable expression but it was difficult to stop the smirk from pulling at the corners of his mouth. It had taken months of slow preparation – quietly answering the press, threat assessment, faltering beneath the limelight, attending events, self-defence training, mansion escape routes, issuing statements – but the girl who had arrived from France had turned into quite the capable young lady and it was the first time he could truly imagine her with the surname Kaiba. Even Rin would have shrunk under her harsh gaze when dealing with Adachi.

Approaching the fountain at the centre of the plaza, Kisara turned on the spot to take in the scope of this new business district. It was well laid out with easy access to all of the outlets. A number of small eateries and terminals to top-up IC cards would hopefully make it easier for the heavy number of commuting employees. Gardeners were filling in flower beds and electricians wiring streetlamps; maybe just maybe this place could be ready for the Emperor.

"Has the new architect survived the day or are we going to need number five?"

Roland was prevented from answering by the immutable Vivian Wong.

"Five? What is KaibaCorp doing, holding a Hunger Games for architects?"

Taking a breath to argue with her friend, Kisara smiled as Toshi followed her over with Miki in his arms and a toy tiger being walked down the sleeve of his suit – she wouldn't leave the zoo's store without it. Looking back to Viv, she frowned and shook her head; that comment meant absolutely nothing to her.

"I don't get that reference."

"Ashbrook you seriously need to watch more movies ..."

"Like princess ones?"

Vivian shut up at that pointed question and Miki giggled. Both Roland and Toshi looked nonplussed at the comment and silently decided not to question the women. Instead Roland took his chance to answer the initial query.

"This architect seems to grasp the plans very well and has even lauded your anti-flooding constraints, Ms. Ashbrook."

"Which we also plagiarised for our building, thank you very much Kisara."

Best to get that out in the open Toshi decided with a friendly smile; he would have known nothing about the small river and floodplain had Seto not asked how he planned to avoid water damage a few weeks ago. No wonder the damned land had been so cheap in retrospect.

Seeing Seto on his way over with Mokuba and the architect, she couldn't suppress the smile that crept up; hopefully this architect would be the last in the line and the new KC outlet could open on-schedule. Kisara felt silly pride that her half-hacked plans to prevent flooding were actually turning out to be useful – she had thought Seto was simply humouring her when he had asked for help but he had trusted her enough to implement the ideas. A small voice spoke up in the back of her mind and she made a mental note to tell him of the letter still in the back pocket of the jeans on her bedroom floor.

"Kisara, I want you to meet the one architect worth his degree."

Seto sounded the happiest she'd heard in ages; this new development was usually discussed with either a bitter or dismal undertone. The Chinese architect held out a hand to hers and Kisara felt her smile freeze when she recognised his handsome features and warm brown eyes. He still had the same easy smile that sprang to life in an instant. Somewhere behind her, she could hear Vivian gasping as her friend recognised him too.

"Nice to see you again, Kisara."

"Xiaoli ..."

She was tongue-tied. Not another sound would come from her mouth and a deep blush rushed to her cheeks in an instant. All she could think of was the memory of feeding him the this-is-a-little-too-soon speech when he had told her he loved her. And then she had walked out of his apartment and not looked back for more than three years.

She wasn't accustomed to asking for help on projects but Ishizu knew she needed every scrap of aid she could muster for this endeavour. This wasn't a past life or the dangers of mystical magical items that could wreak havoc. This was far more challenging than all of these troubles combined; this was pleading for money.

The Grand Egyptian Museum was the pinnacle of a new master plan envisioned for the Giza plateau, heralded to be the largest archaeological museum in the world if they could secure the money to finance its completion. And that's where she and her team in Japan became invaluable assets.

The atmosphere at home in Egypt was shaky at best. The political situation had settled to become the most stable in recent times, but always with a worrying teeter towards civil unrest. The tourist trade had all but dried up and some of her family had found their income in the guide sector had disappeared overnight. Given the senseless atrocities happening worldwide in the warped name of religion, people were just too scared to travel to Egypt anymore; one of her cousins in Sharm El Sheikh had closed down his restaurant due lack of foreign customers.

This envisioned museum at Giza was planned to be the beacon through which tourists could be romanced back to Egypt and it would be utterly astounding if the finances could be secured in time. Her inner academic was giddy at the possibilities the museum could offer to fellow archaeologists. State-of-the-art conservation laboratories for the more damaged mummies and new research channels with grants and subsidies for previously-unexcavated areas; the opportunities for Egyptology were glorious.

So that was the reason it was past midnight and she was sitting in front of her computer, having just finished a Skype call to colleagues in Cairo University; this seven hour time difference was a real hindrance. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she pulled a ledger closer and wrote a few notes detailing the main points of the call; they had everything in line so she just needed to wait a few more days and then plead with the Japanese officials to pay them the money.

Lined out on the desk before her were stacks of notes and multiple essays from her team here in Japan. She had gathered them all and requested their aid in convincing the powers-that-be to fund the new museum. Everyone from the elderly hieratic translator, the grumpy mummifying expert, the arrogant Ptolemaic Dynasty researcher and her trio of students had all been asked to submit a personal essay on how the Grand Egyptian Museum could enhance their academic learning and she had to read through them all and get her own pitch ready. She was the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities after all; she was the one who would personally beseech the relevant politicians for the funds.

Suppressing a yawn, she tied her hair up into a ponytail and set to work skimming through Mohammad's essay. She could squeeze in a few hours of study and preparation, grab a short sleep on the sofa in her office and then a shower before diving back into the workload before her. Just a few more days and it would all be worth it. A knock on her open office door made her glance up; no one should know she was still working – she had brought a change of clothes and told the museum director of her intentions so that the night security men wouldn't be caught off-guard, but those were the only people complicit in her late-night studies.

And yet there he stood with a plastic carrier bag in one hand and waving with the other. Smirking before he spoke, Ahmed raised an eyebrow and took note of the cluttered desk.

"Burning the midnight oil?"

The smile had surfaced before she noticed and Ishizu nodded guiltily; she knew she would berate anyone else for trying to pull all-nighters, but securing these loans was more important than sleep.

"Shouldn't you be at home?"

She was glad of the company, but Ishizu knew the students had a lot on their respective plates right now with online assignments due and the deadline for their final-year thesis drawing ever closer as the months trailed into each other.

"Couldn't sleep, thought I might be some help here instead."

Though he smiled and dragged a spare chair up to her desk, Ishizu automatically watched Ahmed a little closer, noticing how he squinted beneath the strong light in her office. She reached for the dimmer switch and lowered the glare.

"Another migraine? You should really see someone about-"

"I did years ago and the scans showed up nothing abnormal, but at least I have proof of a brain in my skull."

He flashed a joking grin but it fell a bit flat; constant headaches were something that should never be ignored and Ahmed knew that, but he had explored every option available and the doctors were stumped – one suggested he just carry painkillers at all times. The chance to play for the Egyptian national rugby team had been in his grasp only two years ago but the doctors refused to deem him medically fit to play such a rigorous sport and the opportunity had been swiftly vetoed; concussions were an all-too-common consequence of rugby without factoring in chronic migraines. Shaking himself, he shrugged and placed the plastic carrier bag on the table.

"Zakiya decided she would bake on her day off, hope you like Om Ali."

A massive excited smile overcame her features then and Ishizu reached into the bag at once, all fetters of social politeness gone. Her expression was so unguarded he felt a vicarious smirk pulling at his mouth and Ahmed chuckled; if he had known the milk-soaked raisin cake would make her that happy he would have learned how to make the dessert! She looked completely different to the woman who single-handedly had control over Egypt's national treasures; sitting in front of him with one leg tucked beneath her was a beaming beauty in a too large sweater and ripped jeans ... and he felt like a lovesick stupefied puppy.

It had been the sly Zakiya to call his bluff first. She was quiet and shy that girl, but had some impressive spying skills in her arsenal. The hijab-wearing half-pint had put him on the spot a couple of days ago, demanding why he didn't just ask their superior out; she had even social-media-stalked Ishizu to figure out Om Ali was her favourite dish ... to be honest he was slightly scared of Zakiya and her secret skills right now. Ahmed had thought his silly infatuation with Ishizu was under control and just a phase but then he had come to in the hospital and she had been there and he couldn't get the curator out of his thoughts.

"Gebel el-Silsila? Why would you want to focus on that old quarry?"

Blinking dumbly, Ahmed struggled for purchase on the conversation as Ishizu awaited his answer. She had his submitted essay for the Grand Egyptian Museum in front of her now, a pen poised to take notes and one elegant eyebrow arched in question. He quickly organised his thoughts away from personal matters and turned into the academic he was supposed to be. Ishizu's look of doubt only made him smile wider and he sat forward and grabbed a pen to illustrate his reasoning.

"Think of it this way; the stone masons and tomb-cutters would have been constantly at Silsila so there has to be undiscovered lesser tombs of workmen or even something like Deir el-Medina. We learned so much from the artisans at Medina it seems a serious oversight not to dig further. We also found foundations and blockwork of a temple dedicated possibly to Sobek by the Kheny settlement. This just proves that Silsila was a quarry and a sacred area with a slight leaning towards solar worship ... if we could link that to the 18th Dynasty then we could have a stepping-stone bridging the gap between polytheistic religion and Akhenaten's heretic doctrine or vice-versa; the aftermath of the Akhetaten city. And we have the temple of Horemheb too, so that's a direct link to the 18th; this could result in another Amarna-size discovery."

Kicking her wheeled desk-chair closer to his, Ishizu looked closely at the roughly-drawn map of the old quarry site and she bit her lower lip. Why had no one approached her with news of these discoveries at Silsila? She had been busy in Japan for so long she felt oddly out of the loop in regards to ongoing archaeological digs. The rush and excitement of a dig was something she sorely missed and pledged to return to when she eventually got back home. But this ... this plan could theoretically result in an entire settlement complex being found. Probably not as large as Deir el-Medina, but invaluable nonetheless.

"Where was the temple found exactly?"

"The east bank of the Nile, everything else has been on the west side so that's what made use think s-"

"Solar worship; the sun rises in the east and Ra traverses the sky to be reborn every morning."

"Exactly. Maybe the Aten worshippers had a small following after Akhenaten ..."

She sat thoughtful for a few minutes, mulling over the options in her mind; the Board of Antiquities had had some funding freed up recently and could afford to back a dig at Silsila once winter approached and the excavation season opened up in full. Reaching for her laptop, she opened the email centre and began to type without even looking up from Ahmed's rough layout of the ancient quarry.

"Who were you working under in the field?"

"Nilsson and Ward of Lund University; the Swedish team running the Gebel el-Silsila Epigraphic Survey Project."

She typed some more before smiling happily at the laptop's screen; this could start a whole new chapter in Egyptology if it proved fruitful. And not only that, but the funded dig could be the answer she had been hoping for; get him back to Egypt away from all of this past-life danger and he could flirt and romance some international archaeology student.

The night wore on then and the two of them worked in pleasant tandem – Ishizu skimmed down countless essays and jotted down the main points in a messy mix of Arabic and Japanese shorthand whilst Ahmed tossed about possible counter-arguments the politicians could exploit in order to not give them the loans. She could talk down most of the loopholes he argued and the reality of securing these loans seemed tangible. It must have been two or three hours later when the laptop pinged to life and an email arrived from Cairo; the excavation board were excited by the findings at the old quarry site and would discuss funding a new dig at their next gathering.

Something clicked into place then and Ahmed stood from his chair; if this funding came through he could find himself back at Silsila before Christmas for the digging season and that would have been the successful endgame all along – get back out into the field and discover some artefact or translate a new name. He had already completed three seasons excavating and he loved it and had always dreamed of finding the next unopened tomb ... only now he dreamed of a strange cavern with pendulous blades and a golden ring and her with tears in her eyes. Maybe the migraine and trip to hospital had knocked loose some sensible part of him, but all those years digging in the desert waned in comparison to the taciturn Secretary General of Antiquities. He had come here with a plan tonight and he didn't even know if he should bite the bullet and just ask her out for dinner; he was some dirty-face little orphan from Cairo's streets and she was the daughter of one of Egypt's oldest families. And his head was pounding again.

"Are you alright? Is it your head?"

Worry was her first thought and she figured she couldn't drag Ahmed to the sofa if he collapsed again, so Ishizu closed her laptop and got ready to call one of the security guards. The room seemed to pitch a little and he shook his head to get rid of the blurry after-image; why did he keep imagining a gold necklace around her neck?

"I'm fine, I just ... If I go to Silsila do I return?"

"Wh-what?"

You do return. Caught off-guard by the familiarity of those words, Ishizu blushed and busied herself gathering notes together and tidying her desk. How was she supposed to study in such a messy space?

"Do I return? Here, Japan ... this museum?"

"That isn't how the foreign-placement scheme works. The professors at Cairo would substitute your digging time instead of placement here."

Running a hand through his hair, Ahmed was confused by his own anger at the situation; he was always supposed to go home to Egypt eventually and this extra funding for the Silsila project was amazingly generous and a rare opportunity. Watching her stacking ledgers and chasing stray sheets of paper, he was both grateful to Ishizu Ishtar and irrationally angry that she wanted to send him away earlier than planned. Then those clear eyes looked him dead-on and she was all official business.

"This is a fantastic chance that archaeologists worldwide would jump at, Ahmed. What would keep you here instead?"

Some sarcastic part of him wanted to fire back a retort of as you wish, but he thought the cutting remark would be a step too far and unfair in all regards; she was offering him the chance of his career. But what came out of the half-hacked thought was an answer made them both stand still, caught in a stunned impasse.

"You ..."

A/n - Thanks so much for reading and I hope you liked it! Now I did cut this chapter a little shorter than usual but that's because it turned itself in a different direction than initially planned, but that just means the next update should be right around the corner! Thanks again everyone! xxx

Note 1: For anyone wanting to keep track, the chapter is based around the first two weeks of July as Mokuba's birthday falls on the 7th according to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Wiki.

Note 2: Gebel el-Silsila and Deir el-Medina are real places with astounding findings, as is the Epigraphic Survey Project! And the Grand Egyptian Museum is due to be partially opened by 2018 with most of it funded by Japanese loans. Om Ali is an Egyptian sweet milk-soaked raisin cake that is usually served hot and is listed as Ishizu's favourite dish.