Kuraki-chan: WARNING! This chapter will get you right in the feels. I started to tear up writing it. Haha. I guess to sum up what I'm writing in one quote from Ayria's song "Blue Alice" it'd have to be: "Oh this is one fucked up fairy tale."

And that's just what it is, I assure you.

And it's all downhill from here! :D

Songs I recommend listening to while you read this: "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley ft. Allison Krauss, "Two Black Cadillacs" by Carrie Underwood, and "Lily's Theme", and "Severus and Lily" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2.

The Change.

Inspired by and dedicated to: AGKamon18

10; Animal I Have Become

"You two are awfully close," Mai commented with a smirk as she and Virah walked through San Diego.

"What are you talking about?" Virah questioned.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Don't play stupid, hun. I saw you two walk out of your room this morning, and you've been beaming ever since," she winked. "Come on now, I want details!"

"Mai!" Virah groaned. Being the only two girls in Doma, the two hit it off quickly. As though they'd been friends for years. "I am not going to give you details of my sex life."

"Well you did just admit there was one," she sang and winked again.

Virah flushed a bright red and sweatdropped. "You're sick, Mai."

She shrugged. "Guess it's from hanging around these weirdos lately."

"I could not agree with you more."

"But still," she grinned, "what's going on between you and Red, huh? I do love some good romance gossip."

The ravenette crossed her arms over her chest and dramatically looked away, cheeks still flaming. "I-I mean it's n-nothing official...but, w-well he's been m-my childhood f-friend and uhm—"

Mai started laughing, much to Virah's dismay. "Oh hun, you're so cute. You like him, you kissed him, you jumped on him," Virah sweatdropped again, "you totally want him. He's not my favourite person in the entire world, but he does good for you. More than I ever saw Bakura do."

Virah's aura turned dark and hateful. "Heh, you're damn right there, Mai. You ever hear of a girl named Sybian?"

"The busty little tramp, right?"

The ravenette chuckled at that. "Yup. Guess who's fucking her now?"

"You're shitting me, right?"

"I shit you not, Mai. Not a fucking day after I'm gone and he's already screwing some cheap whore."

"I know how you feel," Mai's eyes went dark and sad. "To feel forgotten so quickly and easily..."

Virah messed up her hair in frustration. "Seriously, I'm so done with all those fucking losers. Wheeler's an idiot and a half, Bakura's a douchebag; who needs them? !"

Mai smirked and nodded. "Especially when some of us have a different, better boy in their bed," she sang.

"MAI!"

"Go find Yugi and the others," Marik told Ryou when they saw Mai and Virah. "If I have to duel her, I don't want you to see it. I want your memory of my sister to still be good."

"But Marik—" Ryou tried to argue. He didn't want Marik to be alone, knowing how horrid Virah had become.

Marik put a hand on his shoulder. "Find Yugi, or anybody. This duel isn't going to end well. The more I think about it, the more I realize what a temper my sister has. I'm going to have to duel her, I already know it. Which means one of us is going to lose for good. Chances are, it's going to be me. I want your memories of both Virah and I to stay pure no matter what. So please, Ryou, don't watch this duel."

Ryou hesitantly nodded. "Please be careful, Marik..."

"I'll try. And, uhm, Ryou? How do you say 'sister' in Japanese?"

The terrified whitette bit the inside of his lip to keep from crying. "Onee-chan..."

Marik nodded and smiled. "Go on Ryou, I'll do the best that I can."

"Oh boy, here comes trouble..." said Mai.

Virah glanced up and saw Marik about 30 feet from them. She cursed in her head and the adrenaline began to flow. She was ready for a fight.

"Mai, can you do me a favor?" Virah asked. "Go back home and get Alister. Tell him I'm about to stir up some personal trouble. By time he gets here, I should be done."

Mai nodded. "Good luck, hun. And by that I mean good luck on beating your record time." She began to walk back.

"What do you want?" She asked Marik.

"You know what I want, sister," Marik replied with pleading eyes. "Come home to Domino City. Please."

"What part of 'this is my home' don't you seem to understand?"

"Virah, I don't care about here, or Bakura, or your fight, or any of that. I care about you! You're my twin sister, Virah! Please come back with me. We don't have to go to Japan if you don't want to! We can sail around the world on my boat! I know how much you always wanted to see Europe. We can tour Europe if you want! We can go anywhere that you want! But please, sister," he begged, "just come with me. This Orichalcos thing is not good."

"I'm not leaving, Marik. Get over it."

"Virah, please! I miss you, Ryou misses you, Miri misses you; this isn't you!"

"You don't know a damn thing about who I am. You know the life I thought I wanted. I only got into duel monsters because I was fucking forced to. If it wasn't for Alister always saving me every time I got beat up, I don't know where the fuck I would be!"

Marik was taken back. "Every time...you got...beat up...?"

"Whether it was by school bullies or Rick, Alis was always there to protect me. During my duel with your darker half in Battle City, Alis would have risked everything and ran up to protect me! Did Bakura? No! I don't hold you responsible for what happened, but nobody tried to save me. Nobody tried to save Mai either. Not after anyways. None of you could understand how lonely and forgotten and unprotected we felt. But here, with my uncle and Alis and the others, we feel safe, and happy, and loved. We've all got each other's backs. We're a family."

Marik swallowed the lump in his throat and felt his eyes brim with tears. "Virah...I am your family! We're flesh and blood! Just look in my eyes!"

He had used the same trick Virah did to bring him back during Battle City. The only problem was that it didn't work. Virah looked right into his eyes and felt absolutely nothing. Marik felt his heart break.

"If you're going to be stupid enough to not give up, then I'm going to make you," she activated her duel disk.

I'm so sorry everyone, Marik thought as he did the same. This is it for me...

On her first turn, Virah activated the Seal of Orichalcos, played her favourite card – Alice the Wandering Doll, and set two face down cards – a Draining Shield and Negate Attack. Marik silently prayed to the Gods that after he lost here, Virah would be okay when this was all over.

Ryou was busy looking for someone – any one of his friends – when he saw the Seal of Orichalcos come down from the sky. He began to debate if he should keep looking, or go back to help Marik.

"I'm sorry, Marik, but you need me more right now," he said as he rushed back to his friend.

In a matter of three minutes, Marik was down to his last 500 life points. He was physically and mentally drained from his own sister mercilessly tearing him down. She had attacked him again and again with Blue Rose Dragon, then her Allure Queens, and she finally summoned her Fallen Angel of Roses. She used her Draining Shields and Negate Attacks to prevent him from touching her, and even a Meteor of Destruction. The same card he had Joey use on Yugi during Battle City.

"I'm going to give you a choice, Marik," she grinned wickedly, eyes blazing red and the Seal glowing bright on her forehead. She was acting similar to Minatsuki from Deadman Wonderland. "Would you like to be finished off by a magic card or by my Fallen Angel here?"

Her deck was filled mostly with dark monsters. There was a couple earth and fire, but it was 98% dark. It was almost sickening. Marik could barely even stand. He figured this was what it was like for everyone against his yami. He figured this was his punishment.

"Do what you want," he coughed. "Just know that no matter what, I will always love you, my precious little onee-chan," he smiled.

Virah's insanity died down a bit. Her face was as blank as her voice when she told her Fallen Angel of Roses to finish off Marik.

The blast flung Marik back against the barrier of the Seal, and he gave one final smile to Virah before it closed around him. As he landed on the ground, Alister pulled up on his bike. He took off his helmet and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I...I feel absolutely nothing about the way this duel turned out."

Alister chuckled. "And that's why your mind is running at 100 thoughts a second. Come on, let's get something to eat; my treat!"

"They say the way to a man's heart it through his stomach," Virah smiled.

"But that's because they've never met you!" Alister teased, giving Virah her helmet.

Ryou ran up to Marik's unconscious form and immediately dropped to his knees crying. He felt so alone all over again. First Virah, then Bakura, and now Marik. What could possibly go wrong now?

"I'm so bloody sorry, Marik!" he sobbed. "I should have dueled Virah – you have so much more to live for. I wish I had helped but I ran and I'm so sorry...I promise I'll bring Virah back...I promise..."

"Ryou-kun...back away very slowly..." said Miri.

Ryou opened his eyes and through his tears he saw Marik's hair get spikier. Just like in Battle City.

"No..." he fell backwards. "It can't be..."

The blonde began to laugh wickedly before standing. Yami Marik was definitely back. And unfortunately, he had the Millennium Rod in his belt loop. "You might want to run, kiddo. I do love it when they run."