"He WHAT!?!" Yami spat.

Bakura casually lit up a cigarette and blew the smoke out slowly through his nose.

"Yeah, he went back for his wife. Duh." Bakura said nonchalantly.

Bakura looked at Ryou and Tany, who were sitting on the couch looking pretty cozy, and nodded sharply. As if to say, "I'm glad you're alright."

Marik got up off the couch slowly.

"I'm going in" he stated in a low, serious voice.

Bakura walked in front of Marik and glared. He didn't bother removing the cigarette from his lips before he spoke.

"You can't go, you dumb ass! You're too Ra-damned weak to zip up your own fly! Sit your skinny ass down and listen to me. All of you, listen up."

Taken a bit by surprise by Bakura's outburst, everybody just shut up and paid attention.

"Here's the deal. Yami, you and I are going in. Don't fucking fight me either. I'll kick your scrawny fucking ass."

Yami stared at Bakura with shock.

"Have you been smoking Duke's dope again? There's not way you're telling me I HAVE to go with you."

Bakura took a long drag of his cigarette and glared maliciously at Yami. He didn't speak right away, which allowed the tensions in the room to soar.

He casually exhaled the smoke and crossed his arms.

"And what makes you above me......pharaoh? You talk tough shit all the time, and when it comes time to show you really got some balls, you just puss out. Fuck, my left nut would have made a better pharaoh than you!

Frustrated by Bakura's words, Yami turned his back.

"Fine. I'll go. This is fucking bullshit though."

"I'll give you bullshit!" Bakura snarled as he dropped his cigarette into an empty soda can.

While the two spirits fought, everybody else got up and stood by the dark door.

Yugi cleared his throat.

"Uh-Hem? Guys?"

"WHAT!" Yami and Bakura both snarled harshly.

"We're all going. Quit your bitching and let's go."

Yami looked at Yugi with a mortified expression.

"You can't be serious. The Shadow Realm is far too dangerous for any of you."

"We don't care" Tany shrugged as she passed something between her and Marik.

Ryou elbowed Bakura playfully in the ribs.

"It's not half as freaky when your baked, eh 'Kura?"

Bakura cocked his head.

"Say what, Ryou?"

Marik held up a joint and passed it to Bakura.

"The higher you are, the better" he snickered as the weed started taking effect on him.

Bakura shrugged as he took a puff.

"Can't hurt" he smiled as he exhaled the thick white smoke.

Bakura handed the joint to Yami.

"Go ahead, it can't kill you."

"I don't know Bakura.....this really isn't my scene."

Bakura rolled his eyes.

"I could harm you worse than this joint. Besides, you're the one who has a Millennium rod up his ass. You need to chill."

Yami reluctantly took the joint from Bakura.

After they finished the joint (and rolled a few for the road) they all stood in front of the door.

"Well gang, it's go time!" Yugi giggled.

Tany glared at the dark door.

"Shadow Realm, look out! We're high and ready to kick some fucking shadow ass!"

A chorus of hoots and hollers followed her comment as they all stepped through te door.

**********************************************************************

Marik felt a hand gently resting on his head as he began to regain consciousness. He clenched his teeth and winced as the pain his body was in became more apparent. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

"Are you feeling better?" a gentle voice ask.

Marik opened his mouth to speak, but only a whimper escaped his lips.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. It's all my fault." The familiar voice sighed. Marik slowly began recalling the events that lead up to the present. He remembered the confrontation with Anubis. Anubis had unleashed the darkest shadow powers on him, how was he still alive?

"Where.........am.....I?" Marik winced.

"I couldn't let you die the way Anubis left you. Even though you are my enemy, I still respect your bravery. You are in my private quarters, where not even Anubis dares to enter." the woman replied.

Marik managed to gather enough strength to see who had saved him from his demise.

"Car...o.....line?"

Caroline bit her lip as she lightly traced on of the bloody gashes on Marik's forehead.

"Yes, it's me."

Marik tried to reach up and touch her, but he didn't have the strength.

"Why...did you......save me?" he ask instead.

Caroline stood up and turned her back to Marik.

"I don't know why. Something inside me couldn't bare to see you suffer."

Marik gathered his remaining strength and reached out to take her hand.

"Wife" he gasp.

Caroline turned to him, gently gripping his hand.

"Wife? What do you mean? You have a wife?"

Marik pointed to his throat and moaned.

"Wa-ter.....Pl-ease"

"You want a drink?" Caroline ask him.

Marik nodded his head slowly. Caroline quickly got Marik a drink of water, which helped him to speak better.

"You....are......my wife."

Caroline took a few steps back, visibly shocked at Marik's statement.

"You're wrong, I belong to Anubis."

Marik took a deep breath.

"He's lying to you. Bakura told me what happened."

Caroline cocked her head.

"Bakura? The thief? Anubis told me about him. You can't trust his words."

Marik closed his eyes.

"He received his information from Tany. I know he wouldn't lie to me about this. Please let me explain."

Caroline sat down in a gold chair next to the bed and nodded.

"Go ahead, I'm listening"

Marik rolled over onto his side and looked directly into her curious green eyes.

"Are you sure you don't remember me?"

Caroline stared at Malik, looking his face over inch by inch.

"I'm sorry........I don't remember you."

Marik blinked his eyes quickly to stop tears from forming.

"Your memory of me is locked inside your mind, I promise you that, along with the memories of Marik, Bakura, Ryou, Tany and all the others. Anubis is using your memory loss to his advantage by turning you against the people who truly love you"

Caroline stared down at her shiny black boots Anubis had provided her with and pondered Malik's words.

She sat silently while Malik gazed at her with desperate eyes.

"Caroline......what's the last thing you remember BEFORE seeing Anubis?"

Caroline nervously fidgeted with the gold rings on her fingers that Anubis had given to her, trying to recall if what Malik was saying was true.

"Caroline? You know what I remember? I remember the day I saw you. Want me to tell you about it?"

Caroline nodded her head.

"Yes, please tell me."

Malik smiled as he rested his hand on his cheek and propped his head up.

"You understand what shadow magic is, right?"

Caroline nodded her head.

"Yeah, Anubis talks about it."

Malik smiled, "Good, than this won't confuse you too much. You see, I am the darker half of Marik Ishtar, the man you're married to. He created me in his mind many years ago, and because of shadow magic, we now exist as two entities."

Caroline nodded her head and smiled.

"So you're saying I'm supposedly married to both of you? Two sexy Egyptians for the price of one?"

Malik's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what she'd just said.

"Unreal........that was exactly what you told Marik when he told you about me."

Caroline stared forward at Malik in disbelief.

"I did?"

Malik bit his lip and nodded.

"Yes Caroline, you did. I heard you from my soul room."

Caroline shook her head

"That seems like a lie. You could just be saying that."

"No Caroline, it's real. I wouldn't deceive you. You gotta believe me. You're my wife, my soulmate; the one who completes the circle. Marik and I love you," Malik pointed to his arm at a very detailed tattoo. "You see this? You see the names on it? Caroline and Marik. You think I'm making this up? I wouldn't have a tattoo with yours and my lights name on it if it didn't mean something." Marik sat up and pointed at his back.

"Just like the ancient scriptures on my back hold strong meaning, this tattoo on my arm means just as much You think I battled Anubis for no cause? You were my cause; you mean more to me than life itself, and life after death without you is a very lonely thought."

Caroline gaped at the tattoo bearing her name. She slowly reached out ran her fingertips over it.

"You wear my name. I just don't understand"

Marik grabbed her by her wrist, eliciting a small whimper from the confused blond. He looked straight into her face.

"You have a similar tattoo baring my name on your shoulder blade. Go look in the mirror if you don't believe me."

Caroline went over to the mirror and twisted around to look at her shoulder blade.

"I didn't realize I had this"

Malik sat up slowly and steadied himself.

"You, me and Marik got those on our first anniversary. It was your idea infact."

Caroline stared at the tattoo on her shoulder. It was a gold beast with wings. The names "Malik" and "Marik"were written in strange symbols, along with her own around it.

"I don't understand how I know this, but these strange symbols seem to be our names"

Malik nodded his head.

"They are hieroglyphics. You can read them because Marik and I taught you how to."

"I can read Egyptian? But, but......I don't look Egyptian, do I?" Caroline ask with disbelief.

Malik got to his feet slowly and walked with a slight limp over to Caroline.

"Look at me sweetheart. How did you know I was Egyptian earlier? Surely I don't look like your typical Egyptian. My hair is light, not dark like the rest of the race."

A big grin spread across Caroline's face as she reached up and touched Malik's soft spikes.

"True. I don't remember Egyptians having indigo eyes either."

Malik lowered his head and took a deep breath.

"I gotta make you see...... even though you beat the hell out of me, I still love you. I can't change your mind if you want to stay here, but I can't bare the thought of leaving you behind. If you won't come back with me to the other realm, I'd rather die the way Anubis left me to die."

Malik looked up at Caroline, his pleading eyes pooling with tears. Caroline stared at him with bemusement, and for a split second, she remembered something. She fell to her knees as the images of her and Malik flashed through her head. She could see herself running ahead of Malik by a few strides.

[ Look out! Marik's got the Super Soaker!]

Next she saw a man who looked almost identical to Malik unloading a cold stream of water directly at her and Malik. A fluffy white cat went into a tizzy and ran in front of Caroline, causing her to slip on the wet floor. She grabbed for Malik as a last minute attempt to stay up, but it caused Malik to loose his footing and fall on top of her. They both began to laugh as Marik rushed them with the high power water gun and slipped. They all were in the middle of the kitchen floor in a twisted wet mess laughing.

[I love you Malik] echoed through her head as the memory abruptly ended.

Malik kneeled down next to Caroline and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Caroline, are you okay?"

Caroline opened her eyes and wrapped her fingers around his wrists.

"I saw.......us......a cat......laughing"

Malik smiled brightly.

"You see? You're memories don't lie. You are not Anubis's, you are mine."

Caroline bit her lip and stared into Malik's desperate eyes. She was at a loss of words.

Suddenly, a loud knock echoed from the door.

"Oh what the hell" Caroline growled as she went to answer the door to her chambers. Malik quickly slipped into one of the large closets. He peered out through a crack between the door and watched as a man dressed in a red cloak bowed in front of Caroline.

"I am sorry to disrupt you. Master Anubis wishes for your company in his chambers."

Caroline took a deep breath and looked away from the messenger.

"Tell him I will be there shortly."

The messenger nodded his head.

"I will tell him."

Caroline closed the door and locked it. Malik walked out of the closet looking very distraught.

"Anubis wishes for me to join him, so I must go."

Malik took Caroline's hand into his and shook his head.

"I don't want you to go. You're my wife."

Caroline bowed her head and sniffled.

"I believe you Malik Ishtar, though I don't remember it. I can't deny Anubis my presence now, but I will return to you as soon as I can. Please stay here."

Marik swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

"Caroline? Can you do just one thing for me?"

Caroline cocked her head to the side.

"What?"

Marik pulled her into an embrace and whispered into her ear.

"Please don't let him........take you........please. The thought of him violating you tears me up like you wouldn't believe."

Caroline bit her lip as she looked up at him.

"I can't promise you that, but I will do my best to keep him distracted."

Marik kissed her cheek lightly and nodded.

"I love you" he sighed.

Caroline pulled away from him and hung her head as she walked to the door.

She took one final glance back at him before she walked out.

"Malik......" she whispered as she lifted her head and made her way to Anubis's chambers.

************************************************************************

Sorry I haven't updated in forever. I didn't want to post anything until I had the ending secured.

There's only one more chapter left in this story, and it's NOT what anybody is expecting, I promise you that:-)