(A/N: Yeah, I know some people are kinda getting ticked off that I didn't update for so long. But now that I'm alive and well, I'll give you a little spoiler: Two chapters of this have been finished and if you think this is something, wait until the next update. But please, do not expect an update right away since I have so much work.)

Marik: The Ally or the True Enemy

I'm not kidding brother." Ishizu stepped forward. "You're the one that taught her the dark arts."

"Damn Ishizu, you make this sound like Harry Potter." Marik crossed his arms over his chest.

"At this crucial time, I think it's better if we all try to get together and seal Mari up."

"I warned that wench." Marik scowled. "She wouldn't listen to me. I believe she got what she deserved."

"Marik." Yami clenched his fist.

"I don't got time for this." Marik turned around, taking Serenity by the hand. "We should get going."

"Hold on twinkle toes." Joey blocked Marik's way. "You can go back to wherever you came from but my sister stays with me."

"Really?" Marik smirked. He then shifted his gaze towards Serenity, nudging her. "Why don't you show your brother what I taught you."

Serenity stood there for a moment, unsure of whether to follow his command or not. "Are you sure?"

"Don't question me and do as I say." He scowled.

Clenching her fist, Serenity looked up at Joey, then at Marik.

"You stupid little girl!" From the tone of his voice, Marik was getting pissed. In truth, he really wanted to see Joey go down, see his reaction when Serenity did something bad. "Just do a spell and get over it!"

All of a sudden, Serenity pulled Marik close to her, pressing her lips onto his, kissing the dark side hungrily. Marik's eyes widened, not expecting this to happen. Not at all. Trying not to rage and shred the girl, he managed to maintain his control.

Tristan and Duke felt like puking as they watched what's going on. Yugi's eyes widened, surprised at what was going on. Ishizu and Rishid were staring at either Serenity of Marik cock eyed. Only Shadi, Bakura and Yami showed no reaction yet Yami was slightly taken back, never seeing Marik the way he is.

Meanwhile, Joey stood frozen, unable to believe what he was seeing. His mouth hung open, not sure if he should march up and yank his sister off of him or beat every inch of Marik to a bloody pulp. Serenity kissing Marik is considered a nightmare for Joey Wheeler, all right.

The world around him started to spin. All of a sudden, Joey fainted.

"Joey!" Yami slowly got up, sauntering his way towards his friend. Although still battered, he managed to get Joey to his feet, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

As Serenity continued lip-locking with Marik, he took out his millennium rod. Starting to glow, he pointed it behind Serenity's head, watching her collapse onto him. Picking her up in his arms, he looked back at Yami.

"Yami," Marik said in a low voice. "If your friend ever wakes up, tell him sister will be staying with me for some time. Not to worry, I'll take care of her. Or at least till Mari's soul is sealed." Turning on his heel, he carried her and disappeared into the darkness.

(-)

Meanwhile, Solomon had returned from the bingo tournament outside town. Opening the door to his shop, he hung his coat on the coat rack.

"Yugi?" he looked around. "Yugi, where are you?" he then spotted a note on the counter.

-Grandpa: Went to the pawn shop

Solomon crumpled up the note, his face twitching. "So who in the world is watching my store?!?" His eyes spotted a familiar person behind the counter.

"Tea?" Solomon gave her a strange look. "I can't believe Yugi made you watch the store while he runs off.

Tea's back was turned towards Yugi's grandpa, silent, simply standing there. Not a single movement triggered her body.

Making his way towards her, Solomon placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tea, you can go home now. I have to close up anyway. After all, it's getting pretty late."

A small laugh escaped from Tea's lips as she slowly turned around, smirking. Her eyes stared down at him, holding out her arm, her bracelet glowing, chanting something softly. Before Solomon could say anything, his eyes turned lifeless and dull.

"Call your grandson." She smirked. "Tell him to come home."

(-)

Joey's eyes opened slowly, looking around. He found himself lying on the bed in the storage room. Yami, Shadi, Tristan, Duke and Yugi surrounded him.

"Hey," Yugi beamed. "He's alive. You're alive Joey!"

"Wha-What happened?" Joey looked around.

"You fainted." Bakura replied, being the least concerned of Joey's health. "Right after you saw Marik leaving."

"Where is he?" Joey snarled, sitting up on the bed. "Where is that son of a—"

"Joey," Shadi placed his hands on Joey's shoulders. "Joey, calm down please. Marik decided to continue to train your sister. She'll be staying at his place for a time. Ishizu and Rishid went to your house to get her clothes."

Dumbstruck, Joey's eyes rolled back, falling back onto the bed.

"Well that would have been the obvious." Bakura leaned against the wall, away from the others. "Since Joey cares so much about Serenity, there's no way he can stand the fact that she's sleeping at the very place of the one he truly hates."

"You didn't have to tell Joey about Serenity, Shadi." Duke glared at him. "He was just fine when he woke up."

All of a sudden, Yugi's phone began to ring. Reaching in his pocket, he answered it. "Hello?"

"Yugi?"

"Grandpa?"
Yugi's eyes widened. "Oh…uh…did you read the note?"

"Yugi, I want you to come home." Solomon said simply.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Yugi wondered.

"No. It's just that it's getting late, that's all."

"Ok, I'll be home in ten minutes." Yugi replied. "Yeah…yeah…okay bye." He then hung up his phone. "Sorry guys, gramps wants me back."

"Okay," Tristan patted Yugi on the head. "See you tomorrow."

Yugi left the pawn shop and headed out for the game store.

(-)

With dull eyes, Solomon hung up the phone, standing there gazing at nothing. Mari stood behind him, smirking wickedly.

"Nice work," she praised him. "And now, here's the fun part." Placing a hand on his forehead, she started to chant in a foreign language over and over again. All of a sudden, the soul slowly escaped from the body and into her bracelet. After that, Solomon fell to the floor.

Smiling to herself, darkness began to form around the body for a few seconds before disappearing, taking the body with her.

"Well," she muttered to herself. "I need a place to hide the body. For now that is." Closing her eyes, she said a few words under her breath, her body as well as the face of Solomon taking over. At the same time, Yugi had entered the shop.

"Hey grandpa," Yugi tried to catch his breath. "Sorry I'm late. It's just that there is something really going on. You know Tea?" he watched his grandpa nod before ranting. "Well, ever since she got this bracelet, this more powerful sorceress just shows up and attacked Yami. Later on, she showed up at the pawn shop and attacked both Mai and Bakura."

"Oh my, that's terrible." said Mari under her guise. Even she was quite impressed with her performance. The pharaoh deserved it after all.

"The worst part is," Yugi continued on. "Even if the bracelet is not a millennium item, it's almost the same as my puzzle. You know the soul being one with the body?"

"I heard of this sorceress. One who wanted to kill the pharaoh because she believed he was responsible for sacrificing her village."

"But he's not!" Yugi retorted. "I know Yami wouldn't stoop to that level of humanity."

"We'll never know. Depends on what the ancient scriptures say."

"Ugh! And the fact that the sorceress sided with Marik is just disgusting."

"I think Marik's just a nice guy that everyone takes too seriously."

Yugi's eyes widened, unable to believe what he just heard. "Grandpa, how could you even say that?!? Even you didn't like Marik the moment his foot stepped in Domino City!!" he then stopped himself from ranting when he noticed his grandpa laughing. "Eh…what's so funny?"

The laughing continued as Solomon held out his arm, revealing a bracelet.

Yugi was in complete shock as he saw this. Taking a few steps back, he stumbled to the ground. "No…grandpa…it can't be!!"

The guise of Yugi's grandpa withered away as Mari stood before him. Laughing, she stared down at him. "Of course Marik was a nice guy but that was until he decided to turn his back on me and wanting to seal me up."

"Since you both are evil, why don't you two just create an alliance?"

"Marik is too afraid that I would overpower him. You see, when I was under his training, he would push me to such great limits. I guess hard work does pay off for I have mastered most of the arts to my ability." Giggling softly, she took a step towards him. "Think of it this way Yugi. Tea's shadow is almost the same as how Ryou and Malik's dark side are. Both come out against their aibou's will."

"Where…where's my grandpa, Mari?" Yugi's voice shook.

"For now, he's in safe hands." she grinned. "But I can't guarantee that he'll be back safely."

"Tea!" Yugi screamed. "You've got to fight this bitch before she takes over you completely!"

"Tsk tsk." Mari shook her head. "When will you learn, really?" muttering something under her breath, she stopped. "No, I'll spare you from being possessed but," holding out her bracelet, it began to glow. "You could be of good use. Yes, I'm sure the pharaoh wouldn't mind his other half turning his back against him." A huge flash shot out from her bracelet, knocking Yugi blind.

Yugi, now blinded, stumbled back, crashing into the wall. Mari made her way towards the fallen body, picking Yugi up and threw him over her shoulder. Slowly, she turned on her heel and left the game shop.

(-)

Meanwhile, Bakura was sitting atop an abandoned apartment building, gazing at the night sky.

"I know you don't want to side with the pharaoh Bakura," Ryou's spirit sat beside him, his back leaning against his dark side. "But it's not like you got a choice. I mean, unless if you want Mari to get her ultimate revenge on you, then…"

"Look Ryou," Bakura rested his head on his knees. "I know you have a crush on Tea as much as I do but there is a lot more to the sorceress than what the rest knows."

Ryou slowly looked up at Bakura curiously. "What else do you know about her?"

"You see, Tea's simply a reincarnation of the sorceress. Since the sorceress has awakened, she needs a form and has the power to inhabit the body."

"So what happens to the soul of Tea?" Ryou was obviously getting worried.

To this, Bakura frowned. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. But as I fear, Mari might take over the body completely. As for Tea, unless if she has enough will power to fight her counterpart, her soul will be sealed in the bracelet forever."

"If you knew all this, why did you give her the bracelet in the first place?"
"My memory of the past before the day my village had been sacrificed has been long gone. Ever since I saw that bracelet, it just hit me. That jewelry was what she wore when she was a kid. It is only now that my memories are starting to return." he then blinked a few times, seeing someone below him carrying Yugi over its shoulder. Trying to get a clear view of the one carrying him, he immediately recognized the being.

His millennium ring began to glow, light surrounding Mari, stopping her in her tracks.

Not expecting this to happen, Mari's eyes glared up at Bakura. "You again? Don't tell me you are siding with the pharaoh just to take me down."

Getting up on his feet, Bakura jumped off of the roof and landed in front of her, his hands in his pockets. "You may have been my fiancé but you are pushing it."

"You've gone soft Bakura." Mari sneered. "Real soft. Maybe it was after meeting that wuss. What's his name? Ryou?"

Bakura cracked his knuckles, still staring down at her. "What are your intentions? Revenge on the pharaoh, revenge on me, or to take over Tea?"

"What's wrong with doing all three?" Mari placed Yugi's body on the ground, still gazing at him.

Bakura didn't bother picking Yugi but kept staring down at Mari. "I wouldn't mind if you deal with the pharaoh. Your former mentor and myself absolutely detests him. However, if it were to concern myself and Tea, then I believe we do have a problem."

"You really have changed, haven't you?" Mari tensed.

Settling his eyes on Mari, Bakura's face remained in the dark. "What have you done to her?"

"It's been a while since I toyed with someone, especially those who are close to my true enemy." Mari fingered at the bracelet. "Now that I'm here, I feel like I deserve some fun."

"What do you want from me?" his voice became low.

"A lot of things." her eyes looked at him. "My revenge on the pharaoh of course. As for you, I'm willing to take you back."

"Suppose if I don't." he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Too soft." Mari shook her head. "You really changed. There are many things I can do. Although I would be more than happy to tell your friends what you've done."

"There's nothing that they don't know that they've seen already."

"Oh really?" Mari made her way behind Bakura, wrapping her arms around his neck. "There is that one incident during the Battle City Finals. You know, that incident after your duel with the pharaoh."

"How did you know what happened at the blimp?" Bakura was in a state of shock.

"I see a lot of things." she smiled. "It's just too bad that even if I'm gone, you'll break her heart once she knows the truth."

"Release the girl Mai." Bakura growled. "If you seal her soul within the bracelet, may Anubis have mercy on you."

"I feel hurt." she uncoiled her arms. "We are fighting. I thought we loved each other." she chuckled at her own joke.

"I tell you now, you're not the Mari that I know." Bakura's eyes shifted to the ground. "Sure I wouldn't mind a firecracker building revenge against the pharaoh but when you push a few things beyond its limits…"

Picking up Yugi's body and throwing him over her shoulder, her fingers caressed the face of her lover. "Sweet dreams dear." she then turned around and left.

Within another apartment complex, Marik sat on a chair beside the bed Serenity slept on, gazing at her sleeping form. The kissing scene repeated itself over and over again in his head. Even now, up to this point, he could not figure out why of all people, Serenity would fall for him.

But then again, he smirked to himself, this could be another way to torture that Wheeler kid. He ruffled his fingers through her hair, still looking down on her. For some odd reason, however, he enjoyed the kiss.

"It won't be long now." his eyes gazed at the view off of his window. "Soon enough, just like those many years ago, history will repeat itself again." He chuckled softly, smirking as he went to the living room. "Heh, Tea you whench I hope you get what you deserved. I guess that's what happens when you don't listen. If only you had given me that bracelet in the first place…" he laughed softly to himself.

"But then again," he scratched his chin. "I was kinda hoping this would happen. The pharaoh going down along with that midget Yugi, the thief in a whole lot of trouble…"

"So why do you still want to seal Mari if you want chaos to strike Domino?" Serenity stood a few feet behind Marik, tilting her head to the side curiously.

Marik laughed, not looking up at Serenity. "It's very, very simple dear. Only one of us should be the powerful one. One of us should cause chaos in this realm. Mari starts causing hell, I'd lose my pride."

"Basically, you would rather cause hell in Domino rather than aligning yourself with Mari?" Serenity crossed her arms over her chest.

Marik pointed a finger in the air. "Exactly. I don't want to share my fun with anyone. Even if it was with a former student of mine."

"So why am I under your training?" she took a step back. "You seem to have enough power to blast Mari back to where she came."

Marik took out his millennium rod. Pointing it to the sofa chair, he summoned it forward, causing her to fall onto it. "Maybe, as I fear, I might have gone soft. I usually increase my powers by sending mortals to hell. If you hadn't noticed, I haven't said as much of the fools there as I used to. Mari, on the other hand, has collected a number of victims for her own desires."

"But didn't the scriptures say that Mari became quite powerful? Even if the victims were not needed?"

To this, he nodded in reply. "That is true. If she and I were to face off, she would kill me. Not that I'm afraid. I figured that if I train you, you might be able to get a few things. However…"

"However what?"

Marik's eyes shifted to the carpet. I will not fall for someone who constantly cheers for a lame ass dude like Joey Wheeler. I will not…I will not…I will not. I probably would send myself to the Shadow Realm before I even think twice about going with her. All I have to do is just train her for a while and after all is said and done I no longer have to deal with her.

"We need to talk about a few things that go on here." Marik had his back turned towards Serenity. "I only brought you here for training of the dark arts. You'll learn a few things I've taught to Mari in the past so you may slow her down." He hung his head low, crossing his arms over his chest. "For the record, what you did earlier at the pawn shop, I don't want you to expect that I return the same feelings you have for me because as much as you hate the truth, I despise mortals, especially Yami and that pathetic excuse you call a brother."

Serenity stood up, glaring at Marik. "Don't you dare insult my brother!!" Holding out her hand, she was ready to attack.

"Oh? Gonna pull off a stunt are you?" Smirking, he slowly made his way towards her. Before Serenity could summon any attack, Marik forced her down onto the chair, looking down on her, his hand cupping under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "I may not want to kill Mari on my own but you are going to have to do better than that if you want mess with me."

Serenity's body shook as she was obviously afraid of him. Seeing this, Marik caressed his millennium rod on her face, his face moving inches towards hers. Licking his lips, he whispered softly, gazing down at her eyes. "I smell fear." He trailed it down her neck. "I like that." He sat on her lap, his legs rested on each armrest, trapping her within the confinements of the chair.

"Marik…" Serenity stuttered, feeling herself sinking into the chair.

"You know, I like to feed on fear and so does Mari." He brushed a lock of her hair. "But I'm going to spare you, just this once. Now," he cleared his throat. "Why don't I teach you a few things about fear and how to overcome it." He brushed his fingers on her skin. "If you show any weakness, most likely you will be killed easily."

(-)

"Damn," Duke hung up his cel phone. "Where in the world is he?"

"What do you mean?" Tristan looked up at his friend, still trying to wake up Joey. "Who are you trying to call?"

"I'm tryng to get a hold of Yugi." Duke hung up his cell phone in his pocket. "He wouldn't answer his house phone, he wouldn't answer his cell phone."

"Maybe he's asleep." Shadi suggested, sipping a cup of tea.

"He didn't look tired when he went home." Tristan replied. "Looked like he could take staying up for three hours."

"Which can only mean…" Yami didn't like the sound of this situation.

All of a sudden, a raven flew in from the window, landing on Shadi's turban, pecking on him. Stretching out his index finger with an envelope attaced. After retrieving the envelope, the bird simply flew off.

"Who's the note from?" Yami glanced at Shadi.

Opening the envelope, Shadi read the note before looking up at the pharaoh. He then got up and started to take him by the arm.

"Hey…what the?" Yami tried to escape Shadi's grasp but his hold was firm. "Shadi where are you taking me?"

As soon as the two were out of the pawn shop, Shadi gave him a slight push back. "You have to leave. Go now."

"What's going on? What did the letter say? Who sent it to you?" Yami began ranting.

"My pharaoh, listen to me," Shadi bowed on one knee in respect. "You must go this instant. It's about Yugi."

To this, Yami was taken back. "Say what?"

"I cannot say much." Said Shadi. "But it seems that Mari has kidnapped him."

"Jesus, Ra, and Mary." Yami held his head. "What the hell does she want with him?"

"Obviously, she's trying to lure you to her." Shadi stood and went back inside the shop leaving Yami outside alone.

To Be Continued…