Cairo stirs a little, groaning lightly as her vision starts to become clear. She goes to place a hand on her forehead, only to realize she can't. Her eyes calmly scroll down to her body. Metal chains lead up to the cuffs and other restraints on her ankles, wrists, neck and waist. How did she even get here?

"Someone's finally decided to get up," a voice says. "I have to say…so far, I'm not impressed."

Now she remembers.

She lazily lifts her head, looking in Marik's direction. He, too, is restrained. However, only his wrists are, in contrast to her current situation. He can sense the irritation on her face, which only makes him sport that signature grin of his.

"That stunt you pulled back there was unacceptable," Cairo says staring forward. "Now they think I'm a criminal."

"My sincerest apologies, Cairo. I would hate for people to think of you as criminal," Marik replies sarcastically, looking up to her crown. Despite her changing her attire to match the current time they're in, the crown still remains. And he can only assume that she is royalty. "Hopefully your little reputation won't be forever tarnished."

"It's been ruined by far worse..."

Marik raises an eyebrow with fascination. "Oh?"

"…I just don't want to add to it."

"Which is why you try to do good," Marik assumes, causing her to look at him again. "Not that it'll get you anywhere."

"What..?"

"I know much about Ancient Egyptian history," he continues, studying the crown on her head from when he's standing. "But history has never mentioned you. So who are you really?"

"It's not important."

"I find that hard to believe with that crown on your head."

Cairo sighs heavily. Something tell her he's not gonna let up until she tells him who she is. "I'm the daughter of a pharaoh that once reigned 5,000 years ago," she reveals, causing his eyes to widen briefly.

Seeing as that he has had a history with a certain pharaoh that lived 5,000 years ago, what would be the odds that she would be his daughter? He takes in her facial features, his heart plummeting when he really takes notice of her narrowed amethyst eyes. He grits his teeth as his anger begins to boil. It is because of the pharaoh that he is in the Shadow Realm to begin with, after losing a duel that would determine the fate of the world. But then another question arises in his mind.

"Why would the princess of Egypt be banished to the Shadow Realm?" he asks, regaining his composure.

"Let's just say after being under control and infused with evil energy from a supreme dark force, I did something that was unforgivable," she replies somewhat vaguely. "Except…the gods did eventually forgive me, I suppose…"

"Are you sure about that?"

"They did allow me into the Afterlife on the condition that my father set me free."

"And I'm sure the Afterlife welcomed you with open arms," he assumes with his eyes closed. When she doesn't respond, he smirks, opening one eye to look her way.

"Well…some did. But others…were less than inviting." She shakes her head. "Anyway…what about you? Why were you banished?"

Marik shrugs his shoulders. "My childhood was cut short due to my father's obsession with me being a tomb keeper. I was forced into a painful ritual which took my anger over the edge and I eventually did away with him. But that's not even the full story…" He decides to leave out the part when a certain pharaoh banished him to the shadows, not wanting to raise Cairo's suspicions.

Cairo's eyes go wide. "You…killed your own father…? Do you regret it?"

"HEY!" a security guard yells, causing both of them to look toward the steel door in front of them that has a metal slot just big enough to see the guard's annoyed expression. "You two are doing way too much talking! Shut it up in there!" The small slot slams and they can hear his footsteps walking away.

"I grow tired of this." Marik cracks his neck a few times, moving his head from side to side before phasing out of the chains that held him captive. "I have to say, being a keeper of souls does come with its perks. The gods were generous enough to grant me with minor abilities that would allow me to keep the souls in check. As well as a bonus ability of intangibility."

Cairo watches as he walks toward the door. "You're breaking out?"

"I'm certainly not waiting for them to release me."

"But isn't that—?"

"Come now. You really ought to give up this righteous facade. No matter what you do, it will not change the way they see you. Not even the gods," Marik says and she averts her gaze.

"But they—"

"Didn't give you your freedom willingly. As you said, it was your father's doing. And who's to say once this is all over they won't change their mind again?"

"They wouldn't," Cairo replies, trying to sound as confident as possible. But even she failed to convince herself just then. And Marik can sense her wavering.

Marik shrugs. "You can't really say that for sure," he goes on. "If I were you, I'd do whatever I want. The gods clearly hold a grudge and so do the people in the afterlife according to you."

With that, he goes through the metal door in the same manner a spirit would, much to the alarm of the security guards standing outside in the hall. Cairo can hear the commotion on the opposite side of the door beginning to get louder as the officers' attempts to restrain Marik end in failure. His ability to be intangible seems to have caught them off guard and appears to be enough for him to make his escape. She hears the sound of gunfire and she narrows her eyes.

Using her immense strength, she yanks the chains off with ease and takes a step forward. The effects of the dart that was shot into her neck appears to have worn off. She figures as long as she avoids getting hit by those again, she should be fine. With a deep breath, she prepares for the commotion that lies outside the door, the words Marik spoke weighing heavily on her head. Is there any truth to what he said? Or is he trying to manipulate her somehow?

Shaking her head, she uses her own ability of intangibility to go through the door, stepping over officers that have been knocked out cold. One of them groans as he leans up against a wall with a small crater behind him. Blood drips from his mouth and he cries out with agony. Her eyebrow raises. What sort of other 'minor' abilities was Marik granted with while being in the Shadow Realm? And why did the gods not anticipate the possibility of this happening?

Seeing her approach, the injured officer shakily reaches for his gun, but that motion alone proves to be too much for him as he drops his hand with exhaustion. He is an older man, slightly overweight with a gray beard and a partially bald head, perhaps overdue for retirement.

Cairo crouches down to observe him, looking over his injuries with an impassive gaze that only makes him more fearful as to what she is going to do. She places the palm of her hand on his chest, making him flinch and close his eyes.

"P-Please…No more…Have m-mercy!" he begs.

But instead of pain, he feels his body being rejuvenated by the second and the aches subsiding. He opens his eyes, looking down at her glowing palm, watching as the scratches and bruises fade away. Then his eyes slowly go up to her as she stands up looking down at him with an emotionless gaze.

"There she is!" a group of officers down the hall call out and she makes a run for it. Two of the officers pursue her while the other tends to the previously wounded officer who is still confused as to what just happened.

"Sir, are you alright? What did she do?" an officer asks.

The old officer looks in the direction where she ran. Despite her cold appearance, she more than likely saved his life. A true criminal wouldn't do such a thing, right? "Nothing…" he finally responds. "Nothing at all…"

She finds safety by turning a sharp corner and running into an office, silently closing the door behind her. As if the black phone on the wooden desk is specifically for her, it rings right on cue, causing her to raise an eyebrow with suspicion. She has never seen one of these objects before, but the sound emitting from it is starting to agitate her as it might give away her location.

Cautiously picking it up by its handle, she studies it, observing it from all angles until she hears a sound from it, prompting her to put it up to her ear. She stays silent until a familiar voice says something on the other end.

"Set—"

"I paid a lump sum of money for you to be released about an hour ago..." a voice she recognizes interrupts before she can reveal his name. Her mind briefly goes to priest Seto, wearing his royal attire as he normally does. Then she shakes her head internally. The image of Seto morphs to one that wears mostly all black with a long white coat and a colder gaze than most.

"But it's clear whoever runs that dump is crooked and only has interest in my money, not actually setting you free," he continues. "But as far as I'm concerned, you're free in my book."

"Hm?"

"I've seen you in action and I know you're quite capable of getting out on your own. So I suggest you stop toying around."

The phone clicks and Cairo pulls the phone away from her ear. What does he mean by favor? Did someone put him up to helping her? Hearing a motor from an open window that is blocked by metal bars, she walks over to it, seeing a black limo driving away with its headlights off as to not draw any attention to itself.

"Seto...?"

Hearing the pounding noises against the door, presumably the officers, Cairo whips out her wand, internally chanting a spell in her head.

The door bursts open with the officers carrying stun guns. But she is gone.

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Joey clenches his hair, growing increasingly impatient as he paces the living room of Yugi's house. Atem, Tristan and Téa sit on a couch nearby in front of a television that shows a normal broadcast of the weather while Yugi stands at the phone that hangs on the wall by the kitchen.

The back and forth motion of Joey makes Téa agitated as well as Tristan who jumps to his feet. "Would you cut it out?!" Tristan snaps.

"I can't help it! The suspense is killing me!"

"Well just imagine how the pharaoh feels," Téa brings up, glancing over to Atem who sits with his arms folded and his eyes closed, blocking everything out.

Yugi hangs up the phone, making his way over to the group with a sigh.

"And...?" Joey starts off, leaning over the couch with anticipation. "What he say?"

"Well the good news is Cairo is free," Yugi reveals to everyone's partial relief. Except, the way he phrased that sentence has got them thinking there's more to it.

"So what's the bad news?" Joey asks.

"What does they have to be bad news?" Tristan asks, side eying him and giving him an arm bump.

"Is there bad news?" Téa asks frowning.

Yugi rubs the back of his head anxiously. "Well…it's not exactly bad news…but Kaiba didn't exactly wait around for Cairo after he bailed her out either. So she's more than likely roaming around on her own."

"And there's a high chance she doesn't know I'm here," Atem assumes, clenching his fists on his lap.

"Nice going Kaiba," Joey grumbles sarcastically. "Just leave a kid out on her own why don't ya?"

"You seem more worried about her than usual," Téa says to Atem concernedly.

Atem nods slowly. "She was in low spirits before we were suddenly transported back here. She kept speaking on the shadows and feared she would once again be its prisoner."

"That's tough," Yugi sympathizes. "She just can't catch a break."

"I promised Cairo that I would always be there to protect her. And I also promised Mana I would bring our daughter back. I will not let her become a prisoner to the shadows again."

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Marik walks down a dark street, lit by street lights here and there, while some in between are completely off, presumably broken. He cracks his neck a few times before doing the same to his back, grunting before inhaling deeply. Whether or not Cairo has escaped is none of his concern. Although he wouldn't be surprised if she has. She has a strong sense of duty that he clearly lacks. And for reason in his eyes. Why should he bring the souls back? That would only mean his imprisonment in the Shadow Realm with whatever punishment the gods deem fit.

The only thing standing in his way would be the child. Who also happens to be a certain pharaoh's daughter. He's sure of it.

If he doesn't capture the souls, then he has no doubt that she will and he can't let that happen.

"You've got some nerve showing your face," a voice snarls from behind him, causing him to stop. But he doesn't immediately turn to face the voice. "Don't act like you can't hear me Marik!"

Marik closes his eyes briefly. A soul. An angry one at that. Although he could care less.

"I was foolish to join the Rare Hunters!" the man goes on, referring to a group that Marik formed during a tournament organized by Kaiba called the Battle City Tournament.

It was during that time Marik sought out to retrieve the Egyptian gods and defeat the pharaoh, stopping him from reaching his destiny. But he was defeated and banished to the Shadow Realm by the pharaoh with the help of his own host—who also goes by the name Marik.

During the tournament, he would banish souls to the Shadow Realm using the Millennium Rod which was in his possession at the time. Whenever a Rare Hunter would fail in their mission, they were punished and sent to the shadows.

"I'm going to take advantage of this second chance and make you pay!" the man yells.

Marik can hear fast footsteps approaching and he simply ducks out of the way, followed by grabbing the assailant's arm and bringing him over his shoulder, body slamming him to the ground. He sees a man with pale skin, wearing a purple hoodie, black pants and short white hair. He was a Rare Hunter that initially stole Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon card, but was later defeated by the pharaoh.

"Ah yes. Now I remember," Marik says, staring the man down. "One of the weaker Rare Hunters."

"Why you…!" the man growls, preparing to get back up, only for Marik's foot to stomp on his chest.

"I should do away with you right now," Marik grins before continuing. "But I have other plans for you."

As Cairo flies through the air, she sees a bright light not too far ahead. She lets out a heavy sigh. "And it begins," she says with dread.

After a few minutes, she finally reaches the area where she saw the light, narrowing her eyes when she spots a certain someone with his back turned to her.

"Marik," she calls out to him.

He smirks, turning around. "You managed to make it out. I was so concerned," he says with much sarcasm.

"What was that light?" she asks, getting straight to the point.

"A pesky soul. Though it managed to get away."

Cairo stays silent, pondering in her head for a minute. When she saw the light, she felt a slight energy burst. A normal soul wouldn't have that. Unless they were somehow granted abilities. But she can't know for sure.

"Why so serious?" Marik questions the girl. "Still wanting to play hero?"

"Still avoiding your duties?" Cairo retorts.

"It's not my fault they were able to get away."

"You must take me for a fool. I know you let the soul get away."

"I would never—" He suddenly feels his body being slammed into a brick wall and he gags for air as he hunhces over. Looking up, he sees Cairo's eyes glowing purple and her hand aimed at him. He cackles. "So this is the true you. I must say I'm intrigued."

"I do not take kindly to liars."

"And you are not as 'kind' as you try and make yourself out to be, child," Marik says, smirking when he sees those words have struck a cord. "I know evil when I see it. I can sense it coming out of the palm of your hand."

"Of course. Because I am permanently infused with darkness. That doesn't take away from the good I've done."

"But it certainly wasn't enough, right? If it weren't for your father you'd still be in the shadows."

Cairo lowers her hand and turns away.

"Strike a nerve?"

"No. I just realized I'm wasting my time. I'll deal with you later," Cairo says before flying off.

Marik smirks. 'That's what you think…'

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Grandpa Mutou stands behind his glass counter, wiping it with a damp rag as he closes up shop for the day. It had started off as a typical day for him. Wake up, grab something to eat to go with his morning coffee and then open up the game shop that he owns. He wasn't expecting to see double when his grandson brought home the pharaoh.

He sighs, taking a moment to gaze up into space, his mind going back when he first met the spirit of the pharaoh years ago in his tomb. Then a nameless pharaoh, Atem had saved him from falling to his death. And now that very pharaoh is now staying at his house.

"There's never a dull moment around here," he comments to himself with a smile. Then he continues cleaning.

Joey, Téa and Tristan had left minutes ago, vowing to search for Cairo first thing in the morning. He remembers when he first met her. She was stumbling outside, tired, exhausted and hungry until he found her. "I hope you're being safe little one."

The front door opens, causing the bell at the top of the door to ring and grandpa looks up, his heart immediately dropping when he sees someone dressed in all black with a ski mask. Nevertheless, he remains calm. "I'm very sorry, but we're closed for the day."

"No worries," the intruder says. "That makes for the perfect time to steal all the money you made from sales today."

Grandpa takes a step back, his teeth clenched anxiously as he stares the intruder down. But that only seems to agitate the man even more as he takes out a gun from his waistband. "I see you wanna do things the hard way!" He lifts the gun up, slamming it against the glass counter, shattering it.

"Stop!" grandpa yells.

"All you had to do was hand over the cash!" He aims the gun, just as another door opens.

"Watch out!" Atem yells, diving over to grandpa and helping him take cover as a shot rings over head.

Yugi comes out the door shortly after. "Grandpa! Atem! Are you alright?" he asks as they both stand to their feet.

"Now I've lost my patience!" the intruder snaps. "I'll—" He gasps when a dark puddle appears near his feet and a small girl ascends from it with her arms across her chest.

Atem's eyes go big, seeing none other than Cairo standing across from the man. He is surprised yet relieved to see her there.

The intruder on the other hand, has an opposite reaction. "Ack! Freak!" he yells, pointing his gun at Cairo to Yugi and grandpa's horror. Cairo lifts her hand to defend herself, but her head quickly shoots up when she sees her father leap over the glass counter, jumping over head. Her mouth goes agape as she watches her father knee the stunned man square in the face.

While being pinned down in a daze, the intruder tries one last attempt to shoot, only for Atem to punch him before he can do so, leaving him knocked out cold.

Cairo blinks. "Oh my…"

Atem stands up, turning his sights to Cairo who still sports a shocked expression. Outside of summoning monsters, sometimes even she forgets what her father is capable of on his own.

"That was awesome," she says in a monotone voice, yet her facial expression shows a much more intrigued look.

Grandpa sighs with relief. "Thank you, Atem."

Yugi frowns, seeing the shattered glass on the floor. "This guy sure did make a mess of things."

Cairo points her finger at the shattered counter and magically puts it back together with ease, making the shop look as if that never happened.

"Quite impressive," grandpa compliments.

Atem walks up to her. "Are you alright?"

Cairo smiles a little before her face turns red as her stomach begins to growl loud enough for everyone to hear. She drops to her knees, her forehead pressing against the cool floor, whimpering from the hunger pangs.

Atem tilts his head while grandpa chuckles knowingly. "I'll go whip her up a bite to eat," the elder man says to which Cairo groans in response.

"And I'll call the police…" Yugi chimes in, referring to the passed out intruder on the floor.

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Cairo sighs with satisfaction, wiping her mouth with the back of her arm as she sits at the counter in between Atem and Yugi.

"Better?" Yugi asks, amused and impressed at how fast she's scarfing down the food his grandfather prepared.

"Mmm!" Cairo hums happily, bringing a slight smile to Atem's face. He lives for the brief moments when she acts like a kid, silly expression and all, as opposed to her phlegmatic nature. It almost paints him that he even has to question what's currently going on and why they're there, knowing her mood will damper.

Yugi smiles as well. "How did you even think to come here?"

"Well I wasn't going to initially. I thought I had sensed a soul nearby but it was a false alarm. This guy just so happened to look suspicious and I saw him creeping inside so…" Cairo shrugs her shoulders.

Atem's face turns serious and he can see Cairo doing the same after the mention of 'souls.' "So that's it then," Atem says. She looks to him. "You're here to capture more souls."

"Yes." Atem slams his fist onto the counter, causing Yugi to jump a little while Cairo averts her gaze. "Dad…it's okay…"

"No Cairo…it's not okay," Atem says, his head lowered and blonde bangs covering part of his face. He feels immense guilt. When he vowed to save Cairo from the Shadow Realm, he meant for good. Not for her to be dragged back against her will. Did he not do enough? When will she be allowed to rest? Or feel complete happiness?

"It doesn't make any sense," Yugi says. "How have the souls been released again?"

"It was intentional," Cairo replies, her arms folded over chest. Yugi and Atem both look to her with shock.

"What?" Atem clenches the fist that's already on the counter.

"I won't get into too much detail as the thought of having to do this again infuriates me as it is. But the person that took my place did it. And they have me working with him to retrieve the souls. But he has been more of a nuisance. So I'm more than likely on my own."

"But these souls shouldn't have any special abilities," Atem assumes. "So it should be easier this time around."

"That remains to be seen. But as of right now, to my knowledge, they do not."

"Well that's good," Yugi says optimistically. "The quicker you get done, the quicker you can return to the afterlife."

Cairo chuckles nervously. The gods never specified whether or not they would let her back in.

So that remains to be seen as well.

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AN: How are you enjoying the story so far? Leave your comments in the reviews! See ya next time!