"I'll take that dark energy off your hands," a voice says.

Cairo doesn't react, already knowing the owner of the voice is none other than Yami Marik. She hears his footsteps approaching until he's standing beside her. All she wants is to be alone and decompress from earlier. The roof of an apartment building seemed like a good place to do that. But that clearly isn't the case.

He snickers. "Finally come to terms to your true self, eh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw it all," he reveals and she glances at him. "Quite impressive. Very impressive actually."

"What do you want?" she asks, growing agitated by his mere voice.

"Such a self proclaimed goodie two shoes has no business carrying such evil energy. So I'm offering my services. Let me take away that burden of yours."

She rolls her eyes. "Imbecile."

"Isn't that what you want? For anyone to take it away?" he asks, throwing her words back at her. She doesn't respond, but it shows he really has been snooping on her.

Standing up to her feet, she straightens out her clothes and hair. "Sure. Except, no one can handle the powers of the Dark One besides myself."

"What if I told you I know of someone who can take it all away?"

She turns her head to him. "You fail to understand where I'm coming from."

"Enlighten me."

"No. I don't need you getting any ideas. Just know know that a normal being such as yourself would probably die if they got their hands on it. You'd need two 'you's' and even then, both of you would still die eventually," she says walking toward the opposite side of the roof. She looks over her shoulder. "Actually, a part of me would like to see you get obliterated from the sheer magnitude of my power that you seem to want."

Marik growls inwardly. 'Careful what you wish for, child.'

She hops off the roof, plunging to the ground before landing lightly on her feet. She's only able to take a few steps until Marik joins her shortly.

"Heading back to the chaos you created?" Marik questions. "You sure anyone, especially your father, would want to see your face?"

Cairo doesn't answer. He definitely has a point.

Marik stops walking alongside her, allowing her to progress forward as he retreats back into the shadows of the night.

Shaking any lingering doubts in her mind, Cairo continues to walk down the sidewalk with her eyes forward. As much as she dreads facing everyone, she has to apologize at least, even if she decides to part with them for the time being in order to finish her duties. Getting closer to the house, she takes a deep breath as she turns a corner, only to stop abruptly when a dark familiar silhouette stands in front of her. The light from a nearby street light casts a shadow on his face, but there's no mistaking the hair.

"Oh…hello dad," she says, looking away. "I uh…"

"Where have you been?" he asks rather sharply, making her heart jump.

She lowers her eyes to stare at her feet, like a child who is anticipating being grounded or punished. "I needed to get some fresh air…calm myself down and…"

"How many times have I had to tell you not to run off? It's a dangerous world out there Cairo. Haven't you learned from all those years ago?" he questions, making her gasp lightly. Something about him seems off, but she can't pinpoint what it is. She tries to squint through the darkness being cast on his face, but can only see his lips moving as he continues to berate her.

"I'm sorry," Cairo apologizes.

He places a hand up to his head. "You truly are a burden," he says coldly.

"W-What...?"

"I should have left you in the Shadow Realm. It's where you belonged anyway. I shouldn't have questioned the gods' judgement. You have been nothing but trouble for your mother and I."

"Dad…" her eyes are filled with hurt as she takes a step back. Where is this all coming from? Has this been his true feelings all along? "I didn't mean to—"

"You are a monster and a disgrace and I want nothing more to do with you," Atem says before turning away.

Cairo can feel her heart shatter into pieces and the tears begin to pour from her eyes. Bowing her head, she allows the tears to trickle down both sides of her face until it falls on the ground. With her father's words still stinging her to her core, she reluctantly turns around, walking away with Yugi's house just off in the background.

Confused, hurt and emotional, she walks aimlessly down a sidewalk, unbeknownst to her being watched by several pairs of eyes, including that of Yami Marik.

"And now to put this plan in motion," Marik says to himself, watching as a tall man wearing a red suit walks up to Cairo.

She is so clouded by her thoughts, it isn't until she literally bumps into him that she realizes someone else is there. She uses the back of her sleeve to wipe her tears and gazes up.

"It's you…" she says hoarsely.

He only stares down at her through his striped mask. He slowly lifts his hand, placing it on the crown of her head, much to her confusion. The first glow the emits around her is white. It is so brief that she can't even process what he just did.

"I'm sorry…" he says. A red colored seal suddenly surrounds them both.

Cairo immediately tries to go on guard, jumping back and raising her hand to shoot a counter attack. Her hand glows briefly, but due to her extremely distressed state, she can't even think straight. Arcana exits the seal with ease, leaving her in the middle, just as a large spike of electricity shoots through her body as the seal gives off a pulsating glow.

Letting out a cry, she drops to her knees. The pain is so intense, it feels like her body is on fire. As the bolts continue to hit her, she feels something leaving her body, but she is growing so weak that she can barely stay conscious. Arcana holds out his hand, watching as a dark aura emits from her, forming into a black sphere in the palm of his hand. Her screams are becoming unbearable to hear as he averts his gaze. He has to finish what he started. By doing so, Marik will grant him what's he always wanted.

He's sure of it.

He didn't want to do this to the poor girl, especially since she showed him so much kindness without even knowing him. But he has to do what he has to do. Anything to get the love of his life back into his arms. Maybe she'll survive this. In fact, he hoped she would. For the last thing he wants to do is kill her, especially a child.

Something within her is changing. As the pain continues, she feels lighter in a way that she wouldn't be able to explain. A dark cloud is being lifted, even as she suffers.

After enduring the pain for what seems like forever, she collapses face down on the ground as Arcana holds onto the dark sphere.

Marik appears from out of the shadows, along with a person that is nearly identical to Atem. His eyes are crimson and he has slight bags underneath his eyes. The sharp blonde bangs are more wavy and his expression is more sinister.

"Excellent work," Marik compliments Arcana who doesn't respond. He motions for the Atem impersonator to take the sphere out of Arcana's hands. "It's all yours, Mimic."

"Hehe…" the man chuckles, holding onto the sphere like a treasure. He glances at the girl on the ground and then he closes his eyes, his body beginning to contort to imitate her appearance. Then he absorbs the sphere, feeling a surge of energy going through his body.

As he gets acquainted with his new look and newfound power, Marik looks to an unconscious Cairo. "Get rid of her," he tells Arcana who looks at him questionably. Growing annoyed with the male sorcerer's silence and lack of urgency, Marik narrows his eyes. "She's powerless now. Which makes her easier to dispose of. I don't care what you do. Strand her on an island or bury her alive. But I don't want to see her face again, understand?"

"And what of our deal?" Arcana asks.

"Just do as I say!" Marik snaps, totally disregarding Arcana's question. "Or I will send you back to the shadows."

Pausing for a moment, Arcana finally snaps his fingers, causing Cairo to disappear completely, much to Marik's satisfaction.

Marik then turns his attention to Mimic. "You sure don't want to give this power a go?" Mimic asks, now imitating Cairo from her clothing, her hair and even her voice. "It feels amazing."

"You first…" Marik says. In actuality, he wants to see how Mimic's body holds up, taking into account what Cairo mentioned earlier.

"Heh...I'm going to enjoy this."

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He should have went after her the moment he realized she was gone. That same thought continuously goes through his mind as he walks around the neighborhood, hoping she will be somewhere nearby. But with every corner he turns, and everywhere he looks, he grows more worried. Here he is again, searching for her when he had already done so just yesterday.

Stopping in his tracks, he takes in a deep breath and exhales. "Stay calm, Atem. Panicking won't do you any good."

Once he collects his thoughts, he continues his search until he reaches a two lane highway with a patch of land that looks toward the city. He leans forward on the metal guard rail, staring at the countless lights that shimmer under the moon. He has lost track as to how long he has been looking for her and he sighs deeply.

She could be anywhere. And if Cairo doesn't want anyone to find her, she will make sure of it. He has thought about summoning Mana to help aid in his search. But even she has been known to not be able to sense Cairo if her daughter conceals her energy.

"Maybe…she's back at the house by now," he says somewhat optimistically. As he turns around, he sees a small silhouette standing in the middle of he street.

Could it be?

"Cairo?"

"Hello father," she replies.

He is initially thrown off by her flat tone of voice, but regardless, he is relieved to see she is okay. "I was looking everywhere for you."

"You were?"

"…Of course," he says, still taken aback and wondering why she's still keeping her distance from him. "Look…I know you're feeling bad about what happened. But I assure you, no one is upset. Even Bakura is being very understanding about the incident."

She grunts a little and he can clearly see her face go into a scowl.

"I know you've gone through a lot this past week alone," he starts off, taking a few steps up. "And I hope that you will eventually come around to expressing how you feel. Sometimes, talking about it can be the first step to truly healing…"

"I am fine," she says before smirking deviously that causes Atem to raise an eyebrow. She is acting strange and the fact that he can't fully see her face only raises more red flags. This strange aura coming from her feels very familiar yet foreign to him. "I have come to the conclusion that no matter what I do, I will always be pure evil."

"What?"

"So why not embrace that? Darkness runs through my veins. I cannot escape it," she continues, looking down at her hands.

"Cairo, I need you to listen to me…"

"Did you not see what I did back there? And need I mention how you all looked at me with fear in your eyes? Even you fear me!"

"That's not true!"

"You're no different than those villagers," she continues before she chuckles lightly. "I guess it's only right. I can end everyone's existence if I truly wanted. I'd fear me too"

The sound of a motor followed by a pair of bright headlights wrapping around a corner brings Atem's attention down the road as a fuel truck makes its way down the road. Then his head whips to Cairo who shows no signs of moving whatsoever. And with the driver not slowing down, he can only conclude that the driver is distracted.

"Let's just go home, back to Yugi's house," Atem suggests with haste. "I promise you, we'll talk about this."

She grins as the headlights from the truck get closer, revealing her full face. Her gaze is more sinister with small bags under her eyes and her purple orbs lack any sort of emotion.

Atem gasps. "Who are you?" he asks as she bursts out into a full blown laughter. "Tell me!"

"Why…I'm Cairo, of course," she replies.

"You're not my daughter."

She lifts her hand off to her side, aiming it at the oncoming fuel truck and forming a black sphere at the palm of her hands to Atem's shock. "You sure…?" she questions.

"Stop!" Atem yells.

She obeys, but that doesn't stop the truck driver from going into a panic once he realizes there is a girl standing in the middle of the street. Slamming on the breaks, his tires skid across the road and the truck swerves out of the way. But in doing so, the abrupt motions cause the truck to tilt over and slide across the road, hitting against the rock wall off the side of the road.

The smell of gas soon fills Atem's nostrils and he grits his teeth fearfully. This is an extremely dangerous situation and he knows there is a high chance the truck will burst into flames.

"Help!" a man cries out, trying to drag himself out of the window of the truck. Without hesitation, Atem dashes over to his aid, crouching down. "Oh…thank heavens, sir."

"Don't thank me yet," Atem grunts as he takes the driver by the arm, carefully pulling him out. As he looks over to the girl, he grits his teeth when he notices her charging up an attack. With the gas leaking nearby, that is sure enough to cause a devastating outcome for both him and the driver.

"Too easy…" she mutters before launching the attack directly at the tank of the truck. A loud boom rings out, followed by a huge ball of flames as fragments of the truck land in various areas on the road. The gust of wind that blows through Cairo's hair doesn't faze her one bit as she looks on, grinning.

With Atem and his daughter out of the way, there is no longer a threat to the souls, which means they can roam around as they please, creating whatever havoc they want. Turning around, she goes in search of Marik to report the news.

Previously flinching with his eyes shut, the truck driver slowly opens his eyes, letting out an audible gasp when he sees he is surrounded by flames on all sides. His truck is in ruins, but he wonders how he didn't perish as well? Perhaps that would have been the better option. With no way to escape the flames, it is looking like he will die a slow and painful fate.

"Are you alright?" he hears someone ask and he quickly looks to his right, seeing the man who saved him looking down at him.

"But how…?" the man asks as his hands and knees begin to shake uncontrollably.

Atem looks in front of him where Oracle Mana levitates with her legs and arms crossed and one hand holding onto her wand as her narrowed eyes glow pink. An invisible barrier surrounds them, keeping them safe from the flames, as well as the heat emitting from them.

"H-Huh?" the man stutters, stumbling backward onto his back. "A real live witch?"

Mana peers at him from over her shoulder, seemingly offended. Her glowing eyes are almost enough to cause him to faint. With one simple blink, she causes a strong wind to blow the flames back, allowing a huge opening for the man to escape.

Atem looks down at the cowering man, extending his hand to help him up. "Get somewhere safe," he tells him. Instead of taking the hand out, the man scrambles away without another word.

Feeling the gust of wind, the Cairo impersonator turns around with an annoyed growl. "What's going on?" The woman floating appears to have protected the pharaoh and also looks like she can pack a punch as well. "Guess this won't be a cake walk like I initially thought."

Studying the girl that looks like her daughter, Mana squints her eyes suspiciously. "Atem…"

"I know," he replies, knowing Mana is sensing the same thing. He narrows his eyes at the impersonator. Who are they and where is the real Cairo?

"Weird…"

"What is it?"

"I'm sensing that same dark energy that Cairo possesses in them. But this person is without a doubt, not our daughter."

Atem's eyes widen. "But how is that possible they have the same energy? Unless…"

"It looks like you have it somewhat figured out," the impersonator says, forming a ball of dark magical energy in their hand.

"Who are you?" Atem questions.

"Has it really been that long? Or have you lost track of all the people you've sent to the Shadow Realm?" the impersonator asks, smirking. "I'll give you a hint. You won't stand…'a ghost of a chance' against me."

Atem's eyes snap open when the impersonator says that. Back at the Duelist Kingdom Tournament held by Pegasus, he came across someone who said those same words while they were impersonating Seto Kaiba. "Mimic of Doom…"

Mimic bows a little. "They also call me the Imitator of Death. Whatever's more dramatic for you."

"What have you done to Cairo?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Probably dead and gone without her powers."

Atem clenches his fists, letting out a low growl. "No…" Did Mimic really manage to take Cairo's powers somehow and finish her off for good? It certainly would look that way. But there's no way Cairo would go down so easily, right?

"He's lying," Mana mutters to Atem's relief, keeping her eyes on Mimic. "Her energy is faint, but she lives."

"Good…But how did he get his hands on her dark power? Mimic is a shapeshifting master of disguise, not a sorcerer," Atem says, turning his head to look at her. "When you tried to extract it from Cairo in the Afterlife…"

"I wasn't necessarily unsuccessful if you recall," she says. "But there was an important reason why I couldn't fully go through with the spell…"

"What are you two mumbling about?" Mimic asks. "Trying to prolong the inevitable? I am flowing with power and I will be able to do away with the both of you with ease!"

He shoots out a rather small blast toward Mana who makes no move at all as it collides into her. As the smoke clears, she studies her opponent calmly, straightening out her legs, but continuing to float next to Atem. Mimic follows up with another weak attack that Mana simply slaps away this time, which only causes him to grow more frustrated.

"What is this…?" he grumbles angrily. "One moment I have all the power and next I'm barely making a scratch…!" He looks down to his small palms with disbelief. Just a few minutes ago, he shot a nice sized blast. But the one he just launched had no effect on the other sorcerer at all.

"He is inexperienced," Mana comments. "Even with his newfound power, it doesn't seem like he'll be able to use it to its potential."

"Yes. But with inexperience also means he might be unpredictable," Atem points out. "We should finish him quickly."

Mana nods in agreement. She flies at Mimic at an incredible speed, whipping out her wand and blasting him back with several magical spheres. And her attacks don't stop there. Before he can land on the ground, she appears behind him, kicking him up into the air and aiming another blast.

Mimic shuts his eyes and grunts loudly when he feels it hit his back, sending him up further. When he reopens his eyes, he gasps, seeing Mana hovering over him.

"J-Just who are you anyway?" Mimic asks.

"A furious mother who's going to take you down," Mana replies, roundhouse kicking him and sending him hurdling back to the ground. The impact is enough to cause a crater in the street as she lands just before the hole.

"Where is she?" Mana asks as Mimic slowly sits up. She narrows her eyes at him. Even with the powerful attacks she's landed, he's still managing to move. Cairo's dark energy is definitely flowing through him without a doubt.

"I hope you don't think you'll be taking me down that easily," Mimic says with a weak snicker. He suddenly aims his hand at her and shoots a powerful blast that nearly takes Mana off guard. She quickly moves to the side, but the blast still manages to clip her arm, making her cry out as she holds onto it.

Hearing Atem gasp behind her, she looks over her shoulder, seeing him grabbing his arm as well. "Atem!"

Atem clenches his teeth, hissing through the pain. 'So that confirms my earlier suspicions. Whatever damage Mana takes, I will too, just as I typically would with any monster I summon.'

Mana dodges numerous attacks from Mimic. As many times as she does this, she can feel his strength increasing by the second. His movements have even increased in speed, making it hard for her to shoot a counter attack, as well as dodge.

"Stop running away and die!" Mimic yells, managing to hit Mana again with another blast.

"Ack!" Mana exclaims, hitting the ground hard.

Atem drops to one knee, breathing heavily as he clenches his chest.

Not wasting anymore time, Mimic sends out one more attack in his opponents' direction. But instead of going for Mana, he targets Atem instead.

Atem's head shoots up as he holds onto his shirt, fighting through the pain. Seeing the dark energy blast coming his way, he grits his teeth fearfully. "Oh no…"

Mana magically appears in front of him, crossing her arms protectively. The attack makes contact with her body, making her feet slide against the pavement as it pushes her back until she can no longer hold on. The strength of the attack knocks her off her feet, making her collide into Atem who instinctively wraps his arms around her as they tumble over the guard rail and down the cliff.

Mimic snickers, wiping the corner of his mouth. "I'm not gonna lie…I thought I was a goner." A sharp pain goes through his chest, making him gag for air. His whole body begins to ache and he can feel his muscles contracting so intensely, he feels like he's going to puke.

And he does.

A dark red liquid spills out of his mouth as he drops to his knees, trying to regain his breath. "This power…it feels like my whole body is shutting down on me…"

A familiar onlooker walks up behind him, looking unfazed. "Pathetic," Marik comments as Mimic chokes and gasps for air. "You haven't even had it for a day and you're struggling."

Mimic quickly looks over to see Marik standing behind him with his arms folded across his chest, looking less than impressed at the moment. "M-Marik!" He stands up straight, as much as it pains him to even do that. But he doesn't want to look weak in front of him. "I'm fine, I assure you! It's just a…learning curve is all! And not to mention, I was going against that girl's mother! She is a force to be reckoned with!"

Marik raises an eyebrow. "Her mother, you say?" If that's the case, then that woman is surely Atem's spouse. He has no doubt it. "I'm sure that fall they just took didn't take them out. He'll be back for more and I will be ready…"

Mimic blinks. "Don't you mean…I'll be ready?"

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Atem yells as he and Mana plunge down the dark cliff. He looks around frantically for anything he can grab hold to, but they're dropping so fast, he can't see straight. Feeling around, his hand lands on Mana's arm and he grabs onto her, wrapping his arms around her body protectively. Previously knocked out, Mana opens here eyes, gasping before looking up to Atem with shock. She attempts to concentrate on her magic to slow down their fall, even in her dazed state.

"Just hang on!" Atem exclaims to her, holding her tighter. If she doesn't snap out of it, he might not survive this fall. He feels guilty for even asking this of her. She has done enough already.

Her eyes glow for a brief moment and the rate of speed in which they're falling decreases a little. It's enough to allow Atem to see where they're going. He notes the ground isn't too far off now, thankfully, and there are a few bushes and trees below them. With her head pounding, Mana grimaces as she tries to continue on with her magic long enough for them to land safely. But to Atem's horror, he sees her eyes roll back and her head suddenly droops, resting on his shoulder.

"Mana?!"

Their bodies plunge at full speed again, with them heading right for the trees. Seeing Mana about to take the initial impact, he maneuvers their bodies so that his back will take the hit. The sound of a loud snap makes his eyes shoot open as his body crashes through a tree branch, though it does manage to break their fall. He receives more scratches and bruises along the way until they fall into a huge bush and finally hit the grass and dirt.

The weight of Mana's body landing on top of him knocks the air out of his body and his world goes completely black.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

AN: More surprises in this chapter, eh? And more to come! What do you think will happen next? Leave a review! And thanks for reading!