-Flashback-

Her aquamarine eyes flutter open, a groan escaping her lips as she turns her head to look out to their semi-dark bedroom. There is an orange hue that peeks through the windows as the sun begins to rise in the sky and an occasional tweet from birds that are beginning their day as well.

She attempts to move, but she can feel the weight of her husband's arm resting on her hip and the other is stretched out, lying just above her head. Smiling, she takes in a brief moment to nuzzle him, feeling the warmth from his bare chest and enjoying being in his presence. She can get used to this, especially after being separated from each other for centuries.

Nearly 5,000 years ago, she would typically cringe at waking up this early and Mahad would later scold her for sleeping in, avoiding her lessons as a sorcerer. That was prior to becoming the Queen of Egypt.

Slipping out of bed, she gets dressed, glancing back at Atem one more time before starting her day. Though she has still managed to keep her fun, upbeat personality, she also feels a great deal of responsibility. The queens before her were never this hands on, but she vowed to be by Atem's side and help him if a battle were to ever occur. They are a team after all. Even now in the afterlife.

And so, to continue becoming a better sorcerer, she gets up earlier than everyone else to practice until it is time to carry out her royal duties in the throne room.

Her day usually starts with meditation. Then she transitions to practicing different spells and mock battles within her mind. She has also taken to a side project of her own, requested by her daughter. Perhaps today will be the day her very elaborate spell works. But she will have to wait until later to find out.

With the sun high in the sky, Mana rushes back to her quarters, flinging off her clothes to get washed up and putting on fresh attire. Adjusting her signature head piece and straightening out her pleated skirt, she darts out the room. With Atem already gone, she knows she is running late and hopes she can catch him prior to entering the throne room, especially since they are supposed to go in together.

Atem walks through the courtyard with his navy blue cape flowing behind him, nodding at several guards and workers who pledged their loyalty to him, even in death. He stops just before the doors that lead into the throne room, closing his eyes to mentally prepare himself for the day ahead. Knowing that it is time to go inside, he slightly raises his hand to the guards to keep them from opening the doors just yet.

Only several moments pass by until he hears quick footsteps and frantic panting from far away until the person running finally stops. He opens his eyes and can see her hunching over a little to catch her breath beside him.

"Good morning Mana," Atem greets, staring forward with a stoic gaze.

She shoots up straight, taking a deep breath to regainin her composure.

"You were late…" he points out.

Mana's eyes stare forward as well. "Were?" she breathes out, wondering why he's speaking in past tense.

"…For our daily 'transaction'," he says, speaking in code terms in front of the guards. "I look forward to them." In order to keep up strong appearances, he doesn't show displays of affection where others might see. So they do so prior to them going to the throne room, ranging from kisses, hugs or other intimate activities. It's always a good way to start off their day and it means especially a lot to Atem, who deals with the typical stress of being pharaoh.

She partially covers her mouth and titters. "I will make it up to you."

"Very well," he replies as the doors open, initiating the start of a long, busy day.

So long of a day that she is yawning when all delegations and tasks are over. But despite that, she rushes off to the spell casters' study to finalize the spell she has been working on, going as far as working well into the night.

Her eyes begin to feel heavy as she goes through her notes that are scattered on the wooden table and it is becoming harder to keep her head up. In order to keep awake, she slides her chair back, standing up to her feet.

"This will get done today!" she proclaims to herself. Feeling arms snake around her waist, she gasps, turning her head only to see Atem with his chin on her shoulder, staring down at her organized mess.

"You haven't left this room in quite some time. I was beginning to get worried," Atem says.

"Sorry. I just…" her words drift off into a long yawn as she lifts her hand to rub her tired eyes. "…needed to finish this."

"What is it exactly?"

"I may have found a way to extract the dark energy from Cairo."

Atem raises an eyebrow. "That is what you have been working on this entire time?"

"Yeah!" she exclaims confidently, but she sees concern wash over his face. "What?"

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"I wouldn't perform anything on my daughter that I felt was going to hurt her." She looks up briefly before tapping her chin. "Okay, it might hurt a little."

Atem gives a disapproving look, pulling away from her. "Mana."

"I promised her I would try…" she tells him, her tone becoming more serious.

"So you two had a conversation."

Mana nods. "This is what she wants. And…it's the least I can do since…"

"Don't blame yourself for that," Atem interrupts, knowing where she is going with this.

"And you don't do the same?" she shoots back, leaving Atem with no room for a rebuttal. "You don't ever wish there was more you could have done to prevent what happened? Or wish there was a different outcome?"

Atem exhales. "Of course I do…all the time."

"Cairo doesn't ask for much. So…I at least have to try."

"Not tonight."

"But—"

"You're in no condition to be performing any spells tonight. If you're going to do it, then do it when you're not exhausted," he tells her sternly. "That way you know you've given it your all."

"Atem…"

He turns away to head to the door. "Let's get some rest."

Mana stares at him for moment and then nods her head.

The following evening, she finds herself back in the same room, this time with Atem, Cairo and Mahad as a precaution. The door is shut to prevent anyone from snooping. As Mana prepares herself, Atem looks to Cairo.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asks. Cairo's eyes scroll over to him. "What if this does more harm?"

"I don't think anything can do more harm than what's already been done," she replies. "And…maybe taking this dark energy will revert me back to my old self."

"I can't help but feel you're struggling internally," Atem says. "You do know that you are very much loved, regardless of what happened."

"Am I really…?" she asks in a soft tone that Atem cannot make out. But before he can press any further, Mana turns around and motions for Cairo to come to her.

"Ready?" her mothers asks.

Cairo looks back to her father who tries to appear strong, but on the inside, he worries what will be the outcome. Turning back to her mother, Cairo finally nods her head.

Mana closes her eyes for a few seconds, then reveals her glowing pink eyes. A seal appears below Cairo's feet and the wind around them grows, blowing over books and papers in the room. Her mother chants a spell as she waves her hand in various motions until a dark aura appears around Cairo. Just as the aura appears, a jolt goes through Cairo's body, causing her to gasp for air and drop to her hands and knees.

Observing with his arms crossed, it is taking Atem everything not to interfere in anyway to allow his wife to concentrate. But that doesn't stop him from sending Mahad concerned looks who returns his same expression.

The dark aura around Cairo grows bigger and bigger until it finally no longer surrounds her body, floating above her like a dark cloud has literally been lifted.

'It worked…?' Atem asks himself internally.

Mahad studies the dark aura with narrowed eyes, getting a bad feeling all of a sudden. 'It has left Cairo's body, but it hasn't completely disappeared…' That's when the dark energy tries to go for Mana, darting in her direction as if to claim its next victim.

"Mana!" Atem calls out, breaking her out of her trance. But not fast enough for her to defend herself.

Her eyes widen with horror as the dark aura that was once in her daughter's body, enters her. Letting out an audible gasp, she grabs hold of her arms and stumbles back, breathing heavily as she tries to contain this dark new presence within her. Atem tries to go to her aid, but Mahad quickly steps in front of him with his arm outstretched, fearing the situation has now become dangerous.

Atem's eyes briefly go to Cairo who sports an altered appearance. "Cairo…?" His eyes are wide with surprise seeing her black hair drape far down her back like it used to all those years ago. And when she reveals her face, her eyes and overall expression is softer.

Cairo looks up, staring at her mother fearfully as the older magician clenches her head, the dark aura around her growing. "Mom?"

"Mana. What's going on?" Mahad asks, cautiously taking one step forward. This is something neither he or Mana anticipated happening.

Doubled over, Mana looks up to him, revealing her eyes that are now two different colors. Her right is her normally glowing pink color when her magic is activated. But the other is pitch black, indicating an internal struggle between her and the dark energy that threatens to take over her body, just as it did Cairo all those years ago. She lets out a cry that is somewhat demonic, sending shivers down Mahad's spine.

Stunned, Atem slowly shakes his head with his mouth slightly agape as he looks horrified and unable to fully react. "M-Mana…"

"Put it back!" Cairo yells over to Mahad suddenly with tears in her eyes.

"What?" Mahad asks with shock.

"Please! Just put it back before it takes my mom!"

Finally registering what Cairo is saying, Mahad steps in, appearing in front of Mana and stretching his hand to cast a spell of his own, extracting the darkness, forming it into a dark sphere that contains it for the time being. He hopes this will be the better option. Keeping it within a magically sealed sphere that no one can access. It would be better than putting it back into Cairo.

But soon he realizes this also isn't an option as the sphere begins to crack.

Begrudgingly, Cairo jumps to her feet and takes the dark sphere from Mahad, allowing it to break, releasing the dark energy into her again. She hisses, feeling it run through her veins once more and her hair returns back to shoulder length and her eyes are narrowed once more. Dropping to her knees, she breathes heavily to regain her breath.

"Cairo! Are you alright?" Atem asks, running to her and kneeling down.

"I'm fine," Cairo answers, slowly looking back at her concerned father. That soft and innocent look is completely gone again.

Mana looks down at her hands as they shake uncontrollably. She has never felt something like that before.

"Mana?" Mahad says going up to her.

"I'm okay…" she says. Then she walks over to her daughter to check on her. "Cairo…"

Cairo looks up to her. "I'm sorry."

"No. I should be the one apologizing," her mother responds, her shoulders drooping with defeat. "I've failed you."

Cairo gives a reassuring smile. "It's okay mom. Please don't feel bad," she assures her.

"What could have caused that?" Atem asks.

"Well if I could guess…" Mahad starts off, lowering his head in thought. "Although Mana seemed successful in expelling the darkness, the darkness still needed somewhere to go and it was determined to catch its next victim."

Cairo slowly stands up. "I guess this darkness isn't going anywhere."

"So it really is permanent in a sense," Atem concludes. "Imagine if that power got into the wrong hands…the consequences would be dire."

"Guess it's better that it's me and not anyone else," Cairo replies with a shrug. But deep down, she feels extremely disappointed. Not in her mother's hard efforts, but the fact that she will never be the same again. Seeing her mother lower her eyes, she tries to perk up in order to assure her that she is fine. "It's okay mom…really!"

"Perhaps this is for the best," Mahad says.

"Mmm…" is the only thing Mana can reply to hide her dismay. And she remains silent until she returns to her room and closes the door.

After tending to Cairo, who insisted that she is fine despite the results, Atem walks toward his room, stopping a few feet away when he hears the sound of something breaking and Mana grumbling under her breath, followed by a hiss. He goes inside, gently closing the door behind him and sees Mana crouched near a table with broken shards of what appears to be a vase by her bare feet. She tries to clean it up with droplets of blood leaking from the small wound it caused. But he can see her struggling, dropping pieces just as she picks up new ones.

A frustrated sigh escapes her lips and she uses the back of her arm to wipe her face. She feels like she has failed her daughter again. Even if she were able to carry Cairo's burden so that her daughter can finally be free, would have been fine for her. But if she had allowed the darkness to fully consume her, who knows what would have happened.

Cairo has had centuries to adjust. But when she felt the darkness entering her own body, it felt like it was digging around for her immense energy. And once it grabbed hold of it, there was a struggle for dominance and she almost felt like she was losing herself in the process. It took a lot just for her to hold the darkness off until Mahad cast his spell. She can't even imagine what Cairo must've felt when it first took over her body.

Sighing, she tries again to effectively clean the mess she caused after knocking into the table from being blinded by her tears. As she picks up another shard, a hand positions itself on top of hers, stopping her from going any further. Already knowing it's Atem, she doesn't protest when he leads her away and sets her on the bed. Then he proceeds to clean up the broken pieces with ease, grabbing bandages on his way back to the bed.

Mana could have healed herself, but between the initial hit, to him finishing up cleaning, she had made no attempt to do so. He silently wraps her foot, being gentle as he does so until the cut is no longer visible.

Clearly upset by her failure to release Cairo from the darkness, he brings her into his arms, rubbing her trembling shoulders consolingly.

-End Flashback-

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Rolling to her side with a pain filled grunt, she lifts her head a little in order to view her surroundings. She is surrounded by nothing but greenery and thick bushes, somewhat offering her shelter. Hearing a light groan coming from beside her, she gasps and looks down, seeing Atem lying on his back with cuts and bruises practically everywhere.

She wants so badly to heal him, though in her current state, she will be doing more harm than good. But with Atem being in such bad shape with no one around to help, what will she do now?

"Atem?!" a voice cries out from a distance. Mana listens with caution and her body goes stiff, wondering who it could be. Is it an enemy? Or foe?

There is a rustle from the bushes and she materializes her wand in her hand, narrowing her eyes and keeping her focus. That is until a boy with nearly identical hair to Atem's emerges. Both of them mirror each other's surprised expressions. At first, Yugi doesn't even recognize the woman in front of him. But when he catches a glimpse of her wand that she makes disappear, he gasps with realization.

"Mana...?" he says, slowly stepping forward. "Is that…is that you?" His gaze then goes to Atem who lies on the ground, motionless. "Oh no!"

He immediately rushes over and drops to his knees. Then he looks over to Mana who looks just as concerned as he is. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down after finding his partner in this state, and then looks back to Mana with confidence. "He's going to be okay," he says suddenly to her.

She gazes at him wide-eyed and her mouth agape.

"I promise…"

Staring at him as to make sure Atem is in good hands, she finally nods before disappearing back into his diadhank to recover.

Yugi nods and then goes to call for Joey, Tristan and Téa, who are also looking close by for Atem's whereabouts.

Everything is pitch black as Atem hears his friends calling out to him. But at first, he doesn't have the energy to open his eyes. His body is in so much pain from the fall and it hurts to breathe.

"Atem! Wake up, Atem!" the sound of Yugi's voice cries out with worry.

His eyes are partially open and he can see the blurred faces of Yugi, Téa, Joey and Tristan hovering around him. His eyes slowly scroll from left to right, but that's all he can do right now.

He can only imagine the state of his body. Probably covered in all sorts of injuries. And he wouldn't be surprised if he's broken a few things.

"Hang in there man," Joey tells him. "We're going to get you some help as soon as we can."

"Mana…Cairo…" Atem says weakly before closing his eyes.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

On a sandy beach far away from Domino City, a girl wearing a green bathing suit walks along the shore, allowing the cold water to brush up against her feet. She pushes her glasses up as she crouches down, picking up a rather large seashell, tipping it to the side and allowing the sand to fall out of it. Brushing back her long blonde hair, she places the conch shell up to her ears smiling when she hears the sounds of the ocean. Then she places it within a brown saddle bag along with other shells she has collected.

Stretching her arms over her head, she inhales deeply and exhales with relief. Most of her days are typically filled with studying or helping her grandfather out with research. Even though she is only a kid, she is considered a prodigy with her already being enrolled in college. It's nice to actually have a week off and relax for a change. And with her being out early in the day, she happens to be the only one on the beach at the moment. But she wouldn't have it any other way.

"At least there are no tourists crowding up the place," she remarks to herself, smirking.

Walking further she notices something laying on the shore. At first she believes it to be a log that has washed up. But the closer she gets, the more she realizes that isn't the case. "Maybe I'm not alone after all," she says.

She sees clothing, followed by hair that is scattered all on the sand. "That's an odd place to take a nap…" Then she gets an awful feeling and cringes. "Unless they're…dead?" Shaking that thought out of her head, she tip toes, approaching with caution. If anything, they might need help.

Finally coming upon the scene, she confirms it is not an object, but a human being. And not only that. But it is a girl that looks her age wearing a school uniform. As she studies the girl's face, she arches an eyebrow. "Wait…where have I seen her before?"

She drops to her knees and goes into her brown bag, digging out her phone and dialing a number. She bites her lower lip with anticipation, hoping they will pick up. "Come on, Yugi. Answer the phone." After a few more rings, it goes to voicemail to her dismay and she sighs. "Now what do I do?"

Gazing over to the opposite end of the beach, she sees the trailer that she and her grandfather are staying in for the trip and she lets out another exhale before side eyeing the girl. "I hope you're not heavy…"

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Everything feels strange, yet vaguely familiar. But her body has the odd sensation as if someone took a huge chunk out of her and left her half empty. Her hair tickles her exposed arms, which is strange since they only reach just around her shoulders. Sitting up, the blanket that was resting on her upper body falls and she finally opens her eyes.

It is a rather cluttered space where everything is practically within reach. From the small kitchen that is only steps away, to the even tinier dining area that only consists of a table that extends from the wall and a bench on both sides. Where has she seen this place before?

A breeze from the air-conditioning makes her hold onto her arms and she looks down to her clothing. No longer is she in her uniform, but a white tank top and pink shorts. "Weird…" she comments before covering her mouth quickly. The voice that just came from her lips doesn't even sound like her. It is slightly higher pitched and light compared to her typical dry monotone voice. She places her hand down on the couch she is resting on and tries to get up. But unbeknownst to her, she has accidentally placed her hand down on her long locs of hair, causing her head to yank back and she falls on the floor with a thud.

"Ow…what is the meaning of this?" Her hair drapes over her face and she gasps. "H-Huh?"

Jumping to her feet, she rushes to the nearest mirror and what she sees next makes her scream at the top of her lungs from the immense amount of shock at her appearance. Her hair has grown overnight, reaching her calves. Her eyes aren't as narrowed as they used to be and she overall has a softer and more innocent look to her.

Just as she used to have before the darkness took over.

Patting down her body, she begins to experience mixed emotions. Is she really free from the darkness? Has she really reverted back to her old self? She knocks a fist on her head and looks around cautiously. No hallucinations? She isn't even sure how that happened, but she's not complaining.

A smile creeps on her lips, going as far as being excited. It has been so long since she's felt like herself and now the moment is finally here. She's free.

Giggling, she jumps up into the air with a cheer, levitating for a moment before falling down on her rear. "Ah…I forgot my abilities aren't as sharp at this stage," she grunts, standing back on her feet and looking at herself.

Then it reality hits her all at once. If she no longer has her dark powers, then who does?

"Oh no…" She frowns as the memories from last night flood her brain. That sorcerer she bumped into is the one responsible for this. And she's sure he's the one that has her dark abilities. She takes in a deep breath, thinking naively. "Okay, don't panic. Maybe…he won't do anything crazy with it."

"Someone's up," a girl says as she comes through the main door of the RV.

Cairo looks over and raises an eyebrow. "Is that you Rebecca?"

The girl smirks. "I could ask you the same thing, Cairo," she replies. "I don't remember you having this much hair."

Cairo chuckles nervously. "It's kind of a long story."

Rebecca gets closer to study her more. "Your whole demeanor is different. Did something happen?" she continues. "Actually, how are you even here right now? Yugi told me you and the pharaoh crossed into the afterlife."

"Well we did…and now we're back because I have more souls to catch."

Rebecca's eyes widen. "Oh? Are Yugi and the others close by?"

"I don't know…I sorta kinda ran away and got into some trouble. And the next thing I knew, I was here. So I guess you can say I'm lost."

Rebecca blinks. "You really are different from what I remembered," she comments. "In any case, we should try and get in contact with Yugi. I assume your father, the pharaoh, is with him and—"

"No!" she suddenly shouts to Rebecca's surprise. Noticing the blonde haired girl's reaction, Cairo quickly tries to regain composure. "I mean…that won't be necessary. Honestly, this time around I would rather not put them in harm's way and deal with catching the souls on my own!"

But the real reason is because of what her father said to her just before she ran into the other sorcerer. "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."

She lowers her eyes, her heart aching just thinking about it. Has she really been that much of a burden? She sighs.

'Of course I have,' she thinks to herself. 'I could have killed him and mom when I lost all control. And then he saved me from the Shadow Realm despite what I did. He is supposed to be resting in the afterlife and he can't even do that because of me.'

She hears the sound of the phone dialing and looks over to see Rebecca with her device up to her ear to Cairo's horror. "Hey! Didn't you hear what I just said?!" Cairo yells, flailing her arms frantically.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Rebecca asks before sighing when it goes to voicemail again. "Well you're in luck. Yugi didn't answer, though I don't see why that brings you relief."

"Tell me, where are we in proximity to Domino City?"

Rebecca looks up momentarily. "Approximately seven-hundred and thirty one miles."

Cairo's eyes nearly pop out of its sockets. "What?!" How did she manage to get so far?

"If you're trying to go back, then you might as well stick around. We're actually headed back to Domino to check out some of the attractions before I start school again."

"And how long will it take to get there?"

"With how my grandpa drives, it'll be at least two days."

Cairo turns to the door and prepares to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Rebecca asks, following her outside.

"I'll just fly," Cairo replies. The souls she's after still reside in Domino, so she has no choice but to go back. She leaps into the air, managing to float a few feet off the ground before falling. Letting out a frustrated growl, she tries again, only to have the same outcome.

Rebecca cringes. "I don't remember you struggling in the flying department."

Cairo sighs. "I keep forgetting…I wasn't that good of a flyer before the incident." She folds her arms. "Guess I will have to be patient."

"You look like you could use some rest anyway," Rebecca shrugs. "And then we can get you some new wardrobe along the way."

"Hm…I suppose..." Hopefully getting new clothes won't involve some huge shopping spree.

She looks out to the sky as questions begin to arise about what lies ahead. The darkness may be gone from her. But that just opens up another set of problems.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (And the Atem and Mana moments I snuck in there). Also, I don't always see the reviews right away, so let me just say THANK YOU to those that have taken time out of the day to read and review my story. It truly does mean a lot that you enjoy what I write.

And to those that are silently reading along, thank you as well! See you next chapter!