A wave of nausea and exhaustion seems to hit her all at once and she sits down at a park bench. She holds on to her stomach and groans, trying to put her mind on something else other than the discomfort she is feeling. On the outside, she doesn't look pregnant and she retains her figure. But on the inside, she is going through it. Morning sickness, a huge appetite, always feeling tired and super emotional are but a few of her symptoms.

The soft breeze gives her some relief and she leans her head back, feeling the wind blow against her face. "This is gonna be a long pregnancy," she says to herself. She groans even louder when her phone starts to ring and she takes it out of her pocket. "It's gonna be an even longer day…"

"Hey, where are you?" Téa asks on the other line.

"Literally standing outside of Kaiba Corp right now," Mana answers in a dry voice.

"Perfect. You're next in the make up chair."

"Great." She hangs up the phone, dropping her shoulders. She, Téa and Kisara are being featured in a major publication in Domino. Since they have high profile relationships but tend to stay somewhat in the background, the article will focus on getting to know them and life being with the three top duelists in the world. Mana dreads having to take pictures. Today is one of those days where she just wants to stay home and mope around all day. She blames it on her hormones and Atem and her not being on speaking terms.

Taking a deep breath, she opens the door and walks inside, going through the hallway that leads to the elevators. She begins to pass the large training arena and when she gets halfway pass the large, open doorway, she spots Atem, coaching one of his students. She yelps loudly and jumps backward behind the wall.

Atem lifts his eyes to look for the source of the noise and he raises an eyebrow when he doesn't see anyone there.

Mana breathes heavily, covering her mouth with both hands. Then she beats herself up for jumping backwards instead of continuing forward to the elevators. Why didn't anyone tell her that Atem would be there today? She can't even bear to be in his presence right now with her awful mood. She doesn't want him to see her like this.

Blowing out some quick breaths, she darts across the open doorway to avoid being seen. Then she taps on the elevator button, leaning her forehead on the wall. 'I just need to get through this and then I can go home.'

Immediately she is flung into hair and make up while Téa is currently up taking photos in a white pleated skirt, red tank top and jacket. There are flashes coming from the camera and wind blowing from the fans as she poses for her photos. Kisara walks up to Mana's chair, having already taken hers.

"Hey Mana!" she greets happily while the stylist fluffs out her hair.

"Hey."

"Rough day?"

"How'd you figure?"

Kisara smiles. "Aw come on. I've got something for you." She whips out a bag of Mana's favorite chips, causing a small smile to appear on Mana's lips. "I assume you saw you know who, downstairs."

"I did. A warning would've been nice," Mana says, putting a chip into her mouth.

"Sorry. I know they had a few schedule changes at the last minute. I tried to push the shoot back as much as I could." She follows Mana to wardrobe where an outfit consisting of a yellow crop top hoodie, blue jean shorts and chucks have been chosen for her.

Mana dims her eyes. "Really don't feel cute enough to be showing my stomach right now."

"Oh stop. You look great! Can't even tell!"

Mana grumbles some more and Kisara shakes her head with a smile. It's going to be a full time job trying to get Mana in great spirits to take her photos. She knows she is dealing with a lot and her emotions have been up and down lately, so she tries to make the day easier for her the best way she knows how.

With her outfit on and Téa now finished, it is now her turn. She closes her eyes, breathing out before walking on set. Téa stands beside Kisara, looking on as Mana puts on a brave face to take her photos. "She's not feeling it today, huh?" Téa asks to which Kisara shakes her head.

Once the shoot is over, Mana grabs her things and heads toward the elevators. She's had enough human interaction for the day and all she wants to do is go home and be alone. She presses the button and impatiently waits for the elevator doors to open.

"Mana, wait," Téa says as she and Kisara run up behind her. "Do you wanna hang out tonight?"

"Sorry, I'm gonna have to pass on this one," she says, staring forward.

"Maybe it'll help you feel better to have some company around," Kisara adds.

"No, I would like to mope around and be miserable in peace if you don't mind."

Téa breathes a heavy sigh. She hates to see her friend this way and they're trying their absolute hardest to make her feel better, but all of their attempts are going flat. "You gotta cheer up, Mana!"

Mana turns her head to them. "I hate to state the obvious, but I'm pregnant and my emotions are all over the place. Not to mention you two still have your men. I don't at the moment and that's my own fault. So I'd like to go home and sulk, please."

She turns her head back to the elevator as it rings and the doors slowly open. At only a quarter inches wide, she notices a familiar frame, spiky hair and amethyst eyes and she quickly makes a run for the staircase.

On the opposite end, Atem catches a glimpse of what he believes to be Mana. But before the doors fully open, she darts off to the right and he hears the sound of a door slamming. Him and Yugi step out of the elevator to be greeted by Kisara and Téa.

"Hey you two," Kisara greets with a wave.

"How'd the shoot go?" Yugi asks.

"It went great!" Téa exclaims.

As the small talk continues between the three, Atem looks in the direction of the staircase exit. That was definitely Mana who left just now.

Mana sits in the corner of a stairwell with her hands covering her face as she sobs uncontrollably. She has tried so hard to keep it together these last two months, but she has reached her breaking point. She just wants to be on good terms with Atem again. She doesn't like the feeling of being closed off to him and the short conversations between them. How long did he plan on making her suffer?

"This is so hard," she cries, her voice echoing through the stairwell. "I can't take it anymore." Through the thin walls, she hears the sound of the elevator bell and she quickly stands up. That's it. She can't stand the distance between them anymore. She has to talk to him. She runs down the stairs in an attempt to beat the elevator, praying that it will make a few stops along the way so that she can catch up.

Bursting through the door, she pants heavily before looking toward the front door, seeing it just beginning to close. Her heart drops. Is she too late? Sighing in defeat, she walks out to be greeted by the night sky. There is no sign of him anywhere. She gazes up to the full moon, feeling hopeless.

"Mana, you're such an idiot," she says to herself and she turns around, only to bump into a hard, chiseled frame. "Sorry! I didn't—" She gasps, seeing Atem there looking down at her. At that moment, she wants to collapse into his arms, partially because her legs feel like jello after running down flights of stairs, but mostly because she wants those strong arms wrapped around her.

He doesn't say a word, only gazing down at her with those amethyst eyes of his, not showing any type of emotion. She tries to think of any excuse to talk to him and she looks down the empty sidewalk before her eyes land back on him. "It's late…" she says in a light tone. "Can you…walk me home?"

The first ten minutes of their walk is completely silent besides the sound their feet make from walking on the pavement. Mana searches in her mind for how to start off the conversation. She looks to her feet, then her eyes slowly scroll over to look at Atem who doesn't give her any eye contact at all.

"I uh…had fun at my shoot," she starts off. She mentally slaps herself in the face. That's a lie. She was miserable during the whole thing thinking about him and the state of their marriage. Come up with something else, she says in her mind. "Isn't it crazy that my stomach hasn't grown yet? I thought for sure I'd at least have a pudgy by now!"

Still no response.

She sighs. "Are you gonna ignore me forever?"

Nothing.

"Can you say something? You can tell me you hate me. I would totally understand. I just want you to talk to me. I know I messed up. Again."

He stops suddenly and she turns around to face him. Her eyes are practically pleading for him to say something to her. Even if he just talked about how angry he is about the situation, she would take it. It would totally be justified. She just wants him to talk to her.

"I don't hate you," he finally says, still not looking at her. "But I'm hurt. I'm upset. I'm disappointed."

"You have every right to be," Mana says, closing her eyes to prevent the tears from falling. It breaks her heart to hear that from him. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him and cause him any distress. She reopens her eyes. "My actions were completely selfish. I was only thinking of myself. I kept thinking…'I'm strong. I can handle myself just fine…he shouldn't worry…I can heal myself…' But I know now that wasn't right."

Her heart feels like it is about to explode, trying to find the right words to say. His expression can be so hard to read and right now, she isn't getting anything from him in terms of how he is feeling about what she just said. She begins to feel defeated. What if this is it? What if she has lost him for good?

"I am sorry Atem," she says, lowering her eyes. "I love you so much and I know our distance is all because of me. And I'm willing to do anything to gain back your trust. Anything. Even if that means not practicing magic anymore."

He doesn't respond, only taking in what she is saying. He doesn't know what to believe. They have had this conversation more times than he can count and he is emotionally drained. Will she really change her ways? Or is this all talk?

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

Téa stands in the mirror in her room brushing her hair and getting ready for bed that night. She wraps her white robe around her body, tying the straps at her waist and she plops on the bed, laying on her back to scroll through her phone. She gets a video message from Kisara and she taps it to open it. It has the caption of "LOL" followed by a random funny video that she found on the web. Téa giggles and responds to the message.

A cool breeze makes her shiver and she looks to the window questionably. "That's strange. I don't remember opening that." She stands up and walks over to close it, taking time to look out the window and watching cars pass by with their headlights on. As she looks through the window, something in the glass reflection catches her eye and she quickly turns around.

Yugi and Atem sit on the floor across from each other in the living room, playing an old fashioned game of duel monsters without all of the technology and holograms involved.

Atem throws a card down. "Dark Magician in attack mode. And since you have no monsters on the field, I'll be attacking you directly."

Yugi smirks. "You ran right into that one." He flips a trap card over. "Spell Binding Circle. Now your magician can't attack."

Atem sucks his teeth and grunts in frustration. "I really did fall into that one. What a rookie mistake."

"Are you okay, bro? Your mind seems elsewhere."

"I'm fine."

Yugi rolls his eyes. "Come on. Spill it out," Yugi urges him, sensing that something is on his mind.

"Just thinking about Mana," he reveals, but not to Yugi's surprise.

"You miss her, don't you."

"I do…but…do you think she'll ever change her ways?"

"Without a doubt! According to Téa, Mana hasn't used her magic since being in the hospital!"

Atem's eyes widen with surprise. "Really?"

"The separation between you guys is hitting her hard too. I think she's finally getting the point. And she knows that if she doesn't make a change, then she'd be losing you in the process."

Atem stays silent. He hopes that Yugi is right. He hopes that this time around and from here on out, will be different. The last thing he wants is to be without Mana, raising their child in separate homes and not growing old together.

The sound of Téa's screams fill the air and they both exchange looks before sprinting to the bedroom that she is in. The door is shut and Yugi tries to open it, but it is locked. Another scream rings out and Yugi pounds on the door. "Téa! Téa!" Feeling anxious about what could be happening, he kicks open the door so hard, that it swings back and makes a hole in the wall.

The blankets on the bed are scattered on the floor, a vanity mirror is shattered and different papers and clothes lay on the floor along with a dresser that has been knocked over. But there is no sign of Téa. Instead, a loud thump comes from the connecting bathroom, causing Yugi and Atem to run that way.

A tall, skinny man stands across from Téa who walks backwards until her legs hit the tub and she topples over, hitting her head on the wall. "TÉA!" Yugi yells. The intruder wearing a hoodie and dark colored sunglasses prepares to strike her, only for Yugi to grab a nearby lamp and smash it over the intruder's head, knocking him out.

Yugi immediately runs to Téa's side, lifting her up carefully as Atem stands over the intruder, glaring down at him. On his black hoodie is a rose logo and Atem narrows his eyes suspiciously.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asks as she comes to. She replies by wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest. "I'm here Téa. I'm here…"

Atem's phone rings and he pulls it out of his pocket. His lips turn up into a frown when he sees who's calling him. He finally answers and puts it on speaker. "Seto."

"Someone working for Ziegfried didn't happen to pay you a visit just now, did they?" he asks, causing Atem's eyes to go big.

"How did you know?"

"Because one of his thugs just tried to attack Kisara while I was at the office. Unfortunately for them, she easily held her own. But something's telling me that she was targeted."

"What makes you say that?" Yugi asks.

"A hunch. The security guard that she and the others ran into at Schroeder Park more than likely told Ziegfried. He has been silent since he's been exposed to the world…"

"And all that time, he's probably been plotting his revenge," Atem finishes.

"Ziegfried truly doesn't know who he's messing with. I don't know where he's hiding, but he better hope we don't ever cross paths or I'll beat him to a pulp," Seto threatens angrily on the phone before hanging up.

Yugi gasps and looks at Atem. "But if they're targeting the girls then…"

Atem's mouth goes agape in realization and his eyes are filled with panic. "Mana…"

"Today is not a good day…I am not in a good mood, understand?" Mana warns the intruder standing across from her in the kitchen. They are separated by the island counter in the middle of the room and she narrows her eyes. After trying to wind down and watch television surrounded by her favorite snacks, there was a knock on the door and he forced his way into her home. It also just so happens to be the same security guard from their face off at Schroeder Park and their first face off when Atem came to her rescue.

She runs to the right, and he mimics her movements, so she tries to move to the left, only for him to do the same thing. All she keeps thinking is how easy it would be if she could just use her magic right now. But it would be too risky and she doesn't want to hurt the baby. Besides, she vowed to herself that she wouldn't use it.

"You got away last time and the time before that. But this go around, you won't be so lucky! The third time's the charm!" the man exclaims confidently.

She gasps when he jumps on top of the counter, towering over her and snickering. All she wanted to do was watch television, eat her favorite snacks and be alone with her emotions. Why does it always seem like she is a magnet to danger, even when she's at home?

Simultaneously as he takes a leap, she reaches back to grab a pot that is on the kitchen rack, clenching it with all her might and gritting her teeth in anger. "I just want to be left ALONE!" she screams at the top of her lungs, and she whacks him so hard in the chin that he falls flat on his back, landing on top of the counter.

"Now get out of my house!"

But he only snickers, sitting up and licking his lips as the blood from his nose trickles down. Mana looks at him with disgust and takes a step back. "What's the matter? Where's all that magic from before?" he taunts and she grits her teeth with frustration.

'What do I do? I can't use my magic and I certainly can't do hand to hand combat.'

Her phone that sits on a nearby counter begins to ring and they both turn their head to the source. Squinting her eyes, she sees that it is Atem calling. She makes a run for it and the intruder does the same, both attempting to get to the phone first. Mana manages to swipe it up and slides between his legs to make a run for it.

"Atem," she answers, panting heavily as she tries to make it up the stairs. "I know you're mad at me but I'm in a situation and I promise you it's not my fault this time."

"Just hold on," he answers. "I'm on my way."

She yelps when she feels her ankle being grabbed and she drops the phone. She twists her body, kicking the intruder in the face before scrambling away. Finally making it all the way up, she locks herself in the hallway closet and draws in a breath when she hears the doorknob shaking.

Growing impatient, he punches through the door and Mana falls backward, startled and she hits the floor, backing all the way up until her back hits the wall. More holes form in the door until his large hand is able to fit and he unlocks it.

"Oh no…"

He grins down at her, seeing her cower against the wall. "Tell you what. I'll give you one last chance. If you go out with me, then I'll spare you."

"And I'll give you one last chance to leave," Mana shoots back, narrowing her eyes.

The man laughs. "You're in no position to tell me what to do." He reaches in, grabbing her by the neck and pinning her up against the wall as she struggles to breathe. She grabs on to his large hand, attempting to break free by any means necessary, including using her nails to claw into his skin. But he only laughs at her struggle. "You shoulda said yes."

"She made herself very clear," comes a low voice and the man looks to the left and then to the right before he is met with Atem's fist. Mana drops to the floor, clasping her hand around her neck and panting heavily. She looks up just in time to see Atem grabbing the large man by his shirt, yanking him up and slamming him back down to the floor so hard that the whole house seems to shake.

The man attempts to stand back up, glaring angrily at Atem. "You again! Why you little—" Only managing to get up halfway, Atem knees him in the face, causing the man's body to jerk up several inches before Atem lands a strong roundhouse kick that sends him flying into an open room. Not giving him any more chances to recover, Atem lifts him up once again, his eyes narrowed at him.

"It would be very unwise of you to show up here again," Atem says, tossing him through the window and he lands in the large trash can below that sits in the alley.

He goes back into the hallway as Mana is just getting to her feet with her back turned to him. She leans her forehead on the wall in front of her with her eyes shut, still trying to catch her breath. "If this isn't the suckiest day of my life," she pants and her hand travels down to her lower abdomen, feeling a little relieved that she doesn't feel any discomfort down there like she would had she used her magic. Unbeknownst to her, Atem is standing behind her as she tries to regain her composure. "At least everything seems fine with you, little one. Now if you could just let up on the throwing up thing, that would be great."

"Are you alright?" Atem asks and she look at him from over her shoulder.

"I'm fine. Thank you. I just need to lay down," she says walking past him to go to their bedroom. "I assume you'll be headed back to Yugi's now."

"No. I'm not sure what else Ziegfried is planning. And after what just happened, it's too dangerous for you to be alone, especially in your condition," he replies to her surprise. "I'll be downstairs."

She watches him head down the stairs, presumably to go sleep on the couch. It gives her much comfort knowing that he will be there to protect her while she's in this vulnerable state. But the question still remains as to whether or not things will be the same between the two of them.

Sitting on the couch, his phone vibrates and he takes it out of his pocket. Yugi is checking in on him to make sure everything is fine. Atem texts back, letting him know what happened. He ends it by informing his brother that he will be staying home with Mana to which Yugi replies with a smiley faced emoji. He arches an eyebrow before tossing the phone to the side.

"What a day."

YGOYGOYGOYGO

That was a lengthy chapter, but hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review!