In the room that held Malik's Ka, a loud shout of anger had sounded about the walls, along with a clatter and smashing of glass was a wineglass shattered against the wall. "Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it!" Marik snarled as he cursed the unseen intruders that triggered his trap. "Who dares... who DARES..." Seething, he slowly allowed the image of the wineglass and now spilled wine to evaporate, before returning to his seat on the 'throne' with a scowl. This was HIS domain, HIS room. And this place that it sat in, it was HIS charge's soul! A few moments later, he grinned madly as he recalled what trap had been triggered. "Hnhnhnhnhnhn... They won't make it far, provided they made it at all..."

It took a while, before the pair had passed from the events of 'Battle City'. By this point, Atem was in completely foreign territory yet again in terms of Malik's mind, having no clue as to the events that occurred afterward. He looked around the wall, a majority of the hieroglyphs faded and incomplete. "I wonder," he said as he followed behind Bakura, "What these are supposed to say..."

"Atem!" The teen was pulled from his thoughts by a harsh sound from Bakura, the thief scowling as he turned to him for a moment. "Pay attention to where you're walking!"

He blinked, silent for a few moments as he resisted the urge to look again. "Ah... Alright then..." Luckily enough, or unluckily depending on the views, the moment he did turn to look again, the lights fell to almost complete darkness. "Ah!" He jumped, before turning to watch as Bakura stared at the walls in silence. "...What is it?"

Bakura shook his head, continuing on as the darkness was replaced by a dim light. "It's nothing," he said, the words coming out all too quickly. After a few moments, Atem thought he heard him say something else however. "All it was," the teen thought Bakura said, "Was something to give me more incentive in murdering 'Zorc'."

As the light continued to stay dim for the next stretch of hall, Atem decided to do as the thief said and drop the subject. Perhaps, he thought as they moved on, this was just something he couldn't fix.

The silence lasted for what felt like hours, the light eventually brightening again before becoming dim once more. It wasn't until he bumped into Bakura however, that he realized they were there.

The light was dim, faded. Recovering, most likely, from the pitch black darkness they'd just moved through. The pair looked up at the door, both frowning at it's enormous golden visage. "This... Is not a 'Ka' door," Atem said with a frown. "Not completely..."

It was covered, almost completely, with images of death and warnings in hieroglyphs. The main theme appeared to be of a clawed, demonic man riding a sphinx however, as its image quickly devoured any other carved 'people' in the design. Oddly enough, the head of the sphinx resembled Malik, while the hairstyle that its demonic rider resembled.. Bakura's frown deepened at the image, as a feeling of heavy weight not unlike possession came over the pair. "Can you feel that," he asked the ex-pharaoh, watching as he nodded.

"I can..." He handed a few cards to the thief, not taking his eyes off the door. "I brought these in case you were right... It would appear we're about to need them." He swallowed, a rumbling sound coming from the door as a deep feeling of loathing and rage came to wrap itself around them. "I just hope it's enough," he added as the heavy feeling increased to a cold, almost electric pulse and the light vanished completely.

"He knows we're here, doesn't he," Bakura said with a sarcastic drawl. "And here I thought we were going to actually make it without problems..."

"Something tells me," the ex-pharaoh said as a crack appeared in the door, "That by the time that happens, it won't matter anymore."

Marik paced his 'chamber', scowling as he occasionally threw some knives at the wall. "Who the hell would come in here," he wondered aloud, stabbing his throne with a duplicate of the millennium rod a few times. "Who would WANT to come here..." The spirit growled, before throwing the 'millennium rod' into the wall and watching the illusion disappear. Murderers... Thieves, ENEMIES, someone with nothing better to do than poke holes and set fire to his charge's soul! Someone with nothing better to do than torment him, someone like... No, he thought, crossing his arms. "What would that lame excuse for a 'pharaoh' possibly want with my charge?" Obviously something, his obsessive mind decided. After all, there was no one else who would EVER have the GALL to break into a soul like this, he was certain of it!

He stopped his pacing, turning to face his door with a sadistic grin. "So there's two," he said as he reached out with his power over the room, shivering with the idea of what he would do to these intruders. A dark smirk came over his face as he recognized both. "They want a game do they?" He cackled, raising his voice for the others to hear. "IF IT'S A GAME YOU WANT, IT'S A GAME YOU'LL GET!"

"SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT!" The door stopped cracking, the three blades appearing from the card Atem held and surrounding the three in light. The image of hope however, was destroyed when the teen spoke again. "These will last for only six minutes, two per blade," he said, swallowing as he gathered his other cards. "'Three turns' essentially..."

As Marik's voice came through the door, Bakura scowled. "I suppose we can't just accept that voice as an 'I was right and you were wrong' pharaoh?" Watching as one of the swords began to vanish, the scowl deepened. "Do you even know how to open that door?"

Atem merely held a frightened smile on his face. "Honestly," he said as the first sword finally vanished from behind them, "I have no clue why he's still holding the illusion that it's still closed..." He shook his head, quickly growing pale as Marik continued laughing from the other side. "All we can do is wait for him to attack..."

"Well isn't that just PEACHY," the thief said with a growl. The next blade began to fade, and he looked through the cards Atem had handed him with raised eyebrow. "You're explaining where you got these once we return to the living realm, Pharaoh."

He nodded, the second sword vanishing as they were left only with the one between them in the door. "Of course." As the walls around them began to spiderweb into cracks and pebbles, he swallowed. "Ready those cards..."

The thief said nothing, merely steeling himself as the ground began to turn and shake beneath their feet. Marik's voice sounded through the room, and the third blade slowly began to vanish as the halls continued to crumble. "Let the games begin," he shouted with the same manic expression he held in Battle City years before, "YOUR HIGHNESSES!"

The third blade vanished, Atem's voice sounding through the room once more. "Electro Magnetic Shield!" An orb appeared around them, seemingly centered on the ex-pharaoh as large chunks of the ceiling fell atop it. They crumbled and fell of the sides in dust, the walls and floor following suit until all that was left was a wall of falling dirt and clay... Even the door had vanished. "Marik!" The teen's voice echoed in the 'room', Bakura merely narrowing his eyes as he looked for signs of movement. "We know you're here! And we mean neither you nor your charge any harm!"

Bakura scoffed as a loud, disturbing cackle echoed and bounced off the shield and unseen debris in the room. "Yes, because MARIK will certainly believe that!" He shook his head, frowning as the laughter continued. "And here I thought you were less naive than your former 'light' Pharaoh, honestly..." He muttered off to himself, while the cackling continued.

As the rubble settled, the pair found themselves looking around the room with sick curiosity. It was a torture chamber, that much was certain. Ropes and metal devices of all sorts hung on the walls, a few racks and even an Iron Maiden visible along the side. Just as they were greeted with this sight however, it all faded into darkness... Before swirling into something completely different.

When the imagery changed, both saw something that made their blood run cold. Bakura stood still, an expression of fear that he hadn't known since he was 4 or 5 years old running through him in that instant. Images of the past replayed before him, his body frozen in place as the 99 others who had been present in his village walked into the smolder. "Bakura..." Was that Atem's voice? He didn't know, he wasn't paying attention. "Bakura?" The screams of his people as they were slaughtered and dropped into a pot of molten gold, gold that ran down into a series of seven molds... "Bakura! Bakura! Snap out of it!"

The shield faltered as Atem attempted to focus his attention and energies into it, willing the screams he heard around him to disappear. 'Why! Why are you doing this!' That was Tea's voice, his sub-conscious told him, she'd been the first to die in his nightmare, heart torn out by his own hands. 'How COULD you!' Tristan and Joey next, and while the latter merely became a card the former's disembodied and bloodied head was more than enough to instill the horrors of killing them both. "BAKURA," he shouted, eyes wide as he attempted in vain to get at least one person to break the illusion. "BAKURA! Remember why we came here," he screamed, face contorted with pain and fear as he struggled to focus on holding the shield. "Remember what we came to do, for Malik's sake!"

'Malik..!' The thief jolted, before snarling. "Try and pull the wool over my eyes will you..." Turning his attention to himself, he shut his eyes and focused on making the illusion loose its grip on him. "Tch..." He scowled as Kul Elna quickly vanished, only to be replaced by the apparent corpses of Atem's closest friends. "What..?" Bakura turned to the ex-pharaoh with raised eyebrows. He'd assumed the moron had broken from his illusion by now, given that he'd snapped him out of his (much to his distaste)... "What's wrong with you," he began with a growl, "Is the great 'Pharaoh' so pathetic he can't simply break an illusion himself?" Ignoring the fact that he couldn't either...

Another crack in the shield as it faltered once more, Atem's sigh of relief quickly covered by his pained expression once more. "I can't focus on two things that require complete attention!" The teen's grip tightened on the card, screams sounding about the room as the image of slaughter continued to play. "If I focus on the illusion the shield will disperse, but by focusing on the shield..." A cry of pain, before he took a few harsh and rasping gasps for air. "We need to find where he's hiding... Force him to lose his grip on the room..."

Bakura stared at him, before turning to the room and gritting his teeth. The shouts were even getting to him now... 'You did this-' 'WHY! WHY ARE YOU HURTING US?' 'No.. NO! Don't c-' 'STOP!' He turned as the teen shuddered under the pressure, knee's buckling as the screams of all he knew, past and present, turned against him. Watching as the shield gave another shudder, he grabbed the pharaoh by the shirt and pulled him up before slapping him across the face. "Get a hold of yourself," he snarled, Atem staring back with wide (if not immensely confused) eyes. "We both entered this place Atem, and I for one intend to leave it with you as well!" He dropped him to the ground, watching as their shield momentarily gained strength before spitting at the ground. "Unless you think Malik can handle a 'Chicken' in his soul."

"I am NOT a chicken!" The card in Atem's hands pulsed, still more energy pouring into the card as the thief merely grinned. Abruptly however, he stopped when he spotted a card by Bakura's feet. "That card... Which one was that..?"

He blinked, picking it up before smirking. "Just what we need..." Bakura held it forwards, before laughing madly. "I cast," he stated in Egyptian with a confident grin, "The Eye of Truth!"

A loud and aggravated scream pierced the room as the card was summoned, shadows and illusions whirling as they fled from the spot. It was almost instant, the reaction. The darkness and torture devices all vanished to be replaced with clean, smooth stone, that of a simple home in Egypt. Pillars rose along the walls, and the ceiling curved upwards into a dome bearing the mural of not the 'demon' riding the sphinx as they saw on the door, but rather the two side by side, grinning. As the shadows finally receded to reveal that same sphinx chained against the wall and silent however, a small yellow form was flung against it. The creature growled, struggling to his feet before glaring at the two. "You..."

The pair stared, both sharing a glance for a brief moment. Atem gave a weak laugh, staring at the golden imp with spines in a style oddly similar to that of 'Yami Marik's hair. "That can't possibly be..." He shook his head, a slightly hysterical smile coming over his face. "There's no way that's..."

He blinked, before responding. "I think... it IS," the thief said with a grin. There was a bit more silence, before the pair burst into laughter, a large tic appearing above the tiny, two-foot tall imp's head.

"I suppose," the ex-pharaoh managed to say between breaths, "That this answers your question Bakura... Malik does indeed have a guardian..." He held a head in his hand, before wiping away some tears from the laughter, "Of the Fabled class!"

"RAAAAAHHH!" The laughter quickly ended as the teens recalled Marik's power over the room of the Ka, finding themselves slammed against the wall by a miniature of the Millennium Rod.

"Gn!" Bakura glared from his position on the wall, before sending a look to Atem. "I don't suppose we can leave now, can we? Because," he forced out as the pressure holding him against the wall increased, "Something tells me that this is as far as the hallway goes." He sneered as the 'imp' form that was Marik pulled up an illusion, soon resembling the 'demon' they'd seen on the ceiling and door.

Atem gave a weak laugh, before it was followed by a groan of pain. "Well," he said as he attempted to turn his head, "If we could reach my cards..." He trailed off, arms held rather firmly on the walls in a 'star' position. "You see where we stand with that, aha..."

The imp, now 'demon' grinned viciously as he moved. "Now then, what are you two SCUM doing in MY charge's soul?"

Against the wall, Bakura scoffed at the familiar possessiveness being displayed. "Oh, nothing really, just deciding whether or not you're the result of a mental disorder or not..."

Before Marik could respond (As it was, he looked livid at the comment), Atem butted in with a gasping attempt at conversation. "We also came because," he said with a wince as he was pushed further into the wall, "In order to grant you a body we must be able to tell you apart from the rest of the Ka..." Struggling to breath as Marik continued to increase the pressure, his voice came out as little more than a rasping and desperate scream as he finished. "It... It would be easier," he managed to get out, "For you to protect Malik that way? Wouldn't it?" There was a final -crunch- before Atem was dropped to the ground, struggling for breath.

Bakura looked down with narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth as he turned his attention from the gravely injured ex-pharaoh to Marik. "Well aren't you so 'POWERFUL'," he said with a sneer, "Trapping us in the only part of the soul that you freely control. You're more pathetic than your Ka form, which," he added with disgust, "Is far more suitable to your being than this 'demon'. Gkh!" He choked, the same crushing sensation coming over him as it had Atem early on.

"And why should I trust YOU," the demon said with a snarl. "You're the reasons why I'm here! The reasons why I need to protect him in the first place!" Marik stalked over, a sadistic grin appearing as the room twisted into the torture chamber they'd entered yet again. Tools came down from the walls, and he cackled. "For all I know, you pieces of trash came to destroy Malik's soul completely!"

He struggled to breath, shaking his head as he struggled to his feet. To his surprise, Bakura brought an arm around him, supporting the teen's weight before turning to face Marik with a scowl. Atem blinked, but chose to ask later. "I don't... Expect anything of you," he said as he turned back, coughing. "And I'm not surprised that you don't trust us..." The teen coughed again, before continuing with a steady gaze. "But before you kill us... Think about the effects that would have on Malik for a moment." He straightened up slightly, griping Bakura's sleeve as he struggled to keep on his feet. "And consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe," he added, "We aren't against you this time."

There was a silence, before they found themselves slammed against the wall again. "LIARS," he roared, hands held towards them as he bared his teeth. "LIARS AND THIEVES!"

"I resent that comment," Bakura weakly said with a grin before finding a torture device of sorts slammed against his mouth. "Gn..."

The demon stalked around the room, pacing as he grinned evilly. "I'm going to enjoy ripping the flesh of both of you," he hissed, eyes wide with madness as he continued. "Strip by strip, before I move on to the REAL fun..."

"What are you doing!" The pair blinked as they were abruptly dropped to the ground, the demonic form of Marik turning as a fourth person entered the room. "And who..."

The others froze as Malik, hand against one of the walls frowned and entered the room. "Malik," the spirit said, before turning on Bakura and Atem. "You're just in time! These fools invaded your soul, and now I'm going to finish them for good!" Marik's grin quickly fell as his charge paled, running to stand between him and the others. "It's a protector's job you know," he added with an insane cackle. "Move aside! These scum need to die, NOW!"

He shook his head, Bakura and Atem watching as Malik scowled. "Like hell I'm letting you do that!" He narrowed his eyes, watching as his so-called 'protector' continued to scowl. He didn't even know where he was- he'd just woken up to look for Atem and Bakura and found nothing but some weird, window sized portal in his basement. After looking at the walls however, he had an idea of where he was. "In fact," he said with a nervous swallow, "You WON'T do that, Marik!"

Marik tensed, his reaction not unlike Grim's had been when the smoke cloud was told by Joey to 'shut up'. While Atem searched around for the card they needed as he de-activated the one that tied him there, Bakura slowly grinned. "Of course... Now that we know what you are, you have no choice but to listen to a command now, don't you..."

While Malik gained a slightly more confident stance at that, his 'protector' merely snarled. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you," he said with a growl, breathing hitched as the room seemed to melt to his command. "I don't care how many orders I have to go against, so long as it means his heart will stay lighter than a feather!" He waved a hand as the floor began to crumble, the others paling as he began cackling. "Even if it means damning myself to the pits of Ammit's stomach! I'll do ANYTHING!"

The floor continued crumbling away, before Bakura and Malik abruptly found themselves grabbed by Atem. "Hold on tight," he shouted, a single card in his hand as Marik began to send the tools and knives from the wall towards them. "RETURN FROM THE DIFFERENT DIMENSION!"

There was a swirl of light and a scream of rage, but a few seconds later the three found themselves collapsed on the floor of Malik's basement. "Guys," a small crushed voice said, Malik and Bakura blinking as they both looked down at the person they were sitting on. "Please move..." Gasping for air, Atem stumbled as Mailk and Bakura helped him up.

"The next time," the thief managed to gasp out as he took a seat on the couch, "You decide to attempt civility with 'Marik'," he said with a weak scowl, "I will personally make sure that anything in your possession mysteriously goes missing before hacking off your limbs with a butter knife!"

Atem merely chuckled, leaning against the couch as well. "Alright Bakura," he said between gasps, watching as Malik collapsed on top of the thief. "Alright..."

As Malik lay beside and on top of Bakura, he attempted to regain his breath before speaking. "That..." He swallowed, before shaking his head slightly. "That was Marik, wasn't he..." The others turned to him in silence, not completely knowing what to say as he continued. "How..." Ignoring the question of how he'd been wandering his own soul, he slowly shook his head as he turned to the others.

"It appears he is not as much a second personality as a 'second soul," Atem began, glancing at Bakura. "Perhaps you should explain... I'm not completely certain of everything myself..."

The thief nodded, turning to Malik to retell the incident, beginning with 'Grim's appearance in the Shadow Realm. It took a while- given the clock on the wall, about an hour actually, but the blond clung to every word of it as he listened. At the end of it all, Atem was sorting through the seemingly endless collection of spell and trap cards he had with him, while Bakura sat back with his arms crossed. Atem turned as the thief finished, smiling. "So," he began, "You understand the connection between 'Charge' and 'Protector' now? Because I'm not sure he's in the mood to explain again." Not to mention the idea that Malik was Marik's 'charge' made it sound all too much like Marik owned the boy- regardless of how it was completely the reverse... So it didn't have the thief in a good mood at all. Malik nodded, before listening as Atem continued. "It explains his control obsessions, that's to be sure..." He held back a laugh. "Considering his size after all..."

Bakura turned to look at Atem for a moment, before the pair looked away and broke into a fit of laughter again. As they finally calmed down, Bakura smirked. "Now then, to get the 'little' bugger out..." As Atem began laughing again, Malik balked.

"Are you two insane!" He drew back, eyes wide. "'Out'? As in 'his own body' out? I don't want that THING running around!" The teen shook his head, scowling. "Did you see him? I didn't even recognize it as Marik when I saw him, he was fucking demonic! Not to mention at least as tall as you are now Atem!" He watched as the pair looked back at each other, before laughing again. "Why the hell are you laughing about this?"

As Atem wiped some tears from his eyes, Bakura raised a hand to prevent his partner from beating the crap out of the ex-pharaoh. "Because what you saw and what WE saw are two very different things.." He smirked, shaking his head as the image appeared in his mind again. "Even if we brought him back in something other than a human body, his true form is only about two feet tall. A weak, pathetic imp," he added with a grin. "All he was doing in your soul was hiding behind a pointless illusion!"

This apparently did nothing to help Atem calm down, as while he held his head in his hand, he continued to shake with laughter. "He even," the teen managed to get out, "He even had the same outfit, cape and all..."

"You're making it very hard to keep a decently neutral face you know," the thief said with a scowl. "Gods Atem, pull yourself together..."

Malik blinked. "Atem? You two are on a first name basis now?"

Before Atem could say much ('I don't have a last name...'), Bakura scoffed. "Hn! A slip of the tongue!" The ex-pharaoh merely shook his head, laughing as he calmed down again.

"Friends with him now 'Kura~" The blond grinned as his partner merely crossed his arms, Bakura becoming quite silent as he glared at the Egyptian. "Never thought I'd see that..."

As the former tomb-keeper continued to tease the thief, Atem tapped his shoulders. "If possible," he said as he cleared his throat, "I think we can begin the ritual to pull Marik out now." As the others turned, the teen continued. "We'll need a vessel of sorts first though, a card or something small until we can prepare the materials for a body as with Bakura.

The others fell silent, before Malik grinned. "A pig," he said, the others raising their eyebrows in response. "He's always HATED pigs!" As Bakura smirked, his partner continued grinning, the expression growing in an attempt to convince the ex-pharaoh.

Atem blinked, before sighing. "That's not a simple container.. It needs to be soulless..." He shook his head. "Not to mention," the teen added, "A corpse would rot away and fall to pieces..." He frowned as he looked at the other two. "H-Hey! Are either of you listening?" He scowled as Bakura continued talking to Malik about how impressive it would be to seal him in a pig, before sighing. "Where would we even find any live swine, this is a city..."

The teen was pulled from his thoughts as a blank card was handed to him, Bakura raising an eyebrow. "I was about to say that a card would work best," he began, before narrowing his eyes. "But where did you get that, Malik..?"

The Egyptian shrugged, watching as Atem took the card with a smile. "You never know what might come in handy... This worked right?"

At Malik's comment, Atem's smile dropped, and he stared. "But... Blank cards are meant entirely for sealing purposes..." Shaking his head in confusion, he decided to let it drop, instead placing the card on the table before taking a seat on the floor. "Now then," he said as he looked to the couple on the couch, "I need you to remain perfectly still, so it's probably best to sit on the couch rather than Bakura's lap..."

The teen blushed, his partner smirking as they moved to opposite ends of the couch. Malik closed his eyes, letting out a nervous breath as he closed his eyes. "Alright... I'm ready."

Atem also nodded, holding his palms together as he muttered quietly in Egyptian. "Great God Anubis, and Goddess Nephthys, I ask a favor in a journey of the soul," Slowly, his spirit moved, cloaked by the spell to avoid detection entered into Malik's making sure to keep his emotions and intentions cleared and to himself. In a few moments, he was standing in the same hall as before, his head brushing the ceiling as he looked himself over.

He was transparent really- in fact, Atem noted with a blink, one could scarcely discern him from the walls. From there, it was easy. He flew through the halls, wings held tight as he charged through. His body passed through any obstacles that Marik had, within the last hour, placed up in defense, leaving no evidence of his existence. Silently, he arrived at the door to the Ka room, floating inside to find Marik only to stare.

The imp, Marik having forgone his illusion for the moment, was currently sitting in his false thrown and throwing equally fake wineglasses against the opposite wall. "Hypocritical slime," he shouted as a glass hit the wall, "Overstuffed bag of shit!" Another glass slammed against the wall, Atem watching with a nervous and silent laugh as Marik shouted insults for each glass.

Eventually, the bird shook his head, stalking over to stand behind the imp and raising his arms. He swallowed. Careful now... If he was noticed before he grabbed the imp he'd be screwed...

"GAH!"

The imp was scooped up, squirming as Atem gripped him tightly and breaking for it. "Time to leave," he shouted as Marik snarled, clawing viciously at his arms.

"LET ME THE FUCK GO," he shouted, wings beating in Atem's face as the bird continued on. "LET ME GO YOU FUCKING ASS EATING CUNT!" He winced as the profanity continued, Marik moving from shouting and scratching at the bird's face to using the razor sharp teeth he'd come to love his body for. "HNNGGRAAAAH!"

The bird jolted, but tightened his hold as he flew through the halls. "Stop struggling Marik, or I'll take up the challenge of sealing you in a pig!"

Marik continued struggling, possibly more so as an almost pleading tone mixed with his incensed one. "MURDERER! LET ME GO YOU FUCKING MURDERING BASTARD!" Eyes narrowed as what could possibly be dots of tears appeared in the corners, his screaming increasing in volume. "LET ME OUT!"

Atem found himself shouting back angrily, particularly as the imp managed to take a sharp swipe at his cheek. "Please, as if I would even consider killing you!" Granted, in Marik's defense, it would have likely topped his list a number of years prior this day... He continued down the hall, the door to Malik's soul room coming into view. "I don't expect you to thank me for this, but I would hope I'm not murdered for my efforts! Now... COOPERATE!"

With that last word, Malik sat up with a jolt, almost hearing something as two beams of light shot from his chest. "What, what the hell?" He stared, an eyebrow raised incredulously as the two lights left his body, one slamming into the card, and the other hitting Atem's body with such force that it was knocked back on the floor.

"Ung..." The two on the couch blinked as Atem began to groan, holding his head. "I assume it worked," he said under his breath, the others raising their eyebrows as injuries sustained in the soul-room appeared on his body.

As if to double check, they looked over at the card, watching as an image appeared. It took a few moments... But in the end, a small imp dressed in an outfit apparently identical to 'Yami Marik's own during Battle City appeared. The two 3000 year old Egyptians burst into fits of laughter again, Malik merely grabbing the card and staring.

He was finally 'gone', he thought to himself. Marik was finally out of his mind.

As he smirked, he chose to blatantly ignore the enraged expression on the card, instead opting to laugh with the other two as well. There were things that people bonded over he supposed, pushing back the thought that Marik still would have looked better as a pig.

Apparently, one of those 'bonding activities' involved breaking into a soul and being chased out by a crazed guardian inside it, before breaking in again to seal said guardian in a card.

In hindsight, Malik decided, his life was completely fucked up.