I will openly admit, I already had a nice chunk of this chapter wrote up before I had even finished the last one.

"Sorry about this. I needed to walk away before I said or did something stupid," Kat apologized bitterly in Arabic.

Marik looked down at the girl in surprise. "You know Arabic?" he replied back in his native language.

She looked up at him with a 'duh' expression on her face. "I've been around for five millennia and I live in Egypt."

He blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, right…" There was a short awkward silence. "So, uh...why are you dragging me along to...wherever?"

"I needed a distraction and you were the closest one. If I'm by myself, I'll just spiral downwards and get more pissed off. And then I'll end up doing something beyond stupid," she stated irritably.

"Where exactly are we going?"

Kat stopped, still holding fast to Marik's arm. "I'm not sure, but it would probably be best to change you out of your school uniform."

She snapped her fingers and Marik was covered momentarily in flames. He didn't have time to do anything other than instinctively cover his eyes with his free arm. When he removed the arm from his face he noticed he was wearing the same lavender hoodie from Battle City. Looking down, he realized the hoodie wasn't the only thing that he was wearing from the tournament. It was also the same pair of black cargo pants, belt, and shoes, along with all the gold jewelry he had donned. There was also a familiar weight on his lower back. He had forgotten about the Millennium Rod being back in his possession.

"You'll have to forgive me, I haven't seen you in much else. It suits you really well though."

"I think I can answer Yugi's question for you when I see him later," Marik said in amazement.

Kat smiled lightly. "Yes, my flames do give me away don't they?"

He extended his arm behind his back, retrieving the Rod and offering it back to the girl attached to him. "I don't care how you got this, but could you put it back before the Pharaoh sees me with it? He's not exactly fond of it being in my possession, and honestly neither am I."

She looked at the object in his outstretched palm, then back at Marik. "You worry too much about what he thinks," she said bitterly, placing her hand over top of the relic. It vanished in a swirl of flames, returning to where she had originally summoned it from.

"You're really not a fan of the Pharaoh I take it?"

Kat began walking again, Marik's arm still fully trapped in her grasp. "I'm feeling a bit hungry. Anywhere you might suggest?" she asked, evading the question.

Marik took the hint, dropping the subject entirely. "There's this really good place that I go to regularly. Mostly though because it has a lot of vegan options."

She turned her sapphire gaze up at him. "Huh, I would have never guessed?"

"What's that?"

"That you don't eat meat. Talk about awkward."

It was Marik that stopped this time, his lavender eyes looking down at the girl that refused to release his arm. "I am not 'awkward' for choosing to not exploit animals for food."

Kat quickly released him, placing her hands up in explanation. "What!? No! That's not what I meant! It's just that...well…" She opened her mouth and pointed at a set of fangs.

Marik's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I don't get it?"

She huffed out a sigh. "I'm a predator. I eat meat...raw ...preferably while still warm."

Marik blanched and felt sick to his stomach. "You...eat...living animals?"

Kat noticed Marik's nauseated appearance. "You know what, forget I said anything! So where's this place you were talking about?" she asked, trying to distract him.

He eyed her warily as he waited for his stomach to settle. The way she constantly stared with her eyes reminded him of a cat studying something they found curious and interesting. On occasion she would even turn her head to the side slightly in a feline way.

"If you don't want to get something to eat, we can go do something else. I can grab something later," she stated.

Marik suddenly felt guilt for his accusatory tone towards her food preferences. He finally realized what she had meant by 'predator'. "You're the cat that showed me what happened to Bakura…"

Her eyes lit up at his recognition. "Yeah! I should apologize by the way. I wasn't getting anywhere with Kura, and after I took his host...he just got angrier. When you visited his Soul Room, it provided me with an anchor between his mind and yours. I knew he wouldn't just sit by after your trespass. I figured I would show you what happened, then hope for you to pass along my message."

"I almost didn't. It was the statue of Ma'at in his Soul Room and his mention of Isfet that caused me to say anything at all."

Kat looked away, contemplating. "I see. No point dwelling on it I suppose. It was a risk that luckily paid off." She turned and began walking away.

"Did you still want me to show you where that restaurant was?" Marik called out.

She stopped, looking back over her shoulder. "Only if you want to. I think I've calmed down enough to not think or do anything too reckless."

He walked up and stopped beside her, offering his arm. "I can't exactly head back just yet anyway. Yugi's grandfather thinks he and I are still at school." Marik looked down at her with a small smile. "Besides, I didn't really get to eat my lunch earlier and I can't pass up the opportunity to show off my favorite restaurant."

Kat smiled, delicately cupping her hand into the crook of his extended elbow. "Who knew I had kidnapped a proper gentleman!" she giggled as he led the way.

The restaurant was only a few blocks from where they were, making the walk feel short. It was a small establishment that one would order at a window and either sit inside or take their meal to go.

"I'll let you order for the both of us. I want to see what you enjoy so much about this place," Kat stated while shoving a credit card in his hand. "I'll be waiting over at the table in the corner."

Marik began to protest, but she had already walked away. He sighed, then walked over to the counter to place their order. As he waited for their food to be ready, he glanced over where Kat had taken a seat. She was looking out the window, but appeared to be elsewhere entirely. Was she still mulling over what might have happened had he not delivered her message? Or were her thoughts of what Osiris had said to her. That's when he remembered how the god had referred to both her and Bakura. Heir of Ra. Daughter of Anubis. Were they really both children of the ancient gods?

"Mind if I ask something regarding you and Bakura?" he questioned as he brought over their bowls of food and returned her card.

"Sure," she said, examining the dish he had placed before her.

"Osiris referred to the two of you as Heir of Ra and Daughter of Anubis."

"Yeah…" she said casually. "I'm sure Kura is having a fit about you finding that out. He and Mal aren't exactly Ra's favored. They both hate having anything to do with him."

"Malik too?! I thought he was an Ishtar?"

"He is. Just because he was sired by Ra doesn't mean he was raised by him. We were raised by our mortal families. Neither he nor Kura knew about their connection to Ra until after their Awakenings. Same for me with Anubis. I was led to believe that my father was a mercenary and that it was the reason I only saw him between the end of akhet and the beginning of peret," she stated, referring to the old names for the seasons of flooding and crop growing.

"The gods walked this world disguised as regular people?"

"I know Anubis did. It's not hard to believe others would as well. Think about all the other cultures where the Gods were known to take on mortal forms just to have a bit of 'fun'."

Marik shrugged his shoulders and nodded in concurrence. He'd read enough Greek literature to know that Zeus was a horny bastard that enjoyed having his way with human women.

"So you all thought you were normal humans until your...'Awakening' I think you called it?"

Kat nodded. "Yeah. We lived and aged just as mortals did until the day of our first death. That's when our true nature was revealed and we discovered that we no longer aged and couldn't die."

"How old were you when it happened?"

She thought for a second, trying to remember. "Mal and I were both sixteen. Our Awakenings weren't that far apart. Kura nearly made it to eighteen I think."

"If you don't mind me asking…um...how did you...you know…"

Kat looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it. At least not right now."

"That's okay. It's not really any of my business. So what do you think?" he indicated towards the bowl that she had been slowly eating.

She stared down at the bowl of hot vegetables and soba noodles. "It's not my preference, but it's not bad either. I can kind of see why you like it, though I think it would go great with some cooked lamb." Kat spaced out a bit at the mentioning of 'lamb'. "I have to get Kura back into a kitchen. He makes the best roast lamb with this amazing sauce…" she was nearly drooling at the thought.

"I take it he's a really good cook?" Marik questioned, trying to picture Bakura with a chef's hat and apron.

"You have no idea. He's spent centuries perfecting his recipes. Probably to ensure we had something edible since Mal is a caveman when it comes to cooking, and I'm...let's just say I'm not allowed near a kitchen at all," she laughed lightly.

He raised a perplexed brow. "You're a fire elemental and you can't cook?"

"I'm….not too good on the whole slow and consistent temperature thing…" she replied sheepishly.

Marik tried to contain his amusement at the idea of her turning a lamb leg into charcoal. He failed miserably as he let out a short burst of laughter. Kat's glare made him quickly regain composure.

"Sorry. Couldn't help it," he choked.

She looked at him, unamused. "I bet."

Marik tried to quickly think of a new subject. "So, uh, you have a favorite place...or time...or something…?" he asked nervously.

Kat closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. As she reopened her eyes she turned her head, gazing off into the distance. "Eh, it's all the same. I'm not like Kura and Mal. I haven't found where I fit yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Mal is more muscle than brains, which made the early days perfect for him. He really enjoyed fighting in the colosseums. He loved getting the opportunity to show off his prowess in battle. Kura on the other hand started out as the King of Thieves in the early days. He's always enjoyed the finer things in life. Victorian England was the best for him though. By that time we had amassed more than enough wealth, and he enjoyed showing it off. Not only that, but he loves absorbing as much new knowledge as he can, but he loves flaunting it even more. Victorian England was full of galas and dinner parties hosted by the rich. He would spend entire evenings conversing with only the most affluent people in the room." She paused, her eyes focused on a time from long ago. "Throughout history there has been little room for a woman like me. Women have been expected to be docile and subservient. To be shown off like a prized pet. I could take up arms against a group of seasoned warriors and win, but their downfall would be seen as they were probably old and weak. I wasn't seen as a fine warrior like Mal. If I spoke up during a conversation to correct someone's inaccuracy, I was told to know my place and go join the other women discussing the latest fashions. Kura could do the same and there would be some debating followed by laughter and an invite to another party."

"I'm sorry," Marik said quietly.

"For what? It's not your fault," she said, still melancholic. "There was a time I felt...accepted. But that's only because…" she let out a wistful sigh. "...it was only because of him."

Marik perked his head up. "You mean the Pharaoh?"

She nodded. "...yeah."

He had avoided bringing it up, but the topic of the Pharaoh appeared to be unavoidable. "The two of you were friends?"

"Something like that. He spoiled me, you know. Allowing me to get away with things no one else could," she said in a quiet voice.

"So I've heard…" Marik muttered quietly, recalling Yami's retelling of his recently acquired memory.

His words caught Kat's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Weren't you the girl he saw in the Puzzle the other day? The one that led him to his memory of meeting you?" Marik asked in confusion. He was certain just as she had been the one to lead him into the vision, she had been the one who led the Pharaoh to the memory.

"That wasn't me…?" she looked at him puzzled. "What exactly did he remember?"

"He mentioned grabbing you by the hand and forced you to look at him as an equal. Then something about making you a promise in exchange for friendship."

Kat paused in contemplation. "He remembered how we first met….but why now?"

"I'm not sure. But then again I'm not entirely certain of your history together other than the two of you were friends. I'm going to assume you were very close based on what you said to Osiris."

"Yeah…sure…" she stated bitterly.

"Can I ask you something? Did he really give you a false name?"

"Of course he did! For some reason he hated when I called him Sa-nesu. So since I couldn't call him that, and I wasn't permitted to know his true name yet, he made up a fake one."

"Please don't tell me it was Yugi…" Marik said while covering his face, feeling he already knew the answer.

Kat stared at him, shocked. "…yeah….it was. Is that all he remembered? Nothing beyond that day?"

Marik lowered his hand. "I was right. He is the dumbest Pharaoh ever. And no, he didn't mention remembering anything after that."

Kat chuckled lightly. "I agree with the 'dumb' part. He might have been excellent when it came to strategy, but he lacked common sense. Always over-analyzing everything. It made him a bit paranoid at times because he would somehow convince himself that there was always an ulterior motive behind everyone's actions. I understood of course, he was Pharaoh after all and it's how he was taught. Still made him annoying as hell though. Had to smack him upside the head a few times because of it."

"So it's not just me that he does that with. Good to know," he commented in amusement.

"If he keeps it up, ask him if he remembers my warning about saying dumb shit," she said with a smirk.

Marik wondered what she meant by that, but felt it was probably best not to ask so he just nodded. Kat appeared to be in a much better mood than when she had stormed off from the park, towing him reluctantly along.

"I'm starting to think there's a very good reason why Malik and Bakura are afraid of you," Marik said with a small chuckle.

She laughed. "I got into a lot of fights in my youth. My name was just part of the many of the reasons. People mocking the fact that my Ama-shae was a courtesan didn't help either. It got really bad when word got out I received special treatment from a certain someone. Unfortunately my temper only got worse after my Awakening. We won't mention how many times I've razed a city because someone said or did something to piss me off. Part of the reason I kidnapped you. Kura would never let me live it down if I added Domino to the list. He still delights in reminding me of London…" she pouted at the last bit.

"What happened in London?"

"Which time?" Kat asked sheepishly.

Marik looked at her in confusion. "You've done it more than once?"

She cowed a little, fidgeting her fingers while looking up at him. "Maybe…?"

"Wow. Just...wow. Multiple times? Because someone made you mad? Ever consider a therapist?"

Kat looked at him with a bored expression. "You know, I never would have thought of that," she said sarcastically. "Tell me, where would I have found a shrink during the Ptolemaic era? Or what about in feudal Japan? I'm certain the ones in Victorian London would have been more than willing to listen to the ravings of a woman that had been around for millennia. They totally wouldn't have locked me away in a sanitarium."

"I guess you've got a point there," Marik said, feeling stupid for the therapist comment. "No wonder you and Bakura have issues."

"What did you expect? For the longest time it was just me, him, and Mal. We couldn't talk to others about the shit we dealt with. Hell, there were times we got sick of looking at one another and would go our separate ways for a few years. When we were together we would practically torment each other out of sheer boredom. I'm certain Kura is still pissed about that crate of napalm that I set off while he was standing next to it."

"Okay then….I completely understand why Bakura has trust issues," Marik remarked, leaning away from the crazy person sitting across from him.

This provoked another laugh from Kat. "This is nice," she said, smiling.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Having a conversation with someone that doesn't look at me like...well...it's hard to explain." She closed her eyes, struggling to find the words she was looking for. "I've told you a bunch of shit that would make most people think I'm stark-raving mad. I practically kidnapped you and you still joined me for a meal, which was pretty good I have to admit. I don't feel like I'm talking to someone that is awed to be in the presence of an all powerful ancient entity. It feels like...like…" she looked directly across the table, making eye contact with Marik. "It makes me feel human again. I don't feel like the daughter of a god, or an elemental, or someone that has been around for millennia."

Marik wasn't entirely certain what she meant, but he got the idea. He guessed it was kind of like how he felt when Yugi and Joey started talking to him as though Battle City hadn't happened. Sure, it got brought up from time to time, but there were no accusations or blame towards him.

"I guess belonging to a clan that is focused on ancient history just helps me look past a lot of that stuff. Plus don't forget my life has been full of magic relics and the spirit of a dead Pharaoh. Adding millennia old elementals to the list is just par for the course," he joked lightly.

Kat took out her phone (which Marik wondered where it had been hidden) and checked the screen. "You'll probably need to start heading home soon," she stated, appearing sad at the thought.

"Not really. It's a Friday and I can get my makeup work from Téa. I can always text Yugi and tell him I'll be home late," he said. He was starting to enjoy being around his small kidnapper, admitting to himself that he found her intriguing.

She looked at him excitedly. "Well, I haven't really explored much of the city. I've walked through it plenty of times, but haven't really checked anything out."

"Knowing your connection to the Pharaoh and Bakura, I'm surprised you haven't spent more time here."

"Oh, I've spent lots of time here, but only as an observer. I'm not exactly on vacation. But seeing as Bakura is re-Awakened, I think I can squeeze in a day away from being a sentinel."

"I don't suppose you have any places in particular you're interested in?"

Kat crossed her arms and contemplated for a few minutes. "I'm not sure? Where do you like to go when you're with your friends?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Well, we usually spend a lot of our free time playing Duel Monsters and trying out different deck strategies against one another. I don't suppose you play?"

"Kinda can't," she said dejectedly. "Can't really play any card games. I can shift my vision to the burning element in the lights around you and see your entire hand. Comes in handy when playing poker though."

"Rules that idea out then. There's an arcade we visit. Those games are more about skill than strategy. Or we can just wander the mall. There's a lot of nice shops to check out."

"Hmmm...both the arcade and the mall sound tempting….but, I have beyond human level hand-eye coordination so that's kinda cheating...and if I go to the mall I'll probably find more useless junk and clothes that will just end up sitting in the back of a storage closet. Anywhere you would go if it was just you?"

"Probably someplace you would find boring," Marik said halfheartedly.

"Try me. I've literally watched paint dry out of sheer boredom. It can't be worse than that."

"Well...there is this motorcycle shop across town I've been wanting to check out…"

Kat's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah? Does it have full cycles or just parts? I hope it's both! I wonder if they can get a fuel tank for a 1940 Indian 440 four-cylinder?! I've been procrastinating on restoring the one I have," she rambled excitedly.

"You restore motorcycles?" Marik questioned in utter astonishment.

"Usually I fabricate from the ground up, but I've been busy fixing my '69 GTO Judge. I kind of wrapped it around Mal's stupid head after I drug his ass out of the Shadow Realm. Small payback for the bullshit he pulled with me and Kura."

Somehow Marik was more surprised at the fact that Kat was into motorcycles and classic muscle cars than he was at the idea of her chasing down and running over the former Ishtari with a car.

"I guess it's settled then. We're going to check out a motorcycle shop!" he said smiling. They stood up and took care of their bowls, then proceeded to make their way across town.

I liked the idea of Kat switching to Arabic for just the two of them. I look at it as her way of making Marik a bit more comfortable with her.

For anyone that wonders if somehow the Pharaoh was able to manipulate the past through his 'memory', I will explain in a much later chapter (after the Pharaoh has fully regained his memories) how/why he actually used the name 'Yugi' in the past.