Big battle in this chapter! Minor TW for mention of blood and temp death. I only mention, because I care about my reader's mental health. I know how dumb some triggers can be (I had a hypervigilance episode because I was worried about your reactions to chapter 13).

Note before you delve into this chapter: 'NI' is not a misspelling. It is completely intentional.

Kat didn't wait for an answer as she rushed out of the building.

"Where did you see him?" Mkhai asked, his tone conveying the seriousness of the situation.

"In the park by where we summoned the transport obelisk," Bakura replied.

"On our way." Mkhai hung up the phone and began to rush after his sister.

"Wait! We're coming with you!" Yugi called out.

Mkhai stopped and faced him from the top of the stairs. "That's probably not a good idea. Anubis is here with his generals, that means he came prepared for a fight. We've been handling this kind of stuff for millennia, you've nothing to worry about. Just stay here where you will be out of harm's way."

Yugi gave him a stern look. "Bakura said Anubis showed up where the obelisk was summoned that took us to the Halls of Osiris. Since returning from the Halls, Marik has been able to see both me and the Pharaoh when we aren't in control of our shared body. That's not all, over the course of the past week the Pharaoh has been led into a memory twice. You can't tell me this is all coincidence?"

Mkhai scratched at the back of his head, mulling over what to do. "….you have a point. I don't suppose you know how to summon Ka? That could give us an edge if anything."

Yugi looked at Marik then at Yami. Both shrugged while shaking their heads. "Doesn't look like it. Sorry." Yugi replied.

Mkhai gave an exasperated groan, fighting internally. "On one hand, leaving you here leaves you unprotected in the event this is some sort of trap. On the other, having you on the battlefield could make keeping you safe difficult, especially since you're essentially defenseless. Gods….this is really gonna piss off my sister…" he stated as he motioned for them to follow.

Yugi and Marik quickly changed into their street clothes before following the tattooed immortal. They ran to the section of park where they had first encountered the other immortals the day before. Both Kat and Bakura stood out in the open, rigidly facing three figures several meters away.

Two of the figures looked like the stereotypical Anubis figure that most people pictured of the jackal-headed deity. Both were tall, black, anthropomorphic jackals dressed in a simple gold and silver schenti. Both had simple golden jewelry such as bracers and armbands, along with a wesekh and ankh around each of their necks. Both bore a golden Nemes headdress that flared down from behind their elongated ears. The only discernible differences between the two was that while one was lean and thin with smooth muscles, the other was a hulking beast that emanated an aura of raw strength. The lean one bore a gold and black khopesh on its hip, while the other bore only its elongated claws. Both turned their shiny, black eyes towards the approaching group, the lean one cocking its head to the side in curiosity.

Kat turned her head to the group that had approached. "What the hell are they doing here?! They're not safe here!" she growled angrily.

"I had no way of protecting them in case this was some sort of diversion tactic. I figured the odds were better with them being here," Mkhai replied defensively.

"Great. Just great," she growled in agitation. "I wish Mal were here. We're definitely going to be needing the extra muscle."

A body formed up from the earth, making a flourished bow before Kat. "Your wish is my command."

"Not the time, dumbass," she scolded irritably.

The simple smile that had been on Malik's face vanished. "You don't have to be mean about it," he pouted.

Kat looked back across the field to where the third figure was standing. It was a humanoid man with blackened skin. He wore an elaborate black and gold schenti, along with a golden chain that had several pendants hanging loosely from it around his waist. The elaborate jewelry that he donned was similar to the jackal's simple embellishments. He also had elaborate golden claws on the tips of each finger, which grasped themselves around a black and gold Was Scepter-like staff. Instead of a Nemes headdress, the dark being had a blackened jackal skull that had been fashioned into a half-mask. The razor sharp teeth of the skull had been coated in gold, along with the insides of a set of elongated ears that had been preserved atop it. A golden ankh had been painted dead center of the forehead of the mask, long dreadlocks of black and gold spilling from the top and back in place of hair.

"Kura, do you think you can summon and stand guard?" she questioned the pale immortal beside her.

"I haven't tested my summoning ability yet, and my body is still acclimating to the magae. I guess we'll just have to find out," Bakura replied with uncertainty.

Kat looked towards Malik. "What about you?"

Malik looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I've lost my ability to summon entirely."

"Damn. Talking about playing with a partial deck," Kat stated in frustration.

Yugi looked towards Mkhai. "Why does this almost seem like they are prepping for a duel?"

"They essentially are. Right now Kat is checking to see what is available to them so she can weigh their strengths against her opponent. Anubis hasn't made a move yet, but she's very familiar with his tactics," he replied.

"So instead of using cards to battle, she's using Malik and Bakura."

"Essentially, yes. Most likely she'll have them go after the generals, Danjir and Vanjir."

The central dark figure, which Yugi and Marik could easily guess was Anubis, stepped forward between his two generals, removing the jackal skull from his face and attaching it to the chain on his side. He stared at the group with eyes that were shiny black, bright blue irises burning in their centers. He grinned, revealing elongated canines.

"It is good to see you, my beloved Sanura," Anubis' voice rang loud and clear across the field.

An animal-like growl resonated deep from within the flame elemental's chest as she bared her own fangs at the jackal god as a reply.

"Ah yes. How could I forget? You dislike your true name. Choosing to go by the one that woman gave to you instead," Anubis derided.

"You didn't bring your generals along for a social visit," Kat snarled in contempt.

"No, I did not. I am here to collect something, or rather someone, that belongs to me."

"A little early don't you think?" she spat in reply.

Anubis glowered at the daughter that challenged him. "I have shown you the ritual and given what was necessary to complete it. Why do you still hesitate?"

"He has begun to remember, and I will not deny him what is his."

"How benevolent of you. He betrays you, yet those mortal emotions of yours still keep you bound to him. The very same emotions that led you to beg for my assistance. We made a bargain. You promised me a soul. I will have it."

"NI!" Kat roared, followed by a short string of words in an unknown tongue.

The grin on Anubis' face soured. He stepped back, replacing the dark mask on his face. He shouted an order in the same unknown language to the two jackals on either side of him, causing the leaner one to brandish its khopesh and the larger one's claws to extend even further.

Bakura tensed up and shouted something in the Kemetic tongue, raising a hand towards the Shadows above. Lightning flashed around him as a large, gray beast with the upper torso of a man fused with the body and head of a serpent from the waist down appeared. The monster's eyes glowed a deep amber, with lines that resembled tears etching into the flesh below. Its wings held it aloft as the serpent half hissed in the direction of the generals. Bakura pointed towards them, shouting an order in Kemetic. The beast flew head-on, attacking both opponents.

"Diabound and I will try to buy you some time. I can't promise to hold them off for long," Bakura stated gravely.

Kat nodded, then faced Malik. "If you can't summon, you're gonna have to shift."

Malik timidly took a step back. "But...I don't want to. What if...I hurt someone?"

Yugi looked towards Mkhai. "What does she mean by 'shift'?"

"Hmmm...how to best explain it." Mkhai scratched the side of his head. "You know how the Kemetic gods are usually at least part beast in appearance? Well, same concept. Like the gods, the three of them can 'shift' between appearing as humans, to appearing as….well...their true forms."

"Like how Kat is ironically a cat?" Marik commented, remembering how he realized she was the black feline that had led him to the truth about how Bakura became entrapped in the Ring.

"Exactly! They shift in phases. For the first phase they will still for the most part appear human, with obvious signs that they are animalistic in nature. Take Anubis' appearance for example. That is a first phase shift. He looks like a man, but his skin and eyes mark him as something more."

"Malik appears afraid to shift. Why is that?" Marik questioned.

"As I said, they slowly change into their true forms. I'm certain you noticed Kat's more feline-like behavior. She's like that at all times, and has learned to control her baser animal instincts. Malik however doesn't display his more beastial traits until he shifts, meaning he has a harder time controlling them."

Kat took one of Malik's hands gently into her own, speaking softly to him. "I won't let that happen."

"Promise?"

Kat nodded. Malik lowered his head then removed his shirt, revealing marred carvings on both biceps and down the length of his back. He also removed his boots, tossing them and the shirt aside. He reached behind his neck, untying the wesekh from around it. He stared down at the beaded object in his hand, slowly holding it out to the girl in front of him.

She motioned towards Marik. "Give it to him."

"What?!" both Ishtars shouted in unison, staring at the girl in disbelief.

Kat walked over towards the Tomb Keeper. "It's no different than wielding the Millennium Rod. Just direct him, and he'll obey. Plus, if he senses his master is in danger he'll jump to your defense, which will help keep the two of you safe."

"You make it sound like he's going to become a mindless puppet," Marik commented.

"That's putting it mildly. Look, we don't have time to debate this. Take the collar and direct him towards the big one. It's as simple as that."

Marik slowly held out his hand for the object the other Ishtar held.

Malik extended his hand shakily, the beaded collar clutched tightly in his palm. He hovered it just over the Tomb Keeper's own outstretched palm. "She's trusting you, so I have no choice but to do the same. Do not let me hurt anyone other than the jackals," he said quietly, his voice quivering.

Marik was shocked. The being he was so terrified of, was actually terrified of himself? He looked up at the former Ishtari, seeing the fear in his eyes. "I'll do my best," he said with a nod.

Malik stared hard down at the smaller Ishtar, taking a deep breath before releasing the wesekh from his grasp. The moment he let go, he grasped at the sides of his head, hunching over and crying out in pain. Marik began to take a step forward to make sure the other Ishtar was alright, but both Kat and Mkhai placed a hand out, stopping him.

"Once he comes to, make sure he goes after Vanjir. That's the name of the big brute over there. That will leave Danjir for Bakura. With both occupied, I can focus on Anubis," Kat ordered, walking back to her place on the field.

Malik's painful screaming had subsided. He was still hunched over, but his hands were no longer digging at his temples. They hung lifelessly to his sides. He looked like a lifeless puppet that was leaning forward. Slowly, his shoulders began to rise and fall, low sadistic laughter accompanying the movement. As he straightened up, his well defined muscles began to ripple and bulge, forcing the veins beneath to physically show. The nails on his fingers and toes elongated to resemble claws, the hair on his head bristling and elongating to look even more like a lion's mane than it had before. The sadistic laughter began to crescendo and become distorted as his face came into view. The veins across his face became visible, as they had during Battle City. The wide, sinister smile that stretched across his face revealed that he, too, bore a set of elongated fangs. His eyes were wide, the lavender being replaced by bright golden amber, the pupils constricting to tiny black dots in their centers. He slowly looked down at the one that held his collar, the laughter subsiding but the look on his face remaining.

Marik trembled at the sight. He had been terrified of the being that had taken hold of his body and mind during Battle City. After the previous day's events he had been able to push down that fear enough to not run at the sight of Malik. All that had come undone though. The entity before him emanated the same dark aura that Marik had felt in the back of his mind, that he had felt crawling beneath his very skin. He hadn't realized how much more terrifying that entity could become until now. The other had been somewhat aware, able to control itself. This one was completely mindless, awaiting its master's order.

Marik felt a cool breeze flutter across his face.

"Tomb Keeper! Get a hold of yourself! You are in control."

Bakura's voice spoke as though he were right beside Marik, even though he was still out on the field, looking off to the side towards both Ishtars.

"I can't…" Marik's voice quivered, the fear within still holding him tight.

Bakura's lips moved from where he was standing, his voice being carried by his element to Marik's ears. "Marik, this is a duel. We are the cards on the field. Right now I'm the monster on the field that is defending you, but I won't be able to hold out forever. Mal is your offensive summon. You have to command him and send him after your opponent's strongest monster. Kat will be the one attacking Anubis directly, but she can't do that with a high defense monster able to block the attacks."

The sinister smile on Malik's face vanished, sensing his master's unease and uncertainty towards him. He crouched down on the tips of his toes, staring up at the teen before him. His eyes were still wide as he studied Marik, as if trying to determine if the boy was indeed worthy of being considered his 'master'. He twitched his gaze to the field then quickly back to the teen, breathing heavily as he did so.

Marik heard Bakura cry out in pain, forcing him to look away from the beast that crouched before him. The elemental was holding his wrist, blood slowly trickling down the back of his hand. Marik followed his gaze towards where the large gray Ka was on the field. The leaner jackal, Danjir, was being forcefully held in the same hand of the Ka that Bakura was bleeding from. It repeatedly sliced at the monster's wrist in an attempt to force the Ka and its master to let go. The snake half was feebly holding the larger jackal, Vanjir, by keeping itself wrapped tightly around it. The general dug its claws deeply into the serpent's spine, Bakura crying out again and dropping to one knee. A flash of midnight and gold leapt and ran up the length of the Ka, landing next to where Danjir was still hacking away at the monster's wrist. The figure jerked the khopesh from the general's clawed hand and threw it onto the field. Marik quickly realized the figure was Kat, even though she now had a set of black cat ears and tail to match.

Vanjir managed to muscled his way out of Diabound's grasp. Bakura was barely upright, panting heavily. Kat jumped down to take on the massive jackal, but the general merely swatted her away like a pesky insect, flinging her across the field. Malik quickly stood facing the battle, emitting a bestial growl as he did. His muscles twitched as he stood by in anticipation. He looked back at the smaller Ishtar, his eyes begging and pleading to let him join the fray.

Marik did his best to swallow his fear, giving Malik a simple nod to indicate he was being permitted to fight. The former Ishtari appeared to know his role well, even in his current state, by going straight for Vanjir. Even though the jackal was nearly double his size, Malik was able to stop its advance towards the mortals easily. He dodged and weaved around the massive general, his beastial movements allowing him to quickly evade and attack, drawing the general's focus.

Bakura was back on his feet, his flesh already stitching itself back together now that it wasn't being assaulted relentlessly. He ordered Diabound to keep Danjir occupied.

The top of Anubis' staff changed from the head of a Was scepter to the head of a spear. His body morphing into the anthropomorphic jackal that people associated him as. Kat stood opposed to him, crouched low. Her ears were flattened against her skull and the tip of her tail flicked angrily back and forth. Both growled at the other, flashing sharpened fangs. Anubis struck first, lashing out with his spear. Kat evaded by dropping low on all fours, counterattacking by leaping at her foe with a summoned sword made of flame. They parried and danced around each other's attacks, occasionally landing a strike on the other, but paying no heed to the strikes that landed on themselves.

To those watching on the side, the battle appeared to be in their favor. Malik's sadistic grin had returned, and he laughed as he toyed with his opponent by slashing at Vanjir then leaping quickly out of the way. The general became angrier and angrier with each missed swing, snarling at the elemental beast.

Danjir wasn't fairing the greatest either. He had managed to wriggle his lean body out of Diabound's grasp, and had even retrieved his khopesh. He sliced at the enormous Ka, but wasn't able to get close enough to cause any damage due to the serpent half keeping him at a distance.

The general stepped back slowly, calculating his next move. He spoke something in the immortal's unknown tongue, causing the other general to cease his failing attack and step back from his opponent as well. Vanjir leapt directly towards Bakura, while Danjir leapt directly towards Marik, Yugi, and Mkhai. Malik instinctively rushed to protect his master, while Diabound rushed to do the same.

Vanjir reached his target first, grabbing Bakura by the neck and snapping it. Diabound vanished as the general tossed the lifeless body aside, then rushed to join Danjir. Malik placed himself directly between the two generals and his master, beast-like growls warning the jackals to halt their advance.

"What do we do?!" Marik shouted towards Mkhai.

Mkhai looked casually towards Marik, concerned for the possible outcome. "Use what we have…"

"Which is?!"

"A beast that has the ability to shape the very earth."

Marik's face slowly became one of realization. Malik was an elemental. An earth elemental. He wasn't just made of it, he could control it.

"Malik, stop them! Imprison them in stone!" Marik ordered.

Malik obeyed, reaching his claws deep into the earth and summoning it around his opponents, hardening it into stone as it formed around them. The two generals could be heard beating the walls of their prison from within, but the elemental beast held tightly to earth, constantly reinforcing any progress they made.

Seeing his generals become trapped, Anubis jumped back and out of Kat's immediate reach. He took a deep breath in, releasing it in an ear-shattering roar. Malik released his hold on the generals as he covered his ears, allowing the jackals to retreat to their master's side.

"I will have what is owed to me, one way or another," Anubis snarled. The Shadows began to dissipate, Anubis and his generals vanishing with it.

Kat collapsed onto her hands and knees, the toll of the battle catching up. Bakura's lifeless body began to pick itself up, groaning as it did so.

Marik and Yugi rushed to Bakura's side. They had both been certain he was dead.

"I'm gonna show that bastard how it feels one of these days…." he muttered, rising to his feet.

"You're...okay?" Yugi puzzled.

Bakura stretched, popping his neck back into place. "Yeah, I'm fine. Can't die, remember? It just hurts like a bitch and takes a bit to recover."

Malik stood, staring at Kat while making a light whimpering sound. Marik walked over to him, holding out the wesekh. Malik knelt before the smaller Ishtar, allowing him to replace the collar. The earth elemental's appearance immediately returned to how it had been before shifting.

As soon as he was himself again, Malik rushed to Kat's side. The others quickly joined him. Kat's body shook violently as she continued to growl loudly. The skin on her hands and forearms had changed to a deep black, the color slowly creeping upwards and towards the rest of her body.

Mkhai knelt down next to his sister, speaking softly in their tongue.

"What's happening?" Yugi asked.

"She's fighting a shift," Bakura answered casually. "Kat's shifts are tied to her emotions. The angrier she gets, the easier it is for a shift to happen on its own."

"But Anubis is gone. We won. She should be happy about that, right?" Marik questioned.

"There is no winning or losing in battle. Just because your opponent has fled doesn't mean victory," Malik commented, his ability to speak having returned. "Anubis may have left, but only because he knew prolonging the fight was pointless. Tell me, would you be happy about an opponent throwing a duel knowing that they will simply keep returning until they get their desired results?"

"No, I suppose not."

Kat continued to struggle with her shift, apparently growing angrier at the inability to control it.

"I can't talk her down," Mkhai said while shaking his head. "Guess it's plan B then." He took out his data pad and began scrolling through it. He selected something on the screen, then stood back to observe. Kat's growling slowly ceased, the darkness that crept up her arms and across her body faded and returned to gold.

"What did you do?" Yugi asked.

"A few years back I managed to create an implant that could fuse with my sister's body, making it invulnerable to her fire and magic. With that implant, not only can I get real-time data on her current physical and magical states, but I can also communicate directly to her when needed. It's through the communication aspect that I woke her up this morning by blaring music through it. That's what I'm doing now, just not with heavy metal."

"Music? You're calming her down with music?" Marik questioned.

"Of course! Haven't you heard the phrase 'Music soothes the savage beast'? Music is the universal language of the soul. You don't have to understand the words to understand the feeling behind it. All I had to do was find the right song."

"And what song did you choose?"

"An anime intro she's fond of. It's about a wolf deity and a human merchant that fall in love with one another."

"Mkhai!" Kat shouted, a flush of embarrassment appearing across her cheeks.

"Hey, I'm your brother. It's my job to share all your embarrassing secrets," Mkhai chuckled.

Kat groaned in embarrassment, placing a palm across her face.

"Speaking of embarrassing secrets, want to explain what the Tomb Keeper and Pharaoh's host saw this morning?" Bakura questioned, looking down at her.

Kat removed her hand, glancing up at the pale immortal in confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked suspiciously. She stood, glancing back and forth between Marik, Yugi, and Bakura.

"You seriously don't know?" Bakura replied with a raised brow.

"No, I don't. I was pretty much dead to the world until my idiot brother decided to blast Black Sabbath on the highest volume setting into my head," she replied, still bitter about being woken this way.

Bakura grinned and let out a low chuckle. "So you have no clue that the royal pain took over his host's body and was laying next to you?"

"HE DID WHAT?!" She looked towards Yugi, anger flashing in her eyes. "Get your sorry ass out where I can see you!"

Yami appeared, hiding slightly behind his host. "It wasn't intentional, I swear!" he said defensibly.

Kat shoved Yugi aside, grabbing the ethereal Pharaoh by the collar and holding him up in the air. Yami instinctively tried to grasp at the wrist that held him aloft, only for his hand to pass through as it had the night before.

"How are you doing that?!" Yugi asked, both amazed at the fact that she was able to physically interact with the spirit and frightened of what she might do to him.

Kat looked towards Yugi, still holding the spirit by his collar in the air. "I'm the daughter of a death god, and you wonder how I can interact with the dead?" she asked dryly.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense…" Yugi replied sheepishly. "But why can't he do the same?"

"Because I'm not allowing him to." She returned her gaze back to the spirit in her grasp, grinning maliciously up at him. "You probably thought you were safe from me like this, didn't you?"

"I assure you, I have no idea what happened! One second I was trapped in a memory, the next I was lying next to you in Yugi's body! I wasn't even aware of what had happened until I woke up!" Yami tried desperately to convince the angry elemental.

"After I passed out, why didn't you call Bakura to come get me?"

Yugi looked at him as if saying 'I told you so!'. "I had hoped….that perhaps we could talk. I have questions about what you said to Osiris."

Kat lowered and released him. "I thought it would be obvious. You died, I was upset. I didn't realize that stupid trinket around your neck had absorbed your spirit and bound me to an oath I made in grief. Anything else you wish to know?" Her anger had once again become irritation.

"What about what Anubis said?"

Kat looked away, clenching her jaw tight. After a long moment, she turned on her heel and began to walk away. "We're done here." She glanced back over her shoulder in Marik's direction. "You make a nice lion tamer gamiil." She winked, then vanished in a flash of fire.

A blush formed across Marik's face momentarily at the Arabic pet name. He cleared his throat as he attempted to regain his composure, then looked at the remaining immortals. "What did she mean by 'lion tamer'?

Malik crossed his arms then looked down at the smaller Ishtar as if he had been affronted. "I'm rather insulted that you have to even ask that."

Marik continued to look perplexed.

"And they call me dumb…" Malik said sarcastically, looking towards Bakura. "I'm leaving before the tiny one insults me further. Can't believe he saw the beast I became and is still clueless." With a quick wave towards Bakura and Mkhai, Malik vanished back into the earth.

"You just saw his first phase shift and still couldn't figure out Mal is a lion?" Bakura laughed. "If that mane on his head didn't give it away before, it should have then."

Marik looked downward in embarrassment. "I guess I was too focused on seeing the monster he used to be."

"What you saw in Battle City was only a small part of Mal. Honestly, he's a big softy once you get to know him. Just don't mess with the people he cares about. Collar or no collar, he'll fuck you up to the point you'll be begging for a merciful end."

"Good to know…" Marik said, swallowing hard.

"I guess I better go make sure Kat isn't burning a city to the ground. Call if anything weird..-er, comes up." He waved, then vanished into his element like the other two immortals had.

"We should probably head back too. We didn't tell Grandpa we were leaving, and I'm certain he's checked on us and is probably worried," Yugi said towards Marik, who nodded in agreement.

As the two began to walk away, Mkhai stopped them. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I know about the bargain between my sister and Anubis. I can't give you the exact details, but I can tell you something else."

Yami looked hopefully towards his half-sibling. "Anything right now would be great."

Mkhai pulled up a file on his data pad, then handed it over to Yugi. Yugi looked at him, puzzled as to what he was looking at. Mkhai made a motion that suggested he swipe over to the next image in the file. He did just that, slowly at first, but as he swiped, a stark realization began to form across his face. He flicked from one image to the next, faster and faster, until he reached the end. Each image had some form of carving or painting of someone that looked identical to both him and the Pharaoh. Each look-alike had the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, and was listed with a name in the corner. Some he recognized like Marcus Antonius and Henry Tudor from history books, though the images in those books looked much different from the images he was seeing. The last image however, was of him.

Yugi was pale, his hands shaking, as he tried to form his next words. He had a feeling he already knew the answer, but refused to believe it until it was said aloud. "Why are you showing me this?"

Yami had this feeling of dread that he too knew what the images represented. Each image had spurned a feeling of familiarity, as if he had known each one on a level similar to how he knew Yugi.

Mkhai looked around, as if watching to make sure it was just him, the two mortals, and the spirit. He then leaned in close so as not to be overheard by a possible unknown listener. "You're not my brother's first host."

High five if you know what anime intro Mkhai played for Kat!

Also, in case you are curious as to what song he played to wake her up in the previous chapter, it was 'Iron Man' by Black Sabbath. He then proceeded to torture her temporarily with 'This is the song that never ends...' from the old TV show 'Lambchop' (hence the 'cruel and unusual punishment/psychological warfare' comments).

Malik's shift and fighting was written entirely to 'Monster' by Skillet.

Last note. Anubis' mask design was heavily inspired by the one made by Lightning Cosplay. If you type in 'Lightning Cosplay Anubis' into Google, you will see the mask I used for inspiration.