TW: Mention of the word 'murder' as this chapter gives a basic rundown on how Atem died.

Good news! The group should be finally in Rome by chapter 43! It only took... * checks chapter notes *...far too many chapters to get there. I'm hoping we won't spend too much time there before majority of the group ends back up in Domino, as I am exhausted trying to keep both groups synched time-wise, plus I'm certain you are tired of PoV chapter whiplash lol (which I apologize ahead of time as next chapter takes us back to the group in Domino before returning to our group in Egypt again).

Malik stared down at the emerald and citrine wesekh on the ground. For Millennia it had served as his collar, keeping his mind in check. For Millennia he'd been unable to control his shifting properly without its aid. For Millennia he'd been forced to trust others to control him in his shifted state. Yet here he was now, standing shifted, collar-less, and in control of his own mind. The day prior he had fully shifted as well without the need of a tamer, but his collar had still been intact around his neck. He hadn't thought about it afterwards as his focus had been on several other things that had been happening, but now…

He crouched down and began to pick up the wesekh, halting as several of the gem beads fell from the silver strands that had been woven throughout. His collar had been broken before, but he'd never been able to do something as simple as retrieve it from the ground himself. Why was this time different? How had he been able to break Ra's hold over him? Even now, how was he still in control over his own mind?

Malik turned his head slightly to the group behind him. He had spent all this time convincing himself that he wasn't attached to the boy that looked like him. That he didn't care. That all that mattered was fulfilling a promise to keep the Tiny One safe. He was Ishtari. He was a protector. It's what he did. It was an easy enough promise to fulfill. But perhaps...there was more to it? Did he feel more than the basic need to fulfill his vow? Could it be that he did care? It was hard to tell. He didn't feel the same things towards the boy that he felt towards his ka-ib. He didn't feel the same as he did with Safiya. If anything, the boy constantly vexed him...but not in a bad way. That wasn't all. Marik had shown true fear towards him the day they had come face-to-face in the park, but over the course of a few days, he no longer showed that same level of fear. If anything, it was the complete opposite. The boy appeared to trust him. The boy constantly tried to understand, and seemed earnest in wanting to learn more, about the one who had sired him.

Sired. Malik hated that word, but what other word was there? He hadn't 'made love' as Katrina would have put it, he had simply done what was necessary to help someone he cared about. The monster she had been married to wanted a true heir of the Ishtar clan...and he'd gotten one. But Malik couldn't argue that the result hadn't tugged at his heart the first time he had seen the Tiny One. But the Tiny One was a tiny one no longer. He was now nearly grown...and upon learning his true lineage appeared to want more from Malik than he was certain he could give. What did Malik know about being a 'father'? His only examples of what a 'father' was, was a god that constantly tried to do away with him and a mortal man that had considered him a failure and locked him away in a crumbling tomb. Whenever he heard the word 'father', all he could picture were looks of disgust and disappointment and someone that wanted to get rid of their offspring. When Malik looked at the smaller Ishtar, he did not feel those things. He was internally proud of the person Marik had become. The boy refused to do anything but follow his own path. Sure, it had led him down a path of darkness and he stumbled in the beginning, but the boy had picked himself back up and started over again. He had found a way to be true to himself while still following the ways of the Tomb Keeper...not that the role was ever truly needed, but that was a different matter entirely.

Malik rose, rubbing the remains of his collar between his massive thumb and forefinger. He had a decision to make. But would it be the right one? Could he give what was asked of him? Would he be hated if he continued to refuse? He released a held breath, dropping his collar and turning to walk towards the group behind him. As he approached, fear and panic began to set in. He had faced down powerful beings and entire armies without batting an eye, but the idea of becoming more to the younger Ishtar…

Malik shook his head slightly, trying to dismiss his own doubts. He could do this. He was Ishtari. He was The Maahes of Amarna. He was….

Malik came to a stop not far from his ka-ib, staring intently at the boy that had taken hold of her heart and had begun to heal it. The boy stared back. He was waiting. His features indicated that should he be continuously denied proper acceptance, he would continue to press the Ishtari until he got the results he desired.

Marik stood with his arms folded across his chest, staring judgmentally towards the Godaeshan figure before him. "So, are we discussing things now...or are you going to keep being a coward and avoiding the subject?" he asked sharply.

Malik flattened his ears and scowled. He ignored when his ka-ib called him a coward because he knew she meant it only in jest. The Runt vexed him no matter what, so his use of the word usually fell on deaf ears. Hearing the Tiny One call him a coward though...hurt. Malik didn't want to admit that Marik was right though. When it came to accepting the idea of being…'father'...he was afraid.

He couldn't do this. Not now. He wasn't ready. Malik released another held breath and started towards his wing of the palace so that when he reverted he wouldn't be standing indecent among the group.

"So when were you going to tell me about Ra?" Marik questioned as Malik walked past.

The lion halted and glanced back, scowling once again. "What's there to tell? You already know your lineage."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, when were you going to tell me that we look exactly alike?" Marik questioned, feeling slightly bitter that this had not been brought up before.

"You don't," Malik stated sharply, his scowl deepening.

Marik's jaw fell in disbelief. "Are you fucking blind?! We have the same face!"

Malik quickly turned, bringing his massive head down to look Marik directly in the eye. "You do not have the same face. Your face doesn't glare in disappointment and disgust when it looks at me and the Runt. Your face doesn't show loathing and hatred towards us. Your face is not his." He stood upright, glaring down for a moment to make sure his words sank in. Seeing the expression that slowly formed on Marik's face assured him that they did. Malik turned and resumed his pace towards his quarters, leaving the smaller Ishtar to contemplate further on what he had said.

Marik turned towards Kat, appearing dumbfounded. "Is it really that simple for the three of you to not see Ra when you look at me?"

Kat tilted her head like she usually did. "Of course. You learn to see the differences. Don't forget, we've seen the same faces multiple times over the millennia. They look the same, but they aren't. Ask Atem. I could always tell if it was him or his host. It was in the way he looked at me."

Marik turned his gaze towards the Pharaoh, who nodded his head in confirmation. "It was a good thing too. She wasn't fond of the host I had prior to Yugi."

"Because Henry was a lecher," Kat stated bitterly. "He needed to learn to keep his hands to himself."

The mentioning of hosts reminded Marik of something that had recently been brought to his attention. "Not to change the subject, but I have a question in regards to the years the Pharaoh was...well for lack of a better word...deceased. Was his body always kept here?"

"Yeah, why?" Kat puzzled.

"Well...if he was never in the tomb my clan protected, does that mean the sarcophagus inside is empty? Have the Tomb Keepers been guarding nothing for five-thousand years?"

Kat looked away uncomfortably.

Atem was the one to answer. "She tried many times to tell them, but I'm certain knowing your clan's views towards her explains why they refused to listen. But the tomb itself is not empty. Katrina may not have trusted your clan to protect my body, but she did trust them to guard over someone who was just as important."

"Like who?" Marik questioned doubtfully.

Kat turned and walked away, heading back towards the palace, leaving Marik and Atem alone.

Atem sighed sadly. "Someone we both cared deeply for…her more than me. She still harbors a great deal of guilt for what happened in her final hour. I've heard the story from Malik and Bakura, but Katrina has refused to tell me herself," he stated, his head hanging slightly.

Marik waited to see if Atem would add to his answer. Atem motioned a hand towards the bench Kat had been sitting on earlier, indicating that this was a story that was better told while seated. Both made their way to the bench, sitting a reasonable distance from one another.

Atem leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees while clasping his hands together. He took a deep breath, then began the recounting by explaining the events that led up to it.

"As you are undoubtedly now aware, I was in a relationship with Katrina's twin brother, and my Vizier, Set. That particular relationship had started during the time when Katrina had left Amarna to go become a priestess in Per-Bast. At the time, I didn't think she was ever coming back. I knew before she left that I had strong feelings for her, but when I began to express them...she ran. During her absence, I became close with Set. We both felt like she just...abandoned us. I trusted him, and eventually we became...more. I elevated him to be my Vizier not long after. Katrina was away for roughly two years. When she came walking back up the steps of the palace…" he paused, a wave of reminiscent emotion overcoming him. "When I saw her for the first time again after so long, I felt so many things. I knew then that I always wanted her by my side. But...I was a bit selfish. I wanted her...but I wasn't ready to let go of him. I was stupid. When Katrina explained that the only reason she had returned was because it was Malik's wish to get my blessing for their betrothal, I refused to give it. Instead I confessed my feelings for her openly in hopes she would reconsider and become my Queen. At first she refused, explaining that it wasn't right for me to take a barren woman for a wife. I brought up, stupidly, that was the purpose of a harem. This only dampened her spirits. Katrina has always been the jealous sort." Atem chuckled lightly before sighing again and continuing. "In my desperation to have her by my side, I told her that I had no need of a harem. That she was all I would ever need. Unfortunately that was a lie that even I believed at the time. In the moment, I had temporarily forgotten about my relationship with her brother. I pretty much shoved him aside entirely until after Katrina and I were wed, which was probably a month's time at most. I never brought up my relationship with Set to Katrina, and neither did he. Set loved his sister dearly, and I think he didn't want to hurt her. Or maybe like me, he was afraid that she would see him differently. I never thought to ask why he hadn't brought it up to her. For me, things were perfect. I had my Queen, and I had my Vizier. At most, sneaking off to visit Set was simply a minor inconvenience as I tried hard to not make my intentions for my mysterious absences obvious. I see now that was a massive waste of time and effort on my part."

"Obviously," Marik stated dryly. "Why are you telling me all of this exactly? I honestly don't have much interest in your personal romantic life...from back then or now."

"Because it's what lead to me...well...dying...or more accurately...murdered," Atem stated, shrinking sheepishly at the last bit.

Marik stared blankly. "I've read about the 'murder' part. Though I also kinda figured out on my own that it wasn't done by Kat."

Atem smiled slightly. "I'm grateful you could see past that false accusation. The first time I had heard of it I was appalled. According to Katrina, many of the scrolls and tablets that describe that day were destroyed or altered." He hung his head again. "My death caused quite a bit of chaos in the kingdom. The Ishtari became a splintered faction, most believing a lie, only a few accepting the truth."

"So then what is the truth?"

Atem sighed in contemplation. "The truth is I encountered something that scared me because I had absolutely no control over the outcome."

Marik stared in puzzlement. "Excuse me?"

Atem sighed again. "About a month prior to my death, Katrina became extremely ill. I feared I would lose her at any given moment. No amount of praying to the gods helped her. I...felt it was my fault. I wondered if the gods were testing my love for my wife. I wondered if it was my punishment for choosing to keep Set a secret from her. In the end, he saved her. I'm still not certain how, but I didn't care to ask. Katrina was okay, and that was all that mattered to me. I took my time deciding afterwards on what to do next. I wanted to prevent invoking the wrath of the gods again. One day, I sat down with Set and told him I had made a very difficult choice. That I would no longer shame myself by seeing him in secret...or ever again. My words were poorly chosen...and just as poorly received."

Marik was appalled at what he had just heard. "You seriously told your secret lover something like that? Even before I accepted my sexuality, I never even so much as thought something like that. I swear, you just keep adding to the list of reasons why I think you are the dumbest Pharaoh in existence."

"I won't claim to have been in the right. What I said...and did...was very stupid. It led to Set becoming furious with me. I think he secretly harbored jealousy towards his sister, and me choosing her over him...along with my poor choice of words, was the thing that made him snap. He attacked me and plunged a dagger into my heart." Atem unbuttoned his shirt enough to show a faint line on the left side of his chest. "Katrina happened to walk in just as he did it. What happened next I only know from what the others have told me. Apparently neither Malik or Bakura witnessed it themselves, and are only going based off of the evidence as there was no one else present to actually witness any of it. Not even Mkhai saw what happened, which I am grateful for. According to Malik, he was coming down the hall when he heard Katrina scream. When he arrived, both myself and Set were lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Katrina was huddled against the wall holding the shattered remains of the Millennium Pendant, her dress covered in so much red that he thought it had been intentionally dyed that way. He said the only time he'd ever seen the look she held in her eyes at that moment, was on the day her mother had died. As he approached, he said that while it was clear I had only been stabbed the one time, he couldn't count the number of times it appeared Set had been stabbed. There was only the single dagger between both our bodies. Malik told me that based on the fact that Katrina refuses to speak about the incident, he's pretty certain she killed Set in a fit of blind rage."

Marik paled. "She killed her own brother?!"

He couldn't possibly imagine the amount of fury it would take for someone to blindly kill someone as close as a sibling. Sure, he hadn't treated Odion the best during his first years on the surface, but the idea of killing him? He couldn't fathom the idea. Even if he had somehow managed to do something like that, which he was extremely grateful the thought had never even crossed his mind, he couldn't even comprehend the level of guilt he would have felt afterwards.

Atem nodded solemnly. "We're all in agreement that there is no other explanation. There was no one else present. I know the face of my killer. It was not my wife."

Marik leaned forward, trying to process the information. "So then...the sarcophagus...it contains her twin brother?"

Atem nodded. "Yes. It was intended for me, but she switched the bodies. I think she wanted him to have the rites that would have been meant for me as a way of apology. As Pharaoh, I would have been welcomed into Duat and escorted through. My place in Aaru was pretty much guaranteed."

Marik sat quietly, thinking.

"Does she visit him? In the tomb I mean. I know only certain members of the clan have access to it, but I assume she knows how to get in undetected."

Atem shook his head. "From my understanding, the most she can do is stand outside the entrance. Apparently there is some sort of powerful barrier in place that prevents immortals from entering."

"Oh. I guess it wouldn't matter anyway. He's probably reincarnated at least a half-dozen times by now."

"Actually, that's the strange part. He hasn't," said Atem, appearing slightly confused. "Bakura told me once that she thinks Anubis may have done something along the lines of imprisoning Set's soul. He said Anubis denied that claim, and it has already been confirmed that Set had not become a feast for Ammit. He said that Katrina has spent a great deal of time and energy between my times awake searching for the whereabouts of her brother's soul, and that she has yet to find it. We have both seen people that look and act very much like him, but none have actually been him. Seto Kaiba is a good example. When I think of Yugi's friends, I can see their original incarnations in my mind. Thinking of Kaiba, however, I don't see Set."

"And he's not an immortal like Kat and the others?"

"No. At least that's what I've been told. Malik and Bakura both state that they have not met a Godaeshan that could possibly be Set."

Silence hung between the two again as Marik paused to think again.

Atem fidgeted, trying to find a change of topic to fill the awkwardness. "So...you and Malik appear to be in the same boat as Yugi, Imhotep, and I."

Marik scoffed. "Trust me, it's not the same boat. You appear to have no problem with the idea. Malik on the other hand is apprehensive at the very thought. Though I think I kinda understand why after some of the things he mentioned earlier, and after seeing the nature of things between him and Ra."

Atem paused to think. "I guess you're right that I don't have a problem with it. Though I might have one of my former hosts to thank for that."

"How so?"

"My hosts were not always sixteen-year old teenagers," he stated with a smirk. "Prior to Henry, I had a host named Alexios. He was a politician during the reign of the Roman Empire and was in his mid twenties when he assembled the Millennium Puzzle. By that time he already had several children ranging in age from a few months to 9 years. How do you explain to a small child that their father is host to an ancient spirit? You don't," he said with a shrug. "I'll admit it was a bit awkward at first trying to pretend that I was Alexios with them, but eventually I grew to cherish seeing their faces. I used to catch Katrina watching me play with his children. The look on her face…" Atem smiled softly at the recollection, then quickly became sad. "Whenever she caught me looking back at her, the smile on her face would vanish...and so would she." He clasped his hands together again and hung his head. "When I was with Henry, I said something horrible to her. It's the reason Yugi and Imhotep exist. I told her…" He paused, not wanting to admit the reason Kat had felt the need to make a bargain with Anubis. He took in and released a heavy breath, preparing himself to say what needed to be said aloud. "I told her that I wanted to forget everything. That I didn't want to awaken again until she found a way to produce the heir we needed to end the cycle."

Marik was staring at him dumbfounded again, shaking his head in disbelief. "Dumbest. Pharaoh. Ever."

Atem couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the remark. "I'm kind of starting to agree with you."

"That makes three of us," commented a growled voice, accompanied by a cool gust of air.

"You can come out of hiding Bakura. Imhotep is gone," Marik said loudly, as he was uncertain of the elemental's exact location.

Bakura coalesced out of thin air not far from where the two were seated, looking cautiously around from behind one of the nearby trees wearing a pair of gray jeans and one of Ryou's striped tees with an over-shirt. "That kid gives me the creeps. Appearing out of the Shadows like that. It's unnatural."

Both Atem and Marik gave mirrored looks of confusion towards the pale elemental.

"What?" Bakura questioned in reply to the strange looks he was receiving.

"You're a five-thousand year old elemental that can vanish and appear out of thin air...but a kid that can do the same just with the Shadows you find creepy and unnatural?" Marik commented.

Bakura scowled. "He holds control over the Shadow Realm. That place is creepy on its own. Knowing there is someone with the combined attitudes of Kat and Asshole that runs the show on that place makes it worse."

Atem glowered towards Bakura. "Please stop referring to me that way."

Bakura performed a mock bow. "Oh absolutely! Anything for you, 'Lover'," he said, his voice dripping heavily with bitter sarcasm.

Atem dropped his head forcibly into his palm. "Never-mind. I think I prefer 'Asshole'."

This prompted one of Bakura's signature smirks along with Marik snrking behind a failed hidden laugh.

Atem groaned in response to both.

Their amusement was cut short by the sounds of crashing coming from Malik's quarters.

"...should we go check what's going on?" Marik questioned while looking towards the Ishtari's bedroom patio where the sounds had been the loudest.

Malik's hands and head popped up over the patio wall, panic strewn across his face as he appeared to struggle against some unknown entity that was trying to drag him back inside. The section of wall cracked and broke, allowing the unknown to succeed in its attempt as the Ishtari quickly vanished. From the shattered hole in the wall, Kat looked out towards the three faces that stared in perplexion. She smiled brightly and waved before vanishing into the depths of the room.

"Nope." Bakura replied curtly. "He's on his own."

So if you recall before, after Bakura and Atem had their little drunken night of fun, I said I wasn't certain if it was a one-time or going to be a permanent pairing...yeah...I decided I liked the idea of a slowburn Hateshipping in the background. Once again, thanks to the Evil Knievel leap that a certain someone made just because they only read the first two chapters and said 'Hey, Yami was the first to notice Bakura. They will totally kiss!' and my brain did that 'Now how would that work?' thing.

Final note. More of a request really. If you have read this far, I would greatly appreciate some kind of reviews. There are days I struggle and my brain says mean things. I have a few fandom-blind reviews over on AO3 from Reddit review exchanges, and they help a bit to keep me moving forward, but I would love to hear something, anything from my regular readers. Even if it's just a simple 'Great job, keep up the work!' or 'Nice chapter!' or something along those lines. Hell, even if it's just a little note to point out that maybe I unintentionally contradicted something from a few chapters prior (which at this point my brain is so far gone I wouldn't doubt I have done).