Last chapter of Egypt! We finally go to Rome next chapter! Buuuut...you'll have to wait a few weeks. I really wanted to avoid another hiatus, but I am burning both ends of the candle right now and there wasn't much of a middle to start with. Not only has my mental and emotional health taken a hit, my physical health is reminding me that I am very much human. I need to step back from something for a short period, and this is one of the few things that as much as I am committed to finishing, can be placed on the back burner for a period of time. I'm still going to be writing, but this break will help me rebuild my buffers and I won't feel so stressed if I fall behind on a chapter. Chapter 43 is done, and will be worth the wait. 44 is in final edits, but 45 is causing me to bash my brain against the keyboard in hopes that the words will magically appear on the page. A lot will start happening once we arrive in Rome, so I promise the wait will be worth it.
Hiatus return date I am estimating September 10th. Was going to shoot for the 3rd, but that is my Mom's death-date, and with my Grandfather's passing this year, I am finding certain dates triggering massive depressive and anxiety episodes. I thought I was passed that stage, but apparently those dates have become an issue for me again.
Several minutes had passed since Marik, Atem, and Bakura had watched Malik curiously get dragged away by the tiny flame elemental.
Bakura groaned loudly, irritated that they still hadn't left yet. He had lit a cigarette and was puffing away while continuously checking the time on his phone.
"Bakura, I'm very confused as to why a 'wind elemental' would be smoking," Marik commented.
Bakura glanced curiously towards the Tomb Keeper. "What's there to be confused about?"
"Isn't it kinda...I dunno...a bit ironic? You're the wind, but you purposely burn and inhale something that's supposed to be bad for both the body and air."
"I'm an elemental, not fucking Gaia. I simply have the ability to manipulate the wind and become one with it as needed. Besides, this is pure tobacco. None of that shit that's full of added chemicals."
"And it's not an issue with your 'new' body?" Marik questioned with a raised brow.
Bakura frowned. "Nope. Ryou picked up the habit just after Duelist Kingdom. I may have run him a bit too ragged and he needed an outlet. He tried cutting, but I intervened. I wasn't entirely heartless, even in my fucked up mental state."
"But you let him smoke?"
Bakura walked over and rapped his knuckles lightly on Marik's head a few times. "Hello? Have you met me? I'm not exactly a great role model."
"Obviously," Marik stated, shooing Bakura away and straightening his hair.
Bakura checked the time on his phone again. "I swear if I'm not getting fitted by something with a designer label in the next hour or so, heads are gonna roll….literally. What is that crazy girlfriend of yours doing?"
"I don't know, why don't you go look?" Marik casually suggested.
Bakura scrunched up his nose, appearing slightly appalled by the idea. "Nuh-uh. She was doing that weird overly-happy smile thing. If she senses me peeking, she'll kick my ass."
"I don't get why the two of you are so afraid of her," Marik said, slightly confused. "She's smaller than the both of you."
Bakura stared blankly for a long second before bursting into laughter. "Tomb Keeper, physical size has nothing to do with it. Believe it or not, if she had gone head-to-head with Mal earlier, he's the one that would have ended up with a splitting headache, not me."
"And she didn't because..."Marik puzzled with outstretched hands, waiting for an explanation.
"Because she knew the idiot wasn't in control. Honestly, she'll kick my ass no question, but she babies Mal all the fuckin time. Probably because she knows that he'll do anything for her. It's just how they've always been," he replied, flicking away his cigarette butt.
"That may have been my fault," Atem interjected.
"No shit. Everything has always been your fault," Bakura commented with his usual growl.
Atem scowled.
"Don't give me that look. How many people died because of you? How many lives have been fucked up because of you? Let's just say I need a few extra bodies to count them all on hands and feet. Hell, even the Tomb Keeper suffered because of you." Bakura stated sharply.
"Thank you for reminding me of all the blood and suffering on my hands. I know that while I didn't hold the blade in my hand, they all died and suffered because of me," Atem said bitterly.
Marik placed his face in his hands, groaning as he drug them down in irritation. "Would it be possible for the two of you to just forget all the messed up stuff from the past and just...I don't know...start over? You guys give me a headache with all your bellyaching about who's at fault for what."
Bakura got in Marik's face. "Look at me. Look. At. Me. This face...it's not mine. I'm just trapped underneath it. If the fuck-face over there had just opened his yap about one thing and kept it closed for another, no one would have had to die and we wouldn't be here. We might have just grown old and died naturally. Godaeshan descendants only Awaken when they die of unnatural causes. There have been many that lived and aged and died normally. We weren't so lucky because of Mister 'I'm Pharaoh so I think I can just say and do whoever and whatever I fucking please without repercussion'."
"Bakura, you fell off a cliff. How is that my fault?" Atem questioned boredly.
"If the Ishtari hadn't become divided, they wouldn't have chased me into that sandstorm and I wouldn't have rode my horse over the edge while running from them," Bakura replied bitterly.
"Maybe you shouldn't have stolen whatever it was you stole," Atem commented dryly.
Bakura scowled. "I was stealing the Book of the Dead for your beloved wifey so she could see if there was a spell that might help bring your stupid-ass back. Sorry, I thought I was being helpful," he said in a mocked apology.
Atem appeared surprised to hear this. "Oh…" he said, hanging his head in embarrassment.
"Wait, you know how he died?" Marik asked towards Atem.
Atem sighed in exasperation, scowling slightly. "Yes. My 'wifey' told me," he stated, mocking Bakura's use of the word.
"Well, that's two Awakenings figured out. One to go," Marik stated.
"Mal told you?" Bakura puzzled, surprised that the Ishtari had mentioned it to the younger Ishtar.
"Yeah. He was trying to reassure me when he noticed how uncomfortable I got in the elevator. He mentioned that he has a love-hate relationship with his element."
Bakura made a gesture that conveyed 'figures'. "Sounds like something he would do. Honestly, we all kinda have that weird love-hate relationship with our elements. He got buried beneath the earth. I fell because I was trying to outrun the wind. And Kat...well…" He paused, unsure if it was a wise idea to tell Marik that particular tale.
"I think it's best if we left that story up to her," Atem stated.
"She won't even talk with you about it, what makes you think she'll talk to the Tomb Keeper?" Bakura scoffed.
Atem scowled. "It's not our story to tell."
Bakura closed his eyes and groaned irritably. "Yet you told him about Set…"
"How did you-"
"I was fucking there, hiding behind the damned tree!" Bakura interrupted, his eyes flashing with anger. "You know, she isn't the only one that still feels the pain of his loss. I stopped blaming you for Ama-shae, but Set is most definitely on you."
Atem hung his head dejectedly. Bakura wasn't wrong, and both of them knew it.
"Um...should I come back?" questioned Mkhai, who had casually approached the group.
Bakura glared suspiciously towards Kat's reclusive sibling. He knew Mkhai rarely showed himself unless he wanted something. "Whatever it is you came out here to ask, my answer is 'No'."
Mkhai's face fell into a pout. "But it would really help in learning more about us…"
"No…"
"But-"
"NO! End of story. I'm not getting one of those stupid things shoved into my brain!" Bakura shouted loudly. Mkhai had been pestering him since he'd re-Awakened. Kat's sibling wanted to put some sort of implant in his head for 'data collection and research purposes'.
Mkhai's shoulders and gaze fell for a moment, then he glanced off to the side towards Atem and Marik. He quickly perked back up and grinned wide. "Heeeyyy...would you be willing t-"
"No." Atem interrupted sharply, his arms folded while glaring in irritation. Based on Bakura's words, and what Mkhai had mentioned a few days prior, he already knew what his younger half-sibling was about to ask.
"Aw c'mon! You won't even notice it!"
"I'm not like you. So how would it even be beneficial?"
"I'm not like anyone to be honest," Mkhai stated with a small pout. "I've compared as much as I can between Sis and I, and I can't find enough of a common link that explains...well...me. That must mean that there's something about Akhenamkhanen that we didn't know. Maybe he was of Godaeshan descent? O-or maybe there's something else?" He clasped his hands together and held them outward, pleading. "Please? I found something with Imhotep, but it's not enough to really determine anything. I need someone that's closer genetically, and you're the only other option," he begged.
Atem lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose while he groaned irritably. "Mkhai, I'm not exactly amenable to the idea of you putting a piece of modern technology into my head. You've already shown proof that you tend to abuse its original intended purpose."
Mkhai crossed his arms and looked down in a scowling pout. "Have you no recollection of the type of person my sister is?"
"Trust me, I am well aware of the type of person Katrina is. Even without memory of her I quickly learned the type of person she is. She apparently delights in reminding me," Atem scoffed bitterly.
"And do you think she let me cram a piece of modern technology into her brain?"
Atem looked up at his younger sibling in a mixture of astonishment and horror. "You forced it on her?"
Mkhai gestured with his hands as though they were a set of scales teetering back and forth while appearing slightly nervous. "Forced is a very subjective term. Was she incapacitated? Yes. Did she threaten me?...also yes. Is she still pissed about it? Most likely. Has it helped in any way and has she come to accept it? Yes and...I think so?" he squeaked out the last bit.
Atem was flabbergasted. "You...I don't…" He stood quickly, gesturing in rapid confusion over how stupid Mkhai had been. After a long moment of random gesturing, he took a deep breath to compose himself. "That was stupid of you, and I know you know it," he chastised.
"Yeeesss...but...hear me out…keep in mind that if I was capable of incapacitating an elemental, that means doing the same to you would be child's play."
Atem couldn't believe what he had just heard come from Mkhai's mouth. "Was that a threat? Towards me?" he asked, his voice a mixture of warning and irritation.
Mkhai stared at him with a dull expression. "You make it sound as though it's a foreign concept."
"The answer is 'No'. I'm not participating in your little experiments. I highly doubt our father was a living God. He's dead. I was there when he was wrapped and placed in his sarcophagus. I was there when he and his Ishtari were placed inside his tomb. You won't find the answers you are looking for with me." Atem stated sharply.
Mkhai stood up straight, his arms folded across his chest again as he glared down at his half-sibling. "Fine. You seem to think you know everything. But I assure you, you don't. I've seen things that would make the improbable, probable." He then glanced in Marik's direction, his soured expression quickly becoming a devilish grin. "At least there's one person here who will become a 'willing' participant in my research."
"I don't think so," Marik stated dryly.
Mkhai leaned in close so only Marik could hear him. "Oh, I think so. Shall I bring up last night's surveillance footage of the kitchen?"
Marik paled.
"What? You didn't realize you were being watched? I have chronicled everything since the day my sister became an immortal. Cameras have made things far easier for me. Nothing happens on these grounds that I don't know about. Nothing. And hearing your conversation with my dear sister's 'Isfet' has finally shed new light on a few things."
Marik audibly gulped. "W-why would you be interested in me? I'm not anything special."
Mkhai's devilish grin widened. "Wrong...you are of Godaeshan descent. You have begun to display certain...unique traits. You might help me figure out what specifically is required for an Awakening. I can watch and compare your Awakening to Imhotep's. He already had magae before he Awakened, but you don't. There is so much potential to be had just from studying you."
"Wait a second, I have no intention of 'Awakening'," Marik said nervously as he rose and took a step away from his girlfriend's crazy half-sibling.
"Relax, I don't plan on forcing it," Mkhai stated with a gesture of dismissal. "I know some people think it can be avoided, but I think it's one of those preordained things, like fate."
"And if I refuse?"
"My sister gets to see the footage of last night. If you think she was upset this morning, wait until she sees the video."
Marik groaned irritably. "You're worse than her 'Isfet'."
"So, how's this weekend work for you?" Mkhai asked with a casual grin. "I'm sure I can work you in before weekly raid."
"Whatever…" Marik grumbled irritably.
Loud, rapid tapping could be heard coming down the hall of the palace towards the entrance of the gardens, distracting the group from Mkhai's attempts at gathering 'test subjects'. Kat appeared seconds later, apparently running from something or someone as she grinned devilishly while looking back over her shoulder. She came to a quick stop by the group, fished out her phone and held it towards where she had emerged from.
"Kura, you're going to want proof," she giggled.
Bakura quickly took out his phone and held it in the same direction, Mkhai doing the same with his data-pad.
"You too," she said while lightly nudging Marik with her elbow, her smile still devilish.
He did the same as the others, not certain what to expect.
"Ka-ib, I swear if you show anyone that photo, I'll-"
Malik came rushing forth from the entrance, stopping quickly just after as he saw the group of devices pointed in his direction. He had barely finished registering the reason for why they were all pointed in his direction when they all clicked simultaneously.
The group was seeing the results of the crashing and panicked look from earlier. Kat had somehow wrangled Malik into a pair of fitted black jeans and matching belt, along with a deep wine colored button-up that had the top three buttons left undone. The sleeves had been rolled up to the three-quarter mark as well. Around his neck was a simple gold chain. But that wasn't what caught everyone's attention. The tiny elemental had somehow managed to tie Malik's wild mane into a spiky ponytail and clipped his bangs back on top of his head with several bobby-pins.
Malik's face and shoulders fell as he realized he had been led into a trap. "Not a single word from any of you..." he warned, his eyes narrowed in irritation.
Bakura skipped forward and tempted fate by batting his eyelashes up at the Ishtari. "Awww….but you're so freaking cuuuute…"
Malik grabbed Bakura by the face and shoved him away. "Go get fucked by the Pharaoh again."
Bakura scoffed. "Next time it'll be him that gets fucked…" he mumbled loudly under his breath.
Several puzzled faces quickly looked in his direction.
"What?" he questioned to the curious glares.
"Uh, Kura...you didn't exactly say that as quietly as you thought you did…" Kat stated, her eyes a bit wide with surprise.
A tinge of pink formed across his pale cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, pretending to be clueless about the words he had mumbled.
"Bakura, I could hear you clearly all the way over here," Atem stated, looking slightly appalled, his face covered in the same shade of pink as the pale elemental.
Bakura's face fell. "Oh…" He quickly steeled his features and became defensive. "Well, I didn't mean it how you're all thinking! I didn't mean I was going to be the one doing it! So stop thinking about the two of us fucking you sick, perverted fucks!"
Kat mirrored his skip from just a few moments before, circling around him while singing. "Kura and A-tem, sitting in a tree...F-U-C-"
"Finish that lyric and I'll break every bone in the 'C' part of your neck," Bakura interrupted with a growled warning.
Kat stopped, looking up at him with a bitter pout. "Meanie."
"I'm over this bullshit already. See you in Rome," Bakura growled again, vanishing into his element.
Kat appeared puzzled, then looked towards Malik. "Too far?"
Malik shrugged. "Who knows with the Runt. He's always angry about something."
Kat nodded and shrugged in agreement. "True." She then redirected her attention back over towards Marik and Atem, taking note of the latter trying to hide his face behind a single palm. "Welcome to the modern era Ibib. No more perks of being able to do stupid shit without the it being brought up over and over again," she commented with a taunting grin.
"I think you should have just let him kill me earlier..." Atem stated. "It would have been a kinder fate."
Kat skipped back over towards him, hooking her arm into his. "Sorry, no kind fates here. Only eternal suffering," she said, continuing to grin. She turned her gaze towards her half-sibling, giving him a questioning glare. "Mkhai, you do realize you're out in the daylight. Aren't you worried you'll burst into flames?" she said sarcastically.
"Ha, ha, very funny," Mkhai stated unenthusiastically towards the 'vampire in the sun' related joke. "Actually, I was trying to see if I could get some more data subjects...buuuut, no one seems too willing to help. Well, no one except your little Ra boyfriend," he said with a smirk.
Kat glanced over towards Marik. "How 'willing' of a 'volunteer' were you?" she questioned suspiciously.
"Not very…" he replied unenthusiastically.
Kat glared at her brother. "Is that so…" She let go of Atem's arm, balling her fists as she began marching towards him.
Mkhai, sensing he was in danger, held his data-pad up in a threatening manner, a finger hovering near its center. "Come any closer and I'll blast 'Baby Shark' on repeat..." he threatened nervously.
"Do it and I'll shove that device so far sideways up your ass, that Kura will have to gut you like a fish to get it out," Kat warned.
Mkhai paled, then appeared to make a few internal calculations as to whether her threat was physically possible.
Kat came to a stop not far from Mkhai, folding her arms across her chest while scowling bitterly. "I assure you, whether you think it's physically possible or not, I will make it happen that way."
"But-"
Kat's scowl intensified, daring him to try his luck.
Mkhai groaned and sighed heavily. "Fine. You win." He glared bitterly towards the Tomb Keeper, which caused Marik to swallow hard and wonder if he had just fucked up. Mkhai sauntered off, presumably returning to sit back in front of his myriad of computer screens, muttering the word 'bitch' loud enough for Kat to hear as he did.
Kat took a deep breath, then returned to the three that still remained. "Do I dare ask how he managed to coerce you into 'volunteering' in the first place?" she questioned in a slightly bitter tone towards Marik.
He glanced away nervously, debating if he should try to lie his way out of the situation, but thought better of it. "He brought up that he knows about my conversation with your Isfet," he replied, still looking away. He braced himself, uncertain as to how his girlfriend would react to the news that there was a loophole for her to learn the details of the bargain he had struck.
Kat stared, slightly perplexed for a moment, then shrugged. "Oh. Well, if he tries to blackmail you again, just remind him that his sister is a flame elemental and that Lego's melt at around 105 degrees celsius," she said with a small grin.
Marik stared blankly, completely baffled.
"What?" she questioned to his perplexed stare. "Don't forget, I tried to keep Atem's memories withheld longer than necessary because I was trying to delay the result of a bargain. I know better than to go snooping around and trying to root out something that isn't yet ready to be known. You said it's less than a year. I think I can live without knowing that long," she stated casually.
Marik didn't have the words to express the relief he felt hearing Kat say that, so he settled on showing her by quickly reaching out and embracing her tightly. She leaned into the gesture, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting manner. When they pulled apart, he looked down, his eyes full of admiration. "Thank you. I promise, I will tell you everything when I am finally able to. You have my word."
She stood on her tip-toes and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Oh, I know you will. And I'm not going to let you forget that promise either," she said with a threatening grin.
Marik swallowed hard, slightly fearing his girlfriend.
"So," Kat began. "I think we should get going. We won't have much time in the Colosseum before it opens if we keep delaying. I hope you won't mind, but I'm going to be taking Atem. You'll be going with Mal. I swear it's not like last night where I'm trying to give the two of you time to get to know one another better. I just know how...shocking...it can be when seeing someplace for the first time after a few centuries. Once I'm certain Atem is handling the changes okay, I'll return to your side."
Marik nodded. "Okay. I think I can manage. Besides, maybe this will force Malik to face the conversation he keeps trying to avoid with me."
Kat chuckled. "Good luck with that." She then lowered her voice so that only Marik could hear. "Small suggestion: Maybe find something else to call him? The word 'father' doesn't exactly conjure up anything good for the three of us. It's the reason we refer to them as our 'Sire'. It distances us from the cold reality that we were never supposed to be. We are accidents of circumstance. The only difference between my sire and theirs, is that mine openly wishes for me to take his place. I am viewed as 'worthy of succeeding my predecessor', they are not."
"That's a bit fucked up," Marik stated, slightly appalled at the fact that the Gods apparently only recognized their offspring based on whether they deemed them 'worthy' or not. "But I'll keep your suggestion in mind," he added.
Kat nodded. "Good," she said as she patted his chest lightly before walking away. She re-hooked her arm in with Atem's, then the two vanished in a vortex of fire.
See you in September! I promise the wait will be worth it!