I'm back! And Eternity has a new title! The new title I feel is much more fitting to the story.

A huge shout out/thank you to my awesome sister for becoming my unofficial beta/editor! She helped immensely with the descriptions of Rome, seeing as how she's actually been there.

It's also thanks to her that I now see several garish mistakes in my earlier chapters. I have begun to go back and fix them in my docs, and hope to at some point have the changes put into effect. No major changes. Just small grammar adjustments, spelling errors, accidently skipped words, and forgotten tense changes.

Before Atem could react to his former wife quickly taking his arm in hers again, the two were engulfed in a vortex of fire. His body reacted instinctively, trying to shield itself from the quick burst of heat that surrounded the two of them. Just as quickly as the blaze had appeared, it vanished, but the scenery had changed.

It took him a long second to recognize the remains of the ancient architecture. The last time he had seen the Colosseum, it was fully intact, covered in floral arrangements with a brightly colored velarium angled down around the outer edge to keep the sun off the spectators below. Now it looked like any other ancient landmark in this era, the obvious effects of time showing. The wooden floor had long since rotted away, exposing the network of tunnels that ran below. Scaffolding and railings had been put in place for the safety of the vast number of visitors the landmark received daily. When Bakura and Kat had spoken repeatedly of visiting Rome, Atem had pictured something else entirely. He had pictured flowing chiffon and bright colors, along with the heavy scent of flowers and perfumes in the air. Where were all the gold decorations? Floral arrangements hanging everywhere? Where were all the people that scurried about preparing for the day's events?

Right now none of that was present. Right now, he was being forcefully reminded that the world had changed in his absence.

"Are you okay?" Kat asked in concern.

Atem hadn't even realized that his breathing had become shallow and fast paced, or that his eyes were opened as wide as possible.

"Why are we here?" he asked quietly, his voice slightly quivering. He'd never panicked like this before, and wasn't certain why it was happening now.

"We're mostly here for Mal, but if you would rather wait elsewhere-"

"No. I-it's okay. I just need a moment is all."

Kat led him over to where the Emperor of Rome would have sat in ancient times, then offered for him to sit, which he did hesitantly. One of his former hosts, Alexios, had sat not far from this spot many times. It felt odd to actually be sitting in this spot though. The view wasn't even the same, especially since the arena floor was no longer in place. Atem felt uncomfortable here, and found himself quickly getting up from his seat and walking over to another one not far off to the side of the Emperor's box. This was better. Even with the modern view, this spot felt right.

Kat came to sit beside him, staring out over the opening in the middle as she did. "You're not Alexios."

"I know. But this...helps."

The two sat in silence and watched as Malik walked towards the opening, jumping down into the pit below. Marik looked down from above, appearing uncertain if he should be following or just wait up top.

"I'll be back shortly," Kat said quietly. She rose and walked over towards the Tomb Keeper, placing her hand around his waist and jumping down with him. The look on Marik's face showed he was definitely not prepared for the jump.

Atem continued to watch as they vanished into the outer ring of tunnels, leaving him alone. He kind of preferred this. It gave him time to adjust to the striking change in scenery. A cool gust of wind made him frown though, as he quickly realized that his former wife wouldn't have left him completely unguarded.

"Go away," he said acerbically towards the pale elemental that was undoubtedly nearby.

"Trust me, not my idea," Bakura growled as he re-appeared, standing not far away with his arms folded across his chest as he looked out across the arena.

Silence lingered bitterly between them for several minutes before Atem spoke up.

"How do you do it?" he questioned.

Bakura glanced off to the side towards him, appearing both annoyed and perplexed by the question. "How do I do what exactly?"

"Handle the changes. Seeing the same places, but not."

The elemental appeared slightly shocked. "Oh." He looked back out over the arena, concentrating on trying to find the right words. "I guess at first we all kinda had a hard time with it. Like when we first left Amarna for about a century. When we returned, we were all in a state of shock and denial. To us, it only felt like a few years had passed. I think we just gradually became numb to the world around us after that. We stopped looking at what had changed, instead trying to focus on what was still the same. Easier said than done, though. That's the problem with time. It constantly changes things. Being something that doesn't…" He trailed off, his mind focused elsewhere.

"So what you're saying is that it will eventually become easier?"

Bakura hung his head and looked away. "Weren't you listening. It doesn't get easier. You simply become numb. Those two things are vastly different from one another."

Atem sighed and hung his head as well. He didn't want to become numb to the world around him, but he didn't want to feel...this...every time he came across something in the modern era that had vastly changed from what he remembered.

"It's part of the reason we come here," Bakura said quietly. "Mostly Mal. He comes to pay his respects to the fallen. He can tell you the names of most, and more. He can tell you their preferred weapon of choice, the stories they told of their homelands, if they had families, and even if they had earned their freedom or died here in this very arena. While this place may have changed, it's still here."

"I see," Atem said dejectedly. Hearing this hadn't helped him one bit. This place was still here, but Alexios was not. He had been a good man, and had died for nothing.

A melodic voice echoed from the tunnels below, filling the entirety of the Colosseum with song.

Bakura appeared to perk up, smiling softly at the sound.

"Is that...Katrina?" Atem questioned curiously.

Bakura closed his eyes and nodded before opening them again. "It's a song for the departed. There are spirits that still linger here, either because they refuse to cross over or because they still feel they are unworthy. Whatever their reasoning, we try our best to help them. Her song is a reminder that they have not been forgotten. Mal has vowed to return here yearly until all have crossed over. Obviously, he missed a few years."

Atem was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. "Have all my former hosts crossed over?"

Bakura quickly turned his head, surprised to see the extreme state of dejection that had taken hold of the Pharaoh.

"I'm…not certain. I'll admit, I've never stuck around for the resurrection attempts. Kat would know. I can only assume she would have made certain they had."

Atem's head hung even lower. "Yes, I suppose she would have."

Seeing Atem like this made Bakura a bit uncomfortable, especially after recent events. He felt...strange. Like he should care. He grumbled internally at the idea. Atem was the reason that the person he cared most for had suffered so much emotional trauma over the millennia. He deserved to suffer as she had. He deserved to feel the weight of so many unnecessary deaths that had been a direct result of his selfishness.

Kat's song had come to an end, causing the arena to become eerily silent now that her melody no longer filled it.

"I hope you're ready to see how much the rest of Rome has changed," Bakura stated, looking back towards the arena's center.

Atem lifted his head, glancing slightly towards Bakura. "I don't really have a choice, now do I?" he said in a slightly acerbic tone.

"You always have a choice. If you don't want to see it, simply close your eyes." Bakura stated, smirking slightly in his usual devilish manner.

Atem scowled.

The other two elementals emerged from the tunnels, chatting away while the Tomb Keeper trailed behind looking a bit shocked.

"I wonder what happened down there? Marik looks as if he's seen a ghost," Atem commented towards the Tomb Keeper's expression.

Bakura chuckled. "He probably saw several. There were probably many that had decided in our absence that it was time to move on. Kat's song would have called them forth, and they would have expressed their gratitude at our remembrance before crossing over."

"I see. So her song has a similar effect as when she speaks to Ka, correct?"

Bakura nodded. "Pretty much. It allows them to appear in the physical realm temporarily." He chuckled a bit as though he had just thought of something. "Ryou would have loved seeing her in some of our battles. Imagine standing opposed a tiny woman with a slaughtered army laying at her feet, then out of nowhere she begins singing and the battlefield suddenly comes alive with the spirits of the recently fallen. He would have lost his mind," he said, smiling slightly in amusement at the thought.

Atem couldn't help but smirk, recalling the boy's love of Graveyard and Occult type duel monsters. "I imagine he's probably a bit jealous that his current role doesn't offer that ability."

"I assure you, he's having the time of his life. Ancient magic, essentially being considered a Death aspect, being able to fly...yeah, I can say with certainty he probably feels at home," Bakura stated, still smiling while watching the group make their way up the makeshift stairs out of the tunnels.

Seeing Bakura appear...happy...was a strange thing for Atem. Not that the thief never smiled, in fact he smiled more than Atem cared to admit, but it was usually his devilish smirk. Seeing him smile like this...Atem was certain this was a side he kept reserved for very few to see. He was also certain that Bakura had never intended for him to see this part of him. He usually did an excellent job at keeping his true feelings buried and hidden, but for some reason he had been slipping as of late. Did it have something to do with the fact that Ryou had given up his body so that Bakura could be his own person again?

Bakura caught Atem staring, his smile quickly souring as he replaced his facade, scowling as he often did, then refocusing his gaze on the approaching group.

"Ready to go?" Kat questioned.

Atem stood, then nodded.

"It's about damn time," Bakura growled irritably. He had slipped, allowing the Pharaoh to see something that he had allowed not even a handful of others to see. The Pharaoh had seen his weakness. He could not...would not...allow it to happen again.

Kat motioned for Bakura to lead the way, and for Atem to follow. Both did so, with Kat following behind with her arm hooked in Marik's, Malik following a short distance back as they made their way out of the Colosseum and into the Roman Forum...or what remained of it.

There was nothing but ruins remaining of the once bustling city center. White columns stood erect against the still breaking day. The cobblestone streets had become worn and uneven, the earth beneath them buckling.

Atem took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He tried to do as Bakura had suggested. He tried to focus, and recall where the broken path they followed would lead them. Having the memory of what used to be here not as far back a memory as he thought it would be, helped. He was able to see the ruins for what they had once been, and he was slightly grateful that what little remained had withstood the test of time. He was certain in another century or two they would be gone, but for now, they were still here.

The group had followed Bakura, who appeared to know exactly where they were going, for several minutes as they made their way back to modern civilization. It was another several minutes before he began to turn down a particular side-street. Kat came to a halt as he did. He took notice and stopped as well, turning around to face her.

"Why did you stop?" he questioned in slight irritation.

"They added something new down this street. We should go the other way," Kat stated, her voice quiet with a hint of warning.

"The other way is much longer, and involves a lot of backtracking. We've already wasted half the fucking morning between waiting on Asshole to get up and then Ra making an appearance, not to mention our little pit-stop at the Colosseum. If you want to take the other way, fine. I'll just go on ahead," he growled. He then began walking down the side-road.

"Kura, wait!" she called out in a slight panic.

Bakura turned and narrowed his eyes at her. "What is it?!"

Kat lowered her head, contemplating something. "We'll go with you," she said with a small sigh of reluctance.

Bakura rolled his eyes, then resumed his walking.

"Habibty, is everything okay? Why would you want to avoid this road simply because something was added?" Marik questioned his girlfriend in concern.

Kat appeared distant as they continued walking. "You'll see..."

They were more than halfway down the side-street when Bakura froze in his steps, his eyes wide as he began to noticeably shake. He turned his head slightly, glaring out of the corner of a widened eye towards the tiny flame elemental. "You should have been more insistent on taking the long way. Why didn't you mention this before we left? You knew we would be coming this way," he said bitterly, his voice quivering as much as his body was.

"I'm sorry. It slipped my mind. I only just remembered," Kat replied, looking away.

"I bet."

"I don't get it? What's down here that you would want to avoid?" Atem puzzled.

"Something that triggers an unwelcome memory. It doesn't matter at this point. We'll just continue. The quicker we get to our destination, the quicker I can put that memory back where it belongs." Bakura returned his focus to the road before them, hesitantly taking a few steps forward.

"Kura, don't…" Kat said, appearing concerned.

"It's fine. I'll make it."

Kat released Marik's arm, rushing forth and placing her arms around the pale elemental from behind. "Please, let's just go the other way," she begged.

Bakura forcefully removed the tiny elemental wrapped around him, then proceeded to march forth at a quick pace.

Both Atem and Marik stared in puzzlement.

"Ka-ib, I'll take these two on ahead. You should go after him," Malik stated.

"We're out in the open…" Kat said, sounding torn.

"I'll take them between the buildings." Malik released a heavy breath. "I've never been as close with the Runt as you have, but even I don't like seeing him in that state."

Kat hung her head, nodding. "Okay. I'll try to get him out of there as quickly as possible."

Malik gave a single curt nod, then motioned for the other two to follow. Both glanced back over their shoulder to see the tiny elemental take off quickly after Bakura, neither certain of what was going on. The Ishtari led them to a narrow alley, then placed a firm grip on both their shoulders, encasing them in a sphere of stone, which then vanished into the earth below.

Atem had traveled long distances with Kat before through her element, but he had never experienced this form of travel with the other two elementals. Being trapped in a dark sphere made of earth, he found, was something he had no desire to ever do again. When the ball fell away, revealing an entirely new scene, he was relieved. Looking over, he realized he wasn't the only one. He had forgotten about Marik's fear of the dark and enclosed spaces due to spending the majority of his life in the caves under Egypt. The Tomb Keeper had his eyes closed tightly, shaking slightly. Malik removed his hands from their shoulders and took a step back, giving them the time they needed to adjust.

Marik took a deep, calming breath, then opened his eyes. "I swear, that is something I will never get used to," he said aloud, more to himself than to those in his presence.

Malik let out a small chuckle. "I've been doing it for five-thousand years, and it's still something I'm not used to. I prefer just dispersing into sand particles and becoming one with the earth."

"Given a choice, I think I would prefer the same," Marik stated in mild annoyance. "So what exactly was going on back there?"

Malik looked off to the side. "I'm not certain if I should say. Bakura and I have never really seen eye-to-eye on most things, but there are certain things even I feel must be respected on his behalf."

"Can you at least explain why Katrina wished for us to avoid going down that street?" Atem questioned. "She said something new had been added."

Malik looked off in the direction they had presumably been a few moments before. "I'm surprised the Runt couldn't smell it. The second ka-ib mentioned we should avoid that street, I smelled it. Usually he's the one that picks up on scents before we do. I'm starting to think there is something off with him."

"Smell? I get that he's some kind of canine, but what does smell have to do with why you would want to avoid an entire street?" Marik puzzled.

Malik continued to look off into the distance. "Katrina mentioned that there was something new. I could tell by the smell alone that it was a crematorium. The scent of death and burning flesh is unmistakable."

"I'm certain it's not as big of a deal as you and Katrina make it out to be. I seem to recall many stories about rescuing people from burning villages, being out on open battlefields where there were blazing fires and dead everywhere, not to mention all the funerary pyres you have undoubtedly attended across the millennia," Atem stated, wondering why the scent of death and burning flesh would even bother someone like Bakura.

Malik turned a hardened gaze towards Atem. "The Runt has always been momentarily useless in the face of a burning village. He became disoriented on those battlefields. And he avoids funerary pyres entirely. All for good reason."

"It has to do with the village he came from, doesn't it?" Marik questioned. He recalled Bakura mentioning that the village he was originally from was burned down by Ra.

"It does." Malik affirmed. "Though I will not go into the details. I'm certain you can figure out on your own now why Katrina wished for him to turn back."

"It's similar to my fear of enclosed spaces," Marik commented.

Malik nodded. "Speaking of, you appear to be doing much better with that."

"Not really. I just remind myself that I'm not alone in that fear."

Malik appeared surprised by this statement, causing him to stare in slight awe down at the smaller Ishtar for a moment, before looking away uncomfortably.

The fast paced clip-clop of hooves on smooth cobblestone drew the attention of the group. A large black horse, with a long mane that was similar in texture and appearance to that of the flame elemental approached. On its back was a pale figure with long white hair, his face buried into the mane of the steed. Sitting behind Bakura was Kat, one arm wrapped around him, the other holding tight to the horse's mane.

Kat tugged slightly on the mane, causing the horse to slow to a stop before the group. She then dismounted, making sure to keep a hand on the pale elemental the entire time as though she were trying to keep him from falling. She then began speaking to him in a foreign tongue.

Atem drew his brows together and curled his nose slightly in confusion. "Is she speaking Akkadian? I thought it was a dead language?"

Malik scowled slightly. "Technically, so is Kemetic. But yes. It's his native tongue. Were you not paying attention to what Ra referred to him as?"

Atem glanced towards the Ishtari from the corner of his eye. "Honestly, no I wasn't. I was busy trying to comprehend what was taking place."

Marik looked in confusion towards Atem. "You can understand the Akkadian language?"

Atem returned his gaze towards his former wife and Bakura. "Vaguely. I may have ignored my Akkadian studies. I never felt it was that important of a lesson seeing as there were few that remained by the time I was born."

Marik's face fell. "Wonderful. I studied my ass off to serve a Pharaoh that skipped class."

"I didn't-...okay...maybe I skipped out on a few of my lessons...but it was her fault," Atem stated defensibly, pointing in Kat's direction.

Kat ignored the accusation towards her, instead focusing on her friend. Bakura still had his face buried in her steed's mane, his pale knuckles made even paler by the grip he held on it.

"Are you ready to dismount?" she asked quietly in his native tongue. Whenever he got like this, he reverted back to Akkadian, just as she often would revert back to her odd mixture of Kemetic and her mother's native Gaelic.

Bakura slowly turned his head, a single glazed over ash-violet eye peeking from beneath a curtain of white. His body was still shaking, but he nodded slightly, loosening his fingers and slowly sliding down with the other elemental's aid. He collapsed to the ground on his knees, grateful that Kat had quickly taken him in her embrace, helping to keep his face hidden from the others. He leaned his forehead into her chest as she drew him in protectively, just like she had when they had first met.

She had seen the state he was in back then, and said nothing. She had simply embraced him and held him until he was ready. She had led him to a tub and washed the ash from his skin. She had covered him in oils to help drive away that smell that clung to his tiny body. She was the reason he had pressed on in life. Then he came along. He caused her to spend less time with him and Set. He angered Pharaoh, and was useless in stopping Ama-shae's beheading. He caused her to leave Amarna, where she became betrothed to another. It was all his fault.

Bakura's shaking had stopped, his body becoming tense. He lifted his gaze, staring hard in the direction of the person he would have loved nothing more than to go completely primal on and tear apart. He would have loved to feel the life fade from the Pharaoh's body as he held a tightly clenched jaw on his neck. To taste the metallic crimson within. To enjoy every bite as he tore flesh from bone. To see if the marrow of a Pharaoh was sweeter than that of any other he'd had the pleasure of devouring.

Atem hadn't seen his face, but he had still seen the state he was in, and had undoubtedly been informed as to the reasoning behind it. 'You should count yourself lucky, Pharaoh,' he internally spat the word. He wanted to at least punch the face that continued to stare in his direction, but knew that at this time he was incapable of holding back his full strength. 'The only reason you are not already dead again is because of her."

Bakura took a deep breath, then forced himself to rise. Atem had seen his weakness a second time today. He internally vowed that he would not allow it to happen a third time.

Kat stood along with him, and feeling confident that he was better, walked over to the head of her steed. She stroked the long muzzle, placing her forehead on its nose in a gesture of affection towards it.

"You really thought it was necessary to summon Akasa?" he questioned irritably.

"How else was I supposed to get you out of there? Mkhai would have had a conniption if I went full Godaeshan or elemental in the middle of public. Akasa at least can be dismissed as probably being nearby," she replied.

"Akasa? That's Akasa?" Atem questioned in mild disbelief, pointing at the large black horse.

Kat giggled slightly, turning her gaze towards Atem while still stroking Akasa's muzzle. "Of course it is."

Atem appeared puzzled. "But...how?"

Marik was even more confused than Atem, holding out a finger of pause towards his girlfriend. "Before you answer that, who's Akasa?"

Kat giggled again. "Akasa is the mare you see standing here. She was a betrothal gift from Atem."

Marik stared blankly for a long moment. "Huh? Wait, there are immortal animals too?" he continued to puzzle.

This provoked a snicker from Bakura and a chuckle from Malik, meanwhile both Marik and Atem were still completely confused.

"No," Kat said, still giggling in amusement. "I infused her with my Ka. She and I are bonded."

Marik looked to Atem, who shrugged as he was just as clueless.

Kat chuckled and sighed, then spoke quietly in Kemetic to the mare, stepping back a few steps after.

The black mare suddenly began to paw at the ground beneath it. It reared up on its hind legs, neighing loudly. Its midnight coat took on a bluish hue, and its mane and tale burst into flames. Wings of fire erupted from between its shoulders as its now fiery fore-hooves came crashing back down onto the cobblestone.

Kat stepped towards her Ka, the Firewing Pegasus pressing its muzzle back into its mistress' hand.

"Does it make more sense now?" Kat questioned the two faces that stared in shock and amazement.

Atem stared in disbelief, then shook his head as though he wasn't certain he had actually witnessed what he had. "How is it I never knew about this?" he puzzled.

"Because you were an arrogant fool that didn't care to pay attention," Kat replied, her voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.

"Uhhh…question? Your horse just turned into a fiery pegasus. I thought you were trying to hide the whole magic thing?" Marik puzzled.

"Oh, it's okay," Kat replied with a smile. "We're in a Godaeshan district. There are wards that help hide our magic here. To anyone watching from a distance that doesn't have Godaeshan blood, they would have only seen Akasa rearing up. They wouldn't see her current appearance."

Marik shook his head slowly. "The rules of magic are confusing," he stated.

Bakura rolled his eyes, then began to walk away.

"Kura, where are you going?" Kat questioned the pale elemental.

"I'm leaving you to play with your pony. I'm going to go see Remus," Bakura replied with a curt wave of dismissal.

"Wait up!" Kat called out. She stroked the mare's muzzle one last time, then patted it a few times on the neck. It looked at her for a moment, then turned and trotted away, vanishing into a familiar vortex of fire. Kat then took off after Bakura again, jumping up on his back, which caused him to nearly lose his balance. He audibly groaned, his shoulders expressing his exasperation, then relented into hiking the tiny elemental further up and carrying her piggy-back.

Marik was a bit puzzled at being left behind again, but hearing his girlfriend's laughter and seeing the smile on her face made him smile fondly. She appeared happy. He'd seen her smile plenty of times, but this particular smile was different. It was joyful and fun. He imagined this was the version of Kat that Atem had known in ancient times. She had probably smiled like that often in their time. No wonder Atem seemed reluctant to let her go. Seeing Kat smile like that made Marik cringe internally at the idea of possibly having to face a day where he might have to do the same.

He suddenly began to wonder about something. Kat was eternally sixteen, he however, would not always be so young. He was still physically aging. How many years would pass before she would leave him because of this? If things continued the way they were currently between them, would she consider staying by his side until he took his last breath? Would he even want her to see him like that? Would he want to be her new source of pain and sadness? Marik thought back to something Mkhai had said. 'You have begun to display certain...unique traits.'

Marik pushed the dark thoughts from his head, placing a mental reminder to speak to Mkhai in private at a later time. Right now he wanted to spend his time enjoying life beside the tiny flame elemental. Life was far more interesting with her around, and even with the bad parts that he had encountered, he realized he still enjoyed every minute of it.

If you haven't read my little one-shot about Bakura's encounter with the White Lady, then you probably might be confused as to what he means when he thinks about wanting to go 'primal' on Atem. Just as Kat turns into a cat and Malik turns into a lion, Bakura turns into a wolf-dog (Yes, he is a literal hybrid. I picture him being and angry, cute, fluff...like a mini Sesshomaru from Inuyasha). If you would like to read that particular story, it has been title changed as well. It is now 'Tangled Web of Fate: One-Shot collection'. One of these days I will get around to writing and adding the other stories to this collection lol.