TW: Mentioning of youth marriage from a historic standpoint. It is not something condoned by the author.

VERY IMPORTANT TW IN END NOTE AS A PRE-WARNING FOR NEXT CHAPTER. PLEASE DO NOT SKIP IT.

Marik flopped his back onto the bed, panting heavily. Kat crawled up and plopped down on her stomach beside him, her breathing just as labored.

"WoW….that was just…wow…" he said between breaths.

Kat giggled lightly. "I have more scrolls…like that one…if you're ever interested…" she said with a playful smile.

Marik rolled onto his side and pulled Kat in close, playfully nuzzling the back of her ear. "Mmm…yes please…but only if they require just the two of us…"

Kat giggled some more. "What if we find a really hot guy?"

"Maybe. Until then, the answer is no."

"What if it was a really hot celebrity?"

"Oh? Like who?"

"Johnny Depp."

Marik chuckled. "Okay, you can have Johnny Depp."

Kat rolled over, still smiling playfully. "What about you? What celeb would you bang if given the opportunity?"

"Hmmm…hard choice…I would say either Tom Hiddleston or Ryan Reynolds."

"Awww…can we share? Those were tied for my number two spot."

"I would have to think about it."

"I would share Johnny."

"I'm sure you would."

Marik rolled over onto his back again, allowing Kat to curl up with her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. She lightly traced random figures over his chest with the tips of her fingers.

"I'd share a lot of things with you. Things I normally don't share with anyone…" Kat said quietly.

"Oh? Like what?"

Marik felt her take in a deep, steadying breath.

"Approximately five-thousand and thirty-nine."

"What?"

Kat sat up and looked at him with a smile. "The other day you asked how old I was. I'm approximately five-thousand and thirty-nine…give or take a decade. My modern birthdate would be sometime in early July. I was born in the fourth month of Shemu, just under a full month after Atem."

Marik sat up as well. "Really? The two of you are only a month apart?"

Kat nodded her head. "Mhm. We were wed on his birthdate, which meant at the time I was still thirteen for nearly another month."

Marik was in shock. "You were married at fourteen?!"

Kat nodded again. "The average lifespan was between thirty and forty years back then, assuming one didn't die of illness…or childbirth in the case of women. Fourteen was considered old. He first approached me with the idea when we were about eleven…but I panicked and left for Per-Bast."

"Wow…you guys had a lot happen to you at such a young age. No wonder-"

Marik paused as he recollected what had happened with Malik the day before. He covered his face with both hands as he groaned in exasperation.

"What's wrong?" Kat questioned.

Marik lowered his hands and looked over at her. "Between what's been said, and now fully taking in how young you all were when everything happened, I'm finally realizing why Malik has some of the issues he has."

"But you already knew how old we were," Kat said in confusion. "I told you, remember?"

"I remember, but it didn't really click that a lot of the stuff you guys talk about from before you died, happened at much younger ages. For example: How old were you when Malik first became your Ishtari?"

Kat glanced away in thought. "I think six or seven? No. It had to have been six. Mkhai is six years younger and he was ten cycles when he inherited the throne."

Marik lowered his head into a palm, bringing it up and through his hair as he sighed heavily. "And you were a strong source of contempt between him and his own father from that point forward."

Kat looked at him in confusion. "Yeah, so?"

Marik shook his head slowly in exasperation. "I've been pushing and pushing for him to step up and take on a role that he probably thinks will turn him into someone else. He already struggles with one part of his mind, and I'm just making things worse for him."

"He's…trying. Taking on a role none of us imagined we would ever have…it's not been easy. In the beginning it wasn't that hard…but with what happened…" Kat paused, trying to find the words. "For Mal and Kura, it was like they went to sleep and woke up to strangers standing where little children once stood. For me, it was like being separated by a wall of one-way glass and not knowing what to do once the glass was removed."

Marik sighed heavily again. "And to think, Malik was finally starting to warm up to the idea, but then…"

"But then?"

"He and I parted on bad terms yesterday." Marik began. "After I stormed out of the house, he attempted to check if I was okay…and I yelled at him to leave me alone. He probably thought I was still upset about why I originally asked him to leave."

"Originally asked him to leave? Why did you want him to leave?"

"He had one of his moments where his mind began to switch…and it scared me. It reminded me too much of what happened at the tournament."

"But…that's not Mal. He can't help when that happens. He's constantly trying his best to keep himself in check," Kat said in Malik's defense.

"I know…and I thought I wasn't afraid anymore…but apparently I am."

They sat there in silence for a long moment before Marik spoke again.

"I know you hate when I'm away, but-"

Kat raised her hand in interruption. "Let's wash up real quick and get dressed, then I'll take you to him."

Marik smiled appreciatively and nodded.

Marik stared for a long moment at the elevator door.

"I don't remember this being here?" he said in confusion.

"Because it wasn't. This is where the path to Atem's tomb used to be. Mal's obviously already started on my project," Kat stated.

"Oh." Marik looked down at his girlfriend. "Um, do you mind if I speak to him alone?"

Kat stood on her tiptoes and placed a light kiss on Marik's cheek. "I don't mind at all. I need to take care of a few things while I'm here anyway." She turned and walked towards the former throne room, leaving Marik by himself.

Marik pressed the button beside the elevator, then steeled himself before stepping inside and pressing the button to shut the doors and take him down. The bright lighting helped him to not feel nearly as trapped, but it didn't stop the anxiety of being in an enclosed space entirely. He found himself having to slow his breathing and mentally reassure himself that he was safe, that the entrapment was only temporary.

It took all of his restraint to not bolt through the doors as they parted, though he was certain as fast as he had exited the elevator, he hadn't used nearly enough. He looked around at the bright chamber that he had stepped into, amazed at what he saw.

Like the underground room Malik had taken him to before, this one had fairly high ceilings and appeared to go on forever in a forward direction. Width-wise, it was still pretty big, but he could easily walk from one side to the other if he chose to. Malik was sitting on a stool at a bench along one wall, bobbing his head sharply to the beat of a song that was playing loudly from a set of nearby speakers. Marik walked over, noticing as he got closer that Malik was lip-synching pretty intensely with the more angry sounding lyrics.

Marik came to a stop beside the bench at the furthest point away from Malik. He noted that there were several different guns and gun parts, along with rounds of ammunition, scattered along the bench's length. Malik was hunched over, still lip syncing and moving his head, occasionally looking at the objects on the bench and scribbling in a notebook.

"Hey…um…can we talk?" Marik said loudly, trying to be heard above the music.

Malik acted as though he weren't even there and continued with what he was doing. This irritated Marik. He looked at the stereo system near where he stood, then turned the volume knob down to a much lower setting.

"I was listening to that," Malik stated irritably.

"Can. We. Talk?" Marik asked, just as irritable, seeing as it was obvious the Ishtari had ignored him on purpose.

"I'm not stopping you," Malik stated as he continued to do as he had been before Marik arrived.

"I wanted to talk about yesterday."

"You asked me to leave. I did. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do."

Marik picked up a long, metal cylinder with a narrow hole through the center and casually inspected it. "I wanted to apologize for yelling at you when you came to check up on me." The cylinder turned to dust in his hands, reforming back into a solid object once all of it was back where he had originally picked it up from.

"Please don't touch anything. These are tools, not toys."

"Tools? These are weapons. They are meant for hurting people." Marik stated bluntly.

Malik stopped what he was doing, finally turning to face the younger Ishtar as he sat up straight with a scowl on his face.

"Anything can be used as a weapon to hurt people…it all depends on how you use it," Malik said bitterly. "Words are a very good example."

"I didn't mean to yell, okay. I wasn't even mad at you when I did it. I was mad at-...someone else."

"So you didn't mean to yell. Fine. That doesn't change the fact that you referred to me as 'that thing'," Malik growled.

Marik's eyes went wide as he realized Malik had overheard him in the alley.

"You were listening?"

"Not intentionally. I was unfortunately still close enough when you said it. I tried to push those words aside, but then you shouted at me to leave you alone when all I wanted was to see if you were okay. Those words quickly found their way back, stabbing deeper than any blade. At least I know what you actually see when you look at me…so stop pretending that you want to do the whole 'father/son' bullshit. I'll not be strung along like some fool, only playing the part when it suits you."

Malik stood and began to walk away, his back facing Marik as he headed towards the elevator.

Marik wasn't certain what overcame him, but he picked up the metal cylinder and threw it as hard as he could at the Ishtari, hitting him in the back of the head. Malik froze in place as the object clattered loudly on the floor, slowly turning to face the younger Ishtar with amber colored eyes and his brow drawn tight in anger.

"So that's how you want to do things? Fine. You want me to be your 'father'? Very well," Malik said through a clenched jaw. He quickly came to stand beside Marik, roughly grabbing his shoulder and transporting them through the earth. Marik covered his eyes as the sun blinded him upon emergence. Malik shoved him forward, summoned a spear, and pierced it into the ground at Marik's feet.

Marik quickly glanced around, taking note that he was standing in the center of the training arena he had seen the other day in the diorama version of the palace.

"When I was a boy, I had to prove myself by taking on a lion. You've faced a god and survived. I think something a bit larger should be no problem for you." Malik said sharply.

Marik looked at the spear, then at the Ishtari. "You want me to kill an animal?"

"No. Not an animal. That."

Malik pointed to the area behind the younger Ishtar. Marik paled as he watched a sphinx rise from the earth. He quickly turned back around and faced the Ishtari in a state of panic.

"No! NoNoNo! You can't ask me to kill a living thing! I don't believe in it!" he shouted, his eyes begging Malik to reconsider.

Malik vanished and reappeared in a seating area that was elevated along the edge of the arena.

"Oh, so killing is okay so long as it's a puppet doing it for you?"

"That's not who I am anymore! Please! You can't ask this of me!"

Malik folded his arms across his chest, his head held high as he spoke. "You must defeat the sphinx. Do that, and I shall consider you worthy of being called 'son'."

"You have got to be kidding!"

"Alternatively, you can call for your 'habibty' to come do it for you…but do that, and I will refuse to even acknowledge you ever existed in the first place."

Marik quickly turned to face the sphinx as it roared loudly. It began to rush towards him, and as it did, he felt time slow. He began to reach for the spear, but as time sped back up, he pulled his hand back. He stood up straight, and put on his most confident face.

"Ask me!" he shouted at the creature as he stood firmly in place.

The sphinx slid to a stop, it's face not far from his. It stared at him in curiosity.

"You're a sphinx, right? Ask me a riddle." Marik demanded.

The sphinx looked perplexed. It glanced over at its master, then back at the boy.

"I'll do you one better." Marik held up three fingers. "Three riddles. If I answer all of them correctly, you will admit defeat."

Malik tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes in a studying gaze. The sphinx looked to him again, and he nodded.

The sphinx sat on its haunches and erected itself in a proud manner.

"Very well. Three riddles. Three correct answers. One wrong, and you will be devoured."

Marik nodded. "I agree to those terms."

"First riddle: I am the thing all things devour: birds, beasts, trees, flowers; gnaws iron, bites steel; grinds hard stones to the meal. What am I?"

Marik rolled his eyes. "Easy. You are Time."

The sphinx narrowed its eyes, obviously not happy with having one of its riddles called 'easy'.

"Correct. Second riddle: I can bring back the dead; make you cry, make you laugh, make you young; is born in an instant, yet lasts a lifetime. What am I?"

Malik curled a finger beneath his lip as he mulled over the riddle. "...lasts a lifetime…" he said quietly to himself. Suddenly his eyes lit up in realization. "You are a Memory."

The sphinx seemed pleased that Marik had to think on the second riddle.

"Correct," it said with a slight smile. "Third riddle: You can throw me out but you cannot lock me away. I can hardly survive when extremes are in play. You will most definitely fall if you lose me, but if you have to keep me, you will not be able to do it all. What am I?"

Marik once again had to stop and think. He furled his brow while repeatedly going over the riddle in his mind. "...extremes are in play…" he puzzled quietly. "...fall if you lose me, but if you have to keep me…"

He was stumped. He dared to glance up at Malik, and was surprised to see that the Ishtari's brow appeared to be raised in concern. He glanced over at the creature that eagerly awaited his answer. If he answered wrong, the sphinx would devour him. He only had to come up with the correct answer…but what was the correct answer?

Scales.

Marik groaned internally. 'Not now, snake.'

Apep made a sound of irritation.

What do scales do?

'They're for weighing.'

And?

Marik's face lit up in realization. Apep had quite literally given him the answer. He turned and confidently faced the sphinx.

"You are Balance."

The sphinx smiled broadly.

"Correct. And now, I admit defeat."

The sphinx stood and bowed low, and Marik bowed respectfully in return. As it stood up straight again, it looked at the young Ishtar with a questioning gaze.

"You did not attempt to slay me, though that is what my master indicated you were to do. Instead you challenged me to a battle of wit, where you prevailed. Why?"

Marik shrugged. "You're a sphinx. I figured sphinx's like riddles. Plus, Malik only said I had to defeat you. He never specifically told me I had to kill you."

The sphinx smiled and chuckled. "Empathy and wisdom. Both are important qualities of a King."

"King?" Marik asked in confusion. "You're mistaken. I'm not a king. Not that I didn't want to be at one time, but that's in the past."

"Time…Memory…Balance," the sphinx said with a knowing grin as it bowed once more then dissipated into the earth beneath it.

Malik walked up and clapped a hand on Marik's shoulder, the impact nearly throwing the younger Ishtar to his knees.

"You…are insane. You pitted me against a sphinx? I could have been eaten!" Marik said irritably.

"Nah," Malik said while gesturing dismissively. "Thienan is spoiled. He prefers his food seasoned and cooked. I should have never started giving him human food. It was those eyes. I couldn't say 'no'."

Marik stared at the Ishtari in disbelief. "Are you telling me that was your pet?!"

Malik appeared to think. "I wouldn't say 'pet'. I mean, he does enjoy a good scratch between the shoulders, but who doesn't?"

"I was never in any danger, was I?" Marik asked dryly.

"Not really. Most he would have done is opened up a pit beneath your feet. He said you would be devoured, he didn't say by what."

"You're a sneaky bastard, you know that?"

"Well, you got the 'bastard' part right," Malik said with a grin.

Marik rolled his eyes. "Look. I'm sorry I yelled at you, and I'm sorry I referred to you as 'that thing'. I was scared and upset. I didn't mean any of it." He focused his gaze on Malik so that the Ishtari would know that he meant what he said. "I'm just still a bit traumatized by what happened during the tournament."

Malik looked up and away, obviously having a hard time with whatever he was about to say.

"I apologize for the restaurant. I…let too much of my guard down. I became too comfortable with the company I was in." He lowered his eyes as if ashamed. "I won't let it happen again."

"You shouldn't have to keep your guard up all the time. You should be able to relax and have a bit of fun."

"Somehow I don't think your idea of 'fun' is the same as my idea of 'fun'," Malik stated casually.

"Oh? And what do you consider 'fun'?"

Malik glanced away nervously and fidgeted with the hair on the back of his neck.

"You really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

Malik hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the spear, jerked it from the ground, adjusted it in his hand, then took a planted stance and threw it dead-center of a target across the arena. He then turned his head slightly to judge the younger Ishtar's reaction.

Marik was unimpressed. "You threw a spear…wow…so much 'fun'…"

"Give it a try. It's not so much about the 'fun' as it is about the satisfaction of knowing that years of hard work and training have paid off," Malik stated.

Marik rolled his eyes again. "Whatever. Summon another spear," he said boredly. "It can't be that hard to just throw the stupid thing."

Ok, before I get to the pre-warning for next chapter, I would just like to point out a fun-fact that when I wrote the part about Malik listening to music, I had originally pictured him listening to 'Wash It All Away' by Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP). After hearing 'Jekyll and Hide' by the same band, I have decided it fits the scene 100x better.

Also, the sphinx is the same one from the trials. I only used the name 'Thienan' from the Pyramid of Light movie because I couldn't find a better one that I liked.

Now the TW: UNFAVORABLE COURT RULING MENTIONED WITH MINORS AS THE VICTIMS. This is simply a plot device, nothing more.

I will include this TW in the pre-chapter notes of next chapter as well. The reason I am going the extra lengths to warn now is because it's literally at the very start of the chapter. I won't pretend to know anyone's personal triggers, and I would like to give ample warning as the subject can be very upsetting to some.

I apologize in advance, but like I stated, it's only there as a plot device. I have left the specific crime vague and ambiguous, because I do not wish to imply that one is a bigger deal than another. They are all heinous in my eyes.