Kat PoV chapter.

Kat stretched slowly, trying not to disturb the body beside her. She opened her eyes and took in the view of Marik sleeping peacefully on his stomach. He'd actually managed to stay awake until the end of the raid this time, but was more than eager to go to bed immediately after.

Even though it was no longer in its full phase, the moon still lit up the room through the sheer curtains that hung across the french doors to the balcony.

Kat stared at the markings on Marik's exposed back, pangs of guilt surfacing at the sight. He'd never said anything, but Kat was certain there was some sort of permanent nerve damage below the surface…damage that only god-tier magic could undo. She'd known about him…and left him to his fate. He'd suffered because she ignored him, just as she'd ignored everyone else to an extent. Yet despite those facts, no one appeared to blame her for these things.

Except for Imhotep, of course. He delighted in reminding her of these things…that is, until recently. After the events of the other day, he seemed…different. He appeared less angry and spiteful. Kat wondered if this was because of Yugi. Seeing the way the two were together, it was both strange and comforting at the same time. It reminded her of how things were with her own twin before she'd left the palace. She was the outgoing and brash one, but there were times when she felt uncomfortable and would hide behind Set. Set, who was always the calmer one between the two of them, always talked her through it. He always knew how to reassure and renew her confidence.

Her guilt only grew as she gently traced the edge of one of the raised scars on Marik's back. He shifted a little, but otherwise remained asleep.

"This is my fault," Kat said quietly. "I could have put a stop to this long ago…but I didn't. Everything that resulted from that day…like Atem said, I should have tried harder… but I didn't…and people suffered because of it."

She stopped tracing the markings, pulling herself in close while gently wrapping an arm around him.

"You've shown me so much forgiveness, which is something that I can give to others, but I cannot give towards myself. You suffered so much because of me, yet here you are showing me a kindness I never thought I was deserving of. Giving me your love, even after what I've done to you. I betrayed your trust. The other part of me nearly killed you because I couldn't keep it under control. I still don't understand why you are still here…" She placed a light kiss on his shoulder. "...but I'm glad that you are."

Marik shifted again, groaning quietly in his sleep. Kat pulled her arm from around her sleeping boyfriend and carefully removed herself from the bed, being mindful to not disturb him any further than she probably already had.

She stepped lightly across the room, carefully opening the door and exiting quietly, leaving Marik to sleep in peace as she closed the door behind her.

Sounds from down below prompted Kat to investigate their source, and she was surprised to see Atem still playing the online game. Her brow furled momentarily as she watched him take a quick moment to drink from a tall, aluminum can, his gaze never leaving the screen in front of him.

"Oh, hell no," she said loud enough that Atem turned his head just enough to see her before returning to his game. Kat leapt over the railing, landing on the floor below. She then marched over and grabbed the can he'd drank from before he could reach for it again.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Atem asked in irritation.

"Where did you get this?"

"They were in the fridge."

Kat caught the plural usage, and quickly spotted several empty cans shoved further back on the table.

"Atem…" Kat groaned while throwing her head back in exasperation.

"What? I've seen you and Malik drink them."

Kat brought her head forward. She noticed the time in the corner of the laptop's screen.

"It's fucking five in the morning. You've been playing this nonstop since yesterday evening, and I'm certain you've drank enough energy drinks that you're probably hearing colors. I think it's time for bed."

"But I'm in the middle of a quest."

"I don't care. The game isn't going anywhere. Just hearth back to the inn and you can play again later … after you've gotten some sleep."

"Can't I just finish this quest? I promise to log off afterwards."

Kat glanced at where his character was standing on the screen. "No. The mobs for that quest have a crappy drop rate, so you'll be there for another hour at the very least. You need to go to bed now."

"But-"

"Alright, that's it," Kat interrupted, forcefully removing the computer mouse from Atem's hand. "I'm doing this for your own good."

"NO! NOT DOWN THE HILL! THERE ARE-"

Atem watched in silent horror as his character ran into the middle of a bunch of fish people, stopping deep within their territory and dying almost immediately.

"There. You're in the middle of a massive group of murlocs. There is no retrieving your corpse without dying repeatedly and having an enormous repair bill. Your only other option is rezzing at the graveyard and taking the ten minute debuff," Kat firmly stated.

Atem looked like he was about to pull his hair out. He opted for just shouting in frustration.

Kat logged him out of the game and shut down the laptop. "Bed. Now."

"Stop trying to dictate my life!"

Kat shook her head, then forcefully picked up Atem and flung him across her shoulder. He threw a sleep-deprived tantrum as she carried him up the stairs, trying the entire time to remove himself from her grip.

"I have the physical strength to fight gods," Kat said boredly. "You'll have to try a lot harder if you want to escape my grasp."

"I demand you put me down right this instant!"

Kat had already opened the door to his room at this point. Bakura had taken advantage of the bed being empty, and was now sprawled across it. Kat dropped Atem on the floor, not caring that he'd landed on his ass. She then shoved Bakura out of the bed, picked Atem up bridal-style, then tossed him where Bakura had been laying only moments before.

Bakura sat up, groaning irritably at the manner in which he'd been woken. He looked over to the one that had shoved him out of bed, stared groggily for a long moment, then shrugged his shoulders before crawling back onto the bed, and settled in to go back to sleep.

"I am not sharing a bed with him!" Atem shouted.

Kat rolled her eyes, then placed her hand over Atem's face, touching her first three fingers along specified points on his forehead.

"What are yo-"

Atem didn't have time to finish his question before Kat recited a short incantation, his eyes immediately closing as his body relaxed. Kat caught his body as it slumped, easing it back into the bed and pulling the covers over him.

"I hate using magic on you, but you're extremely childish and even more stubborn when you're tired," she said to Atem, who tried to fight the effects of the spell by trying to peek an eye open. "Sleep. The game isn't going anywhere. And no more energy drinks, understand?"

Atem nodded sleepily, succumbing to the effects of the spell. Kat stayed for a moment, brushing one of the blond bangs away from Atem's face. A small smile crept up on her face, remembering when she had to go through similar measures with Imhotep when he first started playing.

She lightly shook her head at the recollection. Imhotep wasn't nearly as obsessed with the game now as he was at first, but he still thoroughly enjoyed playing it. It was one of the primary reasons that even after Yugi had assembled the Puzzle and Atem revealed himself, she still tried to attend the weekly raid. It was exhausting though, as she expended a great deal of energy splitting her vision between the game and wherever Yugi was, ready to leave her guildmates to die in-game at a moments notice.

She had to admit, she'd actually looked forward to raiding last week, as it was the first time in a long time that she'd been able to fully enjoy the game in a long time. Marik's unexpected appearance actually ended up making it even more enjoyable. If someone had told her a week ago that she would be feeling the things she felt now with him, she'd have called them a liar.

The sudden realization of what today marked, hit hard and fast. She and Marik had officially begun 'dating' a week ago. It was hard for her to believe how much had happened in that time. So much had developed between the two of them. Was this normal for mortals? Did they really develop such strong feelings for one another over such a short period of time?

She tried to think back to her mortal years, but they were too far back to recall clearly. She tried to recall how it was with Atem, but their feelings for one another had developed differently. They had bonded with one another simply because he was never 'Sa-nesu' or 'Pharaoh' to her. He was always Atem. And to him, she wasn't just 'Kat'. She was always Katrina to him.

In those days, she only went by 'Kat' because of how easily most people thought it was actually 'Khet'. Most people mispronounced her full name as 'Kheter-nu', which translated to 'The physical embodiment of Chaos'. Combined with her temper, the name didn't do her any favors in the bullying department.

Kat left the room, then went down to her computer and turned it on. She hoped the answers to the ever-growing number of questions that had begun to form in her mind could be found online. That was one thing she enjoyed about this era. The answers to just about everything could be easily found by typing a few words into a search engine and pressing 'enter'.

She hesitated before typing in her first question, taking the time to think about how to word it for the best search results. After a long moment, she decided to start with a question that had been on her mind since the start of things between her and Marik.

What does 'dating' entail?|

Back when I first got into WoW, let's just say there is a reason it used to be called 'World of Warcrack'. It was addicting as hell. My poor PC only got shut off for a weekly reboot during Tuesday maintenance. Three people played on that poor thing in shifts (I had afternoons due to work schedule). Atem's reaction to being drug away is not too far off from how it was with a lot of people during that time. As much as it saddens me to see what the game has become since those days, it's probably for the best.

Also, Atem has never had an energy drink before. I guarantee that boy is hearing colors.

khet- One of the parts of the soul (like ba and ka), specifically the 'Physical Body'

nu- Ancient Egyptians believed that in the beginning, the universe only consisted of a great chaotic cosmic ocean, and that ocean was referred to as 'Nu'. So in a way 'nu' can be roughly translated as 'chaos' (depending on context obviously).

I have a reason for Kat sometimes being referred to as 'Keter-nu'. It just won't appear for probably another too many chapters (I swear I'm trying to get there faster!)