Atem once again found himself stopping in his tracks as he entered his room.

Standing near the window, the curtains drawn back so that the rays of the morning sun made her appear as some sort of heavenly being, was his ex wife.

He closed the door and leaned against it, forcing his eyes shut. Surely this meant that he was still asleep? Yes, that had to be the case. That would explain everything. Yugi and Imhotep appearing out of nowhere; him having no prior knowledge that they'd even be arriving; his brash (and admittedly unjust) reaction towards Bakura; and now this.

"Atem?"

Her voice was close, and he could feel the lightest brush of fingertips against his arm.

'She's not real. It's just another of those dreams,' he tried to convince himself.

The fingertips became a hand on his shoulder.

"Atem, look at me. Is everything alright?"

Her voice sounded as though she were trying not to break out in a full on panic.

"Go away," he demanded, his eyes remaining shut.

The hand on his shoulder vanished, and after a brief second he dared to peek an eye open. He immediately regretted it, because she was still there…and obviously hurt by his demand that she leave.

Kat took a few small steps back, obviously to put some space between them; her gaze cast to the ground as she drew her arms close to herself.

"Does this mean you didn't really want me here?"

Atem reached out, but became frozen in his movement so that he was just standing there with one arm extended forward.

"No, I-...I thought-..."

He couldn't say it. He couldn't say that he thought she wasn't real. That he thought she was just an apparition that kept haunting his sleep.

She looked at him, her eyes full of confusion and hurt that stabbed through his core. He'd seen that look many times when they'd been in situations similar to this. Saying something under the wrong assumption, but unable to apologize and explain himself due to the overwhelming fear that his explanation would be worse.

Would it actually be worse in this case? Was the fact that every time he closed his eyes to rest, she was there? That he consistently dreamt of the happy moments between them?

It wasn't as if he was begging her to come back and give him one more chance. It wasn't even an admission that he actually regretted the extremes he'd agreed to in a moment of misplaced frustration. At most, he'd just be admitting how much he missed those moments of happiness between them.

He took in a shaky breath in an attempt to steady his nerves, lowering his arm and relaxing his body on exhale.

"I thought perhaps I was dreaming again," he admitted quietly, though hearing the words out loud made his gut twist in shame and embarrassment.

Kat tilted her head in that way that he had grown accustomed to meaning that she would be now intensely observing everything he said and did until whatever emotion she currently felt, whether it be curiosity or concern, had been sated.

"Again?"

As he suspected. She was now wanting an explanation and would not leave without one. In hindsight, he should have omitted that particular word. Though…she'd most likely still be questioning either way considering his reaction to unexpectedly seeing her in general.

He crossed the room to sit on the edge of his bed, his hands folded in his lap while fixing his gaze to a random point on the floor.

"I can't sleep without seeing you…us…when things were…better. I dread the morning, because then it all comes to an end and I am forced to suffer through the day."

Kat had come to sit beside him, and he wouldn't deny that he enjoyed the closeness.

"If you thought I was a dream, then why would you have wanted me to leave?"

Atem closed his eyes as he prepared himself to say what needed to be said.

"Because it hurts. It constantly makes me feel as though there is still hope…when in reality there isn't. I don't know how much more of it I can take."

His eyes were prompted to open at the sound of a breathy chuckle. Kat's head was tilted back, a sad smile painted on her face.

"I know that exact feeling, because I've felt that way for five-thousand years. Is any of it real? Or am I just having an intense fever hallucination brought on by my illness? Perhaps I truly died; though by illness or execution…I don't know. Perhaps I am permanently trapped in the mists of the Duat, or maybe I made it as far as the First Gate. Regardless, there is the possibility that I am forever trapped in the illusions each are known to cast."

She brought her gaze down and turned to face him.

"You are here in front of me, no longer a spirit bound to a relic, my promise fulfilled…and I am still terrified that one day I will wake up to find that you being alive, seeing Yugi and Imhotep as they should have been, my time with Marik…that all of it was just a dream. I have to push myself every day to not let that fear control me…though some days it's harder than others."

To Atem's surprise, she reached over and took his hands in her own.

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I did during the duel, or even when we first met with Kaiba. Same with the mall. I should have just butted out instead of letting my jealous emotions take the reigns. I found comfort in the illusion of control and thought I could keep hold of the past while still moving forward. In reality it's one of those 'you can't have your cake and eat it too' scenarios. It's either I stick with things as they were, or move forward with only the memories of them. I can't have both."

Atem lowered his head. He understood what she was saying, but there was one thing different about their situations.

"That makes sense, but…only one of us is in a position to make that kind of choice. The other…"

He sighed heavily against the weight in his chest.

"...is forced to endure the result of that choice. I never had a say in things."

The hands holding his loosened their already light grip, and glancing up he could see that his ex's posture mirrored his.

"I have this bad habit of making choices for others…and in some cases it is necessary, while others it is not," she began. "I have a hard time seeing which is which until it is too late. For example, my choices yesterday ended up having catastrophic results. Not a single choice was necessary, I just felt I had to be in control of things. In the process, I unintentionally hurt people I care about. I could have done so many things differently, but I arrogantly chose not to."

She took a breath before continuing on.

"Alternatively, the choice I made for us…it was necessary. Neither of us would have been able to see the people we've become throughout the millennia otherwise. It was never about control, it was about a change that we both needed. I know I've hurt you, and I wish there had been another way to bring about this change without doing so…but there wasn't."

Atem couldn't argue against any of it. The choice she'd made for the both of them had been for the better…regardless of how he currently felt. And he also knew she hadn't made that choice with the intention of hurting him (at least not entirely…he still felt spite was involved to some degree).

"I understand, and I agree. As much as I don't like the outcome, it was indeed necessary. I-..."

He wanted to say what he'd kept saying over and over again, because he didn't know what else to say in that regard: That he wished there'd been another way…but honestly what point was there in reiterating the obvious. Kat had even admitted that she wished the same.

Instead, he decided to abruptly change the subject.

"I don't think you came here just to reassure me that the events of this morning weren't some sort of lucid nightmare in the making."

Kat withdrew her hands from his, closing her eyes and slowly shaking her head while doing so.

"No. I was concerned by your behavior towards Kura…though now I am willing to chalk it up as a moment of temporary madness due to the inability to discern between being awake and asleep."

She opened her eyes, and to Atem her gaze appeared sad.

"The two of you appeared to be on amicable terms when I arrived last night. Kura obviously knew I was here, but I told him not to say anything to you. I was afraid I would be interfering with whatever progress the two of you had made."

Atem's brow furled, irritated by the idea of her having been able to avoid him even in his own residence.

"You mean to tell me that I've been oblivious to the fact that there are three extra people staying here?"

Kat shook her head.

"No. Just one."

Atem's irritation was quickly replaced by shock and confusion.

"Just one? What about Malik and Marik?"

Kat's gaze fell completely, and for a moment Atem felt a guilty spark of hope that maybe she was here alone…in his room ALONE…for a reason.

"Mal woke up long enough to ask me to take him to one of his residences in the States. He asked that Marik stay…and that I leave."

Atem looked away, hoping his ex hadn't detected his hope with her acute senses…or his current disappointment.

"Marik willingly agreed to this?" he asked, hoping that keeping the topic on the Tomb Keeper would give him time to bury his emotions.

If Kat did detect anything from him, she kept it hidden.

"He was hesitant at first, but Mal promised that he'd be able to rejoin me tomorrow. After a bit of back and forth about a few things, they both eventually agreed that me coming here by myself would give you and I some time to figure out how we'd coexist without having the same issues as before."

"...oh."

Atem winced, internally facepalming. Could he have sounded any more disappointed? What good was trying to bury his emotions before she found out if he was just going to practically vocalize them?

With the way she glanced up at him, Atem was certain Kat was going to say something about the fact that he obviously wasn't ready to give up hope that she'd come back to him. He was surprised when the words that came out of her mouth were nothing of the sort.

"I had an idea on how we might go about that…if you're willing to hear me out."

Atem hesitated more out of trying to register the unexpected words than because he was hesitant to agree, before nodding and allowing her to continue.

"I was thinking maybe we start over. Completely. Don't bring up the past. At least not until we can bring it up without things ending in some sort of argument. We will treat each other as old acquaintances in a temporary living situation, and nothing more."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"I was thinking maybe we could attempt a few small group outings with the intent to get to know one another again. I think last time we may have had too many people."

"You mean there were too many girls," Atem commented without thinking. He regretted it immediately when he saw Kat clench her jaw in an attempt to hold her tongue.

"Sure," she replied, her jaw clenching even tighter in the process.

He brought his hand up and briefly covered his face before dragging it down in exasperation at himself.

"I didn't-...that comment was uncalled for. I shouldn't have said it."

Kat took a deep breath in and out and unclenched her jaw a bit.

"Uncalled for, perhaps…but not wrong."

Atem opened his mouth to speak, his mind grasping for something…anything…to say in an attempt to fix what shouldn't have been said.

"Go out with me."

Cue immediate physical facepalm. He peeked between his fingers, seeing only a blank expression as Kat blinked a few times, obviously trying to process the randomness of his words.

"I'm going to guess this is one of those things you're saying with the entire context behind it existing solely in your head," she stated. "Would you care to share the rest? Or should I just take a peek for myself to fully understand it?"

Atem lowered his hand in exasperation. She truly did know him better than he knew himself, which meant the idea of 'getting to know each other again' seemed silly. It was more of a way for them to learn how to speak to one another as though they were two diplomats looking to become allies, which meant that while voicing the entire thought process was highly encouraged…things like jabs at prior mistakes were to be avoided.

He sighed as if defeated.

"I will admit, there was a thought with it…it just didn't all come out."

Kat motioned with her hand to get on with the rest of what he had to say. Atem glanced away and fidgeted with the back of his neck.

"You mentioned group outings, and I just thought…since I hadn't expected Yugi and Imhotep coming for a visit…maybe the four of us could go out for breakfast?"

Kat remained silent, looking as though she were mentally processing his request.

"Just so I understand things, your idea of replying to me agreeing that your comment was uncalled for but not wrong…is to invite me to join you and our boys for breakfast at a restaurant. Or am I still missing a key piece of context?"

Atem stopped fidgeting as he internally ran over his train of thought.

"No…that pretty much sums it up," he stated in embarrassment.

Kat closed her eyes and smiled softly, slowly shaking her head back and forth.

"I would say you've been around Kura too long, but you've always had your 'randomness-that-barely-make-sense' moments. They were always some of my favorite moments with you."

She then looked over at him, still smiling.

"And for that reason alone, I'll say 'yes'."

The award for 'Best Awkward Moment of this Grouping' goes to Atem! I'm sorry, but he's not 'super suave sexy man' in my eyes. He's just really good at Texas Hold' em.

So I barely managed to finish this before my little date that I had set. I have nothing started after this (despite the ideas swarming around in the thing I call a brain). My other grandfather passed away on the 12th, which was the 'straw on the camel's back' so to speak when it comes to my current stress and anxiety levels over everything else going on in my life atm.

This is, sadly, going to become like my TKB 2nd chance fic on AO3 in that it will just get updated when I get something written (hopefully once life calms it's shit and stops being a bully so I can get back to regular posting). I'll still be posting update info in the red lettering section of my pinned post over on Tumblr for anyone that wants to just occasionally take a small peek. Also, make sure you have emails enabled here if you are set up to receive update notifications for this fic. I honestly hate leaving this without some sort of posting ETA, but I'm just one person trying to juggle the shit life keeps throwing at me, and lately it's been throwing me a bit too much.