When Atem crossed over to the afterlife, he was greeted by his family and friends. It was so nice to see everyone again. The 'welcome back' party they threw for him lasted for about a week, and needless to say, it was a lot of fun.
A few months have passed since then, and Atem had already settled down and readjusted to his new home. While there were times when he missed Yugi, he knew it was for the best. At least the world was at peace for years to come. He was no longer needed among the living.
At the moment, Atem was currently relaxing at the palace oasis. He was finally at peace. He regained his memories and he was sure Yugi and his friends were alright without him. But his relaxation was interrupted by small giggles. Curious, he walked over to the source of the laughter. Who he saw brought a smile to his face.
"Hello Mana," Atem said, walking over to her. "What's so amusing?"
Mana was currently looking at the oasis' pond. "I'm watching your younger brother," she explained.
"Brother?" Atem asked. "I never had a brother."
"Yes you do," Mana said. "That boy with the same hair as you."
Atem quickly realized who Mana was talking about. "You're spying on Yugi?" he asked, looking at the pond. Sure enough, Mana was using it as a mirror to the mortal world.
"Yep!" Mana happily replied. "And look! That Yugi kid is on a date!"
Atem watched the scene play out. To his delight, Yugi was on a date with Tea. They looked somewhat older, so he could tell that a lot of time had passed since he last saw them. He was delighted to see this, especially when the two shared their first kiss.
"Well done Yugi," Atem said.
"That's so cute!" Mana said as the image disappeared from the pond. "Love is quite a wonderful feeling."
"Agreed," Atem replied. As he and Mana walked around the oasis, his thoughts were focused on her. While he did see her as cute and adorable, he only saw her as a friend. Then he remembered what Yugi told him about the different types of relationships in the modern era, and he had an idea.
"Mana, did you have a crush on me when we were alive?" Atem asked.
Mana stopped walking. "What?" she asked.
Atem approached her, looking at her straight in the eye. "Did you have a crush on me when we were alive?" he repeated.
"I don't really know," Mana admitted. "I mean, we did grow up together, but I figured that you only saw me as a friend."
"I thought so too," Atem said. "But during my time with Yugi, he told me how relationships had varied by his time. While there are still typical relationships between a man and a woman, sometimes a person is attracted to someone of the same gender, or maybe even both genders. But there are times where a person is not attracted to anyone at all.
"Yugi also explained how there are two different types of attraction: romantic attraction and sexual attraction. After I explained to him that I don't feel either of those things towards anyone, he said that meant I'm both asexual and aromantic."
"Oh…" Mana said. "Then why did you ask me if I had a crush on you?"
"Because Yugi also explained that just because people are classified as 'ace', it doesn't mean they can't experience relationships," Atem continued. He held both of Mana's hands. "They can experience love, but not feel any attraction towards the person they love."
Mana quickly realized what Atem was trying to say. "Is this a love confession?" she asked.
"Perhaps it is," Atem answered. "Mana, when I regained my memories of you, I remembered all the fun we had growing up. I care about you a lot, and we have all of eternity to be together. So are you okay with our friendship becoming something mo-"
Mana interrupted Atem by tackling him for a hug. "Of course!" she excitedly said. But then her eyes widened and she pulled back. "But I should probably keep my distance."
Atem chuckled before he pulled Mana in for another hug. "Don't worry," he said. "Relationship stuff might be foreign to me, but like I said, we have all of eternity to figure this out."
"So…is this okay?" Mana asked. She proceeded to give Atem a quick kiss on the lips, which she quickly realized was a mistake because he looked confused. "Atem?"
The former pharaoh quickly recovered. "Please forgive me," he said. "Kissing is still a mystery to me."
Mana giggled. She could tell that this was going to be quite an unusual relationship.
The End