His other walked with confidence he always had, right through the opening in the wall. Yugi could make out the figures of those waiting on the other side, and he smiled. Despite the seemingly stoic gate his other self had, he could sense that the Pharaoh was nervous to see them. So, Yugi shut out all of his conflicting emotions, and concentrated on support and happiness, excitement, for the other, to give him strength.
He saw the true appearance of the Pharaoh. His spirit had always looked like Yugi, in terms of complexion and the clothing attire. But it shifted to those of his original self as he crossed the threshold. The tan skin of Egypt, the royal attire, right down to the same deep violet covering around his shoulders. It had been a sight to see in the world of the Sennen Puzzle. But seeing it here and now was a bit nostalgic. Yugi smiled and cheered. The stone wall slid shut with a screech.
Yugi felt the sever of the mind link and mentally gasped, instinctually reaching out for his other self. He couldn't sense anything from the Pharaoh. The tendril of what was left seemed to vanish at the Afterlife. He smiled sadly. Perhaps it was better that way. Meant to be. He should have expected that. But… he hadn't. And now everything seemed so final. He wouldn't see his "darker half" again, until perhaps the day he passed to the Afterlife himself. His heart ached.
He was no stranger to death. His parents were both gone. He'd not wanted to experience losing another loved one. And his Yami was family, despite having only known him for the short amount of time the Puzzle had been completed. And now, his soul brother was gone. Of his own choice. And while Yugi was happy to have been at his side, he wished the Pharaoh hadn't had to leave just yet.
He heard the sniffles of all of his friends. Even the Ishtars were giving tears of goodbye as they all stared at the lifeless wall before them. Seto Kaiba looked less than pleased now, though as the door between the worlds had opened, he'd been just as curious and wide eyed as the rest of them. "He's gone…" Anzu said quietly, eyes trailing to the ground, shining with glossy tears.
They didn't have much time to really come to terms with that fact. A heavy shaking jerked each of them out of their thoughts, and when part of the ceiling crashed into the place the dual between Yugi and the Pharaoh had taken place, they each turned and ran for the exit. As they cleared the tomb entrance, it became clear that it collapsed inside. Heavy dust made it hard for them to breathe, and they each coughed a good distance off.
"Everybody make it out of there alright?" Jou asked, looking around.
"Looks like everyone's present and accounted for," Honda shrugged.
Both of them had puffy eyes, and Yugi was sure he himself did also. His heart was still aching, despite the run through the passageways. He was pretty sure it was an ache that wouldn't leave for some time. After all, the ache left behind from both of his parents still flared now and then and completely immobilized him. Would it be the same now? Most likely. A daunting concept, but one he acknowledged. The Great Pharaoh, Atem, would be in his heart and memories as long as he lived.
"What a waste," Kaiba mumbled, turning away.
"So, it's over," Duke stated, sighing. "I'm gonna miss all the excitement over those creepy items." Mokuba nodded at him. "Sure is going to be quiet now."
"It'll be better that way," Ishizu said sharply, not looking at anyone. "Now that the items are gone, and the Pharaoh is where he belongs, the world should be far safer. With the evil one vanquished, we shall thrive. And my family is no longer needed as guardians of the Tomb."
"Well, yeah," Duke mumbled. "I'm just saying. I'm going to miss it all."
"Me too," Jou said, looking back at where they'd emerged from the mountain.
"We all will," Yugi said quietly, turning his back on the mountain. "But I'm happy for the Pharaoh. And I'm just going to leave it at that."
"If you nerds are done, we've got a boat to catch," Seto said sharply, walking in the direction they'd come from. Everyone shared one last look, and hurried to catch up.
=1=1=
Yugi bit his lip as he took his seat on the plane. Something was telling him he couldn't leave yet. It was such a powerful sensation. But there was really no reason to stay. And they were just about to take off. He wouldn't force the plane to be late for its next stop, simply because he was having a hard time adjusting.
He glanced at Anzu, who was in her own world. She had been since the gateway had closed. Eyes far away and unfocused. He wished he could help her. He'd known she had a crush on the Pharaoh. This was as hard for her as it was for him, he guessed. He released a breath, looking out the window. Egypt. He'd never thought he'd come here. And now that he was leaving, despite being happy for setting his friend free, he wished he didn't have to have come yet. It felt like so many loose ends were still undone, and he wasn't enough to tie them up.
"Hey, Yug, wanna play?" Jou asked, waving what looked like a board game, worn from use. "The flight attendants let me borrow this. It'll be fun." Yugi stared at it, doubtfully. "We can't actually play until the plane takes off. But I can start setting it up."
"You too Anzu!" Honda said with a grin. "And you Bakura, Duke. We'll all play."
"Sure. I'll kick your butts," Duke shrugged as Bakura nodded lightly.
Yugi hummed, glancing at Anzu. "Do you want to play, Anzu? That's a two player team game." She blinked at him, her eyes coming into focus. And then she smiled, the excitement growing in her eyes.
"Yeah. I'll be on your team, Yugi."
"What? Hey! I was gonna be on Yug's team!" Jou exclaimed, making everyone chuckle. "Not fair. Oh well. What do you say, Honda? Care to be on my team?"
"Uh, do I have a choice?" At Jou's disbelieving grunt, Honda grinned, waving it off. "Yeah, man. I'll be on your team."
"I guess that means you and I are a team," Duke said to Bakura. "You have any idea how this is played?"
"I can guess. Though I've never heard of it before."
As Honda and Jou began setting up the pieces, Yugi smiled, sending one last glance out the window of the plane and to the tarmac and the hills/mountains beyond. 'Good bye, Pharaoh. We'll all miss you. I'll never forget you,' he thought, feeling the plane lurch forward, making its way over the runway to take to the skies.
=1=1=
He didn't look back, afraid that he'd change his mind and try to return to the land of the living. It was already taking everything he had to continue walking toward the people he'd known in another life, despite the longing to join them he'd felt since awakening the few memories of them he had.
He could hear his friends shouting words of encouragement. So he continued. He wouldn't go back now, despite all of the worries of the future that cropped up as he wondered where their lives would take them. He hoped that they lived long, with no worries of needing to save the world any more. And that they would be strong enough should the need arise.
He could see his ancient comrades. They were shouting and waving welcomes. Smiles. He could see their smiles, even from this distance. He felt suddenly torn, as he took a step that put him directly in the center of the two worlds. The mind link he shared with Yugi was fading, but what he could feel was still full of a million and one emotions of happiness, bravery, and courage, and it gave him the strength to continue forward.
The doorway to the mortal plain slid shut behind him, and he felt that link sharply cut off, and it made him pause, bringing a hand to his headdress in stunned surprise. He looked back up toward where the crowd was waiting for him. He could see them much easier now. He loosed a small smile. He didn't exactly remember all of his previous life, but he knew the names associated with the faces, and their general relations with him.
He could see Mana, jumping up and down with excitement and happiness. Mahaad was smiling in a way he'd not seen from the Magician previously. Shimun was laughing and waving. Even Set had a large grin as he stood with arms crossed. And his father, Akunamkanon, was standing proud beside the jubilant Mana. He felt warm at seeing them all.
Shaking suddenly halted his forward motion. His family all were at pause as well, staring down at the ground beneath them with surprise. 'Not a normal occurrence, I take it,' he thought, moving to hurry faster in their direction. He gave a startled yelp when he hit what felt like a wall, landing him on his backside on the ground. The shouts from those ahead turned panicked and worried. He shook himself, pushing back to his feet and feeling at the "wall" in front of him. He frowned when he felt a "corner" and the wall racing to his side. Another corner. And another. Somehow, he was boxed in. A "lid" seemed to appear directly over his head. He was officially stuck in a tiny box.
Horror graced the entire group as the observed the last Pharaoh push at the "walls" holding him hostage. "Pharaoh!" they all yelled in some form or another, rushing forward. They reached the teen and all began pounding on the barrier between them. The Pharaoh stared at them with wide eyes, and continued to push. Mana and Mahaad each glowed with their magic energies, attempting to use it to break through, all to no avail.
"My son," Akunamkanon whispered, gaining the trapped Pharaoh's gaze. "We'll get you free. This is not how a Great Pharaoh should be welcomed to this place…" his tone was saddened, but there was a fire in the man's eyes, and the teen gave a small nod.
Everyone was forced to step back as a dark light shined from around the trapped Pharaoh, shielding their eyes. When the teen let out a strangled scream, they all dropped their arms and hands and gaped in fear. Dark shadows swirled around the boy, and he was hugging himself in a vain attempt to keep the shadows from himself. And just as suddenly, the lights vanished, as well as the trap. The last Pharaoh was gone, leaving those of the afterlife in a half circle around empty space.
"No!" most of them shouted in disbelief.
Akunamkanon dropped to his knees, and yelled his son's name, tears spilling over as he did so.
"Pharaoh!" Mana and Mahaad keened.
Even the lands of the Afterlife quaked, the air becoming hard and chilled.
S/N: Ok, so. This idea has been done a bazillion times already. But I just wanted to write. I've got two other story ideas for this fandom, but this is the first that's made it to the computer. And so, it is my least thought out idea. Oh well. We'll go with the flow until my interest in Yugioh fades. If you find things that could be improved upon, or typos, please, let me know.