Yami-no-Yugi: Well, my birthday is coming up. (omg, I'll be 21 o.o!!).
Yami: Wow, you're old.
Y-n-Y: Hypocrite.
Yami: ;;
Y-n-Y: Anywho… Not sure how many of you remember me… it's been forever since I posted a fanfic. 12-31-04 to be exact. But! I have a new one that I've been thinking about for a while and decided to post it.
Yuugi: Yay!!
Y-n-Y: However, I will not be reposting any of my fics that died because of the people who hacked my original account (Yami-no-Yugi).
Yuugi: Aww (
Y-n-Y: Takes too much effort. If anyone wants to read them, let me know and I'll zip them up and email them to you. I also think I have become a much better writer in the past two years, so I believe this fic will be more enjoyable than my older ones. Here we go!
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Last Chance
It has been a while since Yuugi saw Yami last. 'Almost six years,' Yuugi thought ruefully. He could not blame his other half for departing to where he belonged. Yuugi had known, somehow, that Yami 'no, Atemu,' Yuugi corrected himself, would have to leave. It hurt to see the Sennen items fall to oblivion, his beloved puzzle undoubtedly smashed into the pieces he received them. Even the passing of time did not blur the image Yuugi remembered of the pharaoh leaving this world.
"…Egypt."
Yuugi's back went ridged. Despite his profession he refused under any circumstances that he would not go to Egypt. Ever. But here he was, his chief telling him about his next job and relocation. Currently he was in Spain, doing simple training fieldwork with the new people, but his chief had told him he would be repositioned soon. Yuugi sighed. "Sir, you know I have no wish to travel to Egypt. I can't take this assignment."
"Mutou, you are the best researcher on my team. Your skills are needed for this job. They were needed for many other jobs, too. I have been instructed not to let you pass this assignment up."
"Does this mean either I go or I get fired?"
The graying man nodded. "Unfortunately. I don't know what happened there, Mutou, and I'm sorry for stepping on your feelings, but from what I know, you have had three years to come to terms with your issue." The man turned to leave. "Pack your bags. Either way, you need to leave within twenty-four hours."
The man closed the door behind him and Yuugi froze. 'Why?' He looked down and saw the report his chief had given him. He opened up to the first page:
Near Cairo, Egypt:
Less than six years ago, a pyramid that was under the ownership of the Ishtal family collapsed from unknown causes. The pyramid, located in the Valley of the Kings, has never been explored nor documented in any archeological finds except for a report from Mutou Sugoroku.
The Ishtals have given the Japanese Archeological Team permission to explore the ruins in order to find the cause of the collapse and artifacts. Any artifacts found are the property of the Ishtals and the family must be notified if/when any are found.
The site will be allowed to be up for no more than six months from time of arrival. Please make arrangements for leaving for this excavation site.
Yuugi shook his head. 'Why would Isis and Marik want a team to find the cause of the collapse? They knew what happened. They were there!' Artifacts were another story. Maybe the Ishstals wanted the Sennen items back again. He read through the rest of the report.
'Maybe…I could find a way to Atemu. Or a way to bring him back. At the very least, I might be able to find my puzzle again.' Yuugi felt hopeful. For once, he was excited.
---
In less than twenty-four hours, Yuugi was packed up and on an airplane to Cairo. He managed to sleep much of the way there, but upon waking up he was anxious to land and begin his search.
After picking up his baggage from the terminal, he exited the airport and waited as instructed for his ride to the site. Surprised filled him as he saw Marik waiting for him in the car with his sister, Isis, next to him.
"We are sure you have a lot of questions to ask us, but please let us take you to where you'll be staying. You may ask your questions during the ride," Isis offered and Marik got out of the car to help Yuugi with his bags.
Yuugi nodded, making his way to the back of the car. "I do have a lot of questions, but I am still happy to see you both. It's been a while."
The blond man nodded after closing the trunk once Yuugi's belongings where put inside. "It has. I hope it will not be another six years after you depart again."
Thirty minutes into their car ride, Yuugi asked his first question. "Why?"
Isis smiled softly. "We want to recover the Sennen Items if possible. If they are discoverable, we do not want them in the wrong hands again. If they are not found with you looking for them, I'm sure they will never be found."
Yuugi nodded understandably. He did not want them to fall into the wrong hands either. He had enough problems the first time around. 'Although, I would gladly go through it all again if I could be with Atemu.' "Did you specifically request for me?"
Marik nodded and answered this time. "I told him we wanted their best, no matter what. We referenced you from what we have read about in the news. You also knew exactly what it was we were looking for."
"I figured as much. My boss practically gave me an ultimatum: either go or get fired."
Marik laughed. "Sorry, I know this must be hard for you, but I didn't think you want to see another person get their hands on these."
"Yeah. What will you do with the items if they are found?"
"We will protect them. Just like we have done before," Isis said. "We are hoping that you would like to help in that part. Even though the items have lost their power, the puzzle still belongs to you Yuugi."
Yuugi lowered his head, emotions pooling over. "I won't lie. I came here for the opportunity to find Atemu. As impossible as it sounds, that's my goal. I have six months to complete it."
The siblings exchanged a look and nodded. "We understand."
For the next hour, they drove in silence.
---
Yuugi awoke, not really remembering when he fell asleep as the car came to a stop. It was late evening and the sun was just about set. "Where are we?"
"About a half a mile to the Pharaoh's tomb. Where we live," Marik explained.
Yuugi nodded and opened the car door to get out. Stretching a bit, he walked around the car to grab his two bags. The Ishtals led him into their house. It was underground, but once inside, he marveled at the beauty. Antique was the only way to describe what he saw. Despite the modern beds and electricity that power everything, the structure looked positively ancient.
"We set up a room for you, Yuugi, this way," Isis said as she led him through their house.
They passed many rooms, many with dust on the door handles telling Yuugi they have not been used in a while. She stopped in front of a door. "Yuugi, when I open the door, please do not jump to any conclusions."
Yuugi looked at her weirdly and nodded.
She opened the door.
On the bed lay a tanned boy. No, not boy, perhaps the same age as Yuugi himself. Wild, multi-colored hair fanned around his sleeping face, a small golden object clenched in one of his hands.
Yuugi nearly dropped to the floor. "M-mou hitori no boku…?"
A pair of crimson eyes opened and sleepily began to focus on Yuugi. "A-aibou?"
Unshed tears ran down Yuugi's face. All the tears he wanted to cry since he left Egypt so long ago fell down his cheeks. He looked where Isis was and found her missing. "Do not jump to any conclusions." Yuugi shook his head, 'What does that mean?' "How…how can you be here?"
Slowly the Pharaoh sat up and shook his head. "I do not remember much. Isis and Marik have been telling me about things I don't remember." He smiled slightly, his smiles always closer to a smirk than the real thing. "But I always remembered being with someone." He looked down at the object in his hand. "I traveled to where Isis and Marik found me four years ago and finally came upon this about a week ago." He held the golden object for Yuugi to see: a piece of the Sennen puzzle. "When I asked them what it was and why I remember parts of my life, they said I would have to wait. That it was someone else's story to tell."
Yuugi shook his head slightly, tears falling faster. "Please tell me this isn't a dream."
Atemu stood and crossed the room to Yuugi, taking his hand. "It's not, aibou. It's real and I hope you will be able to tell me more about myself."
Yuugi's smile came out wobbly and watery. "W-what do you want to know?"
"My name."
Yuugi would have laughed if he did not feel so emotional. His name. The one that ended the Pharaoh's quest now began his new one. "Your name is Atemu."
Atemy smiled. "Atemu. That sounds right." He looked down at Yuugi, an honest expression on his face. "And what is your name?"
Yuugi blinked. 'Hadn't he just called me 'aibou'? He knew who I was.'
"Do not jump to any conclusions."
'They must have told him about me and showed him some pictures.' He started crying harder. With everything he expected, he had not expected this. If he had found Atemu, he did not expect him to lose his memory. "M-my name is Mutou Y-Yuugi. We were together a lot, you u-used to call me 'aibou' like you did j-just now. We were each other's halves, but yet our own souls. Mou hitori no boku."
Atemu nodded. "I'm sorry. I know we were close and I know that with my memory being gone, it's much harder on you."
Yuugi closed the few inches between the two of them and hugged his other half, Atemu returning the gesture. Despite how awkward and foolish he must have looked, he let himself drown in the other's arms. It has been so long since they saw each other, so long since they talked to each other. All Yuugi wanted to do was fall asleep like this and never wake up.
---
And that was what happened. Except Yuugi did wake up. Atemu's arms still wrapped around him, he closed his eyes again and smiled. He would tell Atemu everything. And they would make new memories. They belonged together. Not even the Egyptian gods were able to keep them apart.
The puzzle piece, Yuugi remembered from the previous night. Atemu had said he remembered something when he found it. Perhaps the pieces are his memory. He nodded sleepily and opened his eyes again. He knew there was no way he would be able to fall back asleep. Instead, he just looked at the Pharaoh's face from his position. He had seen his other's sleeping face only a couple times before. It was slightly different know. The skin was darker, the eyebrows not so furrowed, the shape of his face not so harsh.
Yuugi smiled. 'I found him,' he thought happily. He would look. He would look forever to find all the pieces of his puzzle. He had to. For Atemu and himself.
Atemu slowly opened his eyes to look at the other man in his arms. "Good morning," he said with a yawn.
Yuugi laughed. "Good morning to you, too." He looked at the glowing red numbers next to him. "It's not morning anymore. It's almost one in the afternoon."
Atemu smiled. "Good, I don't like the mornings anyway."
The smaller one looked around the room. The door was still open. His bags were still on the floor where he did not remember dropping them. He sat up and stretched. "You said that when you found that piece, you remembered something. What was it?"
Atemu closed his eyes. "We had just won a card game. We were partnered up with a blond haired male and our opponents were two bald males that were twins. Para and Dox, I believe. I know we were fighting hard for something. So was the blonde, for his sister." He looked started. "Did he get the money? For her operation?"
Yuugi nodded. "Yes, it's a long story, one I will tell you, but she did and can see now."
The Pharaoh sighed. "I'm glad. And then I remember we were headed to a castle to find someone." He looked at Yuugi. "And that's where it stopped. I asked Isis about who the person that looked like me was and all she said was he was my partner, my aibou."
"If I'm right, those pieces are parts of your memory. They are also pieces to a puzzle I once solved a long time ago. I made a wish on the puzzle, since it was one that was said to make wishes come true. Back then I was lonely, I had no friends and was constantly bullied and picked on. I wished for friends." He smiled, remembering putting in the last puzzle piece Jounouchi had fought to get. "I don't know whether it was the puzzle that did it or my drive to solve the puzzle, but I made friends. Jounouchi, the blonde you remembered, Honda, Anzu, Mai, Bakura, Isis, Marik, Shizuka, Jounouchi's sister… and you. I met so many people because I found you."
Atemu smiled and sat up so he was next to Yuugi. "Start from the beginning."
Yuugi took in a deep breath. "When I solved the puzzle I had no idea you were inside of it. It was much later when I actually realized weird things were happening that I was able to find you and talk to you…"
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Tsudzuku
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Y-n-Y: Soooooooo…? How was it? Garbage? Yeah, I know uu
Yuugi: I found Yami
Yami: You mean Isis and Marik found me. You left me to die ;;
Yuugi: Nuuuuuuuuu ;; glomps Yami
Y-n-Y: backs away Anywho… review?