Chapter 37

'What the hell is she doing?' The First's voice was a mixture of confusion and anger.

The Pure glanced towards her for a moment, before allowing her gaze to slip past her to the Face of Friendship. She'd dropped her shield and was stood in front of Gan like she was waiting to be stabbed. The Pure felt her heart lurch inside her chest; this was the last thing she wanted, but at the same time... Her gaze turned towards the group she could sense behind her, the Spirits were planning something; maybe the Face of Friendship had managed to figure out that plan.

'We don't have time to worry about her,' the Pure forced herself to sweep her arms in a circular motion and create a disk of light to throw at Re and Na, 'trust that she knows what she's doing.'

'Oh yeah, because the pacifist really knows what's best for herself, right?' The First gritted her teeth as she threw an attack of her own at Re and Na, knocking them off of their feet for a moment. 'All she's done is defend since she arrived.'

'Technically that's all we've been doing,' the Pure threw her disk, preventing the two members of the Reganna they were facing from getting back to their feet for a moment. 'Just because she's using a different method to us doesn't mean...'

'I'm not going to let her...'

The First turned her attention towards Gan, but as she gathered the energy for her attack the middle child of the Reganna launched hers. The knife she was holding went swiftly in and out of the Face of Friendship. The Pure felt a ripple of pain go through her stomach and from the sound the First made she was certain she wasn't the only one to feel it. Helplessly they watched as the Face of Friendship fell to her knees.

'You can't die in Kama Traydon,' the First gritted her teeth, 'you know that.'

'But this isn't about dying,' the Pure glanced towards her, 'this is about becoming mortal. There's no precedence for this, not here. I think... I think she can become mortal here, even if she can't die.'

'No. No she's not allowed. I won't let her.'

'You don't have a choice,' the Pure half turned her head away as the Face of Friendship's body erupted with light then disappeared. 'She's always put her faith in us and now we have to do the same for her. We have to believe she knows what she's doing.'

'And if she doesn't?' The First glared at her.

'You're not allowed to think that way,' the Pure shook her head, 'have faith in our sister. Have faith in us.'

It all happened so quickly, first the Téa lookalike had disappeared and then Yugi had begun clutching his chest and screaming in pain. The screaming noise had quickly turned to an agonising choking sound and as SK watching Yugi's fingers clutch tighter and tighter at the material above his chest he could see his fingers turn pure white.

'Yugi...' SK took a step towards him, but Tristan held out a hand to block his path.

'What's happening to him?' Mokuba's face filled with fear.

'Tah paistro juchk tahtahr,' Tristan's eyes focused on Yugi.

'Maste...' Adam shook his head in wonder.

'What did they say?' Mokuba's eyes glanced between Mai and SK as the agonising noises Yugi was making began to simmer down.

'I... I think Yugi is... is becoming the Face of Friendship,' Mai swallowed hard.

'But they... they didn't want this,' SK's tongue skated across his lips. 'That's why they sent her away before. That's why they wanted to keep her out of this. She's not supposed to become like them. This... this changes everything.'

'Loust,' Tristan smirked, 'melaic yeug zes narah.'

'You knew... you knew this would happen when you asked for my return,' Yugi stared down at his trembling hands. 'We didn't want this, but you did. Why?'

'Melaic yeug zes narah,' Tristan gripped the material above his stomach, 'tahtahr tant zes.'

'And I have to put my faith in you, right?' Yugi's now white glazed eyes turned up towards Tristan. 'I have to trust you, like we did before.'

'Vermarck?'

'The Spirits brought all the pieces together so you could return,' Yugi's glazed eyes shifted around the group.

'Ven fito zema,' Tristan frowned. 'Zooh fi sai tink ven xio?'

'No,' she shook her head, 'no I can't say it, not yet. If I say it it'll make it real and that'll put a time limit on it.'

'Khesta?'

'Because you can't die in Kama Traydon.'

'You can't die in Kama Traydon?' SK choked and licked his lips. 'Are you sure about that, because Tristan looks pretty damn dead to me.'

'So long as his body stays within the grounds the First can resurrect him and she will because at least two of our hosts will wish for it,' Yugi sighed, 'but that also means the pieces will have to separate again. I know I'll be okay with that, but...' his eyes turned towards Joey and Kaiba. 'It hurt them both so much and it was their pain which made me realise my feelings were not the same.'

'Ven... ven fito zema,' Tristan shook his head.

Yugi got to his feet and moved towards Tristan. Once he'd reached him he placed his hand on Tristan's chest, roughly above his heart. Tristan frowned at him, made to back away, then hesitated.

'Tarhr cloudai... Zooh xio ven?'

'I told you, I'm not ready to answer that yet.'

'Mitte xio ven zes sai?'

'A friend. A dear friend. A good, true and wonderful friend.'

'Stas tono arc clan kuh?'

'You already know the answer to your question, so why ask?'

There were a few moments of silence, during which Tristan moved both of his hands onto Yugi's. A strange smile pulled across his face for a second, before he finally backed away from Yugi.

'Lu mitte fi ki xilo? Dros qaut fait su, ven een.'

Yugi studied him for a moment, then his eyes turned around the group and he folded his arms and sighed.

'Back when we were foolish children, my sisters and I created something wonderful. He was everything we were and more. He was the most perfect creature and he loved us without question, not because we made him, but because he... he just did. And we loved him, each in our own way of course, but we did. We loved him without question, not because he was ours or because he was perfect, but because he was him. So when the Reganna threatened us naturally he did whatever he could to keep us safe. Unfortunately that meant he ended up sharing their fate. He was shattered, just as they were, seeping into what was left of the old universe and becoming a part of the new multiverse we forced ourselves to create.'

'Om oaha juchk dros Reganna burhr, lu jayu tah?'

'Yes,' Yugi nodded, 'but not quite in the same way,' his eyes moved from Tristan to Mai, then to Mokuba and finally to Adam. 'Heart, Mind, Body and Soul; the Four Human Elements. The four pieces of the puzzle.'

'Om mitte fio dros hiezel xilo?'

'It makes him,' he half turned away from them, 'it makes Win Favour.'

'And now we are once again equals,' Re laughed and stretched her hands out in an overly dramatic way. 'The Mistresses and the Reganna both fully mortal. Neither truly able to take control of the heavens. Oh, oh but wait,' her eyes went wide with a dark kind of excitement, 'we have a Nethher Herin in our midst and the dead trump the living in the battle for the skies.'

'A Nethher Herin isn't enough to take on our children,' the First gritted her teeth. 'The gods have control of the heavens now. We gave them control of the multiverse when we took a step back and now we're giving them control of the heavens.'

'She makes it sound so sincere,' Gan placed both hands over her heart, 'you could almost believe her, couldn't you? Except all they really did was stop the vast majority of mortals from worshipping them, they never really relented their control and their children know it. It's why things fell apart between them.'

'And here I was thinking the incest was the problem,' Re folded her arms. 'I mean, if you're going to insist on having children with your own son,' her eyes focused on the First, 'or your nephews,' she flicked her gaze towards the Pure and the newly mortalised Face of Friendship, 'then you can't exactly expect a normal, loving, together family.'

'No, I don't suppose you can,' Gan smirked, 'it wouldn't take much to push your children over the edge; like, oh say, backseat ruling. And that friction kind of makes me think they're not going to stay particularly loyal to you.'

'And you think they'll side with you?' The Pure shook her head. 'You're deluded. They'll be out for themselves and they're not going to make it easy for anyone, not even us to step back into control. The First is right; a Nethher Herin isn't enough to take on the gods.'

'But its playtime,' Na clapped his hands together and held them in a prayer position in front of his face, 'and there are new dollies for me to play with.' He winced. 'You forget, we are more than just our hosts, even trapped within these bodies we are powerful. Powerful enough to mortalise the three of you.'

'We let...'

'Uh-uh-uh dolly,' Na wagged a finger at her, 'I told you its playtime and you're all old and broken now. I want something new to play with.'

'We all do,' Re laughed, 'let's see if we're a match for the gods, shall we?'

'You can't...' the Pure took a step towards them, but it was too late. 'They're gone.'

The First made a noise of frustration and ran her fingers back through her host's hair. For a few moments she said nothing, then her eyes turned towards the Pure.

'Our children are stubborn; they're not going to make it easy for them.'

'Please, you think I'm worried about that? I married Sta, remember? Between his deluded determination and my youngest's army they're going to have a right battle on their hands.'

'You're right. This might even be enough to finally teach Du and Sta to work together.'

'Any treaty they sign will be made with fingers crossed behind their backs,' the Pure gave a breathy half laugh, 'you know the Reganna are right about one thing, your boys are messed up for a reason.'

'You weren't the only one who missed him you know, Set was the closest thing I had.'

'He was your son.'

'And Sta was your nephew,' the First half glared at her, 'don't take the high road with me Pure, we were all guilty of the same thing back then.'

'We were young and foolish, weren't we?' She sighed.

'And unfortunately for us age hasn't made us any less foolish.' The First lowered her head. 'How are we supposed to stop them without him? We're nothing without him.'

'Then you're not putting your faith in the right place,' the Pure turned her eyes towards the group behind them.

'Even after all this you still believe he knows what he's doing?'

'I have to,' a strange smile appeared on the Pure's face, 'and so do you.'