Seto gasped for breath as he came to on the floor. The vision was so real, so startling, that he awoke anxiety-ridden, unable to breathe. He held his chest and sat up as his eyes darted around the room, looking for the one face that could bring him peace in this moment of chaos. It took him a moment, before he finally found his wife's face right next to him. He didn't realize that he was trembling as he reached out to touch her. He had to know that she was real. He stroked her cheek, feeling her velvet skin against the pad of his finger.

She saw the fear in his eyes, and didn't understand it. But it was real. As real as the clothes on his back. She smiled at him, and it seemed to make him fearful. Before she could ask what was wrong, he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Seto couldn't stop himself from kissing his wife. He loathed public displays of affection. They were saved for the most rare and solemn of occasions. For him to do that told her that he was desperate. He was desperate to know that she was here, that she was alive, and that she would never suffer a fate similar to her past self.

Yugi and his friends watched their exchange with mild fascination. They were strangers to seeing Seto Kaiba affectionate to anyone but his son. To see him so clearly in love with Kisara was as strange as it was disgusting. Joey and Tristan made no attempt to mask their gagging noises. Téa thought it was sweet, and that left Yugi and Yami. Both of their minds were set on this: It was reassuring to see Kaiba show the emotions they both knew he had, but didn't express. But the greater part of their concentration was riveted on Pegasus, who hadn't yet stirred.

Kisara looked a bit dazed after the kiss, like it was a sweet dream she was thinking of. Then, her blue eyes focused again. Seto was looking at her as if she could float away and disappear any second. She held his face in her hands.

"What's wrong?"

He struggled to find the right words to explain his feelings. "I can't lose you." He whispered tersely. "I just can't. Not again. Not ever."

She stroked his face. "You won't." She assured him. But the words were cold comfort to him. She got the feeling that whatever had happened to him had stirred up old insecurities about his hand in her brief loss of life.

"It's happened before. It can happen again." He said, glumly.

"It won't. And you know why?"

He waited impatiently for her answer. She laughed at his stony expression. "Because I'm with you all the time. I'm in your thoughts, in your memories, in your heart. There will never be a day that goes by that you are without me. Even when I'm not physically there, I will always be there with you. Don't fret. You'll never lose me."

The words brought with them cashmere comfort. He relaxed slightly, but then noticed Pegasus beginning to move. Kisara followed his gaze and frowned.

Suddenly, a revelation struck Kaiba. The meaning he'd felt from the vision but hadn't had time to interpret became crystal clear. He couldn't defeat Pegasus without the help of his wife. That's why the vision happened. That's why the duel wasn't enough to take him down. That's why he couldn't win.

Seto put his left hand over hers, and she looked down at her hand then up at him.

"I can't do this without you." He said, staring at her with shimmering eyes. Her hand squeezed his own.

"You don't have to." They stared at each other a second longer before nodding in unison and getting to their feet. Seto pulled the millennium rod out in front of both of them. Kisara put her hands on it, as did Seto, and they held it out in front of Pegasus. Suddenly a pale blue glow enveloped them, and the power of the rod seemed to get stronger. Pegasus looked prepared to fight them, but before he could even make a move the rod fired a powerful blue stream of light that streaked across the distance between them and hit Pegasus square in the chest. He barely had any time to call out in pain before he was defeated once and for all. His mind was sent to the shadow realm, hopefully for good this time.

The Kaibas stood in a ready position in case it was a trick, but straightened out of their stance after a minute or two. Pegasus' security thugs dragged him away. Behind the Kaibas came a roaring sound that was as familiar to them as breathing. They looked to see a Blue-Eyes White Dragon roaring behind them, then dissipating into mist. Seto couldn't be sure wether it was a hologram, a vision, or if it was real, but he found that it was fate's way of telling him that he had done the right thing and that the worst was behind him.

But there was one last thing he needed to do before he could say his victory was complete. So he got out his cell phone and dialed the familiar number. After talking a short while he instructed Kisara to wait there. The others, who could have left at any time, chose to stay out of curiosity. For a solid hour there was nothing, and then the door was flung open and the sound of hurried footsteps reached their ears.

"Daddy!"

Kaiba opened his arms to have his son leap into them. He clutched him tight to his chest, kissing him over and over again, never wanting to let him go. His wife's arms were around them in the same second.

This was what he'd fought for. This was his life, his home, and his family. He loved them more than words could say.