A/N: There's a posting schedule update at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 36: Ceremony
"I am not wearing that," Kaiba angrily growled at Isis, his hatred reacting on multiple levels to her very existence and suggestion.
"Would you really risk the success of the ceremony on your aberration toward a historical costume?" Isis smoothly countered as she once again gestured at the priest's garb laid out for Kaiba to change into for the ceremony.
"Are you honestly telling me that what I wear is seriously going to change the outcome of Yami getting his body back?" Kaiba retorted, his indignation mixing with humiliation. After so much denial about not being the priest, to dress up like him was too much of an insult. "Besides, he wasn't wearing that in the original ceremony and that wasn't the reason why he failed."
Frowning in disappointment, she knew his last argument had her beat, but she wasn't giving up entirely quite yet. "I would think you would be willing to do anything to ensure the complete restoration of the pharaoh," Isis attempted to guilt him into it as a final attempt.
Taking a threatening step toward her, Kaiba warned in a menacing voice, "I would think you should know better by now than to attempt such things, priestess. I've let you go unchecked in this lifetime, but I know you're well acquainted with the priest's punishments for you in the past. Don't think I won't resort to something far worse now."
It was not an idle threat, but Isis continued projecting an unaffected demeanor at Kaiba. "You shall do no such thing so long as you have a use for me," she challenged as she stared defiantly up at him, never breaking eye contact.
"And you shall not disobey me so long as you follow your oath to serve the pharaoh in any capacity he wishes," Kaiba retorted, smirking at her shudder and missing the innuendo. "You've served under us both and you will obey me, Isis."
Bowing her head in respect to her station and to hide her anger at his heavy handed manner, Isis replied in the ancient language Kaiba had slipped into, "As you wish, Seto-sama."
Having gotten his way, Kaiba smirked in deep satisfaction before turning away from her and leaving the offending garments on the bed. "You will attend to me now," Kaiba informed her as he gestured for her to come, following her into the depths of the museum into a dark hell that he could only hope he would emerge triumphant from with Yami at his side in physical form.
"…:::…"
Blaming his nerves on the unsettled remnants of Seto that he had yet to fully master, Kaiba tried to ignore the fact that the entirety of the Yuugi-tachi was standing behind him along the back walls with his younger brother, observing the ceremony with fascination and silence. He was here to get Yami back and that was all that mattered; witnesses were of no consequence. Besides, he was used to far greater numbers combined with strangers when watching him duel, so he tried to console himself with minimal success that this was no different.
The table in front of him had the Millennium Puzzle resting on it, along with the box that the fragments had sat in for centuries that was laced with the blessings of a woman who had loved both pharaohs in her own way during their ancient time. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Kaiba had hidden the Millennium Puzzle charm he had made for Yami and taken back from Hoshino inside of the box. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but his desire to follow instinct outweighed his normal practicality in the current situation.
He held the Millennium Rod tightly in his fist as he stared at the backdrop of the Dueling Stele that Seto had commissioned in his grief. Kaiba was determined to rise above it all and show that idiot priest and priestess how it was done and failure was not an option. Only then did it occur to him that Isis had previously mentioned there was another item that should be present. "Where is the last thing?" Kaiba asked Isis, his voice sounding too loud in the cavernous basement that looked as if it could be any temple in the sands of Egypt.
Bowing in acknowledgement, Isis explained, "It is here, but I am unable to touch it."
"What sort of nonsense is that?" Kaiba scoffed, finding the idea ridiculous.
"Anzu-chan, if you would," Isis requested the girl, knowing that the item wouldn't reject her given her connection between the three men in question.
Confused, but complacent, Anzu approached the priestess who gestured for her to follow as they disappeared into a backroom. "What do you think that's all about?" Yuugi wondered as he glanced over at Kaiba to see if he had any idea.
"No clue," Kaiba tersely replied, finding it a strange exchange. He also couldn't help but note that Yuugi was also dressed typically, despite standing by his side for the ceremony; Kaiba added it as another black mark against Isis.
They weren't kept waiting for long as Anzu and Isis returned, the older woman directing, "Please proceed, Anzu-chan."
Doing as she was told, Anzu opened up the box and saw there was a pendant covered in rows of tiny hieroglyphs that were beyond her understanding. It was beautiful, but she didn't allow herself to get distracted any further as she took the pendant from the box that Isis quickly took from her, careful not to touch the golden artifact.
"Explain yourself," Kaiba commanded Isis, looking beyond Anzu to the priestess.
"I alone am unable to touch it," Isis stated with a frown, familiar through the flashback of the Millennium Tauk of all the reasons why. "Anzu-chan is an acceptable surrogate for this role."
It wasn't much of an explanation, but Kaiba was too busy trying to assess Anzu and what she was holding to reprimand the priestess. He could tell that it was some sort of medallion, but the meaning was unclear until Anzu was close enough to present it. "She said I have to put it on for you," Anzu told Kaiba, gesturing with her head for him to bend down a little so she could do so.
The black cord was large enough to slip over Kaiba's head and Anzu whispered, "I know you'll do this," rather than a wish for good luck, surprising him once again at her insightful way of addressing him. She released the necklace to settle against the center of his chest before stepping aside and waiting for Isis to dismiss her back to the group.
"And what is this supposed to accomplish?" Kaiba asked Isis, aware of a faint thrumming of energy from it but not much else.
"If you had worn the ceremonial robes, you would have experienced the instantaneous results," Isis chided, getting one more dig in about his disagreeing to wear anything other than his customary black garb, having shed the trench coat for the efficiency of movement. "Use the cord to place it under your shirt and you shall see."
Doing as he was instructed with some amount of reservation, he wasn't given any time to question her because he felt himself overcome by golden shadows that rippled out in a single pulse wave that startled Anzu a few steps back as the rest of the Yuugi-tachi pressed closer against the wall.
It almost felt as if the ancient words written on the pendant were being seared into his skin and Kaiba gritted his teeth as his soul reacted in turn, whispers turning to loud chants inside of his very being. He could have sworn that he felt Nefersherit's hand on his shoulder as he had seen her do so often in the visions as she spoke for his ears only the incantation of protection that he could almost feel binding into a promise far more powerful than the echo of the ancient box.
He repeated the words of her offering and the Millennium Rod activated in response, causing Isis to gesture for Anzu to take her place back along the wall with the rest of the group, leaving only Kaiba and Yuugi stand in the middle of the room. Anzu was almost too stunned to comply, shocked to see the golden glow of Kaiba's normally pure blue eyes, but she obeyed and shushed the Yuugi-tachi when they started trying to ask questions.
As Kaiba spoke the last word that was inscribed, the burning sensation stopped, but he could still feel their presence just as he could the affection across the centuries that Nefersherit had for the two men. That was how he discovered the curse etched into it, forbidding Isis from interfering with their fate, making Kaiba laugh with full comprehension of why the priestess couldn't touch the pendant without condemning herself to the wrath of an eternity of a punishment far worse than any earthly threat he could carry out on her. However, it wasn't the time to question it. Instead she faded away and Kaiba's vision cleared once more.
"And so the gods spoke," Isis concluded in the ancient language that would be used to conduct the rest of the ceremony.
"And so it shall be done," Kaiba swore before throwing open his connection between the Millennium Rod and Puzzle, causing them both to activate. It drew Yuugi's latent power to the forefront, but Yami remained ensconced within the walls of the Puzzle, even as the Millennium Tauk came back to life.
Holding out the Millennium Rod, Kaiba used it to channel his powers and focus them as his body fell into the remembered rhythms of Seto's ceremony. Yuugi remained in silent awe as Isis provided the backup incantations, all under the watchful eye of the Dueling Stele that presided over them all.
Just as he had done during his encounter with Bakura, Kaiba reached through his connection with Yami, only this time he used ancient words as guidance to find the way to bring the ancient spirit back into the realm of reality once more. He urged his soul to wrap around Yami's when he found it, pressing as close as possible with the strength of his emotions refusing to let him be denied. Every word tightened the bond between them, strengthening through the union and although Kaiba's words faded to the faintest whisper, his actions were sure and confident.
When Kaiba tried to draw them both out of the Millennium Puzzle, he was met with resistance and hurt, but that still wasn't enough to stop him. No, Kaiba was determined to stop at nothing less than bringing Yami back into his physical form and a little pain wasn't going to stop him. His voice regained its strength as he started the second wave of attack against the golden prison and Kaiba reached deep within himself to find more power to continue.
He lost track of time as he continued repeating the words from the past to rectify the mistakes for a better future, never letting go of the hold he had on Yami's soul. Puling on the link with all of his desire, as if he could physically drag Yami out of the Millennium Puzzle and into a body with the sheer strength of determination alone, Kaiba felt something give as a fracture formed.
It was a promise of progress and Kaiba proceeded only when he was completely confident that he still had a firm hold of Yami's soul. The next tug caused Yuugi to collapse on the ground with a moan, but Kaiba didn't stop—knew that he couldn't stop. Instead, he continued weaving his spell with renewed vigor as tried to visualize Yami coming from the Millennium Puzzle into his old body, doing his best to remember every little detail with the perfectionism that was both a blessing and a curse.
Eventually Kaiba could feel his strength fading, but he wasn't giving up yet. It made him more vicious in his attempts to hurry, knowing that time was running out and they had come too far to stop now. It caused Yami's soul to react to the pain, but Kaiba could do nothing more than shield him from the hurt as best he knew how. Putting his everything into his actions, Kaiba made a final attempt at freeing Yami, knowing he was almost out of energy.
"This Seto-sama commands it!" Kaiba growled as he gestured with the Millennium Rod, physically pulling it back and toward him as if he were actually pulling Yami free from the Millennium Puzzle. "He belongs to me, not the echoes of time. Return him to me now!"
The sudden pulsation of power that exploded in the room with raw creation was intense, but all Kaiba noticed was the sudden appearance of a familiar weight in his arms. The combined pressure and exertion caused Kaiba to collapse to the floor, but he cradled Yami's naked form to his body, careful not to let him go or jostle him too much.
All of Kaiba's strength was gone and he struggled to hold on to consciousness needing to know that Yami was really okay. "Yami," Kaiba urged, his voice rough from the endless chanting. There was absolutely no reaction from the body and Kaiba felt panic creeping up inside of him.
Cradling Yami's cheek with trembling fingers, Kaiba repeated, "Yami," with a note of desperation that he would never openly acknowledge. But he needed to see those fiery eyes, needed to know that he hadn't messed up somehow, that Yami was okay and had successfully merged body and soul together as one. "Come on, Yami!"
Mokuba's immense pride and awe in his brother's abilities were quickly tempered by the pleading fear in Kaiba's voice that he had never heard before. It was unsettling and he wanted to rush to his brother's side, but Isis held up a hand to still them all from going to Kaiba, Yami, or Yuugi. Likewise, Anzu was struggling against her urge to go to her boyfriend's side and check on him, but the scene between Kaiba and Yami left her helplessly paralyzed as she watched in anxious anticipation.
Kaiba could feel the faintest trace of a pulse and the shallow breathing told him that the body was fine, but it meant nothing if Yami wasn't present inside of it. "Yami, open your eyes," Kaiba pleaded, his voice cracking as he added an uncharacteristic, "please."
There was still no response and out of desperation, Kaiba leaned his forehead against Yami's and reached out with his spirit to try and reach Yami before the absolute last of his strength deserted him. He could faintly feel Yami on that level and Kaiba tried to coax him into awareness even as he was starting to fade.
Kaiba was startled when he felt a hand reach up and caress him gently and his head snapped up as he stared into exhausted red eyes that had never seemed so beautiful to him. "Yami," Kaiba whispered in excitement, wondering if he hadn't passed out and started hallucinating after all.
"It worked," Yami said with a tired smile, loving that he could finally feel for himself again when Kaiba kissed his palm.
"We did it," Kaiba murmured in relief, knowing that he had safely brought Yami into a permanent form. It was only when Yami's eyes slid shut that Kaiba allowed himself to pass out into the darkness that was so eager to reclaim him. Even then, Kaiba refused to let go and shielded Yami's body from the world with his own slumped over form.
A/N: Little late since I was trying to finish packing before my move…Hopefully the ceremony was worth the wait~! Thank you for your patience while I worked my way this far, but we still have farther to go, fufufu~.
NEXT CHAPTER:
He recognized that he was in his own bedroom, but he had no memory of how he got there or came to be naked in the process. His awareness of a pressure on his chest brought the world to a halt as he realized that it was Yami, nestled at his side as if the past few weeks had never happened.
Since I'm in the middle of moving to Japan, this story won't be updated until Sunday, October 16th at the earliest. I know everyone is super eager to find out what happens next, but I need to take a little bit of time to get settled.
In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this much awaited chapter! I'm still blown away that this is over 500 reviews, so thank you very much for the constant support and encouragement. I know my posting pace has been less than optimal compared to my past schedule, so it means a lot to know that you haven't given up on me or the story yet. I really do have the best readers!