AN: I'm so sorry that this update is coming so awfully late, sorry that I let you wait SO long. Life got in the way and pretty much happened, besides a massive writer's block that got the best of my while working on this chapter.
Forgive me, but I elegantly skipped the duel in here, because I want to focus on the actual plot more than a simple rewrite of the episodes. So no flames for that, please :P
Enjoy!
CHAPTER XVI
Afterlife
"Do we really need to do this?" Joey asked sadly. "There's really no other way?"
Ishizu and Odion shook their head in unison, their faces wearing a weary expression. The gang, such as Tahir, stood around the big millennium stone in the burial chamber in which they defeated Marik's evil side once again just one day before. "That's his destiny. I'm afraid there is no other way, Joey."
Tea had a hard time fighting against the tears that started to build up in her cerulean eyes. "But that means that the pharaoh leaves us… forever. Isn't it?"
"It is." Marik said short and crisp. His lavender eyes locked intensively with those of Yami. "Our clan promised it to you five thousand years ago to keep your secret until you come back into this world, which was the moment when Yugi solved the millennium puzzle. We vowed it to you that we will help you to go back to your afterlife and guard your tomb." While he spoke he tightened the grip around Jesara's waist a little more.
"What do I have to do?" Yami asked, his poker face right in place and his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Everyone stared at the sandy blonde. "The millennium items need to be put back to their ancient resting place in the stone. As soon as you place them in the stone the ceremony will begin." He explained.
"Ceremony!?" Joey asked in confusion. "You Ishtars really can't do anything just normal, huh?"
Marik shrugged and gave him a confused glance. "I got used to it."
"Pharaoh, Yugi…" Ishizu spoke up and suddenly Yugi's translucent aura separated from his body. He and his alter ego looked at her attentively. "In the ceremony both of you have to duel against each other and to open the way to the other side you have to beat the pharaoh, Yugi. You have to prove that you are ready to let go."
"And as soon as the duel is over and you lost, pharaoh, you will remember your name." Marik added. "Say it out loud and your destiny fulfils."
"What?" Yugi shrieked. "B-but I… I can't!"
"You can do this, Yugi. It's time for me to go." Yami encouraged his other half. "It's our destiny."
Never before did Jesara see Yugi with so much grief and dismay written to his face. He never thought about saying goodbye to his alter ego, which became a part of him. He never thought about that the day will come to let him go back. Tears formed in his violet eyes.
"Yugi, I know this might be terrifying for you. Loosing your best friend and other half is painful." Jesara tried to comfort him. "But you will see each other again." She shot her young friend a wise smile and stroked gently across her lower abdomen, which didn't look like a baby belly yet. "Remember what the prophecy says. He's gonna be back in less than nine months."
Tahir nodded with a smile. "My sister is right, Yugi. Be sure that the visions of the future never failed me once. It's the will of the gods and fate that you will be reunited again. This goodbye is only temporary, not forever."
Yugi looked up at his alter ego with painful eyes. "Promise me."
Yami nodded back at him. "Promise."
"Pharaoh, it's important that both of you duel with all your power and skills and it's necessary that you don't loose on purpose. Yugi needs to beat you with his own strength." Ishizu instructed them with wiseness in her voice, which was soothing at the same time.
"This will be our hardest duel, Yugi." He said. It was obvious that this goodbye troubled him too. "You will always be a part of me. Thanks for everything."
Yugi choked back a tear and forced a honest smile. "You too, Yami. Let's do this…"
Then Yami went over to the big ancient millennium stone with a big bag in his hands and kneeled down on top of it. He then took the millennium items out of it and placed them into the stone - one after the other. His friends observed him with sadness in their eyes, knowing their time as close friends was almost over.
Yami took one last, thoughtful look at the millennium puzzle - the one thing that his soul had called his home until now - the one thing that brought him together with Yugi, who he had learned to love like a brother. They were soulmates in a special way, the bare thought to leave him behind tortured his brave and fearless soul. He than glanced back over his shoulder to Marik and Jesara and gave them a honest smile. She locked eyes with him for a second, what somehow washed away all his fear. He will come back.
A bright, golden light started to flood the tomb chamber when he finally put the puzzle back into its ancient resting place. Everyone pressed their eyes shut to avoid to be blinded completely. When the light dimmed down they couldn't believe their eyes when they adjusted back to the darkness.
"Guys… Do I loose my mind or do you also see two Yugis!?" Joey asked in confusion.
"I see the same…" Tea stuttered, doubting her sanity when she saw the two versions of her friend facing each other. "There ARE two of them…"
"And so his last journey begins…" Ishizu said to herself thoughtfully.
xx
The duel went on for more than an hour and both of them gave their very best. It was nerve wrecking at the same time, because he not just had to duel his other half and best friend but Yugi had also have to face the three Egyptian god cards. Yugi had a hard time with every card he played that brought him closer and closer to victory. With every life point he erased from his opponent it brought him closer to saying goodbye.
Yami LP 200 / Yugi LP 200
"I activate Monster Reborn to bring my ancient dragon back to the field! Come back, Slifer The Sky Dragon!" Yami announced with strength in his voice when the crimson red dragon appeared elegantly and dangerous at the same time behind him. "Since I have four cards in my hand my dragon gains 4000 attack and defence points! Attack his Silent Magician and end this duel!"
Yugi hesitated for a second before he finally decided to activate a face down card. Again tears gathered in his violet eyes. "No!"
Silence.
"The effect of my Dark Sarcophagus activates." Yugi explained lightly sobbing. "It negates the spell of your Monster Reborn and sends Slifer The Sky Dragon directly back to the graveyard."
Jesara could tell from her little friend's eyes that this was more than painful for him. Slifer disappeared again without causing any damage to Yugi's monster or life point and it left the pharaoh without a single card on the field. "He won…" She sighed with mixed feelings and tightened her grip on Marik's hand.
"Almost…" Marik answered dryly. "Yugi is just one attack away from fulfilling Yami's destiny."
Yami smiled wisely at his other half. "That duel was the best and the hardest duel of my life, Yugi. Thank you. It's your move now. Go on."
"That's so… sad." Tea sobbed and hugged Joey. "Once he attacks the pharaoh will be released and we will never see him again…"
Still Yugi hesitated to draw his next and final card. By now tears streamed down his face.
"It's okay. Make your turn." Yami comforted him.
"I-I draw." Yugi stuttered and didn't even take a look at the card in his hands. "Silent Magician, attack him directly." With those words spoken he fell down to his knees, crying heavily. Finally the pharaoh's life points reached zero.
Yami went over to his other half and gave him a gentle smile. "Stand up, Yugi. You won. You don't belong to your knees." He said and kneeled down in front of Yugi.
"But…but by winning this deal I'm sending you away… forever!" Yugi sobbed heavily and wiped away the tears that streamed down his face.
"No, you have opened the door for me! Thanks to you my spirit can finally be at rest once again…" Yami comforted him. "I'll be back where I belong until I come back again one day. Fate brought the two of us together for a reason, and we fulfilled our destiny. You grew so tremendously strong since the day you completed the puzzle, Yugi. You don't need me anymore."
"But I will miss you!" Yami cried.
His alter ego hugged him for a second. "We won't ever truly be apart, Yugi. There are bonds no distance or time can break. Thank you for everything."
Suddenly the eye of Wdjat on the big ancient stone tablet started to glow. "It begins!" Ishizu shouted in excitement. "The eye of Wdjat calls for the pharaoh!"
"What the hell is going on with that eye!?" Joey questioned and covered his eyes with his lower arms.
"Pharaoh, it's time. Tell the eye your name!" Marik said and gave him a pointed look and Yami nodded back at him before he waved goodbye to his friends.
"Thank you for everything. Good bye." He said with a voice soft as silk, finally finding his peace. Yami then turned back to the glowing eye of Wdjat. "I'm the son of king Aknamkanon! My name is… ATEM!"
With that the stone plate started to separate like a door to another world. There was nothing but light coming from the other side beyond it. With grief in their eyes the gang watched the pharaoh walk into the light. When the doors finally closed he was gone - back to where he belonged.
xx
"He's really gone…" Joey sighed in dismay. "I can't believe it…"
A painful silence surrounded them when they left the tomb and reached the surface again. They still didn't fully realise that their good friend left for another dimension. "What now?" Tea asked with a shaking voice.
"It's time to get back home…" Marik suggested and wrapped his arm around Jesara's waist. Yugi nodded at him approvingly. He looked like he just wanted to put as much distance between him and Egypt as possible now.
Jesara gaze wandered over to her brother. "Tahir… will you come with us?" She asked thoughtfully.
He let out a sigh. "I guess not… not yet."
"Why?"
"I still need to make the last arrangements in our clan before also I can live in the modern world. My mission also ends here. But we will see each other soon enough, sister." He promised and hugged her. "Good to have you back."
"It's nice to meet you." Jesara replied with a sarcastic smile.
"I guess we will see you at her birthday, right?" Marik asked with a smile playing on his lips, referring to what he had suggested to Jesara last night.
"Oh Marik…" Tahir grinned in amusement. "Sure I will be there for my sister's big day. And be sure that I will give you hell when you break my sister's heart once again."
"Promise." He said with a smile. "Never again."
xx
August 31st
Just a month had passed by since the pharaoh went back to his afterlife. Yugi had a hard time to adjust to being all alone in his head and body again, but he tried to focus on his pro leagues career to distract him from how much he missed the pharaoh. Ishizu and Odion wanted to be close to Marik and Jesara since there's a baby on its way and were lucky enough to get normal jobs in the Domino museum of history.
"Tea, don't you think that's a little… how should I say that?" Jesara said awkwardly when she looked at herself in the mirror at the vanity table in an especially arranged room on Marik's yacht. "Too much?"
Her friend snickered and powdered Jesara's face a little more. Her hair was elegantly curled with light waves, what gave her dark and light grey colour fade a special dimension. A few strands were pinned to the back and were held in place by an egyptian hairpin. Her favourite earrings with the shape of an ankh played perfectly with the whole styling, such as her long pitch black eyeliner and a few added single fake lashes to give an extra dimension to her eye's outer corners.
"You look just fabulous." Tea grinned like it was Christmas and her birthday together on the same day. "Marik's going to have a heart attack."
"He definitely will when you put more blush on my cheeks." Jesara retorted sarcastically.
Tea already wore a creme coloured long dress with an elegant v-neck, ready to get the ceremony started. "Guess it's time to put the dress on!" She cheered happily and grabbed the clothes bag from where it hang.
Jesara watched her nervously when Tea unpacked the ivory coloured, simple but classy dress. "I really can't believe that it's already time… after everything that happened between me and him in the last years. Just a few months ago I wanted to strangle him when we met again during Battle City. And now I'm pregnant with his child and we're just minutes ago from getting married…again. That's so weird." She sighed with a smile playing on her lips, which were accentuated with a natural, nude coloured shade of lipstick.
"Well, like Tahir said… Everything happens for a reason." Tea smiled and mentioned for her to get going. "Come on. Time for the dress, my dear!"
In the meantime Marik clinked champagne glasses with the others on the deck of his yacht, which was decorated with various egyptian flower bouquets in a creme and peach colour scheme. He wore an elegant black suit with a simple bow tie that matched with the creme colours of the arrangements. Jesara just wanted to keep everything as simple as possible without spending a fortune in a single day, so they decided to celebrate on his yacht, which offered just enough space for them and their friends.
"Already nervous!?" Joey asked with a grin and fist-bumped with Marik. "Dude, you know that you will have a hard time when you don't look good after her, right?"
They clinked glasses. "That's not part if the plan, Joey. But I promise to do my very best." Marik blinked back at him with a grin.
"Marik, it's time." Odion, who had the honour to be his best man for this special day, said with a wise smile. "We're ready to start."
Two gentle knocks on the door to Jesara's room made her cringe a little. "Yes?" She said loud enough. Ishizu then walked in with a gentle smile, wearing a fine ceremonial egyptian attire.
"Oh Ra, you look great. It's so classy. I love it!" Ishizu complimented her. "Everything is ready up there."
Jesara's dress didn't have the typical princess A-line shape or special swarovski decorations. It had a nice v-neck and a more empire-like shape, made from weightless looking chiffon. Besides that it was one of the only dresses that were available in such a short time.
"Alright… Oh Ra, now I'm getting nervous." Jesara sighed and started to tremble a little when Tea handed her the bouquet.
Ishizu put her hands on Jesara's shoulder to comfort her. "You just need to say 'yes', nothing else."
"Thank you." Jesara said with a smile, trying not to look too anxious. "And also thank you for being my maid of honour, Ishizu."
"Jess, come on. Don't let him wait!" Tea grinned and held the door open for them, ready to go ahead as the only bridesmaid.
The walk up to the deck felt like an eternity for her. Tahir, also dressed in an egyptian ceremonial attire, waited for them at the end of the staircase that led up to the deck. "Wow. I knew I had a wonderful sister, but this is breathtaking." He said with a smile and offered his arm for Jesara to hook in while Ishizu and Tea went ahead to the ceremony.
"Well, Tea knew how to fix that mess." Jesara grinned awkwardly. "I'm so happy that you are here to walk me down the aisle."
Music started to play on the deck of the yacht, signalising them that it was time. Jesara bit her bottom lip when she saw a special sandy blonde man waiting for her at the end of the aisle. Odion stood right beside his former master, who was now his best friend and brother. They both smiled when they caught the first sight of Jesara and Tahir. Her cheeks flashed bright red when she felt all the eyes resting on her while she walked side to side with her new-found brother.
"Take care of her." Tahir said with a smile and patted Marik's shoulder when he laid his sister's hand into his before he took his seat in the front row.
"Hi." She said with a shy smile and bright red cheeks.
Marik just placed a soft kiss onto her forehead. "Hi. Ready to spend the rest of your life with me?" He then asked and stroked gently over her reddened cheek with his thumb.
"Yes." She whispered. "I've been ready since the first time we did this. I just needed a little longer to realise it. I'm so… so ready."
A single tear of joy ran down her cheek before their mouths met each other in a soft embrace.
AN: FLUFF OVERLOAD xD hope I didn't give you all an overdose haha. Happy "almost" ending! I really want to do one last, maybe a little shorter chapter until I out this story at rest finally. Stay tuned :-) and make sure to leave a review!