La Danse Fatale

Chapter 30

xXx

"Ryou!?"

Looking bedraggled and half-starved, Ryou climbed off of the bizarrely spherical, winged creature, and all but fell into my arms. Given it was the first we had seen of each other in what felt like months, we choked out sobs of relief in knowing that we were both unharmed, dire though the current state of affairs may have been.

"There's no time to explain, Sable—you must give this card to Malik! He'll know what to do!"

Saying no more, I ran with the card to Malik and thrust it at him. "Use this!"

Malik looked exultant as I thrust the card into his hand, as if he had just received the Holy Grail, itself. Holding the card between two fingers up to the sky, Malik addressed his crazed alter-ego, spurred on with a second-wind of confidence.

"The end has come, Marik. Your time and luck has run out!" he proclaimed. "I play—Change of Heart!"

Marik's eyes flew open in shock. "WHAT?!"

The moment Malik put the card in play, the vile, jackal-headed abomination turned his back on Marik, facing him now as his adversary as he stood at Malik's side.

"Anubis now answers to me! How does it feel to stare into the face of evil, Marik?" Malik lambasted. "This creature is the product of all that you are, and all that you will ever be!"

"My ka!" Marik cried alarmingly. "How can this be happening?!"

"The only reason Change of Heart allows me to control your ka, Marik, is because…I am you!"

"Impossible!"

"My whole life I thought it was impossible—to obtain deliverance from you! To exile you back to the shadows, where you belong!" Malik cried with conviction, tears brimming on the rims of his eyes. "And now that time has finally come…Anubis attack Marik directly, with Cursed Sarcophagus Ritual!"

"No! NOOO!"

"No! Marik!"

A devastating boom! echoed off the valley walls, as Anubis hurled a pentagram-shaped attack of dark energy directly at Marik, and yet—in that same death-defying moment of total annihilation—no one whom bore witness to the bloodshed could deny the unmistakable sound of a woman's voice, calling out from the fray.

Once the dust had settled, we all gasped in sheer disbelief, stunned to see a woman lying over top of Marik's prone body. I could only stare, bewildered, when I finally grasped what was happening. Malik, unable to believe what he was seeing, either, dropped to his knees, and the tears finally came forth.

"…Isis?"

High Priestess Isis, one of Egypt's finest and most respected members of the Royal Council, lay sprawled across Marik's chest, tears rolling down her face in sorrowful despair, as she heaved gut-wrenching sobs against him.

"Oh, Marik!" Isis mourned, howls of grief driving from her soul. "Gods! Tell me this isn't so!"

Astonishingly, Marik—whom we were all sure couldn't possibly have survived such a cataclysmic hit—turned his head to look up at her. "Sis…ter…?"

"That's right," Isis whispered tenderly, pressing her forehead down against his. "I'm here, I'm here…"

"I—" Marik gurgled, as dark blood began to seep out the side of his mouth. It took everything in me not to rush to his side, to help save his life. This one time, though, I needed to allow nature to take its course.

"I tried to find you for many years, brother, but I thought you dead," Isis cried, sobbing as Marik weakly reached up, wove his arm around her neck.

"You…weren't…to blame…" Marik wheezed, dropping his arm as his eyes slowly began to close.

"I love you, Marik," Isis tremored, weeping as Marik's last breaths slipped away, and his heart became still. "I always loved you. Be at peace, my brother."

The palpable silence that filled the air was punctuated only by Isis' sobs, as the realisation that Marik was deceased finally hit us. I turned to Malik, who appeared to be more stupefied by this latest turn of events than the fact that we had successfully vanquished his dark side. I felt equal parts amazed and numbed by the whole ordeal, caught up in a surreal state of limbo, as if I could feel neither jubilant nor downhearted.

"Isis!" Seth jolted us back to the present, hurrying to her side. "What are you doing here? You should be resting!"

"Seth…" Isis dejectedly turned her face up to him. "this man is my brother."

"What?"

She gingerly touched the Millennium Tauk, resting at her throat. "My necklace showed me a vision of him, which is why I became so distressed, earlier today… It showed me the battle that would take place between Marik and the Oracle…Sahar." A tidal wave of guilt suddenly graced me with its presence, as her eyes fell upon me.

"I now know the reason why Sekhmet the Mighty One would not allow me probe into Sahar's past or future. She came back to fulfil a prophecy—to terminate my brother's path of destruction, once and for all. Sekhmet had prophesied my brother's demise; for anyone to have had prior knowledge of this would have thwarted the very reason for her return."

"Isis…" Malik whispered, stunned and saddened to witness his sister's past life grieving over the death of his own past life. It was so completely surreal, as if he were taking part in some kind of bizarre, parallel-universe dream.

"Isis, you never spoke of having a brother, before." Atem observed gently, as he came to kneel beside her.

"When Marik was ten, he was kidnapped from our home in the desert and sold into slavery." Isis recounted tearily. "There had been a spate of child abductions around that time; we could only assume that that is what had happened to him…I never knew what became of him. Slaves are treated so dreadfully; I could not bear to think of his fate.

"When I came into priesthood, and was bestowed with the tauk, I tried to search for Marik, but my attempts were always fruitless. It was only recently, when the tauk gave me a glimpse of him, that I knew he was still alive. I had long thought him to be dead."

It was then that Bakura came forward. "Marik had been a slave at the Temple of Karnak for most of his youth, Isis. He became corrupted and traumatised by the world of slavery, over the years. We rescued him from it, but he was driven by greed and jealousy, and became full of hatred and contempt for his fellow man."

"Yes…my vision showed that to me." Isis uttered, her tone melancholic. "Marik forged the path to his own destiny. Unfortunately…he was too blind to realise that it would end, this way."

"His suffering is over, now. As is ours." Bakura murmured, shifting his gaze to Amaunet.

"Indeed." Isis concurred. "I just wish I had had more time, with him. Perhaps it didn't have to come to this."

"But it did," Malik approached the past life of his sister, kneeling down beside her. "I'm so sorry it had to end like this, sister, but I had no other choice."

Isis reached out a hand, cupping his cheek. "You look so much like him…"

Malik placed his hand over top of hers. "Yes, but I assure you, I am nothing like him."

"Do you live the life now, that Marik once did?"

"In a way, yes, but I have learnt many lessons, and I have taken steps to right my wrongs." He glanced up at me with tenderness in his eyes. "I have been taught love, and now live in the light. Marik will never torment anyone, ever again, Isis. Neither in this life, nor the next."

"Yes…despite the tragedy of his short life, he is at rest, now." Isis contemplated softly, making a sign over him to request his safe passage to the afterlife. "While I am bitter that it had to end this way, for him, I owe you my gratitude. Our kingdom has been spared from his chaos, thanks to you."

"I could not have done it without the help of my friends," Malik rebuked. "or the Pharaoh."

"Indeed," Isis concurred, bravely getting to her feet, with the help of Seth's hand. "Sahar was instrumental in the unfolding of these events, and the path of Marik's destiny." she fluttered her bloodshot blue eyes at me. "I am grateful to you for allowing me to see my brother, one last time. My heart can rest along with his spirit, now that I have learned of his fate, and to know that he will be reborn as you, in the future, Malik, gladdens my heart."

"Hold on a moment," Seth interjected, striding toward Malik and I. I instantly tensed up, but, instead of tearing into me like I expected, he addressed Malik. "You're the young man that I saw in my vision of the future. Another man—who looked a lot like me—was rescuing you from a fire."

I blanched, wondering how Seth could possibly have known about the car accident. Certainly, it could only have been through the power of the tauk.

"Yes," Malik answered. "Your reincarnation, Seto Kaiba, saved my life, that day. I owe him my life."

Seth gazed at him in a mixture of disbelief and wonderment, then turned to me. "So, it is true. You really are from the future…"

I smiled meekly. "I did try telling you."

His mouth twitched. "But what does that mean, for you?"

I glanced back over my shoulder at Ryou and Bakura, who was standing with Amaunet clutched to him. "We have done what we came here for; it is now time for us to return."

"Before you do, tell me something—what does the future hold for our kingdom? Will it finally be at peace?"

"Perhaps more so than it would have been." I answered, glancing furtively at Marik's corpse. Who knows what kind of carnage he would have unleashed, had he not been slain. "I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that, Seth."

Now that the battle was over, the Dark Magician and Magician Girl had resumed their human selves, as the other duel monsters faded into nothingness. We all took a moment to absorb the aftereffects of the situation; what should have been a time for cheer and celebration, was dampened by this latest revelation. Ryou, Bakura and Amaunet, I noticed, were having a moment between themselves, Ryou looking utterly bewildered in seeing Bakura for who he really was, in real life. Not to mention meeting Amaunet—who was potentially Amane's former self. I smiled; what a surreal thing for them all to experience. Once we returned to the present, Ryou and Bakura's bond would be even stronger, or at least I hoped.

"Karim, Shada," Atem called for his priests. "If it is Isis' wish, take Marik's body back to the palace. Please ensure that he is embalmed and given proper funerary rites."

Isis subtly nodded her consent. "Thank you, my King."

"It looks like our work here is done." Seth observed. "Isis, you are weak. Please, allow me to take you back to the palace."

The way Seth looked at Isis, then—full of such tenderness and concern—was all the confirmation I needed. Without the whisper of a doubt, Seth had deeply-rooted feelings for Isis, and likely had done for some time. Whether or not they were reciprocated, was another thing, entirely. Either way, I thought them to be well-suited, and it gave me pause for thought about their modern-day reincarnations. The thought of Isis wanting to be with Kaiba was such a preposterous idea, that it wasn't even worth entertaining.

"Yes," Isis agreed. "It is finished."

Seth addressed me one final time, before heading back toward his stately chariot. "You have my thanks, Sahar, for helping to keep peace in the kingdom…even if it was at the expense of one of our own priests' relatives."

"The pleasure is all mine, Seth." I turned to Atem. "Your Highness…thank you for your help. We could not have done it, without you."

Atem gave me one of his trademark assertive smiles. "Nor I, without you. Go well, Sahar…and may the Gods be with you."

With a flick of his illustrious violet cape, the Pharaoh fell back in line with his infantrymen, ready to lead them out of the desert, and back to civilization. As we waved them off, a clashing surge of victory and melancholy toiled through my veins. I both at once wanted to shriek triumphantly from the heavens as to our sensational victory, and wail in empathy for Isis' devastating loss. It seemed so cruel to finally be reunited with one's brother after so long, only to have him die such a gruesome death, right before her eyes.

"Wait!" Mana suddenly tore from the group, flying back toward me and enveloping me in a bone-crunching embrace. "Sahar, does this mean that you're leaving us?"

"I'm afraid so."

Her green eyes filled with tears. "Will we ever see you, again?"

"Not for a little while." I winked at her and tweaked her cheek.

Mahad materialised at her side. "Come, Mana. We mustn't get left behind."

"Thank you both for being there for me." I said, genuinely grateful that I had made a friend in both of them, but especially in Mana.

The mage smiled at me, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "You can count us all among your friends, Sahar. Goodbye…and good luck, for the future."

xXx

Ryou stared at the face of the man who he both cared for and yet despised. Standing face to face with the fleshly body of the spirit who had terrorized him since he was a boy, was surreal in a way that he couldn't quite find the words for.

This man—Akefia—had been him, three thousand years ago…and yet, they were so completely opposite from one another, Ryou simply couldn't comprehend that they were essentially one and the same person. He preferred to think about it as being two halves of the same whole; it made better sense to him, that way.

He doesn't even look anything like me, Ryou thought in perplexity, with the exception of the hair…although his is more of an ashy grey, than pure white…

"Ryou, thank the Gods you're alright," Bakura breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened to you?"

"I woke up in a dungeon."

"Interesting," Bakura gave him a wry smile. "so did I."

"Well, that's hardly surprising." Ryou laughed mirthlessly at the coincidence. Even when brought back to the ancient world through the bounds of space and time, their actions still mimicked one another's.

"I was on death's door, being held prisoner at the Pharaoh's palace, when Sahar found me…" Akefia turned to Sahar, and the look of tenderness he gave her did not go unnoticed by Ryou.

"There seems to be an awful lot that I missed out on, while Marik was holding me hostage." Ryou remarked. "Can someone please tell me what the bloody hell is going on?"

"I woke up at the palace, too," Sahar offered, going on to give him a clipped version of events thus far. "As it turns out…I was Bakura's wife, all along." She finished sheepishly, blushing.

Ryou went rather wan, a riot of questions exploding in his mind in the realisation that his best friend had been romantically linked to his other self, not only in the modern day, but also in the ancient past. That was the least of his worries for the time being, however. Not only did they need to figure out how to get back to the modern world, there was also the fact that Malik had just obliterated his dark side—the whole reason behind this wild venture, in the first place—and was likely going to have a mental breakdown over it, in the not so distant future. There was also the somewhat delicate issue of explaining all of this Amaunet.

"Brother," Amaunet stepped forward. "Marik is dead; we're finally free from him! Things can finally go back to how they were, before."

Bakura's eyes fell to the sand beneath their feet. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Amaunet."

"But, why not?" crestfallen, Amaunet turned to Sahar. "Sahar?"

"Amaunet…I'm not really who you think I am." Sahar tried to explain. "Neither is Akefia. You see…we all have lives in the future. This time period we are in now, passed a very long time ago, for us…"

She laughed doubtfully. "That is what Ryou tried to tell me, but…I'm afraid I still don't understand."

"My name is actually 'Sable'," Sahar replied. "When we time travelled back to this period, my spirit must have entered Sahar's body. The same thing happened with Akefia…who is known as Bakura, in the future. Malik, here, is the future reincarnation of Marik. I know it must all sound completely absurd, but you must believe us. The time has now come for us to return."

"But…you've only just come back!" she cried fitfully, holding tears at bay. "It's been almost a year since I last saw either of you; I was beginning to lose hope. And now…you're leaving, again? Tell me how that's fair!"

"My dear sister," Bakura pulled his sibling into a tender embrace, ensconcing her within his scarlet robes. "Please, don't cry. I am the one to blame, for all this."

"That's not entirely true." Malik countered. "Marik is to blame, more than anyone, but I am, too. If it were not for he and I…none of us would be in this predicament."

Amaunet sobbed miserably against her brother's shoulder. "What am I going to do, without you?"

"That choice is yours, and yours alone." Sahar answered, placing her hand on Amaunet's shoulder. "Marik is not your master any longer, Amaunet; you are free…and so are the rest of us."

"Can't I go back with you?"

Sahar glanced furtively at Ryou, wondering if he was thinking what she was thinking—that Amaunet was the past life of his sister, who had passed away many years before.

"You must fulfil your destiny here, first." Bakura gently told her.

"I hate to break this up you guys, but…I think our ride's here." Malik observed, his gaze aloft toward the sky, in the distance.

We all followed his line of vision, and were startled to see what appeared to be a shadowy void opening up in the sky, like some kind of portal. Even more strangely, what appeared to be an upside-down pyramid began to descend from inside it.

"What in Ra's name is that?!" Amaunet shrieked. "It looks like a portal to the afterlife!"

"You know, you're not exactly wrong." Sahar grinned. "I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time with you, Amaunet."

She glanced at Ryou, and then back to Bakura, before clutching him in a fierce embrace. "I love you, brother."

"And I you."

"Wherever it is you're going…promise me you'll take care of yourself."

"I will." Bakura closed his eyes, giving her one last squeeze. "Leave Thebes, Amaunet; start your life anew, somewhere else. Carry me in your heart, and never look back."

xXx

"Ryou? Ryou! Bloody hell, your nose is bleeding,"

"…huh? 'kura…?"

"Yes, it's me. Sit up."

Ryou groggily did so, feeling as though he'd just awoken from a century-long sleep. He paused for a few moments, gathering his bearings, only to realise he was sat on a cold, stone floor. A prickle of dread ran through him, thinking he must be back in the dank, fetid dungeon that Marik had thrown him in. It was dark, too—so dark, he could barely make out the shapes around him. It was only when Bakura dug out his cigarette lighter from his pocket and illuminated the room, that his recall activated. The memory of where they were, and recent events of the past, suddenly came back to him with swift and startling clarity.

"Yami!" he shrieked, launching himself at an unsuspecting Bakura, throwing them both back to the ground. "You're alive!"

"Ryou, by the Gods—!" Bakura cursed as he fell backward. Regaining his balance, he reached up to pinch Ryou's nose between his thumb and finger. "You're bleeding all over me, now."

Ryou batted Bakura's hand away from his face and lassoed him into a snug embrace. "Forget that. You're alive," he marvelled. "I wasn't sure if you'd come back…"

Bakura raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you so glad?"

"Because…" tears gathered in Ryou's eyes as he pulled back to look down at him. "I don't want to be alone, yami."

A knot promptly lodged itself in Bakura's throat, but he shoved it back down. "Hn, you didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?"

Ryou chuckled and hugged him again, lingering longer against him than Bakura might have expected, but he didn't find himself pulling away, either. The sensation of feeling his hikari's heartbeat against his own was oddly soothing. His cheeks began to feel uncomfortably warm at their closeness.

"There was a time when I wished you gone," Ryou whispered. "But, it's different now…now that you're your own person, again."

"Speaking of which," Bakura grasped Ryou's wrists, prising him upward. "get off of me."

"Ngh…where are we?"

Interrupting their moment of tender awkwardness, an objectionable groan came from behind them, as Sable, too, arose from the depths of the ancient past. She rolled over onto one side, pushing herself up, coughing at the damp, musty air that filled her lungs.

"Sable!" Ryou leapt up off of Bakura and over to his best friend. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah—oh shit, Ryou, your nose."

"I'm okay, don't worry about that."

She looked up at him questioningly, and then over to Bakura. "Are we…back?"

Ryou glanced a little further into the gloom, making out Atem's sarcophagus and the ancient inscribed tablets that stood guard over it. Malik, who was laying behind her, was also just beginning to stir. They were all dressed in the same clothes they had been, the day they had arrived at the Valley of the Kings.

"Bloody right, we are!" Ryou confirmed brightly, helping her sit up. "We made it back, Sable—all four of us."

"Oh, Ry!" Sable exclaimed in relief. "We're back! We're back!"

"What's with all the shouting?" Malik grumbled, rolling over as if to go back to sleep.

"Wake up, Malik! We're back in the real world!"

At that, he sat bolt upright. "We are?!"

"Yeah…" Sable gently helped him sit up. "Are you alright? How do you feel?"

Grasping the depth of her question, Malik closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose, then out through his mouth. "Liberated." he sighed. "And also… hungry."

Sable and Ryou chuckled, and they helped him to his feet.

"What about you, Bakura? Are you…alright?" Sable asked hesitantly. A strange awkwardness now hung between them, given all that had transpired.

"Just peachy." He remarked in his usual sardonic manner. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Wait," Ryou spoke. "Yami, what about the Ring?"

"What about it?"

"Have you still got it?"

Bakura reached for the spot where the Ring had taken residence around his neck for the better part of a decade, only to find it empty. "It would seem not."

"What happened to it?" Sable questioned.

"It got left in the past, where it belongs." Malik surmised, turning to address Bakura. "You've achieved what you set out to accomplish…and so have I."

"You guys! You know what this means, don't you?" Sable stated, emphasizing the obvious. "This crazy idea that we had about going back to the past actually worked! Malik was right about travelling back in time to destroy his dark side, once and for all. We actually did it!"

"It's all thanks to Bakura," Malik begrudgingly admitted. "Without him, none of this would have been possible. We all had loose ends to tie up."

"Hm. You got what you wanted, and so did I." he glanced at Sable, and she knew he meant getting a chance to find out what had happened to Sahar, those thousands of years ago, and possibly being able to reunite with her. She smiled inwardly, glad to have been able to fulfil that wish, for him.

"Well, I think I've had enough ancient Egyptian sorcery to last me several lifetimes…literally and figuratively." Ryou remarked lightly, attempting to break the awkwardness, somewhat.

"I concur," Bakura quipped, making to leave. "We best get out of here. Nobody should ever enter this place again, if they know what's good for them."

"Yes. Lead the way, yami."

Malik clasped Sable's hand in the darkness. She could see his white teeth smiling at her in the shadows. "Let's go, Habibi."

Sable smiled humbly at the three young men ahead of her, who in some strange way had become like the cornerstone of her life. Now that her own ancient past had been revealed, her bond with Bakura was forged stronger than ever, but she also had her relationship with Malik to contend with. Ryou had been, and always would be, her dearest friend and pillar of strength, and it brought tears to her eyes at the thought of how equally—yet uniquely—she loved each one of them.

After what felt like hours navigating the underground passage they had come down and avoiding triggering any booby-traps, the foursome finally found their way out of the tomb. Bursting out into the daylight, they hastened to shield their eyes, squinting from the harsh glare of the late-afternoon sunshine.

"God, what a mission!" Sable remarked, drawing in a great breath of fresh air. "I thought we'd never find our way out…"

"Hey, guys…" Ryou drew their attention, as he pulled his mobile phone out from his pocket.

Malik looked mildly alarmed. "What is it, Ryou?"

"It…it seems like hardly any time has passed, at all. According to my phone, only one day has gone by!"

Bakura shrugged. "What did you expect? We went back in time, not forward."

"But…it felt like we were gone for months!" Sable cried in objection. "How can that be…?"

Malik chuckled. "You're more worried about how no time has passed in the present, than the fact that we just arrived back from three thousand years in the past?"

After the past few months of living in Egypt, one day had seemed to blur into the next, for Sable, not to mention the fact that weekends were Fridays and Saturdays, rather than Saturdays and Sundays, as with Japan and most other western countries. After a few weeks, she had given up entirely on keeping up with what day of the week it was.

"Honestly, I don't know what to think anymore. What day is it, anyway?"

"You're going to laugh," Ryou grinned.

"Why?"

"…It's Christmas Day!"

"No shit!" Sable's eyes flew open as she slapped her hand across her mouth, in shock. "I should probably call my family…"

"We have more than enough reasons to celebrate. I could sure go for a pint, right about now." Ryou jovially suggested. "Who's in?"

"I'm bloody parched," Bakura concurred. "Let's go and get off our tits, somewhere."

"Capital idea, yami!"

Ryou and Bakura passed a peculiar glance between themselves and chuckled; it wasn't often they actually agreed on something. Ryou fished around in his pocket and pulled out the keys to the Lambo, and together they made their way toward the sleek machine, which was parked right in the spot where they had left it, along with the scarlet Ferrari.

"Habibi?"

Sable turned back to face Malik. "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" he queried, once out of earshot of the other two boys. "I mean…really alright?"

She paused to gather her thoughts a moment, then exhaled in a relieved rush. "Yeah…I mean, it was a pretty wild ride, and I'm glad that that whole ordeal is over. But, now that we're back, it feels kind of strange…like, what are we meant to do with ourselves, now?"

"Yeah," he laughed mirthlessly. "I know what you mean."

"The question I should be asking is," she stepped toward him, resting her hands on either side of his hips. "are you alright?"

"This has been such a long time coming for me, and now…" he trailed off, as though at a mental crossroads, unable to decide which direction to head in. "it's like the world is my oyster, again. Marik was like a knife wedged inside my head, and now…it's gone. I can see clearly, again." His eyes were unfocused as he went inward. Bakura and Ryou were merely specks in the distance, now.

"Sable…I haven't felt this way since before Marik possessed my body, when I was a ten year old child. I can't even remember how this feels…how it feels to be normal."

At that, Malik dropped to his knees, ejecting an anguished, heart-rending cry of relief. His shoulders shook in great heaves as he released his pent up distress, the intensity of emotional deliverance overwhelming him. Sable wrapped her arms around him and let him cry it out against her, until there was nothing left to give. Tears streamed down her own face; she, too, felt cleansed of the evil stain that Marik had tarred their lives with. This day marked the end of a chapter of pain and torment, and the beginning of a new destiny.

"I don't think I prepared myself for how this would actually feel." Malik murmured sometime later, once the torrent had abated, somewhat.

"You could have done all the preparing in the world, and still not have been prepared for how it would feel." Sable consoled, wiping some tears from the corners of his eyes, with her thumb.

"You're right," he replied. "It reminds me of when I fell in love with you…I wasn't prepared for that, either."

She gave him a bashful smile, caught off guard. "Neither was I."

He placed his palm against the side of her face, gazing at her with such earnestness and vulnerability, it began to fracture the walls she had put up around her heart, over six painful months ago. "I still feel that way, Sable. Remember our first kiss?"

Her lips trembled. She shut her eyes, her mind replaying the fragment in time when he had had first kissed her, on the studio floor. "How could I forget?" she choked.

"It was already too late for me, by then. You had already got me." Malik admitted, tears gathering in his eyes, again. "I know I did you wrong, baby, but I never once stopped loving you. How could I? I love you so much it hurts, Sable! I want to go back to that…I want what we had before."

Sable tried to maintain her resolve, but piece by piece, it was slowly crumbling. "We'll never be able to have what we had before, Malik." she replied, a little tartly. "But…we can start over, and try to move forward from what happened. I just…I need you to be patient. You need to give me time to trust you, again."

"I'll give you whatever you need." Malik embraced her tenderly, kissing the side of her temple and wiping the tears from her face. "I'll do whatever it takes. You're so precious to me…I don't want to imagine my life, without you."

They sat there on the limestone hillside for a time, ruminating in their own inner musings. Sable's line of thinking was mainly along how in the fresh hell her life had ended up becoming such an adventurous hot mess. She was merely a shy teen from the Outback of Australia with a love of dance, when she'd moved to Japan. Her years at high school in Domino had been a cultural eye-opener, if nothing else, but it was the most recent two years of her life that had completely tilted her world on its' axis.

Falling in love with one of the world's most sensational popstars hadn't eased that cause, obviously.

And yet, sitting right here in the Valley of the Kings, ensconced within the Egyptian man's arms of whom she infinitely adored, she could hardly imagine being anywhere else. It all felt so right, as if all the preceding events in her life had led her to this very moment. Malik might not be the perfect idol that his fans idealised him to be, in real life, but Sable couldn't imagine him being any other way, and she loved him for simply being himself. He was flawed, imperfect, and real—and so was she.

"We can't sit here all day." Sable finally said, getting to her feet. "Those other two are probably getting worried."

"Ryou, maybe." Malik muttered.

"I can't wait to get home," Sable sighed, taking Malik's hand as they descended toward the valley floor. "I don't think the ancient world was for me."

Malik chuckled. "Why's that?"

"There's no running water, for a start! No antibiotics, anaesthesia, vaccinations, chocolate…shall I go on?"

"What, you mean Australia has running water?"

She punched him in the arm playfully. "Jerk."

"I'm just playing," Malik laughed. "You're a city girl at heart, aren't you?"

"I think Japan has ruined me for living anywhere else." she replied. "They have literally everything, there…"

"Do you miss it?"

Sable glanced furtively at him. The Lamborghini—together with Ryou and Bakura leaning against it, and the Ferrari—had finally come into view. They looked like something out of an automobile magazine, gleaming against the sultry colours of the late afternoon desert sky.

"Yes." She replied. "Terribly."

"Then, let's go back." Malik halted, taking her hand.

"Do you mean that?"

Malik's eyes softened. He rubbed this thumbs across the tops of her hands. "I want you to be happy, Sable. After everything I've put you through, your happiness is my priority. I have a lot of making up to do."

She cast her gaze downward. "You don't owe me anything." She said quietly. "I came here, because I—" she cut herself short, the words getting stuck in her throat.

Malik tilted her chin upward. "You can say it." He smiled gently.

She expelled a shuddery breath. "I came to Egypt because I love you, Malik. Because I wanted to make sure you were going to be alright. Because I was scared to death that I might lose you. I couldn't stand the thought of being ten thousand miles away from you, while you were still fighting for your life."

"And you have no idea how much that meant, to me." He replied, pulling her against his chest. "I didn't think you would actually come, Sable. After how things were between us, before the accident…I thought for sure that you would stay, to be with Bakura…"

Sable shut her eyes tightly, nestling herself against him as tears squeezed out the corners of her eyes. "It made me realise how much I still loved you, despite everything that happened. Bakura was…a welcome distraction, at the time, but…I don't love him, the way I love you."

"So," Malik pulled back, staring down at her tear-streaked face. "that then begs the question… Will you give me another chance, Sable? Will you give us another chance?"

Truth be told, there was nothing Sable wanted more in the world. As desperate as she wanted to be with Malik again—as if the past six months had been nothing but a bad dream—however, there was still one thing holding her back.

Fear.

"I'm afraid." She hiccupped, daring to look up at him. "I'm afraid of being hurt, again, Malik."

"I know, baby, I know." Malik was crying again by this time, too. "But, I promise—I promise you—it will be different, this time."

"And if it's not?"

"Then you can tell me to go and take a long walk off a short pier." Malik joked, laughing through his tears. "What do you say?"

Slowly, she nodded her agreement. "Okay."

"Really?" he looked astonished. "You mean it!?"

"Yes!" she laughed. "Let's give this thing another shot."

Malik had no words to describe how elated her acceptance had made him. Jubilantly, he picked her up and spun her around. "I love you, Sable…Gods, I love you."

Sable found her feet, and they laughed, kissing each other passionately, humanly, sanctifying the start of their new beginning.

From a short distance, Ryou watched them. His features darkened, as a searing pain of jealousy toiled through him.

xXx