They reached the temple in record time, racing through the streets as Yishans men captured the invaders who all seemed to be unconscious or almost there. The fighting had stopped regardless and now as they captured the prisoners navigating the streets was easy.
Upon reaching the temple they paused in their tracks once their gaze landed upon Yugi laying unconscious in the middle of the floor.
"Yugi!" Atem shouted as he ran to his side and lifted him so his head rested on his lap.
"Is he okay?" Tea asked quickly.
Atem checked his pulse but as he moved his golden locks he stirred in his arms, squinting deeply and breathing normally before creaking open his lavender eyes to meet the worried deep purple ones of his love.
"Atem?" Yugi asked in a croaky, soft voice.
"Hey." He said warmly, secretly beyond relieved he was okay.
"Did we win?" Yugi asked.
"Hey man! You and Yishan were great!" Joey cheered.
"Yeah you should have seen him! It was so cool to see!" Tea said happily as Atem helped him sit up against him.
"I'm glad you guys are safe. Well done Yishan!" Yugi said happily. His eyes were heavy but his smile refused to show his fatigue, which made Atems heart swell with such happiness he couldnt help but nuzzle into his hair, wrapping his arms around his waist and chest from behind.
"Atem, stop that." Yugi giggled which only made him do it more.
"Yugi." Yishan said warmly, kneeling down before him. Atem stopped now but kept a good hold of him as he looked to Yishan too.
"On behalf of my people I thank you for saving us. You and your friends will be remembered fondly, and always welcomed among our people." He said surprisingly coherently.
"Hey, you've learned a thing or two." Joey said, earning an elbow to the ribs by Tea.
"An's knowledge has been shared with me. Along with some insight on what the future holds. Yugi, you and your friends have earned your reward, one wish granted to thee. I believe i know what you wish for, but before that I must ask you. Do you remember my call? The one you heard at the river."
"Yes?" Yugi questioned. Yishan smiled, his eyes twinkling.
"Good. Remember it well. Listen and follow your heart, as you've done. Remember my call and follow your heart." He insisted, touching his chest to emphasise his meaning.
"Okay…" Yugi said slowly, not entirely sure what he was getting at. Yishan smiled and turned his attention to Atem. The sparkle in his eyes shined like diamonds in his red eyes, and the smile he wore was one of pure pride and love, though he never looked at Atem like this until now. Touched his cheek and stroking his hair gently he smiled deeply, breathing inwardly.
"I am proud of you Atem, and greatly honored to have met you. When you return, you will understand why, you all will." He said before turning back to Yugi.
"When you get back, take the dagger and remember my call, listen to your heart. Please do this for me."
"I will." Yugi said.
"Okay. Now… aid him and tell me your wish." He said, standing before the tablet as Atem and Joey helped Yugi stand.
They looked to one another, smiled and nodded. It was time… though it was so sudden… They expected to help Yishan through his grief, with his people, but it seemed he had this under control.
"Yishan. We wish to go home, back to where we were when we came here." Yugi said.
Yishan nodded and outstretched his hands and as he did so the Tablets writing glowed both green and blue.
"Thank you again." Yishan said before the light engulfed them.
The light faded as warmth graced their skin, licking at the insides of their clothes and made them feel uncomfortable and sticky.
"Hey… are we back?" Tristan asked.
"I think so." Atem whisperer.
They were standing in the temple, where they had been. Leon wasn't here, but his rope still was, alongside the safe and the Millenium Items, incuding the dagger at the base of the tablet. Everything was as it had been when they left except … Leon wasn't here.
Yugis heart began to race as his mind went to unpleasant thoughts of what ifs.
"He'll yeah! We're back!" Joey punched the air in excitement. He and Tristan spun one another around, jumping for joy and singing some made up song in unison. Tea was smiling, she was happy they were all back too but choosing to keep her dignity. Yugi couldnt find the energy to be happy though; if they had left Leon in the past then how would he get back? What if he died out there?
"Yugi?" Atem asked him gently, lifting his chin up to face him. He didnt realise he'd been squeezing his hand and upon seeing the concerned expression in his deep purple eyes he felt his composure fracturing.
"Are you still tired from the batte? Having a god control you cant have been easy on your body." Atem asked him. He shook his head no and sniffed.
"It's not that. I am exhausted and my muscles feel like I've been in a blender… Leons not here. We didn't see him at all while we were there… I hoped that he didnt get pulled through … but everything is normal here, right where we left it. Even the Items havent been touched. So where is he? What if he did get pulled through? What if hes still there? What if he got killed in the jungle? What if he's still alive and cant get back now?" Yugi asked frantically.
They all understood his concern now. Joey and Tristan stopped celebrating to look around, calling out his name while Atem held him to his chest and soothed him
"Yugi! Maybe he's still here. You can try the radio now yeah?" Tea suggested.
Yugi pushed off Atem quickly but not so quickly as to hurt his feelings and remembered that they were in fact in their own clothes now, which meant maybe the people at the digsite were still there. It was still daylight after all, and according to his watch it was lunchtime.
"Temple team 1 to Digsite Alpha, come in. Temple team 1 to digsite Alpha. Pegasus! This is Yugi Moto. Dr. Yugi Moto, come in." He said into the microphone on his shoulder.
"Yugi?"
He heard from the other end a voice sounding oddly familiar… could it have been?
"Yes. Yes it's me. Where is Pegasus?"
"He's here, Yugi where have you been?! We've been looking-"
"Leon?" Yugi asked.
"Yes who else would it be? Where are you?"
Yugi cried and laughed, sinking to his knees in absolute relief and exhaustion. He's okay… they didn't leave him.
He took his earpiece off and gave it to Tea absently as well as his microphone so he could hug Atem and cry and laugh and rest.
"Uhh this is Tea. Yugi just gave me his microphone. Is this Leon?" Tea asked.
"Yugi are you okay?" Atem asked him gently.
"Yes. Leons okay. We didn't strand him, he didnt get pulled. We're all here." Yugi laughed.
"It's a really long story. One we should tell in person. Okay. Yes please. We'll wait here. Okay. Can you bring some water? Thank you. See you soon." Tea said.
"Leon and a few scouts are coming here to get us. We have a lot of explaining to do."
"How long has it been?" Joey asked.
"It's been 2 days. Yishan must have sent us back roughly around the time we left." Tea said.
Atem helped Yugi stand then and after wiping away stray tears he touched the tablet. Nothing happened and he felt nothing stir within. It was silent, unresponsive. Just a stone now.
"Hey Yug look. Wasn't there something there before?" Joey pointed to the bottom of the tablet where the graffiti should have been but he was right, nothing was there. That's odd, this was their time right? But then, when they were there no one was around to make that mark, nor would they have had reason to. His father sacrificed himself to make the dagger, not a whole city … maybe they changed events?
"What does that mean? I've seen the Butterfly effect, are we screwed?" Tristan asked.
"I don't think so. Things happened as it should just maybe the details are different." Yugi said.
"Oh Mai! I should call her!" Joey exclaimed suddenly and ran outside.
Yugi caught notice of the dagger laying by the foot of the tablet, silent as a whisper it slept peacefully.
"Is he even going to get reception here?" Tea asked.
"If he can I'd like a pizza!" Tristan said.
Yugi knelt before the dagger, his fingers hovering over the gold. Last time someone touched it he had a heart attack. After that it sent a man crazed and a massacre ensued. Last time he handled it, it rested upon him before it tried to kill him but now it was silent. Still. Almost absent of life or spirit. Still he was fixed on it.
Yishan told him to take the dagger and follow his call but that was 6000 years ago now. Where was he supposed to take the dagger to and how was he supposed to follow a call from the past?
"Yugi?" Atem broke him out of his trance and he removed his hand from it.
"Your father … Yugi I'm sorry." Tea said to him sadly.
"I wasn't here when it happened. By that time Enlil had control and I was out to sleep. Did… was he in pain? Did it hurt?" Yugi asked.
"No Yugi. He was silent, almost peaceful. There was a bright light that came from the tablet and in enveloped him. He even managed to say his goodbyes to Yishan before the light took him." Atem said gently.
"The light was An, just as the green light was Enlil. They lived in this tablet until my father and i released them." Yugi said.
"You told Yishan that you and he were the children of Millenium… what did that mean?" Tea asked.
"Just as it sounds. Our father created the first Millenium Item to exist in this world. Yishan and I were his children. Pretty name given by the gods." Yugi said. He smiled then, feeling content. "I'm glad it didn't hurt. I have my theories why … and … maybe." Yugi said quietly before he reached for the dagger again, this time brushing his fingers lightly against the gold, just enough to test if it would stir.
"Yugi!" Atem said quickly as he took his hand away from it.
"Dude last time it killed people." Tristan scolded him.
"Last time it was made differently." Yugi said as he took Atems hands off him and ran his fingers along the hilt. It felt warm, like the spirit within it was at peace and familiar.
"How's your chest Yug? No heart attacks?" Tristan asked carefully.
"No. I think it's safe now." Yugi said as he picked it up. He felt the spirit of the dagger warming to him but not with anger or irritation.. more with anticipation and excitement, as if it hadn't been handled in so long. It was the same feeling he felt she he first put together the Millenium Puzzle and the spirit then, Atem, had awoken after 3000 years sleeping.
This time though he knew who this was… his father.
"So … what now then?" Tea asked.
"Yishan told me to take the dagger. Maybe it was because my father made it.. in a way he's inside it. Like you were in the puzzle." He said, looking to Atem.
"Do you think you can bring him back?" Atem asked.
"I'm not sure yet. Maybe … I'll need some time with it to know for sure." Yugi said, standing now as he closely examined the blade.
"I can't get a hold of her. Too much interference. But at least it was only 2 days." Joey said as he came back inside. "Woah! Yug! Drop that!"
"It's okay Joey, it's safe now." Yugi told him as he waggled it in his fingers, making it appear dangerous but in actuality he had control over it.
"Right yeah okay. Well just … if you feel the urge to kill don't kill me." Joey said.
"Damn, well there goes my afternoon." Yugi joked.
"So Leon and the others should be about 2 hours… what do we do?" Tea asked.
"I guess we just wait. Though Yugi you probably want to explore right?" Tristan asked him.
He wasn't paying attention though. Something else had piqued his interest. Something from outside. If he had the ears of a dog theyd be up and listening, instead his eyes were focused and he ignored them intently.
"Yugi?" Atem asked.
"Shh." He said quickly, earning him a surprised look from all of them, especially Atem.
"Do you hear that?" He asked finally?
They listened but all they could hear were crickets, water streams and various birds singing and calling. Nothing in particular though… what was he listening out for.
"There! Did you hear it?!" Yugi asked quickly and ran to the entrance.
"Yugi what are you hearing?" Atem asked him.
"Yishan." Yugi whispered.
"You sure that dagger isn't making you go crazy?" Joey asked nervously.
"No. It's his call." Yugi said quietly before he took off down the stairs before they could stop him or even call out to him.
"I guess we follow him." Tristan said.
"Wait, the items." Tea said and moved to collect them. "We shouldn't just leave these here."