Author note: The website was down, but it appears to be fixed so re-uploading this chapter. Enjoy!

Cairo sits in the middle of Yugi's bedroom that night on the floor with her legs crossed. Her hands are placed on top of her knees and her eyes glow purple as she scans the world for any wandering souls. She searches high and low, through many streets and hidden corridors of the world.

While she is doing this, Yami leans on the wall behind her in ghost form with his arms folded across his chest. He thinks back to the promise that he made her. He promised her that he would free her from the shadows so that her soul can finally rest in the afterlife.

'You alright?' asks Yugi. 'You look like you have a lot on your mind.'

Before he can answer, Cairo stirs out of her trance, blinking a few times and shaking her head. "Hm…"

"Something wrong?" Yugi asks as she stands up and turns to him.

She pauses for a moment. Soon she will return back to the shadows and her father will be embarking on his final journey to reveal his memories and fulfilling his destiny. She knows that the gods advised her not to interfere, but she can't help but want to help out in some way. The terrible incident that ultimately landed her in the Shadow Realm weighs heavy in her mind. "Well…there's something I need to tell my father..." She looks down to the floor and Yugi frowns.

"Seems bad…"

She only nods. But before she can go any further, a familiar presence causes her to look toward the open window. Yugi blinks and follows her gaze. To his surprise, he sees a hand grasping onto the ledge. Cairo stands protectively in front of him and without a second thought, Yami switches positions with Yugi as a precaution. Cairo glances back, seeing her father and he steps up to stand beside her.

"Show yourself," Yami demands. Hearing a grunt on the other side, the intruder manages to pull themselves up, revealing none other than Tara from the amusement park. Yami narrows his eyes, immediately going on guard and Tara laughs.

"The last soul," Cairo says and Yami looks down at her.

"Are you sure?" he asks and she nods her head.

"So we finally meet," Tara says, taking a few steps inside the bedroom. She looks the pharaoh up and down and smirks. He is a lot shorter than what she imagined, but with the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, there is no mistaking it. This is the first time she is seeing him up close. "Funny. Here I am within feet of the great and powerful pharaoh that everyone claims is the reason for my people's destruction…and yet…I still have no urge to kill you."

Yami's eyes widen with surprise. Out of all the souls they faced, this is new. Compared to the others, she is relaxed and doesn't have that evil glint in her eye. She is different from the rest. But why?

"Cairo told me everything," she tells him. "And I'm not sure what possessed me to believe her. Maybe it's the fact that we both have suffered similar fates." She looks down at Cairo. Both of their lives were cut short due to their circumstances. Neither asked for the cards that they have been dealt, but they both tried to make the very best of it. Tara tried to make something of herself while in the living world, while Cairo has tried to redeem herself with the gods. "You and I have more in common than I thought kiddo."

Tara walks up to the pharaoh, getting down on knee and bowing her head. "I apologize for everything that you've had to endure," she says to his surprise. "I know now that you had nothing to do with it and I wish my people saw the same."

"It's alright. You didn't know," Yami responds, feeling relieved that this wouldn't turn out to be another battle.

"And you." Tara stands up, her eyes set on the small girl in front of her. "I witnessed your fight with Abosi and let me just say that I was naive to think that I could go against someone like you," she chuckles. "You are one tough kid, you know that?"

Cairo chuckles lightly. "That's what happens when you're equipped with a lot of power and countless centuries of fighting in the shadows."

Tara's face goes into a frown. "I don't know how, but I hope one day your soul will finally be able to rest in the afterlife."

Cairo nods slightly. It won't be long before she has to go back and the doubts are creeping up again. She shakes those thoughts out of her head and looks to Tara. "What will you do now?"

Tara blinks with confusion and surprise. "Well I…are you…you're letting me stay?"

"You do realize you'd be taking someone else's life in the process right?"

"Trust me, no one is going to miss the original. She was a petty thief and was about to cause someone harm when I possessed her," Tara assures her.

Cairo turns around with her hands behind her back. "Leave."

"H-huh?"

"The gods are putting their trust in me that I return all of the souls. So I'll turn a blind eye. But if you start causing trouble, I just might suddenly remember that you exist in this world…" She looks at Tara over her shoulder. "…And I will return."

"Say no more," she darts toward the window, but not before turning around, giving a slight bow. "Thank you Cairo. Pharaoh." And with that she leaves to live her new life in the present world.

"That was nice of you," Yami comments with his arms folded as they both stare out the window.

"Yeah well…" She rubs the back of her head with a smile. Taking a deep breath, she finds that now is the time to tell her father what she has been meaning to tell him. She wants to ensure that he is prepared for what he is going to face once it's time for him to complete his destiny. There is a rumble of thunder and a flash of lighting from the outside, practically matching her current mood. When she opens her mouth to speak, the doorbell rings. She sighs. Maybe she should just forget it with all of the distractions going on.

The door to the front door opens when they finally make it downstairs, revealing Téa, Joey, Duke and Tristan carrying balloons, a cake and boxes of pizza to Cairo's surprise. Yugi and Yami were already aware of what they were planning for Cairo. A farewell party before she has to return to the shadows.

"You gonna let us in?" Joey asks with a grin. "It's about to rain!"

Cairo silently steps to the side, still surprised by their appearance and why they were carrying so much food. "What is this?" she asks.

"Well we know that you won't be with us for much longer," Téa replies, rubbing her arm. "So we wanted to throw you a farewell party before you left."

"A…farewell party?" Cairo repeats with a confused look on her face. She has never heard of that before. "You're…happy to see me leave?"

Tristan flails his arms frantically, seeing that she has misinterpreted the meaning of a farewell party. "Gah! No, not at all Cairo! That's not what a farewell party is all about!"

"Think of it as a way to celebrate all of the times we had together," Duke chimes in, trying to offer some sort of clarity.

"And that we'll miss you so much," Téa finishes with a sad smile.

"Yeah. When you first came here, we didn't know what to expect. But as time went on, you have helped us in more ways than one," Joey continues.

"And I think I speak for everyone when I say that you are a true friend and we'll never forget you," Yugi says smiling.

Cairo bows her head with a smile, trying to contain her emotions. They did all of this for her? When she came here, she had one thing in mind and one thing only. To recapture all of the souls and to return to the Shadow Realm. That's it. But slowly she formed bonds and friendships with them, helping them throughout their journey. She never thought something like this would happen during her time here. But she is so glad it did. Now she will have new memories to reminisce on when she finally returns. She looks out a nearby window where it has started to pour and a feeling of sadness hits her. She doesn't want to go back.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looks up to see Yugi looking down at her with a warm smile. "Are you hungry?" She manages to smile and nods.

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As they continue with the festivities at Yugi's house, Cairo wonders outside, sitting on the roof as the rain beats down on her head. Her normally spiky hair lays flat and her clothes are drenched. Nearing the end of her journey, she thinks back to everything she has experienced in this world. The modern day version of dueling along with the technology used to project the monsters of her past, how drastically the world has changed in terms of architecture and fashion and lastly, being able to see her father for the first time in 5,000 years. She has also managed to make friendships during her brief time there.

But she feels a great feeling of sadness nagging at her. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She wasn't supposed to make any connections while she was here. It was only supposed to be in and out. Retrieve the souls and return. That's it. Now that she has made those connections, it's making it harder for her to want to leave. But she has to. She looks up to the sky, letting the tears fall as she wraps her arms around her legs and brings her knees close to her as she sobs.

In the midst of her tears, she overhears the laughter from everyone downstairs along with music as they converse with each other and eat. As much as she would like to join them again, she knows that her time has come.

"It would just be too sad," she says to herself, not wanting to make an emotional scene by going back downstairs. She whips out her wand and taps the bottom of it on the ground two times, causing a dark portal to form in front of her. She takes a deep breath, taking one last look of her surroundings. In just a few moments, her world will be nothing but darkness.

Téa takes a sip of her drink and looks around in realization that Cairo isn't there. "Hey, where's Cairo? This party is for her after all."

"She went upstairs a few moments ago," Tristan says.

"I'll go get her," Joey volunteers and he runs up the stairs, navigating the dark hallways until he reaches Yugi's room. It is empty, but the sky roof is open, letting in a cool breeze.

"Cairo, you up there?" Joey calls out.

"Time to go back home I guess," Cairo says as the wind from the portal begins to pick up. "I'm glad I got to see him one last time." She closes her eyes and smiles, voluntarily taking steps forward to enter into the shadows.

Joey shields his face from the high winds and he looks up to the sky that are now clear as he finally reaches the roof. "That's weird. Is there another wave of storms coming?" he comments before his eyes land on the source of the wind. He sees a small figure walking inside and he gasps. "Cairo! Wait!" He crosses his arms over himself when the wind becomes more violent. He slowly feels himself being dragged in and he attempts to hold onto the wall. But the more he does, the more he feels his life force being sucked away until his body collapses and his world goes dark.

Yugi laughs with Tristan, Téa and now his grandfather who has recently joined them, relaying what happened at the tournament. Just as Yugi is about to take a bite out of his food, his Millennium Puzzle begins to glow and Yami appears alongside him, his arms folded across his chest and looking out of the window. His eyes are filled with concern, which is unusual for Yami.

'Is something wrong?' Yugi asks within his head.

'Cairo…'

"I'm going to see what's taking Cairo and Joey so long," Yugi tells the others and he runs up the stairs. He is surprised when he doesn't see any sign of Joey or Cairo anywhere. He goes into his room and then heads up to the open roof. He gasps in shock when he sees Joey's lifeless body on the ground and he quickly runs over.

"Joey!" he shakes him lightly, but gets no response. But the strong wind that he feels moments later doesn't give him much time to ask any questions. "What is that?!"

'Yugi, there's something I have to do,' Yami says, appearing beside him again.

'What do you mean?'

'I have a feeling Joey is in there…and so is Cairo,' Yami guesses.

'Are you saying this portal leads back to the Shadow Realm?'

'Yes. And it is far too dangerous for you to go.'

'Be careful pharaoh. Who knows what lies in there,' Yugi warns and Yami nods his head before stepping forward.

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Joey slowly opens his eyes and rubs his head. The atmosphere around him is dark, cold and quiet. Laying on his back, he takes in his surroundings, his eyes going from left to right. "Where am I?"

"Somewhere you shouldn't be."

He gasps at hearing the familiar voice and he quickly sits up to see Cairo standing there, holding her wand over her shoulder. Her eyes are narrowed at him and he gulps nervously. "Uh…what is this place?"

She sighs heavily before answering, "You're in the Shadow Realm." Did she not close the portal in time when she stepped in?

He scrambles to his feet and his eyes nearly pop out of his head. "SAY WHAT?!"

"You're too loud." Joey holds onto his chest, trying to calm himself down and looks around once more. He has heard so many things about this place. He remembers how his dear friend Mai was stuck in the Shadow Realm for what seemed like forever. To think there are people like Cairo who have to spend all of eternity here.

"How did I end up here?" he asks. "The last time I remember is you walking through a portal and—" Realization hits him and he clenches his fists, his mouth going agape. "Wait a minute. What were you doing going back to the Shadow Realm without saying goodbye, huh?!"

Cairo scratches her chin and looks up. "Uh…"

"So you really were gonna leave and not say a thing? After all we've been through, Cairo. I thought you considered us your friends," he says, sounding really hurt and disappointed.

Cairo frowns. "You're all my friends, Joey. It's just that—"

"Joey! Cairo!" Yami's voice echoes through the dark atmosphere and Cairo's heart drops into the pit of her stomach. They both turn around to see Yami walking toward them with the Eye of Horus glowing on his forehead.

"Yugi!" Joey exclaims.

"Are you two alright?" he asks, standing across from them.

"We're fine. But Cairo's got some explaining to do," Joey says, looking down at her. "Why did you leave without saying anything to us?"

Cairo lowers her head, feeling the eyes of both of them locked on her. The truth is that she wanted to say goodbye. But goodbyes are never easy. She knows that her father promised to release her from the shadows, but she also doesn't want to get her hopes up in case the gods refuse his request.

Before she can answer, they begin to hear the sounds of evil laughter echoing throughout the area and Cairo narrows her eyes.

"Oh great. What was that?" Joey asks, fearing the worst.

"You two need to leave. Now," Cairo instructs them, continuing to hold her wand over her shoulder as she walks forward.

"The soul of the pharaoh has come to us," a voice says before laughing. "What did we do to earn this special treat?" In all directions, multiple red colored souls begin to appear, their laughs growing louder and louder to the point where it is almost deafening. Cairo's eyes scroll calmly from left to right, trying to mentally count the number of souls appearing. She knows that her father's presence has triggered them and she needs to get him and Joey out of there as soon as possible.

The souls begin to take form of shadowy figures with red glowing eyes and Joey begins to shake with fear. "Aw man. This ain't good."

Cairo turns around and walks to Joey and Yami. "I'm sorry. I know this is not how you wanted to say goodbye."

"Cairo, we're not leaving you here," Yami says.

"Yeah, there's no way you can face them all on your own!" Joey adds. To their surprise, Cairo smiles. She is surprisingly calm and shows no hint of fear at all. But this has been her life for centuries. With her back still turned to the souls, they attempt to all attack at once, putting Yami and Joey on alert.

"Freeze spell." Cairo turns around partially and points her wand at them and they all stop in place. She then twirls her wand and places it back over her shoulder, putting her attention back on the two individuals in front of her. "That'll buy you guys some time."

"But Cairo!" Joey yells in protest. Is she seriously going to stay behind and fight them all herself?

She turns to her father. Now is the time to tell him what she's been wanting to all this time. "I know you've already made a promise to me…you know the one about releasing me from the Shadow Realm…"

"That's right," Yami replies.

"But I have something else I need you to promise me."

"And what's that?"

She sighs. "You and I will see each other again when you are reliving the days of your past. This also means that you will relive that fateful day when evil overcomes me and I turn against you. And when that day comes, I need you to promise me you'll do everything in your power to kill me."

Yami's eyes widen and his heart drops while Joey's mouth goes agape. "Say what?" Yami takes a step back. She can't be serious. Did he hear her correctly?

"You heard me."

"No…I couldn't possibly…I—"

Cairo reaches out and holds his hand. She can feel him trembling a little and understandably so. She just asked a lot from him just now. "It's okay."

"Way to drop a huge bombshell Cairo," Joey says, equally as shocked as Yami is.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, lowering her eyes.

"There's gotta be another way. I can't…I can't do that to you, Cairo," Yami says.

"I just wanted to give you a heads up so you're not shocked when the time comes," Cairo tells him, releasing his hand and lowering her hand to her side. "Unfortunately it's either that, or I will kill you and anyone else that gets in my way. And I don't want that and neither do you. If you die before fulfilling your destiny, then I definitely can't be released from my prison."

Yami looks down to the ground and clenches his teeth. He may have not known her for long, but that's still his daughter. Their bond has grown so much since she appeared and he can understand the visions Cairo showed him, depicting their close father-daughter relationship. But he never stopped to think that he would have to be the one to defeat her in the end.

"Hey…" She levitates in the air so that she is eye level with him, giving him one of the softest smiles that he has ever seen from her compared to her usual stoic gaze. "It's gonna be okay." She wraps her arms around him in a strong embrace and he returns her hug, not wanting to let her go. He looks over her shoulder, hearing the growls and screams of the angry souls that are waiting to pounce.

"It's time for you to go," she says softly.

"Cairo…" Yami can feel his heart beating out of his chest and he squeezes her tighter. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, he knows they have no other choice but to leave her there. He thinks back on the promise that he made her. When he finally completes his destiny and uncovers the mysteries of his past, he will do everything in his power to set her free. She has suffered for far too long.

"I'm so glad I got to see you one more time."

He pulls away just enough for them to look into each other's eyes. She can see that he is trying hard to hold in the tears. His eyes are watery and red, but he manages to hold it together. For her. "And we will see each other again. That's a promise."

Joey growls in frustration. "There's no way we're leavi—"

"It's alright Joey," Yami says to Joey's surprise as he releases her from his arms.

"Are you nuts, man?!"

"Joey," Cairo says and he looks at her. Even he had to keep his emotions in check as he gazes at the girl in front of her who stands before hundreds of angry souls. But she smiles in a way that makes him feel that she is going to be okay and he uses the back of his arm to wipe his face.

"You kick their butts, alright? Show 'em who's boss!" he exclaims and she nods with a confident smile.

"Please tell everyone else that I'll miss them and thank them for everything," she tells them. "Now go. The portal should still be open." She turns her back to them, preparing to face off against the souls.

Yami and Joey nod their heads before making a run for the portal. The seal that Cairo had around the souls has finally broken and they rush at her all at once. Joey is the first to reach the portal and he is able to make it out. Before Yami steps foot, he takes one last look back as the souls surrounding Cairo. The last thing he sees is her looking back at him from over shoulder, grinning as her eyes glow purple before the darkness covers her completely.

He finally makes it out and the portal closes behind him. Yugi tends to Joey who is slowly getting to his feet and rubbing his head. Joey looks toward the direction where the portal previously was and he sighs. "She's gone," he says. "She's really gone."

Yugi looks over to Yami who stands at his side, staring out into the night sky with his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

'Pharaoh…?' He can feel the amount of hurt that the pharaoh is feeling in this current moment. A feeling of emptiness lingers in his heart and a tear falls from Yami's cheek and onto the ground.

That night, Yugi sits up in bed, watching as Yami gazes out of the window, silently sobbing to himself. He has never seen the pharaoh in this much distress before and wishes there is something that he can say to make him feel better.

'Pharaoh,' Yugi calls out to him, getting out of bed to stand behind him.

'I'm sorry, Yugi. Did I wake you?'

Yugi shakes his head. 'No, you're fine.' He watches as Yami lifts his arm to his face to wipe away his tears before turning around.

'Did you need something?' Even in his current mood, he's still concerned about others, which isn't surprising to Yugi. The pharaoh always put the needs of others before himself.

'Just checking up on you…How are you feeling?'

'There were so many of them Yugi,' Yami answers, referring to the amount of souls he saw in the Shadow Realm that attacked her. 'I feel so guilty for leaving her there all alone.' He lowers his eyes. 'I just hope she's okay.'

'Without a doubt, I know she is,' Yugi replies with confidence and Yami turns his head away.

'How can you be so sure?'

'You and I have both seen her in action. She's extremely powerful…and…she's your daughter.' Yami's head whips over to look at him, his eyes wide and Yugi nods. Typically the roles would be reversed between the two of them and Yami would be offering him words of comfort or encouragement. But Yugi can see that the pharaoh needs him now more than ever in this very moment.

'She's strong…just like you,' Yugi continues. 'No matter how tough things have gotten for her, she has always pushed through. Just like you.'

'Yugi…'

'And I know once you have completed your destiny, you two will reunite again and she won't have to suffer anymore.'

The doubt slowly removes itself from his face. He needed to hear that. And Yugi is right. Just as Cairo will push through and be strong, so will he. As the day nears for him to face his past, he not only keeps in mind that he will be on another journey to complete his destiny and regain his memories, but completing his destiny will also include releasing Cairo from the shadows once and for all.

He remembers that look in her eyes, just before he left the Shadow Realm. That unperturbed look on her face as the shadows surrounded her. It was as if she was giving him a silent reassurance to not worry about her despite her situation. And she was confident. It was in that moment that she fully believed that he would be successful in freeing her and all of her own doubts went away. Because like her, he has always persevered.

Gazing out of the window once more with determination, he clenches his fist. 'Wait for me Cairo.'

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Will the pharaoh keep his promise? Stay tuned! Leave a review! I love hearing about how you guys are liking it and it makes my day!