Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters (unless otherwise stated) Kazuki Takahashi does, nor do I make any money from these stories.

Twenty years after they parted Yugi and the pharaoh reunite.

The Reunion

It had been 20 years to the day since Yami had entered through the stone doors returning his soul to the afterlife where it belonged, and this was one anniversary surprise he hadn't been expecting, standing in his living room was the goddess Isis. "Can I help you um…?" Yugi asked the goddess who, at the moment was staring at him with a somewhat bewildered expression.

She shook her head trying to clear her mind. "I am the goddess Isis, sorry about staring, they told me you looked like the young pharaoh but they didn't tell me just how much."

Yugi smiled sadly. "Yes, the older I get it seems the more I resemble him." His face turned serious. "But I am sure that my looking like the pharaoh is not the reason for your visit."

The goddess sighed. "No Yugi it is not, the pharaoh…"

"What about him? What's wrong? Is he okay?" Yugi asked hurriedly before the goddess had even finished speaking

She sat down on the couch and looked up at the young man. "The pharaoh is dying."

Yugi sat down in shock. "What? Wait! I thought he was already dead, how…can he die again?"

The goddess took a small hand mirror from her gown and held it out to Yugi. "Take a look young one."

As he reached for the mirror Yugi noticed his hand was shaking in anticipation of seeing his pharaoh again, he looked into the glass and when he saw the pharaoh he gasped, he looked tired and gaunt, and his eyes had lost their sparkle. "What is wrong with him?" Yugi asked quietly as his fingers lightly touched the mirror's image,

"He is pining."

"What for?" Yugi again spoke quietly as he continued to gaze at his beloved pharaoh

"You." was her simple answer

"Me!" Yugi asked in surprise now turning to face her.

"Yes and he has been since he returned to the afterlife."

"But that was 20 years ago!" Yugi cried. "And you only tell me this now!"

The goddess sighed again "He would not allow us to come to you, he forbade anyone from contacting you, he knew you would worry for him.

"How can he forbid a god or goddess from doing anything? He is just a man." Yugi asked somewhat cynical.

"It was not us he forbade." She answered sharply "It was his high priest, he was forbidden from contacting us, so that we could contact you."

"So, why do this now?" Yugi whispered as he looked at the mirror again.

The goddess's voice softened. "The pharaoh is too weak to stop anyone from doing anything."

Yugi stood up and walked to the window, after a few minutes he turned to Isis, "What can I do? I cannot enter the afterlife until my death, and if I take my own life I will be forbidden from entering at all." He turned back to the window. "That is why I am still here." He whispered, "Why I have endured my loneliness for the past 20 years."

The goddess looked at him, all of the gods and goddess including Ra himself knew of Atemu and Yugi's plight but could not interfere but now they felt they had no choice, it was either this or let the young pharaoh die, something they were not willing to do, together Yugi and the pharaoh had saved the old world from Zorc, now it was their turn to save them, they had granted Yugi passage into the Egyptian afterlife to reside with Atemu even though he was not Egyptian on the condition that he did not end his own life before time.

"You could have found another to love." The goddess said, carefully watching Yugi's reaction

Yugi's eyes narrowed. "No. I could not." He said harshly then his shoulders slumped. "I tried but my heart was, is, and always will be with my pharaoh." He looked at Isis. "When my grandfather passed and my friends left to pursue their own lives, I carried on here patiently waiting for my end." He moved to the couch and sat beside the goddess. "You don't know how many times I seriously thought about saying 'to hell with it' and just ending it." Then he smiled. "But it was the thought of Yami waiting for me that stayed my hand."

Isis noticed that the smile did not reach his eyes; even now he was trying to convince himself and her that he was okay when clearly he was not, Yes he had continued to take good care of himself and live a healthy lifestyle, she knew that because they, the gods, had been watching him; they viewed Yugi as they viewed the pharaoh, as one of their own, how could he be considered anything less after giving himself freely to aid the pharaoh through all of his trials and tribulations to regain his memories not once thinking about his own safety, it was true that Yugi's friends had been with them, however they did for the adventure but Yugi, Yugi did it out of love.

Isis looked at Yugi and saw the tears he hadn't bothered to hide, smiling she pulled a small vial from the small white pouch tied to her belt, she held it out to Yugi, he looked at it. "What is that?" he asked quietly

She smiled. "It is a gift, a gift from Ra himself."

Yugi looked at her his eyes wide. "Really?"

"Yes." She held it closer to him. "Take it, you will need it."

He took the vial from her and held it up to the light. "What is it?"

"Something to aid you on your way."

Yugi, instantly knowing what she meant dropped his hand to his lap. "I can't."

"Why not?" Isis asked somewhat surprised.

Looking at her with tear filled eyes he spoke quietly. "You and I both know that if I kill myself I will be denied entry."

The goddess giggled. "Oh Yugi." She said affectionately "Because this is from Ra himself you will not be denied entry nor will you have to go through any of the usual rituals."

Yugi looked at her in shock. "What, no weighing of the heart?"

"No, no weighing."

"No standing before the 14 judges to account for my deeds?"

"No, no judges."

The next question Yugi asked was simply. "Why?"

Isis sighed. "Because without you the pharaoh will die." She lifted Yugi's chin so he could look into her eyes. "Without him, your soul will die."

Yugi surprised Isis by suddenly hugging her, after a moment she hugged him back. "Thank you." He whispered

She pushed him back slightly. "Tie up all the loose ends you have then come join us, we will be waiting."

Yugi let her go and bowed his head in reverence as she slowly faded from sight.

Seth was worried, his pharaoh was steadily getting worse he walked to the temple of Isis. "Goddess why have you ignored my prayers? My pharaoh cannot continue much longer." He bowed his head.

He looked up sharply when a feminine voice spoke to him out of the gloom. "Fear not high priest the one you are waiting for will be with you soon enough."

"How will I know him great goddess?"

"He has a similar visage as your pharaoh although somewhat smaller in stature. Take good care of him Seth for he is loved by Ra himself." She paused. "Oh, and his name is Yugi."

"As you command great goddess." Seth bowed again and left the temple, hell he didn't care if the person was two inches high and bright pink! if this 'Yu-gi' could save his cousin the pharaoh then Seth would make sure the boy was kept safe from harm.

Two moons had passed when there was knock on Seth's door.

"Enter!" the door opened and the guards walked in dragging a small chained and beaten figure behind them. "What is it?" Seth asked irritably

The guards bowed. "We found this boy wondering round the palace."

"Why have you bought him to me?"

"No-one seems to know anything about him my lord."

Seth sat up and looked at the small figure then he noticed that his hair was almost like the pharaoh's, suddenly his mouth went dry, the words of the goddess Isis rang in his ears 'Take good care of him Seth for he is loved by Ra himself'

Slowly he stood up. "Yu-gi?" he said softly,

The boy looked up and said "Yes, that is my name, how did you know?"

The young boy was struck from behind by one of the guards.

"STOP!" Seth shouted. "How dare you decide to inflict punishment when the boy simply answered my question!" he looked at the chains that bound the boy tightly. "Release him this instant!"

"But my lord." One of the guards started to say

"I said release him, or do you wish to be punished for harming the light of the pharaoh?"

The guards paled, everyone knew the story of the light of the pharaoh but few believed such a being existed, it was a story of a boy who would descend from the gods and aid their pharaoh in this his time of need.

"Th…the…the light of the pharaoh?" one of the guards stammered

"Yes that is who this young man is."

The guards quickly unchained him, Yugi looked up and smiled. "Thank you high priest."

Seth was horrified. The bruises on the boy's face and body showed that he had been beaten and suffered for it, the guards bowed. "We are sorry light of the pharaoh we, did not know."

"Look at me." Yugi said kindly, the two guards looked at him.

"You need not apologise to me you were only protecting the pharaoh and I cannot fault or be angered by that fact."

The guards and Seth's eyes widened as they noticed that while Yugi spoke the cuts and bruises were fading leaving the boy's skin unblemished.

Seth bowed. "Do not worry light of the pharaoh I will see to it personally that these two are punished."

"Why?" Yugi asked

"For the harm they inflicted upon you."

To the surprise of the two guards and Seth Yugi chuckled. "No they will not be punished."

"They won't?" Seth asked incredulously

"No they will not." Yugi turned to the high priest. "I take it I am to be assigned personal guards while I am here?"

"Yes light…"

Yugi raised his hand and interrupted Seth. "Please high priest

don't call me that, my name is Yugi."

"But it is forbidden for anyone but the pharaoh and the gods to call you by your given name."

"I see." Yugi closed his eyes for a moment then, a small smile crossed his face, he opened his eyes. "What about 'Lord Mutou?" he asked

"That, would be acceptable." Seth said cautiously

Yugi smiled. "Okay then lord Mutou it is." He said triumphantly, he turned back to the guards. "Now as I was going to say, I wish for these two to become my personal guards."

Seth's eyes widened. "But my lord they beat you and placed you in chains!"

"I know that high priest." He turned to the guards. "Tell me honestly, why did you beat and chain me?"

The two guards bowed their heads. "You were too close to the pharaoh's bed chambers and we did not know who you were." The blond guard looked up. "No one knew who you were."

"Look at me." Yugi said.

Upon seeing their faces Yugi smiled "Yes, I think they will make excellent personal guards." He looked at the two men. "What are your names?"

"Hondo." the brown-haired man replied,

"Jono." The blond said. Yugi grinned 'Well Hondo and Jono I can see us becoming real good friends' he thought as he looked into the faces of the ancestors of his two best friends Tristan and Joey.

The high priest coughed and Yugi turned to him. "What is it high priest?"

The high priest faltered. "Please lord Mutou just call me Seth."

"No." Yugi said simply

"Why not?" the high priest asked, once again cautious

"If you will not call me by my given name then I will not call you by yours."

Seth knowing he would not, could not win bowed. "In that case Yu-gi I concede."

Yugi smiled. "I thought you would, eventually."

Standing straight the high priest looked at Yugi then asked.

"Would you like to see the pharaoh now or do you want to wait?"

Yugi thought for a moment. "Tell me, what would he be doing now?"

Seth looked out of the window then turned back to Yugi. "He would be having lunch about now."

Yugi didn't miss the sadness that appeared in Seth's voice. "What is it Seth? What is it that you are not telling me?"

Seth sighed. "Every day the serving girls take him his lunch and everyday he tells them to leave and take the food with them."

"Does he eat at all?" Yugi asked worriedly

"Yes, on the rare occasions he asks me to dine with him, although it is not much at least it is something."

After a minute or two Yugi nodded. "Take me to the pharaoh."

Without any hesitation Seth led Yugi through the hallways to the pharaoh's chambers, they arrived at the same time as a serving girl. Yugi looked at her and saw that she looked like his one-time friend Téa, (She had never forgiven Yugi for the fact that Yami had loved him and not her, although she never gave up trying to seduce him into dumping Yugi and start dating her until Yami had, in no uncertain terms told her what he really thought of her, she hadn't spoken to either of them since.) "Give me the tray and leave." He said quietly

The serving girl glared at him. "I will not!" she declared. "The pharaoh asked for me personally and I will not disappoint him!"

Yugi looked at the girl and realised that this girl was exactly like Téa, she wanted the pharaoh and would do just about anything to get him, pulling himself to his full height, which admittedly was not very tall he looked at the girl. "If you wish to keep your head." He hissed. "You will give me that tray and leave."

"No. I won't." she said again

"What is your name girl?" she was asked, she was about to say something derogatory to Yugi when she realised just who it was she was talking too, she bowed toward Seth. "I am Teana my lord high priest."

"Why are you here?" he asked none to kindly.

"The pharaoh, he asked that I personally deliver his meal to him, he also wishes for me to share his bed for the night." She inwardly smirked at the hurt expression that crossed the features of the newcomer.

The high priest was seething. "You and I both know that is a lie."

"Guards!" he yelled, Jono and Hondo ran into the hall

"You called my lord?" the one called Jono asked as he bowed to Yugi and the high priest

"Yes, take Teana to the dungeons and keep her there until I say otherwise."

The two guards bowed. "Yes my lord." Glaring Yugi took the tray from the girl before the two men grabbed Teana and led her screaming and protesting to the dungeons where she was locked in one of the furthest cells so she would not disturb the pharaoh with her constant whining.

"Do you wish me to come in with you Yu-gi?"

"No Seth, I will be fine."

"As you wish." The high priest opened the door for Yugi before bowing and leaving; there was a certain blond guard he wished to get to know.

Quietly Yugi entered the room and placed the tray by the pharaoh's bed, Yami's eyes were closed and Yugi took the opportunity to look at him. Yugi noticed that he looked even worse than he did in Isis's mirror. "Oh Yami what's happened to you?" He asked quietly, he watched as Yami's eyes opened slowly and looked at Yugi, his eyes widened and he held out a shaky hand and went to touch the vision of Yugi he could see but suddenly he let his hand drop and closed his eyes again,

Yugi's eyes narrowed in worry until he heard Yami speak. "What's the point it is just another illusion the gods sent to torment me with."

Smiling Yugi reached out and gently caressed Yami's face. "I am not an illusion beloved, I am finally here."

Yami's eyes quickly opened again. "Yugi?" he asked

With tears in his eyes Yugi nodded, Yami slowly sat up and wrapped his arms round him and buried his face in Yugi's neck.

"Yugi! Oh gods I've missed you so much!"

Yugi returned the embrace. "I know I heard."

"How? Did Seth?"

"No Seth did not disobey you, Isis came and told me."

Yami let Yugi go. "Isis? the goddess Isis?"

"Do you know of another Isis?" a warm female voice asked, both men turned and saw the aforementioned goddess standing at the foot of the bed. "Do you see now why we thought it necessary to bring you here?" she asked Yugi

"Yes and I can't thank you and Ra enough."

"What does Ra have to do with this?" the pharaoh asked clearly confused.

The goddess smiled. "I'll leave Yugi to enlighten you, I only came to see if Yugi made it safely."

Yugi stood up and bowed. "Thank you Isis."

"Be happy you two!" She called out as she faded.

"Now then Yugi what does Ra have to do with this?" Yami asked as he used his pillows to prop himself up into a more comfortable position.

Sighing Yugi picked up the tray and lay in on Yami's lap. "You eat while I explain." Yami nodded and picked at the fruit, meat and bread as he listened to Yugi's story.

When Yugi had finished Yami looked at him wide eyed. "Are you saying Ra helped hasten your death?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't have to go into the hall of judgement?"

"No."

"And when you did get here you were chained and beaten?"

"Yes."

Yugi smiled as he noticed the old fire return to Yami's eyes. "The guards will be punished for that outrage!" he hissed.

"No they will not Yami, in fact I would like them assigned as my personal guards."

Yami looked at him incredulously. "Why would you want that?"

Yugi sighed. "Yami they were only protecting you, when I first arrived here I ended up almost outside your chambers, no one knew who I was I could have been an assassin for all they knew."

He paused and grinned. "Besides haven't you noticed how much like Joey and Tristan they are."

Yami looked down. "No I haven't noticed very much at all since I got here."

Yugi moved the now empty tray from Yami's lap and after placing it on the table he lay on the bed beside Yami and snuggled into his side. "I missed you, you know." He said quietly.

Yami wrapped his arm round Yugi shoulders. "I guessed you would but I wish you hadn't let Isis talk you into ending your life prematurely."

"She didn't." Yugi said quickly then he sighed. "Yami, Ra and the other gods have been watching us since we parted, they saw your decline and, that I was also slowly dying but unlike you I didn't go off eating, mine was out of loneliness." Yugi went on to tell Yami about the gang splitting up and going their separate ways.

How Téa still hated him even after 20 years, he also told Yami that he had tried dating but couldn't do it because he was always thinking of him. He told him about when Isis first came to him he had refused as he knew if that if he took his own life he would be denied entry to the afterlife but when she said Ra would allow him in regardless he'd jumped at the chance. He looked up at Yami. "What happened to make you like this, I thought it wouldn't bother you this much."

Yami sighed. "At first I was glad to be back, don't get me wrong aibou I started to miss you as soon as the door closed and I knew that I'd made a mistake by leaving you, it was fine for the first few years because I had a lot to do, a lot to catch up on but then slowly I noticed that no one would talk to me like you did, no one would walk with me the way you did, even my own cousin Seth always acted with deference. I missed the way you all treated me as a normal person and not as some god."

"But Yami." Yugi chuckled. "You are a god to them."

Yami groaned. "But I don't want to be, I want to be Yami." He turned to Yugi. "I want to be your Yami again."

"You will always be my Yami no matter what." Yugi said firmly.

They sat in silence for a moment the Yami spoke again. "After that it got steadily worse until all I felt was despair I couldn't take not being with you anymore."

"Did you ever stop to think how I would feel if I got here only to find your soul had died leaving me alone?"

At hearing the sadness in Yugi's voice Yami held him tighter. "I'm sorry my love, honestly I didn't think I just…"

"That was why Ra allowed me to die before my time, he knew you would not survive much longer."

Yugi had been with Yami for six months and the palace began to rejoice at the news that the pharaoh had recovered and was going to marry the 'Light of the Pharaoh.' A title that Yugi had begun to hate with a passion, while Yami always thought it suited him.

The marriage contracts had been drawn up, the goddess Isis acting as a parental figure for Yugi and Shimon acting on behalf of the pharaoh. And as Yugi and Yami lived in the same palace Yugi's things were simply moved from his suite of rooms to the pharaoh's.

"So, when do we have the ceremony?" Yugi asked.

"The ceremony? For what?" Yami asked him clearly confused.

"The wedding ceremony." Yugi said giving Yami a weird look.

"Um Yugi in ancient Egypt there is no ceremony you just move your stuff into my home."

"What! No ceremony! How…how positively prehistoric!" Yugi said stamping his foot causing Yami to laugh.

"I think, aibou you really need to learn our customs." Yami said round his laughter.

A.N

The day of the marriage really was quite simple. The bride merely moved her belongings into the home of her husband and started up a household. Even though there was no official ceremony, knowing how much the ancient Egyptians loved music, dance and food, there were probably family celebrations in honour of the 'marrying' couple.

When Royalty or nobility married they usually had contracts drawn up that were considered legal documents.

Also women played an important role in arranging a marriage. A suitor sometimes used a female go-between to approach the girl's mother, not her father.

Information from my old course notes.

Chibi