Note: The Kleenex warning extends into this chapter.
Joey picked up Yugi's still body, tears running down his face. "Oh man . . . why did it have to be this way? Why did Yugi havta . . ." He couldn't finish.
The police had taken Carmichael away, and the teens had disappeared into the shadows. They didn't want to be interrogated just yet; too much had happened in the last fifteen minutes and they needed time to take it all in. This was a calamity they had never expected.
"Yugi sacrificed himself for us," Tristan said softly.
"Yug . . . you're a hero, man," Joey whispered.
They stayed there for ages in silence, remembering Yugi's brave and selfless act, and then they realized that they needed to see if the others were alright.
They walked down the hall, Joey carrying Yugi's body, when Bakura stopped suddenly. "Someone's crying," he exclaimed.
"It sounds like Tea," Tristan realized.
"Tea? What's wrong?" Joey called as they rounded a corner, then stopped short in shock.
Tea, unaware that she was being observed, was kneeling next to Seto's still body. She clasped the boy's cold hands tightly, holding them to her forehead, and then let them go, sobbing uncontrollably. She brushed the long bangs away from Seto's closed blue eyes and stared at his pale complexion. "Goodbye, Seto Kaiba," she whispered.
"Oh man, not him too!" Joey gasped.
Tea started and looked up, her eyes red and puffy. When she saw Yugi's limp form in Joey's arms, the tears spilled over again. "Yugi!!" she cried in despair. "No . . . this is just a bad dream! . . . It's not real. . . . It can't be real!!" She stood up and took Yugi's body from Joey, holding the small boy close. "Yugi can't be gone. . . . He just *can't* be!!!" Yugi looked so innocent, so sweet. . . . Tea again collapsed on her knees next to Seto's body, cradling Yugi gently.
"Seto!! Big brother!!" a young voice screamed, and Mokuba ran out of seemingly nowhere, Mai hot on his heels. The small boy fell across Seto's body, embracing him tightly. "Wake up, Seto!! You've . . . you've just gotta!!" He shook the older boy gently, his gray eyes pleading for a response.
"Your brother was very brave, Mokuba," Tea said shakily, "and so was Yugi."
"'Was'?" Mai repeated, looking horrified. "You're not saying that they're . . ." She trailed off, seeing by the looks in the other teens' eyes that the boys were both gone.
"No! It's not true!!" Mokuba cried. "Wake up, big brother!! Please!! Please . . ." His tears splashed on Seto's face.
"Sorry, kid," Joey said softly, brushing away a tear of his own. "Man, I'm sorry . . ."
"Don't say that! He's not dead!!" Mokuba screamed. "You . . . you . . . can hear me, can't you, Seto?" he said pleadingly. There was no answer.
Tea gently touched Yugi's cheek. "Yugi, you can't leave us!" she cried. "It's not your time!! . . . Please, Yugi . . . come back to us! . . ."
"Seto . . . I still need you, big brother!" Mokuba screamed. "Please . . . answer me!!"
A bright light suddenly illuminated the room and a girl with long, mint-green hair and a flowing white dress was standing there.
"Eh, who are you?" Joey asked, confused.
Bakura's eyes went wide, recognizing the girl. "Kasumi!" he exclaimed.
"You know her?" Tristan blinked in surprise.
Bakura nodded. "She rescued me from those horrid vampyres."
Kasumi smiled, then looked down sadly. "I am so sorry this tragedy has happened," she said softly. "It was not supposed to happen."
Mokuba looked up, recognition in his own eyes. "You! You're that weird girl who was singing in the backyard last month!!"
"Yes, that was I," Kasumi replied.
"You're the girl Kaiba was so freaked about?!" Joey said in disbelief.
Kasumi nodded.
"What did you do—tell him he was gonna die or somethin'?" Joey demanded.
"What we spoke of is confidential between the two of us," Kasumi told him. "But if Seto Kaiba had wished to tell you about it, he would have been free to do so."
"But what's happened now?" Mokuba sobbed. "My brother . . . is he . . . is he really . . ."
Kasumi knelt down next to the grief-stricken boy and laid her hand on his shoulder silently.
"No . . . no, he can't be!!" Mokuba screamed. "He said he'd always be there for me!! He said he wouldn't leave me!!" The younger boy laid his head on Seto's still chest and dissolved into tears.
When the teens turned to see Kasumi's response, they discovered that she, too, was crying. "And so he never will, little Mokuba," she whispered. "He will always be with you."
Mokuba, realizing she was speaking in the mystical, supernatural sense, shook his head. "He's gotta come back!! He . . . he would if he could . . . I know he would!" he declared.
"Yugi would too . . . if he could," Tea whispered, a tear falling onto the boy's ashen cheek.
Yugi's eyes fluttered. Tea gasped.
"What? What is it?" Joey demanded.
"Yugi . . . he's alive!" Tea exclaimed.
"What?! That's impossible!" Joey declared. He wanted so badly for it to be true, but . . . how could it be?
Kasumi looked up, her eyes expressing disbelief, and at the same time, hope.
Yugi groaned, shifting in Tea's arms.
"Whoa . . . he is alive," Tristan said softly.
Yugi's violet eyes opened halfway. "Tea?" he rasped in apparent disbelief.
Tea felt like shouting for joy. "Oh Yugi!" she cried happily, embracing him. Yugi smiled weakly and hugged her back, and was quickly surrounded by Joey, Tristan, Mai, and Bakura.
"Oh man, buddy!" Joey exclaimed, laying a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "You were a real goner there for a while!"
"Hey, Joey," Yugi smiled, looking at his friend. "It's great to see you again! I . . . I thought I wasn't coming back . . ." He trailed off.
After Tristan, Mai, and Bakura had each gotten to speak to their revived friend, Yugi looked around, blinking worriedly. "You're all alright, aren't you?" he asked.
"Sure, Yug, we're fine," Joey replied. "You saved us, pal."
Yugi relaxed slightly, but still looked concerned. "Where . . . where's Kaiba?" he asked.
The teens looked at each other. Yugi was still very weak, and the last thing he needed right now was a horrible shock. Finally Tea spoke up. "He's . . . he's gone away," she said softly.
Yugi blinked. "Gone away where?" he queried, but before anyone could think of how to answer, the boy had wearily fallen asleep in Tea's arms.
Another bright light flashed and Yami Yugi appeared. It suddenly dawned on Joey that this was the first time he had seen the ancient pharaoh since Yugi had been shot down. "You were wise not to reveal the truth," the spirit said now.
"Hey, man, where've you been, anyway?" Joey demanded.
Yami Yugi sighed, looking at Yugi's sleeping form. "I've been fighting to bring Yugi back," he answered.
"Well, you succeeded, man," Joey said softly.
Yami Yugi shook his head. "I didn't bring him back," he replied. "It wasn't his time to leave this earth. And Yugi wanted desperately to come back. So he has."
Mokuba looked away. He was happy that Yugi was alright, but what about his brother? "Seto . . . please, big brother! You've gotta wake up!! You've . . . you've just gotta!!"
Kasumi's heart broke. She hadn't been expecting Yugi to revive, but she knew Seto Kaiba was dead. "Mokuba . . ." she began slowly.
"No, no, he's gotta be okay!!" Mokuba sobbed, laying his hand on Seto's shoulder. "Big brother, I love you!! I love you!! You promised you'd stay with me!! You . . . you promised!! . . ." The little boy trailed off, hanging his head. Seto wasn't able to answer him, and he knew it.
Tea looked down, feeling hot tears come to her eyes. She was overjoyed that Yugi was alive, but at the same time, she mourned the death of the young businessman. She couldn't believe Seto Kaiba was really . . . gone.
Kasumi was also crying. Why must it be so? she asked, looking Heavenward. Why must this young life be taken away from those who love him and from those he loves?
She watched Mokuba hug his brother's body, longing more than anything to change this tragedy, but knowing that it was far beyond her power to do so.
What happened next was nothing short of miraculous.
As Mokuba sobbed, finally realizing that his brother must surely be gone from this world, Seto suddenly drew a ragged breath and coughed.
Mokuba looked up, his gray eyes wide. "Seto?!" he said in disbelief. "Oh, he's alive!! He's alive!!!"
Kasumi perked up. Oh, can it be? she exclaimed hopefully in her mind.
Now Seto was silent and still once again, but he was breathing. He had come back to life. Mokuba and the others watched him anxiously, and then the independent boy's deep blue eyes fluttered open. "Mokuba," he rasped softly, managing to lay his hand on his brother's shoulder.
The younger boy's eyes lighted up. "Seto!!"
Seto smiled at him. "It's me, kid."
"Oh Seto!!" Mokuba embraced the older boy tightly, tears of joy falling from his eyes. "You came back!! You came back!!"
Seto held his brother as if he never wanted to let go. "I couldn't leave you, Mokuba," he said softly. "I could never leave you."
Kasumi stood up, her hands clasped in a prayer of gratitude. "Praise the Lord!" she whispered. She smiled on the reunited group and then silently vanished the same way she had come—in another bright light. The teens and Mokuba—saying their own prayers of thanksgiving—didn't even notice she had left at first.
Tea's eyes were shining. Yugi had revived, and now so had Seto Kaiba! Maybe now things could finally get back to normal. "It's a miracle!" she exclaimed, and the others whole-heartedly agreed.
"Hey, Kaiba," Joey said softly, "welcome back, man."
Seto looked up, surprised, then slowly nodded in acknowledgment.
Bakura, suddenly remembering the mysterious Kasumi, turned around to look for her. "She's gone," he said, puzzled.
"Kasumi?" Joey asked, and Bakura nodded.
Seto was visibly shaken. "Kasumi?" he repeated.
"That's right," Bakura said.
"Hey, Kaiba, what's up with you and that Kasumi girl anyway?" Joey demanded.
Seto was silent at first but then replied typically, "That is none of your concern, Wheeler."
Tea rolled her eyes and smiled at the same time. Things were definitely back to normal, and she wouldn't want it any other way.
Joey picked up Yugi's still body, tears running down his face. "Oh man . . . why did it have to be this way? Why did Yugi havta . . ." He couldn't finish.
The police had taken Carmichael away, and the teens had disappeared into the shadows. They didn't want to be interrogated just yet; too much had happened in the last fifteen minutes and they needed time to take it all in. This was a calamity they had never expected.
"Yugi sacrificed himself for us," Tristan said softly.
"Yug . . . you're a hero, man," Joey whispered.
They stayed there for ages in silence, remembering Yugi's brave and selfless act, and then they realized that they needed to see if the others were alright.
They walked down the hall, Joey carrying Yugi's body, when Bakura stopped suddenly. "Someone's crying," he exclaimed.
"It sounds like Tea," Tristan realized.
"Tea? What's wrong?" Joey called as they rounded a corner, then stopped short in shock.
Tea, unaware that she was being observed, was kneeling next to Seto's still body. She clasped the boy's cold hands tightly, holding them to her forehead, and then let them go, sobbing uncontrollably. She brushed the long bangs away from Seto's closed blue eyes and stared at his pale complexion. "Goodbye, Seto Kaiba," she whispered.
"Oh man, not him too!" Joey gasped.
Tea started and looked up, her eyes red and puffy. When she saw Yugi's limp form in Joey's arms, the tears spilled over again. "Yugi!!" she cried in despair. "No . . . this is just a bad dream! . . . It's not real. . . . It can't be real!!" She stood up and took Yugi's body from Joey, holding the small boy close. "Yugi can't be gone. . . . He just *can't* be!!!" Yugi looked so innocent, so sweet. . . . Tea again collapsed on her knees next to Seto's body, cradling Yugi gently.
"Seto!! Big brother!!" a young voice screamed, and Mokuba ran out of seemingly nowhere, Mai hot on his heels. The small boy fell across Seto's body, embracing him tightly. "Wake up, Seto!! You've . . . you've just gotta!!" He shook the older boy gently, his gray eyes pleading for a response.
"Your brother was very brave, Mokuba," Tea said shakily, "and so was Yugi."
"'Was'?" Mai repeated, looking horrified. "You're not saying that they're . . ." She trailed off, seeing by the looks in the other teens' eyes that the boys were both gone.
"No! It's not true!!" Mokuba cried. "Wake up, big brother!! Please!! Please . . ." His tears splashed on Seto's face.
"Sorry, kid," Joey said softly, brushing away a tear of his own. "Man, I'm sorry . . ."
"Don't say that! He's not dead!!" Mokuba screamed. "You . . . you . . . can hear me, can't you, Seto?" he said pleadingly. There was no answer.
Tea gently touched Yugi's cheek. "Yugi, you can't leave us!" she cried. "It's not your time!! . . . Please, Yugi . . . come back to us! . . ."
"Seto . . . I still need you, big brother!" Mokuba screamed. "Please . . . answer me!!"
A bright light suddenly illuminated the room and a girl with long, mint-green hair and a flowing white dress was standing there.
"Eh, who are you?" Joey asked, confused.
Bakura's eyes went wide, recognizing the girl. "Kasumi!" he exclaimed.
"You know her?" Tristan blinked in surprise.
Bakura nodded. "She rescued me from those horrid vampyres."
Kasumi smiled, then looked down sadly. "I am so sorry this tragedy has happened," she said softly. "It was not supposed to happen."
Mokuba looked up, recognition in his own eyes. "You! You're that weird girl who was singing in the backyard last month!!"
"Yes, that was I," Kasumi replied.
"You're the girl Kaiba was so freaked about?!" Joey said in disbelief.
Kasumi nodded.
"What did you do—tell him he was gonna die or somethin'?" Joey demanded.
"What we spoke of is confidential between the two of us," Kasumi told him. "But if Seto Kaiba had wished to tell you about it, he would have been free to do so."
"But what's happened now?" Mokuba sobbed. "My brother . . . is he . . . is he really . . ."
Kasumi knelt down next to the grief-stricken boy and laid her hand on his shoulder silently.
"No . . . no, he can't be!!" Mokuba screamed. "He said he'd always be there for me!! He said he wouldn't leave me!!" The younger boy laid his head on Seto's still chest and dissolved into tears.
When the teens turned to see Kasumi's response, they discovered that she, too, was crying. "And so he never will, little Mokuba," she whispered. "He will always be with you."
Mokuba, realizing she was speaking in the mystical, supernatural sense, shook his head. "He's gotta come back!! He . . . he would if he could . . . I know he would!" he declared.
"Yugi would too . . . if he could," Tea whispered, a tear falling onto the boy's ashen cheek.
Yugi's eyes fluttered. Tea gasped.
"What? What is it?" Joey demanded.
"Yugi . . . he's alive!" Tea exclaimed.
"What?! That's impossible!" Joey declared. He wanted so badly for it to be true, but . . . how could it be?
Kasumi looked up, her eyes expressing disbelief, and at the same time, hope.
Yugi groaned, shifting in Tea's arms.
"Whoa . . . he is alive," Tristan said softly.
Yugi's violet eyes opened halfway. "Tea?" he rasped in apparent disbelief.
Tea felt like shouting for joy. "Oh Yugi!" she cried happily, embracing him. Yugi smiled weakly and hugged her back, and was quickly surrounded by Joey, Tristan, Mai, and Bakura.
"Oh man, buddy!" Joey exclaimed, laying a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "You were a real goner there for a while!"
"Hey, Joey," Yugi smiled, looking at his friend. "It's great to see you again! I . . . I thought I wasn't coming back . . ." He trailed off.
After Tristan, Mai, and Bakura had each gotten to speak to their revived friend, Yugi looked around, blinking worriedly. "You're all alright, aren't you?" he asked.
"Sure, Yug, we're fine," Joey replied. "You saved us, pal."
Yugi relaxed slightly, but still looked concerned. "Where . . . where's Kaiba?" he asked.
The teens looked at each other. Yugi was still very weak, and the last thing he needed right now was a horrible shock. Finally Tea spoke up. "He's . . . he's gone away," she said softly.
Yugi blinked. "Gone away where?" he queried, but before anyone could think of how to answer, the boy had wearily fallen asleep in Tea's arms.
Another bright light flashed and Yami Yugi appeared. It suddenly dawned on Joey that this was the first time he had seen the ancient pharaoh since Yugi had been shot down. "You were wise not to reveal the truth," the spirit said now.
"Hey, man, where've you been, anyway?" Joey demanded.
Yami Yugi sighed, looking at Yugi's sleeping form. "I've been fighting to bring Yugi back," he answered.
"Well, you succeeded, man," Joey said softly.
Yami Yugi shook his head. "I didn't bring him back," he replied. "It wasn't his time to leave this earth. And Yugi wanted desperately to come back. So he has."
Mokuba looked away. He was happy that Yugi was alright, but what about his brother? "Seto . . . please, big brother! You've gotta wake up!! You've . . . you've just gotta!!"
Kasumi's heart broke. She hadn't been expecting Yugi to revive, but she knew Seto Kaiba was dead. "Mokuba . . ." she began slowly.
"No, no, he's gotta be okay!!" Mokuba sobbed, laying his hand on Seto's shoulder. "Big brother, I love you!! I love you!! You promised you'd stay with me!! You . . . you promised!! . . ." The little boy trailed off, hanging his head. Seto wasn't able to answer him, and he knew it.
Tea looked down, feeling hot tears come to her eyes. She was overjoyed that Yugi was alive, but at the same time, she mourned the death of the young businessman. She couldn't believe Seto Kaiba was really . . . gone.
Kasumi was also crying. Why must it be so? she asked, looking Heavenward. Why must this young life be taken away from those who love him and from those he loves?
She watched Mokuba hug his brother's body, longing more than anything to change this tragedy, but knowing that it was far beyond her power to do so.
What happened next was nothing short of miraculous.
As Mokuba sobbed, finally realizing that his brother must surely be gone from this world, Seto suddenly drew a ragged breath and coughed.
Mokuba looked up, his gray eyes wide. "Seto?!" he said in disbelief. "Oh, he's alive!! He's alive!!!"
Kasumi perked up. Oh, can it be? she exclaimed hopefully in her mind.
Now Seto was silent and still once again, but he was breathing. He had come back to life. Mokuba and the others watched him anxiously, and then the independent boy's deep blue eyes fluttered open. "Mokuba," he rasped softly, managing to lay his hand on his brother's shoulder.
The younger boy's eyes lighted up. "Seto!!"
Seto smiled at him. "It's me, kid."
"Oh Seto!!" Mokuba embraced the older boy tightly, tears of joy falling from his eyes. "You came back!! You came back!!"
Seto held his brother as if he never wanted to let go. "I couldn't leave you, Mokuba," he said softly. "I could never leave you."
Kasumi stood up, her hands clasped in a prayer of gratitude. "Praise the Lord!" she whispered. She smiled on the reunited group and then silently vanished the same way she had come—in another bright light. The teens and Mokuba—saying their own prayers of thanksgiving—didn't even notice she had left at first.
Tea's eyes were shining. Yugi had revived, and now so had Seto Kaiba! Maybe now things could finally get back to normal. "It's a miracle!" she exclaimed, and the others whole-heartedly agreed.
"Hey, Kaiba," Joey said softly, "welcome back, man."
Seto looked up, surprised, then slowly nodded in acknowledgment.
Bakura, suddenly remembering the mysterious Kasumi, turned around to look for her. "She's gone," he said, puzzled.
"Kasumi?" Joey asked, and Bakura nodded.
Seto was visibly shaken. "Kasumi?" he repeated.
"That's right," Bakura said.
"Hey, Kaiba, what's up with you and that Kasumi girl anyway?" Joey demanded.
Seto was silent at first but then replied typically, "That is none of your concern, Wheeler."
Tea rolled her eyes and smiled at the same time. Things were definitely back to normal, and she wouldn't want it any other way.