Yugi: PRAISE THE LORD, it's the second-to-last chap!
Yami: *gulp* you mean…theres another chap after this one!
Yugi: yea, but you'll like it… I read it already.. shibby typed it waaaaaaaaaay back at chap fifteen.
Yami: 0_0;; so… what happens?
Yugi: well, you and Teanna-
Shibby: *makes motion as to slice Yugi's throat*
Yugi: *gulp* ano, never mind.
Yami: oh god- imma gonna go read chap 19 now...
Yugi: O.o i dun know if thats a good idea...
*20 minutes later*
Yami: 0.0;;;
Yugi: yea. i KNEW that was a bad idea...
Shibby: newayz... hehe! now here's chappie 18!!!

I'm Still Dreaming

Chapter Eighteen

"Yugi... Yu~ugi kuuunn..." Someone was shaking him gently. He felt so strangely weak; he couldn't even open his eyes. He could sense some strange aura around his body, as if someone was giving him back his own energy... Waves upon waves of pure energy, rushing into his soul.

His eyes opened slowly, somewhat painfully. Anzu's worried eyes appeared before him, those two brown eyes slowly dissolving into a face, her brown hair hanging limply by the sides of her head.

"Yugi... Oh thank God you're alright..." Yugi tried to lift his head, but immediately discovered that was not a wise idea, and dropped his head again, expecting his skull to connect with the hard floor.

It didn't. Something soft and warm cushioned his head... It was someone's lap. His head was cushioned on someone's legs.... His eyes closed as he suddenly felt weak...

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I'm sure, Zvallah, don't worry..." Yugi's eyes opened again. He just heard the strangest voice in his life... One that belonged to none of his friends... But sounded strangely like his own.... His eyes darted around the room, taking in his surroundings.

He was in a temple of sorts, with hieroglyphs all over the walls, and tall columns that seemed to be holding up the domed roof. A large shrine was at the end of the temple, with a barred door, as if it wasn't going to let anyone pass it. Yugi blinked as he slowly realized he was no longer dueling....

"Hey..." he sat up, struggling with his headache. Sure enough, Zvallah was kneeling behind him, his hands on Yugi's shoulders, pressing into them, holding him up. "I'm... Not dueling anymore... What happened?" Honda was near them, patching up Ryou's wound.

"Ow!" Ryou cried, holding his forehead in pain. Honda sighed.

"You want this cleared up or not?" he said, exasperated. Ryou frowned.

"You don't have to press so hard, Honda," he said, rubbing his head. Honda rolled his eyes and continued dabbing his forehead wound.

"Where are we? What're doing here?" Anzu folded her hands and stared at them.

"That... person took over your body after you fainted..." she started. "He finished up the duel for you and beat Meretseger at her own twisted game... He opened a portal and brought us here, where she couldn't reach us... He locked her temporarily into the Card, and he's now searching for mou hitori no Yugi and the others..." Yugi sat up straight, breathing hard. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he could see two figures at the other end of the temple...

"Ah, Yugi, you're awake," the voice said again, only this time it had a body. A man who greatly resembled Yami was standing there, looking down at him with a grand smile. He was dressed like the Pharaoh, except every article of clothing he wore was black, and his jewelry silver. The only golden thing he wore was the forehead crown, with the embossed Eye. He put his hands on his hips, and he nearly glowed with royal light...

"Where are they?" Honda asked, as Ryou winced again. The man sighed.

"They're... Right here..." Footsteps were heard behind them. They turned to see a broad staircase, blooming outwards onto a large, brick path leading to the Nile River. An open temple. Three figures appeared on the stairs; Yami, Teanna, and a young girl who looked a lot like Asenath... Yami shaded his eyes to see better.

"Hey!" he cried, running forwards.

"Yugi!" Anzu cried. Honda and Ryou looked up, both smiling. Zvallah turned around, then fell over as Yugi moved. His leg splayed out, and Yami tripped over it, flying forwards.

WHAM!

"Ouch," Honda said as Ryou laughed. Anzu snickered and Yugi rolled his eyes. The mysterious man sighed and crossed his arms as Yami rolled onto his back, laughing. He was laughing more at the fact that they were there, and they were safe...

He didn't notice Jonouchi's absence.

"Are you alright?" a call came from the depths of the temple. Isis and Maho came running out of the darkness, followed closely by Arya. Maho, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped, making Isis ram into him, which, in turn, made Arya slide into Isis. The three fell over and the entire group began laughing again.

They were all relieved that they had survived.... Their laughter was their relief. Yugi suddenly gripped his chest, coughing. All this laughing was making his chest ache.

As he lay back, he could swear he could see someone still lingering in the depths of the temple.

"Are you okay, Yugi?" Isis asked, kneeling. Yugi nodded as he stopped coughing.

"Y-yeah, just a tickle in my throat is all," he assured her. He sighed and leaned back.

"So..." Maho started, making everyone laugh again. Both Isis and Arya either kicked or punched him, and he frowned.

"Cut it out!" he said, and they stopped. Arya ran towards Yugi and dropped to the floor beside him.

"That duel was amazing!" she said. Anzu stared at her.

"You saw it...?" Arya nodded.

"Yeah... Kinda..."

"What are you guys doing here?" Honda asked Maho and Isis. Maho shrugged.

"We just appeared here, randomly," Maho explained. "It was very strange..." He looked around the room, fully looking at everything around him. "Frankly, I just think I'm crazy."

"You're not alone in that prospect, Maho."

Yami was kneeling, and he was watching Yugi with concern.

No one noticed that the man had disappeared...

"Hey," Asenath spoke suddenly. "Where did he go...?"

"Who?"

"Osiris..." Anzu shrugged, until it hit her - and the others - at what she just said...

"Did you say... 'Osiris'?" Arya asked, a little suspicious. Asenath nodded.

"Are you serious?" Honda cried. "Osiris?"

"Now what he said makes sense..." Ryou said, clapping his hands.

"Oh God..." Zvallah, though, was watching Yami. Yami didn't seem to notice him, or even recognize him.

Of course, Zvallah thought, adjusting his grip on Yugi. I was only a baby, after all.... If it weren't for Asenath, I wouldn't even know what they looked like... Teanna leaned forward, peering at Yugi.

"Wow, that duel took a lot of your energy," she said, placing one of her long-fingered hands on Yugi's arm. "I'm surprised it didn't kill you..."

"That's because I gave up some of my energy," Zvallah said, not mentioning the fact that he was her son. She looked at him for the first time, and smiled.

"You did?"

"Yeah, because I knew he would need it...." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "A lot of your energy is drained also... Let me see your hand." He laid Yugi against his chest, and Yugi closed his eyes in bliss as Zvallah gave his hand to Teanna. She took it in her own hands, and ran her long, graceful fingers along his palm, looking at it carefully.

"My... Much of your life has been given away," she commented, closing his fist.

"It'll come back," Yami said, relieving her. "You'll be okay," he said to Zvallah. Zvallah nodded, keeping his mouth shut. Asenath said nothing. Teanna let go of his hand.

"I wonder why we're all here...." Maho said, thinking outloud. He suddenly turned to Isis. "Hey, maybe that thing - the Circle of Osiris - maybe that's it!"

"I doubt it," Isis said, when a flash of light silenced them all.

Osiris had returned. §

--------------------------------------------

"Actually, Isis," he said, smiling warmly, "He's right." He pointed at Maho. Maho was shocked.

"I am? Whoa!"

"That's a first..." Arya said, rolling her eyes. They all looked at the god. He walked forward, and knelt on the floor in front of Yugi.

"Yugi," he said, "I'm giving you a very important duty... Do you think you can do it?" Yugi stared at him.

"I-I don't even know what it is..." He said, somewhat scared at being addressed by a god. Osiris backed up, and stood up, pulling a silver chain from around his neck. Yugi gasped as he held it out.

Hanging off the chain was an ankh, a beautiful silver ankh. It was mounted on a base of sorts, with a pattern of leaves around the base. Two mitsukai flowers were etched into the silver ankh, and what looked like some type of ribbon was wrapped several times around the base.... The entire thing carved out of silver...

"Oh my..." Ryou said, staring in awe.

"It's beautiful," Anzu breathed. Zvallah stared in wonder, nearly falling over. Honda's eyes widened, and Maho and Isis were stunned. Yami, Teanna and Asenath all knew what it was... But they had never seen it before...

"This," Osiris started, "Is why this temple was built. This is the Ark of Osiris we're in right now... And this ankh, is known as the Arc of Osiris." Yugi nodded. Osiris held it out.

"Take it," he said, kneeling on the floor once more. Yugi gulped.

"I c-can't," he stammered. "Why?"

"Because, once I give you the Arc," he started, "You will be a Chief Guardian." Yami gasped, since he was the only one who knew what that was.

"A what?" Anzu asked.

"A Chief Guardian," Yami explained. "It's someone who is the main guardian of a god or goddess's power if they use it incorrectly... For example, Meretseger... The Arc holds half the power, while the Sennen Card holds the other half..." Yami shivered. "It's a high duty."

"A very high duty," Osiris said. He placed the chain around Yugi's neck. Yugi held it in his hands, nearly shaking. He stared at the intricate design. It was beautiful... He felt an overwhelming sense of confusion fall over his body, as if, just by taking this charm, the weight of everyone in the room had fallen upon him.

"With this item," Osiris said, "You can dispel Meretseger's soul, and her power will be in your care..."

"Yugi can't do that alone, though!" Asenath said, stamping her foot. Yugi looked up at her, then down at the charm. He wasn't even sure if he could do it, let alone do it alone. "I couldn't even control it!" Osiris silenced her.

"He won't do it alone," he said. He ushered Isis and Maho to come more forward, and looked at all of them.

"All of you.... Excluding the Pharaoh, Teanna and Asenath," he started, "Will be known as the Circle of Osiris."

"Us?" Isis cried.

"Yes, you," Osiris explained. He backed up a little ways, settling his palms on his thighs. "All of you. Including Kaiba Seto."

"Kaiba Seto?"

"That was random."

"Yeah, where was he through all this?" Questions flew about Seto's mysterious part in all this, although they all knew all too well that he was the reincarnation of the hight priest Seto.

"Kaiba Seto actually suffered with you," Osiris explained. "He has been watching and monitoring you since the very beginning, after his brother convinced him that something was up..." Yugi stared at him in disbelief.

"So, this whole time, he's been there, watching from the sidelines, while we played the game?" he said, dumbstruck.

"That bastard!"

"And I bet he knew a lot more then he was letting on..." Zvallah was still partially holding Yugi up, and, as Yugi fell back, he took his entire weight. He shuffled as he thought about how Kaiba Seto had jumped upon him earlier in the week, claiming that he obviously knew something, considering he had the Pharaoh's ring...

"Kaiba came up to me," Zvallah said softly. "He wanted me to tell him that everything he had been witnessing, everything he had seen in his dreams, it was all fake, all a lie." He looked up at everyone. "I couldn't lie to him. I told him it was all true, and he started babbling something about you..." he nodded up at Isis. Isis sighed, annoyed.

Honda, Anzu, and Ryou, however, were all royally pissed.

"Where has he been, anyway?" Anzu said angrily.

"When you were taken by Meretseger," Osiris said in his placid way, "He was there with the police. And when you were talking to Isis, he had a strange dream that night about your conversation... He went to the office and consulted Maho... Then he found out what was happening, and that he wasn't dreaming." They looked at Maho.

"Is this true?"

"Yes, it is," Maho said, with an air of guilt. "That's why I never received Isis's call about Meretseger being at the museum with all of you. I was tied up by him and all his questions. Arya was with me, and she was the one whole told me about the message..." he trailed off, since they knew the rest.

"That's why you didn't come when I called," Isis said in mild disbelief. "I don't believe it..."

"He was also at the hospital when we were there," Honda said slowly. "I remember seeing him around the corner..."

"And when Shizuka was being pulled away from the ICU, he was watching from the Waiting Room," Isis said thoughtfully.

"Hell, he was everywhere, wasn't he?" Ryou said. "I wonder why we never noticed..."

"You were all too worried with yourselves and this whole screw-up," a cold voice came from the dark. Low and behold, Kaiba Seto stepped up next to Isis, arms crossed, an annoyed look on his face. They all stared at him, too stunned for speech. He looked at each one of them, glanced at Osiris, then focused his attention on Teanna, Yami and Asenath. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Ah. The life of the party," Honda said in an annoyed tone. Seto scoffed.

"Trust me, I don't want to be here," he said crossly. Osiris said nothing as he looked at the small group sitting on the floor. Yugi was lying against Zvallah's chest, his eyes closed, his hands still clasped around the Arc. He was tired and overwhelmed, but his journey had only just begun. Arya closed her mouth and looked at Osiris, and said timdily

"But I thought that was a myth." Osiris turned to her.

"What is?"

"The Circle of Osiris." Right then, though, in her mind, she was thinking the same thing as everyone else, including Seto...

This is nuts. There is no way in hell I'm talking to the God of the Dead! That's it. I'm crazy. I'm gonna wake up and this will all be a dream.

Osiris could sense their thoughts, but didn't comment on them.

"Since when has anything that was supposed to be a myth actually been one," Honda said dully, crossing his arms over his chest. He had already forgotten Seto's presence. Good thing Seto didn't know.

"Good point."

Osiris closed his eyes, then turned and faced Yugi. Yugi was sitting up somewhat now, admiring the Arc. He certainly didn't feel any different in wearing it.

"I haven't given you the full duty yet," Osiris explained in a gentle voice. "This won't all make sense until later, I assure you..."

"But..." Anzu started, not sure if she should argue or not. "But how are we gonna help Yugi at all, when we're graduating in a little over a year?" Osiris shrugged.

"Your souls are linked; I'm sure you're aware of this."

"Yes...."

"Not with Kaiba, though."

"Shut up, Honda."

"Actually..." with a bit of humor in his tone, he said, "No matter what you say, Kaiba Seto, by first getting involved with them so long ago, you've developed a link with them that is impenetrable."

"Figures."

"Are you sure??"

"Yes."

"Damn."

"Well, then, there shouldn't be any problem," Osiris said, standing. Yugi took a deep breath, and was about to speak, when he suddenly gripped his chest again, this time his hands were clamped over his heart.

"Yugi!" Anzu cried, leaning forwards. Zvallah tightened his grip on the boy, and gently laid him back. Yugi turned his head to the side, breathing hard, beads of sweat rolling down his clammy face. He was making little wincing sounds. Seto, Isis and Maho all took a step, almost in sync, watching him intently. Seto realized what he was doing and stepped back. The unhappy thought that maybe, just maybe he had some kind of connection with these losers crept back into his mind.

Yugi's hands suddenly fell from his chest, the ankh hanging limpy around his neck. He didn't seem to be moving. Ryou and Honda both leaned forward, crawling up next to Zvallah, their eyes locked on Yugi.

"What happened to him?" Anzu said in a voice nearly above a squeak. To everyone's surprise, the timid Teanna spoke.

"He's fine. He'll regain some consciousness soon, don't worry... His soul just needs a rest, since he hasn't regained all of energy yet, so it will take awhile for him to fully be active. Besides, a good rest is what he needs anyway." Usually, since she was so scared for everyone, she was very soft-spoken and timid. She had become this way after nearly three thousand years of wandering. But now...

She spoke very clear and crisp, with a strange bounce in her voice. Her tone was more precise, her pretty voice making itself known as she spoke about something she knew so well...

"His nervous system is very stressed as well," she continued in the same manner. She touched his arm lightly.

"Yes," Osiris agreed. "This will all make much more sense to him later on."

"I hope it does..." Yugi's eyes fluttered open suddenly, making Anzu jump. Yugi smiled weakly.

"Sorry..."

"Don't apologize," Osiris said, waving his hand. "It's not your fault." Yugi nodded and leaned against Zvallah, glad he was there. He felt so out of tune; if he hadn't dueled, he would be more alert... Besides, he figured he was either sleeping extremely deeply or comatose to be having a dream this strange...

"Your subconscious will record everything," Osiris told him. "As long as you stay semi-conscious, you can still hear and understand everything."

"I'll try," Yugi said hoarsely, once again gripping the Arc tightly and closing his eyes. Zvallah could feel his shoulders relax, the muscles in his back moving and becoming less tense.. After that little scare, everyone was more at ease. Osiris attempted to continue.

"In any case, you can always use the aide of the Pharaoh's Ring."

"The Ring?" Zvallah said questioningly. "Wait, you mean I'm in the Circle?"

"Yes, you are," Osiris said defiantly. "All of you are, excluding you three," he said, motioning to Yami, Teanna and Asenath. "You three won't be included."

"I was already included," Asenath said, smiling with humor. "I don't need to do it again."

"I've heard of it, but never thought I'd actually witness it," Teanna said truthfully, looking at her hands.

"I've.... Never heard of it," Yami admitted. "I never really knew anything of what was going on anywhere besides the palace anyway..." Osiris looked at them all, a foreboding look on his face. He knew none of them were going to believe him unless he proved to them what was happening; until their test came, he could only tell them point-blank...

Something suddenly occurred to Yami's mind.

"Wait... You said the Pharaoh's ring.... But I don't have it anymore," he said slowly, a definant drop to his voice. "And even if I did, it wouldn't work for me anyway...." He dropped his hands onto his thighs, since he was still kneeling, and looked up at Osiris.

"Of course not," Osiris said, as if it was obvious. "It will only work for the heir to the throne, not the one currently on it."

"But... My son... He died thousands of years ago," Yami said softly, a little twang of pain in his heart. "He wasn't affected by this curse...." Teanna looked behind Zvallah at Yami, and then cast her eyes downward, her hand still settled on Zvallah's shoulder. Osiris shook his head.

"I would say he was, considering he's right next to you," he said, pointing to Zvallah. Yugi was still leaning against him, his eyes closed. They all turned to him. Zvallah blushed, uncomfortable with everyone.... Well, staring at him.

"What?" Yami said, confusion settling his features. "But... He doesn't have the ring!"

"But he does," Honda said. He nodded towards Zvallah. "Yugi told us he did. He even showed him, right, Zve-kun? [1] " Zvallah was taken aback at this nickname.

"Uh- Well-" He gently lifted his right hand, where, settled on his middle finger, was the green jem in the golden perch, shaped like a scarab, shining lightly in the sunlight. Yami stared at the ring, his mouth hanging open slightly. Teanna had her hand over her mouth, her eyes alight with surprise. Asenath shook her head, her black hair swaying in tune with her head. Yami looked from the ring to Zvallah, who was still looking at the ring.

No one noticed, but Yugi was smiling to himself. He remembered, way back at the beginning of winter, hearing Yami singing to himself at night when he thought Yugi was sleeping. He would be singing a song that had no definent words, but the tune was there, and the heart and soul he poured into the melody told a story he had only recently learned about himself. Yugi had sensed the pain in his heart, a hole, an empty space, so small that even air couldn't fill it, yet so wide that no amount of friendship - or love - that anyone showed him could comepletly fill.

Yami was lonely for a companion. Someone to share his passion with, someone he could love without having so many strings attached. Someone like Teanna, whom he did love. Someone like Zvallah, who he pined for, someone that he had a hand in creating, his own flesh and blood. Yugi knew he'd never be able to get that lingering, far-away-from-home feeling out of his heart.

No one spoke for the longest time. They just listened to Yugi's soft breathing as he rested, half way between waking life and his subconscious. He knew that Yami would definitely be surprised to find his only son kneeling next to him, caring for his lighter half.

Yami closed his mouth, then said softly,

"Are you really Zvallah?" Zvallah's eyes traveled to Yami's. Both of them jumped as they recognized each others eyes.

For they were exactly alike.

"I thought there was something about him that I recognized," Seto said, tapping his forehead. Maho nodded.

"There is no way you can forget eyes like those," he said in awe. But Zvallah couldn't begin to explain the feeling he felt.

He was looking into eyes that burned with the same fire, the same passion that gave his own soul life. Someone who was his elder, his -- dare he think it -- father, someone who had ruled the greatest civilization of it's time, even if it was only for a few years.... And who led it well...

Someone who had created a legacy that followed him, even in death and his immortal soul, every time something new or unexpected was discovered, someone who created a legend around himself.

He was immortal, in his own way.

And he shared the same fire that had pushed Zvallah this far.

Yami nearly had to look away, he had been hit with so such power in those eyes... Eyes that were his own. They broke the gaze, both looking in a different direction, then peering at each other, as if sizing each other up. Teanna moved closer to Yami, so she was sitting kind of behind her son.

"Yes," Zvallah said, sounding out of breath. "I am Zvallah." He looked down at his ring, then up at Yami. "And you gave me this... Right?"

"Right," Yami agreed, smiling a little. In his mind, he was trying to convince himself that this was indeed Zvallah-Atem, and that yes, he did look like himself, his mind finally settling down and accepting this fact.

"Like I said," Osiris started, "The Pharaoh's Ring has immense strength when used correctly. And I trust Zvallah knows how to use it...?" Zvallah nodded.

"I do. It's what got me here."

"Good." Osiris folded his arms over his chest, and looked down at them all, scoping out what he was giving to them.

"All of you, put out your right hands," he instructed. Warily, they all did, their right arms extended in random positions. "Pile them on top of each other, in a circle." They did so, Yami, Teanna and Asenath watching. Yugi managed to lift his arm. Both Yami and Teanna each had a hand on one of Zvallah's shoulders, refusing to let their son slip through their fingers. They were both speechless, and they could hardly believe this was happening.

None of them could. No one could believe that Seto knew about all this the entire time; No one could believe that a corrupt goddess had tried to kill them all; No one could believe that they were making some type of pact with Osiris.

When I wake up, Anzu thought, I'm going for a cat scan. She wasn't alone in her thoughts. The others were thinking along the same lines.

"Now," Osiris instructed, "all of you, think back, waaaaaay back into your memories, and see if you can recite the favorite part of the favorite prayer of the Pharaoh." Yami looked up at him, startled. That one section of prayer was something that nearly all people at the time held sacred, for the living Osiris had a favorite verse that he had always thought was his special verse, something he held dear... It had been turned into a spell almost, casting people back into the mind of Atem-Ankumanukanon.

They closed their eyes and concentrated, hard, on seeing if they somehow knew an ancient Egyptian prayer, which most likely hadn't been recited for thousands of years.

Slowly, as the minutes ticked by, Yugi's heaving breathing, and the small breaths of the others as the only sounds, they began to recall faint traces of a prayer about Horus, Osiris's son. Even Seto, who was trying to mentally block the prayer, had trouble with it as it began to whirl around and around in his conscious mind.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Yugi began with the prayer.

"Thy son Horus hath ascended...thy throne, and all life is with him...."

And with that, the others began as well, until it was a full chorus, with Yami whispering the words to himself.

"Millions of years minister unto him, and millions of years hold him in fear. The company of the Gods are his servants, and they hold him in fear." It wasn't long; it wasn't significant in any way besides this, but Yami loved it because of what it was speaking of. It's saying how Horus has ascended as a Pharaoh, a god, a myth so well known to Egyptians, of how Horus overthrew Set in a battle of wits. And how the gods feared him for a time, for he was the son of the vengeful Horus, who had overthrown Set, the god of Evil, and shone through in a way no one thought possible. Of course, no one knew how Set killed his brother Osiris, since he is a god... [2]

A strange aura grew around them. It was invisible to them all, but they could feel it pulsating through their bodies, a mystical feeling of wanting and needing, of comfort and pain, so many different, complex emotions all mixed into one glob of feeling.

And as soon as it came, it left. They lowered their hands, feeling a strangely wonderful tingly feeling inside their bodies. Yugi knew he felt a little stronger now, and sat up.

"You are now bonded, forever, by the Prayer Circle," Osiris explained. "Now, you have been tuned into your own inner emotions as much as everyone elses whose hand you touched, so you will always know if you are needed, or if the alliance in the Sennen Items comes out of line." His body began to flicker, like a bad television screen.

"Oh God, now I've gotten myself into deep shit," Seto murmured. Maho punched his shoulder lightly.

"Come on. Even if we are dreaming--

"--Which we are, I assure you--"

"--You have to admit, this is pretty cool."

"For mindless fools like you, yes, I suppose it is." Yugi sat up straighter, attempting to stand.

"Now and forever more, no matter what you do, as long as the Arc is intact, the Circle of Osiris cannot be broken, no matter what you do. You will always be in tune with each other's emotions. And even if you separate and follow different paths, you will still feel the other's emotions, and know what they are feeling, even if it is faint." He looked down at them, then continued.

"I know that someday, some of you may have children of your own, and be so far apart, it seems that your connection cannot last. I daresay, that those children will be given your duty, for should anything happen to you and this dark corruption still exists, the Circle of Osiris will still exist. With that, I should leave." He looked at Yami, Teanna and Asenath.

"And I shall take them with me." §

--------------------------------------------

Yugi faltered.

"W-what?" he said, sitting a little straighter, Zvallah struggling to keep his body down. "They're, they're leaving?"

"Yes," Osiris said, bringing his arm forward in a sweeping motion. "It's time for them to finally enter Imenet." Yugi was speechless. If Yami traveled into Imenet, (like he figured Jonouchi had) he would never be able to come back.

He would be gone... Forever. Yugi just stared at Osiris with a look of disbelief. All of this... Why now? The question surfaced in Yugi's mind.

"Why now?" he asked, still somewhat stunned.

"The Circle has once again been restored," Osiris explained, taking a few steps back. That barred door began to glow, and the strong, stone bar across it began to fade. Reluctantly, Yami and Teanna stood, Asenath next to them, her arms folded behind her back. Osiris beckoned them forward. The rest of the group watched in silence. Then-

"Wait!" Yugi managed to stand, although wobbly. He staggered a little, then stood somewhat straight, his face pale. Tears hid behind his eyes, as the full-force of what was happening hit him. Yami stopped and turned, looking right at him.

"Aibou...?" Yugi staggered forward, then ran to Yami, falling into his open arms. Yami staggered a bit himself, looking down at his hikari, who was leaning on him for support. Yugi looked up at him, his eyes watering, a tear gentle sliding down his face. He was breathing hard, and slipped a little, since his strength was still mostly gone.

"Atem," he said in a whisper.

"Yugi..." For the first time ever, it seemed, they addressed each other by their real names. It had always been 'Aibou' and 'Mou hitori no boku' up until now. Yami held Yugi up, since he was still weak. Yugi had the strange sensation that he wasn't actually there; that there was something not... physical about what was happening. Like all this was only a string or emotions rushing through him. Yami tightened his grip on the boy as he spoke again.

"I'll miss you too much," Yugi said, struggling to stand. Yami didn't like the way Yugi looked. Tired and fragile. Like when he first met him. "Don't forget us."

"I won't," Yami said. "I promise." Yugi stood a little on his own, and raised his arm a little ways. Yami reached up and slapped his hand, something they did often at the end of a duel. Yami tightened Yugi into a hug, closing his eyes. He didn't want to let him go. He could hear footsteps.

The next thing he knew, others were hugging him as well. Both Anzu and Honda were hugging him, and they were in a single, tight-knit group, the only one missing being Jonouchi. They stayed like this for awhile, until Osiris closed his eyes and raised his arm. Suddenly, Yugi's arms, which were wrapped around Yami's back, loosened and fell limply to his sides. His head fell forwards, his eyes closed. His face was sweaty and pale. He had lost consciousness again.

Honda reached down for him and picked him up in his arms. He was still only a little higher then his waist, and easy for someone as tall as Honda to carry. Anzu moved away from Yami, folding her hands. Zvallah suddenly stood up, and walked over. Osiris opened his eyes and lowered his hands, smiling.

"I'm coming too," Zvallah said lightly. "If I'm in Imenet, I can watch Asenath..." He turned to them. "You know, make sure Meretseger doesn't do anything to her... And I can still contact you through the Ring." He stepped up between Asenath and Teanna. Teanna put her hand on his shoulder. Yami cast his eyes downward, then looked past Honda and Anzu at the group behind them.

Ryou, Seto, Isis, Maho, Arya... And Jonouchi, who wasn't there... Yami knew he had died. He had felt a strange sense of pain and forlorn wreak havoc in his soul. Something had happened. And even the people who weren't there... Malik, Mai, Otogi... Shizuka...

He stepped back, then turned around slightly and ran over to Teanna, taking her outstretched hand.

"Atem-kun!" Honda called suddenly. Yami turned to him. Honda smiled and said

"Tell Jonouchi we said 'Curta supellex'." [3] Yami smiled, as if he would laugh, and said,

"If I can find him."

"You'd better." Osiris looked at them.

"When Yugi wakes," he started, "Meretseger will be sealed into the Card... Hopefully forever. He gave all his energy to sealing her in." Anzu smiled this time, as did Honda.

Suddenly, the small group began to glow, and the light encircled them, making them nearly disapear. Their bodies seemed to dissolve into litle glowing specs, and right before they disapeared, they were able to make out Teanna and Yami, stealing a kiss. §

--------------------------------------------

Even after they had all woken up in their beds, convinced they were dreaming, Yugi still hadn't regained consciousness. Rachel was so stressed she called the doctor, right after Sugoroku had left the hospital permanently. Anzu and Honda visited him at the hospital, still in his unconscious state. He was lying in a bed twenty times bigger then himself, his shirt open. Electrodes were attached to his chest, a monitor recording the little streaks of color that were his heartbeats. He wasn't as pale anymore, but his eyes remained closed and his body remained completely still.

Three days after being admitted, they pronounced him comatose after his body stopped reacting to physical stimuli. The doctors were baffled on what could have caused this; but everyone that was part of the Circle knew what was happening.

His energy was being used against Meretseger. She was struggling to escape into Imenet, where she could almost never be stopped. Nearly all of Yugi's energy was being used in the battle.

None of them believed it, until they saw the Arc around Yugi's neck. The silver charm was settled on his chest, his chest gently rising and falling as he breathed. The silver chain glinted in the soft light coming from the lamp on the table beside his bed. The days had been rainy, little floods running down the streets of Domino. All the snow was gone, and the weather was getting fairly warmer.

The day that Honda and Anzu visited, they sat down in spare chairs next to his bed, watching him sleep. He showed no emotion on his face, and he never moved the entire time. He was thinking, and he was dreaming, according to the doctors, but he didn't show it.

Anzu's eyes traveled to the clipboard at the head of his bed, before the plate on the wall that said 'Mutou Yugi'. Underneath the column 'condition' was the word 'coma', scrawled on like a last-minute addition. It had a lot of fancy words describing his condition, his treatments and how long he had been there. It also described his body type and possible causes for the coma.

"He must be grateful for this," Honda said, breaking the silence. "Sleeping for so long with no worries... How long has this been going on?"

"It's only been a few weeks," Anzu said softly. "It seems like years, though."

"I know what you mean." Honda looked up at Anzu. He had a sincere look on his face. "Now that this has started...."

"We made a pact," Anzu said. "We can't break it. We have to protect each other; the only reason that Osiris gave us this was so that Atem could cross over."

"And the others?"

"I suppose they went as well." Silence once again took over the room, they're eyes settled on their friend.

"I wonder what's gonna happen after he wakes up," Anzu said thoughtfully. "Do you think things will start happening like before....?"

"Not like before," Honda said. "Different things. We're more in tune to the spirits now, Anzu. There's no way nothing couldn't happen." Anzu nodded.

"I wonder... I wonder what's going on in Imenet right now..." she wondered, sighing.

"I hope Jonouchi got my message."

"You didn't even have to ask Atem to tell him," Anzu said, smiling. "I bet he remembers that. He was there." Suddenly, they both felt a strong, sweeping feeling in the pits of their stomachs. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

"Think we're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. We'll be just fine, Anzu. Just fine."

"Promise?"

"We all do." §

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~*Footnotes*~

[1] Zve-kun: pronounced "Zeveh-koon"; nickname made up by YumeTakato ^^!! Thankies! hope ya dont mind!

[2] Prayer to Osiris: thats mah fave verse... tehe! ooo i like it lots! Myth: to make a long tory short, Set (can you guess who was based after SET(O)^^), Osiris's brother, somehow killed him, and Horus (Osiris's son) wanted to get revenge by waging war on him. Some dude looked in Horus's eyes (you can see the future in them!^^) and saw a big... pig. he was all like "OMG BIIIIIG PIG" and Horus was like "NO WAY!!!" yea. so he fought and beat Set and.... yea. Now Set is doomed... somehow. I forget... well all i know is the gods all were scared of Horus... he became Pharaoh and such^_^ and Osiris became the first mummy i guess... thats why egyptian people are mummified...and now, when the Judgement day comes, Osiris and all the dead mummified guys will come alive again.. AHH!!

[3] Curta supellex: Latin. Means "not much upstairs"... ignorance or stupidity^^ its from anotha ficceh... Tea was all like "CURTA SUPELLEX!" and Jou's like "WTF?"

~*End Footnotes*~

awwww..... that was soooo sweet...^^ that was mah longest chapter so far (im pretty sure) it was 15 pages. imma check the other chaps, hold on... *goes to check* whoa... i actually did that... i actually checked each chap. im a moron...^^

DON'T GO!!!! THERE IS ANOTHER CHAP AFTER THIS ONEEEEEE!!!!!!

reviewz:

MarikzAngel: aww! thankies! actually… as you read the next chap, I already have the last chapters done…. So…

PsychoSisters: did you read the ENTIRE fic?? Seriously? Whoa… I feel so special!! Well, tata~
Yugiohchix2008: I know… but I have a sequel!!!!
YumeTakato: okay!
Black Mistress: I dunno… hmm… I might stick characters in that people come up with if they REALLY want me to….^^

tata~

Shibby-One