Hey all! Well, here's another offering in the ever-continuing saga! (Is this to saga status now? I don't know... when does a story become a saga) And to tose of you who tried to guess, if you said you thought I was supposed to be Lateef... you're right!

Reviews: (A\N: Nyeee! *flops down onto bed* 56 after two chapters?! *huggles all*)

To Smarty1: Here ya go! Sorry, but ya had to wait ^_^
To 'Murasaki': They invented cliffies so that people like me could cackle at reviews like that! ^_^ I know I'm mean... I'm sowwy!
To shadowspecter: *blinku* I think Pegasus has gotten to you too... Ya think Yugi? *snerk* Soon find out!
To Ame: *gets whapped* ow... ya, I'm mean, you all said it... Hehe... you're right, it could be so many people!
To Yami Yami Yugi: Yeah, well you would think it was Yugi ^_^ And that song actually slipped in beautifully, methinx... but I've always been quite good at songficcing...
To blazing kodachi: o.O Pegasus got you as well...? Haha, anyways, you'll see...
To Tasan15: I stopped there because it was a wonderfully evil place to stop at ^_^
To 'Moon': Thanks ^_^ Here's your update... and I might let it be Yugi... I might not...
To Silverlily aka Blood Moon: Ya, totally cruel, but for a good cause ^_^ *blinku* You taking a leaf out of MY book? *squee!* Yay!!! One of my favest authoresses does that to me!!! *faints from happiness*
To Shade25: Hehe, glad it got better and not worse ^_^' Hope you liked the song!
To a-yolanda13: Yup, Yugi's dead. So how could the figure be him? *evil music* Glad you like the fic *huggle* Here's more!
To blueraydragon: You wanna know about the goat? You sure that's wise? Heh, it might pop back up later... glad you liked that chappie anyways ^_^
To Misseystar: Whee... someone appreciates the deeper touches to the work! *huggles tightly* Here's the update... and you can have this one dedicated to you for taking a little time to read between the lines!
To 'kali': Here's more! ^_^
To Darkwolf193: Hehe... this soon enough? Probs not -_-' But it'll have to do!
To Hijiri Hitokiri Battousai: So glad you're gonna let me live ^_^ Hopefully this chappie'll get rid of the urge to kill... *sidles toward door slowly*
To silver_fox20: Hehe... here's your update *pulls you in from wherever you're hanging* Thanks for the kind words ^_^
To 'confused child': Ya... if I hadn't continued, I'd be bombarded with hate mail...*huggles nekkid plushies and puts them down in compromising position* Here's the next chappie ^_^
To Miyaki Cairo: Just have to wait and see ^_^
To Bi Panda: *huggles* Thanks for that ^_^ The funeral was weds, so ya weren't too late ^_^ And here's the next one!
To Momo17: *eyebrow twitches* I'm sure you used to review under a different name... But meh, glad ya liked the OC's, I was a little worried... but at least someone likes them! XD
To galenhiril: Awesome? Thanks!!! *tackle-glomps* Here's the next chappie for ya ^_^
To Goku-Benji: Hey dude ^_^ I killed Yugi because... well, you'll see... and you might still enjoy it, even if Yugi isn't reborn... I promise there will be lots of yaoiness!
To trekkie-54: Heh... ya like the fic, but not the cliffie... well let's face it, cliffies are fun, even if they do make ya wanna take a spork and poke eyes out... At least you acknowledged I was an AUTHOR though! *shoots a glance at Queen of games* Here's the end of the cliffieness!

And I want you all to know I was gonna delay revealing who that figure was! Either a whole chappie of suspense building, or even going off to the palace or something! But... I knew it'd be suicidal... so here ya go! Who could it be? *snerk*

*~*~*~*~*~*

"But it is…"

The figure spoke no further, simply smiling at the Pharaoh. Slowly, Malik stepped forward, a quivering hand outstretched as he eased closer to the individual. He couldn't believe his eyes… it had to be an illusion, or a ghost…

His hand inched ever closer, and paused moments from the boy's skin. What if it was an illusion? Even more so, what it if *wasn't*? The very laws of nature would have been turned upside down – in fact, the only being to have ever completed such a feat before was Osiris himself… His hand shaking furiously, Malik tried to bring himself to touch – or pass through – the shape.

With a smile, the boy spoke again. "It's okay, you can touch me… I'm real."

Malik gave a small cry as he felt the shape's hand reach out and touch his own, and staggered backwards into the shelter of Bakura's arms. He was real. It was impossible… but real. He'd felt the physical contact – the warmth of the boy's flesh against his own. He was solid and alive. Not a ghost. Not the living dead – which would perhaps have been slightly easier to accept. No, he was alive, and apparently in very high spirits. Malik clutched at Bakura's simple clothing tightly, his eyes wide in fear and wonder. "Gods…" was all he could manage, his chest feeling like someone had wrapped an iron bar around it. He felt Bakura's arms slip around him, and looked up at his white-haired love. Apparently he too was just as awe-struck as Malik.

The boy giggled once again, and a smile broke across the Pharaoh's face, which seemed to light up the immediate area, such was his joy. "Yugi…" the Pharaoh breathed softly.

The shape nodded, a happy smiling lighting up his features too, a tear in the corner of his eye. "That's right Yami. It's really me."

Yami's mouth eased open slightly, and he too stood awestruck for a second, before quickly coming to his senses. "YUGI!" the Pharaoh cried, before running across and scooping his lost love up in his arms, hugging him tightly, afraid he might disappear again. "Gods Yugi… is it really you…?"

Hugging the Pharaoh back, crying into his chest, Yugi nodded. "Yes Yami, it's really me." A soft sob came from the boy, and his voice cracked. "I'm really back… gods, I've missed you…"

At these words, Yami squeezed even tighter, more certain than ever that it was some cruel joke, and that Yugi would be taken away from him. "It can't be…" he whispered, a tear falling from his eye. "It can't…"

"But it is," Yugi replied, nuzzling his cheek against Yami's chest happily, seemingly uncaring that he was caught in an almost vice-like grip. "It is me Yami… I'm really back…"

Yami suddenly felt weak at the knees, as the shock began to set in, and he set Yugi down before kneeling in front of him, taking his hand. His eyes shining with pent-up tears, Yami gazed adoringly up at Yugi, still partly unbelieving. For half a second, Yugi thought Yami was going to propose, and he giggled again before softly cupping Yami's cheek with one hand and leaning down slightly, so that they were at equal eye level. "Yami, it's okay… I'm not going to go anywhere without you," he whispered, before closing the gap between them with a kiss.

To Yami, it felt like their first kiss all over again, the warmth from Yugi's lips spreading all through Yami's body and creating little tendrils of delicious pleasure wherever it reached. Softly, Yami reached up and cupped Yugi's cheek with his own hand, giving a gentle moan as he felt Yugi lean in closer. He couldn't remember if any moment had ever felt this sweet, nor did he care. As he felt Yugi's lips part slightly, inviting him in, he felt a second chance at life coursing through his veins, a spark of life deep down being fed by the wonderful emotions Yugi released within him. With another moan, Yami hungrily accepted Yugi's invitation, his tongue dipping in to Yugi's mouth and tracing round the inside, eager to reacquaint with the contours and taste after so long apart.

Yugi sighed softly as he felt Yami's tongue brush against his own, sinking down to his knees so that Yami could lead them once again, and moaned loudly as Yami took him in his arms, leaning him back and deepening the kiss. Yugi felt Yami's tongue run over his and responded eagerly, his tongue rising to meet the Pharaoh's and caressing it, Yami humming into the kiss and causing the smaller boy to squirm happily as the vibration thrummed through his body.

From above them, Adair's voice floated down. "Hey, what's happening down there?" Yami broke the kiss with a small chuckle, and Yugi giggled softly. "Guess we might have been a little loud, eh?"

Yugi nodded in reply, burying his face into the crook of Yami's neck. Now that he was back in Yami's arms, nothing else mattered. For the moment, in his mind, nothing else even existed.

Kissing the back of Yugi's neck softly, Yami stood, lifting the boy in his arms, and turned to face the other two, who had slipped into an embrace with eachother and had wide smiles on their faces. "So Pharaoh," Bakura stated softly. "I guess miracles do come true."

Yami nodded, squirming slightly as Yugi's nose nuzzled under his jaw. "They came true when we met these two –" Yami gestured to Yugi and Malik "– for the first time." At this, both the boys blushed furiously red, simultaneously burying their faces in their lovers' chests to hide it. Bakura laughed and gently kissed the top of Malik's head, causing the white-haired boy to bury his face deeper still. "Come on, let's get these two in."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Upstairs, Yugi received the same reaction as when he was first glimpsed. The whole feeling of disbelief and incredulity pervaded the room, until a VERY realistic kiss between the Pharaoh and Yugi confirmed Yugi's presence.

Having gotten over their initial shock, though still somewhat quiet, the group sat down, chalices refilled. After all, the wake, as it were, had now become a party! Yami smiled round at everyone, his eyes radiating genuine happiness for the first time since he'd woken in the same bed as Yugi, and raised his chalice high. "To true love," he smiled, planting a kiss on Yugi's neck before taking a swig of wine. Yugi giggled and squirmed, before taking the goblet from Yami and having a sip himself. Likewise, the others all took a drink from their respective containers, a loud belch coming from Adair as he drained his chalice. Yugi, not really a big wine drinker, snuggled down into Yami's chest, smiling happily at Yami's friends, and tipped his head back so he could see his love. With a small smile, Yami leaned forward and kissed Yugi again, silently vowing as their lips came apart to never let an opportunity pass.

Malik, who was quiet almost to the point of rivalling Lateef and Akemi, gave Bakura a gentle kiss too, snuggling deeply against his love. Seeing Yugi and Yami reunited had brought some hard facts home to him; somehow, Yami had survived being without his love. Only just, but he had. Malik wasn't sure he could. Not only that, but he was sure that he would regret so much if he did lose his love. And somehow, he doubted that Bakura would be given back too.

"Bakura," he whispered, making sure only his aficionado could hear. "I… I love you…"

Bakura's eyes flashed wide at this, and he sat stunned for a second. What had brought that out, he didn't know, but… something seemed so much more sincere about it than usual. It was like he was on his death bed, saying his final words. Gently, Bakura hugged Malik tighter. "I love you too," he whispered, stroking his love's hair softly.

Breaking what was otherwise a silence, Adair – ever the unfazed – spoke up. "Yugi… I'm sorry, but I have to ask this. How did you get back?"

Yugi gave a small smile, and looked up at Yami again. "I thought you'd have been the first to ask that," he said with a small giggle.

Yami placed a kiss on the tip of Yugi's nose, causing the little one to titter again. "I admit, it had been on my mind… but it doesn't matter. You're back; that's all that matters to me." At this, Yugi blushed brightly, folding his hands in his lap and staring down at them, fidgeting slightly. Yami chuckled and slipped his arms round Yugi's waist, gently kissing where Yugi's neck met his shoulder. "So come on," he murmured. "What happened?"

Eventually, Yugi's blush faded, and he nuzzled his cheek against Yami's as Yami rested his chin on Yugi's shoulder. "Well… you might find this a little hard to believe…"

Bakura chuckled softly, cutting him off. "After what we've seen tonight? Yugi, if you told us you were the son of a God, we'd have a hard time not believing you!"

At this, Yugi gave a weak laugh. "Heh… funny you should mention that…"

Bakura's grin dropped. You could pin-point the exact moment it hit the floor. He stared, and Yugi nodded slightly, his voice totally clear as he spoke. The rest of the room held a shocked silence. "Well, that's what they said anyway, though they didn't tell me who…"

Yami interrupted. "They?"

"Osiris, Anubis and Thoth. I woke up in the Hall of Judgement, and… well, they weren't exactly prepared for my arrival. In fact, I think Osiris's exact words were 'What the bloody hell are you doing here???'" Yugi explained, mimicking the voice of the lord of the underworld as he spoke.

All around the room, silence reigned.

"Apparently I wasn't supposed to die… I'm supposed to do something important later, though they flatly refused to say what. You know when Set hesitated after you gave that speech, Yami?" At this, Yami nodded, and Yugi continued. "Well, that was supposed to be the be-all and end-all of it. Set was supposed to have been so moved by your speech that he released me. But…" Yugi sighed. "The Gods think someone interfered, possibly Seth, Apep or Sekhmet, and swayed Set's heart back again. And so the knife came down, I died, kingdom leadership is thrown into turmoil… not bad for one little flick of divine power, eh?"

Others round the room stared at Yugi, wide-eyed. They were amazed that Yugi could speak about such things so off-the-cuff. Yugi noticed the looks and chuckled. "Oh come on, I've had a year to come to terms with it!" Yugi sighed softly, a smile across his lips. "It's kind of ironic really…"

Several people round the room frowned in confusion, and Yugi rolled his eyes. "Think about it – I'm the son of a God, and the High Priest himself didn't notice! In fact, he killed me!"

Suddenly, Yami felt his heart freeze as memories came back to him.

*~*~*Flashback*~*~*

… as though the soul behind those eyes were as pure as the Gods themselves.

*~*~*End Flashback*~*~*

Even he had seen it, the very day they met, and he hadn't realised… And then, on their first night together…

*~*~*Flashback*~*~*

For but a brief moment, Yami would have sworn Yugi shone as the light struck him – not just reflecting the light, but radiating his own inner glow. In that moment, Yugi's beauty surpassed everything that had existed before him, everything Yami had seen before diminished to a single withered stalk while Yugi rose above as but a single silky petal, beautiful, delicate, touched by the breath of the Gods. Sekhet-Hetepet, for that brief moment Yugi could have even been a god!

*~*~*End flashback*~*~*

"Gods…" Yami murmured softly. "It's really true…"

Yugi nodded, gently leaning back and kissing Yami's cheek. "There's some really nasty politics going on up there at the moment though… Ra and Hathor are furious, Astarte and Babi are out hunting for the three suspects as we speak, Amun's just about ready to rain thunderbolts down on Set's family for the next five generations…" Yugi sighed heavily and shook his head. "As for the three at the Hall… they had to look after me for that year, and got sick of explaining my presence to all who arrived. Quite a few of the lesser-witted Akhs got sent to the wrong place…"

Lateef slowly spoke up, his brow creased in thought as he tried to accept all of this. "So why didn't they just send you down then, instead of now?"

Yugi rolled his eyes again and grinned. "Ceremonial significance, they said. Up there, there has to be a special meaning behind every action. After all…" Yugi sat up onto Yami's lap and hugged him closely, nuzzling against his chest lovingly. "Today is our anniversary, right?"

Yami gently kissed the top of Yugi's head and nodded in reply, a smile crossing his lips. "That it is… and I couldn't have asked for a better present."

"So what did you get me?"

At this, Yami froze, desperately searching for a reply. "Uhh…"

Yugi giggled, tapping the tip of Yami's nose. "I was joking… you couldn't have possibly known!"

Suddenly, a seductive smile came across Yami's face, and he leaned close to Yugi, whispering breathily into his ear. "I'll give you yours later…"

Yugi blushed brightly at this, and the others laughed. They had a fair idea of what Yami had said to him, even without hearing it. Once more, Bakura spoke up. "So… if you're the son of a God, does that mean we have to fear divine wrath if we upset you?"

Yugi considered this., before giggling again. "Possibly."

Bakura frowned. "Damn… and I was gonna send you a plague of frogs tonight…"

At this, Yami glared at Bakura, who waved his hands frantically in defence. "Hey hey, I was just kidding…"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Osiris = Lord of the Underworld, presides over judgement
Anubis = Funerary god of embalmment and tombs; conducted the dead to the judgement
Thoth = God of wisdom and magic; scribe of the gods; present at the judgement
Seth = God of chaos, darkness and evil
Apep = Huge snake symbolizing darkness, night, the underworld and death; demon enemy of the sun
Sekhmet = Highly destructive goddess and war and battle
Ra = Lord of the sun (the supreme god?)
Hathor = Goddess of love, music and mirth; goddess of tombs and the sky
Astarte = Warrior-goddess, daughter of Ra
Babi = Fierce, bloodthirsty baboon-god
Amun = God of fertility (the supreme god?)
Akh = Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul that goes to judgement. The 'ka' was your personality (as such), and the 'ba' was the life force breathed into your body at birth. The ba left you after this, but a little was left behind (hence how you stayed alive). When you died, your ka and ba united into an akh, and went to be judged.

N.B. The 'ultimate' God is usually Amun-Ra, a union of Amun and Ra

*~*~*~*~*~*

So, there you have it folks! Hope you enjoyed it!
Next chapter, we pay a visit to the palace and meet a new OC... probably... and I'm contemplating a lime for the chappie after that...
So go hit the review button, tell me what you think! And if there're any questions about this chappie, send an email my way! Address is in the profile right beside that yummy Yami x Yugi pic...