Here you go, the end of the story. Technically. The next chapter's the epilogue, so you could call that the end too.

Why is it the end of something can make you satisfied. Heck, if the world ended tomorrow, I sure as heck wouldn't be satisfied... I'm gonna go rob a bank now...

Tokyo Tournament

Chapter Thirty-Three: The End

Also Entitled: In Conclusion…

It was 9:48 pm when the Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament ended. Five minutes later, on the evening news, a female anchor said this: "-plan to invade Norway and- Wait one moment…This just in: A horrible event has occurred at the Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament, which was held today by tycoon Alexander Cerberus at a hotel he owns. During the finals of the tournament, it is reported, a group of terrorists attacked the duelists as well as friends who accompanied them. The victims state that several small bombs went off, then the terrorists attacked with various melee weapons. One of the duelists, who works with various police forces, drove off the attackers in a heroic effort. He had this to say:"

Yamato's face, still concealed by bandages and his sunglasses, appeared on the screen. "The method of attack was no doubt in order to deliver a message," he stated, "rather than destroying the building, the terrorists wanted to make the statement that their targets are human lives."

"A frightening statement," said the anchorwoman, reappearing on screen, "but this should still be viewed as a great act in preventing disaster. No deaths occurred during the incident, but various duelists had burns, cuts, and a few broken bones. Mr. Cerberus was shoved over a balcony and suffered a fractured neck, but he was revived and was able to move his arms and legs before being rushed to a hospital. Cerberus was the only one taken to a hospital, as the others were treated on the spot and refused further medical treatment. Before he left, Cerberus offered the full $5 million-dollar-reward to the champion of the tournament, Yugi Moto. Moto, a fifteen-year-old student at Domino High and the Duel Monsters World Champion, declined, however, stating all he wanted at the moment was 'to go home.'"

-…Narita International Airport…-

"You know, you're too generous, Yug'," said Joey as he supported Mai's weight. Mai was wearing a walking boot on her right leg. The blast from Kai's XYZ Dragon Cannon hadn't touched her bone, but her ankle would have to heal. Joey himself was sporting a good number of singe marks. "If you'd taken that five million, you'd be set!"

Yugi smiled and replied simply, "There will be more tournaments. Besides, I don't need to be a millionaire. I'm perfectly happy with the life I have." He was currently in a wheelchair, with his right leg in a cast and propped up. His left arm was also in a cast and was supported by a cloth that wrapped about his neck. The attack by Youkai's monsters had fractured his lower leg and broken his elbow. The injuries would take time to heal, but Yugi seemed up to it.

"I think he's just an idiot," Giyan remarked with a tired smile. While he was back up on his feet after a great deal of rest, the young man still looked drained, and his head slumped forward slightly.

"Well, money isn't everything," a virtually uninjured Tristan stated, "Having five million dollars would hardly do anything to make Yugi a better person. Heck, it might be a turn for the worse!"

"Yeah, you're right," Joey said with a grin, "after all, just look at Kaiba!"

Serenity, who had also suffered little harm, chuckled at her brother's remark along with Tea. She then said, "Well, let's be fair. Cerberus DID promise to pay all our medical bills."

"Great," muttered Mai, "I'd hate to have to PAY for nearly being killed."

"He also gave us each some money to compensate for the experience," Tea reminded.

"Indeed he did," agreed Bakura, "and I'm quite satisfied with it."

"Twenty-five grand a person," Joey said with a huff, "wow, we're really rolling in it."

"For once we're on the same page, mutt," remarked Kaiba as he walked up, "for twenty-five thousand I could probably get an extra pair of shoes."

Joey growled at the billionaire's statement and shot back, "Shut up Kaiba, ya pompous stuck-up piecea crap!"

Kaiba exhaled sharply in a superior manner and brushed past Joey, "Be quiet, Wheeler, I have to talk to someone who can communicate without barking." While Joey growled in response and prepared to pound on Kaiba, the brown-haired teen walked up to Yugi and took a Duel Monsters card out of his pocket and handed it to Yugi.

The tri-hair-colored boy accepted the card and flipped it over to look at it, and gasped as he saw its blue border. "Kaiba, what-?"

"This tournament demonstrated to me that I have a great deal of room for improvement in the dueling field," Kaiba said, cutting his rival off, "and I don't believe I can gain strength if I rely upon that card. So take it back, because in order to become more powerful I can't accept your charity. When the time comes, I will challenge you to a duel, and I'll earn that card." With that, he turned and walked off.

Meanwhile, Term and Yamato sat in two nearby chairs and spoke. "So, you got to appear on national television," Term said, "you think you'll get any more media attention for your heroic acts?"

"No," Yamato replied, "I refused to tell them my name, and my identification does not have my name listed."

"That's kind of an oxymoron, isn't it?" Term mused, "Anonymous ID… Well, I don't see why you got the spotlight. We ALL contributed."

"Yes," agreed Yamato, "but it stands to greater reason that the one who can remain anonymous and has connections with police forces should be the representative for the incident."

"How about Yugi?" Term asked, "He'll get a lot of attention."

"He wins every tournament he attends," Yamato replied, "and something weird happens at each one. So far, the paparazzi have ignored him."

"Yeah," Term admitted, "odd, that. You know, it's hard to imagine you got connections to the government without revealing you're an android."

"I have my methods," Yamato said simply.

"Yeah, speaking of which," Term continued, "how do you keep getting past airport security? Your friggin' body's made of metal."

"I know how to talk to machines."

"Oh…that would explain why computers work for you and not for me…"

"No, that's because you think hitting one button over and over again will make the computer do what you want."

"Oh, shut up…"

Sitting in a pair of seats some distance away were Kirbin and Joy. Kirbin had a few singe marks about his person, but was otherwise healthy. Joy was virtually unscathed, though she had doubtless been affected mentally by the experiences of the past day. "So just what is the story behind your essences?" she asked in an attempt to make conversation.

Kirbin closed his eyes at her question, and began to remember the day that seemed so long ago… He did not tell her the whole story, but he did tell her what mattered. "When I was a kid, on my home world," he began, "my dad, who had protected the world for many years before me, died. The world was left without anyone strong enough to keep it safe. But before he died, my father told me about the seven who had guarded the world before he had come, and how they would join with me. I was given their strength and abilities, and they agreed to grant me these on the condition that I would release their spirits when the time came."

"What time?" asked Joy. She had apparently come to terms with the fact that Kirbin, along with his friends, was an alien of some sort. Still, he seemed in all ways human, and his presence was a comfort to Joy after the horrible events that had occurred recently.

"They never told me," Kirbin said quietly, "all they said when I asked that very question was 'When you have found your cause.' And it's taken me until now to realize what they meant."

He opened his eyes and turned to face Joy. Her mouth opened to ask him what the answer was, but he silenced her unspoken query by leaning forward and kissing her on the lips. And as he did so, seven beams of light, invisible to any spectators, burst from his body and soared out into the universe…

In another part of the airport, a burnt Shaun was approached by a blonde duelist only slightly older than himself. The teenager that approached him had his Duel Disk strapped to his arm and had an air of determination about him. Shaun looked up and saw that it was Kevin Hunter, the duelist that Kaiba had defeated in the finals. "Can I help you?" Shaun asked.

"You possess a copy of the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragons," Kevin stated as he activated his Duel Disk, "ever since I began to play the game, I've wanted one of them. You don't deserve that card, you just happened to stumble across someone who made a mistake!"

Shaun frowned at Kevin's accusation, but he did not seem to have taken great offense. "So you want to be uncivilized and duel for the possession of the card?" Shaun asked. Kevin nodded and gritted his teeth as he drew a five-card hand. "Alright, I'll duel you," Shaun stated as he took his Duel Disk out of a bag and strapped it on before drawing his own hand. This is for the best, Shaun thought to himself, something tells me this kid will be needing the dragon far more than I will… "Alright, let's duel!"

"So, explain everything to me again…" Yugi stated, a somewhat confused expression on his face. He was sitting in his wheelchair next to Nick, who was also seated. He had received multiple cuts and bruises as well as some second-degree burns, but was obviously in better shape than the possessor of the Millennium Puzzle.

Nick sighed and gave the short version of his story again. "I was told by Isis, whom you have met, that Youkai would attempt to claim your Puzzle. In order to prevent this from occurring, I gathered Giyan, Yamato, Lin, Kirbin, and Term from their various locations in areas that can be very difficult to get to. They were assigned with protecting you throughout the tournament, and in the finals we knew Youkai would seek to face you in the last duel when you would be somewhat weary from your past battles. So to prevent you from losing to him, we attempted to defeat you."

Yugi took a moment to register this, and then said, "Wow, that makes it a whole lot less confusing. I'll bet if anyone were watching the tournament, they'd have been extremely confused."

"Probably," agreed Nick.

"So, what should we do now?" Yugi asked.

"Well, Shaun, Giyan, Yamato, Lin, Kirbin, Term, and myself will be staying here for awhile," Nick replied, "there's no way of telling where that man we saw will go to, so for now we'll stay put. I don't know what will happen, but there's no point in worrying about it for now. Just try to enjoy yourself and heal your injuries. Oh, speaking of which…" he dug into a pocket in his shirt and pulled out a pair of pills, "Yamato wanted you to have these."

Yugi quirked an eyebrow and accepted them before asking, "What are they?"

"They'll accelerate the healing of your bones," Nick replied, "Yamato said you should take them before you go to sleep. Your limbs should heal enough for you to take the cast off the next day."

"What, one dose?" Yugi asked, bewildered, "Overnight?"

"Well…let's just say huge medical advancements can be made in a period of five centuries."

Time passed, and soon the duelists began boarding their plane. But first came the final farewells. "Sorry we aren't coming with you," Kirbin said, his arm entwined with Joy's, "just be sure to take some time to relax."

"Yeah," Lin chimed in, "break a leg!" WHAP! "Owww…Term…"

"Idiot," Term muttered.

"Be sure not to hurt each other," Tea told the two, who had begun to trade blows now.

"That's wishful thinking," murmured Giyan, who then said, in a louder voice, "I'm sure we'll see each other again. Just remember that when that happens, it may not necessarily be a good thing." More good-byes were exchanged, but within minutes Yugi and his friends had boarded their plane.

It is always a good thing to go home, but at the same time it is difficult to say farewell to friends. And while the eight that remained in the airport had not known those who had departed for any great length of time, they had shared enough experiences in the past few days that bonds had been formed between them.

While departures are painful, at the same time they bring a sense of anticipation. For many farewells are not permanent ones, and as such we can look forward to reuniting with those we leave. In the same way, as these final words are written, I do not feel sadness, but rather anticipation, for I will begin to write anew in a very short amount of time. Until that time comes, I believe it is appropriate to say that this moment in the story is…

The End