Chapter 2 - Awakening

Ishizu was reading a book when her doorbell went. She was living as an ordinary citizen and had discarded the clothes she used to wear in favour of jeans and top. She put the book down grumbling that it had better be important as the story was just getting really good.

She opened the front door and gasped. Talk about long time no see.

"hello Ishizu."

"Yugi! W..What are you doing here?"

"can I come in?"

"Yes, yes of course, can I get you a drink?"

"Ah coffee would be lovely."

"Great make yourself at home. It's good to see you."

"It is good to see you too, It's been so long."

"Yes but you don't need to make excuses I know why."

Yugi smiled gratefully at her and followed her into the kitchen. A few minutes later they both had coffee and were seating themselves in comfortable chairs in Ishizu's lounge.

"So what have you been doing these last ten years Yugi?"

"Research. After that day I vowed to find a way to bring him back." Yugi didn't have to tell Ishizu who 'He' was, she knew perfectly well how he felt though no one else had.

"You found a way?"

"Yes, but I need your help, and the millennium items."

"You serious? It's too dangerous what if using them allows evil to come back?"

Yugi sighed deeply. He had asked himself the same question over and over since he'd found a way to bring Yami back to him and he knew it was a huge risk.

"I know it's risky, it could also mean my own death but I have to try Ishizu. He is my other half, I am not whole without him there. You know I haven't duelled since that day? I cannot do it I need him too much."

Ishizu knew he hadn't duelled since then. His name now a mere legend to be passed on from Duel Monsters coaches to their eager pupils. The story of Yugi and how he and his darker self had defeated a great evil and saved the world by duelling. But that's all he was merely a legend. His strategies were taught though Yugi himself had never taught anyone – he just couldn't face it. He had been so lonely without his Yami.

"I have to do this Ishizu." He clenched his fists and Ishizu knew he would go ahead and try whatever it was he needed to do with or without her.

"Okay I'll help you Yugi." She sighed wondering what on earth she was getting herself into and Yugi cheered up at once.

"Really? Thanks so much!"

Ishizu sat down next to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"You deserve to have him back Yugi. One as devoted as you should be allowed a little happiness. Now then tell me what we need."

"Well I discovered this way about three weeks ago when I was going through an ancient manuscript I discovered. We need the millennium items, a special dagger and plate that were sealed in Yami's tomb with him. We also need his mummified body which should still be preserved."

"Hmm not much then…" Ishizu grinned and he had to smile. "We should be able to get everything. I know the ancient rites to unseal his tomb. When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible."

"Okay we'll leave on the next available flight. Make sure you've got everything we need."

"Yes I'll call you when I've booked and pick you up for the airport."

"I'll be ready."

It was two days before they boarded a flight to Egypt. Yugi had his case with all his papers in it as well as Yami's photograph. He had on as always Yami's bracelets and his anticipation of seeing Yami again after so long was so strong that Ishizu could almost touch it. He stared out of the window going over and over in his mind how the ritual worked, the results of which could mean Yami's resurrection – or his own death.

They booked into their hotel and retired early knowing that they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow. Yugi slept with the photograph next to him on the pillow praying with all his heart that after tomorrow it would be the real Yami sharing his bed.

They rose early and left the hotel before the chefs had even started the guests breakfasts. They took the car that they had hired the previous day and headed for the site of yami's tomb.

They arrived a little after midday and both of them were hot and sweaty.

"I'll be glad to go underground, this heat is terrible."

Ishizu agreed wholeheartedly and they gathered the things they needed swiftly before descending into the underground tunnel that led to the tomb.

It was a long way underground and they had to light the special orbs they had brought in order to see where they were going.

"We're here."

Ishizu had halted in front of an ornate wall carved with the millennium items. This was where they had been returned to after that night ten years ago.

Ishizu began the ritual chant which would open up the door and allow them to enter. This was the outer section of the tomb. The inner section contained the mummified body of his beloved.

The wall opened to reveal a room with a table on it. There was a casket on the table and Yugi opened it to reveal the millennium items inside it. He gathered them up and gave three of them to Ishizu to hold.

They closed the casket and moved towards the back of the chamber where there was another door, which led to the actual tomb. Again Ishizu uttered the words and the door creaked and groaned before finally opening to let them through.

Yugi cautiously went through the door wondering what he would see. He remembered that Pharaoh's used to be buried with treasure and such like but the only treasure he wanted was in the sarcophagus he hoped was inside this room. Then he saw it.

It was overlain in gold and as he approached he could see by the light of his orb that the face of the pharaoh was carved onto the front. He drew in his breath and looked at Ishizu who nodded holding up the required dagger and plate that they needed.

Yugi took a moment to take in the rest on the tomb and was surprised to see that there was no other treasure in the room apart from the dagger and plate.

Yugi didn't care he had found what he came for.

"We have to take him to the rituals room, it's not far."

"Alright, how are we going to move him? This is too heavy for us to manage on our own."

"We'll have to take the body out and carry him."

"Okay give me a hand with this lid."

The two of them managed to get the lid off and set it to one side. The casket had been airtight and the body inside was protected and preserved. Yugi looked down at the pharaoh's body all wrapped in bandages and marvelled at the preservation skills of the Egyptians.

He leaned over and lifted the body out very gently cradling it against his chest and followed Ishizu out of the chamber and down the corridor further into the earth.

The room they headed for was indeed not very far from the tomb and there was a single dias in the middle with a table set atop it.

Yugi walked up to the table and laid Yami's body gently on it. Preserved or not, he did not want to damage it before Yami's soul returned to it.

"You had better take the bandages off his face or he might be worried if he can't see when he wakes up."

Yugi nodded and very carefully removed the bandages revealing the face of his beloved – his Yami.

"Soon now." He whispered and put the bandages to one side before turning to Ishizu. "It's time."

Together they set the plate at the head of the table on the floor and began to slot the millennium items into the right places on it. The millennium puzzle which was round Yugi's neck was the last piece and he took it off and placed it into its slot.

Yugi stood and climbed onto the table above Yami. Ishizu handed him the dagger and he readied himself.

Ishizu began to chant and as she did a ring of energy surrounded Yami and Yugi. Without this energy to sustain him, the next part of the ritual would kill him. He began to speak his part of the ritual, which he had learned off by heart whereas Ishizu was having to read from the sheets of paper Yugi had given her before they started.

The glow of the energy intensified as Yugi prepared to plunge the dagger into his own stomach. The ritual to return a spirit to it's own body required the blood of one whom they loved to enter them. Coupled with this was the need for the seven millenium items to provide the sustaining energy Yugi was going to need in order to survive the blood loss and the dagger itself which had a blade on both ends.

Ishizu came to the point in the ritual where she had to stop chanting so that Yugi could carry out the next part. Yugi ended his part of the ritual chant and taking a deep breath plunged the dagger into his stomach making a deep wound. He cried out in pain as it pierced his internal organs but he gritted his teeth. It was worth it he knew it.

He leaned over the body and the other end of the dagger pierced it and his blood ran into Yami. The circle of energy continued to encircle them almost blocking the view from Ishizu who began to chant the third part of the ritual to draw Yami's spirit back to him.

Though he was losing blood, Yugi still felt strong and was glad of the ring of energy though he knew he would probably pass out when it was gone, for now he was sustained. He looked down at Yami whose body was beginning to glow as the ritual began to work it's magic on him. Yugi waited while more of his blood ran into Yami to strengthen him as much as possible.

"Yugi take the dagger out now." Ishizu's voice came to him and he lifted himself off Yami taking the dagger with him as it was still imbedded in his stomach. Gritting his teeth again, he pulled out the dagger and dropped it before tumbling off the table and onto the floor in pain.

He had fallen out of the ring of energy and without it's protection he lapsed into unconsiousness.

The final part of the ritual was over and Ishizu began another chant – one of healing to heal up Yugi or he was going to die from internal bleeding. She placed her hand over his wound and chanted.

Yami stirred and opened his eyes and then immediately shut them again. That was painful! Why did the light hurt him? He didn't know. The last thing he remembered was looking up into Yugi's face before he closed his eyes…

'Wait a minute' he thought, 'I was supposed to have vanished as a result of that duel we had and Yugi won. So why am I now here?' He tried to move but couldn't. He was a spirit wasn't he? So why couldn't he move?

A sound came from his throat, a sort of choked cry as he tried to attract attention from somewhere – anywhere. He still couldn't open his eyes they felt so sore.

A hand brushed his brow and he heard a familiar voice. Ishizu!

"Hush my pharaoh don't try and move, your body cannot take it just yet. It needs time to get strong again."

"uuuh." Managed Yami from somewhere in his throat. It felt so dry. Isizu's words sunk in then.

'My body?' he thought 'How is it I have a body? How, when?' He felt strange. To not be a part of Yugi's mind was going to feel weird after so long. He began to wonder how long it was since the battle. It only felt like a few minutes ago yet he knew it had to have been longer.

As Yami lay there thinking, Yugi on the floor began to stir and open his eyes. He saw Ishizu standing next to the table and put his hand down to where he had stabbed himself. Through the hole in his clothes he could feel that his wound had closed up and he was thankful to Ishizu's healing powers.

"Ishizu?"

She turned and knelt beside him on the ground.

"Yes Yugi?"

"Did we succeed?"

Ishizu smiled. "Come and see."

She helped him to his feet and he wobbled about a bit still suffering somewhat from his loss of blood and turned him to face the table.

Yugi took in the pinkish tinge of his skin whereas before it had been grey and the steady rise and fall of his chest, which was still wrapped in bandages. They had succeeded and his Yami, his beautiful Yami was alive and restored to him Yugi's heart leapt. He had waited so long.

"Yami?"

"Uuuh" came the reply and Yugi looked worriedly at Ishizu.

"Don't worry it's because his throat is so dry, here." She unscrewed a bottle of water and Yugi wetted his fingers before running then over Yami's lips.

Yami heard Yugi's voice and tried to respond but still couldn't manage to speak but he felt the drops of water touch his lips and tried to move his tongue to get them. His tongue felt like it was a piece of carpet it was so dry so he could only move it a little but Yugi kept giving him drops of water and eventually he could move his tongue better and stuck it out of his mouth a little asking for more water as his throat was still really dry.

"You think you could drink a little?"

Yami moved his head slightly in a nodding movement and Yugi gently lifted his head up and held the bottle to his lips. He let a small amount into Yami's mouth and down his throat so as not to choke him and Yami revelled in the cool liquid as it ran down and lubricated the dryness. Yugi gave him a little at a time and soon all the dryness was gone and Yami felt much better.

"Yugi." He managed and Yugi smiled. Yami realised his body was exhausted from the effort of drinking the water and he relaxed against Yugi. Again he wondered just how long it had been. He still had not opened his eyes and seen Yugi who looked significantly older than he had done last time Yami had seen him. He drifted off into sleep and Yugi lay down next to him on the table and fell asleep too. He was happy beyond words. His Yami was back in his arms where he belonged and remembered him. This had also been a concern of Yugi's but he need not have worried. He closed his eyes and slept.