Chapter 14: Decisions Made
"Akari what do you mean!" Yami asked in shock as Akari looked past him as thought she were somewhere else.
"I mean that I have to die to enter the 'Gates of Judgment'." Akari said solemnly as Yami watched her in disbelief. "That is the price I must pay if I want to see Bakura again." Here she paused for a moment as she sighed in resignation, "I know you can hear me so I might as well come out."
Everyone held their breath as Akari slowly emerged from the covers of her bed and they gasped in amazement as her wings slowly stretched themselves out and twitched slightly as if a large fly was resting upon them.
"Isn't there anything else you can do to see Bakura?" Tea asked as Akari shook her head and smiled.
"No, I'm afraid not Tea…" Akari said sadly as the tears welled up in her eyes and she felt a large lump forming in her throat. "there's nothing I can do to change my fate and I dare not go against the will of Halakti."
"But there must be a way to rescue Bakura without sacrificing your life!" Mokuba cried passionately as Seto shook his head and smiled slightly.
"It's not that simple Mokuba, Akari must do what she feels is right. Whether we like it or not." And as he finished, he looked around the room to see if anyone objected and smiled as he heard Joey begin one of his famous rants.
"Rrrrr, Kaiba you jerk! We can't just let Akari give up like that. She's already given up so much already and it's not fair to ask her to do 'dis for for us." Here Joey paused for a moment as if he wasn't sure about what to say next, but Yugi seemed to sense his uneasiness and smiled, instantly putting his mind at ease. "I remember when Mai was losing to Marik. All I wanted to do at that moment was to protect her, even if it meant my life instead of hers and I never want anyone to go through the pain and emptiness I felt inside when I lost Mai to the Shadow Realm. That goes for you too Akari."
"Thank you Joey," Akari said gently a she put a hand to her heart. "but this is something I must do alone. I know you don't to lose me, but I must face the darkness inside my heart so that I can face Bakura knowing that I did it all by myself."
"But until then, I will remain at your side." Yami said gently as he looked deeply into her eyes. "And when the time comes, we will face the 'Gates of Judgment' together."