The Eternal Gem

Chapter 6: The Past Revealed

"Have you figured it out, Pharaoh?" Bakura's impatient voice echoed through the deserted ruins.

All five of them were sitting while waiting patiently for Yami, as he concentrated on decoding the last few lines. His eyebrows were furrowed and despite the silence he was having trouble figuring out what the translation could mean. The entry was about Queen Elmina's daughter; it talked about the daughter and how the daughter was hidden away from all the people. No one in the village knew about the daughter and Elmina explained that it was because her daughter was special…too special for anyone to understand. None of it made sense though. What did her daughter have to do with the Eternal Gem?

"Pharaoh?" a hissing voice exclaimed again and a pair of dark brown eyes gazed frustratingly into his.

"I'm almost done," Yami said quietly, "but it's not making any sense."

"Give it to me!" Marik said, holding out his hand and looking quite disgruntled.

"We don't exactly want to be here forever," Bakura drawled coldly.

The piercing purple eyes narrowed dangerously toward him, but his hand remained stretched out. Hesitantly, crimson eyes searched the bold man before him but could find no alternate purpose for wanting the sheet so Yami handed it over to him.

Marik's eyes skimmed over the crumbled paper examining all of the pharaoh's translations. Bakura tapped his foot impatiently on the ground and crossed his arms.

"Hmmm…pharaoh, I think your translation isn't completely accurate."

Blinking, he took the several steps toward him and peered over his shoulder.

"Which part?"

"This translation about the mountain top, I don't think that's correct. I think it reads: 'The sun hit's the right spot; reflection reaches the hill top and as the eagle spreads it wings the daughter shines.' " His finger pointed to the symbol in question. Instead of mountain it was hill, which could be. There were several possibilities for many of the symbols.

"What the hell does that mean?" Bakura shouted.

"It sounds like a hidden meaning," Rishid spoke up, glancing at Marik as he did so.

Marik's eyes locked with his and he nodded firmly. "I agree. Which means that what it says on the surface may not be really what it means."

"You sound just as ridiculous as that piece of paper!" said Bakura with a snort.

"Stay out of this tomb robber!" Marik spat, shoving the paper into his robe. "If it's talking about a hill, it could mean the one on top of the island."

"But the actual island is what they wanted to hide and it's underground here! So this is where we need to look!" Bakura said confidently.

A warm hand was placed on his shoulder and he glanced up into familiar crimson eyes as Yami stared at him.

"I'm not so sure. Marik might be onto something. Hiding the Gem up on the surface rather than down in the village is actually safer because then no one in the village could stumble upon it. And strangers that came to the island probably didn't see anything of interest so they didn't explore much."

"Fine! We'll go above!" he exclaimed, stomping away toward the way they came.

Marik hurried to catch up to Bakura and Yami remained right behind them with the others. The bridge was a bit wobbly the second time they crossed. Marik, who was trying to get in front of Bakura, nearly fell through but he was saved by tripping and falling forward on the other side. Laughing in near hysterics, the tomb robber decided to jog the rest of the way out between the rocks. Cursing behind him, Marik followed. Once they were all out in the open, it was unsure which direction they should go. They all were thinking of searching in opposite directions so instead Rishid with the rest of Marik's crew all split up in different directions and Bakura, Marik and Yami stayed together (to make sure the other didn't claim the Gem for himself) as they went in another direction.

"What about that?" a gesture was made to the lumpy land nearby the shore.

"Tomb Robber, honestly, you're so blind," Marik scoffed. "A hill is not lumpy land, it's got to be a noticeable hill."

"Well excuse me for not having a specific definition of "hill" in my mind!" a hot retort was issued.

Sighing heavily, Yami remained searching around and noticed the rain had stopped pouring so hard. He wondered where Isis and Mahado had run off to. And he hoped with all his heart that Ryou and Yuugi were still holding on. He had the urge to go straight to them and see, but that would waste precious moments of looking for the Gem. And the Gem was the only cure.

"I can't believe I ever thought about teaming up with you long ago!" Bakura snorted, folding his arms and giving Marik the best glare he could muster.

"And to think, you would've been with me all the time, stuck to my side like glue."

"Please don't flatter yourself!" snorted Bakura. "You're too egotistical for your own good."

"I was being sarcastic nim-rod. Having you by my side would be torture. I already feel my sanity decreasing."

"WHY YOU…!" snarled Bakura as he made a move to grab him roughly.

"That…," Yami whispered almost inaudibly.

Both Bakura and Marik turned at the slight sound by them. Their eyes traveled to where Yami was staring and noticed that a large hill was overlooking the small forest that they had just come through. The hill hadn't been noticeable before because it had been hidden behind the tall trees from the ship and from the side they had explored it was obviously on the other side.

"Alright, so now that we found it, what do we do?" Bakura asked.

Without even listening to the question, they were both already being left behind as Yami hurried toward it. Rushing behind him, the two followed both not understanding what the significance of the hill was. As they all approached it, the pharaoh's eyes were glazed over as if lost in his own world. For a minute he stood in front of the hill, unmoving and unblinking. Bakura glanced at him uncertainly and then at Marik who gave him a similar side-look. Wheeling his neck around, Yami stared off into the distance then back at the hill. His eyes examined everything and soon he was stepping even closer. The hill had dried up grass all around it and was damp and muddy because of the recent rain. There were several trees nearby it, but other side it was an ordinary hill.

Gently, graceful fingers slipped against the dampness and spreading the individual grass strands apart. Bakura had his mouth open in disbelief as he stared at Yami's back.

"Pharaoh, what are you doing? Molesting the grass?"

"Shh! I think he's got an idea!" Marik hissed as he nudged him hard in the side.

Yami's head straightened up again and the two glared at him simultaneously, waiting for any response from him. Finally, his glazed expression was replaced with one of shock and reassurance.

"As the eagle flies," he responded, repeating a line from the entry.

Bakura leaned forward as he noticed Yami's finger was pointing at something. He came closer until he was able to see some sort of imprint in the hill in the dirt between the grass. Almost exactly in the center of the part of the hill that was facing them, was a marking of what appeared to be a bird shape, probably traced with a stick and filled in possibly with berry juice.

"Okay, so what does this mean?" Marik asked as he peered over Bakura's shoulder to glance at it as well.

"'The sun hit's the right spot; reflection reaches the hill top and as the eagle spreads it wings the daughter shines.' " Yami repeated, his eyes gazing up at the sky. "We wait for the sun to hit this symbol."

"For the sun to shine on a muddy symbol? Why?" Marik scoffed, glaring at him. "Is this some sort of trick pharaoh? A trick to keep us distracted while Isis helped you find the Gem."

"Oh open your eyes nim-rod!" snapped Bakura as he smirked. "Obviously the entry wasn't a normal entry, it was stating how to find something so obviously it's the Gem, genius."

Yami nodded in agreement as Marik glared at Bakura. "I know that! I was the one to tell you the riddle has a double meaning, but it never said anything about the Gem."

"It didn't have to," the pharaoh responded to them as his crimson eyes glistened again toward the sky. "When the daughter shines…the daughter isn't Queen Elmina's actual daughter, if she had one, it's a code word for the Gem."

"Are you sure?" Marik asked doubtfully. "I know the entry was some sort of clue, but it might not be for this Eternal Gem. It could be clues to where they kept their valuables."

"The Gem is a valuable!"

"They wouldn't just put the Gem in with their pottery or regular stuff!" Marik shot back angrily.

Bakura opened his mouth but Yami pushed him aside suddenly. His eyes were watching as the clouds above them began to part very slowly. He could see a part of the sun shining and it appeared like the rays were slowly heading toward them. Marik and Bakura stood silently as they waited in anticipation. Very carefully the sun began to shine over the top of the trees and then it moved down to the hill top. A couple small rays just barely touched the symbol lying in the center. Almost immediately the soil that the symbol was etched into began to cave in. As the dirt moved apart it made it seem like the eagle was growing wings and that it was about to fly, before the symbol vanished entirely and the dirt sank into itself. A small hole was left in place of the symbol and as the rays touched the hole completely something very bright shimmered and reflected the rays blinding them momentarily. Five seconds later, as the three of them stared dumbfounded, the sun's rays began to edge off of it and the soil began to rebuild, filling up the hole.

"THE GEM!" Bakura shouted, jerking forward.

"Move! I'll get it!" Marik pushed at him as he made an attempt to run forward.

Yami had just begun to concentrate on his powers to lure the Gem out with the power of his Millennium Pyramid when a movement flashed by them so fast they didn't have time to react. Mahado had jumped down in front of the hill, slammed his hand through the hole that was closing and grasped something in his hand. He jumped away as the soil closed up completely, sealing off what the sun had produced.

"Mahado! YOU TRAITOR!" Bakura shouted with rage as he ran forward.

Jumping with agility, he flipped backward away from them and landed on the top of the hill. Coming up behind him was another familiar figure. Isis removed her hood and although her hair was still wet she appeared fairly dry from before. Bakura had his mouth opening and was gapping as well as Marik who stared dumbfounded up at his sister. Yami's eyes were wide with disbelief as he gazed at his two must trusted friends, not comprehending what was going on.

Mahado turned toward Isis and handed her the object. It glistened and finally was revealed to all of them. A gorgeous sapphire Gem lay in her hands about as big as her fist. The way it shimmered with all sorts of colors gave it an eerie but magical glow. It wasn't in the shape of a Gem or diamond. Strangely it looked a lot like a part of a wing or something close. Isis' fingers settled around it and she held it tightly in her hand. Nodding to Mahado she turned and walked away.

"SISTER!" Marik roared, pulling out his Millennium Rod.

In a flash, Mahado had jumped high up and came down right in front of him. With a high kick he sent the Rod flying into the bushes. Bakura wasted no time and leapt onto the hill, trying to climb up it and follow her. Yami was still staring where his friends had been standing with an utterly lost look etched into his features. As he turned to see Mahado fighting with Marik, he made a move closer to them.

"Mahado…my friend, my guardian….my brother," the pharaoh whispered, his tone filled with sorrow.

The man turned to face him after Marik was knocked off balance. His eyes shone the same as they had before, only his expression was grim. Closing his eyes briefly, Mahado walked up to him and placed a hand on his cheek.

"My pharaoh…my friend and brother, please understand that I am doing this for the greater good. You have trusted me your whole life, ever since you created me at six. So please, don't lose faith in me now."

"GIVE ME THAT GEM!"

Yami wheeled around, unable to reply as Bakura's voice echoed angrily through the air. He had climbed up the hill and now was cornering Isis. Mahado made a move to get to Bakura, but he used his Millennium Item to hold him back. Marik, meanwhile, had found his Rod and raced forward, blocking Bakura's attack as he leapt up the hill with the help of his powers. Yami realized Isis was cornered. She was clutching the Gem close to her chest looking frightened and desperate.

"No please! You don't understand!" her pleading voice sent a signal to him and suddenly, without warning, Yami raised his arms and the Eye of Horus illuminated upon his forehead.

Releasing his powers, Isis was suddenly lifted up in the air away from the grasps of her brother and Bakura until she was floating levelly. All eyes wheeled onto Yami and Isis stared down at him as her eyes glanced at him in surprise. Mahado came up beside him and the pharaoh only had to glance at him once and nod.

"Isis, I trust you and I always have," Yami said quietly. "Even when you left the palace I could find no reason for you to betray me or Egypt. I know you too well to think that one scenario could mean such betrayal. After all, friends stick beside one another no matter what, correct?"

Isis bit her lip to keep from crying and she nodded firmly, her dark blue eyes glistening with tears. Her gaze shifted to Mahado who glanced at her briefly and with a small smile told her it was time. She had to act fast. Closing her eyes together and keeping the Gem close to her chest, she wished for the only wish that could grant any amount of good upon all of them; and she wished with all her heart. The Gem pulled away from her glowing with an immense aura that caused all of them to glance away from the bright light. The light exploded into a million particles and raced toward the sky, shooting up through the clouds as the Gem shattered into pieces. A huge wind blew them all off balance as it overtook the entire island in one quick second. As the wind died down, Isis glanced at her own neck where her Millennium Necklace was. It was glowing brightly as well and in seconds it flew off her neck and into the air. Marik, who had landed on Bakura after the explosion, glanced up to see his sister's Item.

"What's going on? What did she wish for?"

"Stop! What is…happening?" Bakura grunted and Marik turned to see he was fighting with his own Item. It was trying to come off his neck.

Before he could even look down beside him, his Item flew into the sky toward Isis'. He jumped up with speed, staring with wide, shocked eyes. Yami and Mahado were staring up at it grimly and before anyone could blink Yami's own Pyramid and Millennium Crown detached away from him and flew up to the sky. Bakura was thrown off balance as his Item pulled away and was flung off his neck. In the distance, they could hear fluttering noises and watched in part denial and awe as more Millennium Items came flying out of no where. The ankh and the Millennium Scale shone brightly against the sun as it joined the group. Mahado stared up as the Dagger of Anubus, holding the powers of the other Millennium Items, came flying through the air and entered in the middle, surrounded by the other Items.

"Isis! What have you done?" Bakura exclaimed, clenching his fists and glaring up at her.

Isis was staring at all the items with a smile on her face. Without control of his powers, Yami no longer held her up so she had begun to float back down to the ground. Bakura stomped over to her, but Marik held him back roughly.

"Let go!"

"Look, you fool!" Marik glared, pointing to the sky.

They all watched in amazement as the Items began to close in on one another. And as they closed in, they began to overlap and soon they were combining with one another; melting to become one. Golden-yellow aura filled the sky as the Items powers were released from the Dagger and intertwining with the other powers that had once been Millennium Items and now were bright balls of power. Very slowly, as they melded together, they began to take on a shape. An explosion of light showed the completion and they were all blown away by the intensity of the combination of powers. As the light filled the sky and overlooked the island, the clouds began to change colors. After several minutes the aura died down until there was only a small glow left and one shape remaining.

A golden object floated back down and Isis moved to catch it. The small item was now half the size of her fist and was in the shape of a Lotus flower. Slowly, the aura died down as well, leaving the object glistening in her hands.

"What the hell was that?" Bakura voiced finally.

Isis lifted her head and smiled. "It's the end of our troubles now."

"What? Why? What'd you do?" he asked all at once as he made a move toward her to stare at the item.

"Sister, I demand you return my item to me at once!" Marik bellowed, pushing Bakura down as he approached her.

Isis shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid I can't, brother. Besides, it wasn't yours to begin with. This is the true shape of the power that once flourished millions and millions of years ago," she said gently, grasping the object tight in her hand.

"What do you mean?" Yami asked softly, having climbed up the hill with Mahado.

Isis smiled again and began approaching him with the item outstretched. Placing it in his open palms, she gazed up at him.

"My pharaoh, it took me so long to get a vision but I finally did. I got it the other day, when we were approaching the island. My first intention was to locate the Item myself once I arrived here and make the wish to save Yuugi and Ryou's lives, until I had that vision. Once I did, I knew what the Gem's purpose was; to restore stability in the world, pharaoh."

"Yeah, can you be a little more clear?" Bakura drawled sarcastically. "As in speak English."

Isis sighed. "My vision was about the past, long, long ago when Queen Elmina became ruler. During her time, not many people were around. Everyone alive then was not like normal human beings. They are, in a sense, our ancestors for they possessed abilities in magic and spiritualism and healing. But because of the few humans, or magical beings, on Earth, it was mainly occupied by beasts, such as Dinosaurs, creatures of all sorts including the Egyptian God Beasts. As more and more people began to come, as more births were produced, and explorations around Earth took place, humans began colonizing. But not like we do today. They hid in caves and ate herbs and meat and stayed away from predators such as dinosaurs. The beasts who ruled the land were the Egyptian God Beasts and those magical beings worshipped them and never got in their way to try and study them or steal anything from them. Dinosaurs were frightened of them as well," she explained, glancing at all of them.

"These beasts had powers; whether or not they arrived from an alien planet to avoid extinction is unknown and will never be known, but their arrival changed the course of our history. Soon, as the humans began to increase, curiosity soon became a problem and some of them could not leave well enough alone. They began invading the territories of the Egyptian God Beasts and wanted to steal their powers. At first, the Egyptian God Beasts did nothing, but soon something had to be done. The had only been on Earth for a thousand years or so when humans began forming tribes and understanding things at a more complex level. Soon they wouldn't want Egyptian god Beasts as the rulers of the Earth; soon they would try and take them over, which is exactly what they tried to do.

"Feeling threatened, the Egyptian God Beasts fought back. Their power was too much for the humans, or any creature upon the Earth. So much was destroyed…the dinosaurs became extinct because the Beasts had destroyed so much land and food. And the humans, without creatures for meat or herbs, could not survive either. Soon all dinosaurs were deceased and there only a few human beings left: five to be exact. Queen Elmina's grandmother, her grandfather, and other three individuals from other tribes. They had remained together to help one another survive. Queen Elmina's grandmother became pregnant, but she was so weak that she died during childbirth.

"And then," she whispered softly, as tears filled her eyes, "that baby was all that remained. She was Queen Elmina's mother. And the baby could not survive by itself. But the Egyptian God Beasts found this baby crying hysterically one night and took pity on it. The baby was then granted immortal power so that it could survive for however long it chose to. It was the first of the immortal beings of our heritage. At first, for many years she grew up with these beasts that protected her like she was their own young. They realized, however, that although they could communicate with actions and they took care of her, she was lonely and needed more of her kind.

"Realizing this, the Egyptian God Beasts bestowed upon her this Gem--a Gem that could grant any wish. After that, they began to age and die, as if the Earth was finally getting to them. They had bestowed much of their powers to this little girl. The girl was saddened though and with this Gem wished for them to live on forever. So these beasts became spirits that were intertwined with the immortal powers, so she could summon them at will. But she didn't want them to lose their powers so she wished for their powers to be safe, which brought upon the Millennium Items that were able to harbor their powers. And with the Gem, years later she was able to procreate and produce her daughter Elmina. Soon, she used her powers to create other immortal beings such as herself to start the new civilization of humans. Unfortunately, some of those humans later on wanted her Gem for themselves. Elmina found out and banished them, taking away their immortal powers and leaving them as regular humans to survive on their own. And that's how the division of normal humans and magical beings started. Soon, when a big enough tribe came to be after many years, Elmina realized she wasn't safe with her immortal people so she found an island out in the ocean to hide all of them to live peacefully.

"However, one day they were discovered and a massacre was unleashed. Elmina could not save her people and she was greatly saddened by everything. She wrote all events down in a journal, including where she planned to hide the Gem and that someday someone with a pure heart would combine the Millennium Items again into one and set the spirits of the Egyptian God Beasts free. She made sure the Millennium Items were hidden in a safe place, as well as the Gem, before she wished for her entire village to be placed underground. And then she wished to die there, with the family she had grown up with and that was the last time the Gem was used."

Isis had tears in her eyes, but she faced all of them. "The Millennium Items don't belong to us, nor should they be forced to be with us when they only belong in the time period they were created. Now that the powers are again one, the souls of the beasts will be released and they can rest in peace. Without the beasts' souls in this item now," she said, glancing down at the item in Yami's hands, "it has nothing except our remaining immortality. We are the last people who will ever be immortal or have this power. And that includes anyone who was affected by the powers of the Millennium Items. Anyone who was touched by them at all will remain immortal but no matter what cannot pass this power down. It will die with our generation."

Bakura's mouth had dropped open and Marik was staring at her wordlessly while Yami's eyes lifted to hers.

"So Yuugi and Ryou…they…"

"They will be fine," she smiled. "They have been touched by the Items so they now should possess immortality like us. But also like us, they cannot ever pass it on to anyone else, even people related to them."

With one swift move, she was embraced in his warm arms as his crimson eyes shone with mirth and admiration. When he pulled away, she had tears leaking out of her eyes.

"I knew you wouldn't betray anyone," Yami whispered, wiping away her tears. "I knew I should've trusted you. Forgive me for the small doubt that had begun to cling in my mind."

She nodded immediately, smiling. "Of course pharaoh. My dear friend."

"Isis."

Slowly turning, her eyes locked into her brother's and she licked her dry lips. "Yes?"

"What about the power of our Items?" he asked.

"We all have immortality, nothing more. So we are all the same now. No one's power is greater than anyone else's," she said smoothly.

Marik stared at her passively with a grim expression. Suddenly, his face took on a surprising expression of acceptance. He shrugged indifferently. "I suppose if the pharaoh doesn't have all of his powers like before I'm fine with that."

Smiling, Isis walked over to him and embraced him. For a second, Marik didn't do anything, but very slowly he wound his arms around her. Bakura started making gagging noises and Yami just laughed, his eyes shimmering with a spark that had been lost some time ago. In the distance, voices were calling out and Yami recognized them immediately. Feeling like the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders, he rushed toward the voices which were coming from the shoreline. Two figures were screaming out across the sea toward the boat.

"YAMI!"

"Right here, Yuugi."

Wheeling around, seemingly flushed, bright violet eyes met with crimson. A second later, Yuugi had rushed into his arms, squeezing him as if he never wanted to let go. Mahado, Bakura, Marik and Isis came strolling up behind and Ryou's eyes shimmered with tears as he ran at Bakura. A smirk overcame Marik's features as Ryou hugged the ex tomb robber tightly, but Bakura only sent him a glare before returning the embrace. Pushing him away gently, Bakura glanced down into the shimmering light brown orbs.

"I told you we'd find the Gem," he smirked.

Ryou wiped at his eyes and nodded, keeping his arms tightly wound around him. Yuugi was sobbing quietly into Yami's chest.

"I thought…I thought I'd never get to hold you again," he whispered through sobs.

Warm fingers ran through his hair and his face was tilted so he was staring up into the gentle crimson eyes.

"Me too, but Isis is the one to thank. She had a vision about what she had to wish for. The Millennium Items are gone now; their power or rather the power of the Egyptian God Beasts has been set free so now all that remains is our immortality."

"But…what about me and Ryou? I know we're not in any pain anymore, but…can we stay here forever?"

Chuckling deeply, Yami's eyes lit up immensely. "Yes, you can. Anyone who was touched by the Millennium Items has immortality."

"But if the Millennium Items are gone," Ryou interjected, still holding onto his own crush, "then how can we all retain immortality?"

"It's simple," Marik said, staring at all of them passively as he crossed his arms. "The spirits of the Beasts were set free and the magical energy that lived in our bodies has all been transferred into one Item. This item," he said, pointing to the one that Yami still held, "is magical like the Millennium Items in that he can retain power within it. But it's not the power that could upset the balance of the world, or cause harm to anyone," he said, glancing at Ryou and Yuugi. "It's just a small amount of power that keeps us bonded with it so that we can continue living however long we choose, much like that girl was when the beasts bestowed that gift on her. And that is how it will remain for the rest of our lives. But no one else will ever achieve immortality."

"What if that Item is destroyed?" Yuugi voiced curiously, glancing at the beautiful shape of it.

"That is how we will choose to die," Yami spoke up, staring down at Yuugi lovingly as he caressed his cheek. "When we are tired of immortality we can shatter that Lotus-shaped Item and regain normal human lifespan, meaning we will then die in the next year without it, as long as it's destroyed after your regular human lifespan would be."

"What's the point though?" Ryou asked, his light brown eyes dimming in sadness and concern. His face shone with a bit of confusion that made him appear younger. "All of our friends will die."

"Yes, but you can make new ones," Bakura said softly as Ryou's gentle brown eyes gazed up into his. "It's like living several lifetimes. Even if you were to age and die, you'd be gone with them and the result is the same: they'd die. Eventually, everyone will, except for us when we choose to die."

"I suppose that's true," Ryou said, blushing as their eyes locked once more.

Yuugi smiled at the two of them then turned to Yami. Blushing himself, he reached up and cupped Yami's face in his hands. The loving, happy expression reflecting through those crimson eyes made the familiar butterflies return. Licking his lips, Yuugi removed one hand to reach into his robe.

"Yami, I…I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" he questioned, blinking down at him with a soft gaze.

"You…you are the most important person in my life, well, romantically," he said, smiling at Ryou and the others. "And…well, I…like I told you before, I want to spend it with you eternally. And now that we finally have our time together and we can be with one another happily, I was wondering if it would be alright with you if we…become one with a modern ceremony that has so much emotional power behind it. I feel like it will be the final piece that fits with our love," he said quietly, violet eyes shimmering as he took out the velvet-red box. "Yami, will you marry me?" he voiced breathlessly as the box then opened.

A gorgeous ruby and diamond entwined ring sparkled in the light of the sun. The ruby was in the shape of a diamond and there were two oval white diamonds on either side of it. The band was gold and it too shimmered from the light. It was indescribable how Yami's face lightened with shock and love and happiness. Out of the corner of his crimson eyes—eyes that matched the ruby shining at him, came tears, but not ones of sadness. The ring and the vow made his breath slip away from him and for a minute he could only stare at it.

Taking the ring out of its box, Yami brought it close and closed his eyes, allowing more tears to fall. He felt Yuugi's warm hand wipe at his tears and then the ring was taken from him. Slowly, his hand was brought out and Yuugi slid it on his ring-finger. It glistened so brightly, shining just like the magical Gem had. Isis was crying for her pharaoh and Bakura was just looking as if he had eaten too much sugar. Marik seemed indifferent though his eyes were alight with more life than they had been previously. Mahado smiled subtly as his brother and friend was asked his hand in marriage.

"Yes, Yuugi, I would love to marry you," Yami bent down and captured his lips in a blissful, romantic kiss in front of everyone.

It was a chaste kiss, but one so warm and tender that it melted Yuugi's mind. When they broke apart, Yami cupped his face in his hands.

"I also was going to ask you if you wanted to go through a love ritual with me. However, your ritual seems much more permanent. Back in the days, this ritual was mainly for lovers and I know that you and I are more than that. I would love to see what your ceremony is like, Yuugi," he whispered. "I don't need anything more than that."

"Why don't you both combine the rituals?" Ryou suggested.

Blinking, Yuugi gazed at him and his face lit up in excitement. "Yeah! Like include the love ritual in the wedding, maybe during the vows."

Yami's face softened and he bent down, giving Yuugi another kiss. "That sounds wonderful."

"How touching," Marik drawled, rolling his eyes. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get off this island now."

Grinning, Yami nodded full-heartedly. "Of course. Someday we can come back here and try and discover more about them and the Egyptian God Beasts, but that's a journey for another lifetime I suppose. I'm just happy that the Gem was discovered and everything turned out alright."

"Me too," Ryou sighed, leaning up against Bakura's chest.

"Alright, let's get out of here before I throw-up," said Marik as he began to walk away.

The two couples remained in their tight embraces for a little longer before they too followed behind along with Isis and Mahado. With the Gem gone and the Millennium Items finally released there was only happiness looking to the future.

TO BE CONTINUED…

I know, I know, it's so sappy and happy that you think it's the end, right? WRONG! This is not the end! Just because the drama/action is over with doesn't mean this story is going to end so soon.Like I said, this story is mainly ROMANCE/HUMOR and there still are lemons. So now the next several chapters, however long this might turn out to be, will be just that. Bakura and Ryou's romance will blossom to its full ability and you will see Yuugi and Yami get married. Plus other happy things. If you don't like sap, you may be disappointed that this is the end of the drama, so-to-speak. But at least it's not done yet!

To Reviewers:

Kingleby: Hehehe, yeah. I like Mahado too. Bakura's a fun character to play with. :-) Thanks a lot!

Flame-chan: Hehehe, thanks for another long review! I'm still confused as to what specific parts you think should be in more detail with the characters. Could you point out a certain section or scene and tell me what you'd suggest I do. I wasn't sure if you meant the character's movements or setting up the scene more, or what. Oh, AU means Alternate Universe, meaning I'm using the characters but not like they are in the original Anime. The storyline is not about Yuugi figuring out a puzzle or anything. I'm just using the characters and making up an alternate plot. But anyway, thanks for the tips!

Keeper of the Times: Oh good! I'm glad you're still liking this! Now that the real suspense/action is over with, it's time for some fun romance!

SpufFan: I hope this was another quick update. I know it's not quite as long, but it's the ending of the main suspense/action and now I get to play around with the fluffy romance. YAY! Tehehehe.

Yana5: See, Isis saved them all. Big surprise, right? I wanted to make the ending a surprise. Not to say that this is the end, but it's the end of the main action. Now it's just going to be much fluffy romance ahead!

Kari-Sama: See, it's good! It ended happily. Not depressing. :-) And now that the action/drama is over with, time for the romance to come in! YAY!

Yamiyugifanadic: Yep, dumb Marik almost ruined it. But then again he helped find the Gem too. :-) Yes, now it's all happy and mushy. Tehehehe! Time for some major romance, YAY!

Sansi: Yes indeed, they both are:-) Yay, happily ever afters. I love them! But this is not all. Just because the angsty drama is over with does not mean the story is ending. Now there's just going to be romance, yay!

Citrus luver: Oh goody! You basically hit on several things there:-) Now that the Gem has been solved, it's time for ROMANCE GALORE! YAY! Tehehehe…okay, I'm good now.

Atemu yugi Lover34: It ended happy, see:-) And now that the Gem problem has been solved it's time for the romance to move on in. I put more drama/action in it than I thought I would, since this story is mainly romance/humor. Ah well, good enough!

Celeste-the-Hikari: Oh, have no fear, the lemons are near (it rhymed!). But also, the story is not nearing its end so soon. You will meet other characters who I will introduce. Lina isn't an important character, unfortunately, but Mai makes another appearance as well as another interesting person…